The Correct Response to the Father's Love
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 revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This
morning we seek to understand what the correct response is to the Father's love.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Correct Response to the Father's Love
Jesus said, " And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John, Chapter
8, Verse 32.
Three blind and deaf beggar men stand around an animal trying their best to first determine what the
animal is, and secondly to convey this information to each other. The first blind man grabs hold of
a thin long whip like structure, and thinks that the animal must be a snake. The second blind man
grabs holds of a huge tree like structure, and thinks to himself that this must be a tree. The third blind
man grabs hold of a trunk like structure. At one instance he feels hot air being blown out; the next
instance he feels a shower of water being blown out, and he wonders what in the world this can be.
By examining a limited part of an animal, three blind and deaf men with the sensation of feel try to
convey the impressions of what this animal is to each other. What is conveyed to each other and to
all is a concept of confusion and error. What is the Truth?
A person goes through a very painful and sorrowful experience. As he ponders this experience, he
arrives at certain meanings and understandings, but these are erroneous, more or less. He knows what
he has experienced, but he does not yet understand nor comprehend the true meanings of such an
experience, for it lies just outside his grasp. What is the Truth?
A person observes someone who appears to be a walking error. Everything he does appears to be
wrong. He is criticized severely. The observer knows what he sees, but what he sees is not the cause
of the person's error--only the manifestation of it. To penetrate true causes, the observer must look
within himself rather than at the evildoer. Such a look will reveal that the observer himself is riddled
with error. By looking inside himself first, the observer can better see how to help his brother by
correcting his own errors. Then, his brother can more clearly see the light by observing the better
way in one who has corrected his errors. Jesus put it this way: "And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst
thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself
beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye. Thou hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thine own
eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull the mote that is in thy brother's eye."
Brothers and sisters, self interest largely obscures logic. That is, whenever we try to evaluate a
problem in terms of purely self interest, our evaluation is likely to be erroneous. Only when we
elevate the problem to divine levels can a correct interpretation be approached. Only when viewing
a problem through the eyes of Jesus can our self interest give way to divine, unselfish interest. When
we seek to arrive at the best possible solution to a problem, we are in fact seeking the perfect
solution, the ideal solution, but always must the reception of the perfect solution be conditioned and
modified by the degree of spiritual perfection that we have attained. But the very act of consistently
reaching for ideal solutions repercusses in expanded capacity to receive and implement the solution.
The striving for ideal solution is the striving to do the Father's will, and will always result in ever
increasing perfection of our souls.
In the moral arena, we must discriminate between good and evil, and must wisely choose between
them. We must act and make decisions. We are therefore concerned with choosing the correct
response, even the supreme response. The seeking of the supreme response for the purpose of
applying them to evil acts, and imperfect conditions is filled with more than a little anguish and
uncertainty. Moral choices being free will choices, we can never make a moral choice that is beyond
our moral enlightenment.
Duty to a neighbor is once thing, while duty to a brother or sister is another, and duty to a son or
daughter is still another thing entirely. We will do something for a brother or sister which we will
hardly do for a neighbor, while we will do for a son or daughter that which utterly surpasses even
that which we do for a brother or a sister.
These are different levels of value-meanings. It is the purpose of life to teach us the relative value
of each of these levels of relationships. By seeking to do the Father's will, we gain capacity to
perceive and comprehend the truth of each of these levels of values, and this perception and
comprehension of truth liberates our minds and souls and set us asail upon the high seas of the
Father's love, where spiritually we make no distinction between a neighbor, a brother or sister, or son
or daughter. We love them all equally. And this is the realization of the truth that sets us free: "That
ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the correct response to the Father's
love. 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
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Correct Response to the Father's Love
