“The only way, however, that we can know God is through the Holy Spirit, which comes to us through the manifestations. That is, the prophets of God. They give you this spiritual education in order for you to evolve towards God.
But in order to evolve towards God, you first have to love God, turn towards Him, and supplicate to Him in order that you may receive these spiritual qualities.
We can receive a branch of the Holy Spirit through the manifestation of our day. Manifestations are like a pure and polished mirror that reflects the light of God to us.”
From the Why Life fireside class of Dr. Jensen.
History of the command
Way back in Deuteronomy 6:5 Moses commands us,
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
He doesn’t give a reason why. Later, we are again told the same thing:
“Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:28-30)
It isn’t until the coming of the Baha’i Revelation that we are given a glimpse as to why we are to love God:
“Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.” Bahá’u’lláh, The Arabic Hidden Words 5
Following the Command
Now it is revealed that God’s love can’t even reach us if we don’t have a channel open to it which is apparently opened by us loving God.
How does one do this? I actually find it a little mysterious. Let’s look at synonyms for the word love to get some clues.
Appreciation/gratitude: I can that when I asked God to appear in my life, He did. I am grateful for the things that came into my life after serious prayer. I appreciate the teachings that come to mankind that show us the path to a higher form of civilization.
Devotion: Adherence to the ultimate life hacks (commands, dos and don’ts, etc.) which come from the manifestations of God.
Respect: I respect those who sacrificed according to their love for God.
Yearning: I had the strangest dream where I was striving upwards towards the light with the Greatest Name then taking that energy back down with me into my world.
So, I guess it’s like opening a curtain in our home if we want the sunlight to come in as if to say,
“God, I am inviting You into my life, and I appreciate all you have done for me.”
Shoghi Effendi…
…adds dimension to this idea:
“Without the spirit of real love for
Bahá’u’lláh, for
His Faith and its
Institutions, and the
believers for
each other,
the Cause can never really bring in large numbers of people.
For it is not preaching and rules the world wants, but
love and action.”
Shoghi Effendi, Issues Related to Study Compilation
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