2002-09-22-Power of God

Session

Opening

Selection: "Ah Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended"

Prayer: Matthew: Let us place ourselves in the presence of Jesus, the Christ.

"Master Teacher, we come to you with light in our beings, hope in our hearts, and vision in our future to what you portray in your being, before us, and before our heavenly Father. We know we have a model and we know we have a script and we know we have a future that is unbridled and without description in our minds ~ as we understand them to be ~ that what you have offered us (and we offer you) is becoming.

As for the teacher that you make known to us today, with the appreciation for this gift that you make possible for us and with us, and because of all that you are with us now ~ and always ~ we are forever grateful. And for what you know to be the needs and desires of our hearts and our minds, now and always, we place these with you before our heavenly Father and ask for all of our intentions to be expedited within your care. Amen."

TOMAS: Tomas here. Good afternoon, my loyal friends and companions in the quest. How glad I am, and we are, to gather and commune with you this afternoon, for it confirms our connection to you who reach above the fetters of time and space to the thought of eternity.

The thought of eternity is, indeed, in your future. The future will evolve as our vision is the steadfast method of advancement, and yet the thrill of discovery, of co-creation, in conforming your will to the divine will, will eventuate in the light and life we seek for Urantia.

There are many matters on your menu today … many morsels worthy of savoring. My immediate impulse is to reach for the concept of the power of God: that which protects you. You are his own.

Lesson

Power

Think about responsibility as a human, as a developing value-laden soul. Consider your sense of noble devotion to care-taking those who are in your charge, the inestimable privilege of serving your families, your children, mates, even your neighbors, employers and community interests. The sense of pride, healthy pride, enabling you to do a job well done, in order to represent that which you uphold as value-worthy of upholding. Recognize that heartfelt longing to do the right thing, to do the responsible thing, the noble thing, as well as the practical thing.

There are so many who avoid having any sense of responsibility at all, for the weight of responsibility is regarded as impossible. It would be impossible, it would be a distortion of reality, indeed, if it were undertaken without a respect for, and appreciation of, yea, even a need for, the indefinable essence of ability that issues forth from beneath your ego into the ethereal and eternal realm of personality expression.

They speak of the golden rule. The concept of "doing unto others" is an ideal that is only available to those who also understand a value acknowledged as brotherhood, spiritual brotherhood in the highest. And on every rung of such a depiction, is the inherent bias of that person's perception of brotherhood.

Ponder now, Fatherhood. The power of God. The power of God is not a loud noise. As depicted in the music, 'Sweet Jesus, how could you have offended?' God is not capable of offending his creations. He gives birth to life. He is love. Thus, the power of God is represented in the issuing forth of that God Who indwells You, and which embellishes your personality expression to reveal His greatness as goodness. And yet, in understanding the power of God, which is a part of you, a part of your ability to understand your own capacities, you must not confuse this meekness with ineffectiveness, for meekness is the offspring of this divine power.

Thus, in knowing who you are, in embracing your submission to divine will, you are given true power, power which can, and will, prepare the way toward light and life.

Let me subside my remarks and perhaps we can resume our discourse in questions which may rise up. In the interim I give you my companion.

Consciousness

ANATOLIA: Good wishes, and greetings, my friends and compatriots. I'm happy to be with you this Sunday afternoon, your time, USA, and world time, Universe Central. This is a wonderful time in which to be alive, now, in the future, in the past, and in the yet to be considered. Now, in the eternal term of that phrase, is a wonderful time to be alive.

Let it be known that whenever one is of a conscious mind to recognize that he (or she) exists, as a plant has a place within the soil as it stands proudly among other foliage, (or perhaps not at all among other guests within this sphere), if the plant, which is a hypothetical, has a consciousness to know it exists, it realizes that its presence there and in the atmosphere of its being is truly a gift and a blessing, an honor and an opportunity to be served by the nutrients that surround it, that it may serve to improve the conditions for which it was placed, this, too, is what it is like to be in the Father's service, wherever one may be placed.

I urge you to consider, from a new way of viewing, or a new vantage point, what it would be like to not have your consciousness, to not be aware of who you are and where you are to serve. The inverse of this question, that is, to wonder what it would be like to not have consciousness, is the positive way of viewing what your value and what your being is and has to offer.

I encourage you to consider this for the moment that we are speaking, but also in a longer term perspective when you have opportunity, without interruption and without trying to do others things at the same time,… to consider what it is, even if you need to consider the proposition of "consciousness awareness", to consider it from the inverse of that proposition. If you need to investigate what non-consciousness would be, I urge you to consider the whereabouts and whys of your being in as positive way as possible.

This is my way, again, of inviting you to consider the universality of our being and the all-purpose nature in which we each serve, even down to the most finite of organisms. Those which are present to perform a gifted service, are each and all immeasurably valuable in the service of our heavenly Father. What more then, could your service be if each and all organisms in creation are of value?

One may consider an organism, of whatever function, to be as valuable as you may be. In one measure of consideration anything which is created, given presence and identity is of importance to our heavenly Father. In such, I contend, that with our purposes as spirit beings, what more could be your value to the Father by your mere presence within creation, let alone what you may do to render up true service and true accumulated value and purpose before our Father's throne.

Be mindful, then, of our value as you contemplate your consciousness, to appreciate that which our Father values, for in so doing, you will begin to know the heart and mind of our eternal Creator and all that was made known and present because of his love with you and for you.

Be gracious unto one another and to yourselves, for knowing that in your growth and appreciation for who you are, therein lies the greater extension and expansion of that God-presence by the collective nature of all of your representative presences made known to each other and to your heavenly Father. Peace be with you and among you as you go into the new week of loving service, and knowing that your consciousness and awareness of who and what you are about, before your heavenly Father's throne, is what I ask you to consider.

In the conclusion, if there are questions that you may have, I will be happy to address them. In the meantime we happily return to Tomas and his concluding comments.

TOMAS: And speaking of Peace, it is brought to my attention, the World Day of Peace is being celebrated in your collective superconscious realms, or perhaps it is more accurate to say, in the consciousness of those who are striving for morontial realities. When you look forward to the future that you will help create, look to your impression of peace as a gauge, for if all the effort is instilled in the project and there is no peace in the end result, then you have merely created a shell, another shadow.

Let's open the windows and let the sun shine in. Aloha! Myra. And, we miss you Wayawahili. Gather in the energy of the Indianapolis environs, and seek comfort and companionship, too, in the midwayers who abound, who teem with life in that vicinity.

Well, now that we are all present and accounted for, how have you been? Have you any questions or stories to tell?

Dialogue

United States

Esmarelda: Tomas, I have been listening to several speakers this week who said that every nation that became a super-power, they have always become an aggressor. Is our country becoming that?

TOMAS: Is that a rhetorical question?

(Spontaneous group reactions indicated they thought it was)

Esmarelda: …. involving Saddam Hussein and Iraq . ..

TOMAS: It's involving youth.

Esmarelda: Pardon?

TOMAS. It's involving "youth" … (You are such a young civilization, generally speaking.) … at least the reputation they have been given for becoming cocky if and when they have found a certain degree of manhood and a set of wheels. You have attained that point, but your parents have had little influence on your development. Thus you have become young punks.

I don't speak to the American people here as individuals, I'm speaking to the natural development of any youth who aspires to power, who seeks to see and be seen, to wield its influence and sense of purpose over those whom it has even no authority. The fortunate part of such a scenario is that if it has value, any country (which this one does!) has the profound possibility that it will get its comeuppance quickly and relatively painlessly, for it can have learned the lesson that is necessary, here in this global picture you pose.

You must remember that you are America. When you think about national politics, when you think about patriotism, you must put your values into your egg basket. Since your country is based on the concept "of the people, by the people, for the people", you must interject what kind of person you are as you represent the people. If your civilization is acting immature, it is your responsibility to inform your country it is behaving in a manner that is inimical to the welfare of its people. This is a part of your responsibility, and while many people are content to allow others to make their decisions for them, it is not in your best interests to allow anyone do your thinking for you, for you are thinking with the mind of Christ, with the intelligence of your consciousness, and ~ with those together ~ the soul of humanity.

You can tout patriotism, but you must recognize that in terms of global development, you must learn to live as a family. When one is pressing for power over others, it is oppression. And if we have two oppressors, we have "West Side Story" all over again. Or we have two bucks in the forest fighting for the herd.

How difficult it is for you here. How difficult it has been for you all. Even your leaders have been put upon and made to be who they are by the error and influence of their forebears. But inasmuch as each of you are capable of conscious acceptance of sonship … and I mean this in the aesthetic sense and not in the doctrine sense … it is a natural result of your religious life that will give rise to the morals and ethics and principles that will guide humanity through your example, into stable, well-governed, industrial peace.

How difficult it is, even for me, to convey to you my meaning, when it my meaning is colored by the words that I am choosing to use. The words themselves distort the picture I intend to paint. I must rely upon your perceptions through the mind of Christ, through the indwelling Spirit, through the Christ-consciousness of the Correcting Time as compared to the definitions and dreary diatribes of yesteryear.

You influence greatly the outcome of the current situation, yes. And yet even if the circumstances of cause and effect are so firmly set in place only a deviation from the natural course of events would allow for a reprieve, you will still need to be called upon to maintain the voice of sanity, the posture of the meek, with the power of God around you, in order for you to be able to shine your light and lead the victims of this folly into higher reality, the farther view. You need not dwell on what is being done wrong, so much as you need to take stock and put your power in what is being done right. That will be a challenge because the overwhelming … almost overwhelming tendency is to drift downstream and through passive acquiescence allow those who are louder to do your thinking for you.

I have, perhaps, not brought you peace by my response, but I have brought you truth.

Esmarelda: Thank you, Tomas.

Meekness

Thoroah: That also reflects on what you said earlier about meekness. Can you put together not being passive acquiescent and meekness for us?

TOMAS: I can try. I appreciate your yearning to discern the difference so as to understand your options better. "Passive acquiescence" is giving away your power; It is yielding to authority less than the Authority you resonate to. It is a way of saying, "Oh big deal, who cares?"

Meekness, however, is like the 'pearl of great price.' It is secure in its sanctuary, its confinement, its clam shell. It has no care as to the waves which wash over it or the crabs who scamper around it. It has the assurance that things are as they should be … at least in its own existence … having the understanding that no matter what happens, the power of God prevails -- is the difference.

I'm not encouraging an isolationist tactic. I am simply saying that for those of you who are secure in your 'knowing,' you will have the strength that will enable you to uphold who are, how you feel, and what you represent, even in the face of tremendous odds and outside influences.

Janet: Well, Tomas, wouldn't it be wonderful if different countries of this world would just adopt the tactics that I was fortunate enough to grow up with? Because I had such wonderful parents! And they both always said, "Instead of trying to accumulate things for yourself, give of yourself in any way that you possibly can." It was something that was instilled in me as a child and I watched my parents give of themselves, always, in volunteer work or anything that they could. And if the countries of the world could look toward each other in a friendly way, that way, we wouldn't have all these wars that have gone on and probably will continue because people can't seem to bring themselves to realize that each one of us has a life to live and we want to live it to the fullest, and we can't if somebody else is trying to take away what little we have.

When I came out here I thought, 'What can I do as a volunteer? Where can I help out?' And I found the answer there in the hospital. What with a back-ground in medicine for so many years, it seemed like the logical place. And for instance, a lady, last week, had to bring all five of her children because the 4-year-old had to have surgery and she didn't have any other place to put 'em, so she brought them. And the 2-year-old was crying up a storm and she had to nurse the baby, so I took the-2 year-old and he had a ball riding around on my hip all over the hospital while I was doing errands and he was bringing sunshine to everybody else, so he didn't remember to cry and be nasty like a 2-year-old can be because he was interested in what was going on and I was getting a lot of satisfaction having a baby in my arms again, and the mother could relax.

And if that same thing could only apply to the countries of the world. But then, a lot of people aren't fortunate enough to be brought up by parents who were just wonderful, the way my parents were. I was very, very lucky.

TOMAS: Yes. And you do well to acknowledge your good fortune and to appreciate that there are those who have not had such good parenting back-grounds. It makes a difference. The development of character is involved in home life and you have, through your merciful ministry, depicted the parental attitude through your caring for others. The natural tendency to minister to those in need is based on a healthy foundation. However, there are those whose foundation is not so healthy, whose "dysfunctional" circumstances give rise to lesser loves, such as the theory of 'tit for tat,' 'I'll love you if you love me,' 'I'll give you this if you'll do that,' and this kind of conditional love is a potential blessing or evil and one which is at the heart of the problems your world is experiencing today.

Taking care of that which needs to be cared for, that which is in your purview, need not be as difficult as your leaders make it. It is convoluted by extraneous matters and overmuch sentiment as well as aggressive attitudes adopted to overcome a sense of impotence. Impotence is not such a terrible thing if it is construed as meekness.

I do not object to digressing into these fields of interest for they are the arena in which you work. These are the concerns you have in your life. These are the matters that take up residence in your minds and they need to be processed so that you can have peace of mind and can be about the Father's business wisely. They (cosmic problem solving) are our grist. If there were not adverse situations to work with, we would all become complacent and soft. Rigorous exercise is valuable to the evolving soul as well as body, and exercise for the mind is important as well for it keeps you from stagnating in that critical arena wherein your decisions are made which enhance your soul growth or deny its essential sustenance.

I think there is a waning of energy. I understand a human capacity to endure such focus of attention and yet it is such a reward to savor this space wherein we are jointly connected to the energy of the divine. This communion, this worshipful state, is good for your soul. It is food for your inner being and it will confirm your reality so that you will be more readily available to the influence of the divine as you go about your daily duties in the life you live here in this most precious orb.

Willie/Matthew: Thank you Tomas. That helps me realize that writing a letter to the president, or whomever else, is at least something I can do and to at least express myself, and there's a lot to be said for that, despite the outcome. I just get the feeling that if God Himself told them not to do it, they are going to do it anyway. So I can at least do whatever I can to take my role and say 'wrong is wrong.' So I appreciate the call to responsibility for that.

TOMAS: You can also reiterate universal family values. The people all over the world with whom you are not acquainted are, even so, a part of you. Those who go hungry are known in your heart. Those who are estranged from their loved ones, you have empathy for. You have the same feelings, the same emotions, as everyone on the planet. The stronger your human bond with others in other countries, other cultures, other languages, other races, the stronger your loyalty to the humanity of man, the more strength you have in numbers.

You will do well to transcend political purpose and go direct to the heart of world peace and remind everyone that all men are your brothers … and mean it! No amount of lip service will make up for the essence of passion, passionately held convictions. Yes, write your letters and speak your speeches. Let your voice be heard. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord" and let all nations rejoice in His being. God is our Father, our Creator, our Source, even the source of governments and principalities, and on His shoulders rests All-that-is. Align yourself, thus, with that power … and represent that meekness as you pass by.

Closing

I look forward to engaging with you again next week and observing your path as you wind your way through the human experience throughout the week. Our love and devotion is upon you and the love the Master is always ever with you. Amen and Farewell.