ON LOVE; PART MXXXIX
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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).
The last essay, as well as several of the previous ones, has been a review of sorts and an expansion upon our ideas on the Apostle Paul’s list of the “the fruit of the Spirit“. This followed upon our review of sorts and expansion upon the Truth behind the Greek words that represent the his list of “the works of the flesh“; in these reviews and expansions we should try to remember that ALL of the ideas that the apostle presents ARE spiritual ideas. It IS in the carnal view that IS applied to the apostle’s words this confuses and confounds the Truth of his intent and allows for the illusion and the glamour through which the simple believer sets himself apart from the seemingly non-believer. We should remember and understand here that the doctrinal view IS NOT a True picture of the intent of the Master and His apostles and that to catch a glimpse of this True picture one must look past his doctrines, his nurturing and his experience.
In “the works of the flesh” there ARE those ideas that separate a man from God through his infidelity toward the Godhead and this encompasses ALL of his thoughts, attitudes and actions that ARE contrary to the singleness of vision that IS the first of the Great Commandments. Paul goes on to then itemize such things that ARE contrary to the second of the Great Commandments; those things that separate and divide men because of one’s NOT seeing the essential Unity of ALL and, while these things seem difficult to see in one’s own Life, they ARE every thought, every attitude and every action that show a man’s “respect to persons” (James 2:9) which IS the most essential Truth of Love as this IS presented in the Greek word agape.
Finally the apostle shows us the lingering glamour that IS Life in this world as he cautions us on methe and komos; he shows us in these two ideas that the man who DOES NOT operate in “the works of the flesh” will also NOT be drunk nor revel in his accomplishments which ARE his overcoming those other things that ARE contrary to the Great Commandments. In this we ARE reminded of Paul’s words to the Romans saying that the man who has accomplished some measure of Truth should NOT “think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).
This “measure of faith” IS the measure of Truth that the man has come to KNOW and the caution here IS to NOT allow the personality, the core of the lower self, to seize upon this faith and turn it to carnal ends. And this IS the message that the apostle gives us in his words that precede our selection from Galatians as well. In the last post we cited Paul’s ideas on liberty and freedom from the opening of this chapter and also his words on the very essence of that Love in which “all the law is fulfilled“. Here today we cite Paul’s other words saying “ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” which IS this same caution and an admonition to maintain one’s focus upon the things of God. It IS in this focus that the measure of both giving and receiving IS increased. We repeat our selection here with these ideas on Love and caution attached:
“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Galatians 5:17-24).
We should try to see here how that as we speak of focus upon the things of God, the apostle speaks of walking “in the Spirit“. The result IS the same as it IS this focus, this walking, that keeps the personality at bay. It IS in maintaining and increasing one’s measure of focus upon the Godhead that one continues to “be led of the Spirit” and it IS this man that “shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” which IS that focus upon the things of the self and the self in this world. While both of these ideas ARE misunderstood and misapplied in the doctrines of men, we should see that it IS in walking “in the Spirit” that one develops and ever increasing measure of “the fruit of the Spirit” as his expression to the world. In this, there IS an ever increasing measure of Love, of chara and of Peace along with the deeper ideas found in the rest of his list.
We should note here as well that there IS a duality at play in the Life of everyman until he can reach that high plateau where he can stand as Paul shows us in the opening caution of this chapter of Galatians. The apostle says “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Here we should again try to recognize that Paul IS writing to men who have largely overcome the gross carnal behaviors; men who DO see some measure of the Truth as they strive to keep His words. It IS these men who have some measure of “the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” and, as we KNOW from Jesus’ own words, this being free comes to the man who will “ continue in my word” as we read again in our trifecta:
- “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“ (John 8:31-32).
- “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).
- “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).
And this duality for the man who strives IS rather clearly depicted by the apostle as he says “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would“. In this is that choice between “God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24) and neither of these ideas, Paul’s nor Jesus’ words, ARE merely a choice between the gross carnal behavior and believing as doctrines suggest. The choice presented by the Master and the apostle IS between following the True dictates of the Spirit as these ARE reflected in the Jesus’ words or following the ways of the flesh which ARE “the works of the flesh” as we have been discussing them.
Again, the difference IS in focus, in the measure of one’s focus upon either the things of God or the things of the self, and this includes ALL thoughts, ALL attitudes and ALL actions of the man in this world. It IS in the reality of keeping His words and of striving toward that goal while KNOWING that one has yet more work to DO and that he has NOT reached that high plateau, that ALL Truth becomes KNOWN by measure. And it IS with this idea of striving that we should try to understand what the apostle IS saying as he cautions men who ARE striving against his itemized list of “the works of the flesh“, a list that sees the propensity of men to deviate from the singleness of focus that IS required to be Truly and fully free.
Such deviation comes in the ideas that Paul presents and, as we have discussed, the first part of his list ARE those thoughts, attitudes and actions that allow one to focus upon the things of the self in this world….this IS infidelity toward the fullness of the edicts of the first of the Great Commandments. While this idea IS uncomfortable, it IS at the same time True; True Union with God and the fullness of His Presence demands this single mindedness which the Apostle James shows us saying “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8) and which the Master shows us by simply saying that we should “keep His words“. In Life this sense of duality IS that wavering between the reality of “God and mammon” and one’s focus upon these two poles of Life here in this Earth.
That the carnal ideas of self DO come is the message that Paul offers us as he tells the Corinthians that they must be “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Can we see how that it IS these imaginations and “every high thing” that ARE the reality of “the works of the flesh“? Can we see how that it IS thoughts of and for the self in this world that ARE “against the knowledge of God“? And can we see how that men’s thoughts of self engender that sense of division and faction against which Paul writes in the second part of his list of “the works of the flesh“, a list that IS against the very core of Jesus’ teaching on Love which IS epitomized in the second part of the Great Commandments and the Golden Rule.
Duality is a rule of Life for the man who has largely overcome the gross carnal ideas which ARE presented as the faults of men by doctrines. And overcoming duality IS the work of the aspirant and the disciple who ARE striving toward that singleness of focus which IS rare in this world. We should remember here that this sense of rarity IS shown us by Jesus as He tells us to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). While doctrines DO NOT see these ideas in the seemingly harsh way that they ARE given us by the Master and His apostles, the reality and the Truth IS ever in their words and it IS in the deeper ideas that we should take from the Greek words used that much of this Truth lies. None of this however IS seen until one sees the Truth of His words over the doctrines of men; it IS ONLY then that duality Truly begins to play its role.
In past essays we showed this sense of duality through the words of our Tibetan brother and if we can look at his words against the backdrop of our ideas here and the words of the Master and His apostles that we cite, perhaps we can better understand the struggle and how that this IS the very defining quality of striving. Perhaps we can see as well that it IS one’s working through this duality that IS the sense that should be taken from Jesus’ words saying “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). We should NOT forget here the Master’s words on discipleship which carry the same message; we read: “whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). The Tibetan tells us:
For what is a disciple? He is one who seeks to learn a new rhythm, to enter a new field of experience, and to follow the steps of that advanced humanity who have trodden ahead of him the path, leading from darkness to light, from the unreal to the real. He has tasted the joys of life in the world of illusion and has learnt their powerlessness to satisfy and hold him. Now he is in a state of transition between the new and the old states of being. He is vibrating between the condition of soul awareness and form awareness. He is “seeing double” **.
What IS referred to as the disciple in these words IS for us the aspirant and this because of the most strict definitions applied to the idea of the disciple that ARE given to us by Jesus who tells us more completely just what the disciple IS. We read this in the trifecta above where the disciple IS the man who will “continue in my word” and we read this in His words saying “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). We should see here that to “bear much fruit” one must keep His words and this Jesus shows us in the Parable of the Sower where of the man who IS the “good ground“; that it IS he “which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). These ideas give us the definition of discipleship and while many who follow doctrines and who study His words even in a cursory way may believe themselves to be His disciples, the greater Truth IS in His words above as well as these most descriptive ideas saying:
“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. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-33).
In between the discipleship criteria that begins this selection and that which ends it we have the Master parabolic teaching that shows the cost of discipleship and the forward looking attitude that should be applied to it. In the end there IS here the reality of the singleness of focus: one must hold the Lord above ALL “and his own life also“; there IS also the need to strive which IS that struggle in which one will “bear his cross, and come after me” and, finally, from the outset, one must see and understand that to forsaketh “all that he hath” IS a requirement. The Master shows us the builder and the king as examples of the need to DO and to KNOW what must be done.
While it was our intention to go on to the next word in Paul’s list of “the fruit of the Spirit“, makrothumia, which IS rendered as longsuffering, we became sidetracked by this discussion of duality and its role in discipleship; we will try to get back to the list in the next essay.
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.
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 a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.
My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.
My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.
I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.
My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts
- **A Treatise on White Magic or The Way of the Disciple by Alice Bailey ©1951 by Lucis trust
