IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1192

ON LOVE; PART DCCLXXXI

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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)

In the last essay we expanded upon the ideas presented to us by the Master’s exchange with the rich young man who comes to Jesus seeking the Kingdom of God. While the man’s question IS in regard to eternal Life, this IS NOT how the Master expresses His answer. Jesus answer, as ARE so many of them, DOES NOT address the question directly, it DOES NOT address eternal Life as such nor as it may have been seen by the religious Jew. Jesus answer IS in terms of the Kingdom of God. In the Master’s words the reality of the eternal Life asked for IS shown to this man in Jesus words saying that if he should do as the Master prescribes, that “thou shalt have treasure in heaven“. In this idea we must draw out the link and understand that it IS the fullness of the realization of the Presence of God, that comes in the fullness of keeping His words, that IS the Kingdom of God and IS the Truth of eternal Life as this idea IS framed for us. In the doctrinal view that this eternal Life IS afforded ONLY to the man who lives according to the various doctrinal pronouncements, we should remember that many doctrines also believe in the eternity of hell; in this sense there IS eternal Life for ALL and no reason for the question. However, when we can see the question as it regards the Presence of God in one’s Life, a Presence that IS beyond that which can come in the rote adherence to the law and the commandments of God, then we can better understand the reality that the Master presents in His answer; we can have a better view of the dichotomy of the things of the world as these ARE opposed to the things of God. The essential message here can be seen as Jesus’ Truth that the things of the world must become ordinary, that they must have NO importance to the man who Truly seeks the Kingdom of God. This however IS a difficult message for the man whose focus IS upon himself and his self in the world as IS the accompanying idea of Love which IS seen through the prism of keeping His words in their intent and NOT in their letter. We should note that ALL of the Master’s teaching of Truth can be found in these ideas below that He presents to His apostles; we repeat again our selection from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John:

“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).

In these words from Jesus we have the reality of the Presence of God as the reciprocal action in the Life of the man who Loves Him and this IS the man who keeps His words. And we should see here how that this question raised by the apostle Judas IS NOT addressed in the way that it IS asked; there IS NO further explanation, there IS ONLY the reiteration of the Truth of keeping His words and the implication that ALL who can DO this will have the Presence of God in their Life in this world. This is the resolution of the mysteries of Life in this world for the man who can see past the doctrinal ideas of heaven and hell and understand the reality of His Presence which the Apostle Paul frames for us in his own words saying: “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). It IS the way of men to place themselves above the fray and to see themselves as among the saints. To DO so is to miss much opportunity to reveal the Truth of the Christ Within which comes in one’s realization of the Presence of God, the grace and the Love of God, which comes into the Life of the man who can change that focus of Life from the ways of men to the ways of God. We should realize that the mystery IS hidden in plain sight and it IS ONLY obscured by the vanity, by the illusion and the glamour, that plagues the minds of men in this world and which IS promoted among men in the most common views of religions which, in their individual ways, justify the ways of men in this world. It IS the realization of Truth, the realization of the “Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17) in the Presence of God that sets us free and that IS our deliverance from the ways of men and the ways of the world.

This IS the reality of the message of the Master on the revelation of divinity in the Life of man and we can clearly see this in the relationship of Truth with keeping His words. Here we must understand that the Holy Spirt which the Master teaches us of IS the very Presence of God which we see in His words above and which IS realized in keeping His commandments. In His words we ARE shown this relationship in many ways; we read about the Comforter, that God: “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). That this idea IS based upon the reality that precedes it, that “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) IS missed by many as IS the relationship of Jesus final thought in this saying….that He will come to the man who keeps His words, that He will be the Comforter, and it IS this idea that He builds upon in the subsequent verses that we have above. This IS the Presence of God and the reality of the Christ Within; this IS the Truth of our deliverance from the ways of men and of the world. When we can understand the reality of sin, that it IS NOT as men see this idea in their own lives as they make themselves better than others in their own minds and then see others as sinners, then we can see more clearly the reality of the teachings of the Master. When we can see sin as the opposite of keeping His words in their fullness, then we can understand how that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 8:23). We should try to understand that ALL worldly sense IS sin if it takes a man to personal ends and personal gain; if it causes a man to spend his attention, his focus, upon the things of the world rather than the things of God. It IS in this context that we should read the Master’s words to those Jews that were following Him and striving to keep His words which idea we get from our own understanding of the reality of believing on and believing in as this IS presented by the Apostle John; we read:

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:31-34).

In these ideas and thoughts we should try to see the message that Paul delivers to the Romans regarding the plight of men in this world, how that they ARE here according to the Plan of God with the expectation that they will be delivered, that they will find the wherewithal to Repent and change the focus of their lives both individually and globally. We should try to see as well how that the global effect of this change IS NOT limited to Christians and that the words of the Master ARE universal in scope as they teach us the Love that we MUST have one for another, that Love that IS shown us in the Great Commandments above and in the reality of the Golden Rule. And to this we should add that the global effect of deliverance IS ONLY possible through the individual work of those who can see the Truth; it IS these who will show off their fruit and their Light through which others may glimpse the Truth. Paul’s message to the Romans, while misunderstood to be a reflection of the ‘fall of man’, IS the reality of Life in this world; in his words that “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21), we should see both the ways of men and the ways of God. The ways of men in the vanity under His Plan, the illusion and the glamour of Life in this world, and the deliverance from this through the Presence of God in one’s Life.

The reality presented here in these words from the apostle and from the Master reflects upon the reality of the bondage which goes unseen yet today. Men ARE bound to the world, to their lives in the world, because they DO NOT understand the nature of the message nor the Truth of sin. It IS in the doctrinal view of sin that comes to us from the traditions and the doctrines of the Jews that the idea of sin is framed for us in most Christian doctrine and this IS compounded by the ways of men who choose to see themselves as among those who DO NOT sin and who allot their view of sin to the other man who they see in worse light than they see themselves. It IS in the attempt to free oneself from sin that the doctrinal approach of the atoning blood of the Master and grace as the “free gift” of God come into play. When we can see that sin IS but the ways of men in this world, that sin IS the focus of a man upon the things of the world rather than upon the things of God, we can then see the Truth of the message and begin to see the hidden Truth behind the mysteries if Life. When the reality of the Kingdom of God and the Truth of that Repentance that IS shown us by both the Baptist and the Master ARE seen in the proper light and with the proper understanding, then we can better understand the reality of the Kingdom….that it IS here and now and we can see that from the perspective of the Soul, one’s continued existance as men in form Life after Life IS the reality of what has come to be called hell. This IS our bondage, our bondage to the ways of the world, which can be broken by our Repentance and, in the words of the apostle, this IS the expected outcome of the Plan of God for men, for Souls, who ARE involved in this evolution of Life in form.

And the key to the Master’s words above IS that a man keep His words or, as He frames this here, that one “continue in my word“; this IS the reality of discipleship and it IS by this same criteria by which one IS accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God. While many DO NOT relate these ideas, the relationship IS sure and it IS founded in Jesus’ way of teaching. The Truth must be discerned by men in this world in the Light of their own Souls; and this IS the message that we read above….that it IS in keeping His words that we find the reality that “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free“. And what IS this Truth but the reality of His words saying that “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)? Here the criteria IS the same; the Truth of “he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” IS NO different than the Truth that one must “continue in my word” and this we KNOW because Jesus tells us that His word IS the “word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:24). In these ideas and many others like them, the reality of the relationships is founded and it IS in this Truth that we should see that to be His disciple IS to be accounted worthy of His Kingdom. In this sense of relationship we should be able to more clearly see the reality of the Kingdom of God, that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) as the Master tells us, and it IS in the reality of discipleship that the nature of the Kingdom, the Nature of God, becomes the expression of the man in the world. In this world ALL are men and the difference between the disciple and the carnal man IS his expression of Truth, his expression of His words and of the Love that He teaches us. Again we must remember here that ALL of this works out by degree in the Life of the aspirant as he seeks to become the disciple and then seeks to find the fullness of discipleship; it IS the grace of God, His Presence in one’s Life, that moves a man to greater and greater measure. In this movement of the focus of the man to ever more spiritual endeavor, ever more of the things of God, we can find the Truth of the Master’s words saying “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath” (Matthew 13:12).

Can we see how that this dynamic can work out in the Life of the man? Can we see how that as one heeds the prompting of his own Soul to see the things of God, more revelation and realization becomes available to the consciousness of the man? Can we see how that this upward spiral results in ever more revelation and ever more focus which leads to yet more revelation and realization of the Truths that can make one free? And this IS the idea that we should take from John’s words in our selection below from his epistle; it IS in the conscience of the man in the world, in his heart or conscious awareness, that the reality of “if our heart condemn us” should be found. It IS here in one’s heart that each man KNOWS that he IS righteous and in the idea presented here as condemn, we should see the greater reality of finding fault against the reality of our “confidence toward God“, a confidence that comes to us because “we keep his commandments“. Can we see this in the apostle’s words below?

“whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 3:17-24, 4:1-6).

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