Lessons In Truth - Lesson 1 - Annotation 3
What does it mean to be an heir of God? To what are we heirs?
3. To be an heir of God means to be a son of God, entitled to the property or estate of God, just as the heir of a relative or friend comes into possession of the property bequeathed to him. Jesus spoke of the relationship of God and man as that of Father and son, declaring His oneness with the Father. "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30). In this relationship man is conceived of as a co-worker with God. We can then say for ourselves that we are "no longer a bond servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." (Gal. 4:7).
"An heir is one who receives or is entitled to receive any endowment or quality from a parent or predecessor" (Webster's Dictionary). Each of us is an heir of God, the Parent Mind, whether aware of it or not, because each of us is an offspring of God, our Father. However, the property or estate of God does not consist of "things" but of divine ideas such as life, substance, intelligence, love, power, and these ideas will take form as "things" through our thinking, feeling, and acting. We can claim or have only as much of our heritage as we become conscious of and use righteously according to our present capacity. We can have all the good that is ours when we reach the understanding of our birthright under divine law, and act accordingly.
We may desire things that do not seem within our reach, for we see them only as belonging to others; or they may be beyond our present capacity for honest attainment at our particular stage of development. But anything righteously desired ultimately comes within our reach as we apply our energies in right thinking and feeling, in right words and actions toward its attainment.
While things, of themselves, are not what we basically desire, they do represent essential values such as ideas of love, security, prosperity, power, wisdom, substance, and well-being. The things that are needed to fulfill our life are always attainable and within the reach of each of us. Their attainment lies within the realm of our own mind. Thus we come to see that the most priceless and satisfying treasures are not just things outside ourselves but the ideas of God within us. An important point we must keep in mind is that things are the result of God ideas.
"Creation is not complete until it becomes manifest in the outer" (page 1 Addenda to Metaphysical Bible Dictionary).
In His creation God expresses His ideas perfectly, but the things that make up our outer world are the manifest forms that have come forth through our use of the ideas, which are our divine inheritance. With this understanding of ideas we come into a new appreciation of things for we see them as the manifest substance that clothes divine ideas.
It rests with us to prepare our consciousness for the acceptance of outer things by seeking the ideas lying back of them, e.g. in order to experience prosperity, we must have an inner realization of God substance as our inexhaustible source of supply. In order to have health, we must have an inner realization of God as our perfect life and wholeness. In order to have peace within ourselves and in our world, we must have an inner realization of God as the source of love and understanding in all human relationships. Jesus shared this insight in saying,
"But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).
We continue to be an heir of God even though there are times when we seem to be slaves of circumstances. It is, however, our wrong attitude toward circumstances that binds us. When we realize that we are heirs of God, and that dominion and mastery lie within ourselves, then we are truly free from old thoughts and conditions, free to accept our true inheritance from the Father, which is the birthright of every person.
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Preceding Entry: What is the Fountainhead from which we draw all our good, such as joy, strength, peace, health, and abundance?
Following Entry: Instead of seeking primarily for "demonstrations" or for manifest results, what must be our objective?
