The First Proclamation Let us read the epistle James 1:1-18 meditatively.
Prayerful Awareness Let us wait on the Holy Spirit of God to overshadow us; or rather awaken us to the reality that the Holy Spirit does embrace us completely, awaiting the moment we will open ourselves to His ministrations, to continue the creative work of the Almighty within us. Temptations - they come to us through various means - identified channels being our own flesh, the world, and the father of Lies. When we consider humans as thinking-feeling beings, these temptations consist primarily of thoughts and feelings. They may relate to the past, the present or the future. As we admit often, we sin in our thoughts, words, deeds and willful negligence; but first and foremost in our thoughts. Let us view our thoughts. Any and all things we perceive/grasp in and through our senses in to our mental/perceptual framework, can be but a representation (a partial view - never complete) of What Is, and as such is not the complete Truth. This simple truth is evident in that two people can look at the same thing, and see it differently. We then, based on our perceptions, create our own beliefs, which beliefs are useful to us. But, if we judge any thing that is not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth as a lie, then what we create are false beliefs, or namely lies. So, it would appear that we go through life working with lies, albeit lies which we find are useful. Now in doing so, if we tell ourselves that we have grasped the Truth, then we are lying to ourselves, and we are denying ‘What Is’. But then, we humans do have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves; this tendency being the heritage of Fallen Man. As Eric Hoffer says, ‘We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves’. Humanity collectively and individually have been seduced and have come to accept a pack of lies as the complete and whole Truth. Be it so, the spirit of humanity continues its search for the Truth. We are built-in with an insatiable curiosity; i.e. deep within each of us, the spirit we are endowed with, seeks to strip away the falsity surrounding us, to arrive at the Truth. Thus will our life’s journey continue, circumstances arising moment to moment, allowing us to test the false beliefs we have created for ourselves, enabling us to watch the cause/effect relationship of the decisions we make continuously. Provided we stay watchful, Jesus within us will separate the erroneous beliefs ‘Chaff’ from the Truth - the ‘Wheat’. Thus does the epistle enjoin us to ‘count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience ...
Prayer Starter Thank You Lord for revealing the process of elevating lowly us from death to life. We are called upon to stay open to the ministration of the Holy Spirit, so that the beliefs we harbour within can be tried and tested, and those beliefs found wanting eliminated - replaced with productive beliefs - the Truth, purifying us momentarily. Alleluia, May all earth rejoice, for the Almighty reigns ....
