While shopping…I came across a poster describing Jesus in the following terms:
Advocate, lamb of God, the resurrection, life shepherd, bishop of souls, judge lord of lords, man of sorrows, head of the church, master faithful and true witness, rock, high priest, the door, living water, bread of life, rose of Sharon, alpha & omega, true vine, messiah, teacher, holy one, mediator, the beloved, branch, carpenter, good shepherd, light of the world, image of the invisible God, the word, chief cornerstone, savior, servant, author and finisher or our faith, the almighty, everlasting father, Shiloh, lion of the tribe of Judah, I am, king of kings, prince of peace, bridegroom, only begotten son, wonderful counselor, Immanuel, Son of Man, Dayspring, The Amen, King of the Jews, prophet, redeemer, anchor, bright morning star, the way; the truth and the life.
After reading this list, I thought to myself, it’s not complete. They left-out, what is perhaps, one of the most important descriptions of all…master psychologist. When you examine the teachings of Jesus you notice that…states-of-mind and what they create is the cornerstone of his ministry.
One day, his disciples and their friends decided to picnic on a mount overlooking the Sea of Galilee. After finishing their meal, a discussion broke-out about the Kingdom of Heaven and a friend of Johns turned to Jesus and said, “Can you describe the Kingdom, in one word?”
Jesus smiled and quickly replied. “Peace! It’s the only state-of-mind that shares common ground with the Father.”
Another voice could be heard, “How do you reach the Kingdom?”
Jesus thought for a moment, stood-up and began his…Sermon on The Mount…Matthew 5:3-10.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. During the time of Jesus the term spirit referred to a depressed state-of-mind. To be poor-in-spirit is to be free from the chatter-in-your-head, whose earth bound antics come between you and God.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. To mourn is to long-for, comfort is the presence of God/peace, for which there is no substitute.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Today, meekness brings to mind timidity, modesty and mildness; however, when Jesus spoke those words, meekness denoted a positive and healthy outlook. The earth represents our outer experience. To inherit the earth is to have dominion over those experiences. In other words, you don’t allow your outer-world to affect your inner-world.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Righteousness, right thinking, takes you to the Kingdom of Heaven, where one finds satisfaction…in the presence of God.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Those who take time to understand others, find that others will take time to understand them.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Purity of heart is a heavenly state-of-mind that’s free of earthbound notions.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Children are at peace and those who emulate them…create peace for themselves and the world around them.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Righteous thinkers do not allow the judgements of others to deny them…The Kingdom of Heaven.
Did you notice that each lesson…
- Starts with Blessed, which comes from the Greek Makarios, defined as being blissful or having a self-contained happiness?
- Edifies the law of cause and effect – if you do this…you’ll get that?
- Points to…The Kingdom of God; peace, which is the only state-of-mind that shares common ground with the universe?
As you can see, our psychology…how we think was central to his ministry. Our thinking not only determines the quality of our life, it defines our connection with the life-giving-energy we call…God.
To see this process in action, log on to www.abwot.org and check-out my podcast and video.