To the rich young man who had kept all the earthly laws and desired to know what else he could do, Christ said, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me." In these words Christ gave the method by which one can completely detach himself from the hold and bondage of physical possessions. It is not the individual, as a rule, who possesses either money or things. It is the physical belongings which possess the individual.
In St. Paul's inspired words on Charity, he states, "Though I speak with the tongue of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I would remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
If the rich young man had taken Christ's suggestion and sold all that he possessed and given to the poor he would not have completed the law of perfection unless he had turned from the things he released and followed Christ.
Anyone who gives out alms or donates to charities, who helps to clothe the naked or feed the hungry or does any other act which he boasts of later, has accomplished very little. Any man who boasts, who even mentions any good he has ever done is not following Christ at all, but is serving the world and is seeking its rewards. He who gives must follow the admonition, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
If one gave away all that he possessed, even to a great fortune, and later lived in the memory of the act or even held it in his thoughts, he would still be clinging mentally to all that he gave. Such a one has not really given at all, for he is still holding to it with his mind. He could not possibly be free from his gifts in such a case. As soon as anything is given it must be released completely from the mind of him who gives.
There are those who have given away fortunes, but they carry the memory of those fortunes with them. They remember always that they gave this man so much and that one so much -- and so on. Or they donate certain amounts to charities or organizations or what have you and do it for the sake of praise or appreciation and hence lose the real reward.
To remember any gift that has been given is but holding on to the things one professed to give. And there are those who give great gifts to posterity and have their acts remembered by suggesting some memorial. To such their earthly monuments contain the reward for their actions.
Every kind act, every exerted ounce of energy given in some service to the world or whatever works one performs for others must be immediately forgotten, lest in holding to the memory one has not given at all but is retaining to himself the gift.
If such a one should tell even his left hand what his right hand has done he is claiming the reward for his gifts, his acts, in seeking worldly credits and mortal appreciation. And in doing so, he has received his reward.
If, on the other hand, one gives all that he has to give as though he were only the steward and it were a divine responsibility, a privilege to dispense the gifts of God to those in need, then turned his mind and heart to follow fully the path Christ indicated as he sought to bring forth that divine Christ Light, he would find that already he was holding It in his hands. And in that gift he would receive the very riches of heaven. The riches of heaven are the ineffable powers of God as one comprehends them and becomes powerful in that knowing. One's meager little worldly contributions, though they amounted to millions, would be as nothing in comparison to gifts and powers so great and reward so divine.
The reward or credit for any good which one may do is instantly dissipated and destroyed by the telling. Such acts and donations are entirely between God and the giver -- and the receiver. It is only in the heart of the receiver that the gift and the gratitude for it must be kept alive. The giver's heart must let go of it. His mind must realize it -- and never must his act be profaned by his telling it.
Anything that is given, which the giver constantly recalls to mind, has not been given at all. He is still claiming the gift as he seeks, perhaps unconsciously, to receive the reward or worldly credit.
Give whenever there is an opportunity to give. Share your little and know that it is a privilege to share. Every opportunity you lose in helping or giving is an opportunity lost to you forever. It may only appear for an instant and then be forever withdrawn.
Or it may be that you meet the same beggar every day of your life. If that is so rejoice, for to you is given the rare privilege of sharing your more abundant life with him. If you have aught to give it is only required that you share a little of your blessings with him. Remember, the beggar has to live today, and tomorrow -- and the next day, the same as you have to live them. Because you ate yesterday is no reason why you do not need to eat today. The beggar needs to eat also. Forget the coin you gave yesterday, even as you have forgotten the meals you ate.
Give without any thought of credit or reward. Give for the sake of giving and for the privilege of having something to share with God, "For that which you doeth unto the least of these, my brethren, you do it unto me." Be grateful for the opportunity to prove to Him that you appreciate the gifts and blessings He has so graciously bestowed upon you. If your store is small, bless and give thanks as you give, then go your way praising God that you could share and your blessings will begin to multiply. And remember always that it is far greater to share your little, give something you could use or even need, than it is to give something that you do not require for your own comfort and well-being.
"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
"And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
"And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
"For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."
This is just a tender example of the great and mighty things that can find expression through a human heart.
The laws governing the higher realm are ignored because mortal eyes have not been lifted to behold their divine beauty. Man has not even attempted to live them because he has been satisfied with the lesser, ugly laws of the flesh. He has been satisfied with the laws of vengeance, of "dog eat dog" and selfishness and greed. He has been satisfied only because he has not comprehended the glory of the higher things or caught the vision of laws so breathtakingly sacred and so divine in ineffable powers of perfection.
"Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
"And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
"And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
"Give to him that asketh thee (and the asking may be an unspoken appeal. It may be only a tin cup extended, or a hungry look reaching out to you in misery), and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." (Even if you know the article or amount borrowed will never be returned, it is much better for you to lose the article or the money than it would be for you to deny the request. And it is also better for you to be the loser of such possessions than it is for the individual who would keep them. Bless him in his blindness and release that which is borrowed from your mind. In this way you will be completely freed both from your physical possessions possessing you and from any resentments over your losses. Just send out love and praise and step beyond the shackling bondage of mortality.)
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
"That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven --"
If you think it is an indication of weakness to live laws so completely out of harmony with earth's standards it is because you have never lived them.
Any who abide by these laws are not weak for these are the laws of another kingdom -- the kingdom that is not of this world. These are the laws of infinite power. These are the immutable laws of eternity -- and of God. And they are yours to live.
And when you begin to fulfill them see that you tell it not. The only way these higher laws can become a part of your life and your life become a part of a higher vibrational order is for them to become an automatic performance, not a burden; not something to boast about, not a source of resentment or of self-righteousness. They must be performed as naturally as your resentful, discordant, negative thoughts and actions are performed today.
Live these higher laws and you will know. Live them without any thought of being righteous, without a desire for either credit or reward. Live them naturally, for they are the natural laws of the higher kingdom -- that is not of this world. No one who abides in the higher realm would conceive of living by lesser laws. Nor would any individual in that higher realm think of bragging about living those simple, natural laws of the spirit any more than a mortal would think of bragging that he had obeyed the traffic signal on the corner of Times Square, or that he had fulfilled his normal everyday assignments of ordinary living.
If it is difficult for you to give and share and more difficult for you to let go of things without telling about your sacrifices, then for the time being forget about sharing your worldly gifts and blessings. There is one thing that you can give that will increase with your giving. Give love. Give love to God and to every human being. Send it out in prayers for every living soul. Pray for the world and every individual upon it. Pray and love and give praise continually. This service is difficult to boast about and love increases with every tiny shared vibration of its released glory. Soon you will understand how to live all the laws of the higher kingdom and will be able to pass into it.
Continue to pour out love to the world if you think the higher laws mentioned in the first part of this chapter, the ones which Christ gave, are too difficult. Give love and soon you will discover that you have the power to fulfill all the laws -- for you will automatically fulfill them as your fountains of everlasting love open wide to pour out the great Christ Light to enfold and help heal a world.
Share yourself by giving love and you will soon be sharing all that you possess in a new-found joy. You will glory in a more extended vision and abide in a hitherto unknown happiness and power. Love perfectly and you will evolve into the kingdom to which all the higher laws pertain. Love and you cannot help serving as you are admitted into the vast Brotherhood of Light. And as you are welcomed into this higher realm of eternal progress, you will have power to help usher in the great New Day which is at hand. Then will you know that you are indeed a child of your divine Father which is in heaven. You will know of His love for you and bask in that love.
Keep in mind that any service rendered in whatsoever capacity and then boasted of, even shared casually, has received its reward in a lower dimension and the supreme joy of being lifted, or exalted, into a higher vibration has been cancelled. Anyone who boasts or brags about anything he has ever done closes his own door into the higher realms. He has stopped his own progress as he has placed a mediocre tag upon himself. He has only proved that he is still an inferior being, clothed in mortality. He is still earthbound and is only struggling to obtain a seat to be seen of men. Such has claimed his reward from the world of men instead of obtaining it from God. He has been willing to accept a menial's pay. He is not a son, but a servant.