Edna Lister’s Sermons, 1948

Promises Fulfilled
Edna Lister outline, March 4, 1948, Tacoma, WA, Job 22:28, Proverbs 18:16, Isaiah 45:2-3

  “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”–Job 22:28.
  “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.”–Proverbs 18:16
  “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 45:3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:2-3.
  God uses agents who have ears to hear with. Scripture is filled with proclamations of “Thus says the Lord,” which are inevitably followed by, “And it came to pass.” Something always happened between these two statements. Some person took action.
  According to the laws of creators, you can apply what you know to what you do by three methods of: Love, praise, and joy. “You will decree a thing” implies that you must do something more than simply to speak the Word. If you want your decree to stand, you must love.
  When you speak in love, the Power moving through your words causes an explosion, which is the Light, shining on your way. To do this, you must give enough love. Love is perfect, and sees only perfection. Love considers only love, and love considers everything as itself. Love creates everything in its own image and likeness, since love begets only love.
  What is the difference between pure soul love and pure self love? How can I know which love I have? When you make a decree selfishly or from self's love of its own preferences you create indifferent results at best, and an explosion of negative evil at worst. This is how to lose friends and make a poor impression. Eventually you lose your own ability to know the good, even as you are letting impulsive appetitive little self get its own way and what it wants and craves.
  Soul love gains everything good, lifts everything up, and receives ten thousandfold in strength, success, beauty, compassion, and all the fruits of the Spirit. Self love ends with ten thousandfold minus, worse than nothing, a zero, like frozen ice.
  “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.”–Proverbs 18:16. The Mind of God is the One Mind, the only Mind that contains all Ideas, which you can praise into expansion. Praise opens all vibrations, and increases all gifts and talents.
  You can use the One Mind as a blessing or a curse, but it always starts something. If you lack pure praise when you decree, you will not like the lukewarm result, and do not want it when it comes. If you give in to grief, you find nothing to praise or to be grateful about.
  Today’s answers are in a book that opens to your grateful praise. You can see, read and understand those answers for which you have praised enough. In other words, it does no good to become angry because you cannot find the answers in the back of the book. The keys to deciphering today’s problems are on today’s page. The rest is not there, you cannot see it, for you are not ready. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”–Matthew 6:33. Seeking God first becomes your challenge.
  Imperfections come as a test and incentive to greater effort in praise, in doing. The use and expansion of your gift brings you before great men, to the attention of those who can help.
  “I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:2-3.
  Your love of God releases substance from the fastness of Spirit. All Universal Bank resources are available to you, and praise starts the never-ending flow. Joy recalls the substance, while lowering its vibration and making it visible, something you can see and touch. Without joy, everything hovers at the edge of visibility, but never becomes visible.

“Joy, the accelerator, vitalizes and quickens any process.”–Edna Lister

  Joy, the accelerator, vitalizes and quickens any process. Christian Larson said, “All things respond to the call of rejoicing; all things gather where life is a song.” 1 Joy creates a singing heart, laughing eyes and an arresting and interesting face. A joyful personality is attractive and magnetic.
  “Love fulfills the law,” and your decrees of love cause an explosion. Praise increases the tempo of life, and expands as you use your gifts. Joy attracts your own home to you because you have become a creator, expressing. You are responsible for all that you say and do.
  Your investments of love, praise and joy give you a life annuity of Mind, Substance and Power, according to your fervor. Mind constantly expands with new ideas. Power explodes constantly as energy for your use. Substance expresses as you constantly.
  The past is a footstool on which you may stand while you hold God’s hand and reach for the stars!

1 Christian D. Larson, Just Be Glad, New Literature Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1912.

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Paying Your Vows
Edna Lister outline, March 14, 1948, Tacoma, WA, Job 22:23-28

  “If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the [gold] of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”–Job 22:23-28.
  In our journey from the Source to become creators, Light as all Mind, all Substance and all Power had to be able to move through us freely, using us with no friction. Light as Mind, Substance and Power became our triple trinity of absolute completion, success, and personal responsibility. Only when we let God’s Mind, Substance and Power use us can Light fill our lives with the explosive, expansive, and expressive activity that is the hallmark of Godlike creativity.

“You can ask for thousands of good things for all those on your lines of Light, or suffer from deductions such as fear, worry, doubt, rebellion, and resentment.”–Edna Lister

  You may ask what you will, and when you declare a thing, it will be established for you. You can ask for thousands of good things for all those on your lines of Light, or suffer from deductions such as fear, worry, doubt, rebellion, and resentment. All gossip and idle words dissipate Light as Power.
  Ask yourself, “Do I receive that which I vision? Have I received what I asked for? If not, why not?” Carry out this idea as you examine and review all the beautiful ideas you can create personally. If you are unable to pray in that moment, your loving attitude will absorb all criticism. Your words to live by become, “I am. I have. I give.”

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Responsibility
Edna Lister transcript, Edna Bender, Ruth Collord, scribes, May 14, 1948, Buffalo, NY, Job 22:23-28, Proverbs 18:16, Isaiah 45:2-3

  “If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the [gold] of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”–Job 22:23-28.
  “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.”–Proverbs 18:16.
  “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:2-3.

“As a creator, your responsibility is to be the absolute triunity of Light as Mind, Substance and Power.”–Edna Lister

  As a creator, your responsibility is to be the absolute triunity of Light as Mind, Substance and Power. You must become the activity trinity of explosion, expansion and expression. You must do according to the trinity of method, which is love, praise, and joy.
  “Thou shalt also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee.”–Job 22:28. Light as Power and Love produces an explosion. Pure soul-love creates an explosion of complete illumination. How do you know when you have it? Self-based love produces an explosion of negative evil, and indifferent results. Pure soul-love produces a ten thousandfold increase of “all things added” minus the dry ice of self-love.
  “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”–Proverbs 18:16. Mind produces ideas. Praise increases your talents and gifts. Expansion starts something. When you make your decree, you must praise the gift. If you receive half an answer, it is a challenge, and incentive to make a greater effort. The use of praise expands a man’s gift.

“Light as love releases the substance, all the resources of the Universal Bank…into physical manifestation.”–Edna Lister

  “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places.”–Isaiah 45:2-3. Light as love releases the substance, all the resources of the Universal Bank, and creates an explosion from the fastness of Spirit into physical manifestation. Praise starts the steady stream of Light flowing forth in expansion.
  So Light as substance and joy expand in their expression: Joy recalls substance while lowering its vibration, condensing it to visible substance. Without enough joy, you can almost feel, see and touch it, but it hovers on the edge, never quite visible.
  To attain full personal stature as a creator, your love of God must be great enough to create an explosion of Light. Your praise of God must be great enough to create an expansion of Light, and your joy of God must be great enough to create a magnet of attraction.

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Fulfillment
Edna Lister outline, June 6, 1948, Buffalo, NY, June 20, 1948, Cleveland, OH, 1 Thessalonians 5

  “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”–1 Thessalonians 5.
  Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonika reveals that people then were pretty much as they are now, constantly in need of exhortation, weak and vacillating, selfish, and hiding something of self. How do we avoid this and go on to climb the Way of Ascension?
  Often, Bible passages say, “Thus saith the Lord: And it shall come to pass,” followed by “And it came to pass.” Some story always appears between these two statements, illustrating the actions of some individual. This individual action always expresses itself three ways: As an act of faith, followed by your deductions of self, and finishing with your chastening.
  Elijah illustrated a superb act of faith when he said, “Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.”–2 Kings 3:16-20.
  Elijah lifted his lines of Light up to God and held them there until God welded them to the Source. The law of decrees is to “Ask what ye will,” yet your decrees today are subject to self’s deductions today. For example, you may ask for a thousand dollars, but not get it, then ask why. Your deductions of fear, doubt, worry, rebellion, gossip, self-pity and false pride all dissipate the Power of your decree. You do receive exactly what you envision, minus your own deductions—not God’s.

“The law of decrees is to “Ask what ye will,” yet your decrees today are subject to self’s deductions today.”–Edna Lister

  Nearly everyone is familiar with the passage, “Whom the Lord loves, He chastens.”–Hebrews 12:6, Proverbs 3:11. Yet we could restate this as, “Whom the Lord destines for a high position, He tempers, and molds to bear a great weight of Power.” God molds you in the divine fire to temper you. He hammers your spine, your rod of Power, to mold you into His desired shape for you. When such chastening comes, you ask, “How can I stand this lashing, whipping, hammering, and fire?” Put on the breastplate of faith and love. God uses agents who use their spiritual ears to hear with and eyes to see with, not to see self, but the stars!
  Keep your lines of Light lifted up and welded to the Source. Do not cut them in the middle or let others snip them in two. If you cannot yet see the glory, ascend higher in consciousness, remain constant, hold without wavering, rejoice evermore and pray without ceasing.

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Getting or Letting: Self or Soul?
Edna Lister outline, June 27, 1948, Cleveland, OH, Micah 4:1-5, Isaiah 45:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13

  “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.”–Micah 4:1-5.
  “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:1-3.
  “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”–1 Corinthians 13.

“Hate is the sign of the creature, but love is the hallmark of a creator.”–Edna Lister

  Hate is the sign of the creature, but love is the hallmark of a creator. The all-conquering Path of Ascension moves upward from creature to creator, from using the five physical senses, to “knowing” comprehension in three phases—explosion, expansion and expression. You are always expressing through this trinity of activity, whether you use it from the point of creature or creator consciousness. You can either explode with hate, resentment and anger because you did not get what you want, or use the keynote “Let,” and explode into creativity.
  The expansion keynote is to do as God does. The expression keynote is to become as God is, perfect in love, joy, compassion and wisdom. You can easily determine whether self or soul motivates your activity. Self is always on the getting, taking, hating side, while soul gives and loves, which is letting. You always have a choice when the explosion occurs: To give and to love, or to take and to hate—the former being soul expression and the latter being self expression.
  With every explosion, you always have the energy to begin something. You choose whether you want dividends by giving up self, or to repeat initiations. A proverb describes expansion: “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”–Proverbs 18:16. Your talents expand with use, and usually branch into new talents. Under law, when you give up self-pity and enough other traits of self, you attract love. As you become love, you attract more love. As you experience this love, you decide to give more to the Father, to be noble—later you find the old situation has disappeared.
  To take just one step toward using your talent or gift opens an expansion period. Remember, expansion means to do, to act. In which direction are you going, as a creature or a creator? Do you plan to grab for self, or to let soul use your self? The first rule of expansion is to use what you now have. To let Power flow freely through you, with no block out or black out, is the first step toward expansion.

“As you give, you receive, that is the law. Self is the only thing that blocks your oneness of vision with God.”–Edna Lister

  As you give, you receive, that is the law. Self is the only thing that blocks your oneness of vision with God. Isaiah describes the difference between self and soul-direction: “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:2-3.
  To love is to become pure law. Yet your love must be unquenchable and with no desire for self. When Light explodes, substance expands, which is an expression of love. When you synthesize your five senses, Light explodes within your consciousness, and you turn your senses upward from inducting darkness to release Light.
  The creature inducts from the outer and through the subconscious phase of mind. The creator inducts from above, through the superconscious mind. When you center all senses on giving up darkness to God, you draw more Light from above to give to men. The creature takes, but the creator gives.

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Getting or Letting: Self or Soul?
Edna Lister transcript, Lotus Landis, Ruth Johnson, scribes, June 27, 1948, Cleveland, OH, Micah 4:1-5, Isaiah 45:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13

  “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.”–Micah 4:1-5.
  “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:1-3.
  “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”–1 Corinthians 13.
  “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.”–Micah 4:1-5.
  The all-conquering Path of Ascension moves upward from creature to creator, from using the five physical senses, through knowing to comprehension in three phases—explosion, expansion and expression. You are always expressing through this trinity of activity, whether you use it as a creature or a creator.
  Hate is the sign of the creature, while love is the hallmark of a creator. You can either explode in hate, resentment and anger because you failed to get what you want, or use the keynote “let,” and explode into positive creativity.
  The expansion keynote is to do as God does. The expression keynote is to become as God is—perfect in love, joy, compassion and wisdom. You can easily determine whether self or soul is motivating your activity. Self is always on the getting, taking, hating side, while soul gives and loves, which is letting.
  You always have a choice when the explosion occurs: To give and to love, or to take and to hate—the former being soul expression and the latter, self expression. Every explosion generates the energy to begin something, whether you choose dividends by giving up self, or repeat initiations.
  The proverb, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”–Proverbs 18:16, describes expansion of your innate talents with use, and they usually branch into new talents.

“When you give up self-pity and enough other traits of self, you attract love.”–Edna Lister

  Under law, when you give up self-pity and enough other traits of self, you attract love. As you become love, you draw more love to you. As you experience greater love, you decide to give the Father more, to be noble—later you find the old situation has disappeared. To take just one step toward using your talent or gift opens an expansion period. Remember, expansion means to do, to act.
  Are you going in the direction of a creature or a creator? Do you plan to grab for self, or to let your soul use you? The first rule of expansion is to use what you now have. To let Power flow freely through you, with no block out or black out, is the first step toward expansion. As you give, you receive; that is the law.
  Self is the only thing that blocks your oneness of vision with God. Isaiah describes the difference between self and soul-direction: “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”–Isaiah 45:2-3.
  To love is to become pure law, yet your love must be unquenchable, with no desire for self. When Light explodes, substance expands, which is an expression of love. When you synthesize your five senses, Light explodes within your consciousness, and you turn them up from induction of darkness to release more Light.
  The creature inducts from the outer. The creator inducts from above. The creature takes, but the creator gives. When you center all your senses on giving up darkness to God, you draw more Light from above to give to men.

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The Prodigal Son
Edna Lister outline, July 4, 1948, Cleveland, OH, Luke 15:11-32

  A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”–Luke 15:11-32.
  The prodigal son claimed his earthly inheritance, left home and spent all his money. Alone and hungry, he thought of his home and how well he had been loved there. Now he was reduced to living with unclean pigs as a swineherd. Starving, he thought of his father constantly. Finally, he declared, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”–Luke 15:18-19. The young man declared it, then he did it. He did something about his sorry state. He had found out what wealth really is. He arose in consciousness above and beyond the filthy, stinky pigsty.
  What is wealth? Do you feel like a millionaire right now? People usually answer these questions one of four ways. The most common answer is, “I don’t know what being a millionaire feels like.” This is the blame-type, who just soaks up what comes in life, like a sponge. Having little or no imagination, such folks remain lukewarm and indifferent to change. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”–Proverbs 29:18. They know nothing about arising.
  The second most frequent answer is “Why should I want to be a millionaire? I’d have a lot of trouble managing that much money.” The wisher-type can’t seem to give up self or what self wants to do. They discount using their talents and abilities to accrue wealth because it’s too much trouble. It takes too much hard work and too many long hours. “Why should I?” is the conclusion they reach. Yet in this stage, they are at least thinking about it and perhaps talking about it.
  Some people say, “But I don’t want to be a millionaire.” These folks are the off-in-a-corner-type, who are seeking self-satisfaction. They would rather live in a hut on a mountainside, all alone, than deal with family, business or social affairs. Some say, “I prefer to study truth work by myself. Groups bother me.” They can’t see why they need to arise in consciousness since they’re already eliminated the need to consider other people’s ideas. They live in a monochromatic world permitting no Technicolor ideas! Others say, “I wouldn’t know what to do with so much money.” The fearful-type, says, “Oh no! That much responsibility is not for me!” God already trusts you with money now, but when will you trust yourself?
  When will you know that you have arisen? When you receive the robe, the ring and the shoes for following the Via Christa, the Way of the Christ. When will you feel wealthy inside? When you can declare, “I do feel like a millionaire”—and mean it! Declare, “Each of my friends is worth a million. Each child is worth a million. Each new illness I hear about is worth a million. Each instance of conquering is worth a million. I AM a multimillionaire now!”
  I accept my robe of responsibility. I surrender to become the servant of all God’s Power. I ascend to stand in the heart of the fire that purifies. I become so at one with the Light that I AM the Light reaching out as love.

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