How many times can you read a book? Well, that depends on the book; doesn’t it? I’ve been reading the Divine Principle (in several different formats) for about 38 years now, and I’m not tired of it yet. I keep discovering new ways of understanding the content.

Drink from the Fountain 

I’ve been reading the Bible even longer than that, about 52 years (oops, now I’m showing my age). The Bible continues to intrigue me as well because I often discover stories that I’ve skipped over in the past. I like to read the stories that no one ever talks about, the ones that don’t get popularized in churches and movies, such as the story of Samuel and Abigail (I samuel 25).

I read a lot of other books too, novels of all kinds – mysteries are my favorite, but most of those are one timers. Some of them are like chewing bubble gum or eating candy. Fun and tasty for the moment. However, religious texts are like a never ending fountain of thirst quenching nourishment. Although I might not stand by the fountain all day and every day, it is always there within reach when I need or want it. How Blessed I am to have truth and wisdom at my fingertips.

A world of knowledge, a life of study

Can you learn all there is to know in the world? It would be impossible, your brain might explode. Within time and space we have limitations. We are each born with personality traits and potential that cause us to follow a certain path, to pursue the things that interest us. Naturally, we don’t even try to learn everything there is to know, we specialize.

In a world full of specialists our greatest advantage would be to remain humble and to network with others. Respect each other’s unique area of knowledge and experience, share with each other, learn from each other, and find ways to move forward together. That is the only way we can benefit from the world of knowledge that is out there, to be a lifelong student.

It is most unfortunate when people use their personality traits, skills and knowledge to take advantage of others. Sadly though, that is the world we live in. However, this problem also gives us the opportunity to live up to a higher ideal by developing a heart that can forgive and work toward the greater good.

Beyond knowledge there is something more

Even if one could know all there is to know it would not be enough to satisfy the soul. The soul that originates in love seeks to return to love. Knowledge is only one aspect of love, part of it’s complex nature. For love is the Alpha and the Omega, containing all there is. We seek oneness, wholeness, and so we seek to live in love.

Why is it then, that humans hurt each other? Why do we seek love while we hate? Why do we gossip and slander others? Why do we seek freedom while we oppress and enslave others? Why do we waste our resources and plunder the planet? Even if we don’t do these things personally we do them by omission. We live in a conflicted world.

Through all of human history with it’s spectacular scientific advances and intellectual knowledge, we have not found the solution to the most basic of problems; the direction of the emotions that motivate our actions. Every human being wrestles with this inner conflict.

The Books of Love

Within the Divine Principle and the Bible, and no doubt also within other religious writings, we have the worlds history of love lessons. Contained within these books are examples of how to love, how not to love, and a multitude of examples of the results of our separation from the absolute source of love, as well as the arduous efforts in striving to return to love.

These books as well as other mystic writing and sacred scripture are precious gifts to humankind that have aided in the advancement of the human psyche. Today we have more religious literature available to us than ever before in human history, and we have more educated people than ever before in history, but we still have serious problems. It’s not that truth, love and wisdom are not available – it’s that we don’t actively live our lives seeking to become the divine creative and loving beings that scripture  tells us we are.

This is our time

We are children of God, children who need to grow up to become the Temples of God because we were created in the image of God. God is love, but our understanding of love is so small still. Like little children whose understanding of love is limited to being taken care of all the time, humanity has not completely embraced it’s own divine responsibility yet. What holds us back is mostly fear and disbelief in our own divine potential.

Throughout human history God has been pouring truth, love, grace and forgiveness into the world through prophets, saints, sages and the Messiah. The natural world around us supports our lives as another expression of God’s endless love. The spiritual realm is all around us helping us daily. Now it’s our turn, it’s our time to take responsibility for all the world’s problems by becoming the living word, Christ-like, mature sons and daughters of God. From God’s viewpoint, we are actually capable of doing this because we were created with this original potential.

It’s time to believe in ourselves, to see each other from God’s viewpoint and love, forgive, unite and work together to save the world. One person can never have all the answers or solutions, that’s why we need each other. God will dwell in the midst of us when we become humble enough to shed the emotional barriers that divide us. It’s an historical problem, but we have all we need to solve it.