“…now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves…They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17: 13, 16)

Jesus spoke to his disciples with such tenderness and expectation. He was clear on his own identity, his very being as one with God, with Truth, with Spirit and not with matter and its finiteness and limitation. And this conscious awareness of himself with and in God made him certain about his followers as well.

The Christ-message that Jesus came teaching and demonstrating with his life and with his healing, was God’s Love brought to earthly understanding. He was reminding his followers—you and me—that we can be in the world and yet not of the world. Jesus knew that his origin and ours, was spiritual. We are children of God, not of matter, and so while we may feel a part of a material scene, we have the right and the ability to stay separate. We can claim and know our own true selfhood in God, perfect and right and good, and stay safe and joyful, even in the midst of the world’s accusations and limitations.

This quote was Jesus’s prayer for us all. He saw us, his brothers and sisters, as having life and being and purpose and power that are not constrained by material birth and circumstances. Jesus was praying that we all remain in awareness of who we really are. He prayed also that the world would not rob us of our utter joy in this fact.

Jesus demonstrated his heavenly being here on earth and beckons us to join him in this—to recognize who we really are and to abide in heavenly assurance, right here and now, gratefully and joyfully!

These messages are based on passages from the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. These books are our “pastor” in Christian Science. Come back every Tuesday and Thursday for fresh inspiration. Or get a free subscription to receive an inspirational message like this one every morning directly to your inbox by contacting me at lamolitercs@aol.com. Put “subscribe” in the subject line. A downloadable compilation of categorized messages is also available by request.