Lesson for
the month of December –
"The Power of Life – Judas of Iscariot, the Disciple"
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Suggested Reading: Luke 6: 13-16; Psalms 98:4; 105: 1-4;
When Luke names the twelve apostles
(with whom we have become familiar in earlier lessons), he concludes the
list with Judas Iscariot. who betrayed Jesus. Judas symbolizes the
unredeemed life forces and also appropriation or acquisitiveness. When the
Judas faculty reaches the spiritual standard of life, it is known as
Judah, whose office is praise and thanksgiving.
The spirit of praise for pure God-life is in the heart of the Psalmist when he sings:
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"For everything
there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven"
-a time for life.
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In our spiritual ongoing, we all reach a season (or seasons) for a quickening of the life consciousness. Life is one of the Father's most valuable gifts to us. Without it we would seem to have nothing. Yet we cannot by any means say that life is the whole of Being. God is life; but life is not the whole of God. |
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Our understanding and appreciation of life determines the use we make of it. Since Judas Iscariot, who represents the life forces, betrayed our Lord, we may be prone to feel a sense of condemnation for this valuable faculty. But we, too, betray our Lord when we feel a sense of separation from God; when we use our energy in destructive ways or live merely to gratify sensual desires. All the energy in the world is of no value to' us unless we learn to direct this power in constructive channels.
We conclude that we should praise our life faculty and give thanks for it as an expression of the one universal life of God. All our efforts toward the right use of our life forces should carry us further in attainment of the redeeming, resurrecting Christ consciousness. As Emmett Fox reminded us often, "Life is consciousness." If our consciousness is wholly good, our life is wholly good.
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We can renew the life in the cells of our body by mentally infusing them with the Christ consciousness. A woman who was incapacitated by an illness that affected her legs and hips, was grateful for the physical therapy she received. But she credits her complete recovery to a new consciousness of the restorative Christ-life. Hourly she spoke directly to the cells of her body with affirmations such as these: "The free-flowing Christ-life animates every atom of my being. Every function is in divine order. Every cell is renewed and healed. Praise God for His vitalizing life active in me."
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| Questions and Answers… | ||||||||||
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How do we define life?
What is the source of life?
Why does the faculty of life need to be developed in conjunction with the other faculties, such as wisdom? Life is not in itself intelligent; it requires directive power of an entity that knows where and how to apply its force in order to get the best results. What is the role of praise in relation to life?
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