Changes

130:2.4 One of the [[young men]] who worked with [[Jesus]] one day on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steering_oar steering paddle] became much interested in the words which he dropped from hour to hour as they toiled in the shipyard. When [[Jesus]] intimated that [[the Father]] in heaven was interested in the [[welfare]] of his [[children]] on [[earth]], this young Greek, Anaxand, said: " If the Gods are interested in me, then why do they not remove the cruel and unjust foreman of this workshop? " He was startled when [[Jesus]] replied, " Since you know the ways of [[kindness]] and [[value]] [[justice]], perhaps [[the Gods]] have brought this erring man near that you may [[lead]] him into this better way. Maybe you are the salt which is to make this brother more agreeable to all other men; that is, if you have not lost your savor. As it is, this man is your master in that his [[evil]] ways unfavorably [[influence]] you. Why not assert your mastery of [[evil]] by [[virtue]] of the [[power]] of [[goodness]] and thus become the master of all [[relations]] between the two of you? I [[predict]] that the good in you could overcome the evil in him if you gave it a fair and living [[chance]]. There is no [[adventure]] in the [[course]] of [[mortal]] [[existence]] more enthralling than to [[enjoy]] the exhilaration of becoming the material life [[partner]] with [[spiritual]] [[energy]] and [[divine]] [[truth]] in one of their triumphant struggles with error and evil. It is a [[marvelous]] and transforming [[experience]] to become the living [[channel]] of [[spiritual]] [[light]] to the [[mortal]] who sits in [[spiritual]] [[darkness]]. If you are more [[blessed]] with [[truth]] than is this man, his need should [[challenge]] you. Surely you are not the coward who could stand by on the seashore and watch a fellow man who could not swim perish! How much more of [[value]] is this man's [[soul]] floundering in [[darkness]] compared to his [[body]] drowning in [[water]]! "

130:2.4 One of the [[young men]] who worked with [[Jesus]] one day on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steering_oar steering paddle] became much interested in the words which he dropped from hour to hour as they toiled in the shipyard. When [[Jesus]] intimated that [[the Father]] in heaven was interested in the [[welfare]] of his [[children]] on [[earth]], this young Greek, Anaxand, said: " If the Gods are interested in me, then why do they not remove the cruel and unjust foreman of this workshop? " He was startled when [[Jesus]] replied, " Since you know the ways of [[kindness]] and [[value]] [[justice]], perhaps [[the Gods]] have brought this erring man near that you may [[lead]] him into this better way. Maybe you are the salt which is to make this brother more agreeable to all other men; that is, if you have not lost your savor. As it is, this man is your master in that his [[evil]] ways unfavorably [[influence]] you. Why not assert your mastery of [[evil]] by [[virtue]] of the [[power]] of [[goodness]] and thus become the master of all [[relations]] between the two of you? I [[predict]] that the good in you could overcome the evil in him if you gave it a fair and living [[chance]]. There is no [[adventure]] in the [[course]] of [[mortal]] [[existence]] more enthralling than to [[enjoy]] the exhilaration of becoming the material life [[partner]] with [[spiritual]] [[energy]] and [[divine]] [[truth]] in one of their triumphant struggles with error and evil. It is a [[marvelous]] and transforming [[experience]] to become the living [[channel]] of [[spiritual]] [[light]] to the [[mortal]] who sits in [[spiritual]] [[darkness]]. If you are more [[blessed]] with [[truth]] than is this man, his need should [[challenge]] you. Surely you are not the coward who could stand by on the seashore and watch a fellow man who could not swim perish! How much more of [[value]] is this man's [[soul]] floundering in [[darkness]] compared to his [[body]] drowning in [[water]]! "

130:2.5 Anaxand was mightily moved by [[Jesus]]' [[words]]. Presently he told his superior what Jesus had said, and that night they both sought [[Jesus]]' advice as to the welfare of their [[souls]]. And later on, after the [[Christian]] message had been proclaimed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caeserea Caesarea], both of these men, one a [[Greek]] and the other a [[Roman]], believed [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_139#139:5._PHILIP_THE_CURIOUS Philip]'s preaching and became prominent members of the church which he founded. Later this young [[Greek]] was appointed the steward of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Centurion Roman centurion], Cornelius, who became a believer through [[Peter, the Apostle|Peter]]'s ministry. Anaxand continued to minister [[light]] to those who sat in [[darkness]] until the days of [[Paul, the Apostle|Paul]]'s imprisonment at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caeserea Caesarea], when he perished, by [[accident]], in the great slaughter of twenty thousand Jews while he ministered to the suffering and dying.

130:2.5 Anaxand was mightily moved by [[Jesus]]' [[words]]. Presently he told his superior what Jesus had said, and that night they both sought [[Jesus]]' advice as to the welfare of their [[souls]]. And later on, after the [[Christian]] message had been proclaimed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caeserea Caesarea], both of these men, one a [[Greek]] and the other a [[Roman]], believed [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_139#139:5._PHILIP_THE_CURIOUS Philip]'s preaching and became prominent members of the church which he founded. Later this young [[Greek]] was appointed the steward of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Centurion Roman centurion], Cornelius, who became a believer through [[Peter, the Apostle|Peter]]'s ministry. Anaxand continued to minister [[light]] to those who sat in [[darkness]] until the days of [[Paul, the Apostle|Paul]]'s imprisonment at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caeserea Caesarea], when he perished, by [[accident]], in the great slaughter of twenty thousand Jews while he ministered to the suffering and dying.

130:2.6 Ganid was, by this time, beginning to learn how his [[tutor]] spent his [[leisure]] in this unusual [[personal]] [[ministry]] to his fellow men, and the young Indian set about to find out the [[motive]] for these incessant [[activities]]. He asked, " Why do you occupy yourself so continuously with these visits with strangers? " And [[Jesus]] answered: " Ganid, no man is a stranger to one who knows [[God]]. In the [[experience]] of finding [[the Father]] in heaven you [[discover]] that all men are your brothers, and does it seem strange that one should enjoy the exhilaration of meeting a newly discovered brother? To become acquainted with one's brothers and sisters, to know their [[problems]] and to learn to [[love]] them, is the [[supreme]] [[experience]] of living. "

130:2.6 Ganid was, by this time, beginning to learn how his [[tutor]] spent his [[leisure]] in this unusual [[personal]] [[ministry]] to his fellow men, and the young Indian set about to find out the [[motive]] for these incessant [[activities]]. He asked, " Why do you occupy yourself so continuously with these visits with strangers? " And [[Jesus]] answered: " Ganid, no man is a stranger to one who knows [[God]]. In the [[experience]] of finding [[the Father]] in heaven you [[discover]] that all men are your brothers, and does it seem strange that one should enjoy the exhilaration of meeting a newly discovered brother? To become acquainted with one's brothers and sisters, to know their [[problems]] and to learn to [[love]] them, is the [[supreme]] [[experience]] of living. "

130:2.7 This was a [[conference]] which lasted well into the night, in the course of which the young man requested [[Jesus]] to tell him the [[difference]] between the will of God and that [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_111#111:1._THE_MIND_ARENA_OF_CHOICE human mind] [[act]] of [[choosing]] which is also called [[Free will|will]]. In substance Jesus said: The will of God is the way of God, [[partnership]] with the [[choice]] of God in the face of any [[potential]] alternative. To do the will of God, therefore, is the [[progressive]] [[experience]] of becoming more and more like God, and God is the [[source]] and [[destiny]] of all that is [[good]] and [[beautiful]] and [[true]]. The will of man is the way of man, the sum and substance of that which the [[mortal]] [[chooses]] to be and do. [[Free will|Will]] is the deliberate [[choice]] of a [[self-conscious]] being which leads to decision-conduct based on [[intelligent]] [[reflection]].

130:2.7 This was a [[conference]] which lasted well into the night, in the course of which the young man requested [[Jesus]] to tell him the [[difference]] between the will of God and that [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_111#111:1._THE_MIND_ARENA_OF_CHOICE human mind] [[act]] of [[choosing]] which is also called [[Free will|will]]. In substance Jesus said: The will of God is the way of God, [[partnership]] with the [[choice]] of God in the face of any [[potential]] alternative. To do the will of God, therefore, is the [[progressive]] [[experience]] of becoming more and more like God, and God is the [[source]] and [[destiny]] of all that is [[good]] and [[beautiful]] and [[true]]. The will of man is the way of man, the sum and substance of that which the [[mortal]] [[chooses]] to be and do. [[Free will|Will]] is the deliberate [[choice]] of a [[self-conscious]] being which leads to decision-conduct based on [[intelligent]] [[reflection]].

130:2.8 That afternoon [[Jesus]] and Ganid had both enjoyed playing with a very [[intelligent]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herding_dog shepherd dog], and Ganid wanted to know whether the dog had a [[soul]], whether it had a will, and in response to his questions Jesus said: " The dog has a [[mind]] which can know [[material]] man, his master, but cannot know [[God]], who is [[spirit]]; therefore the dog does not possess a [[spiritual]] nature and cannot enjoy a spiritual [[experience]]. The dog may have a will derived from [[nature]] and augmented by [[training]], but such a [[power]] of [[mind]] is not a spiritual force, neither is it comparable to the human will, inasmuch as it is not [[reflective]] —it is not the result of discriminating higher and [[moral]] [[meanings]] or choosing spiritual and eternal [[values]]. It is the [[possession]] of such powers of spiritual [[discrimination]] and [[truth]] choosing that makes mortal man a [[moral]] [[being]], a [[creature]] endowed with the attributes of spiritual [[responsibility]] and the potential of [[eternal]] [[survival]]. " Jesus went on to [[explain]] that it is the [[absence]] of such mental powers in the [[animal]] which makes it forever impossible for the animal world to develop [[language]] in time or to experience anything equivalent to [[personality]] survival in [[eternity]]. As a result of this day's instruction Ganid never again entertained [[belief]] in the [[transmigration]] of the [[souls]] of men into the bodies of animals.

130:2.8 That afternoon [[Jesus]] and Ganid had both enjoyed playing with a very [[intelligent]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herding_dog shepherd dog], and Ganid wanted to know whether the dog had a [[soul]], whether it had a will, and in response to his questions Jesus said: " The dog has a [[mind]] which can know [[material]] man, his master, but cannot know [[God]], who is [[spirit]]; therefore the dog does not possess a [[spiritual]] nature and cannot enjoy a spiritual [[experience]]. The dog may have a will derived from [[nature]] and augmented by [[training]], but such a [[power]] of [[mind]] is not a spiritual force, neither is it comparable to the human will, inasmuch as it is not [[reflective]] —it is not the result of discriminating higher and [[moral]] [[meanings]] or choosing spiritual and eternal [[values]]. It is the [[possession]] of such powers of spiritual [[discrimination]] and [[truth]] choosing that makes mortal man a [[moral]] [[being]], a [[creature]] endowed with the attributes of spiritual [[responsibility]] and the potential of [[eternal]] [[survival]]. " Jesus went on to [[explain]] that it is the [[absence]] of such mental powers in the [[animal]] which makes it forever impossible for the animal world to develop [[language]] in time or to experience anything equivalent to [[personality]] survival in [[eternity]]. As a result of this day's instruction Ganid never again entertained [[belief]] in the [[transmigration]] of the [[souls]] of men into the bodies of animals.

130:2.9 The next day Ganid talked all this over with his [[father]], and it was in answer to Gonod's question that [[Jesus]] [[explained]] that " human wills which are fully occupied with passing only upon [[temporal]] [[decisions]] having to do with the [[material]] [[problems]] of animal [[existence]] are [[doomed]] to perish in time. Those who make wholehearted [[moral]] decisions and unqualified [[spiritual]] [[choices]] are thus [[progressive]]ly identified with the [[Thought Adjuster|indwelling and divine spirit]], and thereby are they increasingly [[transformed]] into the [[values]] of eternal [[survival]]—[[Ascension Career|unending progression]] of divine service. "

130:2.9 The next day Ganid talked all this over with his [[father]], and it was in answer to Gonod's question that [[Jesus]] [[explained]] that " human wills which are fully occupied with passing only upon [[temporal]] [[decisions]] having to do with the [[material]] [[problems]] of animal [[existence]] are [[doomed]] to perish in time. Those who make wholehearted [[moral]] decisions and unqualified [[spiritual]] [[choices]] are thus [[progressive]]ly identified with the [[Thought Adjuster|indwelling and divine spirit]], and thereby are they increasingly [[transformed]] into the [[values]] of eternal [[survival]]—[[Ascension Career|unending progression]] of divine service. "

130:2.10 It was on this same day that we first heard that momentous [[truth]] which, stated in [[modern]] terms, would signify: " [[Free will|Will]] is that [[manifestation]] of the [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_111#111:1._THE_MIND_ARENA_OF_CHOICE human mind] which enables the subjective [[consciousness]] to express itself objectively and to [[experience]] the [[phenomenon]] of aspiring to be Godlike. " And it is in this same sense that every [[reflective]] and spiritually minded [[human being]] can become [[creative]].

130:2.10 It was on this same day that we first heard that momentous [[truth]] which, stated in [[modern]] terms, would signify: " [[Free will|Will]] is that [[manifestation]] of the [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_111#111:1._THE_MIND_ARENA_OF_CHOICE human mind] which enables the subjective [[consciousness]] to express itself objectively and to [[experience]] the [[phenomenon]] of aspiring to be Godlike. " And it is in this same sense that every [[reflective]] and spiritually minded [[human being]] can become [[creative]].

<center>[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_130 Go to Paper 130]</center>

<center>[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_130 Go to Paper 130]</center>

<center>[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_Urantia_Text_-_Contents Go to Table of Contents]</center>

<center>[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_Urantia_Text_-_Contents Go to Table of Contents]</center>

[[Category:Paper 130 - On the Way to Rome]]

[[Category:Paper 130 - On the Way to Rome]]