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Enjoy another wonderful text by Rev. Phil Smedsted, minister Emeritus of Oasis Rising Center

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Phil Smedstad's texts are one of the ways Oasis Rising Center supports members.

A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

Oasis Rising Center Spiritual Center
Oasis Rising Center 8125 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89125
(702) 804-8189
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“Living Your Vision”                                          By Rev. Phillip Smedstad

This past Sunday was the seventh and last in our “Summer Prosperity Series’ based on my book Real Wealth.  This whole series (and my entire book) was based on the statement of Jesus to “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His (wholeness, integrity), and all these things will be added to you as well.”

According to the Bible scholar, Dr. Rocco Errico, the terms “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Kingdom of God” both mean “an experience of oneness with God’s qualities of Love, Power, Wisdom, and Aliveness.”

So, this approach to prosperity begins as an “inside job.”  Then it becomes “prosperity from the inside out.”

It’s actually possible to surrender to prosperity rather than to “work by the sweat of our brow” to accomplish it.  The one requirement for that to happen is that we are committed to healing our sense of separation from God.

In my youth I thought that prosperity was all about material wealth.  With that belief, I went about the “pursuit of happiness” in a backward way.  My thought was that if I only had enough “stuff,” I would be happy.  I first decided what I wanted to have.  Then I let what I wanted to have determine what I would do to get it.  Then I let what I would do to get it determine who I would be.

There is a Bible story which addresses this mistake.  It’s found in Mark 11.  In the story, Jesus throws the money changers and the dove sellers out of the temple and turns over their tables.  The reason he did this was that the temple authorities had created a giant scam which they perpetuated on the religious holiday when Jesus showed up.

At Passover, all the Jews from the Diaspora were supposed to come to Jerusalem and make sacrifices at the temple.  The first part of the scam was that as these Jews converted their money into local currency, they were charged a usurious rate.  Then, when they purchased doves, they were again charged inflated prices.

Metaphysically, there is a powerful lesson in this story.  According to Charles Fillmore, there is always a worship service happening within us.  And, to “worship” something means “to assign it as a cause of happiness.”

In my youth, my values were upside down.  What I worshipped and thought would bring me peace (represented in the story by buying the doves) short-changed me.  When the Christ mind enters our consciousness (represented by Jesus in the story), it turns over the tables.  It knows that our values are upside down and will never bring us true happiness or inner peace.

The only way we will ever be really happy is to first decide what we want to be.  Then, the idea is to let what we want to be determine what we will do.  Then, we let what we want to do based on what we want to be determine what we will have.

Elsewhere, Jesus said, “What does it profit someone to gain the whole world and to lose own his soul (or self) in the process.”  He wasn’t talking about a place called Hell or a time after our death.  He was speaking about finding true happiness in this life, in this moment.

You and I are here on earth for two basic reasons:  We’re here to heal our sense of separation from God and to express our unique gifts and talents – to contribute to the whole in ways which also feed our own soul.
Every single one of us has a personal ministry, a calling.  How do we know what our calling is? 

We ask questions like:

• What do I love to do?
• What am I doing when I feel the most alive, the most joyful?
• What do I do when I have “free time?”
• What would I do with my life if I could do anything I want to do?

Today, as you read this, there are at least three possibilities for where you are in relation to living your vision:

• You are already doing what you are called to do.  If so, congratulations and thank you.
• You believe you don’t yet know what your calling is.
• You know what your calling is, but you don’t yet see how to actualize it.

If either of the last two of these are where you are, please review my lesson from two weeks ago.  There is lots of support for both of these beliefs.

Also, I invite you to practice knowing that God never asks us to sacrifice.  If by chance you grew up believing that God wants you to put others before yourself, it’s important for you to know that this isn’t true.

Jesus, when asked, “What is the greatest commandment,” replied, “You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like unto the first.  You will love your neighbor as yourself.”
In that last sentence, the important word is “as.”  He didn’t say, “Love your neighbor more than yourself, or instead of yourself.”  He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The universe doesn’t need our sacrifice.  It does need each of us to do what we came here to earth to do, which is to express the vision which lives in our hearts.

In my book I outline a few tools to help you live your vision.  I will share two of them here.  The first “how to” is to give your life to the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is the aspect of God in us which supports us in healing that sense of separation.  The second “how to” is to write, “Five things I want to be, five things I want to do, and five things I want to have.”

You deserve to live your vision, and all the rest of us deserve to receive the contribution you came here to make.