May 23 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

As Little Children (Matt. 18:3) ~ Ernest Holmes

"We must become as little children.  How we long for a return of that simple trust in life which children have; in their minds there are no doubts - they have not yet been told that they are sinners, destitute of divine guidance and spiritual life.  The life of the child is lived in natural goodness.  God is natural goodness.  The prison walls of false experience soon build themselves into barriers, shutting out the light, and the child grows into a man, often losing his sense of that inner Guide, leading his footsteps aright.

We must return the way we came.  As little children, who know that life is good and to be trusted, we are to approach our problems as though they were not.  Approaching them in this manner, they will vanish.

Let not the materialist deny us this right, nor the unbelieving cast any reflection of his blindness before our eyes.  There is a wisdom and power not of the flesh, which spring perennially from the inner life - all-powerful and all-wise.

Whatsoever Ye Shall Bind on Earth (Matt. 18:18)

Next we come to a passage difficult to understand and one which has caused confusion in many minds.  "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

A superficial reading of this passage might lead one to suppose that this earth provides the last chance for the salvation of the soul.  But this is not the meaning of the text which implies that the experience of death cannot change all.  As a man has lived on earth, so he will continue to live after death.  If he has been pure, he will continue to be pure.  If he has been otherwise, he will continue to be otherwise.

False experience will continue until the lesson is learned, until the soul turns from that which hurts to its greater good.  The spirit of man is of like nature to the Spirit of God, and it is impossible for the Spirit of God to remain in darkness.  The next life is a logical continuation of this one and could not be otherwise.

Divine Forgiveness (Matt. 18:21, 22)

In the next passage, Jesus clearly explains the meaning of divine forgiveness.  He says that we should forgive until seventy times seven.  This is but another way of saying that forgiveness is eternal and ever available.  What a load is dropped from the shoulders of personal responsibility, when we realize that the Eternal Mind hold naught against anyone!  But, to those who feel that this is unfair, it will be a hard saying.  "What," says one, "are not my virtues to be rewarded above those who have none?"  O, foolish one and blind, what do you know about virtue?  Has your life always been beyond reproach?  Have you never fallen short of the divine calling?  Who are you to point the finger of scorn at your brother?  The man who feels self-righteousness rise from his petty virtues, lives a life of self-delusion.

Know this:  Virtue does not know that it is virtuous, and could it know, it would immediately become vicious.  Virtue is sweet as the morning dew, soft as the evening star, and brilliant as the noonday sun.  Could the dew tell why it is sweet, the star say why its light is soft, or the sun say why it shines?  When we learn to put away our petty virtues with our petty vices, then shall we see clearly - not what either virtue or vice is - but what Truth is!

The mind which condemns, understands not the truth of being, and the heart which would shut the door of its bosom to one who is mistaken, strangles its own life, closing its eyes to a greater vision.  The biggest life is the one which includes the most.

Not that we foster vice or place a premium upon wrong-doing, but that we understand the frailties of human nature and learn to overlook much.  To him who loves much, much is forgiven."

April 14 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

Vitalizing Faith ~ Ernest Holmes

"In order to have faith, we must have a conviction that all is well.  In order to keep faith, we must allow nothing to enter our thought which will weaken this conviction.  Faith is built up from belief, acceptance and trust.  Whenever anything enters our thought which destroys, in any degree, one of these attitudes, to that extent faith is weakened.

Our mind must be steady in its conviction that our life is some part of God, and that the Spirit is incarnated in us.  Affirmations and denials are for the purpose of vitalizing faith - for the purpose of converting thought to a belief in things spiritual.  The foundation for correct mental treatment is perfect God, perfect man, and perfect being.  Thought must be organized to fit this premise, and conclusions must be built on this premise.  We must keep our faith vital, if we hope to successfully treat for ourselves or others.

All sciences are built upon faith principles.  All principles are invisible, and all laws accepted on faith.  No man has seen God at any time, nor has he seen goodness, truth or beauty, but who can doubt their existence?

Not only must we have complete faith in Spirit, and Its ability to know and to do, but we must have complete confidence in our approach to It.  We must not be lukewarm in our conviction.  We must know that we know.  We are to demonstrate that spiritual thought force has power over all apparent material resistance, and this cannot be done unless we have abounding confidence in the Principle which we approach.

Pure faith is a spiritual conviction; it is the acquiescence of the mind, the embodiment of an idea, the acceptance of a concept.  If we believe that the Spirit, incarnated in us, can demonstrate, shall we be disturbed at what appears to contradict this?  We shall often need to know that the Truth which we announce is superior to the condition we are to change.  In other words, if we are speaking from the standpoint of the Spirit, then there can be no opposition to It!  It is only when we let go of all human will, and recognize the pure essence of the Spiritual Principle incarnated in us, that thought rises above a belief in duality.  We should constantly vitalize our faith by the knowledge that the Eternal is incarnated in us; that God Himself goes forth anew into creation through each one of us; and that in such degree as we speak the Truth, the Almighty has spoken!"

April 9 ~ The Science of Mind in a Year

Misplaced Faith ~ Ernest Holmes

"Someone has said that the entire world is suffering from one big fear ...the fear that God will not answer our prayers.  Let us analyze the fears which possess us and see if this is true.  The fear of lack is nothing more than the belief that God does not, and will not, supply us with whatever we need.  The fear of death is the belief that the promises of eternal life may not be true.  The fear of loss of health, loss of friends, loss of property - all arise from the belief that God is not all that we claim:  Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence.

But what is fear?  Nothing more nor less than the negative use of faith ...faith misplaced; a belief in two powers instead of One; a belief that there can be a Power - opposed to God - whose influence and ability may bring us evil.  In other words, to correct all the evils of the world, would be but to have the positive faith, faith rightly placed, a faith that laws hold of the integrity of the Universe, the beneficence of God and the Unity of all life.  Nevertheless, we cannot have faith in that which we do not in some measure understand.

Understanding Faith

We wish a faith based on the knowledge that there is nothing to fear!  "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  The thought of faith molds the undifferentiated substance, and brings into manifestation the thing which was fashioned in the mind.  This is how faith brings our desires to pass.

When we use our creative imagination in strong faith, it will create for us, out of the One Substance, whatever we have formed in thought.  In this way man becomes a Co-Creator with God.  There will never be an end to any of the eternal verities like Truth, Love, Beauty.  There will never be an end to God, nor to the any of the attributes which are co-eternal and co-existent with God.  If we are wise, we shall cultivate a faith in these realities.  This is not a difficult task, but a thrilling experience.

Spiritual Substance is all around us, waiting to be formed.  Thus we see what Jesus meant when he said:  "And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given unto you."  The Law must work in compliance with our demand.  The Divine Urge within us is God's way of letting us know that we should push forward and take that which is awaiting our demand.  If the good were not already ours in the invisible supply, it would be impossible for us to procure it in any manner.  "He openeth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every living creature."