2019-11-21. Choose carefully but choose rightly.
We are surrounded by spiritual influences.
We are also surrounded by non-spiritual influences, some of them outright the opposite of spirit. But the choice of which one of these we to pay attention is our choice; no one else. And the choices we make say something about our spiritual maturity, or lack thereof.
Of course, we cannot pay attention to only those positive and uplifting influences, even non-spiritual ones. We live in a world of finite reality and must also pay attention to other aspects of living. We have jobs, partners or spouses, and children; we often need transportation to move us from one non-spiritual aspect of our lives to another. We also have desires beyond the necessities of daily living, such as the desire to see a play, go to the zoo, take someone to dinner. Many of these desires and necessities are easy choices to make, some not so much. But in each case, we have the opportunity to make some kind of choice. And some choices we make turn out well while others do not.
It is not the quality of choice that is at issue, but the general lack of understanding of what drives those choices.
Now, what does that mean? Those familiar with The Urantia Book know what it means. As we grow into the deeper studies of the text we discover evermore life-altering concepts–turning into thoughts–that start to go deeper into our minds. And it is here that the difference is understood. We have learned, not unlike many of the New Thought religions, that which we keep in mind leads to how we experience the world; that is, how we approach each day. Thus, our thinking alters our life experiences. I think everyone can relate to that, even the most diehard atheist, agnostic, or non-believer.
But there is more, we have learned. Spiritual influences abound. And these are more powerful, quantitatively and qualitatively, than mind. Many on the planet are tapping into these influences as never before. But, alas, most are not.
The majority of the people in our world really do not embrace even the notion of the mind control of our experience, much less the overcontrol of spirit. They don’t see the causal connection between the way things are and the way they could be better. Here is why: If your daily living is the experience of lack–lack of food, lack of shelter, lack of resources, lack of companionship, or lack of being free from fear, tyranny, and oppression–there seems to be no starting point for resolving the seemingly constant state of lack, that is fear. Period. And the fears keep compounding themselves; now have been added terrorism and climate issues, among others, that frightens folks.
Most have no clue as to the way forward; all they see is the way further down while hoping something will be better later. They have not been led, as so many UB readers have, to discovering the richer and more meaningful way that life is influenced by so many factors and beings that are here, with us always, to help us solve our daily needs and desires–our “bread for tomorrow.”
This bread for tomorrow is not real bread. It is the living bread that Jesus offers us, the truth that sets us free from our fears and lacks. That Jesus is not mortally present at the moment does not mean there ceases to be his truth for our daily sustenance. Jesus left us with his Spirit of Truth that we all, each one of us, have access to this truth, this daily bread that will get us through each day.
In addition to our Spirit of Truth, each of us has the Thought Adjuster; that is, the indwelling fragment of God, his spirit, within us. There are more spiritual influences out there and within us, but this is enough to suggest that to dig deeper into spirit’s guidance is to open ourselves up to increased guidance in our daily choices of how to live in this world. In that sense, we are preparing for our Morontia lives that advance us from life in this world.
And if all of this seems farfetched, then your choices will always be more limited than what is possible. The easy rule of thumb is the keep moving in the direction of more truth, more beauty, and more goodness for each choice you make; this is a path to unconditional love. To take to heart these truths is to help move our world out of its current state of darkness and into the era of Light and Life.
Footnotes
From Wikipedia: “In the Hebrew Bible, manna is described twice: once in Exodus 16:1–36 with the full narrative surrounding it, and once again in Numbers 11:1–9 as a part of a separate narrative. In the description in the Book of Exodus, manna is described as being ‘a fine, flake-like thing’ like the frost on the ground. It is described in the Book of Numbers as arriving with the dew during the night. Exodus adds that manna was comparable to hoarfrost in color, and similarly had to be collected before it was melted by the heat of the sun….. Numbers describes it as having the appearance of bdellium“–a semi-transparent oleo-gum resin–“, adding that the Israelites ground it and pounded it into cakes, which were then baked, resulting in something that tasted like cakes baked with oil. Exodus states that raw manna tasted like wafers that had been made with honey. The Israelites were instructed to eat only the manna they had gathered for each day… the exception being that stored the day before the Sabbath (Preparation Day), when twice the amount of manna was gathered.
But from the New Testament, “In the Bread of Life Discourse in John’s Gospel, the evangelist refers three times to the manna which the Jews’ ancestors ate in the desert: the Jews refer to the manna given to them by Moses as a sign of God’s promised covenant, and Jesus asserts that the manna was from God and not from Moses, and that the people who ate it were nourished on their journey but ultimately died. In contrast, according to the gospel, Jesus offered living bread, and whoever ate this bread would never die.” [my emphasis]
