The Image of the Heavenly Father
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 ponder our lives as we seek to discern the image of the heavenly Father.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Image of the Heavenly Father
"My beloved is ... the chiefest among ten thousand ... the one altogether lovely." Song of
Solomon, Chapter 5, Verse 16.
A Song of Hope
Oh! How I would like to see Him, just
To gaze upon His face.
Oh! How it would surely inspire me, to run
This difficult race.
Oh! What a blessing it would be, to behold
His form.
Oh! How it would fill me with pleasure,
Oh! To know the power, and feel the force
Of His soul.
Oh! How precious and valuable, more worthy
Than any treasure of gold.
Oh! To be securely held, and totally released
From the slavery of fear.
Oh! To soar and glide on the wings of faith,
Knowing I am near.
The face of the Heavenly Father is truth, and the pursuit of truth is the vision of His face. Truth is
divine reality; its personification is His Son, Jesus. The pursuit of the face of the heavenly Father is
the pursuit of truth, and the pursuit of truth shines brightly through every experience, be it good or
evil.
Truth--being a spiritual experience--is always present either in actuality or potential. If the
experience is good (free of error), then the sweetness of truth is tasted. If the experience is evil (full
of error) then is the bitterness of error tasted, and by contrast is the potential of truth beheld. That
is, when error is experienced, we are able right away to discern what should have been, and what
should have been is truth.
Truth being an eternal quality is and of itself always present and contains no segregation of actual
and potential. And this is true in spite of the fact that we live in time and space, and must
comprehend truth as either actual or potential. The pursuit of truth reveals that it is present at all
times. When we turn away from the face of the Heavenly Father, from the face of truth, then must
we progress by trial and error. This process of turning away from the face of the heavenly Father is
similar to an individual who places a blind fold over his eyes, and then tries to walk down a narrow
hallway without hitting the sides of the wall.
The form of the heavenly Father is beauty, and the appreciation of beauty is the comprehension of
His form. Beauty is divine unity. To appreciate the underlying harmony of reality, and to behold the
unity of contrast is the height of pleasure. Beauty like truth is an eternal quality and exists at all
times, irrespective of our inability to discern it. But again we can discern beauty in actuality or in
potential. When we have a unique experience, one full of harmony and success, then does the melody
of the tones of beauty bring forth the exquisite joy in the beholder. By contrast, when we experience
the ugliness of evil, we right away are able to discern the potential beauty that we could have
realized.
The soul of the Father is goodness, and the pursuit of goodness is the pursuit of the soul of the
Father. Goodness is the essence of the Father's character. It is the everlasting foundation for our faith
and trust in Him. From goodness flow love, patience, mercy, and forgiveness. This is the power of
righteousness. Only the good is true, and only the true is good. Goodness like truth and beauty is an
eternal quality.
In our lives, goodness is contrasted with evil. The amount of goodness that we can perceive is
determined by the degree of loyalty to goodness, But by contrast, and through pain, suffering, and
disappointment, we can appreciate the potential goodness which can be actualized by the process of
choosing good over evil. The choosing of goodness gives foundation and strength to the soul.
But truth, beauty, and goodness are united in love; thus love becomes the personality manifestation
of the Father, becomes the image of Him. Love is the all powerful unifier, excluding error and evil.
Fear is evil, thus does the consciousness of divine love banish it. It is impossible for anything that
is not true, beauty, or good to exist in the radiance of divine love. Love imparts the courage and
bravery, the sense of security in the very face of material insecurity. Love provides us with the
consciousness of survival apart from the material body. Love provides us with the consciousness of
spiritual indestructibility.
The pursuit of divine love is the pursuit of the Father's will, and since love is all inclusive of truth,
beauty, and goodness, it follows that the comprehension of truth, beauty, and goodness as they are
united in love cannot be perceived in actuality until the actual decision is made to wholeheartedly
pursue God's will.
This concludes today's message on discerning the image of the heavenly Father. 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 Image of the Heavenly Father
