Edna Lister’s Lectures, 1930

Love, the Highway
Edna Lister outline, October 24, 1930, Berkeley, CA, Matthew 7:24-27

  “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”–Matthew 7:24-27.
  You may experience many emotions and situations in life that you call “love,” yet which may have nothing to do with love at all. Love is the rock solid foundation upon which you must build; otherwise, your creations will be washed away in a time of storm or disaster.
  Begin with the first principles of Wisdom and Love. Then apply them in your own life and in dealing with others until you find the point of balance between them to attain perfection through compassion. You will find these results on the path of love, the Way of Christ, the Via Christa.
  To be complete, love must contain six qualities, including purity, humility, compassion, empathy, loyalty and sincerity. You must become these qualities to be love. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”–Matthew 5:8. Where, when and how shall you “see” God? When you are pure in heart, you can go anywhere at anytime. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”–Psalm 66:18. To strive to attain purity of heart, purity of purpose and purity of motive is essential in soul ascension of consciousness.
  “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”–Proverbs 15:33. “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.”–Proverbs 22:4. The rewards of humility are riches, honor and life.
  To walk the Via Christa, you are obligated to practice humbleness in living, doing the good and greater works, while giving all the credit to God. The service is greater than the person. To serve God you must prepare yourself. Your service is a gift you give to God and share with man. The self-centered soul believes that “Everyone has a gift for me,” whereas soul says, “I have a gift for everyone.” Excessive pride of self breeds intolerance and contempt for others.
  Jesus epitomized compassion when he said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”–Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34. Compassion begins as sympathy for one other person, yet finds completion in lifting the world into the Light and holding it there. To dwell in sympathy permits hardness of heart, but to live in compassion means you have overcome mere sympathy.
  “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”–Luke 23:33-34.
  Beyond sympathy lies empathy, which says, “You can do it, no matter how tired or discouraged you feel now. I know you can because I have done so. You are all that you have ever been, plus all this new strength you are gaining.” Credit the other fellow for being in the hardest place of his life so far, yet encourage him to endure till the miracle comes. When you speak from sympathy, your tone of voice is sugary and perhaps insincere. When you speak from empathy, your tone is assuring, bracing and strengthening.
  Loyalty permits no disloyalty. If just one person will stand with God, then the family or social groups of which he is a member will see the quality of his loyalty. He who is truly loyal to God never excuses, justifies or qualifies his statements of truth. You can know the degree of a person’s sincerity by experiencing or witnessing his occasions of insincerity.
  In judging yourself, you must know that you are loving as God loves. The love that you give acts as a magnetic vibration, attracting and returning your own soul substance to you. This is how love fulfills the law through you.
  “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”–1 John 4:20. To love your brother truly, you must keep step with him. Also, you must serve your brother.
  Love is the flame of life within you. Love burns up the dross of self, and unless you lift the heaviness of the self, love may burn out your body. Love draws what you need to you, magnetically because it attracts your own soul substance from the world of invisible substance. Love is also a facet of Power. Another may assault you with Power as force, through hatred, criticism, or condemnation.
  You can convert any force someone sends your way; however, you must be a powerful agent to transmute the negative force into positive love. A blacksmith, for example, works the iron he is forging by heating and hammering it to reduce the amount of carbon in it, which makes it brittle. He hammers it to crack off the dross. You must use the hammer of love against the anvil of soul. Love breaks down all barriers between you and God, or between you and others. Love is passive on the outer plane of consciousness, but intense activity on the inner. How great is your love? Do you love God more today than you did yesterday?

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