Show Us How
Greetings and good morning, 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 revealed many spiritual truths to me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we will ponder our lives as we seek to understand how Jesus shows us how to obey the Father’s eternal command to be perfect even as he is perfect.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Show Us How
"Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’" John Chapter 14, Verse 6
Brothers and sisters, in today’s broadcast we shall continue our discussion from last week where we explored the insights relating to the embracement of the values and meaning of spiritual perfection, but today we want to focus on the how. We know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and that he has told us that when it comes to the acquirement of the values and meanings of spiritual reality, all we have to do is ask and we shall receive; knock and the door shall be opened. So today we want share some insight as to how this is done. In short, we want Jesus to show us how. We know that the Son only does that which he sees the Father do. The Father has shown the Son, Jesus how to do all these spiritual things, and now we want him to show us how to do them. We shall use a material analogy to assist us in grasping the intellectual aspects of this spiritual mechanism.
The body is a marvelous mechanism. There are countless chemical reactions that go on at the same time. Now we know that there must be some mechanisms that control and regulate these reactions, some mechanism that prevents them from interfering the one with the other. Ordinarily, it requires some kind of activating force to get the reactions moving. It is the control of this activating force that prevents the chemical reactions from getting out of control. When ever a specific chemical reaction is needed in the body, an enzyme is used to catalyze the reaction, to make it happen. Enzymes are proteins that are configured in such a way that they allow the substances which are to react to come together and configure them in such a way, that the reactions are poised to interact. With a small energy currency in the form of ATP, (adenosine triphosphate), the enzyme causes the reaction to go forward. The enzyme then resumes it usual configuration until it is needed again. In this way all the chemical reactions in the body are controlled, regulated, produced in the exact order, time and amount that they are needed.
In trying to achieve some spiritual goal, whether it be adjusting to a new reality, or acquiring some new spiritual value, Jesus is the way. The Father is the source of all spiritual values. These values are interpreted and made personal by the Spirit of Truth, the spirit of Jesus. This Spirit of Truth operates like a catalyst within our soul when a particular spiritual value is needed for the soul. The soul looks into the mirror of the Father’s will. What the soul sees is not its actual state, but its potential state. If the soul desires to become this potential state, the Spirit of Truth brings the spiritual value of the actual state of the soul into contact with the potential spiritual value, and by configuring the soul to conform to the potential spiritual value, a spiritual reaction takes place that incorporates the new value into the soul. This incorporation of the new value into the soul is the growth of the soul, having assimilated the value that is needed for a particular problem. The signal for the reaction to take place is our wholehearted desire to do the Father’s will. And when this wholehearted desire is expressed, the Spirit of Truth is released, causing the spiritual reaction to take place. After the reaction is completed, the Spirit of Truth returns to its normal status of surrounding the soul, awaiting the opportunity and desire for the next transformation of the soul.
From our perspective, we see ourselves faced with some problem that has destroyed our equilibrium. We become aware of this problem because our inner peace has been disturbed. This problem may have been presented to us in the form of a moral or spiritual dilemma on the outside. Or it may be presented as a change in status which may necessitate an adjustment to a newer reality, one that we are reluctant to face. The inertia of self resists change, and the inertia to remain the same in the face of the urge to change creates the conflict. We have been challenged by the need for further growth. This need for further growth appears in our minds and souls as conflict.
How we handle this conflict depends on our supreme desire and our dedication to doing the Father’s will. It is obvious that some decision has to be made. The Father has given us free will to choose him and his way. So even though the Father is presenting the new value to be accepted, we are under no coercion to accept it. Thus the conflict may be resolved in three ways. We can embrace the new value, which ends the conflict; we can reject the new value, which also ends the conflict, or we can procrastinate or postpone accepting the new value, which prolongs and intensifies the conflict. Let us now consider each of these choices and their ramifications.
One: We decide to resolve the conflict in favor of the Father. When we desire to do so, we look into the mirror of the Father’s will and see our potential state of growth rather than our actual state. If we desire to acquire the potential state of growth, we choose the Father’s will. This is indicated by us making the choice of the highest value, the choice that embodies the highest level of understanding and wisdom we possess. This choice is the Father’s will, the choice for the potential state of growth of the soul. And when we do acquire the potential state of growth, the conflict resolves and we return to our normal state of internal peace, though on the outside we may have unleashed a beehive of opposition. But having chosen the Father’s will, we have all the resources of the Father to stand in defense of the higher truth that we have chosen.
Two: We can decide to resolve the conflict in our favor; we can choose to do our own will, to decline the challenge of new growth. We can look into the mirror of the Father’s will, see our potential state of growth, and decline it. The conflict resolves, but we have lost ground and are now weaker than we were before the start of the conflict.
The law of the universe decrees progress. We cannot stand still in the universe of divine values and meanings. Either we move forward to acquire them or we move backward and lose them. And since we have elected not to stand for the higher truth, none of the Father’s resources are available for our use.
The Father is never wasteful. He does not give us anything we cannot use. "He who has shall be given more; he who has not, that which he hath shall be taken away."
Three: We can decide to procrastinate, to postpone the decision to resolve the conflict. If we make this decision, we look into the mirror of the Father’s will and see our potential state, and rather than choose it or decline it, we continue to stare at it. This eventually collapses our ability to choose. We use up all of our energy, grow tired, and eventually walk away. When we refuse to make a decision, the law of the universe sidelines us. We lose the power to choose or not to choose, and we are kicked out of the growth process by default. The default position is always elimination from the growth process.
When looking into the mirror of the Father’s will, discerning what the potential state of growth is, we may have trouble making out the image. We have to remove some of the smudges from our souls so that we can see clearly. We have to come closer and not stand so far away. In other words, we must align our wills with the Father’s will. And we do this by prayer and worship, by seeking to know the Father’s will. When we seek to know the Father’s will, our souls are elevated to that level where we can clearly see his will. It’s like being in an elevator on the first floor and wanting to go to the seventh floor. The elevator of prayer takes us there, where in worship we can clearly see the potential state of our souls, can clearly discern the Father’s will.
Sometimes when we view the image of our potential soul, we entertain doubt that what we are seeing is really true. Sometimes the image is too grand for our souls to comprehend, and we retreat into either rejecting the image or procrastinating. Now this type of rejection, the refusal to choose, has the same effect on our growth. We need more time in the elevator of prayer. Remember, there is a difference between waiting until we are clear as to what the image is, what the choice is, and clearly seeing the image and refusing to make a decision. The difference is procrastination. We can only grow by making decisions. There is no provision that allows us to grow without making decisions.
Concerning the fear of mischosing, of choosing error rather than truth, remember that conflict is always progressive. It is never about choosing a lesser choice over a higher choice. Choosing a lesser choice over a higher choice, while it unfailingly causes the soul to lose ground, never produces growth. This is because the lesser choice is reflective of growth that has already been covered and requires no additional effort.
But we should remember that we are choosing spiritual values. And the spirit of truth is exquisitely sensitive to choosing true values. And though these spiritual choices may have material ramifications, they are not material decisions. They are spiritual decisions that have to do with our becoming perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect. Our material decisions as always are based on the exercise of judgement in response to opportunity. So we must exercise faith, trust, and hope if the process of following Jesus’ instruction of showing us how to be perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect is to be effective. We must have the courage to embrace what we see (comprehend) in viewing the mirror of the Father’s will. If we do, the Spirit of Truth will make it so. In short, Jesus will show us how.
This concludes today's message on understanding how Jesus shows us how to be perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect. 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
Show Us How
