English
Español
Français
Deutsch
Português
Practice walking in the light of Spirit… Eat the fruits of Spirit!
Metaphysical application ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson Aug. 11, 2013
Subject: Spirit
Prepared by Kathy Fitzer
314-323-4083 kathyfitzer@gmail.com
Golden Text and Responsive Reading: The Fruit of the Spirit (of Light)
Fruit! The kind we eat is yummy – sweet and juicy! And the kind that results from practicing a skill or talent is pretty fun, too. Plant a tree in the right environment, full of light, and it bears great fruit! Because we’re planted in the realm of Spirit (full of perpetual light,) we bear the fruits of (express that) which is good, right, and true. If we feel lost, all we have to do is shift directions, head for the light, and stop stumbling around in the dark. It takes practice to stay in the light, but we can do it! The Amplified Bible says, “ For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light]. For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or [a]the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life.” (Eph. 5: 8-9) So, how do we stay in the light? Check out how The Message translates v. 1: “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.” God can do everything… absolutely NO limits! Why wouldn’t we want to imitate that? We can figure out the “right” way to live by looking at the example of Christ Jesus. He always came out on top because he stuck with what God showed him! As we read this Lesson, let’s think about Spirit in terms of light, and how to practice staying in that light. God puts light in our hearts – our consciousness – to guide us. And, even though we don’t find Spirit (light) in the stuff around us – or in psychology – we do find it by honestly looking at the thoughts that come to us and determining whether they are going to lead us to light or darkness – to long-term peace and joy, or to the ups-and-downs of confusion. God “commanded the light to shine out of darkness.” God causes this light to shine in our hearts. The glory (the light) of God that is so clearly seen in the life of Christ Jesus is also in us and others. Sometimes it gets pretty hidden in the crud of mortal belief. We need to search for it, and reject everything else. Then, we’ll see the light, walk in it, and reap the fruits of that which is “good and right and true.” Contrary to popular opinion, doing this isn’t dull and boring – but reveals great things in our lives – which otherwise would remain hidden!! Reaping those fruits is worth the practice!
Section 1: Light reveals the goodness of God’s creation.
Here is God’s command… “Let there be light!” And the light appears and it is all good – and the light reveals the goodness of man in God’s image. In the light, the goodness of ALL of God’s creation is seen. (B-1) Remember, creation is not a linear process. We’re not going to be confused by the temporal, mortal view. Rather, creation is a revelation of what has always been, coming to consciousness to be seen. So, when life seems dark and empty (void), the solution lies in recognizing the ever-present creative power of God, through which light reveals the perpetual good that has been temporarily hidden in the darkness of erroneous mortal thought. Through reason and revelation… and a deep study of Scripture… Mrs. Eddy discovered the creative power of God to be Spirit. So creation (all that really exists – including us) is made up of spiritual ideas, which are forever embraced in Mind. An idea is safe in Mind. It can’t be disturbed or destroyed. No one can enter your thought and touch an idea that you are holding there. So, certainly there is nothing that can touch an idea safely held in divine Mind! Principle – another name for God – is the force that gives life (animates and moves to action) all that is good. And, so we see that Life, Truth, and Love just ARE. They are “self-existent,” perpetually present. (S-1) The logic holds… because God, good, is immortal Spirit, goodness and spirituality are the only realities. Evil and materiality just can’t be real – no matter how much they appear to be. (S-4) To see good in our lives, we stick with what’s true: God creates light, and light reveals the presence of good – only good!
Section 2: Strip off the disguise – Shine as the offspring of Spirit!
We’ve established the foundation of Spirit (light) as the only creative force… the only revealing force. So, we have to re-think the in-your-face assertion that there’s also a flawed mortal creation. That’s just the counterfeit… the disguise that must be seen through. From beginning to end, the Bible tells us that GOD made us (B-2); that we need to stop focusing on human heritage or human opinions (B-3); and realize that we are the heirs of God – inheriting the fullness of His glory (or light). As the NLV Bible puts it, we are joint-heirs with Christ. (B-4) We’re told in the Christian Science textbook, “In Science, man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry.” (S-5) Science is the ultimate truth of being – what IS! As we understand this pure spiritual being, we get to build on the foundation established in Genesis 1 and demonstrate the fullness of God’s being as our being. In this section, part of the answer to the question, “What is man?” is given. It was recently pointed out to me that Mrs. Eddy didn’t ask WHO is man, but WHAT. (S-6) That takes the answer out of the realm of fickle, changeable personality – that can’t understand perfection, and where perfection will never be found. It grounds it in the absolute truth that enables us to identify ourselves as we really are. The WHAT of being is the inextinguishable light that IS present in us – and in all – no matter how buried it seems to be under the crud of personal sense. Even if everyone at a party is perfectly disguised, you can still identify individuals by talking with them – asking the right questions and listening to the answers – instead of getting hung up on their costume. Individuality is guaranteed because the WHAT of God’s being – OUR being – is infinite. Think about leaves or snowflakes, or lots of things in nature. They’re basically the same – they all have the same “what,” but it’s expressed uniquely. As we focus on the “true model”, the disguise (the mask of matter) is stripped away by the light of Spirit and harmony is revealed. (S-7) The best way to express our individuality is to build from the basis of what God made us to be and stop trying to be a certain kind of – or a perfect – mortal. (S-8) Everyone is special! Live as the offspring of Spirit and SHINE! Practice being what God made you to be, and don’t be fooled by the mask of error!
Section 3: Spiritual sense shines light to reveal what’s what.
Okay, so Genesis 1 says God creates everything… but really? Imagine being Joseph and discovering that Mary is expecting a baby! Joseph must have wondered how it was that Mary was in this state because being with a man is necessary for a baby to be made, right? Obviously, that’s not right. That’s only the view from the perspective of mortal darkness. But, the light of Spirit reveals that in SCIENCE, God doesn’t need help. Remember, Science is the absolute truth that must be demonstrated – and WAS demonstrated in the life of Christ Jesus. Science shows us what is possible. Joseph knows it’s not his baby, and we can only imagine the conclusions he probably jumped to. But, we’re told Joseph was a righteous man (one of the fruits of Spirit) and wanted to do the right thing. At the time this took place, being engaged was as binding as being married, in terms of fidelity. If this wasn’t Joseph’s child, then common sense said that Mary must have committed adultery. The penalty for adultery in Jewish law was death – or the man could “divorce” the woman. I had not before understood that Joseph’s first thought “to put her away” means that he was planning to divorce her or dismiss her – as translated in the NIV and NRSV. Joseph was a good man and didn’t want harm to come to Mary, but according to the times, he certainly couldn’t go forward with the marriage. It was the Holy Ghost (which Mrs. Eddy defines as Divine Science, S&H p. 588) that revealed to Joseph that this child was from God, and told Joseph what to do. (B-7) Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come through the lineage of David. Mary wasn’t of that lineage… Joseph was. So, when the angel spoke to him, shining the light of Spirit on the situation, Joseph accepted the fact that God was indeed the Father of this child. Joseph was told to name the child – thus “accepting him as [his] own and adopting him into the Davidic line as an authentic ‘son of David.’” Jesus, or Joshua, was a very common name at that time… why wouldn’t such a special baby be given a more special name? The name does mean “Yahweh saves” – which clearly identifies his role as Messiah. But, such a common name also united Jesus with the people, rather than separating him. He was to continue the liberating of mankind that Moses had begun. (New Interpreter’s Bible 12 volume, Matthew, p. 133-135) So, what are the lessons for us? One is… rather than reacting to something that seems to be (whether a situation or a bodily condition), be ready instead to hear the angels that will show us what is REALLY going on. Angels communicate Spirit’s messages – reveal the light that allows things to be seen as they really are. Angels “abound” – are all over the place – in the realm of Mind. (S-9) And, because man is the IDEA of Mind, it’s natural for man to be governed by angels – by spiritual sense. (S-12) That’s the reality – the Science. But, Mary and Joseph (and many others) demonstrated that it is possible – right here, right now – to hear and be governed by spiritual sense, rather than the whispers, nudges, and screams of “material sense” with its very limited view of a mortal, temporary sense of things (the muddied, darkened, disguised view.) (S-10 & S-11) Practice hearing Spirit!
Section 4: Spiritual power over material resistance
The prophet Isaiah described the mission statement of the Messiah (or Savior) long before Jesus was born. He was to “bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” (B-10, NIV) How would he do this? As Peter shared the story of Jesus with others, he explained that God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. (B-11) And we see evidence of this power being exercised by Jesus as he both healed the body and forgave sins. In fact, in the example of the paralytic man (sick of the palsy) that he healed in his home town, he healed the body as evidence of his authority with which to forgive sin. He understood that he wasn’t doing anything by his own power. It was the power and authority of God, given to him by God that did the healing. The scribes remained in the dark, for the most part… totally wrapped up in their pre-conceptions. But, the crowd of people that witnessed Jesus’ healing power got it! They “glorified God” – praised the light of God! (B-12) The more we exercise our spiritual consciousness (S-17) and the more we “maintain the facts of Christian Science” (S-18), the more we’ll get it! We’ll see and experience the “divine authority” that enables us to demonstrate “the superiority of spiritual power over material resistance.” (S-19) Remember, Christian Science is divine reality translated to human consciousness. We can practice this authority as Jesus did!
Section 5: Understanding (given by God) reveals the harmonious realm of Spirit
The Bible tells us that “the earth is the Lord’s” and that what we see (the physical universe) is made by what we can’t see (the light of Spirit, ideas of Mind.) (B-13 & B-14) I love Mrs. Eddy’s statement, “We tread on forces. … Human knowledge calls them forces of matter; but divine Science (i.e., the conscious awareness of God’s allness and our oneness with God) declares that they belong wholly to divine Mind…” (S-20) So, if the forces belong to Mind, they provide a permanent and forever firm foundation for us. Man and the universe must have a mutually harmonious relationship. Jesus walked on the waves, even though physical laws say that’s impossible. Peter also walked on the waves – until he capitulated to fear. His fear made him sink, but Christ immediately lifted him up, and he and Jesus entered the safety of the boat together – and the storm stopped. (B-15) Christ (“the divine manifestation of God,” Spirit) didn’t sink with Peter’s fear, but lifted Peter up. And Christ is always present to lift us up, too – above the waves, into safety, stilling the storm. Notice that Jesus had gone up into a mountain to pray after he sent the multitudes away. He took his consciousness to that lofty place of recognizing the reality of Spirit’s creation. He was then prepared to face the storm. The waves that we are asked to walk on may not be waves of water… although there is practical application if we feel we’re being tossed about in a boat. But, this also applies to waves of fear, to waves of unemployment or lack of any kind, to waves of disease, grief, etc. Check out what Mrs. Eddy says about Jesus teaching us to “walk over, not into or with, the currents of matter, or mortal mind” in Unity of Good, p. 11. This section of the lesson lays out the facts… we tread on forces that depend entirely on divine Mind – never slippery matter. (S-20) Also, “God never ordained a material law to annul the spiritual law.” (S-21) With nothing to invalidate the spiritual law, that law must always be there to be applied, whether it’s been seen yet, or not. I love what Mrs. Eddy says on page 329 of the textbook… just because we’re not able to walk on water yet, we have no right to doubt that it (and whatever else needs doing) can be done! (S-22) Jesus didn’t usually walk on water – but when he needed to, he showed that it could be done. He generally functioned at “our level” to show us that he and we are basically alike! We can do what he did as we practice using the divine authority that he so naturally used. Where did he get his understanding? He was anointed with it… God’s gift. Well… God has given it to us, too! “Spirit imparts the understanding which uplifts consciousness and leads into all truth.” “This understanding is not intellectual, in not the result of scholarly attainments; it is the reality of all things brought to light.” (S-23) We all have been given the understanding which reveals the harmonious realm of Spirit. Practice staying in the light… USE the understanding of Spirit that God gives. Nothing can stop the full revelation from appearing! Practice seeing everything in the light of Spirit!
Section 6: We’re subject to the law of Spirit… there is no material law!
How liberating to know that the law Jesus exercised with authority – the law of Spirit – is the only law we are subject to. Christ Jesus came to liberate mankind from the “laws” of sin, disease, and death. As long as we dwell in darkened understanding, it really seems like we’re governed by those evils. (B-17) The Christ light awakens us from the Adam dream. And, it’s so neat that the Bible gives us the instruction we need to stay in the light – to stay awake and fight, with the conviction that victory is assured! Yes, we’re surrounded by the darkness of “the flesh” – or the general beliefs of the world. But there’s always a way out! Our weapons aren’t the world’s weapons. We don’t use matter to try to fix matter! Every battle takes place in thought only! So, nothing is outside of our control. We just need to watch thought and not let ourselves get pushed around. “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (B-18, NIV) Obedient to CHRIST… not to our will, but God’s will, God’s truth, God’s light. When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, he instructed them to go out into the world and share the good news of his life and the power of Christ to save. And, he promised that those (ALL those – including us) who believed his “story” – recognized the validity of his teachings – would cast out all evil, erroneous, beliefs (devils), share spiritual views in [inspiring] ways that could be understood (speak in tongues), have dominion over all deadly poisons, and heal the sick. The only way he could promise this is because he had demonstrated spiritual law and knew there was no material law. (B-19 & S-25) Nothing can prevent us from following Jesus’ example! Step by step, we “subordinate material law to spiritual law.” (S-26) That which is superior must reign! Use that authority to stomp on the imposition of other “laws.” God has made an enduring covenant with ALL people… that’s us! His law is established in our hearts and minds. God and man are inseparable. (B-20) Because no material law exists – because God’s law of Spirit is supreme – it is our obligation to be obedient only to that law; and it’s our right to feel the effects only of that law! With practice we’ll keep getting stronger!
Section 7: We DO live in the Spirit… so let’s WALK in the Spirit!
I love the message in Ezekiel… “I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” (B-22, NRSV) God’s doing it! God fills us with His nature… with Spirit. God has made us to have a natural proclivity to follow his laws and obey his determinations (His will). Let’s go with that – defend this right, even in the face of material evidence that would try to drag us down. The key is to be clear about where we actually live. It may look like we live in a body… but that’s just not so!! In fact, everything that limits us springs from accepting to some degree that we live within the confines of a material body. The fact is that we live in limitless Spirit – in infinite Mind. Paul had a clear message… because we live in Spirit, we need to walk in Spirit. We live in the land of limitless freedom; and we can act that out! (B-23 & S-28) We’ve all been blessed with some special talent – in sports, music, the arts, math, writing, etc. – maybe in just making others smile. But, the only way that talent will be seen is if we walk in our talent – develop it by exercising it. The realm of Spirit provides the perfect atmosphere in which to develop our talents. We stay there as we “accept Science.” Accept reality – even when it’s not apparent. We can give up the “imperfect models” that are constantly bombarding us… the suggestions of limiting matter… and REJOICE that we are subject to the divine “powers that be.” (S-30) It just takes practice!
[The above application ideas are from a Christian Science Practitioner who has served as a Resident Practitioner at CedarS Camps. They are provided primarily to help CedarS campers and staff (as well as friends) see and daily demonstrate the great value of studying and applying the Christian Science Bible lessons throughout the year, not just at camp! YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP for weekly emails from past CedarS staff of possible ways to share Bible Lesson applications with older, as well as younger, Sunday School classes by clicking the "Subscribe Now" button (lower left) athttp://www.cedarscamps.org/metaphysical/
Warren Huff, CedarS Director & editor of these notes & of the bracketed, italic additions.]
[Happy results from our recent LETTING NEEDS BE KNOWN:
CAMPERSHIPS: Wonderful contributions needed for camperships have recently been given! CedarS has been made able to fulfill its top priority of having a camp filled with Sunday School students having fun experiences in applying Christian Science to take home in transformed lives!
[OUR LIVESTOCK FENCING NEEDS:
On the opening Sunday of our 4th (2-week) session, a grateful grandparent gave the $4,000 needed to build a suitable new fence around our Bible Lands Park so that it could be noiselessly and sustainably “mowed” by 12 sheep that have been offered on loan from our immediate neighbor! What a Biblically-appropriate, “green pastures” scene and petting area this will provide for all visitors to our Bible Lands Park! And over $31,900 has been given recently by a foundation & 3 other individuals who saw the need to do more than just “band-aid” long sections of our dilapidated pasture fencing for our herd of wonderful horses that serve our campers every day. Won’t you match their generous support as you are able to help provide even a small part of the remaining $14,000 needed to finish upgrading the fences around our horse pastures and our riding rings? Just say “fencing for horses”]
BIG THANKS in advance for MAKING A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE GIFT ONLINE,
BY PHONE at 636-394-6162,
OR BY MAIL at:
CedarS Camps Inc.
19772 Sugar Drive
Lebanon, MO 65536
[And PLEASE remember, it's NOT TOO LATE to enroll or encourage others to enroll or to simply apply online for and get CAMPERSHIP AID; but to help finalize affordable flights* and arrangements, CedarS needs campers who are "on the fence” about coming for the last session of regular camp (our only one week session, 5th session) to SIGN UP ONLINE ASAP! Explore easy ONLINE Enrollment for campers & families as well as for Parents, Grands or Sponsors to join our team in home-style accommodations! Any FINANCIAL AID requested is guaranteed to be available as needed! *You may even want to join our “club” of Frequent Flyer mile donors who are standing by to give their miles (that may be expiring soon anyway) to worthy campers so that they can travel to camp and back with life-transforming results!]
[Check out CedarS with its Fundament Concepts, Unique Facilities and Features designed to transform lives! Click to see testimonials in writing!]
[Additional Director's Note: You can sign up to have these application ideas emailed to you free — by Monday each week in English; or by each Wednesday you can get a FREE TRANSLATION: in German, thanks to Helga and Manfred; or in Spanish, thanks to a team of Ana, Erick, Claudia and Patricio, or in Portuguese, thanks to helpers of Orlando Trentini in Brazil. A voluntary French translation by Rodger Glokpor, a Christian Scientist from Togo (West Africa) has just been offered. Thank you, Rodger and all translators! Go to http://www.cedarscamps.org/ and click "Newsletters" to sign-up for a free translation into these languages. This sharing is the latest in an ongoing, 13-year series of CedarS Bible Lesson "Mets" (Metaphysical application ideas) contributed weekly by a rotation of CedarS Resident Practitioners and occasionally by other metaphysicians. (Ask and look for "Possible Sunday School Topics "and "Possible Younger Class Lessons" in emails to follow.) These weekly offerings are intended to encourage further study and application of ideas in the lesson and to invigorate Sunday School participation by students and by the budding teachers on our staff. Originally sent JUST to my Sunday School students and to campers, staff and CedarS families who wanted to continue at home and in their home Sunday Schools the same type of focused Lesson study, application and inspiration they had felt at camp, CedarS lesson "Mets "and Sunday School ideas are in no way meant to be definitive or conclusive or in any way serve as a substitute for daily study of the lesson. The thoughts presented are the inspiration of the moment and are offered to give a bit more dimension and background as well as new angles (and angels) on the daily applicability of some of the ideas and passages being studied. The weekly Bible Lessons are copyrighted by the Christian Science Publishing Society and are printed in the Christian Science Quarterly and in a variety of useful formats as available at Christian Science Reading Rooms or online at eBibleLesson.com or myBibleLesson.com. The citations referenced (i.e.B-1 and S-28) from this week's Bible Lesson in the "Met" (Metaphysical application ideas) are taken from the Bible (B-1 thru B-24) and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (S-1 thru S-30). The Bible and Science and Health are the ordained pastor of the Churches of Christ, Scientist. The Bible Lesson is the sermon read in Christian Science church services throughout the world. The Lesson-Sermon speaks individually through the Christ to everyone, providing unique insights and tailor-made applications for each one. We are glad you requested this metaphysical sharing and hope that you find some of the ideas helpful in your daily spiritual journey, in your deeper digging in the books and in closer bonding with your Comforter and Pastor.]
