TCR 735 - Happiness & Service; TCR 736 - A Love of Service

TCR 735 [5]

It is the happiness in joys 
that makes them joys, 
enriches them, 
and keeps them from becoming 
worthless and boring. 
Everyone gets this happiness 
by being of service in his occupation.

TCR 736 [3]

Since the Lord does good or performs services 
indirectly through angels, 
and in the world through people, 
He gives those who faithfully perform services 
a love of service and its reward, 
which is inward blessedness, 
and this is everlasting happiness.

 

TCR 734 - What Is Heavenly Joy?

TCR 734 [3]

'It is the pleasure of doing something 
which is of service to oneself or others. 
This pleasure derives its essence from love, 
and its coming-into-being from wisdom. 
The pleasure of service 
arising from love by means of wisdom 
is the soul and life of all heavenly joys. 
There are in the heavens 
most entertaining meetings, 
which cheer the angels' minds, 
delight their spirits, 
gladden their hearts 
and refresh their bodies. 
But these take place after 
they have performed services 
in their occupations and tasks. 
This is what gives the soul and life 
to all their pleasures and amusements. 
But if you deprive them of that soul or life, 
the subsidiary joys 
one after another cease to be joys, 
first becoming matters of indifference, 
and then worthless, 
and finally the source of sadness and worry.'

 

TCR 726, 727 - Real Love and Real Faith

TCR 726 [2]

Real love towards the neighbor 
and real faith come only from the Lord; 
and both are conferred upon a person 
when he of his own free will does good 
on the natural level to the neighbor, 
and believes truths with his reason, 
and looks to the Lord, 
doing all these three things 
because of the commandments in the Word. 
Then the Lord plants charity and faith in his midst, 
and makes both of these spiritual. 
So the Lord conjoins a person to Himself, 
and the person conjoins himself to the Lord; 
for conjunction is impossible if it is not reciprocal.

TCR 727 [3]

. . . conjoining with the Lord, 
who is the Father of all the faithful and blessed. 
Conjoining with Him takes place 
by means of love and faith, 
which together are called one flesh. 
This is why He said 
that 'if someone eats My flesh and drinks My blood, 
he remains in Me and I in him'
(John 6:56).
Anyone can see 
that it is not bread and wine that do this,
but the good of love, 
which is meant by bread, 
and the truth of faith, 
which is meant by wine. 
These are peculiar to the Lord, 
proceed from and are conferred by Him alone. 
Every link is forged by love, 
and love is not love if there is no trust.

 

TCR 722 - The Three Universal of the Church and Salvation

TCR 722 [1-2, 4]

God, charity and faith 
are the three universals of the church, 
because they are the universal means to salvation. 
This is known, acknowledged and grasped 
by any Christian who studies the Word. 
Reason itself, at least if it contains any spirituality, 
insists that God must be acknowledged, 
if a person is to have any religion 
and any part of the church in him. 
If therefore anyone approaches the Holy Supper 
without acknowledging God, 
he profanes it.

After the acknowledgment of God 
the second means which makes one 
worthy to approach is charity. 
This fact is established both from the Word 
and from the exhortations read 
before people approach 
throughout the Christian world. 
We learn from the Word 
that the leading injunction and commandment 
is to love God before all else 
and one's neighbor as oneself.
(Matthew 22:35-40; Luke 10:25-28)

The third means 
to the worthy enjoyment of the Holy Supper 
is faith in the Lord. 
This is because charity and faith make one, 
as heat and light do in springtime, 
so that their combination 
makes every tree to be reborn. 
Likewise it is spiritual heat, which is charity, 
and spiritual light, which is the truth of faith, 
which make everyone alive. 

TCR 721 - Two Universal Gates: Learning and Living

TCR 721

The chapter on baptism showed 
that it was an introduction to the church; 
and what has been said so far, if grasped, 
proves that the Holy Supper 
is an introduction to heaven. 
The two sacraments, baptism and the Holy Supper, 
are as it were two gates leading to everlasting life. 
Every Christian is by baptism, the first gate, 
admitted and introduced to the church's teachings 
drawn from the Word about the other life. 
All of these are the means by which 
a person is prepared and can be guided to heaven. 
The second gate is the Holy Supper. 
By it everyone, who has allowed himself 
to be prepared and guided by the Lord, 
is admitted and introduced into heaven. 
There are no other universal gates.

 

TCR 718 - Receiving From the Lord

TCR 718

Every sane person has the capability 
of receiving wisdom from the Lord, 
that is, of increasing for ever the number of truths 
of which wisdom is composed. 
He has also the capability of receiving love, 
that is, of making the various kinds of good, 
of which love is composed, bear fruit, 
likewise for ever. 
This perpetual fruiting of good and so of love, 
and this perpetual increase of truth 
and so of wisdom 
is granted to the angels, 
and also to people who become angels. 

 

** Hannah's Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving**

Then Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn* is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
    for I delight in your deliverance.

“There is no one holy like the Lord;
    there is no one besides You;
    there is no Rock like our God.

“Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
    and by Him deeds are weighed.

“The bows of the warriors are broken,
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

“The Lord brings death and makes alive;
    He brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
    He humbles and He exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them He has set the world.
He will guard the feet of His faithful servants,
    but the wicked will be silenced 
in the place of darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;
   those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
   the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to His king
    and exalt the horn* of his anointed.”
(I Samuel 2:1-10)
__________
* horn means power