Spirit Online
January 29, 2012
Discovering Your Spiritual Powers: WISDOM and LOVE
Quote
"When you look at the inner workings of electrical things, you see wires. Until the current passes through them, there will be no light. That wire is you and me. The current is God. Each of us has the power to let that current pass through us, use us, to produce the light of the world, Jesus, in us."
~Mother Teresa
Message
We are in the second week of a six-week series, "Discovering Your Spiritual Powers," in which we are exploring Unity's concepts of Paul's words in Colossians, where he speaks of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" and striving to be "fully mature in Christ."
Each week are exploring two of the 12 spiritual powers outlined by Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore in his book, The Twelve Powers of Man. The divine Christ spark that Jesus fully expressed and developed resides in potential within each and every one of us. Fillmore conceptualized that Christ potential as being made up of 12 spiritual powers - or faculties of the mind - represented by the 12 disciples. Jesus called forth and trained the disciples ... symbolizing that we, too, can call forth these 12 spiritual powers to, "Let the same mind that was in Christ Jesus be in us." Studying these 12 powers helps us to understand how to develop and unfold the Christ consciousness that resides within each of us.
Last week we explored the powers of FAITH and STRENGTH.
FAITH is represented by the first disciple, Peter, whose faith was the rock upon which Jesus said he would build his church. Faith is the foundation of our lives ... the most powerful spiritual faculty that makes all the others possible. Faith is an absolute knowing that good will grow from all things, and that Spirit will always provide a perfect solution and positive outcome to whatever difficulties we face in life. To develop our faith, we must keep centering and focused on the Christ within, rather than on external conditions. When we stay focused on the Christ, instead of the crisis, we are always lifted above our problems to a higher consciousness and possibility of good.
Spiritual STRENGTH is represented by the disciple Andrew. True spiritual power is about the ability to endure and persevere, knowing that we have all the resources we need to move through whatever is before us. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." When we move through difficult circumstances, we must call forth and claim the inner strength of God within us. To develop this spiritual faculty, we must speak it - "God is my strength; I am strong!" - and we must also feel it and trust it.
This week we are exploring the powers of WISDOM and LOVE.
The spiritual faculty of WISDOM is represented by the disciple James. Wisdom involves good judgment, discrimination, and the ability to apply our knowledge in a spiritually-centered way.
We often think of wisdom as coming from information or books. But true wisdom comes from a deeper place. Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 says, "I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the work which has been done on the earth ... And I saw all the work of God and knew that man cannot even think of all that is done under the sun." This Scripture counsels us that all the wisdom of the universe comes from - and will always come from - one Source: the mind of God. It is absolutely mind-boggling to consider all the intricacies and complexities of the universe: the way in which the planets, stars and moon all revolve around the sun; the mystery and power of the oceans; the changing of the seasons; and the way in which birds and animals instinctively know what they are supposed to do to survive. There is even intelligence within every cell of our bodies! When we get cut, our cells have the innate wisdom to automatically know how to heal. We have far more wisdom - in our bodies, mind and spirit - than we realize!
Cora Fillmore said, "Every soul has access to the source of wisdom within. As we approach the divine source of wisdom, and we begin to realize our oneness with it, we are evolving a higher level of intelligence than just our intellect, and we are learning the greatest of all sciences: and that is the science of the mind."
Solomon is considered one of the wisest persons in the Bible, because he had in intuitive inner knowing. He was able to access and follow a deep spiritual guidance in all his actions and decisions. How did Solomon become so wise? We discover this in 1 Kings 3: "The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, 'Ask for whatever you want me to give you.' Solomon answered, 'Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?' The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, 'Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked."
This Scripture gives us a simple formula of how to tap into the deeper spirit of wisdom within us. Solomon did four key things:
#1) He turned to Spirit within. Solomon turned inward to seek true wisdom, and God came to him in a dream.
#2) He humbled himself. Solomon told God that he was "like a child." He admitted that he didn't know what he was doing, and openly sought guidance. He released all attachment to his own ego and thinking, emptied himself, and created a space for God's wisdom to come forth.
#3) He showed sincerity. Solomon felt honored to be the king, and made it clear that he wanted to serve in a way that was best and highest for everyone.
#4) He asked for an understanding heart. Solomon asked for the ability to discern between good and bad, right and wrong.
Are you dealing with an issue for which you haven't been able to define a solution? If so, seek a deeper wisdom. Follow Solomon's example and turn to the Spirit within. Humble and empty yourself. Open yourself with a sincere heart and ask for guidance. "Spirit, lead me in wisdom and grace toward the best way to handle this situation." "Show me the way to move forward and create the best outcome." "Guide me in a result that is highest and best for everyone." You will be amazed at how answers become available to you, and how decisions come forth. But you must be willing to go deep, open a space for God's guidance, and allow that spiritual wisdom to flow forth.
The spiritual power of LOVE is represented by the disciple John. Love is that innate capacity to care for, feel affection for, and desire good for others. Love is the harmonizing, unifying power in the world that connects us with God and each other, and opens us up to greater peace, joy and fulfillment.
Love is the greatest power in the world. The most important thing we can do as spiritual beings is to love God, ourselves and each other. Jesus said, "You will know my disciples by how they love one another." Love is the thing we all seek; every one of us wants to feel loved, cared for, valued and appreciated. Mother Teresa said, "The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty - it is not only a poverty of loneliness, but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God."
We all want love in our lives, but many of us haven't fully developed this spiritual principle, so don't have a clear understanding of what true love is. Sometimes we think love means always saying, "yes" ... always doing and/or giving what our loved ones want. Sometimes we think love is controlling people and making them do everything we want. We can also be afraid to love; though we yearn for love, we close ourselves off to it, afraid of being abandoned, mistreated or hurt.
That's why it's always important for us to link love and wisdom together. It's notable that John - representing love - and James - representing wisdom - were brothers. To love in a healthy, balanced way, we must balance our feelings with wisdom. Charles B. Roth said, "Love without wisdom is like playing with electricity without knowing how to control or direct it. You may do some good, but you may also innocently blow all your fuses and cause yourself some unintended pain."
The way to develop that pure and true spiritual power of love is to immerse ourselves in God's unconditional love ... to connect with and feel that unconditional love that heals, soothes, frees us from pain and brings peace to our heart. When we ground ourselves in that spiritual love, we always feel safe, because we have absolute clarity that there is no reason to be afraid. When we immerse ourselves in Spirit, and stay centered in the divine love of God, it is then that we can love in a spiritually-centered and healthy way.
This week, let's continue to complete the necessary work to discover and develop our spiritual powers. Let's continue to renew our minds by turning within to the Christ mind, opening a space, and allowing the flow of the Christ power to move through us!
God bless you all!
Prayer
Thank you, God, for making me aware that the living spirit of God dwells within me. Thank you for making me aware that I am the light of the world, and for letting my light shine today. Open my heart to your spirit, God, and allow that light of God to be expressed in all that I say, think and do. Thank you, God, that each one of us experiences and expresses the infinite possibility of God, and that I am the possibility for good in the world. Thank you for the gift of life, the blessing of this beautiful day, and for the joy of being fully supported by Spirit. Amen.
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