{"id":14478,"date":"2018-01-21T16:28:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T23:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=14478"},"modified":"2018-01-21T16:28:32","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T23:28:32","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1572","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1572\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1572"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ON LOVE; PART MCCXI<\/span><\/h2>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/span><\/h6>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">GoodWill\u00a0IS Love in Action<\/span><\/h2>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/span><\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: &#8220;<em>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<\/em>&#8221; (Mark 12:29-31).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">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 <em>agape<\/em> which IS generally rendered as Love,\u00a0we 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\u00a0of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance&#8230;that ALL ARE equally children of Our\u00a0One God<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: &#8220;<em>Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them<\/em>&#8221; (Matthew 7:12).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We continue today with our discussion of the list of defining ideas that the Apostle Paul gives us for our better understanding of Love, of <em>agape.<\/em>\u00a0Again we should remember that in defining Love we ARE at the same time defining God and here we should remember as well that the Apostle John&#8217;s words on this, that &#8220;<em>God is love<\/em>&#8221; (1 John 4:8, 16), ARE widely accepted in the doctrines of men.\u00a0 What IS lacking IS an understanding of just what <em>agape<\/em> Truly IS as this IS ever interpreted according to the carnal view rather than the spiritual. On the carnal level Love IS emotional and mental, it IS the attraction and the attachment that one has for another or for a pet or a thing in this world and this surely IS NOT the sense of <em>agape<\/em> that men share with God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On the spiritual level <em>agape<\/em> IS quite different, it IS GoodWill to ALL which IS the clarion call of the angel announcing the birth of the Lord and the new Truth of Love that He brings; the angel with &#8220;<em>a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,\u00a0Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men<\/em>&#8221; (Luke 2:13-14). This IS the harbinger of the era of Truth and Love which has eluded mankind for 2000 years and which, as we enter into a new age, IS closer to a reality than it has ever been before. Saying that <em>agape<\/em> IS GoodWill however DOES NOT explain what it Truly IS and how to <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> it as a man in this world who IS yet bound by the <em>vanity<\/em>, the &#8220;<em>bondage of corruption<\/em>&#8221; to which ALL ARE subjected by their birth and their presence in this world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This <em>vanity<\/em> IS ONLY broken by KNOWING some measure of the Truth which idea IS hidden away in Paul&#8217;s words that first show us that ALL IS for naught spiritually without one&#8217;s <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love and then what this Love Truly means in its application&#8230;.the same sense of application that IS applied by the Lord. This Truth IS hidden in the right understanding and the right interpretation of the Greek words that ARE rendered in carnal terms rather than as spiritual ideas and in this IS the problem at hand for the world today: without such understanding of what Love, <em>agape<\/em>, Truly IS, one CAN NOT <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> it. Repeating the apostle&#8217;s words we read:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;<em>Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not agape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.\u00a0And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not agape, I am nothing.\u00a0And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not agape, it profiteth me nothing<\/em>&#8221; (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;<em>Agape<\/em> <em>suffereth long, and is kind; agape envieth not; agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,\u00a0Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;\u00a0Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;\u00a0Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Agape never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away<\/em>&#8221;\u00a0(1 Corinthians 13:4-8).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It IS in understanding what <em>agape<\/em> IS and what it IS NOT according to Paul&#8217;s words that gives us the necessary insight by which we can Truly <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> it and here we should understand that a major part of the <em>agape<\/em> equation IS tied to the idea that <em>&#8220;God is no\u00a0<span id=\"yui-gen41\" class=\"criteria\">respecter<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<span id=\"yui-gen42\" class=\"criteria\">persons<\/span><\/em>&#8221; (Acts 10:34). While Paul ONLY shows us this idea in regard to the Lord, we should be able to see how that this IS a component part of Love, of <em>agape<\/em>, as the very nature of God. And if this IS a component part of <em>agape<\/em>, it must perforce be a component part of the <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> of True <em>agape<\/em> by the man in this world. The Apostle James DOES put this into perspective for us saying that &#8220;<em>If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:\u00a0But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.\u00a0For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all<\/em>&#8221; (James 2:8-10).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While much of the doctrinal church applies James words to the example that he offers ONLY, the reality IS that this IS a reflection of the very nature of God which Paul shows us saying &#8220;<em>there is no respect of persons with God<\/em>&#8221; (Romans 2:11). Bringing this back to Paul&#8217;s words above we should try to see and to understand that this idea of having NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8221; IS incorporated into the words that he uses. When seen in their True meanings, their meaning to the spiritual man, these words that we have been studying show us the nature of God on the one hand and what the man who would reflect that nature would NOT DO as a man in this world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">And so it IS with our list of word meanings; that if one can grasp the meanings of the Greek words apart from their doctrinal connotations, one can begin to see and to understand that the deeper ideas which have been conveyed to us by the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule ARE the final reality regarding ALL things spiritual. The Apostle John puts this simply for us saying &#8220;<em>If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?\u00a0And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also<\/em>&#8221; (1 John 4:20-21). The apostle tells us this right after telling us again that &#8220;<em>God is love<\/em>&#8221; and while the doctrinal world may get tied up by the idea here of <em>hate<\/em>, the reality IS found in the following idea which should show us clearly that &#8220;<em>he\u00a0that loveth not his brother<\/em>&#8221; <em>hates<\/em> him according to the deeper ideas found in the Greek word <em>miseo<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We have often referred to <em>miseo<\/em> as <em>to love less<\/em>\u00a0<sup>9a<\/sup>\u00a0which Strong&#8217;s DOES offer us a an extension of the idea and while this IS True in several New Testament uses of the word, the idea has NOT become understood as a reality of <em>agape.<\/em> And while this may seemingly reflect an idea that IS contrary to having\u00a0NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8220;, in the end it DOES NOT. In most every use of <em>miseo<\/em> in the gospels and the epistles the word IS NOT used to reflect upon the &#8216;feeling&#8217; of a man toward others but rather to denote the &#8216;feeling&#8217; of others toward a man or an idea. In those places where <em>miseo<\/em> DOES take on the more personal note, the intent can easily be seen in the idea of\u00a0<em>to love less.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This IS True here in John&#8217;s words as well as in the Master&#8217;s according to Luke where we read &#8220;<em>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<\/em>&#8221; (Luke 14:26). It IS in this saying from the Apostle Luke&#8217;s Gospel that we can more readily see that this idea IS NOT contrary to the idea of\u00a0NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8220;. In John&#8217;s use we have this applied as a negative saying that &#8220;<em>he that loveth not his brother<\/em>&#8221; CAN NOT Love God while in Luke&#8217;s rendering of the Master&#8217;s words we have a concept that pits the first of the Great Commandments against the second and this IS the point that Jesus IS making. Both of these ideas, from Jesus and from the apostle, ARE in regard to Loving God; they DO however point to this from different angles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the words of the Master this IS about discipleship and the reality that in this there must be a total understanding of the reality of Life and how that the spiritual realities must overcome the carnal ideas of family and of self. While this seems simple, it IS NOT understood as it IS intended but, as John Gill frames this, there IS a condition to such &#8216;<em>hating<\/em>&#8216; in the idea that: <em>these are to be neglected and forsaken, and turned from with indignation and resentment, when they stand in the way of the honour and interest of Christ, and dissuade from his service<\/em> <sup>8<\/sup>. Here we find the doctrinal attempt to blend the carnal and the spiritual even while the Truth IS found in the first of the Great Commandments saying &#8220;<em>t<\/em><em>hou 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<\/em>&#8221; as we repeat at the top of every post.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If we can tie this sense of understanding of the reality of Life to Paul&#8217;s use of the Greek word\u00a0<em>makrothumeo<\/em>\u00a0as a defining quality of <em>agape<\/em>, we can then see the greater reality of this idea of Love and of <em>hate<\/em>. True <em>agape<\/em> sees past the carnal and into the spiritual with an understanding that &#8220;<em>It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing<\/em>&#8221; (John 6:63) as the Master tells us. We should see here that a man can Love his family according to the common understanding of this idea but this has naught to DO with <em>agape<\/em> which sees past the mental and the emotional attraction and attachment to others and to the things of this world. The Apostle Matthew shows us this same idea from Jesus in a different way saying &#8220;<em>He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me<\/em>&#8221; (Matthew 10:37) .<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here we should be able to see how that the idea of understanding, the idea of\u00a0<em>makrothumeo<\/em> which brings spiritual reality to a man&#8217;s <strong><em>realization<\/em><\/strong> of Truth, becomes the ONLY difference by which we can separate the common ideas of Love from the spiritual Truth of <em>agape<\/em>. But we must be able to tie ALL such ideas on <em>agape<\/em> together in order to see the deeper Truth of Love as a spiritual concept. We must be able to understand that any <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love for one&#8217;s family CAN NOT exceed one&#8217;s <em><strong>expression<\/strong><\/em> of Love for everyman and it IS here that the idea of having\u00a0NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8221; can become Truly difficult to understand. John&#8217;s perspective on this says that &#8220;<em>he who loveth God love his brother also<\/em>&#8221; and when we add to this the Truth that James clearly offers us, that men should have\u00a0NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8220;, we can perhaps see the deeper Truths that ARE incorporated into our <strong><em>trifecta<\/em><\/strong> which we repeat here saying:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>&#8220;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<\/em>&#8220;<em> (John 8:31-32).<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>&#8220;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<\/em>&#8221;\u00a0(Matthew 7:21).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>&#8220;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&#8217;s which sent me&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0(John 14:21-24).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Again, the lexicons define\u00a0<em>makrothumeo\u00a0<\/em>as\u00a0<em>to be of a long spirit\u00a0<\/em><sup>9a, 9<\/sup>\u00a0and while the common understanding IS in terms of <em>patience<\/em> and <em>longsuffering,<\/em> these ideas DO NOT bring out the idea of the Spirit. We must again remember that as a defining quality of Love that this IS also a defining quality of God and here we should be able to see the idea of His being <em>long-spirited<\/em>. From the spiritual perspective God KNOWS the Truth of man, that he IS subjected to <em>vanity<\/em> and that his carnal Life IS his &#8220;<em>bondage of corruption<\/em>&#8221; (Romans 8:20, 21). God sees men as men and in this we should see that the God Within everyman, the Soul if you will, sees men in this same way. It IS this <strong><em>realization<\/em><\/strong> that\u00a0<em>makrothumeo\u00a0<\/em>brings to the consciousness of men and it IS through this that we can Truly <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> <em>agape<\/em> and understand the Divine perspective: that such <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> has\u00a0NO<em> &#8220;respect to persons&#8221;.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While this whole idea of\u00a0NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8221; seems pigeonholed by doctrines which see this in terms of the rich and the poor, the reality it that this covers every facet of carnal Life where prejudices and discrimination reign. We should understand here that James IS showing us that to have such <em>respect<\/em> IS to NOT <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> <em>agape<\/em> and here we should see the dividing line between those who believe that their <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> IS Love according to &#8220;<em>the royal law<\/em>&#8221; and those who Truly DO Love by having\u00a0NO<em> &#8220;respect to persons<\/em>&#8220;. And Paul&#8217;s words that we have been studying should confirm for us the thoughts and the attitudes of the man whose <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> of Love IS with\u00a0NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8220;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We should try to see here that prejudices and discrimination in every form ARE contrary to Love and while\u00a0<em>makrothumeo<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>chresteuomai\u00a0<\/em>ARE free of these burdens based in one&#8217;s seeing, as DOES God, the reality of the lives of men in this world of <strong>illusion<\/strong> and <strong>glamour<\/strong>, this world of <em>vanity<\/em>. These qualities ARE ONLY possessed by the man whose <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> IS Truly <em>agape<\/em>. A man can believe that he IS <strong><em>expressing<\/em><\/strong> Love, that he IS living in accord with the Great Commandment and the Golden Rule, but unless he has the sense of vision which allows him to have NO &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8220;, he finds himself among the masses of whom James tells us ARE &#8220;<em>deceiving your own selves<\/em>&#8220;. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This <strong>deception<\/strong> IS part and parcel of the <strong>illusion<\/strong> and the <strong>glamour<\/strong> in which most ALL men live as they believe the untrue and then hold to it as Truth; this <strong>deception<\/strong> IS found in the way that so many millions believe that they ARE living in accord with the Truth of God&#8217;s word while NOT being &#8220;<em>doers of the word, and not hearers only<\/em>&#8221; (James 1:22). Jesus tells us in our <strong><em>trifecta<\/em><\/strong> that it IS ONLY in <em>keeping His words<\/em> that we Truly Love God and John tells us that &#8220;<em>he who loveth God love his brother also<\/em>&#8221; or else he IS a <em>liar<\/em>. We should try to see here that this sense of untruth need NOT be factual; it can be merely the difference between the Truth and what one believes to be True, one&#8217;s <strong>illusion<\/strong> and <strong>deception<\/strong> if you will. In the end we should see that to Love God one must Love everyman as that IS <em>keeping His words<\/em> and the <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> of this Love, this <em>agape<\/em>, must be in accord with Paul&#8217;s defining ideas and with the\u00a0Divine perspective: that such <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> has\u00a0NO<em> &#8220;respect to persons&#8221;.\u00a0<\/em>And this IS Paul&#8217;s point in telling us that we should:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.\u00a0For 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.\u00a0Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.\u00a0And\u00a0that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed<\/em>&#8221; \u00a0(Romans 13:8-11).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What Love IS NOT, as True <em>agape<\/em>, IS an emotional or a mental thing; this Love IS an attitude and a Way of seeing others as one sees himself and living according to the Golden Rule which Luke shows us saying &#8220;<em>as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise<\/em>&#8221; (Luke 6:31). To have this attitude however one must shed his doctrinal interpretations of the very nature of man and see how that ALL men ARE spiritual beings, Souls, on the very same journey to Truth. This Truth IS found throughout the New Testament and a part of the <strong>illusion<\/strong> and the <strong>glamour<\/strong> IS the hijacking of the idea through the simplicity of <em>salvation<\/em> according to most doctrines. What the Master and His apostles speak and write about IS NOT this simplicity but rather the <strong><em>realization<\/em><\/strong> of the Truth of the spiritual man, a Truth that ONLY comes as one Truly <em>strives\u00a0<\/em>to <em>keep His words<\/em> which IS to <em>strive<\/em> to <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> <em>agape<\/em> through the measure of understanding one has achieved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Here we should try to see Paul&#8217;s words that we have been studying as a self analysis, a self report of the measure that one has achieved, and as a guide to greater measure. In the end <em>agape<\/em> IS <em>makrothumeo<\/em> and <em>chresteuomai<\/em>, it IS the ability to <strong><em>express<\/em><\/strong> Love as GoodWill to ALL men without &#8220;<em>respect to persons<\/em>&#8221; through a <strong><em>realization<\/em><\/strong> that IS founded in one&#8217;s <em>striving<\/em> to DO so. In Paul&#8217;s words there IS a starting point to this attitude of <em>agape<\/em> which IS to first lay down one&#8217;s own doctrinal ideas regarding the &#8220;<em>spiritual gifts<\/em>&#8221; of which he speaks by coming to see that they ARE ALL for naught without <strong><em>agape<\/em><\/strong> as he so clearly tells us. With this as the starting point and\u00a0<em>makrothumeo<\/em> and <em>chresteuomai\u00a0<\/em>as the endpoint we should try to see those things that Love IS NOT as our way of analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So far we have seen that there IS NO <em>emulation<\/em> in <em>agape<\/em> which idea we take from the deeper meaning of the more common ideas of <em>envying<\/em> or <em>jealousy<\/em> as <em>zeloo<\/em> IS rendered by most. In <em>emulation<\/em> we have: <em>The act of attempting to equal or excel in qualities or actions; rivalry; desire of superiority, attended with effort to attain to it<\/em>\u00a0<sup>1<\/sup>\u00a0and against this the Master clearly speaks saying\u00a0<span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\">&#8220;<\/span><em>whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:\u00a0And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all<\/em><span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\">&#8221; (Mark 10:43-44). We have also see that there IS NO <em>braggartism<\/em>, neither as an outward <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> nor as an inner attitude; this too IS clearly spoken against by Jesus who tells us that &#8220;<em>whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted<\/em>&#8221; and that &#8220;<em>Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven<\/em>&#8221; (Matthew 12:12, 18:4).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This idea of being <em>humble<\/em> IS NOT seen according to the Master&#8217;s intent here but rather in more strictly carnal terms; most DO NOT see how that this reaches into one&#8217;s religious Life and that most ALL of the negative spiritual effects of <em>pride<\/em> and <span class=\"oneClick-link oneClick-available\"><em>braggartism\u00a0<\/em>cited by the Master and His apostles ARE in regard to one&#8217;s religious views&#8230;.both inwardly and outwardly. James tells us that &#8220;<em>God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble<\/em>&#8221; (James 4:6) but this idea as well as the Master&#8217;s above ARE most always relegated to one&#8217;s carnal <em>pride<\/em>. With NO <em>emulation<\/em> and with NO sense of <em>pride<\/em> we have a man who can Truly be a <em>minister<\/em> and a <em>servant<\/em> and one who IS\u00a0<em>humble<\/em>\u00a0in thought, in attitude and in <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong>; this takes us the the next idea which IS rendered as <em>unseemly<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In <em>unseemly<\/em>, which IS better understood as <em>unbecoming<\/em>, there ARE three defining criteria. The first IS an acknowledgement of sorts to the previous ideas of <em>emulation<\/em> and of\u00a0<em>pride<\/em> which IS a precursor of <em>boasting<\/em>; in the idea that the man whose <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> IS <em>agape<\/em> &#8220;<em>seeketh not her own<\/em>&#8221; we should be able to see that there ARE NO thoughts and NO actions that ARE intended for the sole benefit of the self as a man in this world. This idea IS shown us by the Master who tells us to &#8220;<em>seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you<\/em>&#8221; (Matthew\u00a0 6:33); and we should add here that it IS ONLY in so <em>seeking<\/em> that one can have True <strong><em>realization<\/em><\/strong> of just what &#8220;<em>all these things<\/em>&#8221; ARE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Seeking<\/em> for the <em>self<\/em> then IS the first part of <em>unbecoming<\/em>; the second part has to DO with <em>paroxuno<\/em> which IS rendered as <em>provoked<\/em> and here we should note that the idea of <em>easily<\/em> IS superfluous <sup>4<\/sup> according to Vincent and IS NOT rendered by most other translators. While this idea IS seen by most in terms of <em>anger<\/em>, the deeper reality IS that this IS any and ALL passionate responses that ARE contrary to the Truth of Love. The final part of <em>unbecoming<\/em> IS in one&#8217;s thoughts and attitudes and here we should see that the idea of &#8220;<em>thinketh no evil<\/em>&#8221; IS intended to show that the man whose <strong><em>expression<\/em><\/strong> IS <em>agape<\/em> DOES NOT see <em>evil<\/em>; he DOES NOT see\u00a0<em>evil<\/em> as this IS commonly understood but rather sees this as the ways of men trapped in this <em>vanity,<\/em> this &#8220;<em>bondage of corruption<\/em>&#8220;, that IS Life in this world. This man who &#8220;<em>thinketh no evil<\/em>&#8221; IS the man who can see past ALL human frailties and into the Truth that everyman IS a Soul living in a body for a time in this world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.<\/span><\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"4\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Aspect\u00a0<del><\/del>of \u00a0God<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Potency<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Aspect of Man<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>In Relation to the Great Invocation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>In relation to the Christ<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"20%\" height=\"59\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>GOD, The Father<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Will or Power<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Spirit or Life<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Life<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"20%\" height=\"57\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Son, The Christ<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Love and Wisdom<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Soul or Christ Within<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Heart of God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Truth<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\" height=\"56\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Light or Activity<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Life Within<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"20%\">\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Mind of God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"20%\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Way<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Note on the Quote of the Day<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We change our Quote of the Day today to the words from Solomon on Wisdom\u00a0along with our thoughts on them from the original postings of them in In the Words of Jesus parts 46 and 556. \u00a0These words ARE a testament to those things that we should be asking of the Lord and which are representative of the Holy Ghost. Wisdom, understanding and knowledge which will\u00a0lead us \u00a0to understanding the fear (reverence and respect and awe) of the Lord and the knowledge of God so that in this world we can understand righteousness and judgement and equity and be preserved by discretion and understanding. Thus are we in a position to treat everyone as we would want to be treated ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Since we are centered on the ideas of Wisdom today we offer the following from Proverbs as our Quote of the Day. Solomon, who is KNOWN for his Wisdom, which we read in the story of his Life was His gift from God, a gift that he receives because he does not want for the things of the world. But Solomon gains as well the things of the world in plenty and as his Life story proceeds we can see clearly that it is his Life in the world that is to his detriment. The wisdom however produces for us the writings of the Book of Proverbs and it is this that he is remembered for. His Life is interesting reading and is well documented in the Books of Kings and Chronicles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><em>\u2026.incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Proverbs 2:2-11).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Let the peace of God rule in your hearts<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup>1 <\/sup>Webster\u2019s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https:\/\/1828.mshaffer.com\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup>4<\/sup> Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup>8<\/sup>\u00a0Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup>9a<\/sup> The New Strong\u2019s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup>9<\/sup>\u00a0Thayer\u2019s Greek Lexicon on\u00a0blueletterbible.org<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Voltaire,\u00a0Writer and Philosopher\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ON LOVE; PART MCCXI \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9 GoodWill\u00a0IS Love in Action \u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9\u2022\u0391\u03a9 FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: &#8220;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 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2018\/01\/21\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1572\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,45,48,25,39,81,44,41,49,20,38,43,30,24,13,14],"tags":[88,82,95,87,22,99,23,94,92,97,9,10,17,83,54,8,6,91,21,31,32,12,52,47,33,18,84,93,55,89,26,85,7,15,16,50,98,11],"class_list":["post-14478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abundance-of-the-heart","category-born-again","category-bread-of-life","category-children-of-god","category-christianity","category-disciple-of-christ","category-eternal-life","category-faith","category-forgiveness","category-light","category-living-in-the-light","category-reincarnation","category-righteousness","category-son-of-god","category-the-kingdom","category-jesus-words-2","tag-abundance-of-the-heart","tag-aspirant-to-discipleship","tag-born-again","tag-children-of-god","tag-christ","tag-disciple-of-christ","tag-enlightenment","tag-eternal-life","tag-faith","tag-forgiveness","tag-goodwill","tag-christian-love","tag-gospel","tag-gospel-of-thomas","tag-holy-spirit","tag-jesus-words","tag-jesus","tag-light","tag-light-of-the-world","tag-merciful","tag-mercy","tag-new-age","tag-new-age-developments","tag-new-birth","tag-pure-in-heart","tag-quote-of-day","tag-rebirth","tag-reincarnation","tag-resurrection","tag-righteousness","tag-sons-of-god","tag-spiritual-reality","tag-the-christ","tag-kingdom-of-god","tag-kingdom-of-heaven","tag-truth","tag-united-nations","tag-unity-in-diversity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14478"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14490,"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14478\/revisions\/14490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}