I. OMNIPRESENCE
Mrs. C. L. Baum
Studies in Divine Science
The Colorado College of Divine Science
Denver, Colo., 4th ed., 1924.
STATEMENT OF FUNDAMENTALS.
God is All, both invisible and visible.
One Presence, Knowledge and Power is All.
This ONE that is ALL, is Perfect Life, Intelligence, and Substance.
Man is the Expression of God, and is ever One with this Perfect Life, Intelligence and Substance.
[Source: Truth and Health.]
STATEMENT OF OMNIPRESENCE.
I accept Omnipresence without any reserve. Since God is all, there is no place for anything adverse to God. There is no place for sin, sickness or death in God’s Presence, and that Presence is all.
[Source: Selected Bible Readings.]
The earnest student who desires to know Truth, for Truth’s sake, is advised to take this lesson into deep consideration, for it is the basis of all thinking, healing and living. As we find the truth of Omnipresence, we find the truth of God and man.
In Divine Science the term Omnipresence is used more than any other word, and it is really the foundation principle of all our work. Wherever we use the term Omnipresence, we mean to convey to the student the eternal fact of the all-inclusive, all-pervading, all-infilling, all-sustaining Life, which man has pleased to call or name God, and of which he is a part.
We see this Presence as Cause, Source, Father; its nature eternal, self-sustaining, indivisible, boundless, unlimited. The substance of this One who is All is Spirit. Its activity is Life. Its attributes are Love, Wisdom, Joy, Peace, Wholeness, Perfection.
All thinking people today are willing to concede that back of all the visible universe there must be an invisible cause, and perhaps no one has given us a clearer idea of Omnipresence than Herbert Spencer in his statement: “We are forever in the Presence of an Infinite and Eternal energy from which all things proceed.” This corresponds with the Bible statement: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all.”
Since Omnipresence is all-inclusive as Life, Substance and Intelligence, the individual must help to make up that all-inclusive Life, and in so far as he is awake to the truth of this statement he enjoys the fullness of Omnipresence. In carrying out the wonderful truth, that each individual helps to make up this Omnipresent Life, we can emphasize the statement of Jesus: “I and the Father are one”, and also “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Following along in our search for truth, we find, “Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,” which certainly would in its deepest sense signify that every living soul has the same inheritance as had Jesus, and reveals the Father’s Presence as Life, Substance and Intelligence, which would cause all seekers for absolute Truth to see the Omnipresence in themselves.
Taking the statement: “As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself,” we are forced to realize that whatever God is, man is – the same in Life and Substance, and he can never be anything apart from the Father. And just as the individual man called Jesus, discovered his identity with God the Father and caught the revelation that “As the Father worketh hitherto, I work,” so each individual may receive the same revelation and work as the Father works in the consciousness of Power, Wisdom and Love.
In the Bible we find verse after verse verifying this truth, for example: “The fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” “In Him we live, move and have our being.” “Do I not fill heaven and earth saith the Lord?” “In Him ye are complete.” “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men.” “Lo, I am with you always.”
The more we dwell in thought on the Omnipresence, the more we shall realize that if we are filled with this Divine Presence there is no place left for anything unlike, or separate from the One that is All. Thus we see that the substance of all Life, visible and invisible, is one Substance, Spirit; pure, changeless and eternal; that all Life is the Divine Life, always perfect in action and never dependent upon form or visibility for its continuance. The Reality of the universe being the all-inclusive Life which is perfect, and including within itself all that is, we must conclude that all we see that is unlike this One Presence is unreal appearance. Jesus called it, unreality, false conception, and it passes away as we become conscious of Truth. All fear and worry in the world is a lack of understanding, therefore, a lack of faith and trust in the Omnipresence of God, the All-Good, in which there is no sin, sickness, disease or death. Taking this All-Presence into your thought as Divine Love pervading and filling all, brings you into the realization of peace and rest in greater measure than any other Truth you could possibly meditate upon. To become conscious of this Divine Presence is the one thing needful today; to know it as eternal Life, all-caring Love, infinite Abundance and all-pervading Health, is the supreme desire of every aspiring soul.
As you meditate on the eternal Truth, that the Infinite Spirit of Love and Life is the reality of the universe, the result will be that you will learn to commune with the Omnipresence, learn to lean upon it, learn to trust it; for in the One that includes all there is an eye that never sleeps, an ear that always hears. Let yourself feel the companionship of Love, work within yourself to feel the comradeship with the All-Good, not afar off, but here, within you. “Acknowledge me in all thy ways, and I will direct thy path.” Form the habit of acknowledging this One who is your very life and substance; let the Presence mean more and more to you all the time. Lean on Divine Wisdom rather than on human opinions; base all your decisions upon this Presence, and give it your full attention during your times of silence and meditation.
In order that you may quickly realize the truth of God everywhere, and to help you in the enlargement of consciousness, learn the “Statement of Fundamentals” and the “Statement of Omnipresence,” and systematically practice these each day, thinking upon them earnestly, and beginning each meditation with their thoughtful repetition. Meditate also upon the statements at the end of this lesson and learn the poem. It is advisable to study each lesson, not merely to read it and to pass on to the next. Do not lose, but find yourself in God, and endeavor to realize for yourself the truth of Omnipresence.
STATEMENTS FOR MEDITATION.
There is but one All.
This one that is All, is the living presence of God everywhere.
This all-inclusive One is Love, Life, Wisdom and Power.
I am in and a part of this Presence now.
Divine Life is my life.
Divine Health is my health.
Omnipresent Strength sustains me.
Omnipresent Love enfolds me and flows through me in perfect peace.
God is all there really is and I am a part of this one great Reality.
LEAVE IT WITH HIM.
“Yes, leave it with Him,
The lilies all do,
And they grow.
They grow in the rain
And they grow in the dew –
Yes, they grow.
They grow in the darkness, all hid in the night:
They grow in the sunshine, revealed by the light –
Still they grow.
They ask not your planting,
They need not your care
As they grow.
Dropped down in the valley,
The field – anywhere,
There they grow.
They grow in their beauty arrayed in pure white:
They grow clothed in glory by heaven’s own light –
Sweetly grow.
The grasses are clothed
And the ravens are fed
From His store:
But you, who are loved
And guarded and led –
How much more
Will He clothe you and feed you and give you His care.
Then leave it with Him; He has, everywhere,
Ample store.
Yes, leave it with Him;
You’re more dear to His heart
You will know,
Than the lilies that bloom
Or the flowers that start
‘Neath the snow.
Whatever you need, if you ask it in prayer,
You can leave it with Him, for you are
His care –
You, you know.”
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Studies in Divine Science
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