Jesus indicated "Abide in me" and the great Psalm 91 places its whole focus on the issue of our abode. Obviously if we are in the "right place" our thought and our experience are going to be heavenly. When we have a sense of the sanctity of our abode we will not let our thought dwell on evil because we have found the Divine Mind to be our Mind. Moses, after all was instructed " Take off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the ground whereon thou standest is holy ground."
What helped me in chewing over this issue was the notion that "Your abode is where you let your thoughts rest." As often as not we let our thoughts rest upon some very unwholesome subjects, all of which contaminates our experience. And since life is a subjective experience it is imperative that we do not let our thoughts dwell on error.
It is not a question of "Why are so many bad things happening to me" but much more a question of "Why do I spend so much time dwelling on error and evil". Error is very good at getting us to dwell on error... as Mrs Eddy points out that Error rehearses Error. If we dwell on error then we have made it our abode and nothing good can come from such abiding. What surprises me is just how much time one spends ruminating on error and the wrongs done to one. I guess error keeps one in the wrong abode through the mechanism of resentment. You can almost hear the evil one saying "I don't care how I do it as long as I can get my victims ruminating on some wrong."
So now you have another golden rule "YOUR ABODE IS WHERE YOU LET YOUR THOUGHTS REST" And in case one is inclined to forget it, here is the ultimate exhortation to dwell on the right things in thought: Psalm 91
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.Ps 91:1-12
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thank you for this tonight..on the "abode" of our thought. It is exactly what I needed to hear and think about!
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a false belief many fall into, "learned hopelessness." Because it is learned, it can be unlearned. Science makes this recover permanent.
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