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 spirit of another life.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Spirit of Another Life
Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid." John Chapter 14, Verse 27
Brothers and sisters, in today’’s broadcast we discuss the spirit of another life. In various topics before, we have discussed divine values and meanings using various material analogies. But now we want to emphasize the truth that these values and meanings are from another life, the next life. But since the bestowal of Jesus upon our planet, we have been blessed with his Spirit of Truth that allows us by the utilization of faith to live the spirit of another life. Now we know that this spirit of another life allows us to live the heavenly life while we are still living the mortal life. This life is the eternal life that is superimposed upon the material life. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his son. He that hath the Son hath life.”” ““And this is eternal life, that my creatures should know you as the only true God and Father of all, and that they should believe in him whom you sent into the world Father."
This new spirit of another life infuses all activities of the mortal life and elevates them to divine levels of dignity. All of the meanings and values of human existence take on new meanings and values, as mortal life acquires a new purpose. It is apparent that on the worlds on high, a new standard of conduct is required and a new purpose is acquired. Loving service is the hallmark of the heavenly life. Thus the need to begin the transformation of the animal nature into the divine nature where service becomes natural and love the supreme delight for all of those who wholeheartedly embrace the Father’’s will, as revealed in His Son. This Son offers us divine sonship and eternal life.
With the spirit of another life, we should be beginning to realize that the next life begins right here and now. We are being prepared for the next life now. We have received our marching orders. Jesus has said that he has gone to prepare a place for us so that we may be where he is. "Having started out on the way of life everlasting, having accepted the assignment and received our orders to advance, do not fear the dangers of human forgetfulness and mortal inconstancy, do not be troubled with doubts of failure or by perplexing confusion, do not falter and question your status and standing, for in every dark hour, at every crossroad in the forward struggle, the Spirit of Truth will always speak, saying, "This is the way." All that is required is for us to embrace this status is our faith. And we shall use an analogy to show how this faith can transport us into the divine kingdom.
There is much truth in the story of the Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. This is the story of a happy little train that’’s carrying all sorts of good toys for the little boys and girls who lived on the other side of the mountain, and the train looked forward to making the boys and girls happy, and was chugging along quite happily when the wheels of the engine began to slow down and then stopped. Nothing they could do could get the train moving again. And the toys wondered what could they do to get it started again. And while they were pondering their dilemma, a shiny new engine came puffing down the track. They hailed the train, and asked if the shiny new engine would carry them across the mountain to the boys and girls who were waiting for the toys. But the shiny new engine was indignant at doing such a task. She said that was beneath her, and pulled away. And then, while they were still pondering their dilemma, another big and strong engine came along. They begged the big strong engine to carry their train across the mountain so the boys and girls could get their toys and not be disappointed, but the big strong engine replied that he was not built for such work as that. He was built for carrying serious cargo such as logs and trucks and things like that, and he pulled away.
And now they were just about in despair, feeling that they would never be able to reach the boys and girls on the other side, and their hearts began to sink. Just then, a little blue engine pulled up alongside. And again they told the story of their sad plight to the little blue engine, who at first said that he was not qualified to undertake such a trip. He said he only worked in the yard. But he finally agreed to try, and he hooked himself up to the train filled with toys and began to move toward the mountain. As he traveled up the mountain, he began to chant: "I think I can. I think I can." And as the mountain grew steeper, the little engine kept up his chant: "I think I can. I think I can." And finally the little engine reached the top of the mountain, and began to say as it started down the mountain side, ““I thought could; I thought I could.”” And now for the spiritual parallel.
Now we have said that the heavenly life or the spirit of another life can be lived during the mortal life and all that it requires is faith and the whole-hearted desire to do the Father’’s will. And this will take us up the mountain of doubt and down the side of the mountain of truth. And this desire for the heavenly life resides in our souls and minds. And like the train that started to climb the mountain of doubt, with all of its hopes and desires for eternal life, the soul has the desire to climb the mountain of doubt, but it must be activated before it can get started. It sits stalled on the track of fear, with all of its precious hopes and desires languishing.
In the beginning the soul tried the train of intellect, but this train could not carry the soul into the realm of divine sonship. No amount of reasoning and logic could dispel the doubt that held the soul in a terrible bondage. Then it tried using material means to satisfy the desires and hopes of eternal life, but found those means unavailing. It appeared that nothing could get the train of the soul up and over the mountain of doubt. The more the train of intellect and the train of material efforts tried to satisfy these hopes and desires, the more forlorn and frustrated the soul became. The soul began to despair and became desperate. How it longed to enter the realm of eternal life, and claim its divine heritage. How it longed to boldly stand in the Father’’s presence and declare its divine oneness with the Father. How it longed to sip the living waters and eat of the bread of life, to experience the truth of the Father’’s love and the Son’’s mercy. How it longed to grasp another set of meanings other than the intellectual and material ones. How it longed to know that the mortal life, with its ups and down, with its pain and suffering, meant more.
Finally the soul in a desperate attempt looked around and in a neglected corner found the little blue engine of faith. The soul was reluctant at first to try to use this little blue engine of faith. It was not materially strong like the big train of material means; and it was not brilliant like the intellectual train. It appeared weak, not up to the task. But since he was desperate and all other means had failed, he reached out with all his might, all his heart, all his desires, and the little blue train of faith began its conquest up the mountain of doubt.
It started out very slow at first, but soon picked up speed, and as the mountain of doubt got steeper and steeper, the blue train of faith could be heard, chanting ““I think I can, I think I can.”” And as the difficulties of the material life increased the steepness of the mountain of doubt, the little engine of faith just kept getting stronger and chanting louder and louder ““I think I can; I think I can.”” And as it continued its effort, it finally reaches the top of the mountain of doubt which collapses and the little engine of faith delivered all the hopes and desires of the soul into the realms of the eternal and said with satisfaction: I thought I could. I thought I could. And the soul now enjoys the values and meanings of divine sonship even amidst the difficulties of the material life. In fact it appears that the more difficult the material life becomes, the more he enjoys the divine values and meanings of the spirit of another life.
This concludes today's message on understanding the spirit of another life. 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.
THE Spirit of Another Life
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By Dr. James Perry
The Spirit of Another Life
