posted July 13, 2007 10:27 AM         

When we look back we realize how wrong we were most of the time.

My knowledge of Grace and Dreams has also changed.

There is no such thing as grace. There is only self effort.

How Great is the man who has no dreams.

Cheers!!!

posted July 16, 2007 03:39 PM         

God graces those with heavy burdens to carry, those who suffer needlessly, innocent victims, god supports those who have missions to carry out that benefit others.

posted July 16, 2007 07:18 PM         

~Me

posted July 17, 2007 01:16 AM         

quote:

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I believe in grace.

God graces those with heavy burdens to carry, those who suffer needlessly, innocent victims, god supports those who have missions to carry out that benefit others.

To me grace is the divine infusing and protecting an individual or group. Anyone can tap into this power if they only allow it (Wayne Dyer talks a lot about this).

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Mustang

quote:

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Dreams represent you. They represent the deepest parts of your psyche; that which you hide even from yourself. Paying attention to your dreams can help you know and deal with parts of your inner self that you deny while awake.

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posted July 17, 2007 03:27 AM         

I believed it to be nonsensical as all it required was self effort on the part of the boy.

If we split the boys life in to several ages we will see an evolution of the boy to manhood: including the high school he went to and what girlfriend he had or what friends he met that wud influence him,etc,etc.

The universe I believe is such that it is not responsible for what you ask for, the grace is always there, ever present. Before you ask it is given. You see, time is an illusion of the mind hence some will not be completely able to understand that statement.

Ok now consider a mustard seed at time X and now its a 3 feet tall tree at a different time. Is that effort of the seed to become in to a tree? Or is the underlying potential within.

Forget the seed and lets turn to a human being. How about asking for divine grace.
Did the disciples chose Jesus or he chose them? Surely it is evident from the bible that Jesus had ordained the discples.
Does it mean that is the only way to receive grace i.e. by a Master? Well this is where I wud like to draw attention. Masters can at will give to u the grace that it has received. But to say that is the only way is non sensical in a way. Any one can attain brahmanhood with self effort.
It is the same energy everywhere you look.

But if its so easy, why isn't everyone asking and getting it. Well there comes the illusional energy of God. The matrix if you will. We are all living our longest dreams out there. We eat, sleep, dream etc in that long dream.

Faye,
I was referring to getting dreams when we sleep at night usually. And fall in to the unconscious state. I think some readers have said why we dream. I was only making a statement that a perfect man such as a Master has no place for a dream when he sleeps.

posted July 17, 2007 03:32 AM         

Quote:
"I was only making a statement that a perfect man such as a Master has no place for a dream when he sleeps."

That's because we are not always dreaming~ Many people confuse a dream with Astral traveling!

posted July 17, 2007 12:20 PM         

Grace can be described as an invisible force in the soul that prompts us in our spiritual pursuits and our actions towards the good. It is intended to prompt us to become more holy. Grace goes beyond just prompting us to be more holy. In itself, Grace makes us more holy.

I believe as BR stated, grace is abundantly poured out to all of mankind for the taking. Effort comes into play when we act on grace or through the promptings of grace in our souls. Even our spiritual pursuits or what grace can do for us in inwardly transforming us requires some effort on our part. It's grace that prompts us to make that effort. We have to be open to the workings of grace and it's promptings and we have to allow it to transform us by not letting our own egos get in the way.

I think that when it comes to Christianity the Roman Catholic Church is the only one that believes that we can also, through sin, lose grace or fall from grace. I am not absolutely certain that all other Christian churches teach that grace is a done deal, a once and for always thing that cannot be lost through sin, but many do. However, we can also get it back once we fall. So in a sense the RC Church also believes that effort on our part plays into the process of grace within us. The RC Church believes that because grace sanctifies us, or makes us more inwardly holy, grace cannot dwell side by side with sin or evil of any kind. Which is what is meant by the "fall from grace." The original fall of mankind was a fall from Grace. Grace was restored to mankind through Jesus Christ who took the sins of the world onto himself.

True, Jesus did choose his Twelve disciples or what later came to be termed, "apostles." The original 12 he chose. Jesus did not choose those that heard his words and became of their own choice disciples or followers of his. He did not choose all those who later throughout time to this day, hearing the word passed on by those disciples, who chose to become disciples. Jesus also stated that " Many are called. Few are chosen."

Grace is a saving and redeeming force. It transforms us inwardly without our even being conscious of the process. The inward transformations are manifest in our behavior and mostly through our love and awareness of the unity of all creation. It is manifest in all of our actions. Which is why many people humbly say it is only due to the grace of God that I can do anything good or that I can be considered a Child of God. It is only by grace that I am saved from the evil wretch I can oterwise be. I am totally dependent on grace. Otherwise I could do nothing but sin. Which is also why Jesus corrected people who called him "Good Master," by saying, " Why do you call me good? Only God is good." Any good we do or any goodness in us comes solely from grace. It comes from God. Paul of Tarsus constantly inforced that he was as he was due solely to the grace of God that came to mankind through Jesus Christ. John in the prologue of his Gospel stated that the law came through Moses, but truth and Grace came through Jesus Christ.

This is a profound belief of mine. This is a belief that I would be willing to die for. Grace to me is the only absolute truth because Grace is God. Grace is what is transforming us and the world. So when it comes to grace I am in every respect an unbendable, inflexable stubborn Taurus. You would have to kill me before I would ever deny the existance of grace as the motivating force in everything and everyone. I believe that strongly about it.