Scripture Reading
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Proverbs 23:7 (NJKV)
“…[Y]ou shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 19:19 (NRSVUE)
Introductory Remarks:
The Reverend Don Nedd was inspired with a Blueprint for Living Better Lives. That blueprint was adopted by the Universal Foundation for Better Living, Inc. (UFBL) Board of Directors in 1974 as its Statement of Faith.
Thus far, we have addressed Statements 1-3 of the blueprint:
We Believe that it is God’s will that every individual on the face of this earth should live a healthy, happy, and prosperous life.
We Believe that we can bring this Kingdom forth by practicing the universal spiritual principles, handed down through the ages and taught by Jesus Christ.
We Believe that such a life is within the reach of each one of us and the way to its attainment begins with the realization that the Kingdom of God is within waiting for us to bring it into expression.
Today, we address Statements 4 and 5:
We Believe with Jesus that our experiences are the reflection of our beliefs and therefore, the key to happy and successful living is right thinking, followed by right action.
We Believe with Jesus that the basis for right thinking is love, love of God and all that is good in others and ourselves.
Quote:
“One of the reasons we experience lack, limitations and suffering…is our wrong thinking. We have forgotten that we are made in the image and likeness of God; that we are heirs of God…[A]nother basis upon which we can base our thinking…[is love.] If we are to experience love in our lives (remember our experiences are the reflections of our beliefs then we must begin by loving ourselves…and then that love must spread to [others].”
The Rev. Dr. Helen W. Carry
ASSIGNMENT:
Conduct some research this week. What are you thinking? Are your thoughts based on God’s love for all? God’s love for you? Are your thoughts based on what you truly desire or what you fear? Think about it.