ON LOVE; PART DCCCXCIX
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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)
While it IS interesting to be able to see deeper into the Apostle Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians and to understand some of the more acerbic points that he IS making to the readers of his epistle, there IS also great importance in the realization that they, and us yet today, must ever be aware of the source and the nature of those thoughts and imaginations which ARE “against the knowledge of God” that may be at work in one’s own consciousness . In these simple words IS the caution to ALL men to beware and the ramifications of the apostle’s ideas can be rather broad yet today as so many men have thoughts and imaginations which ARE contrary to the teachings of the Master but who DO NOT see this reality in their lives. Nor DO they understand the apostle’s caution against the backdrop of doctrinal interpretations of his words and while it IS our view that it IS doctrines which pose as the Truth of His words that ARE become the strongholds of many, ALL men who Truly seek God must be aware of the propensity of the carnal mind to create such strongholds which can be seen in much this same way: the propensity to see the Truth in carnal terms and in ways that benefit the psyche of the man in this world.
This is a reality that likely afflicts ALL men as even the doctrines that one has come to accept ARE further interpreted to allow for one’s own perspective on Life. For the aspirant and the disciple, there IS yet much to be cautious about as the Life of man who Truly seeks God IS embedded in that realm of duality and he IS largely alone with his own thoughts which are most often contrary to the common understanding of others. At the same time as one may have the deeper realizations of Truth which come in the grace of God, the Presence of God by measure to the man who strives to keep His words, there IS also the wranglings of the personality which IS sometimes easily captivated by the ways of men and the ways of the world in which he has been nurtured and which has been his previous experience. To this man the words of the apostle take on yet greater meaning:
“the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 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 10:4-5).
In the Life of the aspirant and the disciple, the target audience of the apostle’s words, there IS however the availability of “the weapons of our warfare“, those spiritual weapons that come by measure to the man who keeps His words; a measure that IS proportionate to each mans “several ability” to focus upon the Truth and the things of God. Here then the idea that Paul IS conveying IS one of spiritual discernment; that IS that the aspirant and the disciple must use this weapon to KNOW that whatsoever thoughts and imaginations DO NOT “exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” and, that when one IS discovered to be contrary to the Truth, that it IS to be cast down and NOT be allowed to take hold in one’s consciousness where it can become a stronghold. And this IS the same caution that the Master offers us in His words that say “Take heed what ye hear” ((Mark 4:24) according to the Apostle Mark and “Take heed therefore how ye hear” (Luke 8:18) as the Apostle Luke frames this.
While we generally use these same sayings in a different context where we see the Master’s words as affirming that what measure of realization that one has will result in yet greater realization, there IS also this caution that a man be aware of just what he may be accepting as Truth. We should remember here that this hearing IS NOT limited to the ear but includes ALL that enters into one’s consciousness, ALL thoughts and imaginations. Here then men must use such degree of spiritual discernment that they may possess at any time as their weapon to fight against strongholds, against thoughts and imaginations that ARE contrary to the Truth that comes through that spiritual discernment. Again it IS to the man to discern what IS a Truth that IS NOT “against the knowledge of God” and this would be one that IS founded in Love and in the general parameters of the “fruit of the Spirt” and the Apostle’s James listing of what IS “the wisdom that is from above“.
There IS NO difference between the revelations and realizations that come to the man who strives to keep the Master’s words and “the wisdom that is from above“, which IS largely the same as Paul’s listing of the “fruit of the Spirt“, and we should understand here that the doctrinal overtones must be eliminated from both sayings in order to have a True picture of just what these words mean; we should understand as well that such elimination itself IS a part of our ability for spiritual discernment. It IS the reality of this sense of confusion that faces the aspirant and the disciple that feeds into the duality in which he lives and which makes his Life evermore difficult. It IS here as well that one must rely upon the Truths that come from the apostles’ ideas which we repeat here for clarification and understand that these ARE both intimately tied to the Truth of Love and to the most simple guideline that if a thought, an attitude or an action has the benefit of the self in world at its heart, then this IS likely NOT “the wisdom that is from above“….this IS NOT the “fruit of the Spirt“.
- The Apostle Paul tells us: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22:23); and he adds that “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9).
- The Apostle James tells us: “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).
We should see in ALL of this the reality of Paul’s words above on strongholds: that these ARE whatsoever ideas that become the thoughts and attitudes of men which ARE “against the knowledge of God“. We should see also that it IS by the spiritual weapon of discernment, a weapon that comes by measure to the man who keeps His words, that one can DO “the pulling down of strong holds” and that one can prevent their very formation by “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ“. It IS here that men must discern the Truth of the Master’s words and while the ideas from Paul and James above can help a man to see the Truth, the reality of his discernment IS left with each man alone as this IS revealed from his own Soul. In this we should see the reality of Jesus words above and understand that the greater one’s measure of revelation and realization, the greater one’s ability to discern the Truth and the easier His task will be as he receives yet greater measure. This IS the reality of Jesus words saying “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have” (Luke 8:18). We should remember here the reality of delusion that IS in this saying as Jesus tells us about discerning the Truth and how that one’s measure of Truth can grow and as He then tells us as well of the loss of whatsoever sense of Truth one may have when the man’s discernment IS wrong.
And this ALL ties back to the reality of keeping His words as the cause and the source of one’s realization of the Truth, one’s realization of the Presence of God in his Life. It IS in the absence of keeping His words that wrong discernment flows as the man’s focus IS yet upon the self and the things of the world; it IS the man who sees his doctrine as the fullness of Truth who will “seemeth to have” some measure of the Master’s Truth. It IS this same delusion that allows for the strongholds in the Life of the man who believes he has found the Truth but who DOES NOT keep His words; it IS this same delusion that James shows us saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Again, it IS at the intersection of ALL of the ideas offered by the Master and His apostles that the fullness of Truth lies and there IS but one way to that Truth which IS the Master’s message to those who follow Him, to those “Jews which believed on him” which we should see as those who were striving to keep His words; we read again:
“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).
This IS the gateway to Truth, this IS the KEY to our deliverance, our being made free from the ways of men and of the world which ARE contrary to “the knowledge of God“: that we keep His words and, as Jesus frames this for us here, that “ye continue in my word“. Here again, as we have pointed out many times, we should try to see and to understand the symmetry of ALL of the resultant grace that comes from keeping His words. In this view we should see as the same such ideas as being His “disciples indeed” according to Jesus’ words above, of being accounted worthy to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” as the man who “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21), and of having the Presence of God which IS the realization of that Presence and of the “Spirit of truth” which we read again in these words from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And 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:a I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 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 14:15-24).
While keeping His words IS then the KEY to the Kingdom of God, the Presence of God and True discipleship, one’s striving toward this goal of DOING brings one a measure of each. In this view we have the growth of the Kingdom of God Within. which IS the growth of the other two parts of this as well. and while it IS in the fullness of these ideas as they ARE linked to the fullness of keeping His words that men ARE Truly “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). We should see here how that each additional measure of focus upon the things of God IS a step toward that goal which IS the freedom that comes to men in their realization of the One Truth. In this we should also see how that this idea of Truth, the One Truth which IS found in “the knowledge of God“, must be added to this list of like results from keeping His words….and to this Truth we must then add the idea of deliverance and understand that such deliverance IS the realization of the Kingdom of God; this IS the deeper reality of Jesus words above that “the truth shall make you free“.
In this admixture of seemingly separate ideas there IS the common denominator of keeping His words as it IS this that leads to ALL spiritual reality and it IS in the Oneness of Truth that we KNOW, in the Oneness and the Unity of “the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23) as we discussed in the last essay, that we can have the fullness of the Spirit of Truth which IS the fullness of the Presence of God in one’s Life. When we can look at these things as a mathematical certainty and understand the divine science of math, we can then see the True and clear symmetry of ALL things spiritual: that ALL ARE but different views of the One reality which IS God.
It IS by steps that we can come to the fullness of Truth and of our realization of the Presence of God and we should see this fullness from a human perspective in the way that the Life of the Apostle Peter IS painted for us. And we should see this as well in the conversion and the Apostle Paul who carries the Truth and “the knowledge of God” to the world in terms which ARE unfortunately misunderstood and misrepresented by men and their created doctrines. And this message of steps IS shown us by the Master in that saying above which accounts a greater measure of Truth to the man who has such Truth as his expression of Life to the world. It IS in these words and the other like sayings that we should try to see that while men may believe this or that as the Truth that it IS ONLY the Truth when it IS in accord with the words of the Master….in accord with “the knowledge of God“. We should see as well that whatsoever IS NOT in accord IS against, it contrary to His words, and to believe and to rely upon such IS to have that stronghold in which one has those “imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” and, at the same time, NOT have the necessary weapons, those spiritual weapons as the measure of Truth and of realization with which to discern.
ALL of these strongholds we see in the Life of Paul before his conversion as he relied upon the doctrines and was a full believer in what those doctrines and traditions presented to him. He was awakened by the call of the Lord which IS a call that everyman has in the prompting of His own Soul to the Good, the Beautiful and the True….to the things of God. The apostle heeded that call and grew quickly in the Truth and the Presence of God in his Life and we, each of us, has that same wherewithal to DO this; this same wherewithal that comes to us as we increase our focus upon the things of God. Quickly or slowly we grow and the choice IS ever ours.
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.
Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate.
Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted.
Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled.
Live in joy, without possessions.
Like the shining ones.
The winner sows hatred because the loser suffers.
Let go of winning and losing and find joy.
There is no fire like passion, no crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.
Today’s Quote of the Day is from the Dhammapada (on JOY)5; a collection of the sayings of the Buddha. These words and ideas ARE much the same as those we discuss in our In the Words of Jesus essays. And what is this freedom but the release of our hearts and minds from loving this life in this world and attaining the Presence of God. This word Joy has many meanings as DOES the idea of Love, but in the context that it IS used here we should see the idea that Joy IS Love, Joy IS health, Joy IS peace and that Joy IS without the burdens placed on a man by the illusion and the glamour of the ways of the world. We should try to see that it IS the antithesis of these ideas in hate, in affliction and in troubles that ARE among the possessions of the carnal man, that ARE among the “evil treasure of his heart” (Luke 6:45) according to the Master.
And it IS in the second stanza above that we see the basic psychic ideas that can eliminate the harm caused by such “evil treasure” as a man looks past himself and at the welfare of others which IS the greater reality of Love as the Master teaches us. It IS in losing such possessions, losing such carnal thoughts and attitudes, that one can truly find the “joy of freedom“….this IS the Truth of deliverance.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts
- 5 The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
