The Kindness of 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 will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the meaning of the kindness of the
Father's love.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Kindness of the Father's Love
"But we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them which commit
such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things and doest
the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? Or despisest thou the riches of His
goodness and forebearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
thee to repentance?" Romans, Chapter 2, Verses 2,3 and 4.
"Kill them with kindness" is an old religious slogan but remains true today. This loving act contains
the truth of and the mercy of the Father, as well as the righteous justice of God. Love is kind, meek,
long-suffering, temperate, faithful, peaceful, joyful, and good. Love is the most powerful weapon
that can be used to eradicate evil from us.
Brothers and sisters, the pursuit of evil is the unconscious pursuit of selfishness. It results from
choosing our imperfect and immature wills. The tendency of our immature wills to look for
immediate gratification, to set material-oriented goals, and to seek all this for itself eventuates evil,
for the interaction with other like-minded brothers and sisters as well as the imperfection gives birth
to pain, sorrow, and disappointment.
When choosing in an immature fashion, we do not consider the adverse effects that our actions may
have on someone else. In fact this is not our concern when thus choosing because we assume that
whatever is good for us is also good for those associated with us. In trying to carry out these
unrighteous decisions, we invariably injure someone else. We don't see the relationship between
what we do and the effects of what we do on others. Strangely though when the wronged brother or
sister responds in kind to our unrighteous acts, we comprehend that. Forgotten is the original selfish
act that caused the evil in the first place, which is now replaced by the countering act of evil. This
exchange of evil generates more evil.
Evil may be viewed as the setting of inappropriate goals followed by the use of inappropriate
methods or even setting appropriate goals followed by inappropriate methods to bring the goal to
fruition. The means to an end are just as important as the end itself. Evil tries to achieve a goal
without being changed in the process. In this way, it is similar to magic. Magic tries to create an end
without resorting to the necessary means to bring the end about.
Evil is a temporal phenomenon, since it is not identified or coordinated with divine reality--the
Father's love. It is manifested relatively quickly, even though the effects of evil may require a
relatively long time to eradicate. Evil may be conceived of as spreading in a geometrical fashion
while its eradication proceeds in a elliptical fashion, slowly and gradually unfolding. Goodness, the
conqueror of evil, is an eternal quality, and it proceeds from the Father in the manner he ordains. It
proceeds naturally, gradually unfolding with the passing of time. There are no special provisions for
good to spread in the face of evil. It is a very slow engulfing tidal wave, irresistible. It gradually
overflows and sweeps evil before its paths, destroying it in the process.
Evil is an unconscious violation of the Father's law of love. The soul of the perpetrator does not
know any better. It has not grown to the point where it recognizes the Father's will. It has not been
born again. It is important for us to show good in response to evil. The evil doer has a soul that is
responsive to goodness. The constant returning of good for evil gradually awakens the soul of the
evil doer so that it recognizes the Father's will, and becomes convicted of the wrongness of his evil
deed. Such a one will repent of his wrongdoing, and seek and accept forgiveness, thus demonstrating
the mercy of God. This mercy is shown forth by the patient, time consuming acts of goodness to the
evildoer.
On the other hand, the evildoer, having free will can even after he recognizes the evil of his act can
choose to continue to pursue the evil. But this is no longer evil, but sin, the conscious wilful
violation of the Father's will, the law of love. Continuing in sin causes the evildoer to lose capacity
to recognize the Father's will, the law of love, and he enters the realm of iniquity, thus rejecting the
mercy and forgiveness of the Father, choosing the justice of God instead.
It is this aspect that is so troubling to us who happen to be associated with someone who rejects the
mercy of the Father and chooses the justice of God. Often times this means increased suffering for
us who are in the process of showing the Father's goodness. Goodness destroys evil but justice
destroys sin. Justice is characterized by precision, and is never executed until it can be proven that
mercy and forgiveness have been rejected forever. But the good that we show evildoers is never
wasted, for when we show goodness, the result is the increase of goodness in our own souls. The
content of goodness in our souls is the reflection of the degree of our souls' perfection.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the kindness of 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 Kindness of the Father's Love
