We all have a desire to love and be loved, but nothing in this world can wholly satisfy that longing. Only the hope found in God’s love can even come close. We are all alien beings living in an alien world. Our souls long to return home, and through Christ, they can.
The purpose of darkness is to cover up light. The purpose of light is to expose darkness. The two coexist cyclically in the physical (or visual) world, but beyond what we can see with our eyes, they are constantly at war.
Our consciences are the voices inside our heads that tell us right from wrong, and therefore, interpret what we cannot see.
Our minds are like light switches that are wired to our hearts – in order to turn light on within, we must freely choose to flip the switch. We must learn to engage our hearts, so they can produce the energy required to power the light that brightens our minds.
However, because our consciences reside within our minds as part of our physical bodies, they are also part of the imperfect (or fallen) state of man. This means that over time, if light is not produced within our minds through observation & intentional self-study that is guided by the heart, then darkness will gain a foothold. When darkness holds the majority within our hearts and minds, the amount of light inside becomes increasingly harder and harder to find…..
For more on Light, check this out!
In Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was speaking with his disciples about heaven. When the disciples inquired about who was the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus welcomed a child into their presence and replied, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.” (Matthew 18: 3-4)
After reading this, I began to think. How does one humble himself and become like a child? What child-like characteristic(s) must one possess in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? In writing my list of “necessary” traits for the faith of a child, three stood out:
If we are not curious, we will never learn.
If we cannot forgive, light-stifling darkness will slowly begin to consume our hearts and minds, as our subconscious [unbeknownst to us] secretly dwells on the resentment that remains as a side effect of harboring negative feelings toward another entity.
And finally, if we allow these negative emotions to control us without conscious knowledge of the darkness that is gradually building inside our minds over time, we will begin to weaken and bend until we are no more useful than the keyboard I am typing this on. We become like puppets, or ‘robots’ as I like to say, our minds being manipulated by the world around us.
All of us have “robot-isms” – it is our human nature. However, unless you are able to recognize this fact and routinely acknowledge its presence, all while maintaining enough curiosity about its existence, in order to consistently seek out knowledge with the intent of continuously bettering yourself – you just might not enter the Kingdom of heaven (per Jesus).
….but how do you find your heart? Start listening to your conscience and obeying its commands. That simple.
Find the beauty in yourself.
“The LORD loves what is righteous and just; his constant love fills the earth.”
In reference to, “his constant love fills the earth,” what exactly is God’s love? The love that is known by most of us as human beings is not the love of which this verse is referring. This love is an effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit, God’s witness and protector of man. Without it, what would be here to convict us of guilt or show us the good in the world?
We can know the Holy Spirit is present, when we clearly see and participate in the spreading of God’s light. Ways of doing this could include empathizing and forgiving others, remaining objective in social interactions, observing our behavior in order to catch the wrong we are doing and turn it right, so that others might model their behavior after our own, resulting in the incremental “betterness” of ourselves and those surrounding us. These selfless acts, and ultimate spreading of light, can only be attained through the indwelling of a deep agape love in the very core of our beings; in our hearts (or souls).
Therefore, God’s “constant love fills the earth,” by the continued presence of light, hope, and goodness in the world. His Witness teaches us to love, by compelling us to do what God loves – that “what is righteous and just,” so that God’s love will continue to spread throughout the world, and “fill the earth.”
Related:
Who Is The Restrainer? -gracethrufaith
The Key To Happiness -mytwisteddream
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Image via bobsblahblablogs.blogspot. com
article via Adam And Eve by Jack Kelley @ <http://www.gracethrufaith.com
Let me first begin by praising the clarity in which Jack Kelley composes his interpretations of the Bible stories we’ve been repeatedly taught throughout the course of our lives – especially those of us living in the Protestant-rich Bible Belt down south.
In this article, he gives readers the clearest depiction of The Fall of Man I’ve ever heard, and answers the tough questions, further clarifying how the scenario might have actually gone down. By sharing the cultural and known historical context present at the author’s time of writing, and cross-referencing the original Hebrew and/or Greek translations with present-day Bible versions, we are shown how and why human beings have gotten to where we are today.
I believe that every story, word, parable, lesson taught in the Bible can and should be interpreted as literal. I believe that the scientific evidence to prove a literal translation exists, we just have to look for it. You see, I am the type of person who must always test everything in life before I can accept it as “fact,” seeing religion and my self-purpose no differently. I feel that with enough research and cross-referencing, even the most adamant non-Christians would come to believe that Jesus Christ was sent to our planet to save God’s creation, and give us the eternal life we were originally intended to have.
My journey to this point has taken almost two years, so trying to get it out on paper may take some time. However, I am happy and willing to do so, and fear no question thrown my way. In the midst of my “creative revolution,” I have found the Word of God to be the most inspiring and highest motivator when determining the direction in which my path should go. I hope that by reading this article, or any of my posts to come, light may be shed on any doubt that might be dancing around your heart and soul, keeping you from moving forward.
Gypsy Musings of the Soul
Twisted Dream 