Unity emphasizes practical interpretations of Jesus’s teachings

This article is one of the Unity Classics written by legendary leaders of Unity. Some date back decades, even a century. That’s why the language may seem a bit formal, and the writers sometimes used masculine nouns and pronouns that were considered proper for their era.


Unity is not simply a church to join or a creed to espouse. Unity is a study of religion as a science of living. It is an interpretation of the teachings of Jesus Christ with prime emphasis on practice. Obviously, it will hold no interest for those whose religion is a white cloak to be wrapped around them on Sunday morning and then tossed into the six-day closet of unconcern.

Essentially, Unity is a technique in realizing the abundant life. It consists of thoughts to think, words to speak, positive and creative things to do. Following are some simple yet practical things that you may find helpful. They are given here as a sample of Unity's emphasis on the practical.

These techniques for abundant living are not simply to read, but to affirm and decree in the face of challenging times. They will work for you, if you work for them.

Abundance Technique No. 1: Meet Change

The one real certainty in life is change. Because of our desire for stability and security, sometimes we resist and become anxious during changing conditions. We need to prayerfully build into our consciousness the realization that “the eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Affirm: I do not resist change, for I know that only God, the good, governs me, my circumstances, my environment.

Reflect: God gives me the wisdom and strength to meet the inevitable changes that occur in my life …

Abundance Technique No. 2: Allow Forgiveness

One of the greatest stumbling blocks for many people is forgiveness of wrong-doers, or self-forgiveness and accepting the forgiveness of God. This affirmation will help you to enter into the current of divine love and let its forgiving activity flow freely though you:

Affirm: The forgiving love of God sets me free, and I am at peace.

Reflect: The forgiving love of God now fills my heart and floods my entire being. I let go any thought that others have injured me in any way …

Abundance Technique No. 3: Pursue Prosperity

We live in an opulent universe. Supply and success are our rightful inheritance. Prosperity manifests, not by asking God for more, but by conditioning our minds through prayer to accept more of God's good.

Affirm: God is my all-sufficient resource, my instant, constant and abundant supply.

Reflect: God is my supply, everywhere evenly present, and as immediately available as the air I breathe. The moment a need arises in my life, God's infinite substance is immediately at hand to fill it …

Abundance Technique No. 4: Promote Healing

The Twenty-third Psalm is one of the loveliest poems in all literature. It is spoken in the language of a shepherd, but it easily translates into the language of our experience and need. To the one who is meeting a healing challenge it could have this faith-inspired meaning:

Affirm: The Lord is my health, I can't be sick. You make me to relax from all tension; You lead me into peace of mind and heart; You restore my zest for living. You guide me into using my body wisely for Your name's sake. Yea, though I am surrounded by disease and the thought of disease, I will have no fear, for You are with me. Your Truth and life sustain me. You prepare a reserve within me to meet all life's challenges; You charge my heart with healing life. My energy is unbounded. Surely health and joy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the consciousness of wholeness forever.

Abundance Technique No. 5: Heal the Heart

An expression commonly used by spiritual-minded people is “Bless your heart!” It conveys the implication that if your heart is blessed, your life will be harmonious and whole. Let us bless the organ called your heart.

Affirm: I am one with the one great Heart that beats for all.

Reflect: My heart is blessed. The pure love and life of God pulsate through it in perfect rhythm and order …

Abundance Technique No. 6: Break Habits

All habits are acquired, not inherited. You can master and overcome any unwanted habit. It is not enough to try to break the habit because you think you should. You must really want to overcome. Work regularly with these thoughts:

Affirm: I am a strong, decisive, confident child of God. I am not dependent upon a habit for my strength or security. My faith is in God within me.

Reflect: God is my resource, my steady, eternal resource. The spirit in me is the Spirit of God, and God cannot long for anything …

Abundance Technique No. 7: Create Peace

How can we find the time to do the things that we want and need to do, and to do them without feeling rushed, hurried or tense? We can prayerfully deny these things as having any part of our life and set a new theme of living in tune with the Infinite.

Affirm: I work without strain, walk without hurry, and live without tension, for I am in tune with the Infinite.

Reflect: I am now established in the peace and poise of Spirit. I do the things I need to do easily, efficiently and effortlessly …

Abundance Technique No. 8: Find Tranquility

Many of us live under tension and stress, anger, frustration and irritation. It is possible to learn to live with a relaxed and confident spirit, to find calmness and tranquility naturally.

Affirm: I am centered in the dynamic spirit of tranquility. I am refreshed, renewed, and at peace with life and with the world.

Reflect: I am serene and undisturbed as I think of my life and affairs. I am undisturbed by doubt and fear. A quiet surge of peace and power flows through me …

Abundance Technique No. 9: Express Love

We often hear it said that the greatest thing in the world is love, and yet we overlook the fact that love is also the most needed factor in personal an international relationship. God is love, and as God's child, you are a channel through which the limitless and dynamic energy of love can flow—if you let it.

Affirm: I am a channel for the expression of the infinite love of God.

Reflect: The love in me is God in me. I do not generate love; I simply express it. I do not need to make myself love certain people. I need only to get myself out of the way and let the divine energy of love flow through me, as it is its nature to do …

Abundance Technique No. 10: Overcome Injustice

There are times when our “rights” are threatened and when we feel that what is ours is taken from us. The human side of us might resist and struggle. But we are told, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). The way of overcoming is through “coming over” the thoughts of conflict to a higher level, to the thought of divine order.

Affirm: God's law of adjustment regulates all the affairs of my life, and all things are in divine order.

Reflect: No one can take from me that which is rightfully mine. On the human level of appearances, it seems that changes can lead to loss and injustice. But beyond the appearance is a level of experience where God's law of adjustment is always active, turning losses into gains, revealing the Truth that even if you intended it for evil, God intends it for good.


The following excerpt is from Eric Butterworth’s book Unity: A Quest for Truth.