The Discipline That Assures Grace

SUN., DEC. 11, 1988, 6:44 AM
BY-THE-OCEAN, ABACO

Here you are, o son, in a slightly different setting, but a familiar place, beside yet another ocean. You see that rising much earlier would not be appropriate if you are going to use the natural light of morning. However, this discipline is a good one for you, and I will expect you here at least every other morning.

It is a discipline of hearing Me, the Holy Spirit. I come to you in encouragement, with only limited words of chastisement. I come in order that your life might be more full and more purposefully directed. I come also to help you in the transition from a strictly secular orientation to your work to seeing all that you do as a spiritual adventure. And, remember, that I want your “spiritual dimension” to be the unifying and balancing aspect of your self… meaning that you won’t appear to be more religious or more “other-worldly,” but that you’ll live this earth life in a most aware and appreciative fashion.

The sense that you have of what this could be like is a good one, but it is strongest during these times of Teaching and as you reread what I have given you, and it is weakest as you are in some seemingly stressful life situation, where the nature of your action seems critical. This is a matter of maturation as well as learning. You have the basic goal clearly in mind, but it has not overridden the attitudes and practices of your life before I called you to this discipline. I am sure that it will, and you can also be so assured.

Grace is a power and a capacity that I offer to anyone. In one sense it is “cheap.” In another sense it is very expensive, for you have to truly and genuinely accept it, and this requires a strong spirit. Accepting grace is not a milque toastish act of escaping from responsibilities and duties. Instead, it is accepting the power that grace both allows and bestows. It unleashes power that you have not been able to use, and it gives additional power, in a very mystical way.

Grace does not ebb and flow, but the power that accompanies its full acceptance does. And it is this acceptance that is crucial to realizing the power. This discipline of coming to listen, to hear, and to write is one that assures the power of grace. Some persons achieve this through a less active meditation. I require this of you, and you generally accept My offer, even as you are not completely sure of all the consequences.

The power inherent in grace allows you to be a peaceful person. Humans have many thoughts about peace and many motivations to be peaceful, but without the power of grace these can be over-shadowed by thoughts of rights, dominance, and even revenge. As I have told you there are good, moral reasons for every, well nearly every, aggressive, war-like action. As in the illustration you read last evening, standing up for your rights, personally and nationally, can seem to be quite necessary… quite laudable. But this stirs conflict. Grace is the main “tool” that restores and assures the continuance of peace. Even Christian affirmations about peace rarely include the power of grace.

Grace offers the perspective that there is an ongoing purpose to life. It is to live fully and joyfully, not in order to receive a reward, but in appreciation of a gift, freely given. Some persons who are fully in grace have seemingly disreputable lives, with work that has little satisfaction and even behaviors that seem inappropriate to a good, responsible Christian. Yet such persons have purpose in moments, and they are not burdened by the responsibilities of culture. No one has to fulfill cultural expectations before realizing the power of grace.