In the previous article I talked about how daily practice of prayer, meditation and service can help you finely tune your perception of reality to experience what exists beyond our sensory world. What parallels exist to help support this assertion? Jesus said in Luke 11:19, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Prayer, in essence, is asking God to give you something you perceive you do not have. Since God has created this abundant universe, then asking Him for something shouldn’t be a problem, right? But there’s more.
The second part of Jesus’ statement is “seek, and ye shall find.” How do we seek what we want and find it? Through meditation. The outer world is rampant with distractions and misguided focus. Only in the peace and stillness of God are we removed from the distractions and chaos of the outer world and we can listen to the still small voice of God giving us instruction as to where to find what we seek. Again, there is more.
The final part of Jesus’ statement is “knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Taking action and moving your feet are performing service. When you are blessed with the awareness to ask God for what you want, and you make the time daily to practice listening to God, you must get up and do something about it. Do you remember the joke about the man in the flood who drowned while waiting for God to save him? When he got to Heaven he told God he trusted in Him and God let him drown. God responded, “I sent you a rescue truck, a boat and a helicopter and you refused their help.” God’s response to our prayers often comes in natural means through other people and not supernatural means as some expect.
Prayer can come in many forms. It can be a simple request of God, a visualization, an affirmation or an undoubting focus on an expected outcome. Meditation can be a simple undisturbed quiet time, a relaxation response to a repeated mantra, or even peaceful observation in nature. Service can be following through on your goals, spending your time helping others or contributing to life in subtle ways without expecting recognition.
In many instances Jesus told us exactly what to do, yet our spiritual leaders often focus on what his disciples’ interpretations tell us to do. For example, Paul is revered as one of Jesus’ most intense proponents; and he was. Yet, many of his own personal feelings are injected into his writings which were interpretations of what Jesus had said and done. Paul’s wisdom came from, as James puts it, asking. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Paul was familiar with what the Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.” Trust is key here. Some of Paul’s writings were done in a cell exposed to raw sewage. In this environment Paul accepted his current situation, prayed for something better, accepted God’s word in peace, and continued to serve his fellow man. He was a big proponent of the laws of God summing them up into what Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Romans 13:9).
If you truly love yourself, then you respect yourself by thinking, listening and giving your best. Performing good service is treating your neighbor as you would treat yourself. This is known as the Golden Rule; “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). Simple enough to say, but it requires daily practice to implement.
For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment