1939_08_11 SERVICE

[Ani]

Note 4p

 

SERVICE

 

Reflection

 

And though I have all knowledge; and though I have all faith, and have not charity, I am nothing. [Verse 2]

 

 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” [verse 4]

 

 “Charity doth not seeketh not her own” [verse 5]

 

“Charity never faileth.” [Verse 8] – Whenever he fails and loses his disposition, man thinks, that he has lost his Love. As he fails, though, this means, that he didn’t have such Love at all. A Love exists that never fails – it is Divine Love. A sky exists, that is never clouded – it is the Divine Heaven. Divine Love is manifested through this heaven. As you see the sky is cloudy you should know that human Love is manifested through it – Love that is not understood. You cannot see the sun through this Love. No matter how much you want to see it, you cannot, because clouds shadow it.

 

As disciples, you are required to have self-control; you are required not to forget yourselves neither in joy nor in sorrow. You often meet scientists, musicians, and artists who are so engrossed in their science or art, that they forget those who surround them. A famous virtuoso went to Paris to give a concert. As he began to play, he was engrossed in his playing and completely forgot the audience – he lost his sense of time. The people got tired of listening to him and they started to leave the hall one after another. The last to remain were the doorkeeper and the virtuoso. As he saw that the virtuoso had no intention of stopping, the doorkeeper came near him and told him: Here is the key, sir – take it and lock the hall after you finish.

 

Why did this musician play so long? For two reasons: either to show that he knows how to play, or he was probably carried away. No matter how well he plays, a musician should never misuse people’s patience. It is not easy to listen to music for hours. The believers are often like this virtuoso. As you meet a believer, he will talk at length what Christ has preached, what the prophets and the apostles have said. Christ, the prophets, and the apostles have talked indeed, but they didn’t talk much. They worked more than they talked. The saints of the old times ate little. They ate once a week. The ordinary man eats three times a day – now and then even four times. So, the saint has lunch twice a month, while the ordinary man has 90 or 120 meals per month. The wastefulness of contemporary people is great. For your excuse you might say that you are not saints. But the world suffers exactly because people are not saints. If they were saints – they would have worked more than they consumed. Wherever you go today – to families, schools, churches, or societies – everywhere you come across arguments and misunderstandings. Everyone argues, quarrels, and fights, because they are not saints. Man should be a saint!

 

Contemporary people maintain the theory of evolution and say that everything can be attained through evolution. According to this theory, they find that everything that happens in life is normal. They say that in the course of evolution, evil will turn into good. This theory is right, but evolution requires a long time. After a long time everything might be attained, but there also exists a shorter way for the attainment. For instance, you cannot turn the lie into truth through evolution. In the course of all times and ages the lie remains a lie. As he does not think about the words he uses, someone says that he is a master of his own self. Are his words true, though? He says that he is a master, but at the same time he suffers, he is ailing, he is in servitude to other people. A master is the one, who is independent, who doesn’t get ill and who always solves his tasks by himself. Another one says he is a slave. He doesn’t tell the truth either. While he says that he is a servant, you see that he seeks other people’s help and that he cannot provide for himself even the most ordinary services.

 

Since he has come to Earth, man should serve. How should he serve? He should serve with Love. Love is the salary for the service of man. On Earth a service is paid with money. Besides, the more they pay, the more they demand. In the spiritual world, though, the servant is paid with Love. The more you love – the more you serve; the less you love – the less you serve. The more you are loved – the more you serve; the less you are loved – the less you serve. The same law refers to the ruling. They love you little – you rule little; they love you much – you rule much. You love little – you rule little; you love much – you rule much. The world will be reformed as people begin to perform their obligations properly as servants and as masters not only towards their fellow men, but towards themselves as well. In order to be a good servant, man should first of all learn how to serve God. As long as he learns how to serve God, he will know how to serve himself and his fellow men. Today, people suffer from servants and masters who do not perform their duties properly. The sick man suffers, because his servant does not listen to him and does not serve him well. In his turn, the servant suffers, because his master restraints him and does not pay him regularly.

 

As the servant and the master are outside a man, he knows the reason for his suffering. What would you say as you suffer and are upset without outer masters and servants? The reason lies in man, in his senses. If he had no eyes, man would not have seen what people do and would not have suffered. If he had no mouth, man would not have answered the words of people and would not have suffered. Love manifests itself through the mouth. Consequently, the mouth should be long-suffering, benevolent, and it should not envy. If the younger brother sees less food on his plate than the food on his older brother’s plate, he starts to shout and gets angry – he envies. If they give him more food, though – he will leave it aside, because he cannot eat it. In spite of all this – he envies. As long as envy enters into him, the child begins to worry and suffer. I do not mean that the person should not have eyes, ears, mouth, or nose, but I mean that he should cultivate his senses. As he sees, hears, and smells he should know what is for him and what is not, how much and when he needs something, etc. If he yields to his lower instincts, he will never be satisfied. The human eye is insatiable.

 

An English millionaire from Australia travelled by ship to England, so that he could be present at the crowning of one of the English kings. He carried 350 million pounds with him, but as he thought that this money would not be enough, he jumped into the sea and drowned. Everyone resembles this millionaire. They think that they are poor, but in fact they are big millionaires. They have at their disposal a brain, a heart, lungs, and stomach that cost billions. They have a body that costs billions. With the help of the physical body they get in touch with a wide world. As they lose their body, the physical world disappears for them. Then and only then do they understand how much their body costs – the body that they did not attach any importance to, the body that they have treated with negligence.

 

Today, everyone wants to be happy. They seek happiness where they cannot find it, though. They think that if they are rich, learned, strong, and beautiful, they will be happy. They delude themselves. Why? We see that the world is full of rich, learned, strong, and beautiful men, but nevertheless all of them suffer. The preachers say that man lives and moves in God and yet he also suffers. Today, people are told, that God is Love that man lives in God and in spite of all this he is looking for Love and cannot find it anywhere. How is it possible for a man to love God and be unhappy? As he loves God and is unsatisfied and unhappy this shows that there is a deficiency in his Love. Apostle Paul says: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” Contemporary people need love. If they have love, they will be rich, strong, and learned.

 

The new teaching is a teaching of love. If a man believes in love he will release himself from everything old – like the snake sloughs off its old skin. The old, from which man should release himself, represents his discontent and scepticism. While he lives in the old, man is ready to quarrel with everyone. He quarrels also with his own self. Within each man, there exists a master and a servant who cannot reconcile. The master is displeased because his servant did not perform his orders properly. The servant is displeased with his master because he doesn’t pay him regularly.

 

Have you ever studied the manifestations of the master and the servant within yourselves? As the master manifests himself – the man is proud and walks with dignity; as the servant manifests himself - the man quails and grows smaller. It is good to observe and draw the images of the master and the servant within yourselves. Thus you might know when the real man manifests himself and when the actor does. The actor is paid a lot to play on the stage. In order that he might reconcile the master and the servant within himself, man should learn how to thank God for everything that is given to him. He should thank for [M1] the mind, body, soul, and spirit that has been given. These things cost billions, yet man does not realize his wealth and goes to the stage to perform the roles of others instead. Sometimes, they pay a lot of money to play on the stage as well, but only when the actor is a genius.

 

An opera director engaged Adelina Paty to sing on the stage. As she knew that this opera director didn’t pay on time, she decided to think of a hindrance, so that he could pay her at once. At the appointed time, the audience gathered in anticipation of her appearance on the stage. She had already received 25 thousands dollars from the director, but she still had to get another 25 thousand. In order to make him pay at once, she did not delay. The audience applauded, protested, and waited impatiently for the famous singer to appear on the stage. Highly anxious, the director went to the singer’s room and asked her to go to the stage as soon as she could. She was wearing one shoe. The director had to pay the other 25 thousand just to make her put on the other shoe. He wanted to use her, but she was smart and did not succumb to his tricks.

 

Consequently, whatever man does, he always gets paid. Man got paid for each of the things he did. Man gets paid for everything, but the important thing is that he should work conscientiously, so that he gets paid well and on time. Perfection is required from a man. Only Love can make a man perfect. As long as he lives within Love, he should accept things as they were created and his views about them should not differ. Man misses the opportunities, because he is ready to sacrifice his Love for no reason at all. The young lady is ready to neglect the Love of her mother and father for a young man, who has occasionally come to her home. He passes himself off as her lover and she believes in his words. How is she to tell if this young man is the expected one indeed? How can she tell if they will get on together? If he can simultaneously be her servant and master, then the young man is her real sweetheart. If she can simultaneously be his servant and mistress, then the young lady is his sweetheart. They will get on together.

 

Now I’ll give you several rules. Do not go to hoe your cornfield in the evening; do not go to hoe your cornfield when it is too cold. When you have no money in your pocket, don’t go to a restaurant; when you have no money in your pocket, don’t start to trade. Go to hoe your cornfield when the Sun is shining and the day is bright and hot. When you pocket is full - then begin your undertakings. In compliance with the new teaching I say: begin with Love and end with Love. Begin with God and end with God. Begin with your fellow man and end with your fellow man. Begin with yourself and end with yourself.

 

Many people cannot grasp these concepts, but many people can. As you talk to people about the Divine Love they say that they cannot understand it. As for the human Love – they say that they can understand it. This is not an understanding, though. Why? Because today they pretend to understand it, but tomorrow they cry from it. This is not Love. The young lady applies make up on her face excellently. She knows how to paint her lips, how to powder her face, how to pencil her eyebrows, etc. What are these cosmetics that last for several hours only? In the morning, she makes herself beautiful, but in the evening nothing remains from this beauty. In order to remain beautiful, she has to disguise herself every day. If you start to tell her about the natural and the spiritual cosmetics she will tell you that she does not understand you. Man can be naturally young, without wrinkles on his face. The good and pure life makes the person young, beautiful, and bright. If he doesn’t live well, whatever cosmetics he might use – it will show. You can always tell the artificial things.[M2] 

 

A young man laughed at the wrinkles of an old lady and at her white hair. She decided to take revenge. For this purpose she disguised herself in such a way that she became unrecognizable: her face became beautiful and without any wrinkles, her hair became black and shining and she put two rows of white teeth into her mouth. In this way she appeared before the young man and started to cast him playful glances. He liked her, fell in love with her and began to write her Love letters in which he wrote that he cannot live without her. So, she agreed to marry him. He thought that he was happy and that he had obtained his ideal, but after the wedding, she revealed her true looks to him. As he saw the old lady in front of him, he knew that he has been deceived and immediately left the room.

 

“To marry for an old lady” means “to see your delusions”. As soon as he sees his delusions, he will immediately run away. A day will come, when everyone will understand that they have married an old lady. The old lady symbolizes the life of the flesh. As they see how ugly she is, everyone will leave their house and run away. In order to break free from the life of the flesh, man should be patient, benevolent, and he should not envy. If he does not attain these features, man forms a mist within his consciousness - as you today are folded in mist. In this way he himself stands in his way to understand and know the truth.

 

If you want to attain the characteristics of Love, thank God for the sufferings and the joys that are being given to you; thank him for wealth and poverty; thank him for knowledge and for ignorance; thank him for health and for illness. Do not forget that the suffering conceals joy and joy conceals suffering; wealth conceals poverty and poverty conceals wealth; the knowledge conceals ignorance and ignorance conceals knowledge; health conceals illness and illness conceals health. Poverty is a servant and wealth is a master. As the master and servant gather at one place, all is well. The master gives the capital, and the servant gives the work.

 

So, if you like to acquire Love, strive towards the new that is to come. As God gave the law to Moses, the mountain was still covered with mist. Now you also are in mist, because the law is being given to you – the law of Love. The one who lives without Love will be under the mist, while the one who lives with Love will be above the mist; the one who lives without Love will be in poverty, while the one who lives with Love will live in wealth; the one who lives without Love will be in ignorance, while the one who lives with Love will live in knowledge; the one who lives without Love will be in illness, while the one who lives with Love will live in health; the only law, with which you have to serve God is Love. Love never fails. Have complete confidence, hope, and Love in God, so that you can attain all your wishes and strivings. A great future lies before you. As you apply the law of Love, you will test the Divine kindness upon yourself.

 

August 11, 5 a.m.

 

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1 Corinthians, chapter 13

 

 [M1]Word missing – {thank God for} or {give thanks for} or {be thankful for}

 [M2]{You can always tell what the artificial things are.}