February 6, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John.
I want to say a few words in reference to your conversation about the Prayer and the importance of thoroughly understanding it, and its spiritual significance and the wonderful truths that it contains. I heard you say that when you first received it, there was in its meaning all confusion, and that you did not understand that it would convey any great truths or help very much those who should offer it to the Father. Well, I have no doubt but what you say is true, and there is a good reason for the same, and that is that it is so full of the declarations of wonderful truths and thoughts for soul aspirations that it was difficult, and almost impossible, for your mind or soul to grasp the same, and like every other truth that men do not understand, it does not at first reception appear to be a thing of truth that men can learn and learning make their own.
But the truths of that prayer, when rightly analyzed, will appear sufficient to meet every necessity that men need or are in want of to bring them to a perfect at-onement with the Father and assure them of eternal salvation as His Divine children and the partakers of immortality. Very soon I will come and give you a full explanation of the Prayer and its deep and vital truths, so that you may become real possessors of its full meaning.
Tonight I do not think it best for me to write more and in closing will say to you and your friends that you must not become discouraged in the work that you have before you, or in the work that you are now doing, for I, John, tell you that your labor is absolutely necessary to make our truths known to humanity, and there are no others of all the men of earth who have been selected for this work or can perform it, for none have the qualifications developed for the rapport which we have established.
So take what I say seriously and do not let the importance of the work, or the thought that you are not suited to do the work, cause you to think that we have made a mistake in our selection, or that this power that has been given to you is a mere myth and without reality.
The high spirits who are followers of, and are led by, the Master have in following the Master's desire determined that you three* shall be the ones to start the spread of these great truths amongst men and leave behind you helpers who will carry on the work after you come over to receive the reward of your well-doing.
I am John, and I write with authority and must be believed. So with my love to you both, and the blessings of the Father, I will say good night.
John
*James E. Padgett, Dr. Leslie R. Stone, Eugene Morgan
Showing posts with label eternal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eternal. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
St. Luke Writes Further on "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell"
January 8, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here St. Luke.
I want to write a few lines upon a subject that may be of interest to you both. You have remarked upon the expression obtained in the letter that you have just received that: "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell." It is a statement in a succinct way of a great truth and one, if it were known and fully appreciated by mortals, it would cause them to realize the necessity of thinking and learning of these Heavenly things while on earth.
I know that many say, they will not believe in the orthodox Hell, or in the necessity of troubling themselves about the future, or that they will take their chance in the hereafter, if there be one. If these persons could realize the meaning of such a course of life, they would not leave their future to chance, but would, while on earth, seek for these Heavenly things and make a start for the realization of these things now and not wait until they had left the form of flesh.
They say that a just God will not punish them by condemning them to eternal torment, and they are correct; and while this just God does not condemn them at all, yet they are condemned by a law that is just as invariable as is the Love of that God, and that law brings its certain punishment, even though it may not be eternal. But it is certain, and upon the spirit itself depends very largely its duration.
If the spirit finds itself in that condition that it cannot make a start towards its redemption until a long time after its coming into the spirit world, then that punishment will longer continue; and, if the start depends, as it does very frequently, upon the ability and capacity of the spirit to receive and understand those things that will start it upon its progress, then many spirits will remain for years and years in the condition in which they find themselves when they first come to their homes in the hells. There is nothing in these places to induce or help the understanding of these Heavenly things but, on the contrary, everything to prevent and obstruct such understanding; even hopelessness and beliefs in an eternity of punishment and, frequently, want of knowledge that there is any other or better place than where they find themselves.
And I want to say here, that within the spirit there is nothing that has the qualities or powers to start it on a progression, and in this sense, the old Bible expression, "That as a tree falleth, so shall it lie," is true. Even as to the natural love these spirits in the Hells cannot initiate a start towards high thoughts and beliefs, and only when some influence from without comes to them can they have an awakening of their dormant better and true natures, so that their progress may commence. I don't mean by this that it is necessary that some high and spiritual helper shall come to them, but only that some influence from outside of themselves must come in order for them to have an awakening. This influence may be from a spirit* in an apparently similar condition to their own, but which has received some glimpse of uplifting truth that it may convey to the dark brother spirit.
All spirits can help others who are in a lower or more stagnant condition than themselves, and sometimes they do; but the great trouble here is that unless the possibly helping spirits have some desire to benefit their fellow spirits of darkness, they do not try to help, and so as your friend says, "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell." He realizes that fact fully, and even with the help that has been offered and will be given him, he will find it difficult to make a start. The mortal life is not the only place of probation, but it is the most important place, and the easiest for man to make his start in and understand the beginning of these Heavenly things.
I will not write more now, but will soon come and write a formal message. So with my love to you and friend, I will say to you both: "Have faith and let not doubt come to you as to the Heavenly things that we have written you about." Good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
*Luke: And when I used the term spirit, I mean the soul clothed in a spiritual body.
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here St. Luke.
I want to write a few lines upon a subject that may be of interest to you both. You have remarked upon the expression obtained in the letter that you have just received that: "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell." It is a statement in a succinct way of a great truth and one, if it were known and fully appreciated by mortals, it would cause them to realize the necessity of thinking and learning of these Heavenly things while on earth.
I know that many say, they will not believe in the orthodox Hell, or in the necessity of troubling themselves about the future, or that they will take their chance in the hereafter, if there be one. If these persons could realize the meaning of such a course of life, they would not leave their future to chance, but would, while on earth, seek for these Heavenly things and make a start for the realization of these things now and not wait until they had left the form of flesh.
They say that a just God will not punish them by condemning them to eternal torment, and they are correct; and while this just God does not condemn them at all, yet they are condemned by a law that is just as invariable as is the Love of that God, and that law brings its certain punishment, even though it may not be eternal. But it is certain, and upon the spirit itself depends very largely its duration.
If the spirit finds itself in that condition that it cannot make a start towards its redemption until a long time after its coming into the spirit world, then that punishment will longer continue; and, if the start depends, as it does very frequently, upon the ability and capacity of the spirit to receive and understand those things that will start it upon its progress, then many spirits will remain for years and years in the condition in which they find themselves when they first come to their homes in the hells. There is nothing in these places to induce or help the understanding of these Heavenly things but, on the contrary, everything to prevent and obstruct such understanding; even hopelessness and beliefs in an eternity of punishment and, frequently, want of knowledge that there is any other or better place than where they find themselves.
And I want to say here, that within the spirit there is nothing that has the qualities or powers to start it on a progression, and in this sense, the old Bible expression, "That as a tree falleth, so shall it lie," is true. Even as to the natural love these spirits in the Hells cannot initiate a start towards high thoughts and beliefs, and only when some influence from without comes to them can they have an awakening of their dormant better and true natures, so that their progress may commence. I don't mean by this that it is necessary that some high and spiritual helper shall come to them, but only that some influence from outside of themselves must come in order for them to have an awakening. This influence may be from a spirit* in an apparently similar condition to their own, but which has received some glimpse of uplifting truth that it may convey to the dark brother spirit.
All spirits can help others who are in a lower or more stagnant condition than themselves, and sometimes they do; but the great trouble here is that unless the possibly helping spirits have some desire to benefit their fellow spirits of darkness, they do not try to help, and so as your friend says, "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell." He realizes that fact fully, and even with the help that has been offered and will be given him, he will find it difficult to make a start. The mortal life is not the only place of probation, but it is the most important place, and the easiest for man to make his start in and understand the beginning of these Heavenly things.
I will not write more now, but will soon come and write a formal message. So with my love to you and friend, I will say to you both: "Have faith and let not doubt come to you as to the Heavenly things that we have written you about." Good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
*Luke: And when I used the term spirit, I mean the soul clothed in a spiritual body.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Jesus Writes on the Subject: What Men Can Do to Eradicate War of Nations and Evil From Their Souls
December 24, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I desire to say that I was with you tonight at the church and listened to the preacher's (Dr. Mitchell) sermon and was somewhat surprised that he should have declared that all the wars and persecutions and outrages that, in the manner described, have been perpetrated on mankind since my coming can be ascribed to my coming and my teachings.
I, of course, can only resent the imputation and declare that the preacher has misconceived the cause of these wars and persecutions, and to charge that they are due to my truths, or the truths that I taught, is not only an injustice to me, but a great injury to the truths and objects of my mission to mankind. Never did I attempt by force or constraint to compel a human soul to believe in my truths or to became a follower of me, in or out of the church.
My mission on earth was to show men the Way to the Father's Love and to declare to them the Great Gift of this Love, and also to break down and destroy the erroneous beliefs and ignorance that then existed among men as what was necessary in order to seek for and obtain this Love of the Father and their own salvation. And so far as the truths, moral or spiritual, which I taught antagonized the false beliefs and practices of men, there was - and necessarily would be - a conflict in the thoughts and lives of those who followed me and those who persisted in their existing beliefs. To this extent, I brought a sword into the world, but it was not the sword that called for bloodshed and murder and persecutions; it was the sword that pierced men's souls, where this great conflict should and must be fought to the end.
No nation can be more spiritual in its government, or in its treatment of other nations, than are the individuals composing it, spiritual. The nation cannot be greater than or different from the individuals who control it, be such control centered in one or more individuals, or in a secular or religious head. The ruler, if he be not a real follower of me, although he may claim to be, cannot in his acts or deeds attribute to me the results of the carrying into action his thoughts and desires and ambition.
The present war, of which the preacher spoke with such horror and lamentation, is not due to my coming into the world as an iconoclast or destroyer of sin and error, but to the fact that men refused to be controlled or persuaded by my doctrines of peace and acted because of the sin and evil desires and immoral ambition that they possessed and permitted to control them. The sword, which he claims I brought into the world, did not cause these sinful and inhuman desires and ambitions to manifest themselves in the form of war and all the evils that follow it. No, this war is not a part of my warfare or the plan of the Father to bring salvation to mankind.
The cause is this and only this: The exercise by men in control of the nations of their desires for increased power and territory and subjugation of nations, together with their sinful cravings for what they call glory and unsatisfied ambition. Had they understood my warfare, each of there men would have found his enemy in himself and nowhere else, and the great war would be a war of the soul and not the war of nations.
Each nation claims that its war is right, and that God is on its side, and prays to that God to assist it in overcoming its enemies. But I want to say here, and it may astonish those who believe that if they conceive that they are in the right and pray to God for success that their prayers will be answered, that God hears only the prayers of the righteous, or of the sinner who prays for mercy and salvation. Never in all the history of mankind has God responded to the prayers of men or nations to assist in the destruction of other men or nations, and this, notwithstanding the accounts in the Old Testament of the many times that he was supposed to have helped the Jews to destroy their enemies.
If men, for a moment, will think that God is a God of Love and that all people are His children, the equal recipients of His Love and Care, they will realize that His Love would not permit Him to sacrifice the happiness or well-being of one class of His children to satisfy the desires of revenge or hatred or outraged justice as they conceive it, of another class of His children. In all the beliefs of this kind, men have misconceived God and His Nature - with men like other creatures, His powers are governed by God's immutable Laws, and those laws are no respecters of persons. Man was given a free will, which he could exercise righteously or sinfully and God does not forcibly control such exercise, but the same exercised rightly or wrongly is subject to Law, which imposes penalties or rewards according as the Law is violated or obeyed.
This war, which so many mortals believe and declare is a punishment inflicted on men because of their sins and disobedience - that is, that it was specially caused by God because of such condition of men - and some expounders of the Bible teach that it was prophesied centuries ago - this war, I say, is solely the result of the sinful conditions and workings of men's souls and thoughts and the natural effect of the causes that men themselves created and the exact workings of the Laws that such causes brought into operation. And in a similar condition, where the same causes exist, Laws will invariably operate - wars will occur and recur until the possibility of the causes cease to exist.
God never ceases to love and care for mankind and always He desires that men shall be happy and at-one with Himself, and that they shall exercise their wills in accordance with His Will and His Laws; but just as certainly does He never - by compulsion or force - endeavor to compel men to exercise their wills in a manner that is not voluntary with them. Should He do this, men would cease to be the greatest of His Creation and incapable of giving Him that voluntary love and obedience which only is acceptable to Him.
But from what I have said, it must not be inferred that the Father is indifferent to men's sufferings and the calamities that wars bring upon mankind, for He is not; and, if, in His Wisdom, He saw that it would be for the lasting good of the men who are engaged in the present war, that He should intervene by the mere force of His Powers and end the war, He would do so. But in that Wisdom, He sees that there is a good which men should have, greater and more eternal than their mere physical and material good, and that greater good cannot be obtained by them through His suddenly bringing this war to an end without regard to their souls, and thoughts and desires. The Law of Compensation must work as well for nations as for individuals even though, apparently, the innocent suffer as well as the guilty.
On earth, as men are now constituted, that is, in their condition of sin and disobedience to the Laws of their being - exact justice cannot be expected and is not received, because this justice is the subject of men's dispensation and not that of God. A man is influenced by his desires which, in turn, control his will and results in his acts and deeds, which must of necessity, bring their results. These results can be avoided only by absence of deeds, and these by a different exercise of the will and this by the change of desire. So when a man so desires and wills, God will not set aside the Law of Compensation and cause results to follow that are not the consequences of such desire and will.
But God is always willing that these evil results shall have no existence, and through the influence of His Love and Holy Spirit is calling men to learn the way to wholly prevent the possibility of these results coming to them, either as individuals or as nations. He has provided the Way and is teaching men the knowledge thereof, through and by which the causes that produce these harmful results may be utterly destroyed and prevented from ever arising to bring to them the deplorable results, such as are manifested in the present war.
God will not interfere by His mere fiat to cause the one side or the other of those who are engaged in this war of bloodshed and carnage to become victorious. The Law of Compensation must work and as the leaders of the respective nations have sown, so must the nations reap and in this, the innocent must suffer in this reaping, because as conditions are, the Law could not work its fulfillment unless all within the scope of its workings should feel its operation. But the Father and the hosts of His angels and the spirits of men are working to bring this terrible catastrophe to an end.
You have written long, and it is late, so I will postpone the further consideration of the subject to another time. Believe that I am with you and love you and will sustain you in your desires to do my work.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I desire to say that I was with you tonight at the church and listened to the preacher's (Dr. Mitchell) sermon and was somewhat surprised that he should have declared that all the wars and persecutions and outrages that, in the manner described, have been perpetrated on mankind since my coming can be ascribed to my coming and my teachings.
I, of course, can only resent the imputation and declare that the preacher has misconceived the cause of these wars and persecutions, and to charge that they are due to my truths, or the truths that I taught, is not only an injustice to me, but a great injury to the truths and objects of my mission to mankind. Never did I attempt by force or constraint to compel a human soul to believe in my truths or to became a follower of me, in or out of the church.
My mission on earth was to show men the Way to the Father's Love and to declare to them the Great Gift of this Love, and also to break down and destroy the erroneous beliefs and ignorance that then existed among men as what was necessary in order to seek for and obtain this Love of the Father and their own salvation. And so far as the truths, moral or spiritual, which I taught antagonized the false beliefs and practices of men, there was - and necessarily would be - a conflict in the thoughts and lives of those who followed me and those who persisted in their existing beliefs. To this extent, I brought a sword into the world, but it was not the sword that called for bloodshed and murder and persecutions; it was the sword that pierced men's souls, where this great conflict should and must be fought to the end.
No nation can be more spiritual in its government, or in its treatment of other nations, than are the individuals composing it, spiritual. The nation cannot be greater than or different from the individuals who control it, be such control centered in one or more individuals, or in a secular or religious head. The ruler, if he be not a real follower of me, although he may claim to be, cannot in his acts or deeds attribute to me the results of the carrying into action his thoughts and desires and ambition.
The present war, of which the preacher spoke with such horror and lamentation, is not due to my coming into the world as an iconoclast or destroyer of sin and error, but to the fact that men refused to be controlled or persuaded by my doctrines of peace and acted because of the sin and evil desires and immoral ambition that they possessed and permitted to control them. The sword, which he claims I brought into the world, did not cause these sinful and inhuman desires and ambitions to manifest themselves in the form of war and all the evils that follow it. No, this war is not a part of my warfare or the plan of the Father to bring salvation to mankind.
The cause is this and only this: The exercise by men in control of the nations of their desires for increased power and territory and subjugation of nations, together with their sinful cravings for what they call glory and unsatisfied ambition. Had they understood my warfare, each of there men would have found his enemy in himself and nowhere else, and the great war would be a war of the soul and not the war of nations.
Each nation claims that its war is right, and that God is on its side, and prays to that God to assist it in overcoming its enemies. But I want to say here, and it may astonish those who believe that if they conceive that they are in the right and pray to God for success that their prayers will be answered, that God hears only the prayers of the righteous, or of the sinner who prays for mercy and salvation. Never in all the history of mankind has God responded to the prayers of men or nations to assist in the destruction of other men or nations, and this, notwithstanding the accounts in the Old Testament of the many times that he was supposed to have helped the Jews to destroy their enemies.
If men, for a moment, will think that God is a God of Love and that all people are His children, the equal recipients of His Love and Care, they will realize that His Love would not permit Him to sacrifice the happiness or well-being of one class of His children to satisfy the desires of revenge or hatred or outraged justice as they conceive it, of another class of His children. In all the beliefs of this kind, men have misconceived God and His Nature - with men like other creatures, His powers are governed by God's immutable Laws, and those laws are no respecters of persons. Man was given a free will, which he could exercise righteously or sinfully and God does not forcibly control such exercise, but the same exercised rightly or wrongly is subject to Law, which imposes penalties or rewards according as the Law is violated or obeyed.
This war, which so many mortals believe and declare is a punishment inflicted on men because of their sins and disobedience - that is, that it was specially caused by God because of such condition of men - and some expounders of the Bible teach that it was prophesied centuries ago - this war, I say, is solely the result of the sinful conditions and workings of men's souls and thoughts and the natural effect of the causes that men themselves created and the exact workings of the Laws that such causes brought into operation. And in a similar condition, where the same causes exist, Laws will invariably operate - wars will occur and recur until the possibility of the causes cease to exist.
God never ceases to love and care for mankind and always He desires that men shall be happy and at-one with Himself, and that they shall exercise their wills in accordance with His Will and His Laws; but just as certainly does He never - by compulsion or force - endeavor to compel men to exercise their wills in a manner that is not voluntary with them. Should He do this, men would cease to be the greatest of His Creation and incapable of giving Him that voluntary love and obedience which only is acceptable to Him.
But from what I have said, it must not be inferred that the Father is indifferent to men's sufferings and the calamities that wars bring upon mankind, for He is not; and, if, in His Wisdom, He saw that it would be for the lasting good of the men who are engaged in the present war, that He should intervene by the mere force of His Powers and end the war, He would do so. But in that Wisdom, He sees that there is a good which men should have, greater and more eternal than their mere physical and material good, and that greater good cannot be obtained by them through His suddenly bringing this war to an end without regard to their souls, and thoughts and desires. The Law of Compensation must work as well for nations as for individuals even though, apparently, the innocent suffer as well as the guilty.
On earth, as men are now constituted, that is, in their condition of sin and disobedience to the Laws of their being - exact justice cannot be expected and is not received, because this justice is the subject of men's dispensation and not that of God. A man is influenced by his desires which, in turn, control his will and results in his acts and deeds, which must of necessity, bring their results. These results can be avoided only by absence of deeds, and these by a different exercise of the will and this by the change of desire. So when a man so desires and wills, God will not set aside the Law of Compensation and cause results to follow that are not the consequences of such desire and will.
But God is always willing that these evil results shall have no existence, and through the influence of His Love and Holy Spirit is calling men to learn the way to wholly prevent the possibility of these results coming to them, either as individuals or as nations. He has provided the Way and is teaching men the knowledge thereof, through and by which the causes that produce these harmful results may be utterly destroyed and prevented from ever arising to bring to them the deplorable results, such as are manifested in the present war.
God will not interfere by His mere fiat to cause the one side or the other of those who are engaged in this war of bloodshed and carnage to become victorious. The Law of Compensation must work and as the leaders of the respective nations have sown, so must the nations reap and in this, the innocent must suffer in this reaping, because as conditions are, the Law could not work its fulfillment unless all within the scope of its workings should feel its operation. But the Father and the hosts of His angels and the spirits of men are working to bring this terrible catastrophe to an end.
You have written long, and it is late, so I will postpone the further consideration of the subject to another time. Believe that I am with you and love you and will sustain you in your desires to do my work.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Friday, September 27, 2013
Luke Writes About the Necessity for Men Turning Their Thoughts to Things Spiritual
October 16, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. Luke, of the New Testament.
I desire to write my promised message, and if you feel that you can receive it, I will try to write. Well, I desire to declare certain truths with reference to the necessity for men turning their thoughts to things spiritual and letting the material things of life consume less of their time and thoughts.
In the first place, that which is eternal is of more importance than that which is temporal and has an existence for a short time only, even though these things of time are necessary to sustain and preserve man while living his life on earth.
I would not be understood as implying that these material things are not necessary and important for man to acquire and use to the best possible advantage, for they are a necessity to his earth existence, and it is not only a privilege but a duty for man to make the best use of these material gifts that is possible, and to place himself in that condition which will enable him to enjoy to the utmost these things that have been provided for his material comfort and happiness.
And further, it is his duty to bend his efforts to develop the use and application of these things, so that the greatest possible benefit and utility may be derived from the proper use of them. And to do this, I understand that man has to give a portion of his thoughts, and devote a part of his time to their consideration, and to the means and methods by which the best results may be brought about, and in doing this man is not disobedient to the Father's laws, or to the requirements which the laws of his own being calls for.
The discoveries of the inventors are desirable and men's work in making these discoveries is commendable, and so are efforts of the merchant and mechanic and financiers to succeed in their different undertakings and as a result accumulate money and use it for their comfort and sustenance. But these things, or the thoughts and efforts used to accomplish these results, do not help the soul development, or even the development of the spiritual side of man's nature, and if man devotes himself for the greater number of his hours of living to these pursuits, when he comes to lay these burdens down and pass into the land of spirits, he will find that he is very poor, indeed, and that the eternal part of his being has little developed, and his soul fitted for a place where those who have laid up their riches on earth must necessarily go.
So attractive is this accumulation of money, and the gaining of fame or position to man, that when once engaged in, and especially when accompanied with what he calls success, he naturally devotes his whole waking time and thoughts to these efforts and, as a consequence, very little of this short time on earth is given to thoughts of and striving for things of the higher kind.
If mortals, and especially those who are so arduously and constantly engaged in the effort to win the success that I have just mentioned, could only see and know the condition of those who when on earth were engaged in similar pursuits with like aspirations, and who are now in the spirit world, they would realize the utter futility of such efforts, and the great soul-killing harm that the so-called success on earth has brought to these spirits.
And while we may assume that many of these spirits did not do affirmative wrong or injury in their work and did not enter into the condition to which I refer because of any such among or injury, yet they are in a stagnated and shriveled condition of soul and spiritual qualities, and all because when - in their earnest pursuits of these material things - they neglected the development of their souls or the cultivation of their spiritual qualities.
Their sin was that of omission and it is a sure one in its results, and the more common one among men who think too much of material things, or think not at all or are indifferent to everything, and are satisfied to live in an atmosphere or state of vegetating contentment. The law operates the same upon the man who neglects his spiritual nature because of his absorption in the things material as upon the man who is guilty of such neglect because of indifference, or contentment with the pleasures that these material things give him. In both cases the results are the same - the soul remains stagnant and the spiritual qualities lie dormant; and the man of such neglect will find his place in the spirit world to be one of darkness and suffering.
Life is short and time is fleeting, even though a man may live his allotted time of three score and ten years, and there is no place in all God's universe where it is so important that man should start on his way to eternal progress as in the earth life. There the soul should have its awakening and be fed with thoughts and strivings for the things spiritual. When the start is, thus, made on earth, it is so much easier for the continuous progress of the soul in the spirit world, if not the awakening may be delayed for years, and the progress which follows it may be and generally is very slow.
So I say, let men not devote so much of their time to those things which are of time only, and while they remain in the world of time until the mortal becomes a spirit.
Thoughts are things and when applied to man's spiritual development, they are things of the most vital importance. A little thought may start a soul to a dormant, hardly living state, or cause it to grow and increase into a thing of beauty and harmony with the spiritual possibilities of its possessor. And as it has been said, where your treasures are, there will your heart be also, so also will your thoughts that turn man's soul into darkness or light.
So with all my love, I will say, good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. Luke, of the New Testament.
I desire to write my promised message, and if you feel that you can receive it, I will try to write. Well, I desire to declare certain truths with reference to the necessity for men turning their thoughts to things spiritual and letting the material things of life consume less of their time and thoughts.
In the first place, that which is eternal is of more importance than that which is temporal and has an existence for a short time only, even though these things of time are necessary to sustain and preserve man while living his life on earth.
I would not be understood as implying that these material things are not necessary and important for man to acquire and use to the best possible advantage, for they are a necessity to his earth existence, and it is not only a privilege but a duty for man to make the best use of these material gifts that is possible, and to place himself in that condition which will enable him to enjoy to the utmost these things that have been provided for his material comfort and happiness.
And further, it is his duty to bend his efforts to develop the use and application of these things, so that the greatest possible benefit and utility may be derived from the proper use of them. And to do this, I understand that man has to give a portion of his thoughts, and devote a part of his time to their consideration, and to the means and methods by which the best results may be brought about, and in doing this man is not disobedient to the Father's laws, or to the requirements which the laws of his own being calls for.
The discoveries of the inventors are desirable and men's work in making these discoveries is commendable, and so are efforts of the merchant and mechanic and financiers to succeed in their different undertakings and as a result accumulate money and use it for their comfort and sustenance. But these things, or the thoughts and efforts used to accomplish these results, do not help the soul development, or even the development of the spiritual side of man's nature, and if man devotes himself for the greater number of his hours of living to these pursuits, when he comes to lay these burdens down and pass into the land of spirits, he will find that he is very poor, indeed, and that the eternal part of his being has little developed, and his soul fitted for a place where those who have laid up their riches on earth must necessarily go.
So attractive is this accumulation of money, and the gaining of fame or position to man, that when once engaged in, and especially when accompanied with what he calls success, he naturally devotes his whole waking time and thoughts to these efforts and, as a consequence, very little of this short time on earth is given to thoughts of and striving for things of the higher kind.
If mortals, and especially those who are so arduously and constantly engaged in the effort to win the success that I have just mentioned, could only see and know the condition of those who when on earth were engaged in similar pursuits with like aspirations, and who are now in the spirit world, they would realize the utter futility of such efforts, and the great soul-killing harm that the so-called success on earth has brought to these spirits.
And while we may assume that many of these spirits did not do affirmative wrong or injury in their work and did not enter into the condition to which I refer because of any such among or injury, yet they are in a stagnated and shriveled condition of soul and spiritual qualities, and all because when - in their earnest pursuits of these material things - they neglected the development of their souls or the cultivation of their spiritual qualities.
Their sin was that of omission and it is a sure one in its results, and the more common one among men who think too much of material things, or think not at all or are indifferent to everything, and are satisfied to live in an atmosphere or state of vegetating contentment. The law operates the same upon the man who neglects his spiritual nature because of his absorption in the things material as upon the man who is guilty of such neglect because of indifference, or contentment with the pleasures that these material things give him. In both cases the results are the same - the soul remains stagnant and the spiritual qualities lie dormant; and the man of such neglect will find his place in the spirit world to be one of darkness and suffering.
Life is short and time is fleeting, even though a man may live his allotted time of three score and ten years, and there is no place in all God's universe where it is so important that man should start on his way to eternal progress as in the earth life. There the soul should have its awakening and be fed with thoughts and strivings for the things spiritual. When the start is, thus, made on earth, it is so much easier for the continuous progress of the soul in the spirit world, if not the awakening may be delayed for years, and the progress which follows it may be and generally is very slow.
So I say, let men not devote so much of their time to those things which are of time only, and while they remain in the world of time until the mortal becomes a spirit.
Thoughts are things and when applied to man's spiritual development, they are things of the most vital importance. A little thought may start a soul to a dormant, hardly living state, or cause it to grow and increase into a thing of beauty and harmony with the spiritual possibilities of its possessor. And as it has been said, where your treasures are, there will your heart be also, so also will your thoughts that turn man's soul into darkness or light.
So with all my love, I will say, good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Monday, February 25, 2013
John Padgett Writes About James Padgett's Friend Who is Still Frequenting the Bar Rooms Even Though He is Now a Spirit
November 11, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Your Father.
I have been much interested in your conversation tonight, and I see that your two friends are firm believers in spiritualism and in the communications while you receive from the spirits who profess to write.
Of course, Dr. Stone who is a believer of some years standing has no doubt whatever; but Mr. Morgan, having so recently embraced this belief, is at times a little skeptical, and this is natural; but his belief will grow, and we firmly believe, as do you, in the near future, and he will be a great help to you and to the cause. He is now undergoing that change in his ideas of life here and on earth, that he will soon realize the truths as we shall teach them to you.
I want to say a word in reference to the message, which you received from your friend, Mr. Lipscomb. He is a spirit in a very dark and depraved condition and shows upon his spirit countenance the results of his dissipated life on earth. His soul has very little development, and his mind is in such a condition that he will require much discipline through suffering before he will commence to see the light and comprehend that the truths of God are eternal and never change, and that he must accept these truths before he can progress much.
He was so anxious to write to you and expressed his desires in such a pitiable way, that we thought it would do him good to permit him to write and he did. Mr. Riddle has talked to him and endeavored to show him the way to light and relief, but at this time he is not in condition to receive or understand these truths, and he has gone back to his dark and dreary condition and his hell, as he calls it.
We will not desert him, though, but will continue to use our influence and love to help him, and in course of time, he will realize that he must ask help from the Father, and then he will receive it. He is not of a very reverent turn of mind, and his ideas of earth are with him still, and will remain with him until he becomes persuaded that there is only one thing that will take him out of his darkness and suffering.
There is another thing that I wish to tell you, and that is that he is still visiting the bar rooms, which he so frequently visited when he was on eart, and is drinking his whiskey and other accursed drinks as he thinks. The attraction of this stuff and these places is holding him fast to this manner of living. So you see his life here is not much different from what it was on earth, only he is not able of himself to indulge in these appetites, but must use the appetites and organs of some of his late earth friends to satisfy his appetite. This, of course, is a matter of imagination, but to him it is as real as was his drinking on earth, and for the time being, causes him to believe that he is actually satisfying his cravings. But while he is not doing so, he is working injury to some mortals whom you know in that he is causing them to drink more than they otherwise would.
Oh, the curse of habits and evil appetites once acquired and never gotten rid of. So his only salvation now is for him to have some great awakening as to his true condition, and then his reform may commence, but until then it is almost hopeless to try to help him. I will not write more of him tonight, but say that we will not permit him to write again until he gets into a better condition.
We are all very happy and are with you a great deal loving you and trying to help you. You must not let your worries possess you so much for they do you harm. Yes, I know that it is difficult not to worry under such circumstances, but soon you will not have cause to worry as we have told you. Well, you may lose faith and we can hardly blame you, but the relief will come just the same.
I will not write more tonight.
Your loving Father,
John H. Padgett
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Your Father.
I have been much interested in your conversation tonight, and I see that your two friends are firm believers in spiritualism and in the communications while you receive from the spirits who profess to write.
Of course, Dr. Stone who is a believer of some years standing has no doubt whatever; but Mr. Morgan, having so recently embraced this belief, is at times a little skeptical, and this is natural; but his belief will grow, and we firmly believe, as do you, in the near future, and he will be a great help to you and to the cause. He is now undergoing that change in his ideas of life here and on earth, that he will soon realize the truths as we shall teach them to you.
I want to say a word in reference to the message, which you received from your friend, Mr. Lipscomb. He is a spirit in a very dark and depraved condition and shows upon his spirit countenance the results of his dissipated life on earth. His soul has very little development, and his mind is in such a condition that he will require much discipline through suffering before he will commence to see the light and comprehend that the truths of God are eternal and never change, and that he must accept these truths before he can progress much.
He was so anxious to write to you and expressed his desires in such a pitiable way, that we thought it would do him good to permit him to write and he did. Mr. Riddle has talked to him and endeavored to show him the way to light and relief, but at this time he is not in condition to receive or understand these truths, and he has gone back to his dark and dreary condition and his hell, as he calls it.
We will not desert him, though, but will continue to use our influence and love to help him, and in course of time, he will realize that he must ask help from the Father, and then he will receive it. He is not of a very reverent turn of mind, and his ideas of earth are with him still, and will remain with him until he becomes persuaded that there is only one thing that will take him out of his darkness and suffering.
There is another thing that I wish to tell you, and that is that he is still visiting the bar rooms, which he so frequently visited when he was on eart, and is drinking his whiskey and other accursed drinks as he thinks. The attraction of this stuff and these places is holding him fast to this manner of living. So you see his life here is not much different from what it was on earth, only he is not able of himself to indulge in these appetites, but must use the appetites and organs of some of his late earth friends to satisfy his appetite. This, of course, is a matter of imagination, but to him it is as real as was his drinking on earth, and for the time being, causes him to believe that he is actually satisfying his cravings. But while he is not doing so, he is working injury to some mortals whom you know in that he is causing them to drink more than they otherwise would.
Oh, the curse of habits and evil appetites once acquired and never gotten rid of. So his only salvation now is for him to have some great awakening as to his true condition, and then his reform may commence, but until then it is almost hopeless to try to help him. I will not write more of him tonight, but say that we will not permit him to write again until he gets into a better condition.
We are all very happy and are with you a great deal loving you and trying to help you. You must not let your worries possess you so much for they do you harm. Yes, I know that it is difficult not to worry under such circumstances, but soon you will not have cause to worry as we have told you. Well, you may lose faith and we can hardly blame you, but the relief will come just the same.
I will not write more tonight.
Your loving Father,
John H. Padgett
Saturday, December 22, 2012
John Garner Writes a Short Note to James E. Padgett and Tells Him to Turn His Thoughts and Soul Aspirations to God
September 30, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let the worries go and bury themselves and turn your thoughts and soul aspirations to God, for these are the things eternal and those of the world merely temporary things. I say this because I know that if you will only pray to the Father and trust in the Master, you will realize that what I say is the truth and can be understood and realized by mortals as well as by spirits. So my brother try to look on these worries in that way.
I am with you often trying to help you and have you feel my influence and love. I will not write more.
Garner, the Preacher
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let the worries go and bury themselves and turn your thoughts and soul aspirations to God, for these are the things eternal and those of the world merely temporary things. I say this because I know that if you will only pray to the Father and trust in the Master, you will realize that what I say is the truth and can be understood and realized by mortals as well as by spirits. So my brother try to look on these worries in that way.
I am with you often trying to help you and have you feel my influence and love. I will not write more.
Garner, the Preacher
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Mary Kennedy Writes a Message of Love to Her Soulmate, Dr. Leslie R. Stone
September 7, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Mary Kennedy.
I am so glad for the opportunity to write to my dear soulmate, as it has been a long time since I wrote to him and told him of my love and happiness.
He is more dear to me than ever, and while he cannot hear me tell him so, yet, every day I am with him and try to breathe into his ear the expressions of the great love which I have for him. I wish that he had the power to write as you have, for if he had, I believe that I would monopolize all his time in telling him how much I love him, and how I long for the time to come when I can have him all to myself. He, I know, cannot realize what a love like mine is, but thank God in the not far distant future, I will be able to enfold him in my arms and tell him with all the feelings and warmth of my soul how much I love him and how dear he is to me.
I am with him nearly all the time trying to cheer him and make him feel that he is not alone in his struggles in life, and that my love for him is so great and with and in him all the time. When he prays, I pray with him, and when he is happy I am happy, too. But when he is unhappy, I am not unhappy but sympathize with him and exert myself to make him realize the great love that I have for him and that I am near him. His sorrows are only temporary and my love is eternal - and my love means his happiness as well as mine.
So tell him to believe with all his heart that his Mary is with him and will be with him in all his times of sorrow and joy, and will try to interpenetrate his soul with her own burning and pure love, which is all his and which can never be given to another.
I read his letters, which he writes at night, and for every expression of love which they contain I have a responsive answer, only more intense and more longing. Tell him not to stop writing to me for I can see what he writes and tell him, also, that he must believe that my answers are all that he would have them to be and more, too.
I must not trespass longer on your indulgence but only wish to say that I love my dear Leslie with all my heart and soul, and will so love him until time and eternity shall be no more. Oh, how I wish that I could have him see me face to face, and hear my voice telling him of my great love, and that he is mine and I am his.
So kind friend, I thank you and will give way to your wife to resume.
Mrs. Padgett resumes:
Well, sweetheart, isn't she a dear, loving soulmate?
It does me so much good to hear her tell her love to the Doctor, and see her eyes and whole being aflame with love to him.
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Mary Kennedy.
I am so glad for the opportunity to write to my dear soulmate, as it has been a long time since I wrote to him and told him of my love and happiness.
He is more dear to me than ever, and while he cannot hear me tell him so, yet, every day I am with him and try to breathe into his ear the expressions of the great love which I have for him. I wish that he had the power to write as you have, for if he had, I believe that I would monopolize all his time in telling him how much I love him, and how I long for the time to come when I can have him all to myself. He, I know, cannot realize what a love like mine is, but thank God in the not far distant future, I will be able to enfold him in my arms and tell him with all the feelings and warmth of my soul how much I love him and how dear he is to me.
I am with him nearly all the time trying to cheer him and make him feel that he is not alone in his struggles in life, and that my love for him is so great and with and in him all the time. When he prays, I pray with him, and when he is happy I am happy, too. But when he is unhappy, I am not unhappy but sympathize with him and exert myself to make him realize the great love that I have for him and that I am near him. His sorrows are only temporary and my love is eternal - and my love means his happiness as well as mine.
So tell him to believe with all his heart that his Mary is with him and will be with him in all his times of sorrow and joy, and will try to interpenetrate his soul with her own burning and pure love, which is all his and which can never be given to another.
I read his letters, which he writes at night, and for every expression of love which they contain I have a responsive answer, only more intense and more longing. Tell him not to stop writing to me for I can see what he writes and tell him, also, that he must believe that my answers are all that he would have them to be and more, too.
I must not trespass longer on your indulgence but only wish to say that I love my dear Leslie with all my heart and soul, and will so love him until time and eternity shall be no more. Oh, how I wish that I could have him see me face to face, and hear my voice telling him of my great love, and that he is mine and I am his.
So kind friend, I thank you and will give way to your wife to resume.
Mrs. Padgett resumes:
Well, sweetheart, isn't she a dear, loving soulmate?
It does me so much good to hear her tell her love to the Doctor, and see her eyes and whole being aflame with love to him.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Ann Padgett's First Message to her Son...
She Expresses Her Love For Him and That She Doesn't Believe in Hell and Eternal Damnation
September 15, 1914
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, your Mother.
You are the best son in the world. Yes, and you must love me more than you do. Give me more of your heart and you will feel that I am with you more. Yes, and I am very often with you. No, he is in the lower sphere, but he will soon be with me. He is progressing very fast and is a lovely spirit.
Yes, I do not believe in Hell and eternal punishment. They are the false teachings of the orthodox churches.
Jesus is the same as I believed him to be on earth. Yes, he is my saviour still, but I do not worship him as God. He is not God, but a spirit of the greatest perfection and goodness. He is with me quite often. He talked to you on Saturday night and he will come to you again very soon and explain the true teaching of the Bible. Let him be your friend and adviser.
I have a home and live with a spirit that is the same in progression as myself. We are very happy together and she is the soulmate of your father. No, I am not, but he is waiting to come here and be with the one who is. Yes, but he is not in the same sphere with me. He is in the one with your father and he is progressing, too. No, I did not and only met him when he came to the spirit world. He was living in the City of Chicago and was a very wealthy man, but a very great sinner. He is now in a state of progression and will be with me soon. Yes, but I am not his and he is not mine.
Yes, they are, but he is not with her yet. He is too earthly, but is progressing. Yes I do. She is Helen. She does and you must love her, too.
You must go to bed. Goodnight my son.
Your mother, Ann R. Padgett
September 15, 1914
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, your Mother.
You are the best son in the world. Yes, and you must love me more than you do. Give me more of your heart and you will feel that I am with you more. Yes, and I am very often with you. No, he is in the lower sphere, but he will soon be with me. He is progressing very fast and is a lovely spirit.
Yes, I do not believe in Hell and eternal punishment. They are the false teachings of the orthodox churches.
Jesus is the same as I believed him to be on earth. Yes, he is my saviour still, but I do not worship him as God. He is not God, but a spirit of the greatest perfection and goodness. He is with me quite often. He talked to you on Saturday night and he will come to you again very soon and explain the true teaching of the Bible. Let him be your friend and adviser.
I have a home and live with a spirit that is the same in progression as myself. We are very happy together and she is the soulmate of your father. No, I am not, but he is waiting to come here and be with the one who is. Yes, but he is not in the same sphere with me. He is in the one with your father and he is progressing, too. No, I did not and only met him when he came to the spirit world. He was living in the City of Chicago and was a very wealthy man, but a very great sinner. He is now in a state of progression and will be with me soon. Yes, but I am not his and he is not mine.
Yes, they are, but he is not with her yet. He is too earthly, but is progressing. Yes I do. She is Helen. She does and you must love her, too.
You must go to bed. Goodnight my son.
Your mother, Ann R. Padgett
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