Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book: July 2008

Human beings are supposed to be the highest life form on this planet, right? We are supposed to know all about things like Love. Certainly, more than mere animals, who are said not to have the ability to self-reflect, to make value judgments, etc.

Yes, well, don't be so sure...

Watch this. And if this doesn't tear you wide open with joy and smiles from ear to ear, then you are among the Walking Dead.

Believe me....I would not put this before you if I did not think it was worth every second your time. You GOTTA WATCH THIS.

What would it take for us to show that kind of love to every human being on the face of the earth? And what kind of planet do you think we would have if we did?

What IS love, anyway, except remembering who we really are? Isn't that all that is happening here? Isn't that what this video is all about?

When I see things like this I wonder again out loud about a violent, angry, and vindictive God -- the God that is talked about by so many people in our world who claim to have an Inside Track on who and what God is, and about What God Wants.

Labels: animals, God, lion, love, Neale Donald Walsch, video

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Saturday, July 12, 2008

I Know What Love IS

This article was written by a member of the Truthbook Chat Room, which you can find on the left-side menu. Anyone may join. It is such a lovely tribute to the Master that we at Truthbook felt it should be shared.
Thank you to Mr Shakita
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Do you ever feel struck by loneliness? Are you like an island amidst a sea of man-eating predators? Does there exist in the heart of man goodness, kindness, sympathy and love? Would not these very things be the cure for what ails us?

Sometimes in this lonely world we may feel that there is no hope for changing human hearts of stone to ones that are as malleable as clay. But what we perceive to be impossible becomes possible through sheer force of will.

Can we be rescued by someone that points out our faults and condemns us as a result? Are we not already our own worst critics? Do we not already chafe and wither at the insults and criticisms of others?

The actions of one man though perceived as insignificant can cause mountains to rise, deserts to bloom and the hearts of men to burst open with new life.

A man named love alit upon this earth with a golden glow that melted the hearts of men, women and children. He came, not to criticize, condemn or insult. He came not to harshly judge. He came to tell us about our inheritance. Little did we know that we were, all of us, richer than we could possibly imagine.

Love showed us that we were like gleaming emeralds of high value. Would any of us ever toss away a precious gem of high value because it had become soiled? Suppose we searched high and low for our lost gem. Then we find it, hidden away in a lonely place, covered in dirt and grime. Would we not cry out with rejoicing and gladness? We would be reunited and our hearts would once again be at peace.

When we find our heads bowed low, jostled about by the heartlessness of men, we find solace in a love that will neither leave us or betray us. We are not loved because of something that we did or because of having adhered rigidly to some hard and fast rule. We are loved simply because we exist. Even before we took our first breath. Even eons ago when we were just an idea, potential was loved. An idea that was loved became a vibrant, radiant being of life .

In my darkest hours, I see, in my minds eye, the Lord of a universe descending to a small rock in space to become a man. His actions did just not effect this small sphere in Orion's arm. I feel his love touching my heart and radiating out beyond our earth and beyond our solar system.

His love begins like a ripple in our hearts and travels across the cosmos. It is like a powerful tidal force that overpowers everything in its path. It is an irresistible and compelling force that gathers all within reach into its wake.

In my darkest hours when the pain and anxiety of this world buries me, I feel a tidal swell surge within my heart. Is it possible that one solitary man can change the course of human affairs? Like a streak of golden light that penetrates the darkness, a swirling beacon lands at my feet. There once was a man, descended from on high, that showed us without doubt that we could rise above our angst and develop the beauty and creativity which is our birthright. Thank you to the man called love, for because of you, I know what love is.

Love,
Mr. Shakita

Labels: Jesus, loneliness, love

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I Can't Find a Reason To Live. Why Am I Alive?

Q: I have heard that emptiness is the ultimate peak of consciousness. I feel a sort of emptiness in me. I can't find a reason to live. The only thing that is haunting my mind is why am I alive. I wanna die or wanna do something purposeful in life. Please guide.

A: This shouldnâ€™t be too difficult for you to correct â€” your basic assumption just needs some tweaking. The ultimate peak of consciousness is to be fully aware, open, loving, giving and not at all to be empty. Perhaps youâ€™re confusing emptiness with begin unattached to material things â€” material things wonâ€™t bring happiness. A fulfilling job that gives you the wherewithal to live comfortably and to enjoy the good things of life is a worthy goal where simply accumulating things is not.

You may not yet understand why youâ€™re here â€” getting a grasp on that is often a life-long pursuit â€” but any thinking person will easily recognize that there is a purpose to existence, that the scheme of things is too grand to be meaningless therefore the pursuit of meaning is a true spiritual adventure to be experienced now during this life.

With that in mind, dying prematurely will only subvert your purpose for being here now and will merely postpone your struggles, not remove them.

There is no better guide for living than to know and to understand the life Jesus led while here â€” thatâ€™s one of the great messages provided by The Urantia Book. Jesus came to the world for everyone, not just for Christians, and itâ€™s up to us to learn about him, who he was, why he came, what his message was â€” thatâ€™s hard to do when filtered through Christianity but is a wonderful, inspiring story when told as the angels tell us through the words in The Urantia Book. The life and teachings of Jesus in The Urantia Book gives Jesus to us before the Christian Church got ahold of him. So to get a good handle on your own life, where you are, why you are, where youâ€™re headed you owe it to yourself to read just this enthralling portion of the book. You can read the life and teachings of Jesus on-line from our site or from the book which can be ordered from Amazon. For the on-line version, take the left hand link "The Urantia Book" on our home page at www.truthbook.com and then the link "Urantia Book Introduction." Scroll clear to the bottom of the page and take the "Go to Part IV of the Urantia Book" link â€” you may want to skip Paper 120 which ties Part IV with the preceding 3 Parts and go right to Paper 121 to begin your reading. I think you'll soon find your spirits lifting and life beginning to look more promising to you.
____________________

I hope you will not mind a second answer to your searching question...Larry gave you some great advice, and I agree completely. Knowing the life of Jesus is the ideal place to find answers, as Jesus was our great teacher and the highest example of how to live and why to persevere, even when life is hard. He was the original Son of God, and he showed us how we can also live as sons of God, which we are, in truth. He is your spiritual brother and is with you always. Reading of his matchless life as a real human man, while also a true God, is endlessly inspiring. Even though his life was lived over 2000 years ago, his words ring clear and relevant to our present lives. Please follow this advice. Take advantage of our Truthbook.com site. We are here for YOU!

This emptiness you speak of is part of the human condition. It has been called "existential loneliness," among other things. Many people have experienced this, and so you must not feel as if you are alone, even though it does feel that way sometimes.

Why do we feel so lonely? We learn in The Urantia Book that this planet earth (Urantia) that we live on is a very disordered kind of world. We have been in spiritual isolation for a very long time, and because of this, we have to discover on our own the reality of the spiritual life. This discovery will change your life, as it puts all of the sorrows and hardships of our lives into a larger perspective, and gives us a solid, indestructible foundation from which to deal with everyday problems and moods of the mind.

You hold within yourself a "pilot light -" a spark of God himself. He has been inside you for a long time, and waits patiently for you to recognize his presence, so that he can share your life, your sorrows, your confusion - and your joys and spiritual victories, too. When you get quiet and ask for him, he will answer you in a "still, small voice." It is hard to hear this voice sometimes, but when you really desire it, you will hear. You are never alone, but God does not call attention to himself. He waits for you to turn to him, and then he can truly commune with you. Far from "emptiness," the consciousness of God is the highest consciousness that there is, and worth every effort to achieve.

Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He taught us that all you have to do to enter this holy kingdom is to believe that you are a son of God. Very simple. And after that, the best way to experience the joys of the Kingdom is to do something for someone else. Do some kind of service for another. This will take you out of your own problems, if even for a little while, and will help you to see what even a small kindness to another can do for your self-esteem and your own sense of self-worth. I am sure that you know someone right now in your life who could benefit from a service offered by you in love.

It is a difficult world we live in, and I know that sometimes, it is very discouraging to keep on, when we see so much emptiness - not only in ourselves, but in the world around us. The only thing that can fill that emptiness is God. Once you have found God within yourself, you will become energized once more, and will have a new reason to live. God intends that we live lives of joy and originality, and you have within you all that you need to make this a reality.

As Larry pointed out, you cannot escape the business of living and spiritual growth. Even if you leave the earth by your own hand, you will still have to make progress in the next world. It is just the way it is. We will always have to make progress, for "progress" is the watchword of the universe. When you decide to enter the Kingdom by faith now, you are making a great step towards improving your life - and the lives of all who will benefit from your love, understanding, tolerance, and brotherhood. And that is real, here-and-now progress...

As Jesus was fond of saying, "Fear not."
And he also said "the kingdom of Heaven is within you."
Open up your life, instead of ending it. The best is yet to be!!!

Labels: consciousness, God, Jesus, kingdom of heaven, loneliness, service, The Urantia Book

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Is The Urantia Book Account of Jesus' Life True?

Q: My question is, although what I've read on the website so far about the Urantia Book seems to make a lot of sense, even the historical events attributed to the life of Jesus, how do we know for sure that these attributed historical events actually happened the way the UB says they did? It's easy to see the philosophical truths in the book, but how can we accept on blind faith that all of these events took place exactly this way? It's easy to understand how the gospels could accurately record historical events because they were supposedly written by human eye witnesses, but the humans that documented the UB, as far as my understanding thus far, were not eye witnesses and thus could only receive this information through very accurate divine revelation, which, unfortunately, is always highly suspect.

A: Thank you for your note to Truthbook.com. You ask the same question Pilate asked Jesus, "What is Truth?" Fortunately, we have a lot of help in discerning truth through spirit agencies, primarily the Spirit of Truth, an unerring guide to direct the hungry truth-seeker toward the truth most valuable, useful, meaningful specifically for them. The truth I am led to may differ from the truth youâ€™re led to. Although there is absolute Truth, truth for an ascending mortal is relative and we have to learn to listen and to be guided when we're unsure.

Back to your question. How do you know that anything is true? What measure would you use to know whether what the UB says is true or not? Many people get around such decisions by relying on the judgment of someone else, friends, relatives, priests, ministers, anyone who professes to know something. Yet, your spiritual development is yours alone. No one elseâ€™s judgment can be a substitute for your own judgment. Youâ€™re required to use your own mind, to taste the logic and spiritual fragrance of a new idea and to decide for yourself. My choices canâ€™t be of any spiritual benefit to you.

About Jesus, you can decide for yourself if the scant information contained in the Bible is adequate for your needs or if you prefer the rendition provided by The Urantia Book. Is it true? Does it make sense logically and spiritually as far as you can discern? If you believe it does, but you choose to reject it because no one in a position of authority whom you admire backs you up, then youâ€™ve turned your back on your own ability to discern truth. If you believe it doesnâ€™t make logical sense or isn't spiritually fragrant and you intend to continue your search for something more meaningful then youâ€™ve chosen wisely. Your faith hasnâ€™t been blind, itâ€™s been used to guide your search. You don't have to believe The Urantia Book to be on a track of spiritual discernment.

Youâ€™ve misunderstood who the true authors of the life and teachings of Jesus portion of The Urantia Book are. The page that immediately precedes Paper 120, the first Paper of Part IV, says:

"PART IV

THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS

This group of papers was sponsored by a commission of twelve Urantia Midwayers acting under the supervision of a Melchizedek Revelatory Director. The basis of this narrative was supplied by a secondary Midwayer who was onetime assigned to the superhuman watchcare of the Apostle Andrew."

The authors of Part IV are not human beings and they actually were eye witnesses â€” a much better source for truth than is the fallible human mind.

Labels: Jesus, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book, truth

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