I am always struck whenever I read this passage in The Game of Life. Florence Scovel Shinn writes that God said in the Bible, “Concerning the works of my hands, command ye me.” This really flips our usual understanding of God on its head, doesn’t it? Typically, we think of God as the one who dictates and tells us what to do. When I was growing up in the church, we sang a hymn that said, “I’ll say yes, Lord yes, to your will and to your way.” Can you relate to that feeling of submission? But Florence challenges us to see God as looking at us directly, saying -- concerning the works of my hand, you command me. And once we do, God is the divine intelligence, making it all work.

This idea resonates with what we learn about Jesus as well. Many of us have been taught that Jesus leads and we follow, like the disciples. While that’s true, Florence emphasizes that Jesus is the leader who empowers us. He tells us in the Book of Matthew, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Why? Florence explains that "Jesus Christ brought out clearly that man must make the first move."

How do you think about approaching God this way? I also think about all the passages that remind us that both God and Jesus wanted to use their power to empower us. This dynamic is reminiscent of Genesis 1, where God gives us dominion over our earthly experience. God uses his dominion to give us dominion. Dominion means having sovereignty and control. I'll make one more reference to Genesis and point out that we were made in the image and likeness of God. Since God is powerful, so are we. If you want to continue to think of God as powerful, then so are we. God gave us his core characteristics and it's a matter of pride when we step up. We're not in control of everything but we are responsible for making the first move.

Then you have Jesus staring at us, saying that we should be able to do what he does. We should be able to have this kind of power and perform these miracles, if not greater. It shouldn't be just him. He was always teaching his disciples and encouraging them to step up.

This goes right to the foundational spiritual law that Florence talks about: it's a great game of giving and receiving. We give and then we receive. We ask then it's given. When we make the first move, God can take it from there. Florence makes it clear that this game can only be played successfully once we understand the rules of the Game and to understand the rules of the Game means to work with this spiritual law.

Thank you so much for listening. If you like this video, let me know. I'll leave another video of mine on your screen that I think you'll enjoy and I'll share one of my favourite songs. I hope you are having a good morning, a good afternoon or a good evening, wherever you are. Again, thank you for listening and I'll see you next time.

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Florence Scovel Shinn was a New Thought teacher and writer. She resided in New York City most of her life, teaching at the New York Unity Society. She came from a blue-blood family, with a line going back to the Mayflower Biddles. However they were not wealthy. From 1889 to 1897, she was an art student in Phildelphia. There she met her future husband, Everett Shinn, a prominent American artist who was part of a group called "The Eight", which later became the 'Ashcan School' of urban realists. The couple moved to New York City, and both pursued artistic careers, with Florence becoming an illustrator, but they later divorced. In the early 1920s, she wrote and self-published her first book, The Game of Life.

Florence Scovel Shinn's approach to New Thought is practical, filled with references to popular culture. Shinn was attempting to bring metaphysical ideas down to earth for everyday people, and she succeeded. Affirmations are at the center of Shinn's method. She wrote a huge number of amazing affirmations which are still circulating in the New Thought literature and society at large today. Her books continue to appeal to readers who want guidance in difficult times.

Read the chapter 1 of The Game of Life and How to Play it:
https://sacred-texts.com/nth/shinn/go...

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