“Spiritual Law of Grace” by Rev. Christine 10/30/2022
Today is the last of the Spiritual Law series concluding with the Spiritual Law of Grace.” We all love to have a little grace now and then. The dictionary defines Grace as mercy or clemency, forgiveness, unmerited love and goodness -- such as God’s love for us. Divine influence acting in a person to make the person pure, morally strong, or help given to a person by God.
Divine Science defines grace as “The Gift of the nature of God which is omnipresently available to man.” We see Grace as a state of consciousness in God awareness. Grace is unity, oneness within ourselves and oneness with God. Grace is the activity of Love in Action. Grace is not earned; it is ours unconditionally just for being part of creation.
All of these are good, for they describe a very basic principle -- living from a higher vibration of love. We think of grace almost like we think of miracles as a non natural occurrence. Yet grace is the most natural state in living, especially when we are living by truth “The Father and I are One”, and that “God is Love, therefore I am the activity of love in action.”
We are always living by grace. Just think every breath we take is life giving. We don’t earn it. Its just there for us to partake in until its time for us to take our last breath and move on.
Scripture tells us in John 1:17, “For the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came into being by Jesus Christ.” In how to live by Grace was the main message of Christ Jesus. Those things that come to mind for me that is a direct result of applying this spiritual law is forgiveness, lifting of karma, instantaneous healing, divine surprises, harmonious relationships, and life is wonderfully good.
One may ask, if this is the natural state, then why am I living such a different life — with only glimpses of Heaven on Earth or Grace? So we find many people searching for the magical key that will let them enter into a life of grace.
The ancient Hermetic teachings, from the book titled the Kybalion, explains grace from a more scientific point of view. First there is the principle of polarity of love and hate. As a visual, imagine a thermometer that is standing vertically straight with marked degrees of love.
The upper end is represented by pure unconditional love; next compassion and kindness as we move down the scale to conditional love of the romantic kind or personal relationships, and midway is like, then indifference, next is dislike, and at the very bottom is hate.
Next, we add the principle of the pendulum. Imagine a pendulum in an old grandfather clock swinging back and forth. Now imagine the thermometer standing vertically and the pendulum is swinging across it going up, down and back up from the level of love that a person is experiencing.
As an example, a person is feeling sad and not very likable. Then the pendulum will be at the lower spectrum of the thermometer around dislike, and cannot rise higher than that level, but for a brief period can go lower to feeling hate, and then back to dislike.
Thankfully, there is a place at the upper end of the thermometer where we rise above the effects of the swinging pendulum. When we are above the degree of personal love, such as compassion and caring we begin to experience grace. When we look to God for our good, instead to other people or material objects – grace happens.
Or, as you live from the Presence of God, the Christ Within, you live in Grace. The point or juncture that one rises above personal or selfish love, is the symbol of the Christian cross, we refer to this as being resurrected - lifted up in consciousness into the law of grace.
We can also be the grace for other people. God can work through us. In Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” We never know that the person we are serving is really there to serve us to help open our heart to receiving grace.
In Luke 15:11-22 there is a beautiful story of Grace, known as the Prodigal Son. I’m going to highlight this story. Here we have a young man, who requested an early inheritance from his father so that he could make it big in the world. Leaving behind the comforts of living at home for the excitement of the big city. Because of his lack of discernment in friends, poor investments, and self-indulgence and partying he quickly lost all he had. Then his friends left him. He ended caring for pigs for his food.
Nothing like the mud of life to wake a person up. Then he came to himself and realized that his father’s servants were treated better than this. So, he decided to return home, in hopes that his father would allow him to be a servant, and he would be grateful if that there the case.
Upon returning he was ready to beg his father’s forgiveness. But his father only wanted to celebrate his return, and joyously gave him a robe, shoes, and ring. He even gave a feast in his honor, rejoicing that his son returned, and was not dead. The prodigal son didn’t have to earn his place back in the family, all he had to do was realize his mistakes and return. This is grace.
I believe the message here is that we all come into this life with our Divine Inheritance; but we forget who we are, and act foolishly. Then a time comes when we begin to seek, remembering as we lift our vision from our problems, bringing our thoughts back to our true good within us -- then we are richly blessed.
As long as we hold to resentment, guilt, blame, and in fear of living, we have strayed from our Father’s grace or the state of heaven. Instead, we find ourselves in the mud begging for morsels along with the earthly beasts. We have given up our true inherited position as the Son or Daughter of God.
The Prodigal Son learned that the outer world is not a place to look for his greater good, but to go to the Father Within. That other people are not his source for love, trust, and prosperity, but the Father Within. In other words, “All human experience is looking to each other. All Spiritual experience is looking to God.” Choose which you will serve Spirit or Matter. The son made a conscious choice to serve his Father.
Forgiveness is an important aspect of this story; the son had to forgive himself, while the father saw there was nothing to forgive. God’s love is unconditional. Meaning there is no judgement or punishment therefore there is no need to forgive.
Forgiveness includes a new way of viewing God, people, the earth and ourselves. It is an awakening to the truth that God is All and in All, and to the power of this realization in thought and action. An attitude of forgiveness brings grace and freedom, and its absence maintains bondage to karma and limitation. Remember the pendulum swinging its course according to our vibration of love.
I have found that compassion for the other person helps me to forgive them. I realize that they know not what they do, for if they did, they wouldn’t be doing it. It is by our nature to do the very best we can at that given time.
Most children begin to judge their parents at about 10 years of age. For example, my mother had 4 children and found herself widowed. When I became a teenager I disapproved of my mother’s decisions, and I rebelled. I got married young, had two children of my own, and then divorced. This helped me to develop a new understanding and I was able to forgive my mother. Later as I matured, she became my best friend. I always remember the saying about walking in another person’s moccasins. What you judge you get to experience. It's all about learning to love all.
Karma is a tool for learning lessons, but is not necessary to carry on and on, year after year, life after life. Once we have learned our lesson the effects are over. Self-forgiveness is one of the most important steps in receiving grace. God can only give to you what God can get through you. Increasing your sense of deserving will create an opening to receive and God will fill it. This is a promise.
Forgiveness is about giving love to that person, not withholding it. When a person does something hurtful it is because they are hurting. It is a call for help, a call for compassion. To truly see them, to see their light, their love regardless of how covered up it may be. This is true of our self or the person who offended. Even if they are no longer in your life, you can free them and yourself. Take it to prayer, or write a letter and burn it, or do something good in their name.
Throughout the New Testament stories, we are given key elements to receiving grace. In healing, Christ Jesus would tell them something like, go and sin no more, forgive yourself, your faith has made you whole, go to the temple and give thanks.
In demonstrating our good, Jesus said to praise, have gratitude – give thanks, and lift your vision -- raise your sights -- have faith and go out and heal, cast your nets upon the other side, feed the multitude with 5 loaves of bread and two fish, turn water into wine. He said, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly, and know it is the Father’s good pleasure to give to you.
There is another kind of grace, the prayer or blessing we say prior to eating. Jesus gave an example when blessing the food to feed the multitudes. We are lifting the food in consciousness from a sense of material substance to Divine Spirit Substance. The following is a sample prayer of grace: The food of which we are going to partake is your gift, O God, pure Divine Substance, and the fruit of the labor of many beings. We are grateful for it and bless it. May it give us strength, health, joy -- And may it increase our love. So it is, Amen!
A short prayer of grace I’ve done is to first put my hands on the sides of my plate and acknowledge it as God, pure Divine Substance, and then say “God bless this food that it blesses me. So it is. Amen”
Living in grace, life becomes ever increasingly joyful, playful, spontaneous, loving, and free. You have a desire — and it manifests. You think a good thought — and it occurs. You think of a person — and they call. You wake in the morning with a joyful soul. You feel so very grateful. Your relationships are all wonderful. Divine Surprises become routine. You are a blessing to everyone you meet.
And, as Jesus the Christ taught, “Know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.” In Truth the Grace of God cannot be withheld. It is always available to us when we seek God’s Love, all we have to do is accept and grace is ours.
I have had so many instances of grace in this life. Think about it, I’m sure you have too. Think upon it and write them down. What we focus on increases.
Let us affirm “I live by God’s Grace.”