Message Given Sometime in 1931 A.D.F.D., Sayville, Long Island, New York
One of the Angels who had recently come to the Kingdom after being released from jail by FATHER testified that he came all the way out to Sayville from New York City, making two changes, and did not pay any fare as he did not have any money. He just told the conductors he was coming to FATHER. He wanted to attend a meeting in the City with us yesterday but there was not room in the cars for him to go, so FATHER told him he could go in on the train if he had the means. He testified today that he went to the station in Sayville, hoping that FATHER would open the way for him to take the train without money, and finally, I believe, asked someone for assistance, but the way did not open up. FATHER replied:
The money that I spend is always there when I need it, without soliciting, without prodding in any way. It is there and I meet the demand. That is the way MY Spirit will do, and if I have not the means that I cannot prove MY independency and MY GOD by showing independence in a time of commercialism as exists in this Country at this particular time, I AM not showing the Light of MY Life and MY Power. That is why I pay cash for everything and don’t ask anybody for anything. That is the only way of proving yourselves, or yourself, as the real child of GOD, not doing anything infringing on the rights of others, and by proving the Lordship of your authority in Righteousness and Truth, in Kindness and in rendering unto Caesar the thing that belongs unto Caesar and unto the LORD the thing that belongs unto the Lord. From henceforth MY Spirit will, in all means and all ways or phases of life, express MY mind in deeds and in actions. If it is for me to go anyplace I will have the money to go, or ways and means to go independently without any infringement of the rights or liberty of MYSELF or of others, without even the appearance of it. If I would have meant for you to go, I would have said, “You can go.” Now if you had no money to go, why then that was for you not to go, as I said, “If you have ways and means to go independently.” Then you could have reflected ME without condemnation in the act of your duty towards your appreciation of ME and MY Activities.
I have never told anyone to take anything without paying for it. A person should always pay all of their dues and pay wheresoever they go. Because I took it upon MYSELF to take on humanity’s sins and bear their weaknesses, it is not to look to anyone else to do it. If I volunteer to give somebody something to do, it is all right, but they should not expect ME to do it. The Bible says, “Take no thought for life, that ye shall eat or what ye shall drink,” but I have taken upon MYSELF your infirmities, so you will not have occasion to take thought for yourself, and therefore, if you were completely self-denied in thoughts, ways and deeds, then you would be completely taken care of by the thought of the Almighty. But when one takes thought for themselves, they throw themselves out on the thought of their own protection or subjugate themselves to the thought of their own physical or mental or financial power and then they can be like that. But if one would be fully and wholly living according to MY Activities here, and fully subjugated unto me, and know who I AM and live in accord with ME, perchance if they had $1,250,000, they would not take thought for themselves. They would have given ME their whole hearts, souls and minds, spirits and bodies, and all of their powers, mental, spiritual, physical and otherwise, and would be under CHRIST’S control. Then they would have no will, or way, or desire, idea, or opinion of their own. Then GOD would take thought for them also because they would not take thought for themselves.
But as long as they are dependent upon their own skillful ability, or mental ability that they seemed to have attained to, why, then and there they are detached to a certain extent from ME, for they are dependent upon themselves and not on the ONE that they say I AM. But especially the ones that I have assumed the responsibility and cares for, they should be the very ones to take no thought for themselves, that they may be lost in the will of GOD and become as horses when men put bits in their mouths and turn the whole body about, and have no will or opinion of their own, but walk in the way of Righteousness then and there and here and now. Then it is Wonderful!
It is for ME to have everything, and I will have it without any strain and without any soliciting, without any intruding or infringing upon the rights or others in any way, for I AM free from all barriers and from all dishonesty and all appearance of dishonesty; for what I AM here for, is to prove the supremacy of GOD in all expression of good on the mortal plane. It is Wonderful! We are not seeking to get anything for nothing, not that I preach or am advocating that, though you all are here and I sacrifice time and talent and service and utilize time and talent and service for same, for the works to be manifested in you and through you and by you and with you, It is that each one might know that you are bought with a price and you are not your own and that you should be and should do practical service as though for your existence, each one that each one may know that you are no longer in the world of scheme, of graft and of chicaneries, of litigations and denominations, in self and creeds and races and denominations of any and every kind, but that you are free from all of those abominations and you are the gift of GOD. As the gift of GOD to you is a free gift, you are the gift of GOD for the practical service of mankind, to be of practical, to be of mental service to both GOD and man, that you may be the expression of the plantings of the LORD, expressing GOD your FATHER, the Ideal, that others may visualize and materialize and bring into expression in their lives the manifested CHRIST, produced and reproduced and manifested again.
How glorious and how marvelous is this Work then! Truly might have the writer said, “How great and marvelous are THY Works, O LORD. “It is Wonderful! When all selfishness and self-bewilderment gets out of the mortal system and out of their consciousness and that genuine Love of GOD and unselfishness, and impersonal love to be replaced in the children of men, when they have become to be blind to themselves as individuals and visualize the good thing and do for GOD, how great will the Work be done in them and through them and by them, and how great will be the Work of GOD that is possible. Then all will be able to “Rejoice in the LORD always, and again I say rejoice.” You will all be able to make your moderation known to all men that the LORD is at hand, not only by your deeds and actions but by your transactions and by putting your transactions in them and causing others to walk in your statutes. Then it is marvelous, it is Wonderful! Then it is marvelous, it is great and all will be able to see the Mystery of the Holy Spirit as brought into expression here and now. Aren’t you glad!
The next thing that is a great essential is that if one is of ME and is lost in MY Will, and desires to be lost in MY Will and desires to be governed by MY Spirit, if they only desire, sons and daughters give ME your heart! Your heart is all that your mental world consists of your heart consists of all of your mental and spiritual world, of every thought, every desire, every suspicion, everything you can imagine, as included in your heart. Then if you would have a desire to think anything, or do anything, or say anything, or go anyplace, especially under such conditions that you, with your human mind, may deem it that I would open the way for you, you would bring your thoughts to ME immediately and see if I would pass upon them, if you respect ME. You would not try to go around some other way if you claimed to know ME.
Your thoughts should come to ME and be passed upon, the same as when you call Sayville 211 when you are in New York or Sayville here, the message must come through the central. If you are right here at the central station it must come through the central. And you have to go through the central and you have to come through the operator from New York and then through the central and through the operator before you can get your party that you are calling, even though you are paying for your call. “Call upon ME in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee”, and “Before they call I will answer”, but set your thoughts on the legitimate and rightful and honest and positive way of correspondence. It is Wonderful!
Next thought: the Sonship degree, you all here say “FATHER”. Visitors, friends, students associates and pupils, and Angels of the Kingdom, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, you all being, all of you, under MY jurisdiction, you are here and you that are visiting here, practically every one of you says “FATHER” to ME. You should not say or call any man father, for no man knoweth the Father but the Son, you should not call any man father I say, and if you know Him that is your FATHER, call only Him that is your Father, “FATHER”, for there is one FATHER in all, through all, by all; wheresoever you may be there is one FATHER for the fatherless. When you become to be fatherless you have a FATHER and that is ONE which is GOD. When you say “Father” then you should know the FATHER. You should not say Father unless you know the FATHER, for I have given humanity a name that they may call ME by, Mr. Divine, Reverend Divine, Dr. Divine, Elder Divine or Brother Divine. They can call ME any of these names that would not be exactly saying: Father”. Reverend in one interpretation of the name is GOD. Therefore, when you say “Reverend”, you are consciously or unconsciously saying GOD. But to the average person you can say “Reverend” without condemnation in their consciousness, for they call their Pastors and leaders “Reverend”. But they do not call them by the other name GOD in the expression of “G-O-D”. It is Wonderful! But they are saying it anyway.
But however, to say “FATHER” you should know the FATHER, for no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal Him”, and if you are not the Son it should be revealed to you. Then if it is revealed to you, the Son should express the reflection in you the same as express in reflection and by nature and by reality in the body and name called Jesus, “Not My will but Thine be done”. Wheresoever the Son is expressed it should be the complete limitation of every mortal version, of every will, desire, claim, and all things such as individual tendencies, wills, desires and pleasures, to be as the Son said in expression that was in that body called Jesus brought to fruition, “Not My will but Thine be done”. If you have any will, or way, or desire or idea or opinion persisting, contrary or in opposition to MINE- that is rebelliousness, and then you are not expressing the Son, neither has the Sonship degree been brought into your experience manifestly, for the Sonship degree is lost in the Will of the FATHER and the FATHER’S Will is the Son’s. If you have any thought, will, desire, idea or opinion or pleasure that you cannot relinquish, and fully, wholeheartedly, willingly, voluntarily, expressively discontinue and give up, you are not expressing the Sonship, which should say “FATHER”. Then when you say “FATHER”, every one of you, get in the Will and stay in the Will and say “FATHER” all you please and nothing can separate you from the FATHER’S Love, for “Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of GOD”, and in every deed, in every move and in every action, we cannot tell – you cannot tell; for it does not appear what you shall be, but you know that whensoever He shall appear upon the scene you will be like Him, for you will see Him as He is. It is Wonderful!
Then Wisdom is no more hid from the meek, and understanding no more concealed from the righteous and the lowly in heart, but GOD has taken the dumb things of the world to confound the wise, and hid these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes that you might be partakers of this and have a lot and part in this Great Cause. Isn’t it a glorious privilege? Some day you will not be ashamed, for every eye shall see Him, yea, even those that wail Him, that wag their heads and say thus and so and so and so, they shall see Him in I-IIS Glory and the Beauty of HIS Holiness shall be made manifest. It is Wonderful to realize how GOD condescended to come in the most insignificant of the insignificant, and yet manifested HIMSELF unto Perfection and to Glorify HIMSELF in the hills, that you through meekness and lowliness of heart, may have a part in this great cause that is the highest expression of Life ever brought into manifestation. There is no other office that can be held above the Name of GOD, yea even above the Name of Jesus Christ, and every knee must bow. It is Wonderful!
Do you realize the great calling you have? Do you realize that some think it is a great honor to be a representative, or to be a servant of a noble name, but the name of `I AM’ you are serving, the ‘I AM’ I AM serving, is a Name that transcends all limitations? It is Perfection of expression, mentally, spiritually, or physically. It could be no other name above this Name. There is no grace above this Grace, for Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. I say, there is no honor above this Honor, for honor and true expression of things came by Jesus Christ- that is this Light coming through the insignificance of the insignificant, by the condescension of GOD, with all of HIS Omnipotence and all of HIS Perfection, yea, bringing into expression the insignificant, converting the isles among this people. Now aren’t you glad!
Where is Wisdom, and where is the hiding place of Her Understanding? From whence cometh the wise? Where are they created? Who has inspired them? To whom shall we look? It is Wonderful! “Thoughts are things” I heard one writer say, but from whence cometh the thoughts, and who is the creator of both it and them? Who is the inspirer to inspire? From whence cometh the wisdom of the wise and where is the hiding place of the children of men? From whence cometh their intellect and their intelligence and their understanding? From whence cometh the Spirit that giveth them life, that causeth them to stand in the land of the living? Who has lifted you above your fellow? Who has brought you to the light of understanding that they desire to look into? Who was it made a way in the deep, yea, a way in the sea, in the dark and gloomy day? No man can comprehend. Who has inspired you with that intellect and inspiration that is beyond the interpretation of the Angelic Choir? Who has given you to sing praises that are beyond the comprehension of the Angelic Host? Who was it that has trod from planet to planet and surveyed the distance between the planets? Who has inspired man to express these things in artistic expression? Who is the architect of your understanding that has inspired you to express these things and brought them into expression in your day? It is Wonderful! The Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Remember the Sonship degree is the standard- “Not my will but Thine be done”. I have no way, no desire, no opinion of my own. I will put forth MY will as it is revealed. Not my will but Thine, O LORD, be done. If my will be Thine, O Lord, let it be done, but if not cast it out of me forever! It is Wonderful that Thy Will be reincarnated and be an inspiration to the people of the Nations that I may contact, or that contact ME. Cast it out forever, from the midst of the congregation of all the people and from the atmosphere of THY Holiness, that THY Holiness may not be by any means germinated with the germ of human instincts, fancies or pleasures, but that THY Will may be done in the congregation of the Righteous and in the midst of all the people. Thy Works, O GOD, are marvelous, for the greatness of Thy Holiness is being unfolded. Some sketch of a reflection of a percent of a percent of a percent of Thy Love and Thy Goodness, is being revealed, that some may get a foretaste of Glory Divine, that they may realize what is in their midst. I thank you!
It is a wonderful place to be, to be in that state of consciousness, to be attuned to the Will of GOD, that you will be so lost that you will realize, the Spirit of the Consciousness of the Presence of GOD is all you need, that you will be able to say, as the Sonship degree of Spirit always did say, though expressed or manifestly one time recorded, and that was this, “Not my will but THY Will be done.” The Sonship degree of Spirit has said that and it means that, throughout all ages, when and wheresoever the Son of GOD is expressed and made manifest in reality, it can and has said, as the Son in the name called Jesus, “Not my will but Thy Will be done.” It is wonderful! So it is a blessed place to be in when you are willing to be lost in the Will of GOD and willing for GOD to have HIS Way with you, whatever opposes. But it is not and cannot be any place where you can desire to have your own will, your own way, and then claim to know GOD, for you have prayed from your earliest existence when you did pray, “Let Thy Kingdom come, let Thy Will be done”, and you have heard your mothers and fathers pray, “LORD, not my will but Thine”, “Let Thy will be done and Thy Kingdom come.” The will of GOD is not the will of the mortal. The will of the mortal is just the opposite to the Will of GOD, and the Will of GOD is just the opposite to the mortal, or the personality.
So it is a lesson to see and to go by. Whatsoever your human wills, fancies and pleasures may be, go exactly opposite to that and then you will do away with your will, and will not go according to your mind. In the opposite direction to your will and way, is Life and Life Eternal. “There is a way that seemeth right to man, but the end thereof is death.” So it is to let every individual see and know, that the way of Life is just the opposite way from where you have been going and the thing you have been doing; the way you have been thinking, and the way you have been living, the way you have been believing and seeing. It is exactly the opposite direction. So the Word says, “Your ways are not MY Ways, neither are your thoughts MY Thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are MY Ways above your ways and MY Thoughts above your thoughts”. So it is Wonderful! It calls for a sacrifice.
There is a teaching of no sacrifice, but redemption, or the fullness of the abundance of all good things, but I say unto you that sacrifice is not the only thing but sacrifice is essential. “I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of GOD, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” “Except a man forsake all that he has, he cannot be MY Disciple.” Sacrifice is essential, and then obedience to the great command of GOD, which will be the intuition of man. The Command of GOD is your intuition when you shall have made a complete sacrifice through consecration, through self-denial and after making a wholehearted sacrifice through relaxation. Then the intuition that will rise there in your system and in your consciousness will be the great command of GOD. GOD commands you by the intuition. The intuition is the Law of the Spirit of Life that is in Christ Jesus, that has made man free from the law of sin and death if you be governed thereby.
So it is a great thought, dear ones, to realize that you can, in all of thy ways. Acknowledge Him. It is the same as when you are on board a train – acknowledge the conductor. Every time he goes by to punch the ticket, let him punch it. That doesn’t mean in all of your ways saying, “I AM GOD”, but acknowledging GOD, presenting your ticket to GOD in all of your ways. That is the thought. Let Him examine your ticket and see that you have the right ticket. It is the same as a chauffeur driving an automobile. When the officer asks to see your license, you let him see it. The same with the officer of the law– when you see a policeman standing on the comer directing traffic, acknowledge him. Don’t go by if he says not to go by, for he is the one in charge there, even above the electric official, and the green light may be on and he may hold up his hand for you to stop, so acknowledge him. And it is the same with GOD. In all thy ways acknowledge GOD. Present your ticket to the conductor and see if he endorses it or not, because if you don‘t you may get on the road somewhere and have to go all the way back. So any thought, mind idea or opinion, that comes to you in words, deeds or actions, present it to the Christ Consciousness and acknowledge Him as the true inspector, and see if He will let you pass. If He does, it is all right.
It might sound like foolishness to be attuned to these vibrations and demonstrations and vigorations, but being attuned and attached to this Vibrator and this Duplicator, it is Wonderful! These demonstrations and vibrations are brought into materialization by your conscious realization of the materialization of GOD, and by your attachment therewith mentally and spiritually, to both it and Him and by losing all contact with the earth, materialism, carnality, and mortality, and then you will be Blessed of the Lord. It is Wonderful!
When you live exactly according to the Life and Teachings of Christ as afore said, it is Wonderful! I think of it in words, deeds and in actions, and living in a practical way here and now. It is well worth considering. “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” I have not forgotten that. In all your ways acknowledge Him. That is not acknowledging Him, to get up in your selfish and mortal personal idea-ic way and saying “It is GOD in me saying this or doing this”. Acknowledging GOD is, as I said, to bring everything, thoughts, words, deeds and actions, to the test of the investigator, to the inspector, or whatsoever it may be, and allowing it willingly, to be weighed on the scale of justice under your consideration. It is Wonderful! Then you are acknowledging Him and you will be guided, you will have your guide and your protection, for whatsoever the inspiration says, so will it be. The inspector says, “According to the inspiration”.
So “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths”,—— in thoughts, words, deeds and actions, it matters not how simple it may be, or how seemingly great it may be. It is preaching the Gospel, it is glad tidings that all of you that are here can have something to eat. How beautiful are the feet of them that run and ring the bell to tell you all to come and get something to eat! For that is the Gospel. Christ said, “Feed MY lambs and feed MY sheep”. Some may say, “Well He meant spiritually.” He also fed them materially as recorded in the Gospel. When He fed them materially, that was the Gospel to them, for they were hungry, and it was glad tidings to Peter and James and John, to run around there and say, “Fifty of you sit down here, and fifty there, and we are going to give you some bread and fish”. That was the Gospel and it is the Gospel. Then it was obedience to the command of GOD for them to sit down. They all obeyed the LORD’ S command. Jesus had them to sit on the ground and they all obeyed the Lord’s command and then it was plenty for them to eat, but you cannot swear that it would have been a plenty if they had not obeyed. Obedience is better than sacrifice. You that are here, are supposed to come and sit down and eat if you want to eat, when the bell rings at the first table, especially you that are here and claim this to be your home and are staying here – you are supposed to come and eat and not be waiting. That is the Gospel, for Jesus had them to sit on the ground, and I have spring-bottom chairs for you to sit in and you have forks and knives; they had to eat with their fingers and sit on the grass and it looked as though they enjoyed it mightily. So that is the way it should be here, you would not lag back, lay back, and try not to come to the table and wait until the last. Now those that are of ME will do it, and those that are not of ME, I mean those that are staying here altogether. IAM not speaking to the visitors, for they sometimes have breakfast before they arrive.
“You are the producers, and not only the reflectors, of the thing that you gaze upon; and “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Father Divine