The Final Push for Divine 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 final push for divine
goodness.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Final Push for Divine Goodness
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." 1 John, Chapter 4, Verse 11.
Brothers and sisters, the Father is love.
The Father loves each of us and loves all others equally. The eternal divestment of his self in His
Son not only brings into existence the Spirit but requires that the Father personally manifest himself
through his Son and in the Spirit. Thus, whosoever has seen the Son has seen the Father. The Father
manifests himself as love to us his sons and daughters and this love is realized when we unselfishly
love another. There are literally millions of souls walking around feeling unloved. The Father is in
them, but his love as perceived by them is only potential. In order to make this love actual, they must
love others.
Truth characterizes the observation of the relationship of the Father with His children--the
observation of the outworking of love. Goodness describes the moral purity of the relationship
existing between the Father and His children, the reliability, the trust-worthiness of the Father. The
Father is absolutely trust-worthy, absolutely moral. We can depend on the Father to sustain us, to
guide and direct us, for we are precious in his sight. The Father values us and life unfolds the
meanings of the value as we are given more and more responsibility in the execution of the divine
plan. To see truth in goodness is ultimate beauty. All truth is good, and all goodness is true--the
symmetry is perceived as beauty.
In eternity and in infinity, these truths are self evident, but on finite level where imperfection or
incompleteness characterizes existence, these truths are not self evident and only become real as a
consequence of choosing good over evil. In our lives, good is only potential until it is chosen.
Spiritual living means recognizing that evil is a transient reality with no eternal ramifications. The
consequence of this attitude is the focus on the good while exerting good in the face of evil.
But how is this done? How do we with human feelings, with desires to be accepted and valued by
our sisters and brothers, exert good in the face of evil? We all recognize the reality of evil in the
world as we not only receive it but perpetuate it. When we are rejected, ignored or misunderstood,
anger is likely to surface, if not anger than resentment which leads to anger. This anger and
resentment can manifest itself in very subtle ways such as criticizing the person who subjects us to
the evil. Evil by its very definition is the unconscious violation of the laws of the Father's love. The
soul who commits evil is unaware that it is evil. The soul is unaware of the effect that the maladapted
relationship is having on the individual. Only the display of goodness can lift the soul out of evil and
give it the opportunity to choose good. The display of evil reinforces evil and delays the ultimate
conquest by good. Concerning the reception of sin, or being victim to sin, the soul that sins is
conscious of its disloyalty towards the law of the Father's love. He is in conscious opposition to the
laws of love. The display of evil will not cause the sinner to repent of its conscious maladapted
relationship with others but will give him justification for having such an attitude toward others. The
person who sins has a conscious disdain for truth. In fact, he consciously ignores the reality of true
relationships.
But the way of the transgressor is hard. It is the very attempt of the sinner to consciously find an
easier way, a less responsible way of relating that constitutes the transient reality of sin. The way of
the transgressor in his reaping is absolutely hard when compared with the way of goodness.
Goodness therefore causes the sinner to repent.
All things work together for good. When someone treats us badly, no matter how hard the short term
affects us, we may rest assured that it will work for our eternal welfare if we display good in the face
of it. Look for the good in every situation; have faith in the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
Enhance our own goodness by displaying goodness. Ignore the desire to show evil for evil. Instead
submit to the divine urge to show goodness. And this is love, patience, mercy, and forgiveness.
This concludes today's message on understanding the final push for divine 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 Final Push for Divine Goodness
