ON LOVE; PART DCCCXXVIII
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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. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God
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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 with the Master’s closing words from the sixteenth chapter where He tells the Eleven to “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world“. While the key words here ARE that “I have overcome the world“, we should sense the encouragement that Jesus IS offering to His apostles. Previously Jesus had warned them saying “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh , that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come , ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you” (John 16:2-4) and in this we can find the idea from our current selection where He shows them that “In the world ye shall have tribulation“. While this IS True, while this sense of tribulation IS to become a reality for them, the greater reality rests in the encouragement and the reason for that encouragement…..that “I have overcome the world“….and that as they continue in His word, that they can and will “overcome the world as well.
Here again we should try to see the greater reality of Jesus’ words as He tells them of those things that may befall them and then offers this encouragement in the simple phrase “be of good cheer“. The Master IS NOT cautioning them so that they will be in fear or even that they should be overly cautious; He IS telling them these things so that they will remember His teaching as they see such things happening in their lives and around them. In Jesus idea that “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended” with which this sixteenth chapter opens, we should see that the idea of “these things” IS the totality of His teaching which shows them the importance that they should “hath my commandments, and keepeth them” as this IS the gateway to the continued and growing Presence of God in their lives. The idea presented to them here IS deeply personal and, as we have discussed, we should see this as that He IS showing them that whatsoever happens, that they should NOT react as men in this world but rather in the tone that was set in the Sermon on the Mount, the tone of “whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).
Underlying ALL of the Master’s words here in His teaching to them after the Supper IS the reality of the Presence of God in their lives, their realization of this Presence as the Holy Spirit, and the greater Truths that ARE encompassed in His leaving them. So while we can see the idea of cautions in Jesus’ words to the Eleven, we should also see the greater reality that IS found in the idea that they should NOT react but that they should KNOW, by the Master’s own example, that whatsoever may happen to them in this world IS of NO importance. It IS this, although NOT clearly stated to them, that IS the hidden message behind the reality that we should see in His words saying “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world“. And we should understand here that this sense of overcoming IS founded in the Presence of God, in the Truth that the disciple in the world IS NO longer the carnal man but the spiritual man as his thoughts, his attitudes and his actions become those of the Christ and and the God Within….the True man……the Soul. Here again we repeat the Master’s words that show the Eleven and that show us how that we DO attain this Presence by measure and we should try to see how that it IS in the fullness of this that we too can “overcome the world“. We read His words again saying:
“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).
As we close out our discussion on this sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of John we should try to see the ideas that ARE presented in the way that the Master has told them and NOT misconstrue His words to suit our own carnal understanding. As He tells them that “These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs“, we should see the greater point….not that He IS changing this way of teaching them, but that they must come to realize the Truth as it IS revealed to them as individual Souls. It IS in “the time cometh” that we should see this and try to understand that idea behind these words and the idea behind His words “At that day” ARE the same. While much of doctrine believes this to be at Pentecost, the greater Truth IS found in their individual realizations of the Truths behind His words and it IS this same dynamic which IS at play in the lives of aspirants and disciples yet today. His words ARE ever parabolic, they ARE parables as stories and as analogies and they are meanings that ARE hidden behind words as we see above in manifesting and in abiding, which word IS rendered as mansions by those who DO NOT yet see the Truth of His Presence. And perhaps the deepest idea that IS hidden in these ideas of His Presence is the reality of the way that “I shall shew you plainly of the Father“; when we can tie this idea to the deeper reality expressed in His words on the Holy Spirit we can then see the whole of His message with greater clarity. We repeat again our current selection form the sixteenth chapter:
“These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now beliefve? Behold , the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:25-33).
When we can understand the deeper meaning of His words, we will have found the deeper measure of the Presence of God; it IS in this increasing measure which comes with our increased focus upon the things of God, that His words will come more and more alive in our own lives. And this sense of aliveness IS NOT merely our ability toe discern the deeper Truths but it IS this aliveness that IS also the fruit, that IS our expression of Love as we keep His words in an ever increasing way. This IS what IS shown us in the Life of the apostles and most specifically in the Life of the Apostle Peter. As we have been reading in John’s Gospel, there IS uncertainty in the minds of the Eleven and in this uncertainty there IS doubt; it IS with this in mind that we should read the words of encouragement that we have in our selection above. But more than just this, we should be seeing the encouragement in most ALL that the Master has said since the Supper as He gives them specific instructions and complete reasoning for their hope albeit this reasoning IS largely “spoken unto you in proverbs“.
It IS in the increased measure of revelation that men gain the greater realization of the Truth of His words and the deeper meanings that are encompassed in them. Here we should remember that this increased revelation IS the increased Presence of God in the Life of the man in this world, the increased realization in his heart, his consciousness, of his own divine nature and the increased sense of spiritual discernment that this brings. In this we should be able to see how that the carnal interpretation of divine ideas IS superseded by a more spiritual interpretation which grows into the fullness of the Truth behind such ideas. It IS in this way that we grow spiritually and it IS in this way that the Kingdom Within grows in its influence upon the Life of the man in the world. We should try to see here how that this growth of the Kingdom IS the growth of His Presence and IS the growing grace of God in the Life of the man….the growing revelation and realization of the Truths of Life and the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.
ALL of this increased measure IS found in the reality of seeing the Truth behind His words, the words of His apostles and the ideas that ARE yet hidden in the laws and the precepts of the Old Testament. And we must remember here that this sense of increased measure IS NOT limited to religion nor to spiritual matters but rather covers most ALL areas of Life, and this according to the Plan of God. In the deeper realities of Life, in the Truth of man as a Spirit created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27) who IS eternal, we should be able to see past this brief carnal existence and understand that in this eternity that we share there IS more than this brief excursion of Life in this world now, and that there IS more than that eternal existence that IS painted for us in doctrines. Our existence IS ever one of growth and ever one of progress and of evolution which we CAN NOT even imagine. If we can but visualize the evolution of forms in this Earth and the evolution of emotions and of mind that mankind has progressed through and if we can but imagine the future evolution of man in this world, we can likely then see that NO thing IS stagnant, that ALL IS moving forward to greater and greater glory if we can use that idea here.
This constantly evolving quality of Life in this world IS ever bringing men closer to the Truths of Life and every great carnal discovery IS a part of that evolving quality. This sense of evolution has served to create a more homogeneous race of men and has transformed fear and superstition into a greater reality for much of our planet and the more than seven billion incarnated Souls that live upon it today. Among these Souls ARE many who have achieved much in regard to the Presence of God in their lives in previous incarnations and it IS by the measure of this Presence that they have come again under the Plan of God and set their focus upon some necessary human goal. This IS the True way of evolution, not of the body but of the quality of Life and the opportunity to progress. We CAN NOT explain how it IS that this ALL works save to say that each individual Soul KNOWS his own place in the Grand Scheme and willingly gives himself to that next incarnation with hope and expectation that he will be able to overcome the wiles of worldly living and continue in his pursuit of Perfection.
In ALL of the New and the Old Testaments there IS nothing that denies what we say here and there IS much that can point this way to the man of vision and the man whose emotions and mind ARE NOT clouded by doctrines that keep the flow of Truth from him. We should remember however that while doctrines and theologies may limit the perception of Truth for some, they DO bring others to a basic sense of God. In this we should see yet deeper into the idea that it IS within each individual person that the prompting of his own Soul acts and it IS ever to the individual to heed the call to his own Truth based upon his own place in the Grand Scheme. In this we should also see that whether one’s Life focus IS intended to be religion and spiritual matters or science or business, that it IS in his individual domain to progress, to seek a greater measure of the Presence of God in His Life which IS the Presence of His own Soul as the motivating factor. It IS in his individual domain to seize his opportunity for growth as a Soul in form whose objective IS the Kingdom of God to which the Paths ARE many but the gate IS one.
In ALL of these religious or secular incarnations however there IS one common denominator; there ARE two things that ARE of importance to the individual Soul. There ARE three things that must become the expression of the man in this world. None ARE free from the expression of Love and it IS this expression, this fruit of one’s Life, that reigns supreme and it IS Love that must become embedded in ALL of a man’s endeavors here in this Earth. This IS the Grand Service of men; that they Love one another. It IS the expression of this Love that causes a man to look away from the self in this world and to sacrifice the carnal Life for the prompting from his own Soul; in this we can see that regardless that one’s focus may be spiritual, or science, or business or whatever, that he must be devoted to that ideal to which he IS divinely prompted. This IS the realty of the Presence of God then in the Life of the man who can Love, the man who can sacrifice the carnal for the divine even in secular endeavors; here we should see that it IS the measure of Loving sacrifice that shows the measure of focus and of keeping His words.
Finally we must understand that the reality of our progress IS the purpose of our Life here in this world. Here, while we may NOT KNOW the reasons or be able to even imagine the outcome, we must be able to understand and accept our own divine nature in order to progress to the fullness of Truth. In this endeavor we ARE alone; each of us, by himself, must come to the measure of realization that will release him from this need for carnal existence, a measure of realization that will deliver him “from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). This IS our destiny and this IS our goal; this IS the fullness of the Master’s words saying “I have overcome the world“. It IS in this final outcome that we find the fullness of the Kingdom of God; it IS the reality that “I have overcome the world” that sets each man free from the attractions and the attachments that he has to this Life and it IS in this freedom that he IS forever free….free to move onward with the Master to yet greater glory.
In these ideas there IS a reason for our Life as a Soul and a reason for our Life here in this Earth and the deeper meanings behind these reasons, while obscure and nebulous, should show us that it IS the very idea of revelation and realization that we see in the grace of God that drives us forward to evermore. It IS in this sense that we come to KNOW God and KNOW our own relationship to the One God through Love. We close today with this from the Apostle John:
“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” (1 John 4:7-9).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way |
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.
Repeating a Quote of the Day from the past that has some significance in relation to what we are discussing here, that the Kingdom of God and therefore God is within us ALL and that it IS His Presence which a man realizes by measure as he begins his journey to the Kingdom of God. Here Lord Tennyson poetically tells us just how close God Truly IS and how it is that we touch Him
Speak to Him, thou, for He hears,
and Spirit with Spirit can meet
Closer is He than breathing,
and nearer than hands and feet.
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892)
From the poem The Higher Pantheism which puts forth the authors spiritual belief. Whether we agree with him or not, the quote if spiritually perfect for all of Christianity as well as any other world religion.
The thought behind the idea above IS NOT unlike that which we have been carrying as our Quote of the Day for many essays; It IS in the closeness that Lord Tennyson shows us that we should see the idea that “God dwells in the inner part of every man” which we read in the previous Quote of the Day. For us this saying and the previous one show us the closeness of the spiritual self to the Father and then too the closeness of the spiritual self with the personality of man. Men may like to think of God as something outside and above but the reality, as we have seen in so many of the sayings of the Master, is that God is with us and in us and we need only to let ourselves be drawn and to focus upon Him. And, if we can use these words from the Gospel of Thomas here we can perhaps see much: “When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father“
