Читать книгу Lessons in Truth Series: the Everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Spirit) Within - Timothy F. Gardner - Страница 14

CONSCIOUS AWARENESS

Jesus stated that, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). He explicitly stated that you must know—to know here meaning to be aware of; to be acquainted with; to be familiar; cognizant; consciously aware—focusing one’s attention on the realization or knowledge of the truth of their being and of God (Spirit). Thus, he was introducing us to the concept of conscious awareness. Conscious here defined as: awareness of one’s own existence, sensations and thoughts (Dictionary.com).

Awareness here meaning, “the state or condition of being aware…consciousness” (Dictionary.com). In his spiritual writings, that great American mystic and founder of the Infinite Way Teachings, Joel Goldsmith, explains this concept very explicitly in this manner:

It is a part of the Christian teaching as given in the fifteenth chapter of St. John, that when we are one with our Source, we bear fruit richly, but when we are separated from that Source, we are as a branch of a tree that is cut off and withereth. The Ninety-first Psalm also promises that none of the evils of this world will come nigh the dwelling place of those who have made God their dwelling place, again indicating to us that our oneness with our Source is what separates us from the evils of this world and maintains in our experience the harmonies of heaven.

The revelation was given to me that in my conscious oneness with God, in being consciously one with my Source, the good things of life were added unto me, that is, I was at—one with all good: with every form of good that might ever be necessary in my experience. The master said, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on . . . But, seek ye first the kingdom of God [Spirit], and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” And so it was that this very same consciousness revealed to me that when I am consciously one with God, I am instantaneously one with all the good necessary for my experience. Therefore, I must stop taking thought about my supply, my health, or my home. I must stop taking anxious thought or concern for the things of this world, and I must make every effort to abide consciously in my oneness with God. The vital part and heart of that revelation is that we are already one with God. We are already one with our Life—Stream, or the Source of our life. As a matter of fact, “I and my Father are One” is a relationship that is indivisible and indestructible. It is an impossibility for my Father and me to become separate because we are not two: we are One! We are and always have been one with our Source, one with God. The reason that the harmonies of heaven and the blessings of divine Grace do not come into our experience as they should lies in the word consciously.

Nothing can enter your life, or mine, except as it enters through our consciousness. This is the greatest law, the greatest discovery, unfoldment, or revelation that has ever come into my experience: nothing can come into your or my experience except through our consciousness . . . Although you and I are one with God, although we are one with our Source, one with the Fount of everlasting life, one with the Source of infinite abundance, these can only come into our experience only through our acceptance of them in our own consciousness. In other words, when we begin to declare within ourselves that there is a Source of life, then it must be true that that Source forever governs its creation and forever maintains and sustains that which it has brought forth into expression. And so from the moment that we consciously perceive that we are always in the bosom of the Father and always one with our Source, indivisible and inseparable from that Source, it becomes clear to us that all that is flowing forth from that Life—Stream, all that emanates from the infinite Source, is pouring itself into, through, and from our individual consciousness.

As we abide in this, that is, if we abide in this Word, if we let this Word abide in us, we shall bear fruit richly. The secret of the spiritual life is to recognize consciously—consciously realize, accept, declare—our oneness with our infinite, immortal, eternal Source, and accept the spiritual statement that all that the Father has is ours and that the place whereon we stand is holy ground. Not only must we accept it, but we must abide in it every single day of the week, bringing to conscious remembrance the truth: “I and my Father are One,” I am one with my Source, and all that is flowing forth from God is flowing into my experience (1963, pp. 7-10).1

We must be consciously aware of our oneness with our Source. Unless we are consciously aware of something it is of no benefit. To cite an example, the Laws of Aerodynamics existed in Jesus’ time, but men of his day were not aware of them. Did their ignorance of the laws make them non-existent? No! They were of no avail until we became consciously aware of them! According to Goldsmith:

It is true that God is Omnipresent. It is true that God is right where you are . . . God is Omnipresent! But, of what good is that to anyone? Of what good is that to you? Only this: in proportion to your conscious awareness of the presence of God, is God available in every instance. God is present! Certainly . . . electricity was present throughout the ages, even when people were using whale oil, and kerosene oil. But of what benefit was electricity to them? None, because there was no conscious realization of the presence of electricity . . . electricity is present today, as it has always been, but now, because of a conscious awareness of its laws, it gives us light, heat, and power. God is present here and now, but, there must be a conscious awareness, and realization—really more than that; a conscious feeling of the presence of God if you are to avail yourself of that Presence and Power (1962, pp. 28-29). 2

Jesus also tells us in the fifteenth chapter of Saint John how this conscious awareness is brought about. He tells us, “Now ye are clean through the words I have spoken unto you . . . If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you” (John 15:3). This is the secret, my words abide in you. We must bring to conscious remembrance that God (Spirit) is already here where we are by virtue of His Omnipresence. We must be consciously aware of our relationship to the Father for it to be of benefit to us.