MATTHEW 13
VALUES
KEY POINTS
Align one's values with the teachings of Jesus and the Way of God, and the growth that comes from such alignment.
Understand and apply the teachings of Jesus' parables and move beyond superficial interpretations to true spiritual insight.
Truth and Wisdom are essential tools for combating societal psychosis and mediocrity, and for achieving personal and spiritual growth.
One’s attitude and energy reflect their approach to life.
Every family possesses its unique diamond in the rough. As we dive into the sixth chapter of our journey, our attention remains riveted on this multifaceted character. This diamond in the rough teeters on the precipice of an existential crisis, standing at a crossroads where every moment morphs into a decisive turning point.
At the heart of this soul, dreams shimmer. Unlike most, their dreams exert a magnetic pull, their aspirations tethering them to a distinct, forward momentum. This person deliberately withdraws from the din of the crowd, opting instead for the solitude necessary to shape their dreams. However, these dreams are yet unfulfilled, their rewards still tantalizingly out of reach. The clamor of their environment relentlessly baits them, tempting them to relinquish their ambitions. The only shield against this temptation is a glimmer of hope. A hope that the actualization of their vision will transfigure their existence. Yet the divine whispers guiding this diamond are easily drowned out by the world's relentless noise.
When perched precariously on this knife's edge, when the cacophony of existence threatens to unhinge you, there remains a single path to tranquility. You either embrace the divine or surrender to the world's distractions, which offer a counterfeit sense of solace, requiring ceaseless indulgence to remain oblivious to the underlying noise.
Throughout the last five chapters, we've been navigating the stormy seas of the code, combatting the chaos that envelops your world. The constraints of your initial environment might have stunted your growth. However, due to your anchoring bias, you remained blindly loyal to your roots, oblivious to their pitfalls, and the ineffective solutions and detrimental habits they engendered.
Matthew 13 encapsulates the essence of this struggle, fusing together parables and narratives about Jesus's rejection in his hometown. The crux of this chapter, and indeed the previous five, is the duality of Values and Growth.
Let's begin by examining Jesus's rejection...
"No prophet is revered as a prophet among those who know him best, for the shadow of his life eclipses the brightness of his radiant Light. Even his disciples will not know his true nature until he has passed beyond their reach." - Jesus
To extricate oneself from the stifling confines others impose, two actions are essential. First, evaluate those who attempt to confine you. Then, liberate yourself from the influence they exerted over you. We delved into this when we discussed Fasting in Matthew 9.
We need to evaluate these individuals, not to vilify them for our ease of judgment, but to establish a necessary distance. This separation enables us to discern their flaws, rectify them within ourselves, and evolve into the beings God intended us to become, thereby equipping us to assist them in navigating their emotional turmoil.
Your brain has been an insatiable sponge since birth, eager to emulate and replicate. Regrettably, your brain failed to discern the flawed mental states of those you learned from, most of whom suffer from Learned Helplessness and Insanity. Consequently, your psyche was fashioned in their flawed image. We've spent the last five chapters dissecting your initial environment. If you've reached this point, you're undoubtedly astute, introspective, and have a firm grasp of reality.
However, it is imperative we focus on this chapter because it sheds light on the challenges the renewed version of you will encounter as you venture forth into the world, mastering the Way of God and using it to shape reality.
Every parable Jesus narrated is a mirror reflecting your essence. Your spoken identity and your hidden self engage in a dialogue through these parables. And your inner self knows the truth, it perceives the discrepancies between your words and actions,
And as you grow, you will become increasingly aware of these inconsistencies, a state which will prompt you to refine your understanding and actions to align with your true self, as mirrored by these parables. The rejection of Jesus in his hometown serves as a stark reminder of the societal pushback you will face when your growth surpasses the confines of societal norms and expectations.
The parable of the sower, a farmer scattering seeds on various types of soil, emphasizes the influence of your internal state on your ability to harness divine knowledge. This parable instructs us to prepare our minds to absorb and flourish from God's teachings, similar to fertile soil nourishing a seed. This nurturing capacity develops when you discern and discard unproductive beliefs, creating an environment conducive to nurturing God's word, thereby enabling it to grow and bear fruit.
The parables of the mustard seed and yeast emphasize the exponential impact of seemingly insignificant actions or words when touched by God's hand. Like a mustard seed growing into a large tree or a little yeast leavening a large batch of dough, God's kingdom can expand from a small act of faith or a whisper of wisdom. The journey to master the Way of God begins with a small step of faith and progressively evolves into an influential force capable of transforming reality.
The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl merchant signify the supreme worth of God's kingdom. The journey to unearth this divine treasure may demand sacrifice and self-denial, mirroring the man selling all his possessions to buy a field harboring a treasure or a merchant selling all his goods to procure a pearl of great value. To embrace God's kingdom, you might need to forsake familiar comfort zones and security blankets. The process may seem daunting, but the subsequent freedom and fulfillment far outweigh any initial discomfort or sacrifice.
In summary, the sixth chapter emphasizes the immense significance and transformative potential of God's kingdom. It highlights the necessary shift from external validation to internal fulfillment, encouraging a purposeful life aligned with God's way. Additionally, it prepares you for the resistance you might face from society while affirming the rewards of this spiritual journey, emphasizing that the path of personal growth and divine understanding is not just a choice, but a calling, an inherent part of your existence. Through these narratives and parables, you learn that mastering the Way of God is an ever-evolving process, a journey requiring continuous learning, adaptation, and growth. By following this divine path, you will manifest your divine nature, enabling you to shape your reality and live a meaningful, fulfilling life.
The world you inhabit is inhabited by the passive and the victimized, whose traits have indelibly imprinted on you. Inherited are their weak communication skills, their lack of initiative and perseverance, their absence of accountability, their frail will, and their self-negating tendencies. The crucial question you must confront is this: are you prepared to renounce these victim values and welcome a fresh set of principles?
The ancient prophet Isaiah declared, "When they hear what I say, they will not understand. When they see what I do, they will not comprehend." - Isaiah 6:9. This perplexity arises from your deep-seated conditioning. If what you heard or saw was familiar or agreeable, it wouldn't enlighten or educate you. It would be information without impact, teaching without transformation. In the beginning, it should sound alien to you, it should elicit disagreement. It challenges your conditioning and defies what you believe you know.
Your habits of escapism - whether it be through smoking, drinking, or sexual pursuits - and your short fuse, make the path to understanding an uphill battle. Any new knowledge or skill acquisition will initially feel foreign because it is a step into the unknown. Isn't it often said, "People fear what they don't understand"? And while caution is warranted, outright rejection is a barrier to growth, a retreat into stagnancy, or worse, a regression into darkness. The original design for humanity was not meant to be static.
Sticking to one's programming, clinging to familiar thoughts, is the easy path. Demigods, on the other hand, do not shy away from new or diverse information. They don't let their minds dismiss what they cannot grasp. They don't surrender in the face of misunderstanding. And they certainly don't forsake wisdom for the comfort of ignorance. Instead, they ruminate on knowledge and wisdom, determining its applicability and potential outcome. This is because Demigods recognize that understanding wields power. Yes, new information can baffle the mind, but avoidance, ignorance, or abandonment should not be your first response to unfamiliar or corrective information. Neither should acceptance, belief, and application of every concept encountered.
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant once noted that sporadic great performances can be achieved through sheer play. However, when you play with structure, with discipline and understanding of the rules, you ascend to a higher level - Mastery. Demigods comprehend that wisdom triumphs over the defective conditioning of the Satan Mind. Through diligent practice and practical application, they ensure that wisdom is not just a philosophy but a practice. They are willing to invest time and effort until they have mastered its implementation. This is the nature of Godhood, an eternal commitment to striving for excellence. Demigods accept this responsibility wholeheartedly.
They embody God's wisdom and it reflects in their work. They don't succumb to or compromise their power with the immature burdens and weaknesses of their initial environment or society. Despite unfavorable conditions or circumstances, they persevere, pivoting and diligently rectifying the situation, piece by piece. They generate value manifold of what they input, adhering to a Code that has repeatedly proven its worth and power, asserting that this Code is the quintessential way of life.
As martial arts maestro Bruce Lee succinctly put it, "Knowing is not enough, we must do. Willing is not enough, we must apply."
This transformative journey is not for everyone. It isn't for those entrapped in the vicious cycle of smoking, drinking, and fighting. It isn't for those consumed by materialistic pursuits. It isn't for the apathetic, the nihilistic, the idle living dead. It is meant for the genuine, the life-valuing doers, the servants of life, the workers. It is for those who aspire to be potent, effective, proficient in their own right, for those who strive for mastery.
A Demigod is an embodiment of resilience, an epitome of courage who goes for gold, even when facing insurmountable odds. They do not fear the mountain, for they know how to strategize the climb. ("Work ethic eliminates fear" - Michael Jordan). In a world increasingly corrupted by chaos and mediocrity, wisdom and expertise serve as both shield and sword.
Your conditioning cannot be transformed by a mere hour of training if you then revert to your regular patterns for the remaining day. The immature behaviors you entertain will strangle any progress you could've made.
If your aspiration is to evolve into the powerful being that God initially envisioned, you must define your core values. Will you choose to value what your conditioning dictated, or will you choose to value what is real and substantial?
The harsh reality is that you are surrounded by individuals who have surrendered to their basic instincts. They have succumbed to the mediocre conditioning of their initial environment and are comfortably living it out on autopilot.
Living amidst these individuals serves a dual purpose - it is both a lesson and a test.
Observing their lives, which never learn the vital lesson that you don't build atop mediocrity, provides a valuable insight for you. Building a life on a foundation of mediocrity ensures that the life thus built will also be mediocre. The decay of the foundation signals the collapse of the entire structure. When you build on mediocrity, its insidious influence seeps into every aspect of your creation. This is why it is essential to redefine your understanding of God, Christ, and Satan. How can you perceive the truth if your viewpoint is rooted in mediocrity?
The test lies in whether you can exist amongst them without succumbing to their influence. The next evolutionary stage of humanity will be immune to the mediocrity, the reckless chaos of those who failed to rise to the occasion.
Ask yourself, do you want your life to be considered a worthy blueprint for the next evolutionary stage of humanity, or do you wish to be consigned to oblivion, obscurity, and subsequently, nonexistence?
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:30
When we understand this message deeply, we grasp a profound truth - the path towards Godhood, towards your best self, isn't a path laden with unbearable burdens. On the contrary, it's a path of enlightenment and power, significantly lighter than the burdens this world wishes to impose upon us. God's path is comparable to the size of a mustard seed, a particle so small yet endowed with the potential to grow into a mighty tree.
God's way equips us to handle the most strenuous demands, to bring order to chaos, and to create and sustain abundance. It endows even the smallest of us with immense power. In a world absorbed in the pursuit of materialistic pleasures like money, indulgences, and vanity, why would you forsake the way of God?
In the words of Miyamoto Musashi, "If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." True recognition comes from mastery. A Master understands the power of Engaged Wisdom - the practical application of wisdom to influence actions and thereby, reality. Engaged Wisdom brings about desired outcomes and shapes reality to match our aspirations. It extends to every sphere of our lives, from our personal pursuits and relationships to our professional growth and financial management.
Ancient wisdom from Laozi echoes, “The master accomplishes more and more by doing less and less until finally he accomplishes everything by doing nothing.” This suggests that mastery lies in efficiency and proficiency - a state where things seem to magically fall into place. This is the reward for deliberate practice and diligence. Lesser minds may witness the skill and results but fail to comprehend the work and time invested to reach that level. Consequently, the easy life they desire remains elusive.
The path of God can lead you to such Mastery, where your efficiency, competence, and proficiency permeate every aspect of your life. It grants you leverage over your reality; knowing the way, you comprehend its workings and how to wield it effectively. This power is the dream of every soul, yet only a few have the conditioning to potentially reach it.
The Demigod Code conditions you to be within this elite group. Reaching the level of Mastery, however, depends on you making the existential decision to embrace it. You are the sole authority over your nature.
Life is poised to either use your life as a testament to the potential of human creation or to discard it as an example of wasted potential. If you choose mediocrity, life itself will erase your existence, leading you to true oblivion. The question remains: will your life serve as a blueprint for the next evolutionary stage of humanity, or will it be cast aside, forgotten, and ultimately rendered non-existent?
Life has deemed you worthy enough to exist, to prove yourself a successful equation. The options are clear - strive for better, adapt, evolve, accept mastery, or allow yourself to be a mere shadow of your potential, tethered to the mediocre conditioning from your initial environment.
Life isn't demanding sainthood from you. It isn't asking you to lead a mundane existence. Instead, it's asking you to lead an active, engaged life, not succumbing to delusion, mediocrity, or insanity. It's encouraging you to escape the autopilot mode and steer your life consciously. This quest is attainable. It only takes the embrace of Value.
Value is a driving force in our lives. Lesser individuals might value superficialities like money and physical pleasures, but to evolve into a Demigod, your values must center around Progression, Practice, and Wisdom.
Jesus said, "When once you have drunk from the spring of knowledge, you will return again and again, for each time your thirst is satisfied, a new thirst will grow, greater than the first." The more you immerse yourself in knowledge and wisdom, the deeper your desire grows to drink from its well. But in this intense desire lies the profound meaning of Life.
It's through the Way of God, the Demigod Code, that I've made significant strides. It's this way that will propel me even further. It has made me powerful, helping me achieve what my mind, body, and soul yearn for. As I employ it to shape reality and attain desired outcomes, I can't help but wonder, "What else will it allow me to do?" It truly exemplifies the sentiment, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
The energy you exude mirrors your attitude towards life. Today, people often confuse the reckless, irresponsible, and spiritually immature individuals as fun, positive, and happy. Those who strive for results, take accountability, and are willing to confront reality are perceived as mean, unwelcoming, and negative. The Demigod State demands tenacity, determination, and willfulness.
Remember this: only better men, those who strive for more despite their circumstances, will serve as the blueprint for evolution's next stage. Life has deemed you good enough to exist. Live up to that belief. Either strive to be/do better, adapt/evolve, and accept mastery, or show life that you can’t outgrow the mediocre conditioning of your initial environment and accept your fate of non-existence. The choice is yours.
“Knowing is not enough, we must do. Willing is not enough, we must apply.”
“If you just go out and perform and play, yeah you’ll be great every now and then; but if you play with structure, if you understand the rules that come along with that, the discipline that comes along with that, then you reach another level.”
“Work ethic eliminates fear.”
“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything.”
“The master accomplishes more and more by doing less and less until finally he accomplishes everything by doing nothing.”
“A Man’s Character is his Fate.”
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
“When once you have drunk from the spring of knowledge, you will return again and again, for each time your thirst is satisfied, a new thirst will grow, greater than the first. The more you drink, the greater will be your desire to drink, but in the intensity of your desire, you will be filled. I tell you the truth when I say that whoever seeks will find, and the finding will cause him to seek, but in the seeking is hidden the meaning of Life.”