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==CHAPTER 24==

==CHAPTER 24==

As they walked over this bridge, Jesus, among other things, said:

As they walked over this bridge, Jesus, among other things, said:

*"This world is only a bridge. You may pass over it, but you should not think to build a dwelling place upon it."  

*<u>"This '''world''' is only a bridge, you may pass over it, but you should not think to build a dwelling place upon it."</u>

It was during one of these conferences at the home of Justa that the Master first told his disciples that:

It was during one of these conferences at the home of Justa that the Master first told his disciples that:

He admonished them to:

He admonished them to:

*"Forget those things which are in the past while you push forward to embrace the greater realities of the kingdom."   

*<u>"Forget those things which are in the '''past''' while you push forward to embrace the greater realities of the kingdom."</u>  

Said Jesus:

Said Jesus:

*"My disciples must not only cease to do evil but learn to do well. You must not only be cleansed from all conscious sin, but you must refuse to harbor even the feelings of guilt. If you confess your sins, they are forgiven. Therefore must you maintain a conscience void of offense."

*"My disciples must not only cease to do evil but learn to do well. <u>You must not only be cleansed from all conscious sin, but you must refuse to harbor even the feelings of '''guilt'''.</u> If you confess your sins, they are forgiven, therefore must you maintain a conscience void of offense."

He once said to Thomas:       

He once said to Thomas:       

*"Likewise, mortal man, while he has his roots of origin and being in the animal soil of human nature, can by faith raise his spiritual nature up into the sunlight of heavenly truth and actually bear the noble fruits of the spirit."

*"Likewise, mortal man, while he has his roots of origin and being in the animal soil of human nature, can by faith raise his spiritual nature up into the sunlight of heavenly truth and actually bear the noble fruits of the spirit."

It was during this same sermon that Jesus made use of his first and only parable having to do with his own trade -- carpentry. In the course of his admonition to:

It was during this same sermon that Jesus made use of his first and only parable having to do with his own trade -- carpentry, in the course of his admonition to:

*"Build well the foundations for the growth of a noble character of spiritual endowments. In order to yield the fruits of the spirit, you must be born of the spirit. You must be taught by the spirit and be led by the spirit if you would live the spirit-filled life among your fellows. But do not make the mistake of the foolish carpenter who wastes valuable time squaring, measuring, and smoothing his worm-eaten and inwardly rotting timber and then, when he has thus bestowed all of his labor upon the unsound beam, must reject it as unfit to enter into the foundations of the building that he would construct to withstand the assaults of time and storm. Let every man make sure that the intellectual and moral foundations of character are such as will adequately support the superstructure of the enlarging and ennobling spiritual nature, which is thus to transform the mortal mind and then, in association with that re-created mind, is to achieve the evolvement of the soul of immortal destiny. Your spirit nature -- the jointly created soul -- is a living growth, but the mind and morals of the individual are the soil from which these higher manifestations of human development and divine destiny must spring. The soil of the evolving soul is human and material, but the destiny of this combined creature of mind and spirit is spiritual and divine."

*<u>"Build well the foundations for the growth of a noble '''character''' of spiritual endowments.</u> In order to yield the fruits of the spirit, you must be born of the spirit. You must be taught by the spirit and be led by the spirit if you would live the spirit-filled life among your fellows. But do not make the mistake of the foolish carpenter who wastes valuable time squaring, measuring, and smoothing his worm-eaten and inwardly rotting timber and then, when he has thus bestowed all of his labor upon the unsound beam, must reject it as unfit to enter into the foundations of the building that he would construct to withstand the assaults of time and storm. Let every man make sure that the intellectual and moral foundations of character are such as will adequately support the superstructure of the enlarging and ennobling spiritual nature, which is thus to transform the mortal mind and then, in association with that re-created mind, is to achieve the evolvement of the soul of immortal destiny. <u>Your spirit nature -- the jointly created '''soul''' -- is a living growth, but the mind and morals of the individual are the soil from which these higher manifestations of human development and divine destiny must spring.</u> The soil of the evolving soul is human and material, but the destiny of this combined creature of mind and spirit is spiritual and divine."

 

 

On the evening of this same day Nathaniel asked Jesus:  

On the evening of this same day Nathaniel asked Jesus:  

*"Master, why do we pray that God will lead us not into temptation when we well know from your revelation of the Father that he never does such things?"  

*<u>"Master, why do we pray that God will lead us not into '''temptation''' when we well know from your revelation of the Father that he never does such things?"</u>

Jesus answered Nathaniel:  

Jesus answered Nathaniel:  

====Answers to Questions====

====Answering Questions====

 

Long into the night the apostles and evangelists continued to ask questions, and he answered:

In answering these many questions Jesus said:

*"Forceful ambition, intelligent judgment, and seasoned wisdom are the essentials of material success. Leadership is dependent on natural ability, discretion, will power, and determination. Spiritual destiny is dependent on faith, love, and devotion to truth -- hunger and thirst for righteousness -- the wholehearted desire to find God and to be like him.

*"Forceful ambition, intelligent judgment, and seasoned wisdom are the essentials of material success. Leadership is dependent on natural ability, discretion, will power, and determination. Spiritual destiny is dependent on faith, love, and devotion to truth -- hunger and thirst for righteousness -- the wholehearted desire to find God and to be like him.

*“As the days pass, every true believer becomes more skillful in alluring his fellows into the love of eternal truth. Are you more resourceful in revealing goodness to humanity today than you were yesterday? Are you a better righteousness recommender this year than you were last year? Are you becoming increasingly artistic in your technique of leading hungry souls into the spiritual kingdom?

*“As the days pass, every true believer becomes more skillful in alluring his fellows into the love of eternal truth. Are you more resourceful in revealing goodness to humanity today than you were yesterday? Are you a better righteousness recommender this year than you were last year? Are you becoming increasingly artistic in your technique of leading hungry souls into the spiritual kingdom?

*“Are your ideals sufficiently high to insure your eternal salvation while your ideas are so practical as to render you a useful citizen to function on earth in association with your mortal fellows? In the spirit, your citizenship is in heaven; in the flesh, you are still citizens of the earth kingdoms. Render to the Caesars the things that are material and to God those that are spiritual.

*“Are your ideals sufficiently high to insure your eternal salvation while your ideas are so practical as to render you a useful citizen to function on earth in association with your mortal fellows? In the spirit, your citizenship is in heaven; in the flesh, you are still citizens of the earth kingdoms. Render to the Caesars the things that are material and to God those that are spiritual.