GREAT MORNING BELOVED!!

Keys to the Kingdom – part 1.

This week we start a Prosperity program. This 7-week program by David Owen Ritz titled ‘The Keys to the Kingdom’ is one of several programs that many Unity Centers and churches use to have us take a look at what we think about prosperity and abundance.

As we come out of our worldwide ‘pause’ also known as the pandemic, we need to look at what we wish to let go and what we wish to change or bring forth in our lives. Prosperity programs help us to do that.

I found this definition – “true prosperity is the power to satisfy our needs and make our dreams come true.”

What do you think of that definition?

A prosperity mentality is part of what helps us manifest those things and relationships that we long for. Money alone does not have the ultimate power over our happiness and success. It’s our attitude about money that holds the true secret of happiness.

The goal is oneness with God, nothing more, nothing less. The idea is not to aim for healing or prosperity or better relationships or any of the other “things” – deserved as they may be, since their seeming absence is merely a symptom of a deeper problem, a straying from the path. Rather, the goal is the experience of the presence of God in us and in our daily lives.

Here’s an example of perspective regarding prosperity…as seen through the eyes of a child.

“One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, ‘How was the trip?’

’It was great, Dad.’

‘Did you see how poor people live,’ the father asked.

‘Oh yeah,’ said the son.

‘So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip,’ asked the father.

The son answered: ‘I saw that we have one dog and they had four.’

‘We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end.’

’We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night.’

‘Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon.’

‘We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.’

‘We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.’

‘We buy our food, but they grow theirs.’

‘We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.’

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, ‘Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.’”

I hear a hint of gratitude in that simple statement.

When we believe that our good can come only from material and exterior sources, we approach life with a ‘getting’ or ‘taking’ consciousness, looking to the world, people, places, and things to supply us with our good. This consciousness inhibits spiritual growth, blocking the awareness of God.

And we have noted many times that prosperity – abundance, is not money. Oh, it includes money. But it is so much more. Energy comes in many forms, and that is really what it is about. And energy cannot be destroyed…changed yes, destroyed – no.

“The belief in limitation must be healed in order to enjoy true abundance. In its place we must build a greater belief in God as the ultimate source of our good and an attitude of joy and freedom for living in the flow of the Divine current. We must learn to trust in the circulation of money through our lives just as we trust in the circulation of blood through our bodies.”

“We shall not fully discover our own spiritual nature until we learn to become givers also, re-enacting the loving givingness of God in our own lives.”

The Law of Circulation says that the universe, infinite in nature, functions like a closed circulation system, what we give out comes back to us in kind, establishing us in the natural flow of good.

“We never lack money, we lack ideas – positive, truth-centered ideas. Ideas are a gift from Spirit.

Our visions, beliefs, thoughts, and attitudes shape the flow of abundance.”

“Our first and highest desire must be to have a greater realization of Spirit and our own creative nature.”

“The Keys to the Kingdom – an advanced course in prosperity consciousness building” was developed by David Owen Ritz.

Each week we will discuss a different Key. They are:

1. Make the Commitment, the world was not given to you; you were given to the world. Step into the natural flow of abundance by committing yourself to becoming a giver to life.

2. Hold the Vision, you will not rise higher than your personal vision for your life. Expand your vision and follow your bliss. Believe in your highest potential and you will realize it.

3. Build a New Awareness, your limiting beliefs have always held you back. A new awareness of the truth of your being will set you free.

4. Make Room for the New, the Law of Circulation works to the benefit of those who understand its operation. When you create a vacuum in your life, the universe always moves to fill it.

5. Let Go of the Past, holding on to regrets and resentments from the past saps your creative energy. Release your energy through forgiveness of self and others.

6. Count the Blessings, you always attract what you focus upon. The daily practice of gratitude focuses your creative energy on the good in your life, thereby multiplying it.

7. Live in the Flow, abundance is not just a spiritual quality; it is a way of life. Incorporate the principles of abundance into your daily living, and abundance will be your way of life.

This week we will take our own look at the 1^st Key…Make the Commitment. Nice that it follows last weeks’ Message on Commitment.

So, why do you think David called his course Keys to the Kingdom?

My thought is “It is Gods good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” And what do we need to do to receive God’s gift? “Seek first the Kingdom.”

I found this on-line- “A life that reflects the quality of true abundance is a life spent pursuing a greater awareness of the God of our understanding and our true spiritual nature.”

So, what would you wish your life to be like?

Let’s take a few moments… and now send those energies out to the ethers.

Just respond to that question… what would you wish your life to be like?

————————–

And we Bless those prayers, this or something better – and so it is.

So, what is the next step to manifesting those dreams.

MAKE THE COMMITMENT! Now is the time!

There it is – the big C…..commitment. Lots of people have an issue with the word and what it means to them. So, ask yourself, what does it mean to you?

Well, to me it means getting everything ready for Sunday Service and for Tuesday class. And making sure that all the organizing is done so everything runs as smoothly as possible for our Celebration Service, especially now that we are Streaming as well as in person. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes and the Board, volunteers and I work to make things go smoothly.

And I am committed to my dogs…my little fluffy ones. And maintaining the house as well as I can, and including others where I can’t, like Tommy and his maintenance of the yard.

Of course, I am committed to my family and friends back in PA. I try to see them as I can get away.

And committed to me means when I say I am going to do something, I am there, unless something happens to keep me away, and then I call and give my apologies.

Even after the accident 7years ago, going home to visit family, believe it or not, I called from the ambulance to let my sister know I was going to miss lunch with Mom! I think the paramedics were thinking, what’s with this person…she’s bleeding, has broken bones and who knows what else, and all she worries about is canceling a lunch date and making sure her dogs were going to be taken care of a bit longer than planned!

Commitment. You say you are going to do something, and you do it. It’s an integrity thing to me.

Eric Butterworth, Unity Minister and author has written, “If you want routine living to become abundant living, you must give more.”

Going the extra mile sometimes is what is needed. You know, as the Jews were required to carry the Roman burdens for a mile; Jesus suggests going the extra mile to break away from the ‘slavery mentality.’ Going beyond what is required sets your own standards.

Think about it….

Commitment means you are taking ownership of something. It might be a cause, like committing to being there when MERR calls about a stranded seal. Or meeting someone who needs a helping hand. Or fostering a dog or cat when asked.

Or volunteering at Unity, YOUR Spiritual Community. We have mentioned this before…taking ownership of YOUR Unity. And we say it at the beginning of each Service…doing what is mine to do.

Tithing is a commitment, giving of your time, talent, and treasure. Somewhere along the way, someone understood the Bible to say tithe 10%.  Have you done that? I know some people think they can’t afford to tithe 10% of their income, and yet, most money experts tell us we cannot afford to NOT tithe.

Recall the Law of Circulation…keep in the flow. And we do that by tithing TIME, TALENT and TREASURE.

David Owen Ritz says we look at how we think about the things we want and need wrong. Worry and negative thought affirm lack mentality and limitation rather than abundance. So, if we are fearful of committing to doing something or if we think it’s ok to not show up when we say we will be there, we are out of alignment.

We need to move in alignment with the natural flow of creation.

How do we do that? By seeking the Kingdom, that divine connection we talk about every Sunday.

In 1^st Corinthians Paul talks about this, saying if we are still ‘worldly’, that is with envy, strife, and divisions, we are not discerning the way of the Christ.

But what do you do about that connection after the Sunday Lesson? What is your day or week like after Service? In other words, what happens after you walk out that door?

This is another place where the commitment comes in. This is where choice enters our lives. We are given choice, free will. That freedom to choose what we wish to do, say, think….BE.

What are you doing with your free will?

Are you BEING the person you wish to be?

Where are your thoughts today? How do they change when you leave here?

Being committed to your Spiritual Growth is probably the most important commitment you can make. It means that you are ‘seeking the Kingdom first’ as we are asked to do in the teaching of our Way-shower, Jesus.

How do we seek the kingdom? I truly believe a huge part of that journey is self- discovery. What makes you, you? Eric Butterworth says in “Discover the Power Within” – ‘Your knowledge of the Truth must first of all lead to self-knowledge.’

Who are you really, behind all the walls we put up and the domestications we have learned through our years? Do you know?

People come to Unity and say, “It feels as if I came home.” And maybe we have. A real home is a place where we can feel safe enough to say who we are, and what we want truly in our lives.

Back in the late 90’s, I make a commitment to myself and to the God of MY understanding, that I would seek the Kingdom, inside me, using learning about Unity principles and about metaphysics and that leads to learning about Sandy. I started going through the layers of domestication and hurts and boundaries that we all put up, and I am still at it.

But you know, it feels good. I’m liking the person I am becoming…

Are you liking you?

Remember, the quality of our lives is shaped by the consciousness with which you approach life. Our deeply held beliefs as well as thoughts, feelings and attitudes create our daily experiences and shape the circumstances and conditions we encounter in the world.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to further your exploration of this topic of commitment and the Law of Circulation:

1. How would you define true abundance for yourself?
2. What do you worry about?
3. DO you feel your worries are well founded and reasonable?
4. What would you like to think and feel instead?
5. Where and when are you most aware of the presence, guidance, or activity of Spirit in your life?
6. Have you noticed the Law of Circulation operating in your life before now? If so, when and how?
7. What are your greatest fears about the commitment to tithing that you have made?
8. What could you do to address these fears?

These questions will be listed in the Wednesday email. I hope you take the time to use them to question yourself, for a greater understanding of who you are and where you wish to grow. We will have questions after each Key to aid your discovery of self.