Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART XIX
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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On discipleship he says:
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27, 33).
In the allied saying from Matthew’s Gospel we read:
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).
The Apostle John tells us this of the Masters words on discipleship:
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).
“Herein is my Father glorified , that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).
Today we will finish with our sayings above regarding discipleship. As we have been saying, these are very clear and pointed statements by the One who we call Master and, if any truly desire to actually be His disciple, these are the criteria that MUST be followed. Any man can say that he is a disciple of the Master but unless he fulfills these requirements he is not and while this is a very personal matter, a man’s relationship to his own Soul, his Christ Within, and his God, we do KNOW the relative ways of discerning one who Truly is and this is also taught us by the Master. In relation to our words here, let us look at some of what Jesus has said in regard to what we should do for Him and for our own Christ Within.
- We begin here with the ideas of considering Him our Master which is framed for us by Him as our Lord. The Master tells us: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What we have said regarding this saying is much the same as we say here in our text above; it matters not what we may say or even what we may believe about ourselves and our relationship to the Lord, it is profitless if we do not do as He, our Lord and Master, says that we should do. In this context, it is that we “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” and in our verses on discipleship above it should be seen the same.
- In a similar saying we find the pointed question that we can apply to most any part of the Master’s instructions and commandments; He tells us: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Can we see that the emphasis here is the same as above? If we call Him Lord and Master and do not the things that He says, our efforts are profitless to the reality of our lives as Souls; we may feel better and look better among men but this meaningless to the True man and to God and is rather like those that the Master derides saying:
- “But all their works they do for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5)
- “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1)
- “And when thou prayest , thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matthew 6:5).
- “Moreover when ye fast , be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matthew 6:16).
We should see in these words not only the fasting and the praying and the giving but rather ALL things that should be directed ONLY to God and the God Within. The essence of these sayings by the Master is that when we do things to look good among men, we are doing naught but showing that vanity by which the race is held captive and which is fed by the illusion and the glamour to which man succumbs.
The above points are to show the Master’s intent of cautioning us on what it is that we should do if we are to be Truly making an effort toward discipleship. Of primary importance are His two points; first that just because we may think or even pretend that we receive Him as our Lord and Master does not make it so. It is only by our actions and our thoughts that we are keeping His words. Second, we should do no thing that has even the appearance of so doing to be recognized by men, especially if we desire that our efforts are uniquely focused on the True man, the Soul and the Christ Within. As we mentioned above there is a way to discern if what a man says that he is spiritually is actually his reality, and this through his interactions with others; He tells us:
- Remembering the Parable of the Sower we should understand that it is the good ground that is the man that is focused upon the things of God. Jesus tells us that “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit , and bringeth forth , some an hundredfold , some sixty , some thirty” In these word is our foundation for the bearing of fruit as a man focused on God. In Mark’s Gospel the wording is a bit different but the meaning the same: “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit , some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred” (Mark 4:20) while in Luke’s version the wording is “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15) which tells us a bit more about the inner working of this idea in man.
- Understanding the general idea of bearing fruit, let us look as the Master’s words regarding our perception of others: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:15-20). Again we must try to see that the Master is not speaking only about false prophets as we understand the term in doctrine but rather in regard to any who uses pretense is trying to gain advantage over another. In His speaking he is referring to those that purposefully deceive but what of those others who believe that they are doing right? When we let all of these statements stand alone we can see clearly that it is by the fruits that we KNOW another and this is True in virtually every area of Life.
- The Master tells us again a bit further on this same thing in a different context; speaking to the rulers about those who speak against Him and against God, a thing that should not be taken literally, He says: “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit” (Matthew 12:33).
- In another combination of sayings we read “For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:44-45). Can we assume here that the Master is relating these two consecutive thoughts and that fruits and treasures can be related; good fruits to good treasures of the heart of the man focused upon God and the opposite in regard to one whose focus is upon the things of the Earth.
- We can tie this to the Master’s words on discipleship as we cite them above by His simple words saying: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).
This idea then of bearing fruit should be seen on par with those ideas of treasure albeit in slightly different contexts. The treasure can be seen as the wherewithal that a man can have to do or to think in accord with the ways of the flesh or the ways of the Spirit. It is the conscious choice of the man to do and it becomes the content of his heart, or his very consciousnesses. We have said that the treasure of a man is found in his focus and that it IS his focus and we are saying nothing different here; a man’s treasure should be seen as what it is that is most important to him.
Fruit is a from a slightly different perspective as the fruit that a man bears is the resultant actions that this treasure, this focus, produces. Again, as we see in the verses above that the idea of fruit can be either good or it can be bad or corrupt. The fruit is the apparent and resultant action of the treasure or the focus of a man’s Life and we should understand that the fruit which the Master tells us that we should have is that fruit that results from the focus of the man on the things of God and NOT on the things of the world. In conjunction with the ideas at the top of our essay again today we should be able to understand the severity, from the perspective of the man in form, of the criteria for becoming a disciple and so we should interpret His saying “that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” and we should know by the very context of the total of our verses that this idea of “much fruit” is not what can be seen in the Life of the average good citizen. The idea here of much is real and should be considered as it is offered in this saying that uses the same Greek word: “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30); from this we should have the idea of the greatness of the amount of fruit that the True disciple should bear.
This message of fruit is further enhanced by the Master’s saying that “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5) which should also further paint for us the reality of the idea of focus as we so often use it and as we use it above today. His message here can be seen clearly to be that if there is no focus upon the Christ Within, if a man does not live in that reality, that his bringing forth “much fruit” will NOT be possible. Finally, on the matter of fruit as the resultant action in the Life of a man, as his expression in Life of the Love and the Power of the Christ Within to whatever degree, we must understand that the fruit will be of those things as told us by the Apostle Paul. As the disciple there will be much fruit and for any man who portrays himself as one this is his measure. As the aspirant there will be fruit as well, perhaps not so much as to be seen as a disciple and for any man who portrays himself as such, this is his measure as well. This latter idea of aspirant can range from the everyday man who realizes the presence of that Inner Life and chooses to pursue it up to the fact of discipleship itself and none of us here are qualified to be the one who measures this for another; each can only measure for oneself. However, on the matter of discerning the Truth of another in a broader sense, we should KNOW and realize the cautions of the Master regarding such and hold to His saying that “by their fruits ye shall know them” as this is the measure par excellence of us ALL.
And so that we are not left bereft of a True understanding of what the Master means when He speaks of fruit, Paul puts it into perspective for us saying that: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23) and again that “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9). These are the expression of the aspirant and of the disciple and of any man who professes to be religious or holy or of God in any way and these are the result of one’s focus upon the things of God, the result of the treasure that one has in his heart. This is also the True road to the Kingdom of God and to discipleship.
“by their fruits ye shall know them”
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
We conclude this excursion into these idea of discipleship and the being accounted worthy of His Kingdom by again repeating what can be considered the MOST IMPORTANT of the Master’s teachings and the fastest and the surest way to the achievement of these things. This is of course our expression of Love and we should look at this Love in relation to the ideas above from Paul as his “fruit of the Spirit” listing contains naught but Love for God and for one’s fellowman. We conclude today with our understanding of Love as we must express it as there IS NO other way to enter the Path of the aspirant, the Path to discipleship, without Love.
KEEPING HIS WORDS:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
WHAT THEN IS LOVE?
In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
We leave again our sayings on faith and believing which we hope to get back to in the next post.
- “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).
- “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?…..For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him” (Matthew 21:25, 32).
- “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not…….” (Matthew 24:23-26).
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
We leave our quote of the day for another day as in it we find some of the realities of what is man as Spirit, Soul and the Life within the form. In this affirmation we find our understanding of our relationship to God and our relationship to man. Our relationship to God is as Part and Parcel of Him; our relationship to man is in service.
I am a point of light within a greater Light. I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine. I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focused within the fiery Will of God. And thus I stand I am a way by which men may achieve. I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand. I am a beam of light, shining upon their way. And thus I stand. And standing thus, revolve And tread this way the ways of men, And know the ways of God. And thus I stand.Today’s Quote of the Day is called the Affirmation of the Disciple and is spoken from the perspective of the Soul and not from that of the man in form. It is the Soul that we are in this life on Earth, housed in this ‘temple’ of flesh and it is the Light of the Soul that must flow through this ‘temple’ in order that we may say with the Christ “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) which is our goal and our destiny. Speaking then as the Soul we affirm our reality and true existence in God and in His Three Aspects of Light and Love and His Will. As this Light and Love and Will flow through our conscious personalities and forms we, as disciples, take on the nature of the second stanza being able to offer to the world a better way through our service and our Love for all, encouragement to righteousness through our strength of purpose, and the Light which shines in accordance with the Master’s instructions to “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) and illuminates the Path. Finally we realize that we are standing in this world and walking as men but, as conscious Souls in form, we know the way and the ways of God and are able to say with the Christ that “I am not of this world” (John 8:23).
Looking at Life as we depict it above in relation to this affirmation we can see the idea presented that we are a part of God and that this is true on multiple levels, the levels that we call the Trinity. Relating these first three lines to the chart above can offer some clarity as to the nature of God and of man. For more on the ideas in this Affirmation of the Disciple please refer to the Quote of the Day from In the Words of Jesus parts 179-181.
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 7 Dictionary.com Unabridged based on Random House Dictionary – 2011
