"shame-based conscience may sound like the voice of God and condemn us when there is no condemnation"

According to this illuminating blog, the shame-based "conscience" is often a result of learned conditioning based on one's background, upbringing, culture and so on, in which one is exposed to conservative views of family, schools, churches and society. Unfortunately organised religion sometimes propagate the erroneous idea that the "conscience "is the voice of god condemning us when actually there is no condemnation. The gospel of grace and peace hence plays a part in liberating people from this crippling sense of shame and guilt by declaring we are already innocent, blameless, beloved and whole. Our true identity of innate perfection never changes regardless of our performance. This is good news for everyone indeed.

Seeing our divinity with unveiled eyes

Someone said:  

"The word "evil" means "to veil"... All destructive behavior is born of our failure to see our divinity and to accept our divinity... I'm not a Christian and neither was Jesus, but the whole point behind forgiveness of sins is to remove this veil... this obstacle keeping us from loving our self... Most Christians completely miss the whole point of the Gospel entirely... they go on hating who they are and creating destruction as a result... The word Gospel means good news and yet most Christians have found a way to turn it into bad news."

It is interesting to see the word evil meaning "to veil", which hinders a person from seeing one's own divinity. It may explain why Jesus described the Jewish generation as evil because they failed to see their own divine nature. Jesus may have tried to unveil their eyes by telling them that their true identity is the light of the world. Perhaps the law had blinded their eyes to see the truth of who they are because they had thought they had to do something in order to become righteous. 

I am thinking that in Luke 11 when Jesus described whether their eye is single or evil, he could be referring to whether their inner eye/vision is veiled to see their own divinity. 

34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also isfull of darkness.

35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

(Luke 11:34-36)

To me, darkness simply means ignorance of one's own divinity. Jesus came to bring light to dispel people's ignorance of their divine identity, hence darkness is overcome by light. Sin in the Jewish context also refers to ignorance or amnesia of one's true identity and forgiveness of sin means unveiling of one's true identity, as pointed out by the post. Back then, the Jews and Pharisees failed to see their own divinity and hated themselves and became destructive, to the point they tried to kill Jesus too. Similarly, as noted in the post, many people in Christian circles fail to see the gospel or good news of their own divinity and so they hate themselves and others, seeing themselves as sinful and unworthy. Even though they may be taught to see Jesus as their covering with the robe of righteousness, and know they are crowned with glory, the underlying message they get from institutional church is that there is nothing good in them and only Jesus is their righteousness. But that is the old covenant mindset because the Jews put themselves under the law. The law is the one that condemns, not Jesus/God. God has all the while seen everyone as innocent and perfect/complete because he/she/it made us in divine image and declared us very good. The gospel of inclusion therefore unveils our mind to see the truth of who we are and see our original glory in the face of Christ our true identity. We will have single eye that sees our body as being full of light, knowing we are the light of the world.

A still small voice of love

Someone said: "Since God is love and if you want to change circumstances in your life, then be listening to still, small voices. And be a still small voice of love in someone else's life."

Yes, the still small voice within us is the voice of Divine Love/God who always builds us up and guides us from within by teaching us all things and bringing to our remembrance all things concerning our true identity/Self. When we are attuned to the living and loving voice of our spirit that reminds us we are beloved children of God, made in Love's image, we will do all things based on the truth of who we are, as an expression of Love and Light. 

As mentioned in the quote, I think by reminding someone else of their true identity and their oneness with Divine Love, we can be the still small voice in their life that resonates with them and affirms what they intuitively know in their heart.

Related post 

The Still, Small Voice of Love: Meditation by Henri Nouwen

 

Overcoming doubt and self-rejection and focusing on our belovedness and innocence

"For every person there are two voices in their head. One that brings life and encouragement and another that leads to doubt and death. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. We've been conditioned to believe all the negative things we hear, think and say. But we need not suffer another day. So start by knowing which thoughts to heed and which to throw away. Be impeccable with your thoughts and words today and you will be able to handle anything that comes your way."
- Jacob Israel

This is so true as there are times I also felt vulnerable to the conflicting voices in my mind as described in his post. While I may already know the truth of my true identity as a beloved child of God/Divine Love, there are still times I forget or lose sight of the truth.

Like what he described, we have all been conditioned to believe the negative things we hear, think and say, whether from the mass media or advertisements, or fundamentalist religions, or society or family members or relatives etc in the past. Past experiences and memories of rejection may resurface or may be triggered by some events or some challenges, so it is always good to remember that we do not need to buy into these lies about ourselves, and instead keep resting in the knowledge that we are beloved children of God and we are favoured and precious. And the more we focus on our belovedness and innocence, the more likely we will attract the same vibrations of favour and blessings towards us from the universe too, I believe.

We are all brothers and sisters in the same family of Love

until you understand love...........your fellow man will be a stranger...........only known by the knowledge of...........good and evil........religions son in whom the serpent is well pleased.......blessings
- Dean Dosher

Yes, the understanding of Love enables people to transcend the illusion of the knowledge of good and evil, as noted by Dean Dosher. According to the gospel (as I understand it), when we know the love of Christ that has become our identity, we will no longer know people according to the flesh (based on good and evil, which is also the law mindset), but we know people based on the truth of our true identity as new creations - the old Adamic identity is done away, and the new paradigm of how we see ourselves and others in Christ, our true origin, has come.

So, we see that the gospel of grace and peace transforms people's mindset to see one another as fellow brothers and sisters of the same family of Love, and no longer relate to one another based on our performance. In Christ, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, christian nor hindu nor buddhist nor atheist, gay nor straight, Chinese nor Indian nor Japanese nor African nor American, for all are one in Christ (who is an archetype of our true identity), and God is all and is in all.

2 Cor 5:17 Now whoever you thought you were before, in Christ you are a brand new person! The old ways of seeing yourself and everyone else are over. Look! The resurrection of Jesus has made everything new! (Just imagine this! Whoever a person was as a Jew, Greek, slave or freeman, Boer, Zulu, Xhosa, British, Indian, Moslem or American, Chinese, Japanese or Congolese; is now dead and gone! They all died when Jesus died! Remember we are not talking the law language here! The 'If' in, "If any man is in Christ" is not a condition, it is the almighty conclusion of the revelation of the gospel! Man is in Christ by God's doing. 1 Cor 1:30, Eph 1:4. (Mirror Translation by Francois du Toit)

 

To My Entire
Soul Family
Thank you
For Being Here
At this Amazing time
On This Beautiful Planet
With Me
I am so Glad I found you
Thank you for Touching My Heart
And Reminding Me Who
I Am
And For Making this World a Better Place…
Namaste
I Am Eternally Grateful
We Are All One
Together We Fly
Information
You Are
Perfect, Strong and Beautiful…
Just The Way You Are
For I See The GOD In You
Bless is The Day
I LOVE YOU ME US
I SEE YOU
☜❤☞
Music & Words By
Alaenura

A metaphysical interpretation of incarnation

Someone wrote:

"maybe the incarnation is in fact, a moment of realization, for every human, in that when the word (ideas; constructs; mediation) becomes flesh (materialization) we realize that prior to this what we have been experiencing was not reality at all..."

Yes, I too would see the incarnation as symbolic of a moment of realisation for every human being that the word (idea or construct about who we are and where we come from) is made flesh (manifestation). Perhaps before the word was made flesh, before the incarnation, symbolically speaking, people were living in darkness, in the sense of living under the illusion of separation. The shadow self/vengeful god/ego that caused people to live in fear, guilt and strifes with one another is brought to light and this darkness of ignorance could not overcome the light of the truth of our innate oneness, wholeness and beauty that is made manifest through the incarnation (or realisation of our true identity). 

Thoughts on Devotionals

I usually don't read the devotionals nowadays, since much of it I have already read before about our original blueprint in the image and likeness of God, so at the most, it may serve only as a reminder, if we need reminders of our true identity.

Other than that, I have moved on beyond the separation mindset of mainstream christian theology, and the concept of "sin", which to me is an outdated religious concept that doesn't apply to any one of us at all, as it is only used in the context of the Jewish culture and mindset. As shared with you before, the bible may contain some spiritual truths I can learn from, but it is not the absolute truth.

The truth is within each of us, and we can learn from any other sources or books that dispel the illusion of separation, and point to our innate innocence, and our value and dignity as human beings (or spiritual beings on a human journey). Native American spirituality, and some aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, paganism and new age, etc, all convey a similar message that we are all one, and the divine is in us.

We all need revelation of the gospel

We all need revelation of the gospel, for Proverbs 29:18 says "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law." The new covenant interpretation of "keeps the law" is to believe in Jesus (seeing our true identity in Him), for He has fulfilled the law on our behalf.

I believe it is possible to have peace and harmony in the world, when we all see one another as new creations in Christ, no longer from a worldly point of view. What we need is a constant reminder of who we are in Christ - "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

Angry preaching comes from angry preachers

 "Angry preaching comes from angry preachers. If you attend a church where the preacher fusses and fumes and yells at the congregation you should consider leaving it because you the listener are not being respected. No one should be yelled at. Respect yourself and your family enough to not subject yourself to it.

If you want to snuff out the flame in someone's heart, tell them what the Bible says about their mistake. Tell them "I told you so!" Tell them how God hates what they did. And when you're done you will have taken what little spark of a life there was left and turned it into a smoldering ember nearly extinguished" Scott Livengood

Judgment and condemnation always kill life whereas understanding and compassion will always nurse life back to health.
~ Skip Newby

 "A preacher can be disrespectful without yelling too. Those are the sneaky ones".EDK

I  agree with Scott Livengood, Skip Newby and EDK - angry and/or disrespectful preachers are to be kept at a distance for the sake of our peace and dignity, so that we are not subject to their abuse. We would rather be where there is gentleness and compassion instead of judgment and condemnation. The letter (literal interpretation of scripture and law of telling people do's and don'ts)
kills and condemns, but the Spirit (symbolism and unconditional love and grace of unveiling our true identity of beauty and perfection) gives life and builds people up. May we continue to follow the
unforced rhythm of grace and rest in the kingdom of heaven within,  even as we love the religious people from afar.

 For myself I can say, that if there is a God, and he is such a being as [the Universalist] describes, I can bow before him and give him all my heart. He says God is love, made the world in love, and in perfect wisdom, and well adapted to serve the divine purpose.

He then made a family, all of them have sinned, and some of them have fallen very low, but God is determined, according to [the Univers alist], to stand by His family, every one of them, let come what will come, till he makes all of them respectable.

This standing by His family, as every true Father ought to do, is what I like in [the Universalist's] idea of God. But if there is a God, and he has created a family and will at last turn against most of them, and in burning wrath cast them into Hell forever, as [traditional Christianity] describes, I should hate him—he is not as good as I am, for I propose to stand by my family and every member of it for as long as I live. It is an insult to ask me to love and worship a God who is guilty of doing what we would detest in an earthly father. –Robert Ingersoll

 Yes, like what Robert Ingersoll said, a loving God (according to universalists) is a true Father who loves his family unconditionally and stands by them come what may, and is worthy of our worship and admiration. But a vengeful god (according to traditional christianity) who consigns most of his family to eternal torture is not worthy of our attention and respect - I would say that kind of god is only a mental projection of the human ego or shadow.

We know that Jesus came to reveal who the true Father is, for we who has seen him has seen the Father - one who is kind, gracious and compassionate. We also understand that those who hold on to the idea of a mean, vengeful god are also mean and condemning to others because that is their worldview that causes them to behave that way. Hence, Jesus had prayed for the Father to forgive such people, for they knew not what they were doing, for indeed in their unconscious state, they did not know what they were doing. They probably didn't know how much harm they caused when
they quoted bible verses to judge or condemn people because they thought they were serving god, when actually they were serving their ego. (Paul used to persecute others thinking he was serving god, until he encountered the grace of Christ.) As for us, we will continue to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves when dealing with religious people,

The mystery of the gospel is all about us

I believe the mystery that ancient texts speak of is that what is written is about YOU. Not literal but an allegory.. You are the living word. You are love spoken.. The fall of who you think you are and the rise of Christ is a story that happens within all of us. Not something out there. Heaven (enlightenment) isn't a place somewhere it is within and so is hell. All the tribulations everything. One is taken and one is left... Separating the wheat from the chaff... ONE is always remaining!! TRUTH everything else must go! ♥ at least this is what I feel" Star Love

Yes, that's true - the mystery of the gospel is all about us - our fall in Adam and our rise in Christ. One is taken and one remains. The false identity based on the illusion of ego and identity is the chaff that was gathered and burnt, and only the wheat remains, which is our true identity based on the truth of unconditional love and divine oneness with God or higher self and with one another. 

I also learnt that the word "apocalypse" is derived from the Greek word "apokalypsis", which can mean cataclysm or revelation. Both meanings are metaphorical or symbolical. The cataclysm is about the destruction of the illusion of separation and ego, and the revelation is about the unveiling of our true identity of divinity and unity.

every one wants to love

Someone wrote:

"The need to right and win an argument is a STRONG indication of deep rooted insecurities that come from low self-worth. The ONLY cure for low self-worth is realizing you’re worth what God paid for you. Settle the self-worth issue and you’ll settle most of the arguments in your life".

That's true - everyone wants to love and be loved, and the way for a person to be established in his own self-worth is to realise the value God has placed on him. Jesus reminded us we are worth more than many sparrows, and he gave his life for us that we may be free from the illusion of separation and false identity and come to know our true identity and our oneness with God. We were bought with a price, as Paul described in 1 Corinthians, not in terms of paying penalty for so-called sins, but in terms of purchasing our freedom from ignorance and religion with God's own life to demonstrate we are worth everything to God. As Jesus has said, no greater love is there than this: that a man gives his life for his friends.

So yes, when a person is established in God's love and his own self-worth, he will know that he has nothing to prove and has no need to win a debate or argument. Instead, he will rest in his own belovedness, and do or say things for edifying others, that they may also benefit by knowing their true identity and their oneness with God and others.

Delicacies of encouragement (November 2010 archives)

A merry heart does good like medicine.

Jesus has come to give us life, and life more abundantly to enjoy to the fullest!

When we discover Jesus' identity, we discover our true identity.

Seek to minister life and healing. That's our greatest reward. :)

Surely goodness and mercy and love shall chase us down all the days of our life and we will dwell in Christ forever. :)

At the cross, God made Jesus who knew no sin (spiritual amnesia) to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness (our true original identity of innocence and perfection) of God in Him.

The righteousness of faith makes us the heir of the world.

Right believing produces right living and right results.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous.

The seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

Righteousness delivers from death.

In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

The blessings of the Lord maketh rich, and He adds no sorrow or painful toil to it.

It is vain to stay up late and rise up early, for so He gives His beloved sleep.

Jesus is one with His bride always. :)

We are forever in the Grace Zone, where no evil can touch us.

Abba wants to outdo Himself and Amaze us with His goodness.

Love covers all sins (ignorance, forgetfulness, etc), and God is love, and so love never fails.

Love is spelt time and attention.

God has blessed (barak) us and no one can reverse it.

What's life like as a minority, outcast, reject viewed by others with suspicion, disdain and self-righteous attitude? Beholding Jesus who is altogether lovely and be a friend like He is. Therefore, it is not about being right; it is about being kind and understanding. As He is, so are we in this world.

See ourselves the way God sees us: holy, blameless, righteous.

We are all beloved children of God. There are no more sinners or saints.

The Lord is pleased and delighted and thrilled to bless us. :)

We are blessed. Every moment, we are blessed.

Listen with grace. Jesus wants us to feel right as He can be touched with our feelings.

Jesus has not yet performed one miracle, and God affirmed Him as His beloved son (a picture of all of us).

God favours us because He loves us.

The mundane becomes meaningful and beautiful when we involve Jesus in our lives.

We are blessed because Jesus became a curse (representing the old Adamic identity) for us at the cross.

Nuggets of encouragement (October 2010 archive)

"Much more we who receive abundance of grace (free divine favour) and the gift of righteousness (our true identity as Love and Innocence) will reign in life through Jesus Christ."

"The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not be in want. He wants us lie down in green pastures. He leads beside still, quiet waters. He restores our soul. He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Surely goodness and love shall chase us all the days of our life. And we will dwell in the house of the Lord (in our higher consciousness) forever."

"The way God corrects people is to give them revelations of Jesus (being their true identity), not condemning them but lifting them up."

"We are transformed when Jesus (the law) is read and we see His glory (grace and mercy reflected in us) unveiled in the Scriptures."

"You can pray for anything (to your highest Self), and if you can believe that you've received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:24 God has made us victorious."

"When we know and receive the riches of Christ (the truth of who we are), we will experience and manifest the fullness of God as a corporate body of Christ (the whole Universe)."

"Broaden your horizons. Set your sights higher."

"People who are not under law (performance-based system) live long because they are not sin-conscious (or lack-conscious). Stay under grace."

"The blessing of the Lord makes us rich and He adds no sorrow or painful toil to it."

"The glory of Jesus (the personification of Love, whom we all are) is to overlook a transgression (and seeing only our own perfection and beauty)."

"Arise, shine, for our light has come." :) (We are the Light!)

"I love my Master, my wife and my children. I will not go out free. I shall serve my Master (our true Self - our divine Oneness) forever."

"Life is precious. Use time and money to love people."

"Use our words to create a bright future."

"Truth spoken with grace makes people feel warm and accepted (because truth is always about unconditional love who believes the best of us)."

"Thank You Abba You have gone ahead of us to prepare each day, and it is a blessed day." :)

Thank You Lord Jesus (our true Self) You daily load us with benefits."

"When we are physically and mentally rested, the promptings of the Spirit become sharper."

"He (our old Adamic identity) was chastised for our peace. He (our true identity) established us in the new covenant of peace. When we believe this, we shall be led forth with peace." (Isaiah 53-55)

"People may not remember what we say, but they will remember how we make them feel welcomed and loved. Kind actions out of the overflow of Love speak volumes." (Luke 7 and John 12)

"Some things are universal, for example, meditation, sowing and reaping. But lasting peace and grace and agape love and rest for the conscience and completeness is found only in Jesus (Christ), our true identity."

Our heavenly Father gives us power to get wealth, that HE may establish His covenant of grace."

Nuggets of encouragement (September 2010)

 
Jesus (our true identity) is the radiance of God's glory, the perfect expression of His grace, truth and love.

Marriage is about we, us and ourselves and Jesus (our true self and origin) in our midst. :)

It is the goodness and kindness of God (our highest self) that leads us to repentance (changing and renewing of mindset) - He (the divine) is ever blessing us. Keep expecting His goodness and grace!

Believe the best in people - don't focus on faults. Let God (the divine universal love) change us as we focus on loving and building up with grace.

Every step of the way, whatever we are doing, we praise the Lord (our true self), for He is GOOD and His love endures forever.

Preach the Word - Jesus and His finished work (ascension with all of us in higher consciousness of love and unity) - in season and out of season.

God (our highest self) has chosen the weak (as appeared in the natural) to confound the mighty (seeming illusion).

Keep appreciating what we do have because we have everything we need - we are complete and powerful. :)

Every step of the way, our heavenly Father (Unconditional Love) loves us and thinks good thoughts towards us.

Every breath we take, God's lovingkindness and tender mercies surround us and embrace us.

We are whole, complete, blessed!

Take time to meditate and feed on the love of Christ (our true identity and origin) who reconciles the universe (You-niverse) to our true self.

In Christ (Love), we live and move and have our being.

Keep expecting good things to happen because we are one with Christ and co-heirs with Him.

Our God (highest self, Unconditional Love, Universe) shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (our true identity).

Nuggets of encouragement (August 2010)

We are not just a face in the crowd. We are favoured children of God. We are a precious blessing wherever we go, bringing refreshing and peace and joy and acceptance.

Jesus is meek and lowly, noble and honourable, gracious and compassionate and full of mercy - and so are we in this world!

Prioritise rest as rest is our greatest responsibility.

Expect the favour of God to work in our life, health, relationships, finances, work today because God treats all of us as Jesus.

Speak blessings because our tongue is like the rudder of the ship, setting the course of our destiny. :)

Keep sowing, keep blessing, and God will bring a harvest in people's lives.

The more we talk about and meditate on the truth of "Christ in us, the hope of glory". the more it becomes a living tangible reality in our lives because what we are conscious of will ultimately manifest. :)

"Rest in the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will make your ways come to pass."

Appreciate what we have because God (our highest self) has blessed us with so much, with the best for us. Thank You, Abba!

When God (our highest self) makes it happen, it's beautiful and effortless. "Commit your ways to Him and He will bring it to pass."

Build our consciousness on Christ by spending time to behold His glory and grace. Children are naturally righteousness-conscious.

God (our highest self) is pleased with us all the time because He sees us in the perfection of His Son (our true identity).

Heaven (our highest consciousness) is where Jesus (our true self) is - His love makes a difference.

Jesus is our perfect representative, and since His thoughts are holiness to the Lord, we are accepted before God (our highest self).

The more we rest, the more we see God's grace in our lives. :)

Jesus is our perfect representative, and we are a reflection of His glory and goodness.

Knowing we are God's beloved gives us dominion in life (over death and condemnation and fear).

God favours us and has crowned and encircled us with glory and honour.

Small acts of kindness are powerful seeds of God's love to help others succeed in life.

"I stand, I stand in awe of You (our highest self). You are marvellous beyond description, too wonderful for words."

God has made us sufficient to be a minister of the new covenant, ministering grace and peace, life and righteousness and no condemnation to people.

Be ourselves, for God has made us unique and complete in Christ.

Jesus (our true identity) is lion and lamb, majesty and meekness, mighty to save yet lowly to serve.

Jesus (our true self) came not to be served but to serve (willingly, out of revelation of kingship and sonship), and give His life as a ransom for many (to redeem ourselves from the illusion of separation and fear).

Jesus is our joy; we don't have to do anything to become joyful.

Taichi and the gospel of grace

I think taichi is the art of converting any opposing force into the energy of love. The practice seeks to understand that the other is attacking from the place of feeling wounded because people who are hurting tend to hurt others. Similarly, Jesus is the taichi master who sees all our hurts and wounds, and transforms the ashes into beauty. He willingly laid down His life so that our old, wounded and fragmented self can be buried with Him, and we are raised with Him in our new, resurrected and glorious self.

The Pharisees sought to kill Jesus because they were hurting inside. They knew not what they were doing when they wanted to crucify Him and mocked at Him. Instead of seeking to placate them or take revenge on them, Jesus sought their highest good and prayed for the Father - the God in them - to forgive them so that they would not suffer from guilt and condemnation later on.

Jesus is said to be a lucid representation of our true identity, who came to reconcile us to ourselves, or rather, our highest self, also known as God our heavenly Father. The heavenly places is not so such a physical location as it is our highest consciousness. Jesus came down from heaven - from our highest consciousness - to where we were in our blindness - and opened the eyes of our heart and see with our inner vision the reality of our identity.

“Can you really imagine a God of love….” (A poem by Robert Rutherford)

Can you really imagine a God of love….
Sitting in heaven, relaxing above…..
And, deciding, one day….. to make up a place….
Void of His love and His mercy and grace?!?
Can you really believe it?!?! That, Our best friend…..
Could make up a torture that never would end…
Only a Father who’d gone insane……
Could punish His children in endless pain!!!
Religionists carefully formed a dark plan…
In order to scare and control every man…
A story, quite gory..to keep us in line….
I guess they forgot..we can still use our mind!
We cannot be fooled by their demonic spirit…
Our father is speaking..and, YES! We can hear it!
He’s pouring out His revelation of LOVE…..
Where nothing below….. and nothing above…..
Could ever, no NEVER, not once separate us….
His Nature is LOVE… there’s no way He could hate us…
Or banish us…. torture or cook us forever….
His LOVE and his mercy won’t fail us… NOT EVER!!!

roberTRUTHerford

—-

Here’s another poem, inspired by Robert’s poem above.

Mary, Mary quite the contrary,
Your son is really quite lovely.
Mary, Mary did you know
Your baby boy is not a troll?
When you kiss your little baby,
You’ve kissed the face of Daddy.
‘Yes, I know”, says Mother Mary.
"My beautiful boy is our true identity.”

“Wait a minute,” says the Pharisee
Whose face is all too sad to see.
“Hell hath no fury like god scorned,
Sinners must be burned and begone!”
But little does the Pharisee know
He’s projecting his own vengeful soul.

Personal devotional thoughts (July 2010)

There is nothing more fulfilling than being preoccupied with the knowledge of Christ (who is our true identity) in all His fullness.

God (our highest self) is love and love keeps no records of wrongs, and love never fails.

Thank You Lord (our higher consciousness and our true self), for Your lovingkindness is better than life.

Faith is having a good opinion of God (who is our highest self, who takes care of even the minutest detail in our lives).

Give thanks in everything because of His grace and our worth (our original design and value).

Rest in the Lord (our higher consciousness) and wait patiently for Him.

Jesus (our true identity) is in the present (I Am). Peace and joy is found in encountering Him in the simplest things in life. :)

God's presence is found in the present.

Focus on living in the present, for He (our love consciousness) takes care of the future.

We experience life and victory when we focus on Jesus (our true identity) and meditate on His goodness and love.

The more we know Jesus (our true identity who is beloved and complete), the more grace and peace is multiplied in our lives.

Righteousness is not based on what we do. Righteousness (or innocence) is based on who we are because Christ (our true origin and identity) is our righteousness (and innocence).

We are all complete in Christ and the beloved of the Father (our highest self).

As Jesus is, so are we in this world. See eveyone through His eyes of love and wisdom.

A life of being under grace is a life of thanksgiving for God's constant supply (within us).

As Jesus is healthy and strong and favoured, so are we in this world, and the Holy Spirit (our inner witness in our heart) bears witness with the truth.

Every time we worship God (our true self - feeling good about who we are), we are redeeming the time.

As our days, so shall our strength and rest be. Every day, we are growing stronger, healthier and more youthful. :)

Life has swallowed up death

 I was reading and chewing on this article "Is Death An Illusion? Evidence Suggests Death Isn’t the End" by Robert Lanza.

It is interesting to know that death does not exist in a timeless, spaceless world. It reminds me of Revelation that says both death and hades (ignorance of our true identity) have been cast into the lake of fire (metaphorically - defeated by Jesus' finished work at the cross through death and resurrection). I think it is true that in a sense, physical death is an illusion, just as its counterpart - physical life - is an illusion. As the article noted, "reality is a process that involves your consciousness". I think that is one reason Jesus came to earth - not only to restore to us a sense of our true identity as God's beloved sons and daughters, but also to deliver us from the fear of death - that is, by removing the illusion of death from our consciousness.

"O death, where is your sting? O hades (ignorance), where is your victory? The sting of death is sin (illusion about our identity), and the strength of sin (illusion) is the law (doing in order to become). But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

As we learnt earlier from the post about our true identity, "sin" can be seen as having an illusion about ourselves, or having a false external identity attached to the physical realm. Our physical body is part of the physical realm, so our true identity isn't attached to our physical body. So when our physical body dies, our true identity does not die. Our true identity continues to live.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."

I believe Jesus' words are meant to be metaphorical, or else He was contradicting himself by saying a person "may die" and "shall never die". How can a person "die" and "never die" at the same time? To me, to live means to live in the consciousness of our true identity. When we are conscious of our true identity and origin in Him, we will never experience a sense of condemnation (a form of death).

"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood (symbolic of the physical realm of time and space and materiality), He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

I think this shows that once upon a time, the devil (or false ego) had the power of death, which came from the illusion that death was the finality of life. But that was just a lie. Death is only an illusion, therefore the psalmist called death a "shadow", not the real thing.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow (illusion) of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me"

So the bottomline to me is: There is life that has swallowed up death, as it is written "Death is swallowed up in victory". It is important for the knowledge of the truth of the gospel be made known, so that people will not despair over "death". Thanks to quantum science and biocentrism, science is now supporting the gospel of grace and peace as well.

Paul wrote: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

I understand it as saying to live is to live in the consciousness of our true identity, and to die is to depart from this earthly realm with the knowledge that our true identity never dies. Our consciousness or spirit continues to live on - as Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, our spirit goes back to God who gave it.

I also noticed that in the Old Testament, people would mourn for those who died because back then, they did not have the revelation of their true identity, for Jesus has not yet come to show them who they are. They probably thought their loved ones would stay dead and would only rise again one day in future. That was what Martha and Mary thought too, when their brother Lazarus died of sickness. But Jesus said to Martha that He is the resurrection and the life. I believe the present moment is where we experience the resurrection and the life - the "I am" - our true identity who never dies.

Paul wrote in the New Testament: "And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that ye may not sorrow, as also the rest who have not hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God those asleep through Jesus he will bring with him,"

I believe this was written in the context of the spiritual awakening that would take place en masse in AD70. Our hope in awakening to our true identity is in Christ.

Today, people mourn over the passing away of their loved ones during funerals and I think there is a place for mourning over the physical loss of a person. After all, Paul also exhorted us to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep". Life and death - even though they are illusions - is a process we all go through on earth in time and space. We express love and kindness through relating with one another in happy times and sad times. Jesus Himself - even though He knows perfectly the reality behind the illusion of death - still chooses to relate to us in our daily struggles and challenges, for "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tested/tempted as we are, yet without sin (without illusion of His own true identity)."

We learnt that Jesus kept Himself in the consciousness that He is the beloved of the Father, in whom He was well pleased, which gave Him strength to carry on, and having experienced sufferings Himself, He uses His knowledge to relate to our sufferings, and His strength to help us deal with our personal challenges. I think that speaks of His self-sacrificial love.

"For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted/tested, He is able to aid those who are tempted/tested"

So in a sense, we are all Christs living on earth today. Having been awakened to the truth of our true identity, we are able to help others who have yet to receive the revelation of their true identity, and sometimes when we forget who we really are, others help us in our weaknesses too. I think it is a beautiful picture of our oneness and interrelatedness where we all experience love through helping and supporting one another in times of need.

Is our true identity defined by our belief system?

 My take on the issue of “christianity versus atheism” especially in the West is that the kind of christianity propagated by the instititional church systems tends to be the legalistic kind that heaps guilt and fear upon people. It is no wonder many people are shunning the christian religion and embracing atheism, thinking that atheism is the epitome of life, or the panacea to all the problems that are perceived to have been caused by the fundamentalist christian beliefs. Yet atheism in the West tends to take another extreme form, in that it is seen as a platform to actively oppose christianity. So this becomes an “us” versus “them” mentality for both the fundamentalist christian camps and the atheist camps.

I do think there can be a balance, which can be achieved by not subscribing to any form of label or outward identity to ourselves or others based on what we believe. After all, “atheism” and “christianity” are only different schools of thought, just like hinduism, taoism, buddhism and so on.

To be attached to a label can cause us to be tossed to and fro because our belief systems change every now and then – we are all constantly evolving over time as and when new revelations or circumstances pop up, and we keep revising our belief systems. So I think it is probably best to see ourselves and others as human beings, regardless of belief system.

When I look at a newborn baby for example, I don’t find myself trying to find out whether the baby is an atheist or a christian or a buddhist. We all want to hug and care for the baby simply because a baby is a baby who needs love and care. A baby doesn’t know whether he/she is an atheist or christian too, because a baby only knows how to just be a baby. Similarly, when we grow up, even though we may develop some schools of thought along the way, we remain a “baby”, so to speak – or more accurately, we remain a “human being”. I think this identity as a human being is something that does not change over time, even as our thinking changes and evolves.

This is something that the poem “Awake” touches on too. It helps people awaken and remember who we really are – we are not defined by our beliefs (or lack of beliefs) – we are simply who we are by birth and by our original design.