The Divine Light og Goodness
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 revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the divine light of
goodness.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Divine Light of Goodness
"O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalms,
Chapter 34, Verse 8.
Brothers and sisters, as we live our life on earth, consequences follow acts. We are not always aware
of the consequences of a given act because the acts and the consequences are separated by time and
space. Often, this separation clouds the relationship between cause and effect. It is not always easy
to discern how a given act leads to a given set of consequences. Often this process is resolved by trial
and error and by its ever present associates--pain, sorrow, and disappointment. Trial and error are
the ordained technique of progress for all souls who do not comprehend truth, those souls who have
not been born again. The comprehension of truth does not eliminate trial, but it does eliminate the
error. Truth does reveal the pleasure, the joy, and the success concealed in the trial, while the trial
itself is conquered by the Father's power--love, faith, and goodness.
The light of divine goodness is best seen when it is contrasted with the dark shadows of evil. Evil
is an unconscious selfish attitude toward reality-truth. It is a measure of immaturity of our souls, and
therefore is an unintended violation of divine truth. The violation of divine truth either consciously
or unconsciously always brings the harvest of spiritual pain, sorrow, and disappointment. Whether
these negative states last depends on our willingness to turn away from the attitudes that caused these
states in the first place.
When and if we display a selfish attitude toward reality, the first phase of divine goodness begins
to function. Love begins the long process of saturating the soul. This constant showing of love
gradually turns the self inside out. Our souls begin to experience the compelling force of divine love
which constantly urges it outward towards the needs of others, rather than inward upon the needs of
self. Divine love creates the consciousness that our spiritual needs are being met, thus removing fear
and the need to be preoccupied with self. It creates a consciousness in our souls that the best way to
be happy is to be concerned with the happiness of others. This love continues to function in and
throughout all the other phases of divine goodness.
The next phase of divine goodness to function is divine patience. Divine patience is an eternal
attitude. It springs from the fact that the Father always lives in the everlasting present. Everything
that has been, everything that is, and everything that ever will be is always present with the Father
in the ever present now. And this is true in spite of the fact that we are conscious of past, present,
and future states. From the time point of view, this takes on the meaning of divine patience. Divine
patience then becomes the interval between selfishness and unselfishness--the time required for our
souls to proceed from evil to good.
Then there is divine mercy. It should be noted at this point that the first two factors of divine
goodness-love and patience--operate solely during the act of evil. When and if we commit an evil
act, divine love and patience are primarily concerned. During the consequence of evil, in addition
to love and patience still functioning, mercy and forgiveness are also added. At some point between
the beginning of consequences and the end of consequences of a given act, due to pain, sorrow, and
disappointment, most of us repent, beg for mercy and seek forgiveness.
Repentance signifies the realization in our minds and souls that the meaning and value of a given
act is not what was expected, and furthermore that the meaning and value of the evil act is wrong.
The stimulus for the awareness that the act is wrong is the pain, sorrow, and disappointment which
also simulates the desire for mercy, for righteousness. Mercy then becomes the desire for
righteousness. Mercy reveals a divine set of values and meanings that are the exact opposites of the
meanings and values of evil. The mercy seeker can conceive of the meanings and values of
righteousness but has not the power to acquire them. This gives way to the function of forgiveness.
Forgiveness when fully received gives us the power to acquire the divine values and meanings by
transforming our souls and minds into those values and meanings that we desire, while justice
destroys the evil meanings and values.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the divine light of goodness. 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 Divine Light of Goodness
