The Conservation of Spiritual Values
Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has shared many revelations of spiritual truth with me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we explore the meaning of the conservation of spiritual values.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Conservation of Spiritual Values
Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." Mark, Chapter 13, Verse 31
Brothers and sisters, in our journey down here, often it seems that spiritual values are ignored or considered unreal. Sometimes in our encounters with those living in darkness, it seems that spiritual values are impotent to bring light. But we must always remember that the reception of all spiritual values are conditioned by a person’’s free will. But even though the individual may reject spiritual values, the spiritual values still remain. Spiritual values, like their source, God, are indestructible. They pass from soul to soul and yield different meanings to each individual depending on the spiritual status of their mind, but they remain unchanged.
Spiritual values like matter/energy can never be destroyed. They may change from one form to another but they remain indestructible. Love, the greatest of all spiritual values, undergoes many forms from individual to individual but it always remains the same. As this love is bestowed upon an individual brother or sister, the meanings invariably change since no two minds are entirely alike. And as this divine love passes through the soul of an individual, that soul is transformed. If not, the divine affection tries new ways of manifesting itself and seeks new individuals with whom to manifest itself. Spiritual values are conserved.
Spiritual values can be discovered in two ways. A person may seek to know more about spiritual values (““I want to know what love is””). In this case the spiritual law of the universe applies: ““ask and you shall receive." In another case, the soul of the individual may discover a spiritual value by receiving it from another. In this case, the person may choose to accept or reject it. In any case, the value is not lost but conserved. If the individual seeks to know the spiritual value, the value becomes a part of his soul and is conserved; if the individual rejects the spiritual value, then the value nevertheless remains lodged in the spirit of his soul (the divine spirit). Nothing of spiritual value is ever lost, though the value may remain submerged, awaiting an opportunity to manifest itself. In the time-space universe in which we live, there is always ample opportunity for the value to manifest itself, either through the display of the value or seeking the value.
Let’’s consider the greatest of all spiritual values--divine love. Love is the greatest value because God is love. Notwithstanding we have the ability to reject love, we are created to receive love. This value comes to us in the presence of the divine spirit. The experience of divine love is the greatest experience that we can have. Consider this:
Men all too often forget that God is the greatest experience in human existence. Other experiences are limited in their nature and content, but the experience of God has no limits save those of the creature’’s comprehension capacity, and this very experience is in itself capacity enlarging. When men search for God, they are searching for everything. When they find God, they have found everything. The search for God is the unstinted bestowal of love attended by amazing discoveries of new and greater love to be bestowed. (1289.2) 117:6.9
All true love is from God, and man receives the divine affection as he himself bestows this love upon his fellows. Love is dynamic. It can never be captured; it is alive, free, thrilling, and always moving. Man can never take the love of the Father and imprison it within his heart. The Father’’s love can become real to mortal man only by passing through that man’’s personality as he in turn bestows this love upon his fellows. The great circuit of love is from the Father, through sons to brothers, and hence to the Supreme. The love of the Father appears in the mortal personality by the ministry of the indwelling Spirit. Such a God-knowing son reveals this love to his universe brethren, and this fraternal affection is the essence of the love of the Supreme." When we love one another, we receive the benefits of this divine affection. We become conscious of the God who is love. "He that loveth not, knoweth not God: For God is love." (1289.3) 117:6.10
Since this love knows no limits and since no two personalities and experiences are the same, it follows that divine love will color each experience with a specific spiritual flavor. Each experience we pass through in partnership with this divine affection increases our capacity to experience greater quantities of love. As has been noted, love becomes real as we allow it to pass through us
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Let’’s see if we can get a feel for this affection, characterized as the desire to do good to others. A blind lady seeks to cross a busy intersection and stands waiting for someone to help her cross. The first person who observes this situation ignores her need. This person feels no moral obligation to the person, and therefore does not enter into the experience with her. Divine love remains only a potential in this situation.
The second person feels that by helping her, he will endear himself to her and receive some material reward, so he decides to help the lady. In this situation, as in the above, the person does not receive the divine affection because he is operating from a selfish motive.
The third person recognizes the morality of the situation; he recognizes that it’’s his duty to help the lady cross and he does. His moral ideals are vindicated, but he does not receive the eclipsing joy of bestowing the divine affection. Moral satisfaction cannot compare with spiritual satisfaction. Though spiritual satisfaction is always moral, moral consideration should not be the driving factor in the service of love. Spiritual satisfaction springs from the intrinsic joy spiritual values impart when exercised with selflessness.
The fourth person observes the situation and is filled with compassion and empathy. Out of the depths of his heart, of true selfless affection, he moves forward to help a lady in distress. This demonstration of divine affection is its own reward. It is the attitude that determines the motive, the motive that determines the morality of an act. He realizes that by serving this lady, he is also serving God and thus his consciousness of God continues to increase as he loves divinely. Nothing satisfies the soul like the honor and privilege of allowing the Father’’s love to flow.
When this love is received, it inspires the recipient to allow it to flow through his own soul. In this way, a daisy chain is created whereby love can flow on and on. And thus we see that the greatest of all spiritual values, love, is conserved. Love is for its own sake. It is not a means to an end but an end within itself.
This concludes today's message on the meaning of the conservation of spiritual values. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Your Kingdom Come; Your Will Be Done!
Inspirational Messages of Light
By Dr. James Perry
The Conservation of Spiritual Values
