The Memory of the Father's Love
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 seek to understand the memory of the Father's love.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Memory of the Father's Love
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with
you forever; even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will
not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. " John, Chapter 14, Verses 17 and 18.
Brothers and sisters, in our minds and souls, there lingers a memory of a man who went about doing
good. There is this memory of one who loved everybody unselfishly, even his enemies--one who
dedicated his whole life to the loving service of mankind. There is this memory of a perfect man
whose smile could inspire hope and courage. He claimed to be the Son of God, and further claimed
to be a revelation of God. This memory is in fact the Comforter, the Spirit of Jesus that lives in our
minds and souls
Man has tried to define and evaluate just who Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God, was. There
have been many theories declared as to why he came and what our relationships are to him. In doing
so many have lost sight of Jesus' saving message. Neither fact nor theory can define what he is, for
the simple truth is that Jesus is a personal spiritual experience; he must be experienced to be known.
The experience of Jesus is real, but the interpretations of this experience by our minds (being
imperfect) are only relatively true and may, in fact, riddled with error. Always do we experience first
and think last. Despite our sometimes faulty interpretations, the memory of the Father's love persists
from generation to generation.
Why is it that this memory continues to persist in our minds and souls? Surely there have been other
men who have made contributions to the human race, but often, except for a select few, the memory
fades and certainly does not have the power to inspire one to live that memory. There is something
eternal about this memory of the Father's love. It persists in the face of associated error and
skepticism. It continues to thrive, ever reappearing on new levels of vitality. It remains steady but
flexible, ever transforming the minds and souls of those who accept it.
This memory of the Father's love ever encourages us to be transformed by it, to become like the
source of it, perfect as the Heavenly Father. It ever encourages us to love unselfishly, revising and
redefining our relationship with others. The memory of the Father's love is not static but ever adjusts
to each new situation, each new relationship. It recognizes the differential needs of all others, always
saying "this is the way, walk in it." To one it may say "be more patient"; to another "be more
merciful," and still to another it may say "be forgiving," but to all it says "maintain an attitude of
divine love, unselfish love." While other teachings may instruct us what we must do, this memory
always reveals what we must become, and that is to be like the memory of the Father's love.
The reality of this relationship between us and Jesus can never be proved by logic or material means,
nor can this relationship be deepened by the acquirement of facts. Always is it alive and growing.
Even in human relationships, facts about an individual do not indicate knowledge of that individual.
Knowledge of the individual can only be had by actual day-to-day interactions with the individual.
Likewise, with the memory of the Father's love, knowledge of this relationship is to be had only by
living it, a matter of purely personal spiritual experience. The only real outward proof of this
relationship is the ever increasing spiritual reaction of our souls and minds to our external
environment. The proof of the memory, that is, the living reality of the memory is that it makes us
like the source of it, the heavenly Father. It transforms us from a selfish individual to a loving
unselfish one, just like Jesus when he walked this earth as a man among men.
Brothers and sisters, it is impossible for us to have a consciousness of God unless God gives us that
consciousness. Thus God provides the urge for Himself, but the concept of God as God transcends
anything that we are capable of understanding. Always does the source remain above that which
comes from the source. God leads us to believe in Him as a our Creator, and when we respond God
gives us to His son, Jesus, the personal revelation of God.
All who believe in the Father will eventually come to the Son. We crave a personal concept of God.
Jesus is the personal concept of God the Father to all of us. All that we know about God the Father
must come from His son. The Father is present in His son. When we attempt to visualize God as
personal, what we visualize is His son, the personal revelation of God the Father.
This revelation of God the Father in and through His son is a living spiritual reality. This living
spiritual reality is made real to our minds and souls through the Spirit of Truth, the comforter. This
Spirit does not speak of itself but always speaks of Jesus the Son, constantly restating this memory
of the Father's love in each new situation of life's experiences: "This is the way; walk in it."
This concludes today's message on understanding the memory 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 Memory of the Father's Love
