Be Like Jesus - 35

[Guest guest]

Excerpts from the book

“Be Like Jesus”: The Good News of Jesus in the words of Sri Sathya Sai Baba

A compilation by William and Debra Miller

Embody the transforming power of love - 35

Jesus advised one of his foremost disciples, Peter, to live in love, for love is God. Man can experience God only when he becomes the embodiment of love, which don't seek anything or expect even gratitude in return - love which become sacrifice and service, spontaneously.

When Peter listened to such exhortations from the Master, he found a new joy welling p within him and a new meaning in the word joy. "J" meant Jesus and the letter directed him to love Jesus first. "O" meant others who must be loved next. "Y" meant yourself who ought to be loved only last. But, look at the human condition today - man loves himself first, others next and Jesus last!

By a vision Jesus granted to St. Paul, who was reviling him, he transformed him into penitent disciple, full of faith and ardour. In the vision Jesus told him: "Saul, are you not a human being? Is it proper for you to revile one who has done no harm, has entertained no evil thoughts about you and has not led you to wrong ways? What harm have I done to you? Why are you abusing me? This is sheer folly. You are thereby demeaning yourself. Beware, beware!"

After uttering this warning, Jesus vanished. On waking up in the morning Saul (as Paul was known before his transformation) lamented that he had been false to his human nature by deriding and condemning fellow beings. He felt that Jesus was doing many good deeds and realized that it was a sin to revile such a person. He became one who could not bear the sight of others suffering, he began to shower love on everyone. From that date Saul became a devoted of Jesus and came to be known as St. Paul; he had to face many ordeals in propagating Christ's message.

Only when people banish hatred and violence, develop love, and realize that all are one can earth be transformed into heaven. How this state can be realized is illustrated by a Biblical episode. Once St. John, while walking along, saw an angel reading a book. He asked who she was and what she was reading. She replied that she was an angel and was reading a book dealing with the doctrine of love. He asked for the book and the angel gave it to him, but said: "You must eat this book. When you are consuming the book, its taste will be bitter. But after you have eaten and digested it, it will become very sweet."

"Eating the book" meant absorbing the contents of the book, practicing them and experiencing the bliss derived there from. While reading and digesting "the book" the experience was bitter as declared by the angel. But, in due course, there was a great transformation in St. John. His speech acquired a unique sweetness. His looks were sweet. Everything about him became sweet. St. John resembled Jesus in all respects, as he constantly contemplated on him. "As you think, so you become" What does this mean? It signifies the truth that you should completely identify yourself with the Divine love that you seek from God.

What the world needs today is the redeeming and unifying force of love - love which continually expands and embraces more and more people. By giving up narrow ideas regarding one's religion, nation or caste, by developing a broad outlook, and by cultivating the company of the good, you can elevate your life and make it meaningful and satisfying. Convert anger into love. Turn hatred into love. To effect this change what is needed is a change of heart - filling it with love. When the heart if filled with love, the whole world becomes loveable.

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