ON LOVE; PART MXCIV
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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 some additional thoughts on the Life of the Soul as this IS portrayed in scripture but which IS hidden from the man whose nurturing and indoctrination have aided his illusion that the physical Life IS ALL that there IS. In a sense this belief IS founded upon the physical nature of the form Life….that it can be seen and felt and vaguely understood while the spiritual Life remains a a rather distant idea that IS neither seen nor felt. In the evolution of mind in this world however men have come to see and to understand that there IS much that IS unseen and unfelt that IS real and while they have NOT yet Truly explored this in terms of Life, save for the ofttimes discredited forays into the psychic world, this DOES NOT mean that none exist.
It IS the evolution of mind that has opened up much of what was before a great unknown and while we take for granted today the way that the invisible world of physical energy carries forward our lives in ALL manner of communications, we should KNOW that we will someday be able to see some part of the more personal world of Life energy in much the same way. Science still relies upon what they can see and feel and measure and here the idea of measurement IS the more recent development. We DO NOT see nor feel the billions of broadcasts and messages that surround us but we can access them with televisions and radios and cellphones and computers and the like and because of this we KNOW that they DO exist.
We CAN NOT accurately predict but the day IS likely soon when we will be able to access the more rarified personal energies that surround us and which constantly interact with our physical forms in ways that few can even imagine. Occultists, and we use that term in a positive way, have long believed in the existance of such energies which ARE called by various names and some have created devices to measure some portion of these things. Their ideas however are ridiculed by many in both scientific and religious circles because they DO NOT meet the established scientific criteria nor the religious standards set by those who have taken authority over the lives of men.
And it IS this skeptical view of the hidden ideas of Life that ARE further compounded by the fact that religion and science rarely agree although the reality IS that they ARE but two sides of the same coin. It IS in the orthodoxy of both religion and science that so much IS lost. Science will NOT see the more rarified physical energies nor even glimpse the spiritual realms until they stumble upon them, likely in their search for something else. Or perhaps some Soul will come among us and bring some measure of Universal Truth which will become the next scientific arena. We should remember that Einstein and his contemporaries DID NOT randomly appear with such vast insight and KNOWLEDGE as they demonstrated, they were rather a part of the unfurling of physical Truths in areas that were hardly dreamed of before them. And so long as religion remains stuck in their literal translation of the Book of Genesis, it will NOT be a part of these next discoveries and will likely reject them outright until another generation comes to accept them.
Mankind IS likely NOT close however to the Truths of Life and the Truth of the Soul; save for the few who can find that Truth through the trifecta, through True focus upon the things of God and keeping His words; most ALL others remain entrenched in their own nurturing, indoctrination and experience. This IS True in religion and in science and in most every field of endeavor as this IS the Life of the “natural man” which IS everyman whom we should see in the Apostle Paul’s words saying: “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 2:14).
That so many millions believe that their doctrines give them the ability of spiritual discernment and that it IS ONLY the ‘non-believer’ that IS the fool IS unfortunate and it IS this misleading reality that IS the result of “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6) which IS the doctrines of men. And it IS these doctrinal men who deny that they ARE among those that ARE the “natural man“, those who fight tooth and nail to both protect their beliefs and to have them accepted by a larger margin of men. It IS this denial and the struggle that it causes that sets many in the Christian world at odds with what IS established science and education as they use their ‘authoritative’ ways in attempts to force their view on others. Of course NOT ALL doctrinal Christians ARE like this and this too IS much a function of nurturing and indoctrination as many DO resist the further fractioning of their faith based in archaic and self-serving beliefs.
But this IS NOT our point; our point IS that there will be great strides in science that will show us a glimpse of the deeper Truths of Life and that these will be resisted by the doctrinal church because of their fear that such discoveries will dilute and change existing doctrine….much as existing doctrine has diluted and changed the Master’s words. It IS likely however that these scientific advances will confirm some of the hidden spiritual realities and send many men upon a new Path of understanding and Love and a greater appreciation for the Truth that “to be present with the Lord” IS for here and now and NOT at some future time of death. We read Paul’s words on this again saying:
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (2 Corinthians 5:1-9).
Paul’s words show us the reality that this body IS NOT the Life of a man but that it IS merely his “earthly house“; he shows us as well that the objective of the man who Truly seeks God IS to leave this tabernacle, NOT through death, but through that change in focus that allows a man to “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” as he tells us in our selection below and in many other places in his epistles. Any True advances in science and in religion will show these things to be True and men will come to see that ALL that must be done in this Earth IS psychic….that men’s thoughts and attitudes must change through the influence of the True spiritual self which IS that unction, that anointing, of which the Apostle John tells us saying “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20).
That the doctrines of men DO NOT see this reality of Life IS a great hinderance to the progress of many who ARE yet entrenched in their own nurturing, indoctrination and experience and who trust in those doctrines based upon the presumed authority of those who teach them. And while doctrines DO keep many focused somewhat on the things of God, their focus IS blurred by the doctrinal slants that each denomination and sect applies to the Truth. It IS this Truth that IS set out for us by the Master in His words and His commandments and while some doctrines DO teach that to keep His words IS good, they DO NOT show us that this IS the Way, to the Truth and that DOING so IS the Life. Most DO NOT see the reality of the trifecta as they use the misinterpreted and misapplied words of Paul as the foundation for their own particular slant. Repeating our trifecta again we read:
- “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).
This IS the True Way, Truth and Life and it IS this that the Master refers to in His words saying “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6), words that have taken Christianity down a path that has caused much division in the world of men. We should understand that these words, like most others that doctrines cling to, ARE NOT to be seen literally but in context and here in the context of the greater exchange that Jesus has with His disciples, an exchange that includes the third part of our trifecta. He IS in Truth “the way, the truth, and the life” but this Truth must be understood in the context of His words that show that His Presence comes to “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them“.
And when we can understand that His Way IS Love, that His Truth IS Love and that His Life IS Love we can then better understand the whole of the gospel message….that this too IS Love. It IS in agape that ALL things ARE resolved, it IS in agape that we can see the reality of Life that IS ever so apparent and that we sum up in our words saying One World, One Humanity and One God. Jesus’ words on Love, on agape, ARE difficult to accomplish to be sure but while doctrines have made this an impossibility and have formulated their own ways around the need to be among those who “hath my commandments, and keepeth them“, the better Way, Truth and Life IS found in striving to DO so. It IS ONLY in striving that men can “awake out of sleep” which we read again in Paul’s words to the Romans saying:
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:10-14).
And it IS the idea of striving that works out with our main topic which has been reincarnation and rebirth. It IS largely impossible to accomplish the degree of Love that Jesus shows us in one Lifetime but the answer IS NOT in changing the rules….the answer IS simply found in striving. It IS in striving that men build up the necessary spiritual collateral which allows them to be better poised to accomplish the goal of Love in their next incarnation and, while most every Life will build some degree of collateral, it IS in striving that men Truly begin to excel. In striving one gets to KNOW firsthand what it IS like to have the Presence of God in Life; it IS in striving that one comes to understand the ideas that Paul presents saying “to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord“.
To strive puts a man in a more spiritual state here in this world as he will have some greater measure of Truth, of His Presence and of His Kingdom which will translate into a greater awareness of Truth in the afterlife. And here we should try to see how that there ARE levels of existance in the afterlife which ARE intimately tied to one’s level of spiritual awareness. Whatsoever IS the primary focus of the man in this world will be his primary focus in the afterlife; the carnal man will yet seek carnal things and the pleasures of Earthly Life without the ability to achieve them and the spiritual man will continue to seek after the things of God which ARE thoughts and attitudes regarding the Truth.
In this regard the afterlife IS much like Earthly Life as the personality continues to be aware of himself while the Soul that gives that personality Life in form and awareness in consciousness, and who IS still the True man, garners the fruits and the rewards of that Life. This Life sans the body IS NOT heaven; heaven IS the Life of the Soul, the Life of the unction, and it IS realization of this Life that brings one to this state of being, a realization that comes by measure according to the trifecta. The body dies and the personality continues but this IS NOT the final state of a man; his final state IS in the fullness of “the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23) which IS “the adoption” where a man IS at One with God. This IS that state where one has NO cause to continue in form.
But it IS NOT this that we should be looking toward in this Life here on Earth except as a final goal; our forward looking as men in this world IS ever the next step in our realization of Truth through striving. However, so long as doctrines paint for us a picture of heaven and of hell as one’s destination at the death of the body, and so long as they tell us that it IS this personality that survives for eternity, few will come to understand the Master’s message of striving and of measure. And fewer still will see the great Truth of Love, of agape, that controls the entirety of this cycle of Life. It IS for this reason that John tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that the Master and His apostles teach us the importance of agape as the expression of the man in this world.
It IS spiritual men who must and will construct the foundation of Truth that succeeding generations can use to see past the vanity, to see past the illusion and the glamour, which ARE men’s “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21). And we ARE the succeeding generations and we ARE at the same time those who can begin to construct the foundation of Truth and this dynamic has been at play since the beginning and especially since those barbarous and superstitious times shown us in the Old testament. This IS the reality of reincarnation.
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.
