"IN THE BEGINNING was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word was made flesh..."

"The Word was made flesh"~ but it still is the Word. By being flesh it does not change its nature, character or substance. Cause becomes visible as effect, but the essence or substance is still the Word, Spirit or Mind.In this wise do we understand that there is not a spiritual universe and a material world, but rather that what appears as our world is the Word made flesh, or Spirit made visible, or Mind expressed as idea.

All the error that has existed down the ages is founded on the theory or belief of two worlds, one the heavenly Kingdom, or spiritual Life, and the other a material or mortal existence, each separate from the other.In spite of this sense of two worlds, men have always attempted to bring harmony into the discords of human existence through an attempt by prayer to contact this other world or spiritual realm and to bring Spirit or God to act upon the so-called material existence.Let us, then, begin with the understanding that our world is not an erroneous one, but rather that the universe in which we live is the realm of Reality about which man entertains a false concept.

The work of bringing health and harmony into our experience is not, then, getting rid of or even changing a mortal material universe, but in correcting the finite concept of our existence.

~ Joel S. Goldsmith, The Infinite Way ~

Sufi Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

There is one moral; the love that springs forth from self-denial and blooms in deeds of beneficence.

The orthodox say, 'This is good, that is bad. This is right, that is wrong,' but to a Sufi the source of all good deeds is love. Someone
may say that this is the source of bad deeds also, but that is not so; it is lack of love.

Our virtues are made of love, and our sins are caused by lack of it.  Love turns sins into virtues, and its lack makes virtues meaningless.
Christ said when a woman was brought before Him accused of sin, 'Her sins are forgiven, for she loved much.' Heaven is made so beautiful
with love, and life becomes a hell through the lack of it. Love in reality creates harmony in one's life on earth and peace in heaven.

"Acceptance is important to living a life of abundance. This is the
way to inner peace.

The world teaches you that you must always be stressed out and
worried about things in your life that you can't control. The "ego"
part of you loves getting you all worked up over what's not fair.

Your ego tries to convince you that it's important to prove yourself
over and over. It tells you that you're not worth anything unless
you're constantly striving to validate that worth.

This isn't true. One of the first aspects of acceptance is to know
that you are fine just the way you are right at this moment in time.
You have no need to prove anything.

By living your life with an attitude of acceptance, you begin to
remove fear and doubt. These emotions impede your inner peace. Your
higher self has no need for them, as you already know deep inside
that abundance is yours. Allow yourself to tap into this knowledge.

Now, this isn't to say that you just accept things as they are and
then become lazy. It's a way of thinking. A thought process. A
knowing.

As you work toward making your physical goals reality, you exist in a
state of mind of acceptance. This state of mind frees you from inner
anxiety and anguish when things don't go as planned.
You understand that some things you can change and influence and some
you cannot. There is a feeling of inner peace that will come to you
when you accept that which you can't change. It is what it is.

When you live your life from this perspective, it opens you up more
to that which you can influence. When this happens, you're able to be
more productive than you ever could or would be when you listen to
your ego and make yourself miserable over the unfairness of life.

Another aspect of acceptance that will lead you to abundance and
inner peace is that it helps you eliminate judgement from your life.
There's no need for you to pre-judge. This is one of the ego's best
weapons against your inner peace.

In this world, we are brought up with many stereotypes and thoughts
on what others should or shouldn't be doing. Pre-judging others is
prevalent. Acceptance includes understanding that it's not your place
to decide what is right for others.

Notice how you feel inside when you pre-judge or judge another
person. Are you filled with inner peace and contentment? Most likely,
you feel inner stress. Your body tightens up. Your ego is loving it!

But, your higher self knows that an acceptance state of mind is much
healthier for your spirituality.

The next time you start this judgement process, be aware of it.
Replace it with the thought that you don't want this poison inside of
you.

See that other person as an extension of yourself. Understand that
you are both of the same spiritual energy. Know that you are no
better than this other soul; they are not beneath you to be judged by
you.

Spiritually mature people have learned how to like themselves and
value the differences in themselves. They have an understanding that
they were created in a unique way. They don't wish for what they
don't have, and are grateful for the things that they do have.

Spiritually mature people accept who they are. They realize that they
wouldn't be on this earth if their parents didn't bring them into the
world, and they accept their individual features that make them who
they are.

Acceptance can be summed up with the old Zen saying,
"If you understand, things are just as they are. If you do not
understand, things are just as they are."

Change your life!"

This essay was written by a mystic who only calls himself "Enlightenment Chapel"

 georgantas wrote:
"I'm a Christian.  This means I'm forgiven, it doesn't mean I'm perfect."
  ~ Billy Graham ~

 samiyam wrote:

 

The Christian    punched him out.
 

 phineas wrote: 
My brother was part of a spiritual study group and one of the members was a born-again new-age christian type who brought a VHS tape of "Jesus Of Nazareth" one day and showed it to the group by way of spiritual contribution.  After it was done, my brother, rather impressed by the technical details of the filming said, "Wow, they told a great story there!"  The christian punched him out.

 phineas wrote: 
They beat the spread! 

 samiyam wrote: 
Musta had his money on Arizona...

 georgantas wrote: 
Yeah, I guess I don't follow along with the vengeance and wrath so much. Makes for great cinema, though...

 phineas wrote: 
Romans 12:19

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

 georgantas wrote: 
"Jesus Wept"
 ~ John, 11:35 ~

 samiyam wrote: 
Certainly one of my favorites. Another encouragement, inscribed on a pair of dogtags I wear 24/7, reads:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

 TernaryBit wrote: 

 samiyam wrote: 
—Proverbs 6: 6

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

 TernaryBit wrote: 
Two of my favorite passages from the bible.  (which can be mis-interpreted and mis-construed waaaaay too much)

Here's the verse I keep on my office wall.

"Trust in God's Presence with all your heart;
and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge It and It shall direct
your paths."
   ~ Proverbs 3: 5-6 ~

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -James 1:27

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 phineas wrote: 
Joel Goldsmith is one of my favorites... his books are bursting with quiet wisdom.

 samiyam wrote: 
These are all great.

All prayer...is only for one purpose...not to make any kind of demonstration, but to achieve this sense of peace, or well-being, this realization: 'Lo, I am with you until the end of time.'
~ Joel Goldsmith, Collected Essays.

...to attain a sense of peace, learn to drop all thought or concern for whatever it is that is disturbing in the outer picture.
~ Joel Goldsmith, Collected Essays.

If we are not looking to this individual or to that individual but to God, we will find that the stranger in our midst is the emissary of God, bringing love to us.
~ Joel Goldsmith, Collected Essays.

...treatment is always a recognition of the nothingness of the condition and deals only with God and the qualities of God~ God as infinite Good, the infinite All, the infinite Presence, the infinite Effect.
~ Joel Goldsmith, The Art of Spiritual Healing.

"You have always been One with the Buddha.

So do not pretend that you can attain this Oneness by various practices"

 ~ Huang Po, Zen Master ~