Sharing a Few Thoughts on Spirituality and Beliefs
...by: "Craig Lock"
Spirituality is not religion. It is something different (and more profound, deeper, I believe): A "connection with the Divine" (or what mystics often call “union with God". Life is a spiritual, not a religious journey. (I think it was Wayne Dyer, who said: "We are all spiritual beings on an earthly journey").
Or something like that!
Thus, as with your day-to-day existence, it is important to seek and find what suits you best to enhance your spiritual life. I believe the spiritual dimension is something we can all "tap into"... like 'a sixth sense', which gives each person 'superior wisdom' ("Infinite Wisdom from the Ultimate Source") in making decisions and choosing one's path in life. Solitude and stillness is conducive for this state of "being", in which our senses are "heightened". I find incredible clarity of thought in this quiet period.
What is known as Spirit is an indefinable aspect of human experience that is way beyond the reach of science. "Spiritual" people draw on another source of power that is shared by humanity. This realm of God and the spiritual world is way beyond our understanding; so I have no compulsion to find "definite answers" ...to try to make sense of the "incomprehensible". However, there is another dimension of life to every one of us - the spiritual dimension, or "God-consciousness" . Because we ALL have the power to CHOOSE our beliefs and operate on another, "higher intuitive" dimension (if we want to). My best and most appropriate definition of God is the Essence of Life and/or the Ultimate Source.
Which leads to some central beliefs of Christianity.. and. the universal message of Christ: His compassion and humanity. I believe a person can subscribe to Christ's teachings without necessarly believing (literally) that He is the 'Son of God'. (Did 'humble" Jesus actually use those words, or were they the words of his disciples, btw?). The God I see in Jesus of Nazareth is revealed in the personhood of everybody; so the highest aspiration is trying to enhance the personhood of every person who touches your life.
Jesus was the conduit, whereby the love of God was loosed to human history. His divinity transformed people with a new awareness, a new consciousness, a new way of LIVING and THINKING. I believe that Jesus genuinely believed himself to be a 'Son of God', divinely ordained with a specific mission, which he CHOSE to fulfill. So, though I don't label myself as a "goody-goody Christian" (don't believe in "labelling" or excluding people), I CHOOSE to believe in Jesus Christ and follow his teachings to connect to God, the 'Ground of all Being, the Essence of Existence'. That is the path that I've chosen for myself!
*
The divine meets the human perfectly in the life of Christ (as Jesus embodies all the qualities of God). Jesus was the Perfect Teacher. He truly believed that common people can become incredibly powerful beings. He knew without a shadow of doubt that ordinary people could become extraordinary people, if they could become possibility thinkers. You are what YOU believe yourself to be and God will never tell us to do something that is impossible to do.
*
The teachings of Christ were psychologically correct and violate no psychological laws. These teachings were original in concept and spirit. The "Maker of the human mind" possessed a wealth of wisdom in dealing with people's day-to-day, as well as their spiritual problems. He knew the deepest recesses of the human heart: "He knew what was in man."
And his other claims/statements...
"I am the good shepherd."
(John 10:11)
"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.
(John 10:9)
"I am the bread of life."
(John 6:35)
"I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in me and I in him,
bears much fruit."
(John 15:5)
"I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the father, except through Me."
(John 14:6)
Note (and my comment): The God of Islam is never described or known as "Father", but in both Christianity and Judaism, God is known as "Father".
"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."
(John 11:25)
And that's why Jesus said that "small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life".
As Jesus said: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"
and this truth (eternal) lies WITHIN each one of us.
"Lord, show me the person
You want to speak to
through my life today.
Touch where I most need touching today.
Let my life be a window for Your light to shine through
to everyone I may meet.
Shine Your brilliant light of hope and love to the world "
Amen
Other Articles are available at: <http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles.html>
...by: "Craig Lock"
Spirituality is not religion. It is something different (and more profound, deeper, I believe): A "connection with the Divine" (or what mystics often call “union with God". Life is a spiritual, not a religious journey. (I think it was Wayne Dyer, who said: "We are all spiritual beings on an earthly journey").
Or something like that!
Thus, as with your day-to-day existence, it is important to seek and find what suits you best to enhance your spiritual life. I believe the spiritual dimension is something we can all "tap into"... like 'a sixth sense', which gives each person 'superior wisdom' ("Infinite Wisdom from the Ultimate Source") in making decisions and choosing one's path in life. Solitude and stillness is conducive for this state of "being", in which our senses are "heightened". I find incredible clarity of thought in this quiet period.
What is known as Spirit is an indefinable aspect of human experience that is way beyond the reach of science. "Spiritual" people draw on another source of power that is shared by humanity. This realm of God and the spiritual world is way beyond our understanding; so I have no compulsion to find "definite answers" ...to try to make sense of the "incomprehensible". However, there is another dimension of life to every one of us - the spiritual dimension, or "God-consciousness" . Because we ALL have the power to CHOOSE our beliefs and operate on another, "higher intuitive" dimension (if we want to). My best and most appropriate definition of God is the Essence of Life and/or the Ultimate Source.
Which leads to some central beliefs of Christianity.. and. the universal message of Christ: His compassion and humanity. I believe a person can subscribe to Christ's teachings without necessarly believing (literally) that He is the 'Son of God'. (Did 'humble" Jesus actually use those words, or were they the words of his disciples, btw?). The God I see in Jesus of Nazareth is revealed in the personhood of everybody; so the highest aspiration is trying to enhance the personhood of every person who touches your life.
Jesus was the conduit, whereby the love of God was loosed to human history. His divinity transformed people with a new awareness, a new consciousness, a new way of LIVING and THINKING. I believe that Jesus genuinely believed himself to be a 'Son of God', divinely ordained with a specific mission, which he CHOSE to fulfill. So, though I don't label myself as a "goody-goody Christian" (don't believe in "labelling" or excluding people), I CHOOSE to believe in Jesus Christ and follow his teachings to connect to God, the 'Ground of all Being, the Essence of Existence'. That is the path that I've chosen for myself!
*
The divine meets the human perfectly in the life of Christ (as Jesus embodies all the qualities of God). Jesus was the Perfect Teacher. He truly believed that common people can become incredibly powerful beings. He knew without a shadow of doubt that ordinary people could become extraordinary people, if they could become possibility thinkers. You are what YOU believe yourself to be and God will never tell us to do something that is impossible to do.
*
The teachings of Christ were psychologically correct and violate no psychological laws. These teachings were original in concept and spirit. The "Maker of the human mind" possessed a wealth of wisdom in dealing with people's day-to-day, as well as their spiritual problems. He knew the deepest recesses of the human heart: "He knew what was in man."
And his other claims/statements...
"I am the good shepherd."
(John 10:11)
"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.
(John 10:9)
"I am the bread of life."
(John 6:35)
"I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in me and I in him,
bears much fruit."
(John 15:5)
"I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the father, except through Me."
(John 14:6)
Note (and my comment): The God of Islam is never described or known as "Father", but in both Christianity and Judaism, God is known as "Father".
"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."
(John 11:25)
And that's why Jesus said that "small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life".
As Jesus said: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"
and this truth (eternal) lies WITHIN each one of us.
"Lord, show me the person
You want to speak to
through my life today.
Touch where I most need touching today.
Let my life be a window for Your light to shine through
to everyone I may meet.
Shine Your brilliant light of hope and love to the world "
Amen
Other Articles are available at: <http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles.html>
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