THE SCHOOL OF TRUTH LECTURE FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE

"Like sweet incense from Thine altar in my heart, O God, songs of praise and thanksgiving continually rise to Thee." I was thinking about these lines not long ago and I could not help feeling that most people, including many followers of Truth, put the acquiring of "things" before the worship of God. Recently a man challenged me on this very point: "What do you really teach? I hear that you lay great stress on getting. In my opinion this leads people away from God." I replied that the whole teaching of the School was based on giving, not getting. "Giving what?" he asked. "Our time, our hearts, all that we have - in the service of good" I answered. "But" he persisted "I hear that all you really advocate is the getting of things. You are leading people away from the Presence of God into complete materialism." I then told him that "things" do not accrue to those who simply ask them of God but that, only by establishing the awareness of Love, does Divine supply in the form of health, happiness and prosperity flow through us. We come to the realisation that we are literally the temples of Spirit, or God, which the Master and Paul teach is within us. We may begin to seek God because of the desire for some specific good - there is nothing wrong with that. But we discover that it cannot become manifest until it is "spiritualised", that is understood profoundly to originate in Spirit.

We come to believe with Paul that the good things we see around us are made not from what is visible, but from invisible Substance, Which is Divine intelligence, All-power, permeating the entire universe, everywhere present at the same time. It is ever focused in Its temples - man. We do not need to concern ourselves one iota about "getting" any material thing, because it is already ours. What we do have to do is attune our minds and hearts to the Spiritual power Which constitutes us. Then, instead of reaping poverty, unhappiness, fear and failure, we find that our desires for good are but the promptings of Love, longing with an infinite yearning to express Itself through us. I never ask God for anything. How can I, out of my partial awareness, dictate to infinite Mind what I need, and tell It how and when It should manifest Itself? I know from practical experience that if I take a tiny light bulb and screw it into an electrical circuit I get a glimmer of light. If I insert a larger one it gives me correspondingly more light, and if I put in a still bigger one I get quite a blaze of luminosity. Then I can add bulb upon bulb until I am enveloped in pure radiance. Human beings are like these bulbs - and it is the individual's awareness, his capacity to receive what is always there for him, that determines the Good that is expressed through him and as him. Just as we do not deplete an electrical current, which we do not understand but are able to harness, so we can never exhaust spiritual Supply. Let us not deceive ourselves - irrespective of our beliefs, we all, consciously or unconsciously, look to God for something. The man who says it is wrong to ask God for things goes to bed at night and prays for protection, for guidance, and the strength to do his daily work. But spiritual awakening lets us realise that God constitutes all that is, that He permeates all mankind as Love, Knowledge, Prosperity and Substance, and that He waits only for us to acknowledge His indwelling Presence to pour Himself into livingness through us. And when we discover our oneness with the Father, our enlightened minds and hearts shed personalised radiance for all to see. Others come to us asking "What have you found? What is this 'something' that you have?" and we say "It is the consciousness of Good, the realisation that Love is within us, constituting us and flowing through us as health, joy and abundance." I cannot exhaust God. I can only radiate Him, and the more I do this the greater becomes my capacity for the inflow of His presence and the outflow to all who are seeking It.

That is why I pray the lines that I quoted at the beginning of this talk. Followers of Truth are definitely not out merely to attain "things". "Seek first the consciousness, the Kingdom within you, and everything you need will be added." This is a definite promise assuring you that you do not have to concern yourselves with your supply. But you do have to give. Are you sharing that which is yours today? If you do not use it, it will deteriorate as does water caught in a pool. There must be constant movement, renewal, refreshment, and it is only by giving of your love that you set free Spirit Which, without your asking, manifests as the material things you need for your daily living. You will never get anything "from" people. People cannot provide you with the essentials - for these you must turn to God. You have to build up within yourselves the state of mind and heart, the consciousness, that accepts Him as the particular good you desire. Gratitude must fill you as the result of your certainty of His indwelling. That which you would receive you must freely give. When no longer you look to worldly channels, but centre your entire being on the One Provider, you no longer "ask amiss". Then is He set free through you and for you. It is always through some lack in consciousness that man comes to God, and in time he realises that alone in giving and trusting he opens himself to receiving. Neither in trying-to-get nor in giving-to-get, do you attain anything. Only if your giving expresses Love does it gather increase. Whenever I start to share the good that has come to me I make very sure that I am doing so freely, with no thought of return. If I have the slightest feeling that I may be giving in order to receive more, I wait until all such sentiments are dispelled and my song of thankfulness rises like sweet incense to the Throne of God. We can make nothing out of life until we have put something of ourselves into it. It is Law. Giving is the most vital activity of our lives, and it is far more important to dispense kindness, tolerance and forgiveness than mundane, material assets. I remember, when I first started giving, how elated I felt.

I was working with God, applying (for me) a new law, and I could not wait to prove it. Then, when nothing happened, I was intensely disappointed - but the fault lay with me. I was bartering, giving in order to receive. I was putting my coin into the slot. Had not the Master said "Give, and you will receive"? but I was misinterpreting the teaching. To give is not to invest, it is to make a present of Love - and it is Love that fulfils the Law. Giving is an inner realisation, not an outer action. It represents a deeper awareness of God as Substance. I count my blessings, giving thanks and singing my praises to God. I practice His presence knowing, because everything I could ever need is already in manifestation, I have nothing to fear. In this I can find no taint of self-seeking. The only "getting" we in the School advocate is unfolding of a wider consciousness of that which is Good. We teach by example far more than by precept. It is how we live that we bring people to God. When we do teach, we inspire people to open their hearts, to practice non-resistance, helpfulness, unselfishness, and we affirm with them that the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of Love, is not far off but is within them. When I talk to you I try to share the Love that pours out upon me continually. I try to show you that His patience supports me along the difficult road that each of us has to walk. But, when I tell you of His Goodness and All-providing, do not misunderstand me and do as a certain man did some time ago - he went into a shop, opened an account, bought a large amount of furniture and gave my name as reference. When the manager phoned me to ask if it was all in order, I had to tell him that I did not know the man. He had got the idea that I said he could buy anything he liked and God would pay for it. We do not teach this. We are asking you to align your hearts with the Presence of God, with God-asman, the Christ, and when you are so attuned you will find that all your needs are met even before you are sufficiently aware of them to ask. You will be able to say with me "How wonderful it is! Before I have called He has answered." If I have a need tomorrow it is met today.

If a need is coming up next week it is fulfilled and brought into manifestation before it has had time to arise, not because I ask Him, or spend long hours in visualisation or concentration trying to draw it out of Universal Consciousness, but because I have attained the realisation that the answers to all my needs are an integral part of me, and that I am never separated, even for a single second, from the Presence of God - Which constitutes all that there is. There is never anything to fear. We can never be depleted. If we hold our hands open in trust and give in Love, letting go freely of all that we possess, no lack or limitation can come near to us. But we must be clear as to our motives. We must distinguish between giving and bartering. We must know whether we are acting selfishly or in His service. If we are ministering to others we can give lavishly and never lessen our supply. This is our unfailing experience in the School. It is something that you may still have to experience - the conviction that your hands are really God's hands, the Hands of Love, that they are unlimited, able to give unselfishly to all in need, without ever counting the cost. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. It will become manifest to you and through you when, like sweet incense from the altars of your hearts, your songs of praise and thanksgiving soar up to Him.