The Paradox 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 paradox of the
Father's love.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Paradox of the Father's Love
Jesus said, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life
shall preserve it." Luke, Chapter 17, Verse 33.
Brothers and sisters, in order for us to know the heavenly Father, we must become like Him.
Conversely, in order to become like him, we must know him. To our minds ,this is the paradox of
paradoxes. There appears to be way we can break this cycle. Like a circle, there is no beginning nor
any end. It is an enigma that is unapproachable, a complete mystery, but that which is impossible for
us is possible with the Heavenly Father. He does all things equally well.
The heavenly Father is infinite and eternal. In eternity there is no distinction between knowledge of
a being and that being itself. The two are inseparable. The being personifies the knowledge, but in
our lives on earth separation occurs. But what the Father wills and the Son desires is. Even time and
space are subject to the will of the heavenly Father. The heavenly Father ignores time and space.
Nothing is too hard for Him. The command, "Be you perfect, even as I am perfect" can only mean
one thing to those who live in time and have our existence in space: First, know the heavenly Father;
then become like Him. This paradox is solved by making it possible for us to know and become like
the Father simultaneously. As time passes, we gradually come to know the Father through his Son,
Jesus, and become like him as revealed in His Son, Jesus.
Another paradox for our material minds is the one that says he who would seek to save his life shall
lose it while he who loses his life shall save it. This paradox grows out of our twofold nature, one
material, the other spiritual. The material and spiritual natures are directed by one will. This will is
human and has the power to decide which nature it will identify with. The material nature is selfish,
mortal and doomed to perish. It is constantly seeking something for itself. It tries to accumulate more
and more of material things, and as it does the consciousness of its mortality increasingly looms
large. As this self continues selfish pursuits, this process gradually narrows its consciousness of other
selves, even the divine spirit, until finally the selfish consciousness reaches the point where it
disappears, demonstrating that the life that tries to save itself shall fail.
On the other hand, the human will may identify with the divine will or the spiritual nature. The
spiritual nature is unselfish in motive and eternal in duration. This nature is the essence of love and
power. It seeks to assist other selves, reaching out further and further to other selves in loving
service. As this self reaches out to more and other selves, the consciousness of self gradually
increases until it reaches supreme levels becoming conscious of the divine spirit in an ever
expanding consciousness, thus demonstrating that he who seeks to lose his life in loving service shall
save it.
Another human paradox related to this one is the statement that he who would be great, let him
become servant to all. In the human life, great men have servants to serve them, but in the spiritual
life, the heavenly Father serves all, including us. The Father serves us routinely. Most of the duties
are repetitious, and He receives little sincere thanks from most of us. Very seldom is the divine heart
stimulated with joy from most of us. Very seldom does the divine pride shine forth in response to
a courageous righteous deed. Quite often does the divine heart suffer from the unrighteous cowardice
of some of us. But the Father loves us and knows our potential. He knows our true value; therefore
He serves us, helps us to become all that we can be. He even becomes us and makes an eternal
display in time and space of how we ought and can be. To be great is to become like God, server of
all. To be small is to be like some of us--a server of none.
Finally there is the paradox of doing the Father's will. The Father's will is consciously desired but
unconsciously done. Doing the Father's will is the progressive experience of becoming like Him, and
as we strive to do the Father's will, our lives become characterized by increasing acts of
unselfishness, saturated with love, and surcharged with mercy and forgiveness. It is indeed
mysterious how we can consciously respond to an unconscious urge. But indeed is such the case. As
these urges appear in our conscious minds, will acts upon them. Thus it is seen that our focalized
desire for the divine urges which are unconscious causes them to appear in the conscious mind. Even
the stimulus for evil in the mind causes the self to desire the divine urge, again demonstrating that
all things work together for good for those who love the heavenly Father.
This concludes today's message on the paradox 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.
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By Dr. James Perry
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The Paradox of the Father's Love
