2003-09-14- Changing Concept of God
Nashville #175
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Changing Concept of God
o 1.2 Group: Nashville TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Ham
o 2.2 TR: Rebecca
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
o 3.3 Personal Counsel
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Changing Concept of God
Group: Nashville TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Ham
TR: Rebecca
Session
Opening
HAM: Greetings, children, I am Ham and I am happy you have chosen this evening to gather here. Tonight, let us discuss the ever widening nature of mankind’s perception of God.
Lesson
HAM: Each human being is taught or comes to understand some aspects of the nature of God. As you grow and develop in years, each person begins to widen that conception and as you grow in the spirit, each person’s relationship with the overall spiritual universe deepens and broadens. This development is directly in proportion to spiritual growth. A child may conceive of God as the great punisher, the one who punish him for his sins. And, of course, this is often a useful tool for parents and society to influence behavior that is not necessarily seen by others. It is a subtle form of thought police that steers young people toward behaviors that society deems fruitful and away from those behaviors society deems destructive.
But to the true spiritual seeker who leaves behind his youth for the uncharted waters of spiritual adventure, God becomes unfathomable love, unsearchable wisdom, limitless forgiveness, and the bestower of eternal life all for the simple act of faith on the part of the believer. Human beings still have difficulty grasping that grace is free. They are still under the impression that God requires something of them besides love. They may feel guilty if they do not attend church every Sunday or if they do not fulfill the full tithing requests or do not comply with various ritualistic or even charitable requirements of their churches for in the back of their minds, God is still the punisher and judge rather than merciful and forgiving Father and Friend.
Human kind has wasted untold resources in sacrifice over the millennia and modern tithing is a remnant of that evolutionary religious impulse, to sacrifice for God. Human beings have difficulty believing that God does not require anything tangible or material in return for his favor. And, many modern religions draw heavily upon this human impulse. How can it be that God loves us as we are for we do not feel ourselves worthy of this love and are always trying to do something that would make us worthy in our own eyes of God‘s love? The Father is incomprehensible to human minds. Human beings have always projected themselves onto God. Human beings have consistently created laws on the basis of their understanding of what God likes and does not like. The human understanding of God has always reflected the culture and the time of those human beings and it must be so.
Human civilization is meant to progress in its collective consciousness of God. The Master said many times, do not make the mistake of seeing God’s word to an earlier generation as his final word to the world for God speaks to every generation and to every generation he sends his messengers. Truth, as human beings grasp it, is not a static thing but an ever expanding concept. Each human being as he grows in the spirit also grows in the conceptualization of truth. The truth that is conceived by this generation will be enlarged in the next. There is no end, no cut off point, for spirituality and the things that are cherished as universal truths today will be seen as a starting point, a beginning of truth conceptualization in the future. Increasing freedom, and especially the freedom of thought, are the hallmarks of civilized advancement. Where freedom is curtailed, there is also a curtailment of human creativity and human happiness.
You, my friends, have been born into the freest society yet constructed by human kind and individual freedom of spiritual thought is held in the highest regard human kind has ever achieved. It is considered to be the wellspring for all future spiritual advancement. The Urantia papers were given in Chicago and this is significant. Spiritual freedom and spiritual advancement go hand in hand. Morally we see some jeopardy, but we also see that moral errors come with the price of liberty. My friends, you are a privileged few. You are receiving the most advanced spiritual teachings you can grasp. No longer must you search only in static and dead texts. Your spiritual life is alive and growing and interacting in the world. Do not be afraid to stretch your spiritual wings and to expand and explore your spiritual reality. Are there any questions at this time?
Personal Counsel
Q: Ham, may I have a personal message please?
HAM: Yes, certainly my son. Do not be disappointed in yourself. This is an old tendency that is born of childhood scars. Remember that you are human. Remember to love yourself as you love your fellows and when pressure tends to rise and seem insurmountable, remember who you are, a son of God equal in spirit to all other sons of God. Remember that it is not what you do but who you are that garners his loving attention. Be at peace with yourself. Set your self-doubts aside and say to yourself that even if I cannot do the task before me, there is one who lives within me who can. Expand your faith and be at ease.
Q: May I have a message tonight?
HAM: : My son you do well. You are also plagued by self-doubt, but do not succumb to the paralysis of fear rather live each day one day at a time. Do not try to project too far into the future what shall be. Rather, practice being grateful for what is. Relax for the Father is not grading every action and putting bad marks beside your name in the book of life. Rather know that your name is written there. Eternal life is yours and there is nothing you need to do in order to secure this. Life passes quickly. Take time to enjoy your life and trust that the Father will put each days work before you and trust also that you can and will discharge that days work to the best of your abilities. And, remember that the Father loves you as your are, right now with the same infinite love that he will bestow upon your perfected spirit. So be at peace, for that is all.
Q: May I have a message please Ham?
HAM: : Certainly my dear. You are doing well. You are often critical of yourself and tend toward perfectionism which can begin to be a strain. Remember who you serve. You serve a loving, understanding, infinitely forgiving Father. He is not the stern task master that you are with yourself. Remember that your place within his universe is fully secure. You are not outside looking in, rather you are part of the liberated sons and daughters of God. You don’t have to fight for a place. A place is prepared for you and is yours by birthright. If I could say one thing to all of you, I would plead for you to realize that each of you is enough right now as you are. The Father loves you now with all your quirks and imperfections, all your doubts and dreams. It is you, yourself the Father loves. Be secure in this love. Allow it to fill you and to grow with you.
Q: Ham, may I have a personal message please?
HAM: : Certainly my daughter. My dear, you do well. You are also expanding the boundaries of freedom. You are coming to understand the ever greater joy of life. Increasing happiness always comes to those who are completely certain about their place in God’s universe. As you increase in that certainty, so does your joy increase and this is wonderful to see. Be at peace my daughter, that is all.
Q: Do you have anything for Rebecca?
HAM: : Certainly. My daughter, you do well. You are gradually letting go of old restrictions that were unconsciously self-imposed. Have courage my dear in all that you do for you are never alone and always is there spiritual help both at your right and left hands. The Father will give you all that you need in any aspect of his service. Trust in your guidance and be assured a new way is opening.
Q: Jarad?
HAM: : Yes my son, you also do very well. You have been working through some difficult issues and doing this with the aid of the spirit. You must see then that the power of the spirit is the only power worth having.
Q: Question from pz: My question today is, will my health improve any since this move from the North to the South? I’m just getting over one infection of the lungs, and I only hope it won’t be an ongoing thing. I do know that with my disease, it will only get worse, my wish is it won’t be so fast.
HAM: : My daughter, you do well. The challenges that you have before you will be of great aid in the spirit. Endeavor always to see the good that comes with the bad. Physical illness can be overwhelming and frightening but it can also be faced with poise and grace and even some humor. Let your spirit shine through and grow stronger with the weakness of the body.
Q: Do you have a personal message for Marije?
HAM: : Certainly. My daughter, the challenges of your new life can sometimes seem overwhelming as well. But you have an innately joyful spirit and so you are quite easily buoyed above the waves of fortune that might overwhelm and sink another. You naturally look for the bright side and the best in people and this is a great gift, one that you will pass on to your daughter. Have no fear, but rather find joy in the little things of life surrounding you. Be happy and know that you are deserving of happiness.
Q: Do you have a personal message for Charlie B?
HAM: : Yes. It is time, my son, to leave some things in the past. There are things which cannot be changed that can be a stumbling block for you now. Like many sensitive children, you took on more than your share of guilt in your early life. But it is time now to let that go and to curb your tendency to simply acquire more guilt in its place.
Q: Do you have any feedback for me tonight?
HAM: : Yes. You do well my son. Have faith in yourself. Discover the difference between true faith in yourself and the false faith of ego. Think about this and what it means. If you desire more elaboration, I will do so next meeting for I want you to digest the difference first.
Closing
HAM: Are there any further questions at this time? Be at peace my children. Until next week, my love and prayers go with you. Farewell.
