You are being called up higher. You are asked to do that which is required of all but given by the minority; to leave the thoughts that are not entirely of God and see that hidden away in no corner of the heart and mind is anything but love and peace and harmony. You are called up higher, and in future you must understand that this is the point to which you must attain. You have left the lowlands and do not intend to return to them however the wind may blow, however the storm may try to beat you back. The shelter of the valley is for the weak and feeble; the wide open range of the moor and down is for you.
You should realise where you stand. Over and over again you have been called to prepare; have been warned to be on your guard against the enemy. Because once you are in the highlands weakness is at the mercy of the elements; there it is shown, and if the faith and the determination are not firm then sorrow is your portion and will be your portion until you are right again with God.
You cannot understand the importance of these words, and yet in this sense you do understand. You realise your responsibility, you realise that it is a big piece of work, and the fear comes that you may not be found stable and that you may fail to do that which is your part.
If you were certain of success, if you would say to yourself that you shall not fail, then know that God has mercy on those who fail to know themselves. You would need His mercy in a degree almost unthinkable to save you from yourself. There are those who have not grasped yet the bigness and the sacredness of this work; they are in it because they love God better than they know, but they cannot grasp what that Love is laying out before them.
Do not be disheartened, do not let not your spirits fail. That which lies in front is so marvellous in its construction, so comprehensive in its design. Such happiness is before you that words fail to describe. So do not be fearsome of heart but be earnest in endeavour. Do not be frightened of tomorrow, but watchful over self. Do not shrink from tests but commend yourself to God. Have faith, fear nothing, hope all things, and that shall be granted to you which shall open the eyes of the world!
Little by little you build, but you build truly. Slow though the process may seem to you, yet like a building that is erected inside barriers and hoardings, soon these are to be pulled down and the lightness inside shown to your view. What represented ugliness and disfigurement shall reveal that which is of beauty itself, and where mankind passed by all unknowing of what was going on, then shall they stand amazed at the transformation that has taken place.
Trim your lamps again; see that the oil of your endeavour is plentiful; spare no effort to make good that which is unbending, and prepare to meet that which awaits the faithful.
It seems to you to be just parable and symbol, but as you go along that which seemed to be only imagery shall be shown to be reality, and that which appeared covered shall be made transparent. It is written in the Great Book; in the sacred pages all that you are taught is made clear. Search your Scriptures with a mind that seeks to unravel and you shall find it all; you shall find that which was prophesied in the days of old coming to pass. But first the rough places have to be made smooth, the winding paths straightened, the forest cut down so that the sun may nourish the damp earth and flowers may spring up and cover that which was barren! This is the Word as spoken by God of old; this is the Truth as revealed by Divinity, in the Saviour Christ, and this is the Promise which came with the bestowal of the Holy Spirit.
Prepare the way of the Lord; set the house of your mind in order, purify your body and see that the door of your compassion is open to all. In this gift no one is outside. You who wish to love God and serve the Saviour cannot do it unless you make yourself one with all. Those that seek to save their souls irrespective of their weaker companions, tossed and torn by the storms of earth, are not demonstrating the Word. The Christ directs that you shall go out and bring in the outcast, shall help those who are spiritually starved, and by service to others bring redemption to yourself.
That is the way of salvation. Get down amongst the people in thought, if in actual fact it is not possible in person. Get down among humanity, and by your example demonstrate the healing power of the Spirit. Call to this one to rise; draw that one to you with the strands of sympathy, and put your hand on the other and bring them in. This can be done by thought and prayer, and if these are in your heart and mind then God provides the opportunity. It is so straightforward, so direct and yet so comprehensive in its radius, so illimitable in its prospect, so Divine in its conception; this gathering in mentally and spiritually of those that mourn, of those that do not understand, and of those who have failed to find God as the Protector of all.
It is so gloriously constructive, so joyous in its working out, so beautiful in its texture that you, even as you are, blinded by physical sight and suppressed by physical thinking; shall be able to see the gold and the glory of the power. It is enough to wish to be as God would have you be; to wish sincerely to rise to that greater, bigger you entombed within, for you to gain your freedom in a way previously undreamt of. And so your one thought only is that of going forward. Not in your own strength, but in the strength of the Master. Not in your own courage, but in the courage lent to you by Him who has forever killed fear for those who seek to serve Him. That is tomorrow, and soon tomorrow shall become today, and then the tomorrow beyond will see the field of wheat in its fullness, and the labourers standing ready to gather in that which was sown by a few. Again you shall have demonstrated the parable of the loaves and fishes. The grain shall be marvellous to behold, and at every point the workers will be found to gather it in. Is it not worth the climb? Is it not worth the pain and the weariness and the depression? Is it not gain on either side and from every point of view there could be? So stand on high ground and look down on sadness and sorrow and failure. By God's help you are free!
Come up higher. It is not sufficient to gain the first summit; that only leads on to the higher, the steeper, and the bigger in achievement. But each small hill wrestled and fought over shall bring fresh power, new strength and greater impetus. If the next one seems inaccessible, then you shall, through God's grace, look down on that which seemed inaccessible and go on once more triumphant, unconquered and undefiled.
The only thing that is inaccessible with the things of the spirit is to take in and to grasp the wonderful enveloping Love of God! That you cannot do. As you advance so the vision comes, and as you grow so are you able to gather in more of that wonder. But it brings it no nearer in the way of understanding, it sends it farther off. Because of each step it widens, broadens, and lengthens; and that is God!
You have responded in a way that is most pleasing to God. You have tried to do as directed, and that is all that is ever expected during the earthly stages of evolution.
On looking back, still so bound by the physical way of thinking, you find a note of seriousness brings out a real sense of anxiety in you. But that is not the intention in any sense whatsoever. In thinking over the sacred words and in reading them you will gain another impression; the right one, and that is the stupendous wonder of it all. Those who have tried hardest to love God best will be the most grateful for the way in which He has signalled His intentions regarding the course they are to run.
The strength will come, fear not. The vision will come as well, and that will make all the difference, because when your eyes are on the golden horizon its beauty is so magnetic that you will be almost unconscious of the stones at your feet. It will be just eagerness to get on! The impetus will be there and, as in times of great joy, physical discomfort is ignored or even unfelt. So shall it be with you, because of the Holy Spirit within you, around you and above you. In order to reach the highest the path in front cannot be made free from obstacles. That is the downhill road not the uphill climb; but you know full well that in going the easy way sooner or later the hidden trap is found and then the trouble is terrible indeed.
With the upward road it is like this. But joy and unity and peace so permeate the being that the stones of the wayside are unnoticed. Even now you can experience this at times. You know that in spite of trial, strain, and humiliation the spirit is able to soar above them all. The bird of happiness sings in your mind and takes you even as the course of the lark, lost in the great infinity of God's Love. Yet the circumstances are the same.
God's plans for your future are not on sad lines at all. The obstacles and barriers erected in your path in regard to the spreading of this Truth will be ignored or stepped over, and the time will come when you will look back and marvel at the course pursued so successfully. Joy will be so definitely in your heart that you will find then that you will climb unconsciously, and that the boulders that sought to trip you were used as stepping stones to help you more quickly on your way.
Build up joy in your heart, confidence in the love of God and His purpose, and the will and the determination to fight the good fight with all your might.
To the brave, the honour comes. To the faithful, joy and gladness. To the pure of heart, togetherness with the Spirit, and to the chosen the revelation of the love of God in the measure that they can take it in.
In His Hands you are blessed and comforted, cleansed and healed. In the Hands of the Saviour you are safe. Safe from the world and more important still, safe from the domination of self, which the evil uses not only to strike you but to plunge as a knife into the Heart of the Crucified; He who was slain so that you might live, He who is the shepherd of all.
