Sermon On A Paradigm For Life

Bob Proctor, a Canadian author once remarked: “Awareness is the key. We want to become aware, I believe, of our oneness with God, with infinite intelligence. The more aware we become, the more it’s reflected in our results. A lack of awareness is also reflected in our results.” Proverbs 1:5 reminds us: “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.”

A Paradigm is defined as a standard, perspective, pattern, or example. It conceivably relates to an awareness or understanding in life. In science and philosophy, it includes distinctive concepts and thought patterns for assessing theories, research methods, postulates and the general consideration of a reason for repetitiveness in life. Listening could be considered as a regular function in an everyday pattern which is common to many. It is defined as giving one’s attention to a sound. It can include taking notice of and providing a reaction to what someone is saying. It is considered one of the essential basic tools of learning or gaining knowledge. Sounds, whether they be in the form of noise, music or words provide a message of the known or unknown through vibration and disturbance of surrounding molecules. They are received primarily into the outer ear in the form of waves, then travel through a narrow passageway known as a canal and finally into the eardrum. Bodily magic then performs the necessary corollaries to translate the respective sound into a language that we recognize and understand via the appropriate channels of the brain.

For many, God is a paradigm for life. For Christians, prayer is a fundamental substance and the usual way of communication. We speak, God listens, hopefully, the same applies in any reciprocation. However, we often may only hear silence in return, but that paradigm is essentially the sound of God listening. But what about the principles of agnostics? Are they just the repetitive standards of others? Could they see God as a paradigm with a better understanding? There is little doubt about the concept of God’s existence. To every Christian, His presence is considered as reality within. Galatians 2:20 reminds us: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The crux of the matter is that to find God, we need to actively seek Him, if we don’t then we may well travel spiritually through life as a solitary soul devoid of love or friendship. We need curiosity of mind to actively learn more of the benefits of a relationship with God. If we can’t find the answers we need, we should ask questions, seek guidance from others, or read specific passages in the Bible. Isaiah 55:6-13 reminds us: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

A paradigm could be considered as a self-discovery, understanding and awareness of certain elements of life, and why they exist. If we look through a telescope, things that are in the distance, become closer and much clearer. We tend to readily perceive more this way. If however, we only use our natural eyesight for discernment, we may see and understand only what we want to see, and possibly in an out-of-focus or distorted vision. If we can’t see clearly, how can we possibly hope to understand? Carl Sagan, an American scientist once remarked: “The dangers of not thinking clearly are much greater now than ever before. It's not that there's something new in our way of thinking - it's that credulous and confused thinking can be much more lethal in ways it was never before.”