Remember: "Keep in the pink!"
THE DISCIPLE JESUS LOVED: JOHN
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
ye also love one another "(John 13:34)
"The disciple whom Jesus loved," as John refers to himself, represents Love. At His crucifixion, Jesus assigned the care of His mother to His cousin, John, the only disciple
who remained with Him at the cross.
John did not start life as a loving person, and he was not a passive person. In fact, he and his brother, James, were called "Sons of Thunder," for their fiery dispositions.
John is seen as judgmental when he reports to Jesus about a man who was "driving out
devils in your name," and obviously expectant of Jesus's admonishment against him. But
instead, Jesus said, "For he who is not against us is on our side (Mark 9)." Thus John
received a lesson in tolerance as a virtue of Love, just as we learn similar lessons from
our overzealous reactions.
In his book, 13 Men Who Changed the World, H.S. Vigeveno, who has done extensive research on the disciples, tells a legend about John (he says "is not without foundation"),
as an old man being carried to the place of worship and asked to speak. But he would
only say: "Little Children, love one another." When asked why that's all he would say,
John replied, "Because this is our Lord's sole commandment. If we fulfill this, nothing
more is important." The author says that the secret of such a man as John becoming a
symbol of love is not through the intellect, "but in the heart."
Each of the books of the Bible are written on different levels: Mark for the literal-minded told it simple, and in clear words. Luke, the physician, wrote in allegories for the
professional and educated mind. Matthew wrote in parables for the more elite, and John,
who understood the spirit of Jesus's teachings, wrote in the mystical language of love for
those who would listen.
His love-writings in the Bible are must reading to enhance this subject, especially the
Book Of John chapters 14 through 18, and his three love-filled letters. Remember that the
heart is the Love-center as we look at the Love-messages of Jesus from the writings of
John to illustrate his love-ability. They may be used as a meditation while coloring your
mandala.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be
done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be
my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you
keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's
commandments and abide in His Love. ...This is my commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you (John 15:7-17)."
You may say, "But He was saying those words to his Disciples and they were special because they studied with Him, and they understood His teachings." I would remind you
what He said when praying: "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe
in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I
in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
The glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them, that they may be one even as
we are one. I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the
world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.
Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to
behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the
world" (John 17:20-24).
This fantastic love outpouring concludes with the words; "O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I
made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou has
loved me may be in them" (John 17:25).
Are there words to give you the gift of experiencing what Jesus is saying in His words? I don't have them, so I'm suggesting that you allow the Holy Spirit within you to reveal itself
to you for your own experience.
Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive, because I neither see Him nor know Him; you know Him,
for He dwells with you, and will be in you" (John 14:15-17)
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
FOR GOD SENT THE SON INTO THE WORLD, NOT TO CONDEMN THE WORLD,
BUT THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BE SAVED THROUGH HIM." (John 3:16-17KJV).
Jesus is God-Love expressing in human form. Jesus represents to us the Unconditional Love or total acceptance that we often never felt or experienced from our parents or others. That is why so many people find it easier to relate to Jesus than to God. He is a "A God with skin on." He is real and tangible, whereas God is abstract.
Many of us have not experienced Unconditional Love. Love as we have known it was conditional upon our being "good enough," or "doing it right" or living up to someone
else's standards or expectations for approval or acceptance. We cannot even accept
ourselves Unconditionally. But Jesus loves us just as we are."
He loves without conditions or judgment. Do we love Unconditionally? If not then, how can we obey the Great Commandment of Jesus to "Love our neighbor as ourselves"?
Perhaps when we come to realize that we, too, are God-Love in expression, we will enter
into a new reality of Love (Matthew 5:43).
Because I grew up with conditional love, and it was my reality, when I first read the following words of Jesus, I felt they were conditional; that the condition of being loved by
Jesus and the Father, depends upon keeping his commandments, or loving Him. I
projected my feelings and reality into the words:
"He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." He
added, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will
come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my
words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me" (John
14:21-24)
As I thought of these passages in connection with Unconditional Love I began to question: "What is the connection between 'keeping his commandments' and love?
Jesus said that we must ask the Holy Spirit: "These things I have spoken to you, while
I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to
you" (John 14:25-26).
I asked, and the answer I received was, "If you were truly living in the Love of God, and 'in love' with everyone how could you possibly break His Commandments? You wouldn't;
you couldn't." Therefore, it seems that Jesus isn't giving us conditions to receiving the
Love of God. He's simply making statements of fact. If we are expressing love, we could
not kill, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, or defraud. And we would always
"Honor our Father and our Mother." All of these Commandments would be fulfilled,
because we would be living in the fullness of God-Love, which He does not ever withhold
from us. (Exodus 20:12)
On the contrary, as I read the same passages in my new understanding, I realized that we withhold ourselves and our love from God.
"GOD IS LOVE"
(I John 4:8, 16)
"God is Love" according to the First Letter of John. And God is All (omnipresent). With this logic we can safely state: "God is Love; God is All; All is Love, I am Love; you are
Love."
Love is All and I am God manifesting as Love. Or I am Love manifesting as God. This Divine Substance (an Energy we call Love) from which all is created is God, therefore
perfect, and everywhere present.
Yes, I know you can recite your imperfections, and everyone else's. But can you believe that with all those imperfections you are a perfect you? Would you be any more or less
who you are if those imperfections were changed? Jesus said, "You must be perfect as
your heavenly Father is perfect." I think that is a statement of fact, not a wish-for by Jesus
(Matthew 5:48).
It is not necessary to become good enough. If we are created out of the very substance, the Love-essence of God, then we are already "good enough." And God pronounced His
creation, which includes you and me, "Good" in the Creation Story (Genesis 1:31). Can
you, then, discredit the perfection of God's creation, YOU?
*******
THE ULTIMATE LOVE STORY
In the beginning all was Oneness (The Garden of Eden) "there was no separation. This garden existed within the One Cell of God -- "And it was God." Man (male/masculine
energy) was called "Adam" and woman (female/ feminine) energy was called "Eve."
(Genesis 2:27)
But then Eve, the feminine/intuitive nature of God said, "It is not fair to withhold from oneself the knowledge of all for it is limiting, and it does not allow us the freedom of choice
we should have if we are truly One with God. So, out of her desire to know God in all
aspects she chose to know of duality -- good and evil -- and thus allowed herself to feel
separation; for God is Good Only -- Oneness. And evil is the belief in separation -- duality.
Now mind you, this does not mean that there is separation," for there is not. GOD IS.
However, there is a feeling of separation, and thus the introduction of the serpent, known
as sensation, or feeling. Not at the level of emotional feeling, but sensation feeling; it feels
good to the senses. And this need for sensation causes cravings, addictions,
restlessness, and a searching for fulfillment that we did not experience when in our state
of Oneness.
We are looking for our way home again, to God. These other sensations lead us nowhere, but to frustration and more feelings of separation.
Oneness is our natural state, as it was in The Garden of Eden, for it is "from whence we
came; in the Beginning." We are always One with God, for separation is only a belief.
When we realize that the Garden of Eden is within each atom of our being, we remember
who we are, and we know Oneness. Why look elsewhere?
SELF-LOVE PROCESS
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
(Matthew 5:43)
The following process will assist you in feeling Unconditional Love for yourself. Lie down where you will be comfortable and undisturbed. Take a deep breath, then
release it. Take another deep breath and feel yourself relaxing and letting go. Let go all
your tensions and concerns. Take another deep breath, release, and turn within to your
heart, the Love center. Visualize a pink Light Energy centering there. Take a deep breath
and feel that pink Energy of Love begin to gently swirl breaking up all the crystallized,
hardened areas where the unlove is stored; those feelings you still haven't released.
This may take time. You may have to again look at things you thought you got rid of long
ago. That's fine, because they are coming up for review for the last time before they are
permanently released in love.
Many people feel a congestion or constriction, or heart pain during this Process. You may feel an intense desire to cry, or scream, or hit, or hug. Or you could feel intense
anger, fear, hate, or intense love.
Swirl that powerful Love Energy throughout every cell until this tightness is softened and releases its imprisoned splendor. Stay with the process until you feel the release. Then
you will know you are ready to move on.
Continually affirm, "I AM LOVE, I AM LOVING, I AM LOVABLE, I AM LOVED," as the pink Light expands outward from the heart through the vessels and veins in all directions
throughout your body. Allow the gently swirling pink Energy to penetrate every atom as it
moves into the bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, veins, and vessels. As the Energy is
swirling say to each body part, "I love you.
You are entering into an intimate love-affair with your body unlike any you could ever imagine. Feel the gentle caress of the pink Energy and continue speaking the words to
every part of your body: "I love you, I appreciate you, you are wonderful, thank you for the
wonderful years of service you have given me. Please forgive me for anything I may have
done to hamper your perfect functioning. Please forgive any limited, negative thoughts I
may have had about you. I now realize that I am created out of the very substance of
Love that is God."
How could I ever have had any limited, negative thoughts about my wonderful body temple? No wonder Paul asked, "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit?" I am the temple of the living God; and that temple is Love; yes, I am the temple of
Love. I love my body. I love myself. I AM LOVE! I AM LOVE! I AM LOVE!" (I Corinthians
6:19)
Continue with words of love, appreciation, thanksgiving, and forgiveness until your body becomes radiant, glowing Love-energy.
When your body can no longer contain the Energy feel it burst forth and spread out into the room filling and overflowing the room with Love. The Love-power is so intense that the
room cannot contain it. Your Love Energy is increasing in intensity and magnitude with
every beat of your heart until even the building cannot contain it. Then it bursts forth into
the streets gathering momentum as it joins with all the Love in the universe.
The intensity is now radiating out into the world until the world is a gigantic, pink, glowing ball of Love-energy that expands forth into the universe, the galaxies, and beyond to the
realization of the Allness and the Oneness of Love. God is Love; God is All; All is Love, I
am Love, I am God manifesting as Love. Yes, yes, yes, I really am God expressing as
me, for God is Love and I am Love. I am the Love that God is.
Feel the skyrockets, fireworks, and bells celebrating your realization. It is the Holy Spirit; the activity of God. The Love of God. And take as long as you wish to enjoy your
experience.
When you feel completion, if you ever feel complete with such an experience, become aware of where and who you are, and live in Love. There is no way we cannot be in love
with everyone, for All is Love.
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love."
(Jer. 31:3)
For more Love Stories read the books by Joyanna, and the Freedomers, listed on the Book List. Now spend time with the following Home Study Activities.
