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MORTALS AND IMMORTALS - 05/18/14

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A T M

A T M
404 posts
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Location:
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05/15/2014 11:42

History repeats itself

Paul knew the law and followed it with zeal. But what happened when he imbibed revelation and Truth? He felt a profound difference. The ecclesiastic doctrines were hollow and man made - they were mortal. The immortal Christ couldn't be found in the man made 'rules of righteousness'.

Mrs. Eddy was so wise! She saw this danger and instituted the estoppel clauses in her manual to prevent the zeal of mortal mind from establishing its 'rules of righteousness'. Can class instruction, association meetings, lectures, obedience to a bod rather than his Maker etc. make man righteous?

We must watch for this in our church. God forbid we get stuck in a holding pattern or establish norms or become resistant to change.

Mind is infinite and constantly unfolding new ideas. Shouldn't that require us, the reflection of that Mind, to change and strive to let go of the old?




 
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6 posts
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Location:
n.a.
05/15/2014 13:52

Re: History repeats itself

Yes! Any organization that is resistant to a much needed change and operates from the mode of conservative self-preservation disobeys the universal law of progress and thus has a very limited (and dull!) “shelf” life.



 
Andrew

Andrew
1128 posts
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Location:
n.a.
05/15/2014 15:56

Re: History repeats itself

Spiritual growth is not an option, but a demand. We disobey God's law of progress when we let our enthusiasm drop, our striving cease. In this reality, the greater risk, if you will, is to do nothing, whereas the "human condition" too often chooses a conservative position to avoid risk.
In this "human condition" mortality is the default. It takes getting rid of the old and taking on the new in order to rise above the dead default, or default of death.
Christ is the way as St Paul affirms and reaffirms.




 
JPalmer

JPalmer
134 posts
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Location:
Plainfield
United States
05/15/2014 17:10

Re: History repeats itself

In this reality, the greater risk, if you will, is to do nothing, whereas the "human condition" too often chooses a conservative position to avoid risk.


Gilbert Carpenter wrote about this in Precepts:

“Mrs. Eddy wanted the work to be done scientifically, and one salient point in all work is the knowledge that in Science there is no middle ground. One’s mental work either tears down or builds up, or it makes nothing of it, and so tears it down. There is no point at which the thinking of students is void. If it is human, it is expressed in human results; if it is divine, it is made manifest in good results.”
—From Mary Baker Eddy, Her Spiritual Precepts, volume IV, page 496.

For me, avoiding risk and doing nothing was always either fear or indifference. My fear came from not trusting God, and I see now that was based on not having Christian Science. My indifference came from a hard-heartedness that developed over years of being fearful. I learned not to love, because I thought I was protecting myself. But in that godless state there was no protection!

I can’t help but say all the time how grateful I am God brought me here! I will never forget exactly where walking away from God brought me. And now, to be at this church with Christian Science constantly showing me how to tear down personal sense and build up spiritual sense and bit by bit bringing me closer to being God’s true reflection...I feel the blessings every single day!




 
Susanne

Susanne
174 posts
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Location:
United States
05/18/2014 20:27

Re: History repeats itself



We must watch for this in our church. God forbid we get stuck in a holding pattern or establish norms or become resistant to change.

Mind is infinite and constantly unfolding new ideas. Shouldn't that require us, the reflection of that Mind, to change and strive to let go of the old?


Yes! Every day is new and fresh. No dawn is exactly like the one before. We aren't living the same day over and over like in the film "Groundhog Day." Yet, human routine would love to set in and put us on auto-pilot, rehearsing the same things over and over. Getting into a "comfort zone" spells danger, and wasted opportunities.