JESUS and MICHELANGELO

AN ARTIST RETURNS to his model, - a mathematician to his principle. What do you do when imperfections in daily life occur, - run to a person or to "ME"?

Michelangelo lifted an angel out of a block of marble. Where was the angel in the beginning, - in the marble or in Michelangelo? So conscious was he of the angel he perceived or conceived within himself that he could literally lift it out of a place or substance where there was no angel. Standing before a block of marble, what do you see?

Standing before a block of human thought and beliefs, what do you see, - a block or something out of which you will take an angel in the form of your unfulfilled desire?

If you were a Michelangelo, you would reach into the 'block of solid marble' and take whatsoever you would. How could he do it? One tap of the mallet at the wrong place would have marred the lovely features or the perfect lines of the body. Was Michelangelo doing it? Was Jesus doing it? Are you doing it? All three have the terrific limitations of the human-thought heritage.

What was it that controlled the chisel -and a somewhat crude one at that? What was it that let the "machine" (body) go only so far? Inspiration poured over and through him like a flood-tide, and he couldn't do anything else. "When the Inspiration of the Almighty comes unto you ..." BUT how can it pour through you when you try to harness everything with the steel armor of human beliefs.

So tender, so wonderful is this Love of God which says, - '"'Beloved- (the beloved YOU) -NOW are we the Sons of God". You -that funny, little old thing or that 'great personage', - YOU are called the "beloved", - not a transient calling of the emotional nature, but by your CREATOR, the Power that brought you into BEing, - calling YOU the Beloved. "My sheep hear My Voice."

When you hear it you become breathless, - not the breathlessness of the sprinter who has made his hundred yards with every organ in his body torn to pieces. No, not that, - but the "breathless adoration" when no organ of your body is moved by emotion or human sensation, - the state of consciousness which is above anything that the human body does. And what is the human body? Nothing but an unintelligent mass of atoms which has a thousand and one laws over it, - -all the false education of perhaps thousands of years.

How are you to do anything that is recommended by God through Jesus? How are you to "run and not be weary"? Suppose you could run and not be weary, - would it be a miracle or a natural law? Suppose you discovered the Life of God flowing through you, - is it to be circumscribed by the laws you have set up about John Smith? Will you say, "Yes, I know, but-"?

The mathematician, when he comes to an impasse, - what will he do? Go to the kitchen and tell the scullery-maid how hard he has tried and tried and tried, - and have her say "Creepers, sir, I'm that sorry for ya"? This would merely be an agreement with evil and leaves the problem still unsolved.

"Though you slay me, - yet will I say you are God." Well, go ahead and slay me then. I know that two times two are four, - on that I stand and will stand. Rather refreshing to discover that the law of mathematics is not going to slay you.

"Why will ye doubt?" Come on, now, and answer.

What are you trying to do? Are you trying to BELIEVE? Then stand before a block of marble and try to "lift" out an angel, - -not some grotesque thing that might cause a sensation for a day, but a thing of beauty that uplifts everyone who looks upon it.

Why not stop "trying". It is about as effective as a mosquito trying to kick an elephant over a cliff. It just will not "work". Nothing "works" in God, there is no "work". Haven't you been told to "consider the lilies of the field, - they toil not, neither do they spin, - and yet ...." Very pleasant philosophy to the human mind. Can you accept it?

Suppose you got the idea that all you had to do was to shout or whisper words or affirmations or mantras to God, and this glorious power would do your bidding? Then what would you do? You would change the whole world to suit your stupid ideas.

I was so glad when I understood that "prayer" is NOT answered, - not that kind of "prayer", - the kind of prayer that wants to fashion my world after the leprous ideas of many human beings. I am so glad that all the silly prayers that are said are not answered, - thank God for that ! Yet I am so thrilled to say that EVERY Prayer, - (I said PRAYER) IS already answered before it is uttered.

It is so wonderful, "Beloved", - how you are moving into your NEW DAY, - how you are beginning to see and understand the lovely laws our Precious One gave to us. Every one of them are true, - and true, - and true !

What is the matter with us? Two thousand years in the desert of human limitations -and only now hearing what Jesus said, - and still we are trying all manner of "mumbo-jumbo", - -the old cliches, - the same old pattern of life, running through the mill and into the sluice, into the spill-way or over the dam. So monotonous!

Here is the picture: You are born -amid a few or many exclamations. That soon passes -and you become a problem child. But if they can educate you and establish you in some profession, perhaps you will not disgrace the family name of Smith (or should we say 'S-m-y-t-h'). Then you become a "so and so", - or you are able to fall in line and obey the top sergeant who says-"Private First-class, you have a family to raise and a mortgage to incur and pay off".

Well? Here we are! We have heard all sorts of things and have tried all sorts of things in an effort to "make" God give us the desires of our hearts. We have performed all manner of "stunts", - we have repeated certain words, - we have even paid tribute to certain personalities. But still we did not "get" the thing we wanted. Is this right? This IS right !

And do you still want to say you have studied and worked and taken super-special lessons under Mr. Blank or Mme. Blah? Perhaps you even have diplomas from a dozen or more schools. Schools of what? From what school did Jesus, Michelangelo or Shakespeare graduate? And you, with all of your power and affirmations and diplomas, - are you going to put your fingers into the solid block of marble before you and take out an angel?

Why not stop all this foolishness and adhere to the only TEACHER, - why not turn to the only source of LIGHT -Jesus Christ? Must it be interpreted through another?

You may go into many cities-states of consciousness -and "meet a man". Or you may sit in the paralysis of human thought. Or you may even play about in the tombs with the bones of dead men. But after you have paid your gold to a thousand and one "word-magicians", you will return unto ME and discover that nothing ancient or modern has anything to do with YOU. YOU have to do with them.

Many will say, "If I had just known this before" Before what? NOW you know! Arise and walk! I AM here NOW, speaking to YOU, - not you and your teacher -but to YOU.

"For why will ye doubt?" Don't you believe ME? Then why follow My Teachings through another. I AM the WAY, - your way. Why do you doubt ME, your INNER LORD? Are you still entranced by a personality who has grown gross and rich from selling My Garment?

Why do you think you can buy ME? I AM the free GIFT! Why will you sit before an empty "personality"? Why don't you see what is back of it all, - and then you can sit before the Kamma Kura or a candle on the Shrine of Lourdes and get results. You can get it anywhere if you recognize ME.

HERE I AM! Do you BELIEVE? If you do not believe in ME, before what personality will you sit, - for "Besides ME, there is no other".

What is all this about 'working', - when I said unto you, "Consider the lilies of the field, - they toil not, - neither do they spin", - and yet Michelangelo stood before his "block of marble".

Yes, I know you would like to be finished with your work, - but you have a NEW WORK to do, the releasement of the angel out of your block of marble. But perhaps you think it will be brought to you. You may be standing before your block of marble using some silly affirmations, perhaps like this: "God, I am rich"-"God, I am well"-but nothing happens. Why?

"You ask and have not because you would consume it upon your lusts,"-the lusts of glorifying a personality.

And still you continue trying. "If this teacher does not give it to me, I will go to another", - and finally, after you have spent all your shekels, you come to ME with nothing to give, - but tell of what you have done and given.

Isn't it about time you discovered you have made a "personality" rich, and received nothing but some pretty prayers or affirmations or aphorisms, - which, strange as it may seem, did not pay your rent or heal your body? Isn't it about time you recognized ME -within you -the CHRIST of GOD?

Acknowledging and relinquishing our misconceptions may seem a bit difficult to the personality, but still YOU are the BELOVED of GOD. Accepting this, you move into your own sphere of LIGHT.

So now you know why Michelangelo could take the angel out of the block of marble. He could have taken a devil with the same ease. What would have stopped the sharp incisions of his chisel? What can stop the sharp incisions on your "block of marble"? Emotions? Beliefs? Teachings? Or just you, - that "precious" thing which cries out, "Who will save my darling from the flames".

The answer is "Nothing". If there is anything that the flames of revelation can burn, - let it burn. But how are you to emerge "without the smell of fire on your garments"? Review all the lessons you have had, - bring out your diplomas with their gold seals, and your "doctorate" degrees, - and see if they are the fire-proof material of Spirit.

And so there you are before your block of marble. What will you take out of it, - -an angel or a devil? -now that you are through with all the ideas you have gathered about how to do it from the outside? If the angel is not within you, it still remains the block of marble, - or else you will endeavor to copy Michelangelo. But a copy is no good. Why not bring out your own angel? Why not stop the trying -and LET that Mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus? This is better than the mind of your teacher, isn't it?

Notice the verb "LET". And you also understand by now that when you consider the lilies of the field that neither toil nor spin, you will not interpret this to mean idleness or the working of magic. When you "toil not", you may be more active than you have ever been, - your body may make a thousand more motions than it has ever dreamed possible, this time by the LIGHT which motivates a body which runs and is not weary.

"When the Inspiration of the Almighty is come unto you, it shall lead you into ALL things", - not the inspiration of a teacher, or a lecturer, or a book, or yet any ancient doctrines, - but of the ALMIGHTY. ALL things? Yes, ALL things, - and by a way "ye know not of".

And so you will arise, - ARISE and SHINE, - for you have discovered that your LIGHT IS come and the Glory of the LORD IS risen upon you.

And then you will understand how the hands of Michelangelo could go only so far and no farther, - and how the hands of you can go so far and no farther, - and that distance will be in the dimension of success.

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