{"id":6125,"date":"2013-03-17T21:28:11","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T01:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=6125"},"modified":"2013-03-17T21:35:04","modified_gmt":"2013-03-18T01:35:04","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-616","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/17\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-616\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 616"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law<\/h2>\n

ON LOVE; PART CCV<\/h2>\n

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GoodWill\u00a0IS Love in Action<\/h2>\n

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“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.\u00a0Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:\u00a0But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.\u00a0Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.\u00a0Do not err, my beloved brethren<\/em>” (James 1:12-16).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We have been kind of stuck on these words below, words that we payed little attention to over the many months that we have been writing these almost daily essays. These are however words that are very important in the Life of the man in form as they set for us the stages, from the human perspective, that one must travel through in his journey to the Kingdom of God. We say journey because we do not KNOW a better word but we must ever realize that this journey IS one of recognition<\/strong><\/em> and realization<\/strong><\/em> because as we KNOW, “the kingdom of God is within you<\/em>” (Luke 17:21). The concepts of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> and Transformation<\/strong><\/em> have been rather easy for us to understand and discuss and this is likely because that are the the stages in which we are operating as Souls expressing through form with some degree of success as aspirants to the High Calling of discipleship. These steps or stages are familiar because we have made the choice<\/strong><\/em> to change our focus<\/em> from the things of the world to the things of God and we ARE living our lives in the world in the awareness, the realization,<\/strong><\/em> of the True import of the words of the Master and their True meanings in the Life of the aspirant. As we have said there are no rules for this that we can follow except His words and His admonitions to follow Him and we KNOW that in finding Him we find the Kingdom. And it IS NOT that He is lost, it IS we who are lost, lost in the world of illusion<\/strong> and of glamour<\/strong> from which we must escape, from which we must extract ourselves through our striving<\/em> toward that strait gate<\/em> that opens into the Kingdom of God.<\/p>\n

When are we in the Kingdom of God is a question that we cannot answer confidently nor clearly as there are so many variables that we do not understand and many mysteries that we have not yet even considered. We can say however that when we have reached that stage of Repentance,<\/strong><\/em> we have KNOWLEDGE of the Kingdom and when we are Transformed,<\/strong><\/em> we are living in the Light that is\u00a0emitted from the Kingdom through our own Souls that are ever there. These first two stages are not abruptly begun nor are there strict lines of demarcation but both are gradually moved into by the man in the world as his focus<\/em> changes from the self in the world and the interests of the self to a focus<\/em> on the things of God which we understand through the words of the Master. While it is not impossible, a man does not wake up one day with an change of focus\u00a0<\/em>or the beginnings of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> but rather he grows into this based upon his\u00a0ability\u00a0to hear<\/em> and heed the promptings of his Soul, his Christ Within. From\u00a0staggering\u00a0glimpses of the reality of Life, the man steadily looks away from the self and his concerns for himself and his focus<\/em> steadily shifts to the spiritual and the divine. And not ALL make it, many revert back to the self in the world as the easier Life to live and as he does so he convinces himself of the\u00a0unimportant nature of the spiritual pursuits and, of course, this is the result of the illusion<\/strong> and the glamour<\/strong> in which he lives.<\/p>\n

REPENTANCE, TRANSFORMATION AND REDEMPTION LEAD US TO TRANSFIGURATION<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Similarly the stage of\u00a0Transformation<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0has no real staring point but depends largely on the intensity of the Repentance<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0as the whole of this Transformation<\/em><\/strong> IS the reality of the new focus<\/em> becoming the force that controls the Life in form. Before Transformation<\/strong><\/em> the mans thoughts, emotions and actions are\u00a0governed\u00a0by the personality which is in turn living in the world and in the illusion<\/strong> and the glamour<\/strong> of the world. And this is the point of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Romans as he says: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God<\/em>” (Romans 12:2). Regardless of personal opinion and regardless of status in the world, the man that is not focused upon the things of God IS “conformed to this world<\/em>” and while he may deny this, it is a Truth that is bound to Life in the world and fed by the powerful forces of illusion<\/strong> and glamour.<\/strong> It is through this illusion<\/strong> and this glamour<\/strong> that a man deludes<\/strong> himself by thinking that he is not conformed; again, it is ONLY when one’s focus<\/em> IS on the things of God that a man IS NOT conformed and can be Transformed.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>In the act of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> and in the change of focus<\/em> that this entails, there begins in the Life of the man a Transformation<\/strong><\/em> but this IS NOT to say that he IS Transformed<\/strong><\/em>;\u00a0it does mean however that the process has begun and, until the man is complete in his decision<\/strong> to change, Transformation<\/strong><\/em> will suffer from the same difficulties as does Repentance<\/strong><\/em> itself which is for some sporadic and for others staggering, and yet others will\u00a0vacillate from decision<\/strong> to indecision, from choosing<\/strong><\/em> God to choosing<\/strong><\/em> the world. Perhaps we can see the end of being Transformed<\/strong><\/em> in the same way that we see the completion of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> which is complete only when there IS NO more\u00a0vacillating\u00a0 no more staggering and no more sporadic action; these are replaced by the steady focus<\/em> upon God and the steady looking away from the self and the world. Can we say then that one is Transformed<\/strong><\/em> when the Light of the Soul IS the steady and overwhelming influence in the Life of the man in the world? Can we understand it this way; that Transformation<\/strong><\/em> is a process that ends in being Transformed<\/strong><\/em> and that it is at the end of this process that we find Redemption,<\/strong><\/em> a state where the Light of the Soul is no longer\u00a0the steady and overwhelming influence in the Life of the man but IS become His nature?<\/p>\n

A ready reference for our understanding of these ideas of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> and Transformation<\/strong><\/em> can be found in the Master’s Parable of the Sower where the stages are depicted for us in the Master’s use of the kind of ground that a man can be likened to. The parable goes thus:<\/p>\n

“And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear<\/em>” (Mark 4:3-9).<\/p>\n

We have here two things, first of all this IS a parable that is made as as example to the disciples and to those who can understand and see the Truth today. By way of the story above we may have no better clue as to the intended reality of the Master as any did in His day but, with the help of printed scripture and the Master’s interpretation of this for His\u00a0disciples, we can pretty much get the gist of His message albeit not many Truly take the Master’s\u00a0intent to heart. Who can Truly say that they ARE the good ground<\/strong><\/em>? who can say that they are bringing forth much fruit<\/em> which we see in His words on discipleship at the end of our essay as the insignia of being His disciple. The Master interpretation of this parable for His disciples goes thus:<\/p>\n

“The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they like wise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word\u2019s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred<\/em>” (Mark 4:14-20).<\/p>\n

Looking at the story and the Master’s\u00a0interpretation\u00a0in the Light of our subject of Repentance<\/strong><\/em> and\u00a0Transformation<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0we should try to see that:<\/p>\n