God Discovered

The Jesus MeetUp                         The Meaning of Life: How to Know?                Week #15

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We love to play “chase the ball” with our dogs. For our pets at that time, their “meaning for life” is that ball! And because they do not have souls, as Jesus has taught us, we are “god” to them. (130:2.8) The definition of the meaning of life can be defined in various ways. Some are real for the individual’s thinking/feeling, but is it truly reality in terms of how God has created us to find actual meaning for our living as determined by Him? The former can be fleeting/temporary. The latter is eternally TRUE on our level of animal-origin beings living our lives in the flesh on our world of nativity. So, we have a series of questions to think upon:

1- What do we want?

2- What do we think we should want?

3- What has God created us to actually want when we are thinking on our highest levels with Him?

Our God-given free will allows us to choose. Do we want what may end up being an unsatisfying illusion of a good meaning of life, or will we choose to step out in faith and pursue God’s actual and soul-satisfying meaning for our lives as He intends for us to have? Time and space are the tools He uses for us to learn this lesson.

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Man is self-conscious of insight.

 

160:1.5 Animals respond nobly to the urge of life, but only man can attain the art of living, albeit the majority of mankind only experience the animal urge to live. Animals know only this blind and instinctive urge; man is capable of transcending this urge to natural function. Man may elect to live upon the high plane of intelligent art, even that of celestial joy and spiritual ecstasy. Animals make no inquiry into the purposes of life; therefore they never worry, neither do they commit suicide. Suicide among men testifies that such beings have emerged from the purely animal stage of existence, and to the further fact that the exploratory efforts of such human beings have failed to attain the artistic levels of mortal experience. Animals know not the meaning of life; man not only possesses capacity for the recognition of values and the comprehension of meanings, but he also is conscious of the meaning of meanings — he is self-conscious of insight. ~ Rodan of Alexandria

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Let us have an internal conversation:

 

What is the meaning of life? What do I want from my life? Should I want this? What should I want to make my life meaningful? Does God who created me know the meaning for my life? IF so then what is God’s purpose for my life? Jesus says I am to find Him and know Him. Jesus shows us the way and teaches in knowing Him I become ‘healed’ and ‘more’ and changed from within. Do I find this process frightening? Will I >>> Can I>>> have faith to trust Him for my best life ever as He changes me to become more like Himself? Do I really need to change? I know my indwelling Paradise Father wants to be the Pilot for my life knowing that I am the captain of the ship of my soul. I know He uses the tools of time and space in order for me to experience decision-making, choices, mistakes, and realize I can grow towards goodness. Does God expect me to never make a mistake or evil choice? No. He does hope for me to learn and grow from these experiences. I know He is with me at all times and lives every single encounter alongside me. God is lovingly teaching me from within how to have a good life.

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The Father wants our conscious response to find Him, know Him and become like Him.

 

145:2.9 Then the Master portrayed that the Father in heaven, after man discerns this spiritual freedom, wills that his children on earth should begin that eternal ascent of the Paradise career which consists in the creature's conscious response to the divine urge of the indwelling spirit to find the Creator, to know God, and to seek to become like Him.

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130:4.3 Always must the desire to do the Father’s will be supreme in the soul and dominant over the mind of an ascending son of God.

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             The Personality: The human soul of man survives mortal death in choosing God.

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132:3.6 Faith acts to release the superhuman activities of the divine spark, the immortal germ, that lives within the mind of man, and which is the potential of eternal survival. Plants and animals survive in time by the technique of passing on from one generation to another identical particles of themselves. The human soul (personality) of man survives mortal death by identity association with this indwelling spark of divinity, which is immortal, and which functions to perpetuate the human personality upon a continuing and higher level of progressive universe existence. The concealed seed of the human soul is an immortal spirit. The second generation of the soul is the first of a succession of personality manifestations of spiritual and progressing existences, terminating only when this divine entity attains the source of its existence, the personal source of all existence, God, the Universal Father. ~ Jesus

Jesus often used the parable of the seed growing into a big tree in order to paint the picture of how our Father grows and changes us from the inside out.  A seed looks nothing like a tree and yet it will become one.  How does this happen?  How does He do this for the plant world?  How does He do this for us here in the human world of spiritual realities that we are just now beginning to learn about?  I do not know.  But - He does!

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Our only reasonable and natural reaction in pursuing a meaningful life is to seek God.

 

2:5.9 The Father's love follows us now and throughout the endless circle of the eternal ages. As you ponder the loving nature of God, there is only one reasonable and natural personality reaction thereto: You will increasingly love your Maker; you will yield to God an affection analogous to that given by a child to an earthly parent; for, as a father, a real father, a true father, loves his children, so the Universal Father loves and forever seeks the welfare of his created sons and daughters.

We can choose our own path.  He will allow us to do this with continued love and mercy.  But is this a good idea? 

I have seen time and time again someone who has walked a troublesome path by way of their own material or physical selfish decisions.  This usually ends up as less fun.  However, oftentimes, when someone chooses to take the hand of their Father and begins to walk more closely with Him - pursuing Him with their whole heart - listening for Him in their own stillness and worshipful times things seem to rather surprisingly go much better.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In choosing God we discover that bringing glory to Him brings us purpose as created children of God.

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148:4.  Thomas, have you not read about this in the Scriptures, where it is written: 'You are the children of the Lord your God.’ 'I will be his Father and he shall be my son.’ 'I have chosen him to be my son — I will be his Father.’ 'Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth; even every one who is called by my name, for I have created them for my glory.’ 'You are the sons of the living God.’ 'They who have the spirit of God are indeed the sons of God.’ While there is a material part of the human father in the natural child, there is a spiritual part of the heavenly Father in every faith son of the kingdom. ~ Jesus

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                                                                            What are “identifiers”?

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Identifiers for our lives are things like being a parent, a spouse, being single, having friends or no friends, our jobs or no job, material possessions like vehicles, homes, wealth or poverty etc… These identifiers may seem to give us our fundamental meanings for life but this could be an illusion. Strip all of these things away and one soon realizes the magnitude of comprehending “who I am” and “what am I supposed to be doing” and “what is my purpose”. At the core of our existence we are created by God to long for Him and find true meaning for living IN Him.

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Our current world religions, and especially Christianity seek to TELL us what to think.

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We sit and listen to someone else proclaim to us what IS, how things are, who matters or what is important or true.

Jesus’ True Religion teaches you whose you are as a beloved child of God. Jesus’ True Religion teaches you why He created you: to find Him, know Him and ultimately become like Him. Jesus’ True Religion reveals to you your free will choice to choose what you want to do with your life. Every decision and subsequent choice either grows your soul or tears it down. Decide to discover your purpose by choosing the Pilot in your soul to lead you into the best life you can have from His highest perspective. Authentic and sincere faith will bring Jesus’ highest spiritual concept to life within you. This results in true brotherhood in the kingdom of God knowing everyone else is indwelt by Him as well. This is not merely a concept or theory about faith in God but actual trust that believes without seeing that the Power of God indwells you and WILL work for your good.

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 “Not my will, but yours, be done” ~ Jesus

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160:1.11 I am deeply impressed with the custom of Jesus in going apart by himself to engage in these seasons of solitary survey of the problems of living; to seek for new stores of wisdom and energy for meeting the manifold demands of social service; to quicken and deepen the supreme purpose of living by actually subjecting the total personality to the consciousness of contacting with divinity; to grasp for possession of new and better methods of adjusting oneself to the ever-changing situations of living existence; to effect those vital reconstructions and readjustments of one's personal attitudes which are so essential to enhanced insight into everything worthwhile and real; and to do all of this with an eye single to the glory of God — to breathe in sincerity your Master's favorite prayer, "Not my will, but yours, be done." ~ Rodan of Alexandria

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Seek first the realities of heaven.

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195:5.1 The twentieth century has brought new problems for Christianity and all other religions to solve. The higher a civilization climbs, the more necessitous becomes the duty to "seek first the realities of heaven" in all of man's efforts to stabilize society and facilitate the solution of its material problems.

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To the great Jesus-loving adventure of searching for and finding God.

 

 

Some questions to discuss:

Why might it be frightening to give God total control for your life?

What do you think about “identifiers”?

What are your thoughts regarding God as your Pilot and your personality as the captain?

Why do you think God has given you free will?

Now, at the close of our meeting is a good time to say as a loving group The Lord’s Prayer all together. Please turn these sheets back in to save on paper/ink. Thank you for being here.

Write down any questions you may have and give them to your leader. 

 

                                                       Next is Week #16 Forgiveness: The Way It Works

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