Shall = not optional, nothing can stop it.

As I worked with this week's Bible Lesson, I noticed how often the word 'shall' appears, starting with our Golden Text, "...God, even our own God, shall bless us".  Shall means not optional, nothing can stop it. So now I can read this Golden Text as a promise that God will absolutely bless us, it's not optional, nothing can stop that.

There it is again in the Responsive Reading...'we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house'...the people who know the joyful sound 'shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance'. These things will happen, we shall be satisfied, all our need met, nothing lacking or missing, everything up to expectations. We shall walk with God because we are always in His presence.

Section One assures us 'we shall eat the good of the land'. January is typically a month bombarded with the latest diet and/or exercise plan. One is told how delicious this is going to be but it rarely is, when one restricts food. Nothing wrong with making good choices or altering excessive behavior but God wants only the best for us.

A few years ago I started looking at the Ten Commandments as a promise that we will not do the wrong thing, not so much as a condemnation but as Love's expression always making the right choice. Now I can look at the Beatitudes, included in the third section, paying special attention to the use of 'shall'. We will be blessed, it is inevitable.  We shall inherit the earth. We shall be filled. We shall obtain mercy. And the most wonderful of all... we shall see God.

When I work with 'Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God' I like to use all the synonyms. They shall see Principle, God's law of ever-present good. They shall see Mind, understand that there is only one Mind doing all the knowing and what God knows is perfection. They shall see Truth, honesty being expressed, Truth overcoming error and lies. And so on with Soul, Spirit, Life, and Love. Especially Love. They shall see Love filling all space at all times under all circumstances.

 Today I will keep my thoughts in line with 'shall', knowing that God's promises are kept, His love for me (and everyone else) is ever present. It is not optional and nothing can stop it. I can expect a day filled with blessings.