FORGIVENESS OF SINS

What Is Sin?

 Sin is a sense of separation from God. Eden was an allegory.  (There really was no physical sacking of Adam and Eve, with their luggage on their head)   This sense of separation is the single major tragedy of human experience, and it is rooted largely in selfishness.

What is selfishness? 

 Selfishness is the attempt to gain some advantage, privilege, or a right to which one is not entitled in justice.  It is a sense of isolation, personal existence apart from the eternal Truth that All is One.  All is One means that our true self (spirit) is one with God.  We are undivided from Him.  (Individual really means undivided)  We are expressing His ideas and manifesting Him on earth.

 For in Him we live, and move and have our being. Acts 17:28 

^‘ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one…’ John 17: 21-23

                The fact that individually, we are one with Him also means that we are one with all men. Not just a spiritual brotherhood, but also a physical brotherhood of man.    What we call ‘evil’, ‘sin’, or the ‘fall of man’ is essentially our attempt to negate this “truth of brotherhood.  To break away from Him as well as our fellow men and go our own separate ways; which puts us out of harmony with His plan for His Universe.  And the result?

                The result is Chaos, competition with one another (strife); a kind of pulling apart of life’s boat in different directions instead of pulling together in one direction.  The result is stagnation, fatigue, frustration, and eventual disintegration.  Thus the need for ‘forgiveness’ and a return to the fold; so as to again enjoy Oneness with the Divine Presence.  A kind of a return to Eden; a return to a life of love, harmony and bliss.

PRAYER and THE GOD WITHIN

J.S. Aremu-Cole Ph.D.

If we have the same faith in spiritual laws that we have in physical ones, our faith would be complete and miracles will happen every day.  As we turn to the God within us (Emmanuel) and realize the power that is working in us, we can make our faith pronouncements without force or effort, knowing that something greater than ourselves act upon our prayers.

Prayer should be spoken in faith, and then released to the Power of the Law.  It is foolishness to think that by our own will and through our power of concentration our thought must go somewhere in the invisible and compel things to happen either for us or against some nebulous ‘enemies’. This error is why we strain ourselves so much in prayer.  

Without effort or strain, and in a relaxed receptivity, let us know that the Law of Mind acts upon the words we speak during our prayers.  Not asking how or why, but simple acceptance and complete belief; let us permit this good to be established in our experience.

Affirmation:

Knowing that the Divine Presence has given me of His nature, I accept that everything good is right here with me and active in all of my affairs. I know that I will be guided in everything I think, say and do.  I know that peace, joy and happiness will flow from me to everyone I meet today. So help me God. Amen.

Be still and know I am God.  Psalm 46:10 

Have you noticed that people often find what they look for; especially the negative stuffs?

Leave home in the morning looking for trouble and chances are, by mid-day; you’ll be swimming in lots of trouble! You don’t even have to be determined. It will come easy and steady.

Similarly, head to work in the morning expecting to hear something nasty and unflattering about yourself. Latest by lunchtime, you most certainly won’t be disappointed. You would have heard an earful.

Recall your experiences over the years, and you’ll most certainly confirm that nearly every negative thing you have looked for; you have found, or it found you.

The Law of life works both ways. It makes no moral judgment. Think good, and good will follow you. Think evil, and evil will follow.

Therefore. why not switch your daily thoughts and expectations to positives? Leave home in the morning expecting great and positive things to happen to you, and as sure as it works in the negative, it also works in the positive.

Determine that henceforth, on a daily basis, you will make your life a joy and a delight by stepping out expecting just that, and you are sure to find it so. ‘He that seeketh findeth…..’ Matt. 7:8

There is an interesting story in Luke 5:1-11.  Peter & Co had toiled all night fishing, caught nothing, and were washing their nets ready to head home empty and disappointed.  After teaching the people from Peter’s boat, Jesus instructed Peter to launch the nets into the deep; which was contrary to conventional fishing practice since it was already daytime, and the fishes were gone into hiding.  Nevertheless Peter obeyed, and caught so much fish the nets began to break, and he had to call for help. I’d like to draw your attention to Peter’s response to this extraordinary success story.

First, he shared with others.  Remember they now had two boats full of fishes. Can you imagine that on getting home, they emptied both boats into Peter’s cold room and said to the helpers: “Thanks for your help, have a good day. Bye.” No doubt, the helpers went home with a good chunk of fish too. The lesson? God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. 

God said to Abraham,“I will bless you, and you will be a blessing” Gen 12:2.  

Also, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven”  John 3:27., and

“What do you have that you did not receive?”  I Cor. 4:7.

What we selfishly keep, we ultimately lose; what we generously share, we confidently keep.

Secondly, the success humbled Peter. He did not boast of the large catch.  Instead, he fell at Jesus feet saying: “Go away from me, Lord: for I am a sinful man.” Luke. 5:8. When success humbles you, failure won’t crush you. However if success makes you proud, failure will discourage you with the potential to destroy you.

More Christian workers and ministers have been ruined by success than by failure.  Where there is godly character, success brings humility.  Have you noticed that one of the signature marks of truly great men of God is humility in the face of success?

How should you also respond to success?  Share it and be humbled by it.                                                             

Greed deprived the world of one who might have been the greatest prophet of all time.  This was how it happened.  Elijah was the greatest prophet in Israel in his days.  He single-handedly challenged and defeated hundreds of Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel after praying down fire from heaven, among many other things he did.  He was feared and respected by everyone in Israel. Later he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, leaving his servant Elisha behind to carry on the work.

Next, Elisha came on the scene.  He had been a faithful servant of Elijah, and just for the asking, inherited a double portion of his master’s spirit.  Bible scholars and historians tell us that Elisha’s miracles doubled those of Elijah’s; both in number and magnitude.  He became an institution for God in the land of Israel.  Kings and military commanders trembled at his word.  And, like his master, he also had a servant named Gehazi.

Gehazi was active in Elisha’s ministry.  More than once, Elisha sought his input. For example, Elisha sought his opinion how to reward the woman of Shunem for her kindness.  Just as with his master, it is not unreasonable to suppose that just for the asking, Gehazi could have inherited a double, triple or even quadruple portion of Elisha’s spirit, if he had remained faithful to Elisha.  That was the way of the prophets in those days. 

However for “two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothing”  (2 Kings 5:23), he lost his ministry and became a certified ancestor of lepers till this day.  He could have been the greatest prophet in history after Moses, (who spoke with God face-to-face as a man speaks with his friend) He was the greatest prophet that never was.  My Christian friends, consider the story of Gehazi and what greed cost him.

Will you pray this prayer now:  “Father, God, close my eyes and mind to Naaman’s “two talents of silver and two changes of clothing” so I will not miss my place in history, and I thank you in Jesus name. Amen.  (Full story in 2 Kings 5)