in the pursuit of patience.
Love provides a stronghold
fueling the heart and soul
whilst the mind focuses
on strengthening the will
to perservere
and the faith
to be wholly and patient.
When God wills
there is a way
in the direction
of His way
set gaze
turn to him
with praise
be poised
head raised.
From the Bahá’í Holy Writings:
He, verily, shall increase the reward of them that endure with patience. The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and manifest, and have been mentioned and described in all the heavenly Books. Among them are trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while communing with God, forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty hath decreed, contentment with the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay, thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all circumstances, upon Him. These rank, according to the estimate of God, among the highest and most laudable of all acts. All other acts are, and will ever remain, secondary and subordinate unto them....
-- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
Be Patient, for the Lord is patient.
It behoveth whosoever hath set his face towards the most Sublime Horizon to Cleave Tenaciously unto the cord of patience, and to put his reliance in God, the Help in peril, the Unconstrained.
--Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
O SON OF MAN! For everything there is a sign. The sign of love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.From the Muslim Holy Writings:
--The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah
O believers, be patient, and vie you in patience…haply so will prosper.
--Qur’an, III,200,P.99
Be patient; surely God’s promise is true.
--Qur’an 40.55
You who believe, seek help through patience and prayer; God stands alongside the patient!From the Hindu Holy Writings:
--Qur’an 2.153-57
Though he be ever so tired by repeated failure, let him begin his operations again and again; for fortune greatly favors the man who perseveres in his undertakings.From the Buddhist Holy Writings:
--Laws of Manu 9.300
Heedful among the heedless, wide awake amongst the slumbering, the wise man advances as does a swift horse, leaving a weak jade behind.From the Jewish Holy Writings:
Forbearing patience is the highest devotion…
--Dhammapada 29, XIV, V.184,P.53
Scripture credits with performance not him who begins a task, but him who completes it.From the Christian Holy Writings:
--Talmud, Sota 13b
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.
--1 Corinthians 9.24-25
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. 2 John 1:9-11
ReplyDeleteAlthough I find it difficult to find the connection between this comment and the original blog post, thanks much for sharing this -- I can appreciate this passage from the Bible in its entirety:
ReplyDelete<< 2 John 1 >>
King James Version
1The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; 2For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. 3Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. 5And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
12Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
13The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.
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As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:—
It is not necessary to lower Abraham to raise Jesus. It is not necessary to lower Jesus to proclaim Bahá’u’lláh. We must welcome the Truth of God wherever we behold it. The essence of the question is that all these great Messengers came to raise the Divine Standard of Perfections. All of them shine as orbs in the same heaven of the Divine Will. All of them give Light to the world.
“All sorrow will then be turned into joy, and all disease into health,” and the kingdoms of this world shall become “the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. xi, 15). Not only those on earth, but all in the heavens and on the earth, shall become one in God and rejoice eternally in Him.
(Baha'u'llah and the New Era, J.E. Esslemont, p.286)
From my understanding the Baha'i Faith also denies the sole sufficiency of Christ and of Scripture. Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah were all manifestations of God and the latest of these would have the highest authority since he'd have the most complete revelation of God according to the idea of progressive revelation.The Baha'i are concerned for showing that all the world's major religions are ultimately reconcilable. The world's religions are too varied and too fundamentally different to be reconciled. So your above quote is difficult to reconcile with. The qoute "We must welcome the Truth of God wherever we behold it." is difficult to understand as the world religions obviously teach and practice contrary things.
ReplyDelete