Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

During Jesus’ ministry, the religious leaders attempted frequently to trick him with their questions. In the above scripture reference, one of the scribes asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus turned the question back to the scribe, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" The scribe answered, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Jesus responded, "You spoke the truth, do this and you shall live."

God’s gift to each of us is eternal life based upon our capacity and willingness to live a life of Love. A Jewish scribe was required to know religious law, to interpret the scriptures, and to teach the people. Intellectually, a scribe was highly educated and could speak truth. Many of us know a portion of truth as it is taught in the surface words of the Bible. However, as we see in this biblical story, knowing truth is not sufficient. Jesus commanded the scribe: "Do this and you shall live." We must DO LOVE.

Unity’s co-founder, Charles Fillmore, taught that each of Jesus’ 12 disciples signified one of the 12 powers possessed by humanity. Ascension involves the development and/or refinement of each of these powers: life, elimination, order, strength, wisdom, love, power, zeal, imagination, faith, understanding, and will. (Charles Fillmore, The Twelve Powers) Learning to integrate these 12 powers into our lifestyle requires dedication to spiritual growth. The intellect can study and talk about these powers; however, it is their integration that grants us eternal life. We must DO THE 12 POWERS. Part 10 of this series concentrates on the power of Love as Jesus, a Wayshower, revealed it to us.

The Greek word translated "to do" means "to make, to undertake, to bring about, to produce." We often hear the comment: "I’m tired of doing; I just want to be." This statement is often an expression of weariness due to our hectic lifestyles; however, it can lead to confusion. The Greek work translated "to be" means "to exist, to live, to be available, to be present with." In effect, be Love, so you can do—or bring about—acts of love. Jesus’ words and life demonstrated the importance of being love and doing acts of love, being faith and undertaking acts of faith.

The scribe quoted the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Who is this God? The God indwelling each of us—our I AM PRESENCE. To obey this commandment means to love God with all that we are. Love of God is to consume our lives. Love of God, self, and our neighbors is to leave no room in our heart for hate, revenge, jealousy, or resentment. During this incarnation, our love for God, self, and others is to be the guiding light on our soul’s journey. There is to be no room for self-serving or harmful behavior. We are to saturate our minds with thoughts of love, leaving no room for clinging to victim-hood or negative thoughts. The greatest commandment leaves room for neither compromise nor exceptions. TO BE LOVE IS TO DO LOVE.

Why would being and doing love be the criteria for eternal life? A very helpful book, Twelve Powers In You, by Williamson and Knapp, gives a practical answer to this question. Each of the 12 powers are linked to specific parts of the physical body. The power of Love is centered in the heart, which means it is also related to blood circulation and to the organs that work to purify the blood—the liver and spleen. Our immune system is greatly impacted by our ability to express love. Blood pumping through the heart is the physical foundation of life. Love manifesting through our physical plane lives is the foundation for eternal life and good health. Medical studies are revealing a link between love and the immune system: those who are involved in a loving community tend to be healthier and to live longer, the benefits of loving a pet is now evident among the elderly, and the rewards of participating in a career that we love result in people working far beyond the normal retirement age. Love plays a major role in the healing of self and others. Researchers have found that persons—who feel loved and supported—have fewer blockages in the arteries. On the other hand, impediments to our release of the love energy within us can create clogging in our circulatory system. Dr. Knapp, a medical doctor and co-author of Twelve Powers In You, believes the key to healing any circulatory disorder is Love. As we love God with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our strength and with all of our mind, we ensure good physical health and eternal life.

The scribe asked another question of Jesus: "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered with one of the most familiar of biblical parables, yet one of the least understood in terms of integrating that understanding into our lives. Think of those persons we are taught, by our society, to hate and fear. Consider the words of the Peace Song: "With God as our Father, family all are we." Who is our neighbor? The answer is radical. Our neighbor includes those we are taught to hate and fear.

In the parable, an unidentified man is traveling, likely on foot, from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way, he is beaten, robbed, and left by the roadside to die. The dilemma within the parable encourages us to assume that the man was Jewish. Traveling along the same road, three persons see the injured man. These three persons represent three possible responses to the question: Who is our neighbor? They denote our own conflicts as we debate within ourselves how to respond to a member of God’s family – our neighbor. I use Williamson’s interpretation, as found in Twelve Powers In You.

A priest is the first to arrive. As he passed by the dying man, the priest thinks to himself: "I will pray for him, but I don’t want to get involved. I choose to maintain my high consciousness and see everything as perfect, not look upon this man’s troubles." In that moment, was the priest being love? Doing love? Or, was he creating a blockage in his arteries by hiding behind what sounds like a statement of truth: "I want to concentrate on the good and see everything as perfect, not focus on the negative and look upon this man’s injuries?"

A Levite follows close behind. In biblical times, the Levite was a priest in charge of administering religious law. He, too, ignores the dying man, thinking to himself: "If he got beaten and robbed, he must be reaping the result of his negative thinking or behavior. So, why should I help?" In that moment, was the Levite being love? Doing love? Or, was he clogging an artery to his heart? Restricting the flow of love from our spiritual heart (the etheric heart chakra) to others restricts the flow of blood to and from our physical heart.

Neither the priest nor the Levite disliked the injured man. He could have easily traveled to Jerusalem, from Jericho, in order to worship in the temple where they served. Possibly, they had seen him in the temple and recognized him. They passed by simply because they did not want to get involved with the problem at hand. They wanted to be love, but failed to do love.

The third person to come upon the dying man was a Samaritan. At that point in time, intense hatred existed between Jews and Samaritans. Jews considered Samaritans—who were also descendants from the 12 tribes of Israel—inferior and impure because they intermarried with persons of a different religion. Samaritans were not allowed to enter the temple in Jerusalem. Most Jewish travelers went around Samaria rather than be in the company of Samaritans. A Samaritan coming upon an injured Jew had reason to keep walking. If he had been the one lying by the roadside, the Jew who hated him would very likely allow him to die.

Regardless of the racial hatred toward him, this Samaritan strives to be love, to do love. He responds from the heart with compassion; he sees the dying man as his brother, not his enemy. He chooses to be fully alive by expressing loving kindness. He touched the man with love, not repulsion, as he bound his wounds and lifted him to his own donkey. He was present with the man as he walked beside the donkey. The Samaritan was love. When they arrived at an inn, the Samaritan undertook the care of the injured man. He spent the night being present with him. The next morning, he gave the innkeeper enough money to pay for his continued care, even promising to stop by on his return trip and pay any additional expenses incurred. The Samaritan acted out love with no thought of return. Were the two men to meet again in Jerusalem, the Samaritan knew the man he had assisted would enter the temple and leave him standing outside—forbidden to enter. The Samaritan knew he would not be invited into the man’s home, nor would he be allowed to share a loaf of the Jewish man’s bread. To share bread with another was a sign of trust and friendship. Jews and Samaritans could not be friends. The Samaritan knew that even though he had loved, cared for, and befriended this Jewish man, he would be considered unfit to worship with him or to eat with him. Love knows no such limitations. The Samaritan chose to be love and to do love.

We have heard the saying: "Love is not love until you give it away." If we fail to give away our love, we end up blocking the good in our own lives. Rather than cling to fear, resentment, and hatred; rather than accept society’s teaching that "they (those differing from us) are our enemies," we are to BE love and to DO love. Love has the power to heal both self and others. Love, as the eternal life-giving force, must flow in a never-ending circle—from God > to us > and out to others. Love—flowing eternally—removes the blocks to perfect physical health, strengthens the immune system, reveals our Good, opens the passageways to communication with those who are different, and shows us the path to worldwide peace and familial love. Love is the greatest harmonizer in the universe.

During this time of planetary upheaval and transition into full consciousness, we have the opportunity to use our power of Love to calm the forces of destruction within nature and to stop the devastation of wars. How? By loving the instruments of destruction, we can neutralize their harmful potential. Love is the greatest power in the universe.

Jesus, as a Wayshower for the power of Love, neutralized the harmful potential of a storm on the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-24). Every facet of nature possesses angelic overlords. Jesus knew this truth and spoke to the angels within the storm. He commanded them to be calm; they obeyed and stilled the turbulent waves. Jesus demonstrated the power of Love by speaking from his stance of Being and Doing Love.

Love is all that is. As we lift our consciousness to a higher plane, we can know that what appears to be destruction is, in reality, paving the way to a greater Good. That greater Good is that all of us come to know the tremendous power in which we live and move and have our being—the power of Love.

UNITY’S PRAYER OF PROTECTION
The Light of God surrounds me,
The Love of God enfolds me,
The Power of God protects me,
The Presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is.
And, all is well.

BENEDICTION
Go in peace, knowing that the Kingdom of Love is within you.

"Love is my ability to know oneness with all and to desire that good comes to all. Love is my ability to share, to draw together. Love heals, harmonizes, renews, prospers, and unites." –Twelve Powers In You