Short story: We are not God, but only God can make us who we really are
@innertalks (21153)
Australia
April 29, 2024 8:17pm CST
Reverend John Patterson, gave an interesting sermon last Sunday, about the New Age idea, that we are God, or can be God, like God.
Here is how he put it:
'"Realization of the Self is the realization of God. It is not an experience of God, rather, it is an understanding that one IS God."'
'The renowned India guru, Ramana Maharshi (1879 to 1950), said this.'
'This is a big claim, and most of us in the Christian religion would reject this idea as preposterous.'
'Only God is God, but we, as a creation of God can approach God, in our own makeup, as much as we live from love, and truth, and live up to the idea that God made us, in his image.'
'Do not despise this idea, but be as much as possible the person God created you to be. You are not God, but a creation of God.'
'"You are neither consciousness, nor its content. You are the timeless source... the supreme reality. Trust that."'
'Sri Nisargadatta Marahaj, (1897 to 1981), another Indian Spiritual master, said this, which seems to agree with what the other guru has said too.'
'We certainly use consciousness to live with, even as we breathe in air to live from too. We are not God, or the supreme reality, though.'
'We should not try to sit on God's throne, as only God is God.'
'We can be who we are only with God's help, but we can never become God, as we are his creation, not him, himself.'
In the New Testament book of John, chapter 10, verse 34, we find Jesus Christ quotes as saying this, though.
'"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?"'
'When God lives in you, you are as God, and then you can even do great works, even as he does, but at the heart of yourself, God is God, and you are a son of God.'
'The Old Testament book of Psalms confirms this idea too:'
"'I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."'
Psalm, chapter 82, verse 6.
'Only God is God, and only God can ever be God.'
'All that we can do, is to try to live Godlike, inspired lives, by living as best we can for God, in the service of God.'
And, with that last quotation, and his interpretation of it, the Reverend ended his homily, for that Sunday.
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
4 people like this
3 responses
@innertalks (21153)
• Australia
30 Apr
Yes, that is what I think too, and we should thank him every day for our lives here too.
@innertalks (21153)
• Australia
1 May
That quote is a sort of resaying of the quote of Jesus Christ to treat others as we treat ourselves. (Or to love others as we love ourselves)
If there are no others, as they are really just a part of us, linked to us, we will then treat them as we treat ourselves then too, (or love them as we love ourselves, as well).
@Shiva49 (26245)
• Singapore
30 Apr
Hindus believe our true potential is hardly realized as we are carried away by our physical existence here.
When we carry on with an approach our soul is imperishable, we change our outlook that we are part and parcel of the whole process with a crucial role to punch above our physical weight. Our potential becomes unlimited.
It could be an exhortation from Indian saints to reach God unfettered by physical limitations. It is also meant as ultimately we are God's children and inseparable from him.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (21153)
• Australia
30 Apr
We should also strive to be our best self, as God wants us to be, and delusions of grandeur, thinking that we are our big pappy, ourselves, will not let us do this too.
We need to let God be God, and we to be ourselves, connected to God, his children, but not try to usurp his role from him.
Yes, we are his children, and inseparable from him, but when we are told that we are God, and surely we know that we are not, this causes some people a lot of confusion, and disruption on their path. They think they are God on their path, to themselves. We are a part of God's path, of course, but we have our own journey to make within God, and his creation too. We can never fully be God.
@innertalks (21153)
• Australia
1 May
@Shiva49 These days, a lot of people would agree with you.
Life is about our realizing our true potential, they would say.
One guru put it something like this:
"Our best life is brought about by our becoming our best self. We need to reversion ourselves, to become our best version, of our self."
This assumes that we are not living at this level now, as the part of us that we think that we are.
If we just push this mind-self aside, our true potential is then lived from, without our needing to realize it with our mind, or our consciousness.
God made us perfect in our soul-self, from himself, imaged from himself, and so, if we just step into this real self of ours, and stop trying to be this real self, just with/from our mind self, our mind self will then step back, and serve us, rather than control us, in our life.
"If you open your heart, love opens your mind."
Charles John Quarto
Otherwise, our mind always stays closed to our true potential, only ever barking at our heart, in an egoistic way. Only our heart knows our true potential.
"Do not rely on your mind for liberation. Go beyond it altogether. Be aware of being aware. Broaden and deepen the field of awareness. You are beyond space and time, uncaused, the very matrix of existence, the Supreme Absolute... the Source of being, life and consciousness."
Nisargadatta Marahaj.
@Shiva49 (26245)
• Singapore
1 May
@innertalks Yes, but it is more of realizing our true potential.
Hindus believe creation is one. Though we have a separate existence, we are part of the whole. Our existence is not limited by the brief sojourn here. We continue in another realm that we are not privy to now.
We need to raise our consciousness to reach our creator. We can then feel his pulse within us that resonates with ours too. We have moved away from higher ideals of all beliefs and see only division everywhere even among siblings.
Ultimately, we have to align completely with the ideals of our creator to spread his undivided love with a take we are sailing on the same boat - swim or sink with the same destination in mind.
1 person likes this
