THE PRUNING SHEARS OF REVISION - 1954

This morning's subject is "The Pruning Shears of Revision". I firmlybelieve that if you will wisely and daily use the pruning shears ofrevision that you will find there is no objective beyond your abilityto realize. And I mean that seriously, no objective beyond yourability to realize. ...It really is not only the achievement of objectives, but ifyou do it daily, it will awaken in you the spirit of Jesus, which iscontinual forgiveness of sin. ...Now this is how we do it. At the end of my day, I review the day; Idon't judge it, I simply review it. I look over the entire day, allthe episodes, all the events, all the conversations, all the meetings,and then as I see it clearly in my mind's eye, I rewrite it. I rewriteit and make it conform to the ideal day I wish I had experienced. Itake scene after scene and rewrite it, revise it, and having revisedmy day, then in my imagination I relive that day, the revised day, andI do it over and over in my imagination until this seeming imaginedstate begins to take on to me the tones of reality. It seems that it'sreal, that I actually did experience it and I have found fromexperience that these revised days, if really lived, will change mytomorrows. ...You don't accept one thing in the world as final unless it conforms to the ideal you want to realize in the world. But you do it daily; if you do not prune itdaily you will get out of the habit, then weeds will grow. ...If you take me seriously today, tonight do not let the sun descendupon any vexation of the day. Just look at it, don't deny it, don'tduck it, look at it that you may prune it and then reshape it. Takethe conversations with your friends today, were they pleasant, werethey arguments, no matter what it is, were they negative?Then rewrite the script and just imagine the conversation to havetaken place that now you are rewriting for the first time. And it willtake place, for everything in your world that you behold, though itappears without, it is within, in your imagination. And this wonderfulimagination of yours is Christ Jesus. Imagination is the actualhabitation of every created thing. No matter what you see in theworld, it springs from your imagination. So that's where you go,that's the workshop, the garden of God.And now you have a mission, you have a purpose in life; it's a noblepurpose, because you have been selected to really become the chiefgardener in the garden of God, and in the garden you must have pruningshears, and pruning shears is revision. You simply revise, and as yourevise the day you repeal the day, for the day is not slipping intothe past, it does not recede as people think, it is always advancinginto the future to confront you, either pruned or in some strangeweed-like state.So it's entirely up to us--I hope that every man and woman here todaywill take me seriously and start this day pruning your garden. pruningyour mind. I know before I leave this city in a matter of two weeksthat you will be able to tell me of the new things that spring in yourworld or that spring from the pruned tree that is your own lovelyimagination. You try it. ...You take me this morning at my word; you owe me nothing, it costs younot a thing to come here this morning, you come you give me your timeand I give you my time, but you go out and try it and start this day

pruning that wonderful imagination of yours. Do you know someone thatis evil? Stop knowing it by bringing him before your mind's eye andcarry on with him the most wonderful conversation in the world, with atender spirit, a loving spirit, and believe in the reality of thiscommunion, because if you really do it, you are entering the kingdomof heaven, for you enter heaven by a loving, knowing communion with afriend. So make him a friend, if he is a lovely one, no matter what heis, you can prune him and then as you prune him you are doing the workwhich you were sent to do for man--and you are that man--you areplaced this day in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.Don't let it continue growing weeds in your world. ...Take anything; you have a child today: we took all the requests thismorning, there were dozens and dozens of requests this morning.Everyone must be answered, none must be discarded; don't say one isimpossible, there is nothing impossible to your imagination and yourimagination is Christ Jesus. With Him all things are possible. Usehim, stir him, wake him from his sleep; he has been sleeping throughthe centuries: because he has slept he has dreamed into being allthese strange misshaped states. For the world only bears witness ofthe use or misuse of imagination. As we are told, he is the only thingin the world. What he is the only thing in the world? --Yourimagination, for it is the habitation of every created thing and by itall things are made and without it is nothing made that is made. Souse it wisely, use it lovingly and any time you use your imaginationlovingly on behalf of another you are at that moment literallymediating God to man. Imagination is the redemptive power of the worldand you are actually mediating God to man by using it in a loving,wonderful way.