1997-07-24-Presuming Upon Divine Mercy
Pittsburgh #61
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Presuming Upon Divine Mercy
o 1.2 Group: Pittsburgh TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Tomas, Merium
o 2.2 TR: Gerdean
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
3.2.1 Growth
o 3.3 Dialogue
3.3.1 Contrast
3.3.2 Communication
3.3.3 Difference
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Presuming Upon Divine Mercy
Group: Pittsburgh TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Tomas, Merium
TR: Gerdean
Session
Opening
TOMAS: How wonderful to be here with you this evening in the bounty that you bring, the incredible horn of plenty of experience in the daily life and in your search for truth.
We have all been active and busy; even those of you who feel you have sat by the wayside and watched mighty things happen to others, you, too, have been upholding your part in the celestial swing of time. Ebb and flow are a part of the life. That some of you are active while some of you are passive, is yet another reflection on the cyclic nature of growth overseen and balanced by The Infinite Spirit. Even in your life there are times, individually, when you are very active and, by comparison, you are quiet and reflective.
This movement is all part of the divine symphony, and what an orchestration you have conveyed in your evening, not only in your personal sharing but also in the horn of plenty of your selections of studies. My only regret is that with such a plethora of subject matter, it becomes a supreme challenge then to pull you all together into a singular theme of comprehension that can possibly touch upon all of the things that you have brought to the feast this evening. I will therefore not begin to try, but rather bring my own serving.
First I will remark regarding the phrase about presuming upon divine mercy, (100:1.8) which caught your attention earlier, Celeste, and it is worthy of attention indeed.
Lesson
Growth
- Presuming Upon Divine Mercy
TOMAS: I will augment that phrase with the words of the Master who admonished the necessity of increasing in your spirit fruits as you ascend, and he gave the analogy of the stewards who were entrusted with certain gifts and admonished to invest them so that they would pay healthy dividends, and the subsequent investing adventures of the stewards and the one steward — who did not, out of fear for the Lord or whatever ignoble reason, buried his talent and returned it to the Master without even having garnered interest — was divested of even his one talent, and banished in disgrace.
Lest you be unfruitful like the fearsome fellow who would not attempt to make gains from the talent given to him, you are encouraged to bear in mind the necessity of fruitful service and herein is the phrase about presuming upon divine mercy important.
One night in Butler we discussed contentment as compared to complacency and I suggested that contentment was the cat that curled up in front of the fireplace and purred contentedly, happily, about the warm, safe hearth and home — an admirable state; but complacency was the cat who, in the same circumstance, looked up, noticed a mouse walk past, and went back to sleep. He had not invested well, you see. He was not on duty to follow through with what he had been entrusted with. He had become complacent.
Now before you think that I am trying to be a driving force, think again, for there is no amount of driving or herding that will atone for the individual choice of seeking to serve. Are you a better righteousness recommender this year than last year? Are you a more effective prayer today than you were yesterday? Are you more intimate with your Indwelling Adjuster than you were last year? Are you more astute at recognizing the presence of God in your fellows than you were once before?
It is necessary that you grow in the spirit. It is necessary in order that you not become complacent and presume upon divine mercy. Knowing that the Father is mercy, and is love, is good news indeed. But Michael has instructed his followers to be fruitful, and so ever remain alert to your motives. This is only something you can do in your moment-to-moment check of yourself in your life.
The concept of having to grow in the spirit or stagnate is closely related at first blush, to the Christian concept of hell fire and damnation, that if you do not do certain things, you will perish. The lesson I have just referenced has those connotations, if you are inclined to be fearful, but I present the words to you, the concept to you, for your review knowing that you are not fearful, knowing indeed that you are vigorous and adventurous, and that you are eager to expand your investments for the Master. You are eager to present to him what he has given you with interest.
You have brought to the table this evening your horns of plenty, your riches of experience, appreciation for spirit reality, for kingdom fellowship, for the fertility of mother earth. Many, many precious gifts you have brought this evening, gifts for the Father, for presenting to each other in your personal sharing. I see no danger here of complacency.
Indeed, as you begin to relish the vigor and the rigors of spiritual growth, you begin to seek out that which is more difficult and more challenging. Is it not said that one day you will even “fatten upon disappointment”? And so the opportunities for growth are astounding and many-faceted. Be good to yourself and grasp these many opportunities to grow and to serve. Do not become so comfortable that you let life, in its infinite vitality, pass you by.
Are there questions this evening?
Dialogue
Contrast
- Contrasting and Comparing Good and Evil
Elizabeth: I had a question that came out of the fact that one of the papers that is sent to us is talking about contrast, that it’s the greatest teacher, that on our planet we learn by looking at comparative evil as against a better good, and that this is an excellent teacher.
And it reminded me of something that I was really always sort of questioning, which was in a book about the angels. There was a picture of “the dark angels” and they were representative of the under side that had given up themselves so that they could serve some purpose, and so when I was reading about this contrast, I was wondering.
Now, for instance, this young man who committed suicide, was certainly caught up in the negative, and so maybe a lot of people will learn something from the tragedy of his life, and so I’m really wondering– For instance Judas, people have said on occasion to me, he “volunteered” because he was going to help people to learn, and so I’m really confused about this role!
TOMAS: I am not certain, Elizabeth, what role you are referencing, for you made reference to at least four examples, but I do oversee your general dilemma and I would refer you all to– Is it page 51, Leah?
Leah: Yes.
TOMAS: — the example of contrasts as a way of weighing, that if this is necessary on one hand then that is required on the other as a balance point.
But let me elevate that concept slightly, for future reference and for unity of goal sake, for eventually Urantia will become settled in Light and Life, and it will not be necessary to experience the hardships as they are known in a more primitive society. It will not be necessary for you to have war in order to appreciate the merits of peace for the actual lesson will have been learned.
The contrast then becomes one of refinements and nuances of perfection. Indeed, as you evolve (you individually and as a race of people, the human race), your sensitivities will incorporate greater and greater realities, spirit realities. Your sensitivities and sensibilities will be very refined from where they are today, and it would be vulgar then to have a contrast so low as to shock the sensibilities of a race of people who had long since evolved up and out of the negative side of that coin. Do you see what I’m saying?
Elizabeth: I do! I do. I remember that somebody had told me once that when you reach a certain spiritual level you simply are choosing from good or better.
TOMAS: Correct. Yes. Remember your experiences here on this finite realm are rather rugged. Your soul is being forged and certain testing ground is utilized. If there were no self to forsake to do the Father’s will . .. well, one day the self will be greatly diminished from where it is today, but it will still need to be modified to accommodate the Father’s will.
Communication
- Condoning Contrary Behaviors
Elizabeth: Well, I had another question, too, about something in my personal life, which is a person very close to me that I have to pray about a lot, and have to use the method in A Course in Miracles about in order to have a relationship with this individual.
TOMAS: What lesson from the Course is it that you are applying?
Elizabeth: That he is my teacher. He’s my best teacher because he is — I have to forgive him. My spirit has to reach out and forgive him mostly every day because he’s in my family.
TOMAS: Perhaps rather than A Course in Miracles, Elizabeth, you would do well to revert to a walk through the library and discover what kind of book he is.
Elizabeth: (Laughing) That’s good. My problem is this: I don’t want to seem to condone this person’s behavior. As. I’m accepting him and not being angry with him, then I’m very confused because I don’t know how far that behavior goes, because it seems to me that he could misconstrue it as condoning his behavior. So I have a problem in this situation. I just have the feeling that he might think that I am condoning, because I haven’t verbalized any anger. I hope I have not even had it.
TOMAS: It is not necessary to manifest a stand through emotion just because your society is accustomed to emotional communication. There are infinitely superior methods of communicating your truths without reverting to lesser and primitive behaviors. It is possible for the enlightened human being to indicate to another with a smile on one’s face and love in one’s eyes that their behavior in your opinion is unconscionable but you are in no position to judge, only to offer your opinion. This can be done graciously. It is not necessary that you agree with everyone or that they agree with you, remember, and it is perfectly all right to disagree, even affectionately.
Elizabeth: Thank you.
MERIUM: Good evening, my friends. I am Merium.
Group: Oh, hello Merium.
MERIUM: How wonderful that you are all together. I do feel as if my fine-feathered friends were home from their flights, and I nestle you under my wings, little birds.
[Ed. – Elizabeth and Leah just got back from the Urantia Fellowship Conference in Vancouver, Canada.]
Group: Good.
MERIUM: How good to have you all with your feet on the ground. Tomas has graciously afforded me an opportunity to come and visit with you for awhile this evening.
Difference
- Playing on the Floor
MERIUM: It is different for me to communicate through this vessel. I have been making strides in our process of working together. I do however find it valuable to speak through this more experienced T/R in order to maintain my relationship with you integrally, aside from whatever voice I may be using; also to familiarize myself with the mechanism of this mind which I am getting more familiar with and which is getting more comfortable with me; and also to teach and preach and provide a point counter-point for my companion, dear Tomas. So I greet you.
I am not full of advisement. I am full of love and embraces — “warm fuzzies.” I will share with you that– now, this is an intimate anecdote, for those of you who would rather skip over this personal stuff. But– I was observing, not long ago, when Gerdean was being tested in her own growth throes, and I had the opportunity to visit with her in her private time with Michael.
It had not occurred to her that I might be of service to her for she was so accustomed to working almost exclusively with Tomas, and yet when her reality had become so bound up in the reality of Tomas that she began to lose her own footing, she renounced Tomas, set him aside, and sought guidance from Michael, who suggested that I might be of service. Imagine her astonishment — she who had forgotten that I am a teacher and that I am here to serve and I am not Tomas!
Well, I believe she and I had a nice chat that evening. I conveyed to her that I am the kind of adjunct of The Infinite Spirit, the kind of a mother and elder sister, who would not demand that you stand tall and dignified on a constant basis; I did not require you to be persistent in your pursuits of perfection, but allowed for some relaxation of mind, body and spirit, and that indeed I am the kind of being who would get down on the floor and play with my children rather than expecting you to constantly play the part of being grown up.
It is important for me to reach you, and I am not proud, you see. I will do whatever I can to make contact with those in my charge. You are my flock now, and I share you with Tomas who has about his manner a certain authority, a certain demeanor that is inherent in him because of many things — and I do not begrudge Tomas his personality manifestation, but, by the same token, I am a counter balance as well as a helpmate, and I am not averse to getting down on the floor and playing with you, my little chicks.
And this is why I sometimes appear, by comparison, frivolous or air-headed (and this is not true at all!) It is only that when you know and love Teacher Tomas, that I am so different by comparison; but even then, as we work together, you will soon see and determine for yourself that we are not different in the essentials, that, like you, we are equal in the eyes of the Father and we are earnest in our intent to love and serve, just as you are, my lovely friends.
You may appear to be different. Your personalities indeed are like the many colors of the rainbow, the many lilies in the field and the many birds on the wing. But at heart we are children of the Eternal Parent, we are indwelt by an aspect of perfection that seeks to return to its Source. And so we shall. And so we shall. But in the meantime we will enjoy the moment, for if we savor the moment, we will learn to love life here and now, — and in each other’s presence and in each other’s (and the Father’s and Tomas’ and my) loving embrace. When we are surrounded by love here and with each other, we will know love and give love.
It is real. It is true. It is generous. And you have generously given to us this evening. I hope I have conveyed to you how generously my heart opens to you, my daughters, and how thrilled we are to have this experience of being intimate companions of you, our students, our ascension friends. Well, I do like to talk and I do like to have my way. I am finished when I am finished and not until. But I have felt you, my darlings, hanging on my every word, and I weep for joy for my love for you.
Closing
MERIUM: I am going to take the helm from Tomas and sign off for the evening. It is an honor for both of us to be here with you. I will not give you an assignment except to enjoy the moment, enjoy the love that you have in you and in your horn of plenty. Farewell.
Group: Farewell. Thank you so much. Thank you, Tomas and Merium.
