Can sins be forgiven? It's an excellent question. If sins cannot be forgiven then evil is perpetual, and suffering is inevitable and everlasting. Wouldn't incurable disease seem normal, too?
Some think that one can avoid punishment for sin because God does not know sin, that "He is of purer eyes than to behold evil." Here is where Christian Science helps us understand God's law in a practical way. Mary Baker Eddy states in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "Error excludes itself from harmony. Sin is its own punishment." (Error is another word for evil. Error means that evil is a mistake, a misconception, like 4+4=5.) The way to be free of the punishment of sin, is to totally forsake sin. Error's agony aids in destroying error. Hiding sin as a means of preserving peace, or giving the illusion of peace, causes error and the suffering to grow.
Once the sin is forsaken, the suffering is removed. It's a law of God-good. God is patient with our mistakes. He gently leads us back to the right way. He does not tolerate the sin, but is very patient with our failings. We should be so patient with each other. "Through the wholesome chastisements of Love, we are helped onoward in the march towards righteousness, peace and purity, which are the landmarks of Science." (S&H 323:6)
When sin is rebuked, we discover something. We discover our true sinless nature. We discover that in God's eyes, we never strayed. And, we are home. "In this Science, we discover man in the image and likeness of god. We see that man has never lost his spiritual estate and his eternal harmony." (S&H 548:5)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Love's Impulse
I used to put off praying. Not that I wouldn't eventually follow through. Now, I don't wait. When the thought comes to pray - I pray. If the thought comes to drop to my knees and pray, I follow that lead. Now, I believe that I am working at divine Love's impulse.
Sometimes that means waking up at 2AM because Love says, "Pray!" And, sometimes it means going to a professional hockey game with someone you love and have fun!
I am finding great satisfaction, love, and happiness responding to Love's impulse.
"Sensualism is not bliss, but bondage. For true happiness, man must harmonize with his Principle, divine Love; the Son must be in accord with the Father, in conformity with Christ."
-From Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
337:6-10
Sometimes that means waking up at 2AM because Love says, "Pray!" And, sometimes it means going to a professional hockey game with someone you love and have fun!
I am finding great satisfaction, love, and happiness responding to Love's impulse.
"Sensualism is not bliss, but bondage. For true happiness, man must harmonize with his Principle, divine Love; the Son must be in accord with the Father, in conformity with Christ."
-From Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
337:6-10
Monday, May 7, 2007
World Out of Control?
It is in my heart to pray for our world this morning. God governs. God being all good, governs everything harmoniously. Anything out of control is a denial to God. So, one or the other is not true. Material sense does not comprehend how anything in front of it is not true. Well, material sense often believes it's own illusions. Man is the likeness of God (Gen. 1.). God is not the likeness of man/material sense.
God-good governs. Period. Therefore nothing is out of control. To God, His spiritual sense, and his spiritual ideas all is harmonious. On this basis Christ Jesus healed. He had a different vision.
Today, I am declaring that God is in control. He is in control of me, my future, the Earth's future, Iraq's future (and present!), Iran, North Korea. If I don't do that, I'm saying that evil gets to choose when good is in charge and when it's not. It's a boaster. Jesus called it "a liar and the father of it."
God-good governs. Period. Therefore nothing is out of control. To God, His spiritual sense, and his spiritual ideas all is harmonious. On this basis Christ Jesus healed. He had a different vision.
Today, I am declaring that God is in control. He is in control of me, my future, the Earth's future, Iraq's future (and present!), Iran, North Korea. If I don't do that, I'm saying that evil gets to choose when good is in charge and when it's not. It's a boaster. Jesus called it "a liar and the father of it."
Monday, April 30, 2007
War Inevitable?
Are you praying about war? If not, why not? I know that sometimes that I have a feeling like I should pray about war, but I feel hesitant. I had an insight that we should be praying more about big issues like war. If we never pray about it, how will it come to an end? And, if it is the objectification of evil, why wouldn't we pray . My insight was that prayer is effective, so we need to be applying it to what is needed most. That simple thought was helpful. How can prayer help delete the images of carnage, death, futility, and frustration?
Jesus never made a reality out of death. When he raised the girl from death, he told those around him that she was sleeping. He did the same when he raised Lazarus. He was alert to the fact that death is not reality - it's illusion. There's a book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that has a lot of insights about death. It mentions death 387 times! On page 39:9, it says: "The Bible calls death an enemy, and Jesus overcame death and the grave instead of yielding to them. He was "the way." To him, therefore, death was not the threshold over which he must pass into living glory." Death isn't to be feared or welcomed. Death is a belief that life is in matter. This life apart from God, Spirit, results in death. Life in Spirit never ends.
Is the situation hopeless in Iraq? It sure seems to be. There's daily bombings. It just goes on and on, with no improvement. It sure looks like good is out of the picture and that evil is unstoppable. That sure takes God out of the picture. What's needed to turn this situation around? Would you be surprised if I said prayer? What I mean by prayer is listening for God's voice, looking with God's vision. As it says in Genesis, God created everything good and he was pleased with His creation. God, Spirit, created spiritual creation. It has never morphed into material creation, never degraded into war. We can be faithful to Jesus and love our enemies. We can pray that all love their enemies, and that all the so-called "enemies" are blessed. If everyone felt blessed they wouldn't attack anyone else, and war would fade.
I am praying to know that Iraq is not immersed in war as the carnal mind portrays. I'm adopting Jesus' view that evil is a "liar [lie] and the father of it." I am seeing what God is seeing and unseeing what the carnal mind is seeing. War is not inevitable - God's peace is.
Jesus never made a reality out of death. When he raised the girl from death, he told those around him that she was sleeping. He did the same when he raised Lazarus. He was alert to the fact that death is not reality - it's illusion. There's a book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that has a lot of insights about death. It mentions death 387 times! On page 39:9, it says: "The Bible calls death an enemy, and Jesus overcame death and the grave instead of yielding to them. He was "the way." To him, therefore, death was not the threshold over which he must pass into living glory." Death isn't to be feared or welcomed. Death is a belief that life is in matter. This life apart from God, Spirit, results in death. Life in Spirit never ends.
Is the situation hopeless in Iraq? It sure seems to be. There's daily bombings. It just goes on and on, with no improvement. It sure looks like good is out of the picture and that evil is unstoppable. That sure takes God out of the picture. What's needed to turn this situation around? Would you be surprised if I said prayer? What I mean by prayer is listening for God's voice, looking with God's vision. As it says in Genesis, God created everything good and he was pleased with His creation. God, Spirit, created spiritual creation. It has never morphed into material creation, never degraded into war. We can be faithful to Jesus and love our enemies. We can pray that all love their enemies, and that all the so-called "enemies" are blessed. If everyone felt blessed they wouldn't attack anyone else, and war would fade.
I am praying to know that Iraq is not immersed in war as the carnal mind portrays. I'm adopting Jesus' view that evil is a "liar [lie] and the father of it." I am seeing what God is seeing and unseeing what the carnal mind is seeing. War is not inevitable - God's peace is.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Delaying Good
Who would delay good? I think we do that all the time. We put off listening to God, praying, accepting good.
I know that I think I'll handle some issues at work and then pray. And, then I find hours have passed and I haven't prayed about the issue at all.
I will watch an episode on TV to relax and then it gets late and I have to cut my prayers short.
Or, the busyness of modern life takes over.
All of these are examples of the carnal mind's pressure to delay good. And, delaying good is a denial of God-good.
For today, I'm going to stop delaying good. I'm going to finish that blog I started a few days ago. I'm going to pray about that headache that popped up this morning. (I'm going to pray for complete freedom from it. Jesus never accepted illness or death as God's will, so why should we?)
With Love,
Dan
I know that I think I'll handle some issues at work and then pray. And, then I find hours have passed and I haven't prayed about the issue at all.
I will watch an episode on TV to relax and then it gets late and I have to cut my prayers short.
Or, the busyness of modern life takes over.
All of these are examples of the carnal mind's pressure to delay good. And, delaying good is a denial of God-good.
For today, I'm going to stop delaying good. I'm going to finish that blog I started a few days ago. I'm going to pray about that headache that popped up this morning. (I'm going to pray for complete freedom from it. Jesus never accepted illness or death as God's will, so why should we?)
With Love,
Dan
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Healing Sought Through The Presence of God
Last week I was working so hard at my job, (i.e., lots of personal effort, long hours), but I didn't seem to be gaining ground. It was nice to have a break for Easter, to ponder what God's plan was and to have some time away from the grind to search for healing.
Christian Scientists, like other Christians, pray for God's wisdom. They listen patiently for His direction, and pray for the wisdom and willingness to follow that direction when it comes. Sometimes His voice is that "still small voice" the prophet Isaiah refers to, and sometimes it seems louder. I have found that it is essential to quiet my own thought to make room for God's voice. Christ Jesus taught us to go into our closet (store room, pantry room) and be quiet so we could hear the heavenly Father.
I pray for healing. Sometimes as you see it's for solutions on the job, and sometimes it is to heal a physical or relationship problem. I pray for myself and for others. (If you would like me to pray for you, too, please feel free to contact me at dancarne@gmail.com.) I thought I would share what I heard when I went into my "prayer closet" last night and prayed.
I felt a rush of goodness. Before I could think of the challenges of life, there was an angel message waiting for me. They told me God is right here. Love never allowed sickness. Those whom you are praying for are free. The Bible mentions free, freedom, etc. 96 times and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures mentions it 90 times. pp 225-235 in S&H are sometimes referred to as the freedom pages because they beautifully illustrate over and over man's (the man created by God) freedom from moral and physical wrong. For example, "Love and Truth make free, but evil and error lead into captivity."
I'm ready to be free of evil's fetters. I know this is divine Love's plan!
Christian Scientists, like other Christians, pray for God's wisdom. They listen patiently for His direction, and pray for the wisdom and willingness to follow that direction when it comes. Sometimes His voice is that "still small voice" the prophet Isaiah refers to, and sometimes it seems louder. I have found that it is essential to quiet my own thought to make room for God's voice. Christ Jesus taught us to go into our closet (store room, pantry room) and be quiet so we could hear the heavenly Father.
I pray for healing. Sometimes as you see it's for solutions on the job, and sometimes it is to heal a physical or relationship problem. I pray for myself and for others. (If you would like me to pray for you, too, please feel free to contact me at dancarne@gmail.com.) I thought I would share what I heard when I went into my "prayer closet" last night and prayed.
I felt a rush of goodness. Before I could think of the challenges of life, there was an angel message waiting for me. They told me God is right here. Love never allowed sickness. Those whom you are praying for are free. The Bible mentions free, freedom, etc. 96 times and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures mentions it 90 times. pp 225-235 in S&H are sometimes referred to as the freedom pages because they beautifully illustrate over and over man's (the man created by God) freedom from moral and physical wrong. For example, "Love and Truth make free, but evil and error lead into captivity."
I'm ready to be free of evil's fetters. I know this is divine Love's plan!
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Grace Heals
What do we have to do to be healed? Do we have to pray? Do we have to be good? Do we have to realize the Truth? I heard someone say, "Jesus said, 'You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.' He didn't say your 'knowing of the truth' shall make you free."
What this tells me is it's God's grace that heals. We need to yield up our guilt that we haven't lived up to God's expectation and that is what's holding up healing. According to Genesis 1, you and I were made as God's like-ness, His image.
Jesus told us that the kingdom of heaven we are searching for is "within us." It's here, it's Immanuel, or God with us.
When a disease has gone on for a long time, we feel tempted to feel discouraged or frustrated. That's understandable, but it also points out that maybe we are regarding disease as a reality, even though God, the Creator, didn't make it. Let's look at it as a "presentation" of evil; it's insubstantial. For example, if you go to a cineplex and you accidentally walk into the wrong theater, do you try and heal that wrong picture? No, you walk out (you repent) and go to the proper theater. With the correct mental image before thought there is healing.
What is healing. It's God with us, it's wholeness. But, the root of the word heal is to adore. So, in obedience to Christ Jesus' command to "Heal the sick.", we can adore the sick! And, God's love for us is so great, it's grace. God loves you as you are. "Come as you are!" This healing grace is evidenced in our lives by the expression of gratitude, wholeness, progress, and by love.
Simply put, let go of the burden of guilt that you need to change to be healed. Yield to the truth that you are God's child, made perfect in His image. You are LOVED!
What this tells me is it's God's grace that heals. We need to yield up our guilt that we haven't lived up to God's expectation and that is what's holding up healing. According to Genesis 1, you and I were made as God's like-ness, His image.
Jesus told us that the kingdom of heaven we are searching for is "within us." It's here, it's Immanuel, or God with us.
When a disease has gone on for a long time, we feel tempted to feel discouraged or frustrated. That's understandable, but it also points out that maybe we are regarding disease as a reality, even though God, the Creator, didn't make it. Let's look at it as a "presentation" of evil; it's insubstantial. For example, if you go to a cineplex and you accidentally walk into the wrong theater, do you try and heal that wrong picture? No, you walk out (you repent) and go to the proper theater. With the correct mental image before thought there is healing.
What is healing. It's God with us, it's wholeness. But, the root of the word heal is to adore. So, in obedience to Christ Jesus' command to "Heal the sick.", we can adore the sick! And, God's love for us is so great, it's grace. God loves you as you are. "Come as you are!" This healing grace is evidenced in our lives by the expression of gratitude, wholeness, progress, and by love.
Simply put, let go of the burden of guilt that you need to change to be healed. Yield to the truth that you are God's child, made perfect in His image. You are LOVED!
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