5:1-2 Our faith connects us to our natural creator. Our faith is the umbilical cord, so to speak, which nourishes us and connects us to the Spirit Who sustains our life. Without that connected, which we must actively develop and maintain, we are weak. Yet, in our faith is our resilience.
What is faith? Our faith is our understanding, agreement, creation and promotion of light, love and compassion in the world. Our faith is defined by how consistently and passionately we uphold those values. Our faith is our acknowledgement, love and tether to the Spirit which created us. Our faith is our realization that each element of life is an extension of all life. We and each other and each animal and each plant and compound and element and atom share a spiritual, wise DNA.
Our faith is our focus, our motivation, our fulfillment of our purpose: nourishing and protecting the extensions of ourselves, of all life.
5:3 Paul reminds us to be attuned, receptive and aware, of the grow we can derive from our tribulations. If we are alert and focused, if we are active participants in the creation of ourselves, everything, person and idea we encounter can strengthen our ability to persevere. The more knowledge and experience we receive, the stronger and wiser we can become... but only if we are studious and conscientious. Don't let life happen to you; participate in life: be agile, rebound when it tosses you around. Don't let your life be aimless, you won't like where you randomly land.
5:4 Our ability to internally, readily and smartly react to what happens externally emboldens our ability to rebound, the bounce back instead of falling or faltering after being thrown. We have the opportunity to build our character and our hope: to be better and to seek and uncover the unseen places where goodness can break through a dark place.
We become better humans with more compassionate and wise spirits when we give attention to our and others' mistakes and learn from them. We become better when we stop cyclically making the same mistakes and instead work everyday with compassion and determination.
5:5 The hope of true faith is never disappointed because fills basin of love we create for Him within ourselves. How deep and wide the basin is is directly proportionate to how much He can fill in and give to us. He truly does respond to us, fill us with love and ability, purpose and happiness but only when we trust Him to. If we do not give Him permission, He will respect our decision to leave Him outside of our house.
How much faith you put in Him is how much He will be able to do for you. You can't fake it; your relationship with Him must be true and consistent. If you pinch the cord now and then (with disbelief or living contradictory to how He has taught us) you disable your ability to receive.
5:6-8 God wants us to understand the depth and honesty of His love for us. He and His brightest, most pure and selfless, compassionate spirit to earth for humanity's benefit fully knowing that He would be disrespected, harmed and killed. Jesus came to earth to heal and guide and love the people who were unkind, chaotic and violent. He gave His life to humanity (many of which would not even be grateful or it). God loves us so much that we are worth the pain and heartache it takes to reign us in.
5:9-11 Realize and then feel amazed by how much God loves you. His love travels throughout the universe, through time and space, through heartache to reach us even when or if we aren't deserving of it. He wishes and works for us to embrace our spirits, to be with Him.
5:9-11 Realize and then feel amazed by how much God loves you. His love travels throughout the universe, through time and space, through heartache to reach us even when or if we aren't deserving of it. He wishes and works for us to embrace our spirits, to be with Him.
5:12 These bodies of ours hows and allow our imperfections. In them we are susceptible and vulnerable to flaw and mistake but, in them we are also susceptible and vulnerable to learning and growth. "Death" meaning: these mortal bodies, were given to all, a trial of life in a mortal body so that we would learn the seriousness of life.
5:13-14 Without divine-intervention and instruction in the world, people were doomed by their flaws. Doomed because our flaws tend to get us into trouble: selfishness, greed, desire, deception. God allowed us to know better because He knew that if we knew better we could work to be better.
We are afforded a great gift: born as a new type of human, capable of growing and learning in spiritual wisdom. They hadn't known better before but we do and that makes all the difference: we decide and create who we are and are subsequently responsible for the finished product (ourselves). This is a gift, it gives us purpose for ourselves in our world. The gift of freedom and expression and hope.
5:15 God does things completely differently than we do. When He does something: 1) It is always good, 2) It is always selfless 3) It is always purposeful 4) It always abounds in compassion.
5:16 Instead of being angry and upset with humanity's action, He enabled everyone to atone. He allows what is broken to be fixed and what is brittle to be made strong.
5:17 This verse perfectly captures what God has done for us:
> This symbol represents Adam, who represents humanity. Adam, representative of the whole spiritually-un-awakened. Flawed and selfish action leads to the detriment of many. Once a mass of people we dwindle down, chipped away consistently by greed and violence, selfishness and deception.
< This symbol represents Jesus, who represents God. From one, a great hope and freedom, chance and compassion fueled the mass to thrive. Through Him and more specifically, through the compassion that He taught, rather than dwindle, we awakened: spiritually. Life and light abounds.
5:18 All monkeys swing from trees. God could have made the same generalization about humanity. He could have decided, based on one or a few people's evil actions that we all were evil. Instead, He sent prophets and ultimately: Jesus, who would teach us other ways, better ways. He opened our minds to right and wrong, good and bad and gave us the ability to discern each from the other. This is truly a gift because as it turns out: not all monkeys swing from trees.
5:19 Rather than being nipped in the bud, stopped at humanity's tumultuous onset...God gave us the gift of learning and growing, abounding rather than diminishing.
5:20 God gave us compassionate guidelines to live both: in nature itself and in scriptures throughout the world, in the discernment of our spirits and minds, in so many places if we are looking. Having guidelines means that a person can either follow or stray from them; they do not automatically wipe out unkindness or disorder, they just offer another way.
Yet despite there being opportunity, given by the gift of complete freedom, to remain unkind or to turn to disorder, kindness and compassion have grown and multiplied. Although good faces adversity, it truly reins over evil. God has given us that gift. Realize, accept, be grateful for and utilize the gift!
5:21 Where sin leads to death (extinguishable life) grace leads to spirit (imperishable life).
5:13-14 Without divine-intervention and instruction in the world, people were doomed by their flaws. Doomed because our flaws tend to get us into trouble: selfishness, greed, desire, deception. God allowed us to know better because He knew that if we knew better we could work to be better.
We are afforded a great gift: born as a new type of human, capable of growing and learning in spiritual wisdom. They hadn't known better before but we do and that makes all the difference: we decide and create who we are and are subsequently responsible for the finished product (ourselves). This is a gift, it gives us purpose for ourselves in our world. The gift of freedom and expression and hope.
5:15 God does things completely differently than we do. When He does something: 1) It is always good, 2) It is always selfless 3) It is always purposeful 4) It always abounds in compassion.
5:16 Instead of being angry and upset with humanity's action, He enabled everyone to atone. He allows what is broken to be fixed and what is brittle to be made strong.
5:17 This verse perfectly captures what God has done for us:
> This symbol represents Adam, who represents humanity. Adam, representative of the whole spiritually-un-awakened. Flawed and selfish action leads to the detriment of many. Once a mass of people we dwindle down, chipped away consistently by greed and violence, selfishness and deception.
< This symbol represents Jesus, who represents God. From one, a great hope and freedom, chance and compassion fueled the mass to thrive. Through Him and more specifically, through the compassion that He taught, rather than dwindle, we awakened: spiritually. Life and light abounds.
5:18 All monkeys swing from trees. God could have made the same generalization about humanity. He could have decided, based on one or a few people's evil actions that we all were evil. Instead, He sent prophets and ultimately: Jesus, who would teach us other ways, better ways. He opened our minds to right and wrong, good and bad and gave us the ability to discern each from the other. This is truly a gift because as it turns out: not all monkeys swing from trees.
5:19 Rather than being nipped in the bud, stopped at humanity's tumultuous onset...God gave us the gift of learning and growing, abounding rather than diminishing.
5:20 God gave us compassionate guidelines to live both: in nature itself and in scriptures throughout the world, in the discernment of our spirits and minds, in so many places if we are looking. Having guidelines means that a person can either follow or stray from them; they do not automatically wipe out unkindness or disorder, they just offer another way.
Yet despite there being opportunity, given by the gift of complete freedom, to remain unkind or to turn to disorder, kindness and compassion have grown and multiplied. Although good faces adversity, it truly reins over evil. God has given us that gift. Realize, accept, be grateful for and utilize the gift!
5:21 Where sin leads to death (extinguishable life) grace leads to spirit (imperishable life).
