The Center for Unhindered Living

I Love Jesus

(but not the church)



 

When I think of Jesus, I am filled with an unimaginable awe.  During the days of his life, he walked about the streets and highways of his homeland, looking for opportunities to change the way people viewed the world, their daily lives, their fellow human beings, and themselves.  He sought to awaken spirituality in each person he touched by introducing them to the spiritual nature of everything around them and within them.

"Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.  When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father.  But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty" (1).

He wasn't talking about financial poverty here.  He was talking about spiritual poverty, that comes from not realizing the spiritual nature of existence.

He told us that, while our goal is to Love God and Love our Neighbor, we must first love ourselves and come to know ourselves if we want to to truly be able to do this.  Until we recognize our place in the vast scheme of things, and our worth as spiritual beings, we can never be truly convinced of the spiritual worth of others that leads to true Love.

I love Jesus because he brought to our attention the fact that every mundane detail of our physical existence has a spiritual reality behind it,  and that we should look at the everyday events of life as significant and transformative.  "All things work together for good" according to Romans 8:28, and nothing, no event of our lives is outside the scheme of that love.

I love to read Jesus teachings, they are so full of wisdom and insight.  His teachings never seem heavy or hard to bear.  "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).  This is one way you can always know that what you are reading actually came from the lips of Jesus, and was actually from God.  Jesus' teachings carry with them an immediate spiritual recognition of truth.

When I say I love to read the teachings of Jesus, I am of course referring ONLY to those words of Jesus, not to the teachings of other men who SAY their teachings came from God.  For a discussion of why those other teachings should NOT be raised to the same level as the words of Jesus, click here .

I love Jesus because he is always with me and speaks to me.  He brings to me the words of God, just as do other spiritual guides.

Jesus came to fulfill the teachings of the Law so that those who were deeply invested in the Law could feel free of it.

For those of us who were never under the Law, he came to give us spiritual grounding and to fill us with the pure light of love and knowledge, and to set an example of how we are to live.

"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (John 13;15).
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12).


Each of us has the Christ-consciousness within us.  Jesus came to awaken that in us.  The idea that there must be a sacrifice for sin, and that Jesus is that sacrifice, was a tradition borrowed from other pagan cultures.  We already have everything within us.  We are already spiritually whole, we just don't know it.  Erroneous teachings from our past have convinced us that we are evil, sinful, and need salvation.  This is not the case.   Jesus never said he came to save anyone.  That was taught by other men who wanted to build a religion. 

What Jesus taught was simple:  Love God, love your neighbor, and most importantly, love yourself.  Know yourself and you will know God.  Discover what spiritual lessons you are here to learn.  Embrace your purpose.  Know your power and abilities.  Know love, kindness and forgiveness.  Love people unconditionally, don't have expectations of them.  Don't expect people to be like you or live the way you do.  Find your truth, live by it, but don't force it on others.  Live and let live. 

Live as Jesus did and this will help you remove obstacles to healthy spirituality.  One of those obstacles, it's sad to say, is the church.  The church is an institution interested in controlling its members.  They have their list of rules and regulations they want you to follow, and they are there, quick to condemn you if you violate one of them.  They consider you a "sinner."  They perpetuate the myth that you need to be saved from yourself or that you have to be a member of the church to be pleasing to God or a hundred other rules that Jesus never spoke about.  Let Jesus speak to you, he'll tell you what you are supposed to do.  Listen to that, not to the teachings of men.

 

 Back to Removing Obstacles to Healthy Spirituality

 Back to Unhindered Living Knowledge Collection

Join the Inspiration Pointe Email List

Visit Inspiration Pointe


 

Copyright 2006-9  Judie C. Snelson and The Center for Unhindered LIving







References:

(1)  Robinson, James M.  (1990).  The Gospel of Thomas.  The Nag Hammadi Library:  The definitive new translation of the Gnostic scriptures, complete in one volume.  New York:  Harper-Collins.