A SPIRITUAL CORNUCOPIA

"And the fruits of the divine spirit which are yielded in the lives of spirit-born and God-knowing mortals are: loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace.” [UB 193:2:2]

Thought Adjuster: “The process of spiritual rebirth has been greatly misunderstood. Salvation is offered to all. However, it cannot happen from a passive standpoint. What do I mean by that?

“Many believe that they are ‘justified’ by their belief system and that, by believing in the resurrection of Christ, they are getting a free ‘pass’ to higher realms of consciousness. In His many appearances after His death, Jesus reiterated the true message of salvation. You are justified by your selfless actions aligned with the Divine Will—not by mere intellectual acquiescence.

“You live in material reality. The salvation proposed by Jesus is foremost a secession from YOUR fallen nature. A genuine conversion experience—or spiritual rebirth—radically changes the way you structure your life.

“As Jesus so colorfully described in His 18th post mortem appearance, the fruits of Spirit do not merely consist of going through the generic moves of dutiful service, devotion, loyalty, and more. They are of a much juicier strain, qualified as “loving, unselfish, courageous, sincere, enlightened, undying, confiding, merciful, unfailing, forgiving and enduring.” The fruits yielded by any tree are the living proof that their carrier reached its full maturity, thus becoming fecund.

“When you are born of the Spirit, you ACT from a higher state of consciousness—as Jesus did. You are altruistic in the way you lead your life. How else could you embrace the brotherhood of man if you do not act brotherly or sisterly? How else could you grow to full spiritual maturity, if you do not develop your character strengths in the same manner as Jesus developed His?

“The good news is that you actively contribute to your ‘salvation’ by walking the walk of a man or woman liberated from the tunnel vision of selfishness. It is not enough to serve others if you do it out of a sense of duty. Godlike service is loving. It is not enough to be devoted if you do it in a small-minded way. True devotion is unselfish—never self-centered.

“Jesus demonstrated the do-ability of yielding the cornucopia of the many fruits of Spirit. By studying His life and teachings, you will be guided in Truth by the One who embodies all these appealing traits of character. His stalwart character is still connected to your life. He forever is Love-in-Action, and it is the reason why you can trust in His selfless leadings.”