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THE
PROOF IS IN THE LIVING
In truth this was
a Son of God. Matthew 27:54 |
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A University Professor greeted his new first-year
students of Comparative Religions with the following
assignment.
"Study the various schools of thought down
through the Ages on whether or not it is possible
to prove through reason alone that God exists."
For
weeks the students waded through the heavy tomes
of renowned philosophers and theologians, trying
to grasp their meaningful insights into their
arguments, speculations and conclusions. But it
wasn't easy going, and when the time arrived for
the final test, they felt ill-prepared. Then,
on the morning scheduled for the big exam, the
professor announced that it had been postponed
for two weeks. Whereupon, one of the anxiety-ridden
students breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "That
proves it! There is a God!" Implied in that
student's remark was a kind of built-in understanding
and instant recognition of the infinite compassion
of God. Always present as a continuing proof of
the Divine existence.
I ask you
to consider this, Why do we come together week-after-week?
Surely we come together as a like minded community
in pursuit of the clarification and satisfaction
of our deep hunger and thirst for God.
Surely, we come together to experience the presence
and energy of God in this place and each other.
The presence of God always healing, empowering
and renewing.
Yes! We come
together in order to better our understanding
that the more we reach out beyond ourselves to
serve, share with each other and those that fill
our lives, the more we become exemplars of the
lord's compassion, the more intensely we are able
to experience the Presence of God in our lives.
Having said this, we then face the problem.
And that problem is that many of us come to church
and hear this said time-after-time, but nothing
seems to change. And it is probably true that,
for many of us, the reason for the lack of change
is that we are overlooking the vital balance which
is essential to our life of recognition of our
never weaning union with God. By this I mean that
unless we are sharing and caring for others, The
Presence of God's Holy Spirit becomes diminished
within us.
To experience this
Divine Presence of God in the depths of our being
we must, of course, take the inner journey of
discovery, But if the encounter within is going
to have significance for our lives, if something
is going to happen because of it. We must take
the outer journey also.
We
must come to understand what it means to behold
our Christ Consciousness. We must understand when
Jesus called His first followers, He didn't say, "Come,
I will make you feel good and comfortable all
over." He said, "Come, I will make
you fishers of men."
As
the disciples followed Jesus on His outward
journey, they began to understand that just
as he had shared the Love of God with them,
they must share the Love of God with others.
We find documentation on the results of this
outer journey in the Book of Acts 17:6 "Not only were
their lives turned upside down," but also they
were "turning the whole world upside down."
This
is nothing new to most of you; you've heard
it all before. But have you brought it from
the level of intellectual understanding to the
deep center of your being? Once you understand
that the outward journey is not an option for
those on the path of truth as exemplified in
the teachings of Jesus. The words by themselves
are just words, until they come from the heart--
a heart filled with compassion.
A brilliant
musician, highly respected in the profession,
decided to do just that.
Consequently, she volunteered for an assignment
to teach in a poverty-stricken neighborhood.
Otherwise referred to as a "Slum" neighborhood
The children were unruly; the physical equipment
was in bad repair. The feeling of squalor and
despair permeated the entire school. But the
volunteer teacher refused to be discouraged,
saying, "I
always keep in mind that I am window through
which these poor children will get a glimpse of
a new world. And that keeps my own soul serene
and gives me strength to carry on, in spite of
all the hopelessness about me."
Small
wonder that she eventually became a favorite
teacher in the school. And, even though she has
been long gone, small wonder that heavy hearts
continue to be cheered by the footprints she left
behind.
Yes, once you come
to realize at the core of you God lives, you
will be in the only place that really matters,
and many right and good things will be accomplished
in you, and by you. And you will realize THE
PROOF IS IN THE LIVING.
Blessings,
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