Urantia, March 8, 2007.
Teacher: The Beloved.
Subject: “Effort and Struggle.”
Message received by Lytske.
The Beloved: “Today's lesson is about the effort and struggle mortals go through on this first level of eternal life if they choose to live on and attain a measure of faith, which will allow them to do so. First, there needs to be hope and trust that there is more to life than 'meets the eye'. There needs to be awareness that there is something greater than themselves. It is a sense of belief at first which eventually evolves into faith. One can believe with the mind, but faith is an affair with the heart.
Between belief and faith is the inner effort and struggle. Belief is a dogmatic and fundamentalist approach to life, an adherence to certain laws and doctrines passed on for generations. Faith is born in the heart of the individual believer. No one can give faith to another person, because it is completely personal. It cannot be loaned, given away, or lost.
Faith, once awakened needs to grow, it needs to be nurtured with daily thoughts and prayers. It is like flexing a faith muscle for it to grow stronger. All this entails effort and struggle because faith demands honesty with oneself and sincerity in dealing with others. There is never any outside coercion involved. It is the dictates of an awakening and conscientious mind in the mortal, who by faith, is answering the clarion call from the Divine Spark within, to become perfect even as the Father in Heaven is perfect.
Meanwhile that Inner Pilot, given to each thinking mortal capable of moral choice and decision-making, struggles valiantly to have It's still small Voice heard, which can only be realized if the human takes the time to validate this important connection by taking the time to sit in the Silence to commune with this Fragment of God.
Slowly, so very slowly, the mortal is made into the image of God, which reflects in the outer life through the yielding of the spirit fruits in loving service, tolerance, forgiveness, and acceptance of all others as brothers and sisters on the same path to attain the eternal Creator on Paradise.”
© The 11:11 Progress Group.
I Am the Satisfaction of Your Soul — The Beloved One.