The man replies, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make.”

— Mark 12:32-33 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

“Reflections From Infinite Mind”

Oneness 

With God … p 73

Let fall away 

Life’s many masks

That give lie to our

Spiritual self.

Know a love that comes 

From deep within

That so bestirs the soul;

A love to share with others;

’Tis this which makes us whole.

— Garry D. Kilbourn

Above all things be loving, humble, united:

Now if your experience of Christ’s encouragement and love means anything to you, if you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit, and all that it means in kindness and deep sympathy, do make my best hope for you come true! Live together in harmony, live together in love, as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you. Never act from motives of rivalry or personal vanity, but in humility think more of each other than you do of yourselves. None of you should think only of his own affairs but should learn to see things from other people’s point of view.

— Philippians 2:1-4  J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

“Reaching For The Light”

Spiritual Insight … p 108

Midst the frenzy of materialism that defines much of our life we rely for the most part upon five familiar senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Within these confines we live out our lives in a never-ending effusion of goods and services, all the while longing for more to life. And so there is, in two lesser known senses: intuition and understanding. When brought into play they are, within themselves, no less than our saving grace.

Intuition we know to be spiritual insight founded on Truth. Understanding, which follows upon and is indeed a concomitant of intuition, is acknowledgement of that Truth. These combined faculties are a phenomenon common to all. How to put it to use in our daily life becomes the question. The answer, ever the same, is to go within, to rediscover our true inner self; our God-given Goodness and Love. Thus, in selfless humility, may we let others be witness to our own vulnerability. Thus too, in the stillness of mind and body, do we intuitively come to know and to understand another’s true inner self, and with it, brotherly love.

— Garry D. Kilbourn

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

— Matthew 6:24 New Living Translation (NLT)

“Reaching For The Light”

Life’s Everlasting Quandary … p 107

Were it otherwise, we might find life to be less of a quandary. As it is, however, we humans are a duality, made-up of a mortal body and a spiritually immortal inner self. To our great misfortune, mankind has all but lost sight of its God-given spirituality in favour of an unrelenting pursuit of materialism.

The pleasures of materialism we know to be short-lived at best. Conversely, those emanating from the Light of the soul endure forever. When nurtured, the soul — that is to say, becoming one with God in all that we say and do — is that which gives us our humanity.

— Garry D. Kilbourn

He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.

— Psalm 23:3 The Voice (VOICE)

“Reaching For The Light”

Spirit and Matter … p 106

In honouring the age-old admonition to “Know Thyself,” we come to learn of the very real and discernible correlation between Spirit and Matter as devotion to one increases, the other suffers a like decrease. And so it is as we reconnect with our inborn Spiritual nature, we lose sight of needless mind-driven materialism. So it is too that the ground we stand on becomes ever firmer as we ascend our Spiritual path, ever closer to knowing our true inner self; to God within.

— Garry D. Kilbourn

“You must be merciful, as your father in Heaven is merciful." Don’t judge other people and you will not be judged yourselves. Don’t condemn and you will not be condemned. Make allowances for others and people will make allowances for you. Give and men will give to you—yes, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will they pour into your lap. For whatever measure you use with other people, they will use in their dealings with you.”

— Luke 6:36-38  J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

“Reaching For The Light”

Allowing Others 

To Be Themselves … p 105

We all know moments of disquiet in our personal relationships, be it family or otherwise, when things don’t go our way. Were we to go within and reflect on the matter, we could but conclude in all honesty that things are not always meant to go our way. Just as we are quick to rightfully assert our own individuality, so must we honour this in others. In so doing we achieve a hitherto unknown magnanimity of character, in essence a transformation to a higher, spiritually enlightened mode of thought. We instinctively know it is our moral duty to allow others to be themselves.

As is ever the case when we seek the Truth, Selflessness and Humility obtain. Truth’s revelation both frees and uplifts us: Life becomes so much more worthwhile.

— Garry D. Kilbourn

Hear my words, my son, and take them in; let them soak in so that you will live a long, full life. I have pointed you in the way of wisdom; I have steered you down the path to integrity.

— Proverbs 4:10-11  The Voice (VOICE) 

“Reaching For The Light”

Right and Wrong … p 104

Fundamental to our well-being, nay, to our very humanity, is our intuitive sense of right and wrong. Awareness and self-discipline help in honouring these distinctions and in keeping us on the right path. Other ennobling traits contributing to our humanity; traits all too often lying obscured within us, are those of Selflessness and Humility. These alone ensure a place on the path and are, as well, key to an enlightened soul. Thus is our God-given Goodness made real and thus too are we enabled to love both ourself and our fellow-man.

— Garry D. Kilbourn

“Believe me,” returned Jesus, “a man cannot even see the kingdom of God without being born again.” “And how can a man who’s getting old possibly be born?” replied Nicodemus. “How can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?” “I assure you,” said Jesus “that unless a man is born from water and from spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh and spirit gives birth to spirit: you must not be surprised that I told you that all of you must be born again. The wind blows where it likes, you can hear the sound of it but you have no idea where it comes from and where it goes. Nor can you tell how a man is born by the wind of the Spirit.”

— John 3:3—8  J.B. Phillips New Testament 

“Reaching For The Light”

Changing Our Mind … p 103

Changing our mind is easy: we do it all the time with thoughts of little or of lasting consequence. Changing our mind to effect a new way of living, of becoming a better person, is another matter, however, requiring more than good intentions and ephemeral thought. 

The change we long for, that which endures and brings joy to the soul, is nothing less than a metamorphosis of the self, whereby our true spiritual Being is set free to enlighten the mind and engender a sense of peace within.

Transformation of this magnitude is made possible only when we freely acknowledge our plight and surrender in all humility to God: He who lives in us, and we in him.

— Garry D. Kilbourn