Monthly Archives: November 2014

ON LOVE; PART DCCLXXI

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 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 12:29-31).

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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.

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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 ended the last essay as we began it, by showing that it IS NOT the actual effort to keep His words that IS the KEY to attaining the Presence of God in one’s Life, the KEY to attaining the Kingdom of God, but it IS the reality of Repentance, the decision to change the focus of one’s Life away from the things of the world and onto the things of God. Keeping His words and expressing the Love that DOING so demands then become the natural way for the man who in in the process of Transforming his Life in this world. In this we should see the deeper reality in the Apostle Paul’s ideas regarding the law and the mere DOING of those things that ARE commanded, that it IS the change of heart that IS first needed in order to make the idea of keeping His words a reality. While much of the doctrinal approach sees this as that a man need not DO, that he need only believe and have faith according to the doctrines taught by the various denominations and sects, the greater reality IS that one MUST keep His words as He Himself tells us and that this IS the natural action of True Repentance. Much like the idea of Love and the reality of keeping His words ARE intimately connected, that to DO one IS to DO both, so this idea of focus and keeping His words are likewise connected albeit in a different dynamic for the man in the world. We should remember here that it IS Repentance that IS the first of the Master’s teachings as He built upon the foundation of Repentance that John the Baptist had laid, and we should understand here that there IS a reality to this word that IS lost in common usage and even in the teachings of doctrines. In the Master’s first recorded message from the Gospel of Matthew we read that, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) we have the reality of this most general admonition; this IS NOT Repentance for a specific action but Repentance for ALL one’s thoughts, attitudes and actions that are founded in the world of men. Like so many other scriptural words, this idea of Repentance IS a difficult idea to accomplish and, in this light, it IS changed and diluted so as to fit in with the carnal lives of men.

It IS in the ideas of men that the Master’s words are contorted and His references ARE made to be about others and NOT about the oneself as the hearer of His words. Jesus tells us that “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17) and while doctrine may see those in need as those who they may see as sinners, the greater reality IS that ALL men who DO NOT see God as shown us in the first Great Commandment above are those who ARE NOT whole and who need such Repentance. And we should see here that we DO NOT get Repentance but that we are called to it by the Master’s words as they resonate in the heart, in the consciousness, of men. This IS the reality of Life as the Master teaches us; Repentance IS the great door through which ALL men must pass as they come to look away from the self and the interests of the self in the world and look to the things of God. And there IS great difference between these two poles of Life in the world, a difference that IS muddied and obnubilated by doctrine but one that IS at the same time clearly pointed out for us by the Master and His apostles. As we looked at the ideas of evil and sin in the last post against the backdrop of Love and grace, we saw how that it IS one’s focus upon the Good, the Beautiful and the True, the things of God, that one actually asks, seeks and knocks on the door of grace and Wisdom; this IS the parabolic door that leads to one’s realization of the Presence of God and His individual sense of Love which IS this Presence.

Focus IS ever in the control of the consciousness of the man in the world and here we should see that the more focused a man IS on the carnal Life the less likely he will be able to hear the prompting of his own Soul over the clamor of that Life. When we can understand the ideas of sin and of evil as the reality of one’s focus being upon the things of the self, we can then understand the depth of their use in the New Testament and in the Old; that sin IS the result of the evil which IS the reality of that focus upon the carnal Life. In this view we would see that any deviation from the pronouncements of God and of the Master IS sin and that it IS this sin that we must overcome while we live here in this world under the influence of the illusion and the glamour of Life in form. And this IS the underlying note that we should take from our selection below from the First Epistle of John; here he shows us quite clearly how that Love and keeping His words are intimately tied together and how that one CAN NOT Love God without expressing that Love toward his fellowman. We should see as well how that this idea of overcoming IS also related and how that to NOT Love, as we read in the Great Commandments, the Golden Rule and the many other similar pronouncements and sayings from Jesus and His apostles, IS sin and IS as much sin as any other infraction. We read again:

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect , that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we now that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 4:7-5:5).

This idea of overcoming the world IS the reality of discipleship and the reality of being accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God and we should see this through the prism of keeping His words. John begins his words here by telling us “let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God” and in this we find the Truth of the idea of being “born again“. That the apostle repeats this idea using the idea of “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” DOES NOT detract from this idea of Love but rather enhances it and, as we previously discussed, this IS because the reality of such believing would create a man who keeps His words as they ARE those of the Christ, the Son of God. The Master tells us that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3) and we should see that the apostle’s words here are amplifying and clarifying this idea. Further, John tells us that except we “love one another” we DO NOT have the Presence of God and that except we “love one another” we CAN NOT Love God. When we can see these ideas and relate them as John DOES to being “born again“, we can see as well the reality of our ability to “overcometh the world“; and we should understand here how that ALL of these ideas ARE tied together by John and by the Master in His own words from the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel which we repeat here yet again:

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).

The reality of His Presence and His Love ARE the result of our Love for Him and this Love IS shown as we keep His words. And, the reality of keeping His words IS in our ability to “love one another” as John shows us above and as we should clearly see in the Great Commandment from the Master’s words above. While men discount and dilute these ideas, this IS the Truth of the message of the Master and His apostles and in the added reality of our ability to “overcometh the world” we should be able to see the great divide between our focus upon the self and the things of the world and our focus upon the things of God. This IS the choice between “God and mammon” and, even if we should see mammon ONLY as riches and wealth, we should see how that men dilute even this idea so as to allow for their own prosperity. The reality of the Master’s words offers us this choice, the choice of whom to serve….the selfish interests of the man in the world or the interests of God. Similarly doctrines have painted the idea of the “treasure of the heart“; while this should be seen as what IS important to a man, what his attention IS on, his focus if you will, many see only the interpreted idea of ‘love of riches’. When we can see Jesus words saying “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 6:45) as that this IS in regard to this focus….that it IS evil when on the self and the world and that it IS good when it IS on the things of God, we will have a better understanding of our own ideas of the expression of one’s Life. The “good treasure” of course comes from above, from the Soul and the Christ Within; the “good treasure” IS found in His Presence which IS His grace in the Life of the man in the world and it IS this goodness that becomes the man’s expression. It IS this “good treasure” that IS found in “the spirit which is of God” as we read in Paul’s words below and it IS to the man who possesses this “good treasure“, this Presence and grace, that KNOWS that his IS “freely given to us of God” if we will but ask, seek and knock for it which IS the essence of our focus. We read again:

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

Here we should understand the simple complexity of these spiritual ideas: by our focus upon the things of God, a focus that comes in that decision to change which IS Repentance, we come to the realization of His Presence, the realization of “the spirit which is of God” in our Life. This IS the reality of the Holy Spirit and it IS this realization that teaches the things of God as this IS the revelation of the Soul, of “the anointing which ye have received of him“. Here in the Apostle John’s words we have this same reality which we read as “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things….the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:20, 27). We should remember here that this word that IS rendered as unction and anointing IS a kindred word to the Greek word Christos which IS rendered as Christ and that in this we have the reality of the Christ Within; At the same time we should relate this to Paul’s words above regarding the Holy Spirit and the Master’s words from John’s Gospel that tell us “the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). Can we see how that the Christ and the Holy Spirit ARE the same reality, how that the “the spirit which is of God” and the Presence of God ARE the same reality? Can we see how the fullness of the Trinity works out in the Life of the man who Truly seeks God? Here, while doctrines seek to maintain a separation of these Three Aspects of God, we should see that there IS a True singularity to these ideas and one that IS expanded upon by the Master who tells us in His own parabolic way that “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).

This IS the greater reality of the Godhead and its microcosmic reference as the divine man, the Spirit, Soul and their activity in Life. ALL of these scriptural ideas are for the better understanding of men and especially those to whom these ideas were originally presented, men who were yet lost in the ignorance, the superstitions and the traditions of the time. God IS ONE and it IS in this that we find the reality of the Presence of God in the Life of men. This Presence IS shown us above as the Father and the Son and it IS shown us the Comforter as well. It IS ALL of these that become the realization of the man in the world whose focus IS upon the things of God; this IS a man’s measure of grace and his measure of the individual Love of God which He promises to the man who keeps His words……to the man that can express this in Love.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

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 repeat here again a saying that is from the Bhagavad Gita, which goes well with our theme of the God Within, the Soul, which we see as the Christ Within and while this is good in the Christian world and is True based upon our understanding of the Christ as the manifestation of God, we should also see in these words below that it does not matter what these divine ideas are called; that it matters not what we call this Inner Man, that he is the same in ALL, he is the Soul.

Thou carriest within thee a sublime Friend whom thou knowest not. For God dwells in the inner part of every man, but few know how to find Him. The man who sacrifices his desires and his works to the Beings from whom the principles of everything stem, and by whom the Universe was formed, through this sacrifice attains perfection. For one who finds his happiness and joy within himself, and also his wisdom within himself is one with God. And, mark well, the soul which has found God is freed from rebirth and death, from old age and pain, and drinks the water of Immortality.—Bhagavad-Gita

It is difficult to tell just what verses of the Bhagavad Gita the above is from; whether it is a paraphrase or a combination. It is from the book “The Great Initiates” by Édouard Schuré which was originally published in French in 1889 and perhaps it is in the translation of the verses that they become hard to recognize. However, the sheer beauty of the presentation caught my attention and so I share it with you. The Path to the Kingdom is the same no matter what religion one professes.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts