1942_08_12 - The Strong Ones

[Nev]

 

The Strong Ones

Reflection

Imagine that you have drawn a circle on the board with a diameter. The center of the circle, marked as one, represents the force that has created the world. The number two denotes the circle itself—the boundary of the world. The number three represents the diameter, that is, the force that has given content to the world. And the human being passes through these same numbers: through the one that has created their world; through the two that has set its limits; and through the three that has given it content and meaning.

As students of life, you wish to learn, but at the same time you also wish to become teachers. Today, one does not become a teacher easily. In the past, to become a teacher, it was enough to complete four or five grades, at earlier times, even a first-grade level of education was considered sufficient. Now, to become an elementary teacher, one must complete secondary school. To become a high school teacher, one must graduate from a university. Someone may wish to become a professor; for that, it is necessary not only to complete secondary school and university, but also to specialize in a particular field of knowledge. Another person may wish to become strong, to become learned, or to develop spiritually. How can this be achieved? One must work diligently in a given field and only then realize that aspiration. To attain any true standing, a person must feel love and devotion toward what they seek to acquire.

 

What is the difference between the concepts of Love and Affection? By Love we understand that which constantly gives and never takes. By Affection we understand that which always takes and gives nothing. God manifests in the human being through His attributes: He constantly gives and constantly takes. For some, this is not clear. They cannot imagine how God can both give continuously and take continuously. But the fact that some do not understand certain things does not mean they do not exist. Many things remain beyond human understanding, yet they still take place. How, for example, would you explain the process of human thought? Even the most learned cannot fully explain it, yet thought flows and follows its course. Whether we understand this process or not does not stop the movement of thought. In order to understand how thoughts arise and by what laws they move, a person must first become master of their own thoughts.

When we come to thought composed of the numbers 1, 2, and 3, we say that it is dynamic. Every thought that creates a world around itself, that brings content into it, is dynamic. Every thought that creates nothing, that sets no limits, and that does not bring content or meaning into the human being, is weak. You may object that you think well. One who thinks well also sings well. And conversely: one who does not sing well cannot think well. The weak do not think well. One who is neither strong nor разумен does not think well either. The strong person has good thoughts, good feelings, and good actions. Someone may say that for decades they have followed the Divine teaching and still have not become strong or good. But how do they know this? For years the seed has been sown in the soil, and outwardly it appears unchanged; yet it has been working—and continues to work even now. A person lives and exists thanks to water, air, and light. By opening and closing the mouth, air enters and leaves; in this way, water is also received. By opening the eyes, one receives light and benefits from it. Therefore, from the creation of the human being until today, the same elements have sustained life, and outwardly the human being appears unchanged—but the difference between the primitive human and the modern human is great.

Today, all people are seeking a proper solution to social questions. One of these is marriage. Everyone wants to know what the right way to resolve it is. Who should marry? Only the one who is intelligent, good, and healthy. Such a person will create a healthy and good generation. If you are not intelligent, good, and healthy, it is better not to marry. There is no reason to marry and bring forth a weak generation. The world needs intelligent, good, and healthy people. Every young woman and every young man who wishes to marry should meet these conditions. Only then should they marry.

What is the Divine Will in this matter? The Divine Will is clear: only the intelligent, the good, and the healthy should marry. God created the first human beings intelligent, good, and healthy, and allowed them to marry. Those who are not intelligent, good, and healthy are not meant to marry.

A person “marries” at every moment without understanding the meaning of marriage. Every bite of bread that one puts into the mouth is nothing but a form of marriage. If a person chews the bread properly and the stomach digests it well, strength develops within them. In this sense, the strength that is gained represents the “child” born from the marriage between the person and the bread. Only the one who is intelligent, good, and healthy can unite with the bread in such a way as to become strong. This shows that their mental, respiratory, and digestive systems are well developed. If even one of these systems does not function properly, a person may eat, but the bread will not be properly utilized, and the necessary strength will not develop. One may eat, but digestion will not take place correctly. What meaning, then, does such nourishment have? It has meaning for a person to “marry”—that is, to unite with the bread—but to use it well.

Remember: everything has value when it takes place at the right time. Then it is used wisely and brings good results. If you marry, marry at the right time. If you give birth, give birth at the right time. What kind of child is it that is born in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth month? And what kind of woman assists a mother who carries her child only one or two months? Do not become the mother of such a child. Do not assist in the birth of a premature child. Have the patience to wait for the ninth month. It is not easy to assist such a mother; even harder is it to give birth under such conditions. Such birth is a result of the old life, where there are illnesses, misunderstandings, and contradictions.

The old life is like a muddy torrent that must run its course. The new life brings pure, crystal-clear water. It flows from Divine Love, which constantly gives, and from Affection, which takes everything. It is said of God that He gives everything and takes everything—but this is not true of the human being. A person cannot give everything, nor can they take everything.

Can you demand everything from the one who loves you? What have you given in return, that you should ask for everything? Have you given them a mind? Have you given them a heart? Have you given them life? If you have given nothing, by what right do you ask for everything?

The mother and father have brought the child into the world and have given something of themselves; therefore, they have the right to ask something of the child. But what right do others have in relation to that child? Someone plants a grain of wheat in the soil and believes they have the right to everything it produces. The earth is the mother of the grain, yet the person considers themselves its father. But are they truly its father? A bird may also bury a grain of wheat in the soil without calling itself its father or claiming any rights over it. A pig, rooting in the ground, may bury grains of wheat, corn, or seeds of pine, without being their father. It buries them without claiming ownership.

What is meant by the words father, mother, and son? The father gives, the mother receives and works upon what is given, and the son carries it into action. The son brings joy to his father and to his mother. The same relationship should exist between us and God. He is our Father, and we are His children. God rejoices, and we are to be joyful. Rejoicing belongs to God, while joy belongs to the human being. We are to rejoice in the works of God within our mind, our heart, and our soul—to rejoice that the mind studies, that the heart receives. Let us rejoice in everything that has been given to us, in all that has been placed within us.

— Should we love? — Of course you should; and the more beings you love, the better it is for you. Who has loved all people, all of humanity? — Only Christ. He came to Earth, loved all people, and through His love paid all their debts. You may say that you too should love all people. But in order to love them, you must die for them—and then be resurrected for them. To love all, one must first be born of God, then die for them, and finally rise again for them. Everyone is born, but not everyone is ready to die. Why? Because they are not born of God. One who is not ready to die cannot be resurrected. Many people die out of necessity, and therefore cannot be resurrected—that is, they cannot grow. They wait for new light and warmth to come into the world, and only then expect to be raised.

Let us return to the numbers 1, 2, and 3. What do they signify? Much is contained in them, but only for the one who understands their inner meaning. For such a person, these numbers carry разумност, goodness, and strength. When will the war end? — When you apply the numbers 1, 2, and 3 in your life. They resolve all questions. When Love and Affection begin to work together, the world will be set right. When will we be freed from suffering and illness? — When both you and your sufferings, and even your illnesses, come to love God. Within Love are hidden both faith and hope. Do not admit illness into yourself before it has turned toward God. Instead, you allow it to turn toward you and torment you. Every such illness is an uninvited guest. How can you love an uninvited guest, and how can it love you? Be vigilant toward suffering and illness, and until they set their relationship right with the First Cause, do not receive them into your home.

The same is required of the human being. No one has the right to love unless they have first loved God. Love implies an inner receptivity to what is. How can you eat a fruit if you have not been given the right to do so? If you do not have love within you, you have no right to eat the fruits of the trees. The first humans ate of the forbidden fruit and brought misfortune upon themselves and upon all humanity. To eat of the forbidden fruit means to partake without Love.

Therefore, if you wish to receive Divine Love and apply it, follow the path of Christ. He came to Earth and undertook the task of loving all people. He paid dearly for this, but His effort was successful. This does not mean that Christ will come a second time to make the same attempt. If He were to come again, the same fate would await Him. Should you desire that?

Today, all humanity must be ready to sacrifice for Christ, who was the first to sacrifice Himself and to prove that He loves all people. A person can sacrifice only for the One who has sacrificed for them. A mother who has sacrificed for her child has the right to expect something from it. However, she has no right to expect anything from чужди children. On the same principle, a person may expect something only from those thoughts they themselves have brought forth. But what can they expect from thoughts that have not arisen from their own mind? Such thoughts have nothing to do with them.

Many ask whether God exists or not. Some believe in His existence, others do not—but neither have reverence for God. They fear people, they fear animals, but not God. It is not fear that is required, but reverence—to honor Him and to align oneself with His will. Guard yourselves, lest you fall into the position of the slanderer—the devil—who continually spoke against the name of God and for this was cast out of heaven. Whoever dares to speak against their Creator follows the path of that slanderer and signs their own judgment. Do not speak ill even of people, for whom God cares as His children. In general, do not give way to slander, to criticism, or to reviling, lest you lose the place that has been appointed to you in heaven.

Today, what is required of all people is a vigilant consciousness—to know what they speak and what they do. When you come to Divine matters, do not leave them for others to carry out. Each person must fulfill the work that has been entrusted to them. If they do not, they will pay dearly. Divine work should be left in the hands of the one who can take it up as their own. It is not something to be traded, nor can it be used to secure one’s material position. It is carried out freely and with Love.

Whatever task you undertake, first turn to God and see whether He approves of it or not. Whether a person is born, marries, or dies, they must first seek God’s approval. Without His approval, life turns into hell. Whatever work you do, seek His approval. Only with Him can you rely on success. Without Him, even the good turns into evil; with Him, even evil is transformed into good.

Observe the following rules in your life: eat pure food, drink pure water, breathe clean air, live in a healthy home. Before going to bed, wash your hands and feet. Never go to sleep without washing them. If you feel unwell, do not look for the cause outside yourself; do something to restore your balance. Wash your face, hands, and feet with warm water. If the discomfort does not pass, bathe or take a walk in the fresh air. Do not criticize one another, saying that this person is not good, or that one is not good. Among those who seek God, there are no bad people—only people who are in the process of ripening.

Before a fruit ripens, it passes through many stages: as a bud, as a blossom, as a young fruit—still green, sour, or astringent. Time is needed for it to ripen, to become sweet, and ready to be eaten. If this is so, then rejoice that the conditions exist for the fruit to ripen, and that you may benefit from it. Rejoice that the conditions exist for you to become intelligent, good, and strong.

Who makes a person intelligent? — God. Therefore, expect that He will give you the conditions needed to acquire what is necessary. Open your hearts to the Lord, without fear and without hesitation. — “We are not ready yet.” — It depends on you to become ready. Clean your house; air it well. He will enter and give you His blessing. Receive Divine Love into your home, so that you may partake of its gifts. It brings precious things—food, light, warmth, and air. It makes a person intelligent, good, and strong. It gives meaning to life and brings people closer together. It removes barriers and contradictions between them.

Without Love, nothing can be achieved. Whatever efforts you make, if Love is far from you, your life will turn into hell. Open yourselves to Love, so that you may enter paradise—the realm of immortality.

Many wish to be good without having acquired right thought. This is impossible. First, a person must think. Their thought must pass through the mind, then through the heart, and finally through the body. When it reaches and permeates the body as a living force, we say that the person carries light in their mind.

Receive Love in your mind, Affection in your heart, and strength in your soul, so that you may become intelligent, good, and strong. Apply your разумност, your goodness, and your strength to help both yourself and your fellow human beings. If you know that someone close to you is ill, do not treat them with medicines; rather, let ten or so people visit them, and let each of you send the thought that they will recover. If the person receives your thought and believes in it, they will rise from their bed. Thought is a powerful force—it heals and uplifts the human being.

A person needs several things: beauty, goodness, and mercy; bread, water, air, and light. To acquire these, one must think. Whether they wish to or not, they must think. By thinking rightly, they will become both good and strong. This is required of all people. One who does not become intelligent, good, and strong will suffer in their own mind. Now is the time for all of us to become intelligent, good, and strong. There is no better time than the present.

Each person must work for themselves—to become intelligent, good, and strong. Each will fulfill the work that has been assigned to them. To each has been given a portion of God’s field, and each must work and think in order to complete their task well. No force in the world can prevent you from doing your work. If you have been hindered until now, the cause lies in your own weakness. No one can obstruct the strong.

One day, the spiders heard that an elephant would pass through their kingdom, and they decided to stop him, not to allow him to pass among them and disturb them. They began weaving webs across his path to entangle him. All the spiders in the kingdom gathered and set to work, spinning their webs day and night. When their barrier was ready, the elephant arrived. He passed through the spiders’ fortress without the slightest hindrance. When they asked him what he had felt, he calmly waved his tail and said, “I felt nothing.”

The elephant comes into the world; it will pass through the kingdom of the spiders, but nothing will remain of their webs. All the spiders will ask what it has felt, and it will calmly reply, “I felt nothing.” The elephant represents Love. Love comes into the world. It passes through all obstacles and goes on its way, untouched.

Place Love in your mind, Affection in your heart, and strength in your body, so that you may benefit from the blessings of life. Strive to manifest the strength, the goodness, and the разумност that God has placed within you. This applies only to the one who is ready to serve Love. Whoever is not ready to serve Love may remain with the old life. But whoever has received Love, Affection, and strength within themselves should begin to work at once. Let no one ask how to work. Do you need to tell a painter how to paint? Once they have canvas, paints, and brushes, they know what to do. Begin to paint without asking how. The times are intense; they do not wait for much theorizing.

Let each person try to compose a melody to the following words:
“Love—be good! Affection—be strong!”

Sing the words:

I can love and be good.
I can show affection and be strong.

Whoever wishes to acquire Love should try to compose a melody to these words, to close the old notebook of their life and open a new one. Let them write in this new notebook the words:
“I can love and be good. I can show affection and be strong.”

Then let each one say within themselves:
“Lord, I am ready to do everything for Your sake, because You have loved me.”

This is eternal life: to know You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

 

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17th Lecture by the Master
Delivered August 12, 1942, 5:00 a.m.
Sofia – Izgrev