Enjoy another wonderful Spiritual Text from Our Master Minister Emeritus

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
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“The Keys to the Kingdom.”

By Rev. Phillip Smedstad

This lesson was an introduction to the class series with the same title which began Monday evening. I told everyone that I was going to do my very best to enroll them in joining me for this class series. As you read this now, you may not be able to join this series, but you can still practice the same principles in your life.

The series is based squarely on the teachings of Jesus, who taught us over and over the great secret to life. He said that this great secret is to be a love giver rather than a love seeker.

Most people go through their entire lives with two deeply-held, and mostly unconscious thoughts. The first is, “I am not enough.” The second is, “There is something missing in me.” Because of those beliefs, they go through life believing that they must look outside themselves for what’s missing in them. They ask, “Who and what will make me happy? Who and what will fulfill me? Who and what will prosper me?

Jesus taught a completely different way to live. It begins with the concept that “Everything I want is already within me.” On Sunday I asked everyone to affirm that statement out loud to see how it feels in their body. You can do the same right now. Jesus’ formula for successful living continues by saying that the way to recognize the wealth that is within us is to live a life of service, a life of giving. The idea is to be focused on “What can I give here?” instead of on “What can I get here?”

The scripture for this lesson is from Luke 12:22-34. It is such a powerful piece of Jesus’ teaching that I recommend you actually look it up online (Google: “Luke 12:22-34) and read it now. This part of Jesus’ teaching is the basis of the class series.

I told people that in order to join us for this series, we will ask them to make a bold experiment in their lives. We will ask them to commit to tithing in three different ways. We will ask them to put God first in their lives by tithing their time, their talent, and their money.
To tithe their time, we will ask people to devote 90 minutes each day to their spiritual growth and relationship with God. This time period represents approximately 10% of their waking hours. If you aren’t joining us for this series, you can still do this in your life. Imagine the results you will have as you give yourself the wonderful gift of reading, listening to spiritual CD’s, praying, and/or meditating for a total of 90 minutes a day for seven weeks.

To tithe their talents, we will ask people to volunteer 4 hours of service each week, either here or somewhere else in the community. This is 10% of a 40 hour work week. Giving this much of their time will allow them to experience how much they receive through their giving.

Here at Unity, one way we encourage people to do this is to ask themselves, “In what ways do I most want to grow spiritually and personally right now?” Then, find a way to volunteer which most directly supports that desire to grow.

To tithe their treasure, we will ask people to give 10% of their income for these next seven weeks to the class, as this is where people will be receiving their spiritual food during this time. You can do the same. You can make a commitment to give 10% of your income these next seven weeks to wherever you are receiving your spiritual nourishment.

Here at Unity, we teach tithing as a spiritual exercise. Yes, it does prosper our spiritual center (and we believe this is a worthy goal). However, this is not the biggest reason why I, personally, tithe. For me, tithing is all about my relationship with Spirit as my one Source. It is a regular act of surrender on my part, and constantly reminds me that I have an instant, constant, and abundant Source of everything I want in life, a Source which can’t die, go bankrupt, or change.

In my life, financial tithing is one of the most profound ways there is to deepen my relationship with Spirit. It’s also the very best way I have to support my prosperity consciousness.

Catherine Ponder called tithing the secret of permanent prosperity. Mark Victor Hansen, who wrote a book called The Magic of Tithing said, “Tithing is the best-kept prosperity secret in the world.” He also said that for him and Jack Canfield, the other co-author of the Chicken Soup books (which have sold something like 90 million copies), tithing was a large part of their success.

John Templeton, the billionaire who began the Templeton foundation said, “Tithing always gives me the very best return on investment of any investment I’ve ever made.” Finally, Wayne Dyer, who also practices tithing, said, “We don’t attract what we want. We attract what we are, and my commitment to tithing and giving helps to make me what I am.”
If you decide to join us in this adventure for the next 7 weeks, you will be practicing what Eric Butterworth, one of our most beloved Unity Ministers, called “a life of affluence.” He explained that affluence doesn’t just mean wealth. It also means being in the flow. For the next 7 weeks, you will practice what it means to be in the flow of love, letting love flow freely through you.

As you practice these three ways to tithe in your life, giving 10% of your time, your talent, and your treasure, your life will never be the same. You will discover 2 fabulous truths. First, you will discover that everything you want really is within you. Second, you will discover that giving really is the “great how-to,” as in “how to fully receive all the love Spirit wants you to have.”