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I found these interesting remarks on prayer and worship.5:3:3 Worship is for its own sake; prayer embodies a self– or creature-interest element; that is the great difference between worship and prayer. There is absolutely no self-request or other element of personal interest in true worship; we simply worship God for what we comprehend him to be. Worship asks nothing and expects nothing for the worshiper. We do not worship the Father because of anything we may derive from such veneration; we render such devotion and engage in such worship as a natural and spontaneous reaction to the recognition of the Father’s matchless personality and because of his lovable nature and adorable attributes.Infinite goodness – only God is good – is an attribute of God, a loving Father, and our loving Father, God, our heavenly parent, pours forth His love even to His erring children. God is love. Only a person can love and be loved in return.1:7:3 The concept of truth might possibly be entertained apart from personality, the concept of beauty may exist without personality, but the concept of divine goodness is understandable only in relation to personality. Only a person can love and be loved. Even beauty and truth would be divorced from survival hope if they were not attributes of a personal God, a loving Father..“Jesus trusted God much as the child trusts a parent.” “Jesus‘ wholehearted faith in the fundamental goodness of the universe very much resembled the child’s trust in the security of its earthly surroundings. He depended on the heavenly Father as a child leans upon its earthly parent, and his fervent faith never for one moment doubted the certainty of the heavenly Father’s overcare. He was not disturbed seriously by fears, doubts, and skepticism. Unbelief did not inhibit the free and original expression of his life. He combined the stalwart and intelligent courage of a full-grown man with the sincere and trusting optimism of a believing child. His faith grew to such heights of trust that it was devoid of fear.” (196:0:11)2:2:5 God’s primal perfection consists not in an assumed righteousness but rather in the inherent perfection of the goodness of his divine nature. He is final, complete, and perfect. There is no thing lacking in the beauty and perfection of his righteous character. And the whole scheme of living existences on the worlds of space is centered in the divine purpose of elevating all will creatures to the high destiny of the experience of sharing the Father’s Paradise perfection. God is neither self-centered nor self-contained; he never ceases to bestow himself upon all self-conscious creatures of the vast universe of universes.
Excellent complements and comments for this thread, thanks Mara. I marvel in attempting to think of Father’s “Infinite Goodness” and all it implies. God is good and goodness. How can a mere human contain that??
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Richard E Warren
Rick Warren wrote: Good thoughts. But it takes much time and focused effort to retrain the mind to do this 24/7/366.They call it “pray without ceasing”. Can be done, and done easily. If I can do it, anyone can. Although, I admit that I don’t know what my mind is doing while I sleep. However, when I’m conscious, I’m praying, non-stop. I get the idea that people think prayer has to be words. Not so. Do you remember the first time you fell in love in high school? I do. I thought about that person all day and all night. Never stopped. It’s the same thing, but easier because the person you are in love with lives inside your head.
Since when do you have to train your mind to love? Love is the natural state of the soul. Think with the soul. And if you balk at that, think with the spirits of worship and wisdom. The spirit of wisdom will organize it all for you and shoot it right up the chain of command to the Holy Spirit, the supermind of the soul. Not hard at all. It’s almost automatic.
Jesus said do your good deeds in secret, and when you help the poor, don’t let the left hand know what the right hand does, or is it “don’t let the right know what the left hand does”. (140:6:11) The theme of doing, enacting, or rendering good deeds in secret was the theme in my prayer circle this morning and I want to share this with you.
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We learned a bit about a nineteenth century Baptist preacher in England, a fellow named Charles Spurgeon, who with the help of his wife raised chickens. According to the story, as presented to us this morning, the Spurgeons refused to give their eggs away, even to their relatives. As a result, some people thought they were selfish and greedy. “The Spurgeons accepted this criticism without defending themselves, and only after Mrs. Spurgeon died was the full story revealed. The Spurgeons never spent one penny of that egg money on themselves. Every penny that the Spurgeons made from the sale of their eggs went to support two elderly widows. He never mentioned it from the pulpit . . . .”
The gal who presented the Spurgeon story also provided this timely (at least to me!) poem by Edward Guest.
SERMONS WE SEE
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.I soon can learn to do it if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advise you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.
Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say,
I’d rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.Rick Warren wrote: Good thoughts. But it takes much time and focused effort to retrain the mind to do this 24/7/366.They call it “pray without ceasing”. Can be done, and done easily. If I can do it, anyone can. Although, I admit that I don’t know what my mind is doing while I sleep. However, when I’m conscious, I’m praying, non-stop. I get the idea that people think prayer has to be words. Not so. Do you remember the first time you fell in love in high school? I do. I thought about that person all day and all night. Never stopped. It’s the same thing, but easier because the person you are in love with lives inside your head. Since when do you have to train your mind to love? Love is the natural state of the soul. Think with the soul. And if you balk at that, think with the spirits of worship and wisdom. The spirit of wisdom will organize it all for you and shoot it right up the chain of command to the Holy Spirit, the supermind of the soul. Not hard at all. It’s almost automatic.
Yeah, but I call that abiding in the Presence, which is in itself an experience of goodness, truth and beauty. Do you consider talking with God prayer? To me prayer is apart from casual conversation with my Indwelling Friend, it has reverential words and ideas, often a request to know what is the good and right thing to do. But even more often these days, a lead-in to worship.
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Richard E Warren
Jesus said do your good deeds in secret, and when you help the poor, don’t let the left hand know what the right hand does, or is it “don’t let the right know what the left hand does”. (140:6:11) The theme of doing, enacting, or rendering good deeds in secret was the theme in my prayer circle this morning and I want to share this with you. . We learned a bit about a nineteenth century Baptist preacher in England, a fellow named Charles Spurgeon, who with the help of his wife raised chickens. According to the story, as presented to us this morning, the Spurgeons refused to give their eggs away, even to their relatives. As a result, some people thought they were selfish and greedy. “The Spurgeons accepted this criticism without defending themselves, and only after Mrs. Spurgeon died was the full story revealed. The Spurgeons never spent one penny of that egg money on themselves. Every penny that the Spurgeons made from the sale of their eggs went to support two elderly widows. He never mentioned it from the pulpit . . . .” The gal who presented the Spurgeon story also provided this timely (at least to me!) poem by Edward Guest.
SERMONS WE SEE
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear, Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear; And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds, For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it if you’ll let me see it done; I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run. And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true, But I’d rather get my lessons by observing what you do; For I might misunderstand you and the high advise you give, But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind. When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be. And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.
One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold; One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told. Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear, For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear. Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say, I’d rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.
That was a genuine joy, thank you Mara.
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs…
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Richard E Warren
Thinking more about Goodness, families, Uantia’s future, and the Supreme…
We have been informed Goodness and love transcend all levels. From Paradise/Havona out to the edge of time and space, even we ‘lowly’ humans have been included in the divine family. And we know Goodness and love are always contagious, God’s love actually propels the whole Universe the authors say. Love quickly infects all members of a good family. Eventual planetary integration of good families is the rock solid foundation for the eventual edifice of light and life. And the billion worlds of Havona ever remain an absolutely flawless model of light and life, cosmic family relations, and perfect Goodness.
When goodness spreads over a whole planet, an age of light and life can’t be far away. Imagine our world, if you can, where everyone is loved and respected as a family member, as a discreet being of divine dignity, and burden sharing is a living philosophy.
Of course students of the Papers know all this goodness, light and life is leading to something truly grand–The Supreme Being, who is the culminating God of time and space, the result of myriad divine values built on the concepts and expressions of Goodness, Truth and Beauty. The Supreme will be Goodness personified. What will s/he look like!!!?
Obviously there is ample goodness to live and spread as we help Father facilitate the emergence of the Supreme Being. Studying and following Truth, Beauty and Goodness in time and space always leads to greater revelations and expressions of divinity. Eventually they bring us to God’s will in eternity, along with worship, prayer and perfection hunger. It is good to know there is a plan, a purpose. We are taught the current and over-arching focus of Father’s good will and infinite energy in the Seven Superuniverses is the Supreme Being’s evolution and culmination, in which we are being offered a role. Yea!
The authors never vary from saying God’s Goodness will eventually win over everyone in time and space. Goodness will have to be studied by oncoming generations until it reaches full fruition on Urantia, a glorious blossoming of realized spiritual goodness. In the era of light and life people will want to help each other, and for no reward. People will actually do good for one another, even to those not of the same blood, same friend’s circle, same national or social group. And people will forgive each others’ mistakes and shortcomings without resorting to hate, anger, and violence because they understand what motivates others through sympathetic observations born of an ever-growing capacity for cosmic Goodness and love. It has already begun in some families. As go the families, so goes society.
Image source: http://urantia-association.org/about-uai/gallery/
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Richard E Warren
Rick Warren wrote: Do you consider talking with God prayer?YUP! If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.
123:3.6 During this year Joseph and Mary had trouble with Jesus about his prayers. He insisted on talking to his heavenly Father much as he would talk to Joseph, his earthly father. This departure from the more solemn and reverent modes of communication with Deity was a bit disconcerting to his parents, especially to his mother, but there was no persuading him to change; he would say his prayers just as he had been taught, after which he insisted on having “just a little talk with my Father in heaven.”
If doing God’s will is sharing the inner life with him, then all such inner conversation is a prayer, casual or otherwise. What makes you think that only formal “church-speak” or lofty language petitions for “whatever” impresses God in the least? Jumpin’ Jimminy, prayer is not just banging on the door to God’s heart asking for something in the most polite way you can come up with. It can’t be. Don’t you remember the long list of what Jesus considered prayer to be? It covers just about everything you can think of. Here’s the quote again:
p2088:5, 196:0.10 To him prayer was a sincere expression of spiritual attitude, a declaration of soul loyalty, a recital of personal devotion, an expression of thanksgiving, an avoidance of emotional tension, a prevention of conflict, an exaltation of intellection, an ennoblement of desire, a vindication of moral decision, an enrichment of thought, an invigoration of higher inclinations, a consecration of impulse, a clarification of viewpoint, a declaration of faith, a transcendental surrender of will, a sublime assertion of confidence, a revelation of courage, the proclamation of discovery, a confession of supreme devotion, the validation of consecration, a technique for the adjustment of difficulties, and the mighty mobilization of the combined soul powers to withstand all human tendencies toward selfishness, evil, and sin. He lived just such a life of prayerful consecration to the doing of his Father’s will and ended his life triumphantly with just such a prayer. The secret of his unparalleled religious life was this consciousness of the presence of God; and he attained it by intelligent prayer and sincere worship — unbroken communion with God — and not by leadings, voices, visions, or extraordinary religious practices.
Think about it, prayer is a declaration of faith. Shouldn’t you be declaring faith 24/7? You can’t do that with formal solemn petitions. You’d have to be a solitary monk living in a cave to do that. Prayer is not ceremonious. If you can only approach God when in your Sunday finest, then you’re treating God like a King rather than a Father. It’s silly to think that way. Not that you’re silly for doing that, but it’s entirely unnecessary. You can pray in the nude and use hip hop language as long as your motive is pure. God listens to your heart, not your words, and your heart should always be sharing with him. If not, you’re isolating parts of yourself and denying him a wholehearted love.
I really don’t understand why the word “prayer” is so toxic. Maybe it’s the political times we are living in, I don’t know. Prayer, if nothing else, is a 24/7 expression of gratitude. If you’re thankful for every little thing in life and want to tell God just how thankful you are, then you would be praying ceaselessly. It’s rather simple. It has to be simple if the best way to do it is as a little child, trusting and open all of the time. And if you’re not trusting and open all of the time, then you’re not connected. Ceaseless prayer is an unbroken connection to the Source; formal prayers are like dial-up connections, intermittent . . . temporary . . . not good.
Think about it, prayer is a declaration of faith. Shouldn’t you be declaring faith 24/7? You can’t do that with formal solemn petitions. You’d have to be a solitary monk living in a cave to do that. Prayer is not ceremonious. If you can only approach God when in your Sunday finest, then you’re treating God like a King rather than a Father. It’s silly to think that way. Not that you’re silly for doing that, but it’s entirely unnecessary. You can pray in the nude and use hip hop language as long as your motive is pure. God listens to your heart, not your words, and your heart should always be sharing with him. If not, you’re isolating parts of yourself and denying him a wholehearted love.
I really don’t understand why the word “prayer” is so toxic. Maybe it’s the political times we are living in, I don’t know. Prayer, if nothing else, is a 24/7 expression of gratitude. If you’re thankful for every little thing in life and want to tell God just how thankful you are, then you would be praying ceaselessly. It’s rather simple. It has to be simple if the best way to do it is as a little child, trusting and open all of the time. And if you’re not trusting and open all of the time, then you’re not connected. Ceaseless prayer is an unbroken connection to the Source; formal prayers are like dial-up connections, intermittent . . . temporary . . . not good.
Bonita, I know that we have had this conversation, regarding “prayer” before, and in the past my remarks as to the same material you present here, as I perceived them from you response’s got to the point where you avoided replying to any of my posts, directly but, as you continue to present this material, with some variations, I understand your premise but still find it logically impractical as you present it.
What I am attempting to say is that if one is fused with their adjuster in thought, or one with their soul, then unconscious thought would constitute “prayer” as you present it, or so I read into your statements? This would then allow for “Ceaseless prayer is an unbroken connection to the Source”. I too understand this expression but, have learned to move this to the superconscious level of thought where I am in constant contact with the “source” but communicate thought mindal thought. Not that I can open my consciousness to verbal expressions, which I have found it to be confusing at times, because they intermingle with whatever current external process I’m attempting to concentrate on and, to me, causes interference. This is why I have chosen to turn off this process, even when it becomes overbearing. However, assuming that we have a similar understanding, it has nothing to do with the term “prayer” if one associates this with “communication” with the source. This is to me the same as the perceived difference to the understanding between “worship” and “prayer”, as I understand it from the UB. Therefore, as your say that you “don’t understand why the word “prayer” is so toxic”, is as I believe your perception to be, different definitions for that word as it applies to every individual?
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One other aspect of Goodness, one that must be examined in a comprehensive study of Goodness, is its opposite: evil. Humans haven’t given it much thought, but to be realized goodness must be contrasted with evil out here in time and space. The authors say this at least 8 different ways (3 of those are in Jesus’ teachings), from Paper 3 to Paper 160:
…Man could never lay saving hold on righteousness if there were no potential evil to exalt and differentiate the good by contrast…. (51:12) 3:5.13
…The inhabitants of the Havona worlds do not require the potential of relative value levels as a choice stimulus; such perfect beings are able to identify and choose the good in the absence of all contrastive and thought-compelling moral situations…. (52.2) 3:5.16
…The infinite goodness of the Father is beyond the comprehension of the finite mind of time; hence must there always be afforded a contrast with comparative evil (not sin) for the effective exhibition of all phases of relative goodness…. (58.4) 4:3.6
…Perfection of divine goodness can be discerned by mortal imperfection of insight only because it stands in contrastive association with relative imperfection in the relationships of time and matter in the motions of space…. (58.4) 4:3.6
…Man is slow to perceive that contrastive perfection and imperfection produce potential evil; that conflicting truth and falsehood create confusing error…. (613:1) 54:0.1
…Goodness, like truth, is always relative and unfailingly evil-contrasted. It is the perception of these qualities of goodness and truth that enables the evolving souls of men to make those personal decisions of choice which are essential to eternal survival…. (1457:6) 132:2.3
…Goodness is found in the recognition of the positive truth-values of the spiritual level, which must, in human experience, be contrasted with the negative counterpart–the shadows of potential evil…. (1458.4) 132:2.7
…In all such spirit personalities, goodness is no longer partial, contrastive, and comparative; it has become divinely complete and spiritually replete; it approaches the purity and perfection of the Supreme…. (1458:6) 132:2.9
Remember reading there are celestials whose job it is to study the effects of evil? And there is this, from a Mighty Messenger, a former human, writing about the Lucifer rebellion–evil on a cosmic scale:
…As you ascend in the survival experience, you will broaden your universe concepts and extend your horizon of meanings and values; and thus will you be able the better to understand why such beings as Lucifer and Satan are permitted to continue in rebellion. You will also better comprehend how ultimate (if not immediate) good can be derived from time-limited evil…. (620.2) 54:6.10
Many times the Master suggested overcoming evil with good. Evil, not being an enduring reality it is vulnerable to eternal goodness. Evil can actually be ‘overcome’ with goodness:
“…In your lives overthrow error and overcome evil by the love of the living truth. In all your relations with men do good for evil….” (1443:3) 131:1.7
…Fatherly love delights in returning good for evil–doing good in retaliation for injustice…. (1575:9) 140:5.24
…And Jesus answered: “You shall return good for evil. My messengers must not strive with men, but be gentle toward all. Measure for measure shall not be your rule….” (1577:3) 140:6.9
“…I say to you: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you. And whatsoever you believe that I would do to men, do you also to them….” (1571:2) 140:3.15
“…Why not assert your mastery of evil by virtue of the power of goodness and thus become the master of all relations between the two of you? I predict that the good in you could overcome the evil in him if you gave it a fair and living chance….” (1430:2) 130:2.4
“…There is mighty power in the expulsive energy of a new and sincere spiritual affection. And again I say to you, be not overcome by evil but rather overcome evil with good….” (1738:4) 156:5.5
…Jesus did not advocate the practice of negative submission to the indignities of those who might purposely seek to impose upon the practitioners of nonresistance to evil, but rather that his followers should be wise and alert in the quick and positive reaction of good to evil to the end that they might effectively overcome evil with good…. (1770:2) 159:5.10
From Buddhism: “…Do not to others those things you would not wish done to you. Pay good for evil; overcome evil with the good….” (1447:3) 131:3.6
From a Mighty Messenger: …The Melchizedeks now teach that the good resulting from the Satania rebellion is more than a thousand times the sum of all the evil…. (619:3) 54:6.6
From the Midwayers: …Jesus brought a new method of living to Urantia. He taught us not to resist evil but to find through him a goodness which effectually destroys evil…. (2018:1) 188:5.2
…Pentecost, with its spiritual endowment, was designed forever to loose the religion of the Master from all dependence upon physical force; the teachers of this new religion are now equipped with spiritual weapons. They are to go out to conquer the world with unfailing forgiveness, matchless good will, and abounding love. They are equipped to overcome evil with good, to vanquish hate by love, to destroy fear with a courageous and living faith in truth…. (2064:3) 194:3.11
…Urantia has passed through the ravages of great and destructive wars in its history. All participants in these terrible struggles met with defeat. There was but one victor; there was only one who came out of these embittered struggles with an enhanced reputation–that was Jesus of Nazareth and his gospel of overcoming evil with good…. (2064:4) 194:3.12
Evil will pass away, but NOTHING of spiritual goodness is ever wasted:
…On the mansion worlds they proclaim the great law of the conservation and dominance of goodness: No act of good is ever wholly lost; it may be long thwarted but never wholly annulled, and it is eternally potent in proportion to the divinity of its motivation…. (552:5) 48:6.7
…No worth-while experience ever happens in vain; no true meaning or real value ever perishes…. (1200:1) 109:6.1
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Richard E Warren
Rick Warren wrote: . . .but to be realized goodness must be contrasted with evil out here in time and space.I agree that the contrast is inevitable, but I like to think of it as the contrast between imperfection and perfection; incompletion and completion; immaturity and maturity; error and truth; not God’s way and God’s way. The word evil has so much baggage attached to it. It always makes me think of nasty villains, ogres, monsters and devils. We’re told that evil is really small black patches on a huge background of white goodness. It seems to me that it’s not so much that evil is necessary, but rather the potential for it is. Potential gives us the opportunity to make choices, and choices are essential for growth. Whenever we are faced with the potential for evil and we opt against it, aren’t we really choosing God’s way of goodness?
130:1.6 Your Father in heaven, by endowing you with the power to choose between truth and error, created the potential negative of the positive way of light and life; but such errors of evil are really nonexistent until such a time as an intelligent creature wills their existence by mischoosing the way of life.
Since goodness, like truth and beauty, is relative, then evil must be relative too. If it is relative, then as we move through the psychic circles of personality realization, the potential for evil must change along with us. What was once thought to be “okay” might now have new light on it and appear more imperfect than we originally thought. I think that’s one of the reasons why we go round and round, repeating our decisions over and over again, because there’s a chance that we see more clearly each time and choose the more perfect over the less perfect. Or rather, choose the less imperfect over the more imperfect as a function of growth of insight.
130:4.11 Evil is, therefore, also a measure of imperfection in universe interpretation. The possibility of making mistakes is inherent in the acquisition of wisdom, the scheme of progressing from the partial and temporal to the complete and eternal, from the relative and imperfect to the final and perfected. Error is the shadow of relative incompleteness which must of necessity fall across man’s ascending universe path to Paradise perfection. Error (evil) is not an actual universe quality; it is simply the observation of a relativity in the relatedness of the imperfection of the incomplete finite to the ascending levels of the Supreme and Ultimate.
I think perfect and imperfect (complete and incomplete; good and evil; truth and error) are interrelated and can’t really be separated in experiential reality, much like the parable of the wheat and the tares. In my backyard garden the tares, or weeds, eventually crowd out the plants unless I diligently kill them off. But in God’s universe, the wheat crowds out the tares every time. I really don’t think we have to work too hard to weed our spiritual gardens. I think the real work of life is to keep the wheat growing. That’s a more positive way of living.
130:1.6 This is why our Father in heaven permits the good and the evil to go along together until the end of life, just as nature allows the wheat and the tares to grow side by side until the harvest.
I do that through living prayer, the non-selfish type of prayer that always puts God (other-than-self) first. Some folks prefer other things I suppose, although I can’t understand why. If God is first and foremost in your mind at all times, the presence of evil doesn’t really matter much. I know some folks will go crazy with that last statement, but it’s true. If God fills your head and heart, he fills your life. If you’re full to the brim with God, there’s no room for much else. Then, evil merely means “not yet fully perfected, but on the Way”.
2:6.8 Unreality, even incompleteness of creature nature, cannot exist forever in a progressively real and increasingly spiritual universe.
Great quotes Bonita!! I agree there is a point in progression where evil “doesn’t really matter much”….and the quotes posted go straight to an important perspective on some evil….which is but the error of strategy, tactic, or response….but not any error of motive or intention. Wisdom comes by experience-realized result-discernment….even love motivated choice may still not be the better or best or perfect choice response in all situations. The universe is an education of progressively making the wiser choice by the error lessons from less wise choices.
Our will alignment with Father does not bring instant wisdom or experience….such remains, ideally, progressive but still evolutionary in its results over time. By this definition evil is neither bad nor good….it is simply a mistake or error which is utilized for further education.
Bradly wrote: . . . the error of strategy, tactic, or response….but not any error of motive or intention.That’s important Bradly. It reminds me of the quote that says you can be absolutely right about the facts but totally wrong about the truth. (48:6.33) Mortal thinking begins with facts, then moves to meanings and finally to values. (118:5.3) It makes sense that an individual with righteous motives might think the facts of a situation are right and make a choice based on those facts without fully understanding their meaning, let alone value. That may be an imperfect choice, even an evil one, but if that individual is not fully conscious of the degree of imperfection or evil in such a choice, it is not to his/her detriment in the long run. It’s not a sin, it’s just another sincere decision on the great psychic circuit of growth and progress. It may move an individual forward, or it might mean another go at it from a different perspective. I think perspectives can change by enlarging the capacity of receptivity through prayer.The more you identify with the nature of the Father, the more you recognize the potential for fatherly love when you come across it. So when the decision comes around again, that sort of enlarged insight might lead an individual to consider not just the facts, but the meanings as well, maybe even more. The resulting sincere decision would be less imperfect, more perfect and hence more forward moving. I think the really important thing is willingness to be spirit led. This can happen at any level of decision making. If the motive is to discover God’s will and the intention is to do it, then decisions qualify as being sincere. Don’t you think?I have to say that over the years, some of the most shocking things I’ve come to realize is the misinterpretation by others of my motives for doing something. I’ve done things with what I considered at the time to be great sincerity, wishing to helpful, well meaning, an attempt at doing something loving, only to discover that it was received with resentment, suspicion and sometimes hostility. It’s devastating to the spirit, but on closer inspection, I can often see how and why it all went wrong. I think the original decision was imperfect, not the better or best way to do something. It often takes several attempts to get from good to better and finally to best. And even then, I’m sure there’s bester and bestest yet to come. I think God leads us to the better way, if we’re willing, and then onward.12:7.7 The will of God does not uniformly prevail in the heart of the God-seeking material mortal, but if the time frame is enlarged beyond the moment to embrace the whole of the first life, then does God’s will become increasingly discernible in the spirit fruits which are borne in the lives of the spirit-led children of God. And then, if human life is further enlarged to include the morontia experience, the divine will is observed to shine brighter and brighter in the spiritualizing acts of those creatures of time who have begun to taste the divine delights of experiencing the relationship of the personality of man with the personality of the Universal Father.If the motive is to discover God’s will and the intention is to do it, then decisions qualify as being sincere. Don’t you think?
Yes indeed I do!!! It’s all about sincerity and our heart which is our motive for living and our intention at every intersection of choice and relationship.
We are taught the goodness and value in uncertainty…we are to learn to truly enjoy and anticipate the unknown and unpredictable as a grand adventure with wonder and mystery attending our progress for a very long time….to feast and fatten. Only a pure heart and motive can ever hope to achieve this confidence amidst all uncertainty.
Bradly wrote: We are taught the goodness and value in uncertainty . . .So don’t you think that there is naturally some uncertainty about our own goodness? Can we ever be certain of our own goodness? I think we can certainly recognize goodness in others, but our own has to be unconscious and hence uncertain. Which is why it’s better to ascribe all goodness to God, and better to go on striving for goodness as an eternal goal.
Bradly wrote: Only a pure heart and motive can ever hope to achieve this confidence amidst all uncertainty.I think confidence comes from one’s relationship with God. If I recognize myself as a son of God, I know that relationship can never change. My earth father used to say, “I’m your father and always will be, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it, so deal with it!” The same goes for God. If I’m his son, I can’t undo his fatherhood. It’s built into the relationship as a forever thing. It’s that forever thing that gives confidence. Just like my earth father, I know my spirit Father will always claim me as his son, even if I temporarily go missing. It’s a such a comfort, this sonship thing. It’s what the parable of the prodigal son is all about.
When it comes to God’s love, I don’t have to worry too much about doing the right or wrong thing. In other words, I can do the wrong thing and get another chance to make it right, another chance to recognize the difference between evil and good, imperfect and perfect, error and truth, incomplete and complete, immature and mature, not my Father’s way and my Father’s way. Thank you God for those chances, those mercy coupons you so willingly dole out!
Well Sister….there’s plenty of uncertainty about MY goodness!!! Hahahahahaha…. I think the teaching that the act is ours and the consequences are God’s goes directly to what you’ve said above – the saying is about the acts by one who is love motivated and with right intentions, not about the sinful acts of choosing based on self serving or other dominating which will require love motivated responses by others to mitigate such consequences which attend such choices and then overcome, even overwhelm, all such consequences over time. In other words, what is done in love and service will bear its fruit regardless of the errors of strategy and tactic due to immaturity – to the one who so chooses, to others in the vicinity of the one, and to the eternal Supreme.
Sin is an irrelevancy….over time….or it provides opportunity for love response by another or many others or all others which further strengthens that love response and not only fades away the temporal effects of sin itself but the auto-immune response of love actually increases the health and strength of the whole. God is love and the law of love is universal which results in the dominance of goodness in reality. Non-reality includes both sin and the well intentioned errors of personal growth and wisdom building. This most certainly does not mean that what we choose and do does not matter, but it does mean that it is the motive and intention that delivers value to ourselves and to others. God will see to it that love is never squandered and its effects in time will be realized no matter the tadpole’s wisdom or lack thereof. I am reminded of the exponential goodness that has come by love response to the rebellion over time which has resulted in a significant net gain in truth, beauty, and goodness in Nebadon as a result of even grave iniquity and disloyalty. So, even the consequences of sin is washed away by the pure motives and intentions of response in the universe.
I also recall the lesson by the Master about the fact that the lust in one’s heart is sin regardless of the act which may or may not follow – the motive and intent are measured by God even before the act which comes by such motive.
When we are told that it is “sincerity, sincerity, and more sincerity” that propels the soul into its destiny, we are being encouraged, I think, to not be too mindful of the consequences of immature and inexperienced strategies and tactics….as God will deliver the goodness that is due all such sincerity. I think this is the reason that, indeed…”It Really Is All Good”. For that which is not good is both temporal and further opportunity for goodness to prevail in time and by the choice of those who are love motivated and service intentioned.
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