Sunday Message for November 19, 2023

COVENANT

Last month we talked about the Basic Unity Principles. So, let's talk now about how we put those basic principles into motion in our lives. And I can sum it up in one word - commitment. It takes commitment if we're going to see the results of these principles in our lives in a positive way.

Myrtle and Charles Fillmore made a covenant with God and dedicated their lives, their time, and their finances to creating this movement. They gave it everything they had, and we can see their success.

In most of the twelve step programs they emphasize that you have to be committed to your sobriety or it's not going to work. In fact, they tell them that if this is not the most important thing in their lives then it's not going to work.

So, I ask you, is your spiritual growth the most important thing in your life? Are you committed to making your life work in a positive way? If not, it's not going to work. These principles aren't magic.

Just because we studied them doesn't mean that you don't also have to walk your talk. How are you applying them in your lives now?

NOAH
It says in (Genesis 9:1-7) God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life."

" Whoever sheds the blood of the human,
By a human cell that person's blood be shed;
for in his own image God made humankind."

"And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it."^a

So let me give you the metaphysical interpretation of this scripture. Noah (the consciousness), with his sons (states of mind), after the flood (his purification) is very closely related to God.

The "flood" cleanses us of certain cloudy states of mind, and we begin to see that we live on three planes of consciousness, represented by Noah's three sons: Ham, whose name means "hot," typifying body mind; Shem, whose name means "renowned," typifying Spirit-mind, and Japheth, whose name means "extended and wide," typifying the intellect. Noah also sees that his body mind organizes a fourth plane, that of the visible flesh, Canaan.

The matter of food is also to be solved. "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything" The wording implies that green plants are to be the food of both man and animal. But the next command is "Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." The importance of the living element in blood is its soul (Hebrew nephesh), which becomes part of man's soul when the eats the blood of animals. This is forbidden, hence to this day orthodox Hebrews drain the blood from the animal flesh before it is offered for food.

God covenants or agrees to bless the purified consciousness and its realm of ideas (seed). Every idea (living creature) that is illumined of Spirit - even an idea relating to the body consciousness (earth) - is blessed when man knows the creative law and operates in accord with it.

It says in (Genesis 9:8-19) Then God said to Noah and to his son's with him, " As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole earth was peopled.^b

God made a covenant with Noah that He will not flood the earth again, and the rainbow was given as a sign of this covenant. The rainbow as a token of the covenant between God and the earth involves the law of obedience. It is also symbolic of the human race and of the law of unity. The rainbow is formed of many drops of water, each of which acts as a prism, receiving light from the sun and transmitting it by refraction. Each drop represents a human being and the whole race. Only as the drops refract the sun's rays do they become visible and only as we "refract" God do we make our demonstration.

The seven colors of the solar spectrum are produced by different rates of vibration of the universal energy that makes the visible universe.

When man is like Noah, obedient to the guidance of God, he's never flooded by negative conditions. When the whole race enters into this obedience, the perfect principles of unity and God refraction and reflection will be forever established. The rainbow is the sign of this state in which we shall all form with our obedient mind a circle of natural perfection. As the rainbow connects the heavens and the earth, so the state of perfect obedience and unity in Spirit brings the earth and the kingdom of the heavens together as one.

OBEDIENCE
There is work for everyone who will listen and obey the Spirit. That work is important, because it is eternal and brings eternal results.

If you have been inspired by God and choose to be obedient to that inspiration at any cost, you are chosen. Your life is hid with Christ in God, and the way into the kingdom is assured to you.

This doesn't refer to a theoretical place or condition to be reached in some future state or under more favorable circumstances. This kingdom of God is now existing right here in our midst. It is being externalized little by little.

Anyone who has a high, pure thought and affirms his allegiance to it as a part of his daily life is adding to the manifestation of that kingdom on Earth. Anyone who says, "I will be upright and honest in all that I think and do," is laying the foundation stones for one of the buildings of the New Jerusalem. Anyone who affirms his allegiance to the good, regardless of any appearance of evil, declares by word and act that only the good exists, is building a temple to the one and only true God.

Anyone who lays up in his mental storehouse the resolve "I will do unto others as I would have them do unto me" is paving the highways with pure gold in a heavenly city of equity and justice.

There will be no need of the sun or the moon in the city of the kingdom of God, because God, the good, will be the light thereof.

We are the temples of God, of good, and through us is this light to shine, which is so bright as to dim the rays of sun and moon. God is glorified in that we love one another. The true light shines when we let love and peace and kindness shine forth forever and always. We are to be the very light itself and we can only be the light by becoming so pure that it cannot help but shine through us. This is possible to the highest and the lowest in the world's roster of respectability. We are all the children of the Lord and we make the covenant that carries us into His visible presence by laying down the personal man and taking up the universal man. He it is the thunders in the depths of our soul. "Who do you say that I am?"

EVEN IN "HARD TIMES"
Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God then all else will be given to us. But we want to make this substance that faith has brought to our mind enduring and abiding, so that we don't lose it when banks fail or people talk of "hard times." We must have in our finances a consciousness of the permanency of the omnipresent substance as it abides in us. Some wealthy families succeed in holding their wealth while others dissipate it in one generation because they don't have the consciousness of abiding substance. For many of us there is either a feast or famine in the matter of money and we need the abiding consciousness. There's no reason why we should not have a continuous even flow of substance both in income and outgo. If we have freely received we must also freely give and keep substance going, confident in our understanding that our supply is unlimited and that it is always right at hand in the omnipresent Mind of God.

In this understanding we can stand "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," depressions, losses, and financial failures and still see God as abundant substance waiting to come into manifestation. This is what Paul meant by taking up "the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day." The substance that has in the past been manifest in our affairs is still here. It is the same substance and it cannot be taken away. Even though there seems to be material lack, there is plenty of substance for all. We are standing in the very midst of it. Like the fish we might ask, "Where is the water," when we live and move and have our being in it. It is in the water, in the air everywhere, abounding, glorious spiritual substance. Take that thought and hold it. Refuse to be shaken from your spiritual stand in the very midst of God's prosperity and plenty, and supply will begin to come forth from the ether and plenty will become more and more manifest in your affairs.

OUR COVENANT
Maybe it is time that we, too, make a covenant with God as Myrtle and Charles did. Think about what you would put in it. The covenant is a lot like a contract. You would write down what you expect from God. What you would expect him to do for you or what you would expect him to provide. And then you would write down what you are going to do in exchange. What can you commit to?

Myrtle and Charles committed to give their time, talents and treasure so that God would help them build this teaching.

What would you commit to do, or be? And in exchange for what?

It's an interesting experience to try - you will find out a lot about yourself. Because making a covenant with God is a serious thing that you don't just walk away from.

But, on the other hand, the benefits that you get are amazing!

So commit to working the Basic Unity Principles in your life. Unless, of course, you don't want your life to get better.

Walk your talk and allow God to prosper you in many ways.

Let it be your way.