Jun 22, 2014

One of the questions that are asked when I suggest that there is no hell, that there is no sin, that one can not miss heaven because that is all there is, is then why should we do good things? Why not just grab all we can and run with it. Why bother trying to help others if there is no reason (that is, we won’t be sent to hell). One of the most important answers, in my opinion, and certainly for me, is the Joy of God.

 

The joy of God! We complain about life, about our circumstances, about not having our share, and we become depressed, we see futility in life, —- but we seldom talk of the alternative, the breathtaking Joy we can have just for being present to God. There is nothing we have to do, nothing we have to be, no place we have to go to find joy in just living. No requirements, no classes to pass, no do this or do that. No, it is simple: go within. Jesus said “The Kingdom of God lies within. Do not follow when someone says The kingdom is over here, or over there.” When one enters the Kingdom of God within, one finds Joy. Just Joy!

Our Christian religions insist, despite the words of the Jesus they claim to follow, that the kingdom of God lies elsewhere. We have to follow these rules, do these things, obviously give them money, and a whole lot of tasks in order to achieve bliss in God. But I can vouch for the fact that none of those things bring the bliss, the Joy of God, into our lives. Only the inward act of letting ourselves surrender into the gentle warmth and comfort of the God that is always, always, present within.

The reason for leading a well-spent life, one filled with doing the works that Jesus talked about, that is, being a good parent if that is our calling, giving to the poor, thinking outside of ourself, that is, following the sermon on the mount, is not to avoid hell, but to gain the contact with the “Kingdom that lies within”. As our spirit moves to that central location within, we find ourselves becoming lighter in spirit, more aware of the Eternal Wisdom that fills us.

My observation of life has revealed to me the uselessness of a life of “avoidance” in gaining the Joy of God. That is a life of avoiding this or that, following rules of self-denial, “this will be good for me” approach to life is only spinning the tires of life. We gain nothing. The Spirit comes Alive in us when we approach life from the viewpoint of Love, and Love only.

The key to finding the door to the “Kingdom of God that lies within” and experience the Joy of God is to approach life with the passion of Love. Yes, I said passion, or more appropriately Passion, as that approach will automatically include the Kingdom of God, so that the Passion becomes the Passion of the life of Jesus as exhibited by his expressions in life, like chasing the money lenders out of the temple, and the many times he roundly chastised the priests. Jesus “took no prisoners”, always ready to defend the truth of God against the rule makers and those who pretended service to God, but whose inner purpose was to only to lift themselves in the eyes of people, not the Eye of God. Likewise, he was compassionate with those labeled “sinners”, always gentle and open hearted where needed, giving of himself endlessly where it was called for.

When we show the Passion of God in life, life moves from the mundane, humdrum tick of the everyday to the level of being in the Presence of the very Nature of God. We can reach that level of Life by just changing our attitude, on an instant basis. One moment we are living the ordinary life, the next we are in the Kingdom of God that lies within. No outward change need occur, but our inner being explodes with Joy. In an instant we are lifted up to infinity. And we wonder why we have not lived on this state all our life. Everything becomes clearer, brighter, yes, brighter, in our mental vision, and everything fits together like a puzzle that suddenly is solved, no matter what is going on in our life.

Then usually ordinary life returns, as we wonder if we only dreamed that moment. But I can assure you that it was not a dream, but the true reality of our existence. The Master lives in that state 24/7, and if we are lucky we will see more and more of that state as we move more to that point of living in “The Kingdom of God that lies within” each moment of our lives.

Everyone has experiences of this nature. We see a beautiful sunset, the ocean or the mountains fill us with joy that becomes Joy, or Sacred Joy. The Love of All fills us, gives us a reason to continue life. We see the beauty of a newborn infant, a young child just learning to walk, and so many other events that can, if we let them, lift us to a new level of existence.

Part of our task on earth is to permit ourselves to enter that state at all times, to become the being we were truly meant to be, one living in constant communion with the Kingdom of God Within. Picture yourself able to be aware of all that surrounds your ordinary life, but simultaneously immersed in the Kingdom of God. Now take that picture, let it fill your mind and thoughts until it covers everything, and just relax. Let it happen. Just be aware, from some observing points ursine ourselves, of the connections, the interplay, the different feeling that is present, the Joy of everything that fills your life.

It may only last a second, or if lucky, a few minutes. But treasure those moments, dwell on them some times, so that you can understand what is possible when we join ourselves with the ever-present Kingdom of God that always, always, lies within. That possibility is always there. These moments are what Elkhart Tolle is talking about when he discussed the “Power of Now”. He lives in this moment all the time, which is why he seems some times so preoccupied.

It is the possibility of living this life that is the true source of leading a life aimed at God, and receiving the Joy of God. Quite frankly, it may seem selfish, but that is the purpose of life. Yes, it is selfish, but to be selfish in this manner is to be totally unselfish. Thus we see the dichotomy of life: the unselfish life is a totally selfish life, committed to bring the diverse parts of our being into conscious awareness of one another.

Meditation

Eternal Wisdom, give us the courage to open our hearts to the Spirit that is always just a thought, a breath away, to let Your Joy fill our being. We thank You for all the times we have been lead to the mountain top, those points of bliss where everything is just right. We thank you for the many gifts we have become aware of during our lifetimes. We ask that You make us more prone to listen to the urgings of Joy that come constantly into our lives, urgings that will take away the gloom, depression, and wishful thinking that too often fill our life. We welcome your encouragement to find your Presence in the everyday parts of life, the waking in the mornings to the relaxing at the end of the day. Open our hearts and minds to the blazing glory and joy that lies all around us, if we but open our internal eyes to see. Thank you for all that you have blessed us with. Amen.