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How blest are those who know their need of God; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Christ (Matt. 5:3) (1:8) Make My love thy treasure and cherish it even as thy very sight and life. (hwdP (1:9) 2) When God enters our lives, we become far more precious. Without light, a diamond is as inviting as a piece of coal. But the light brings out the diamond's brilliance and makes it special. Love of God is the light that makes us shine with hope and happiness, that brings out the best in us. (1:10) Thank God, there is God. What if we didn't have Him? Remember the small child's prayer? 'O God, bless me, bless my mom, dad, and sister. But make sure you take care of yourself. If something happens to you, we're all in trouble!' In Him all things find their highest consummation, both in this world and in the world to come.5 The Bab (1:11) Baha'u'llah refers to God as 'the unknowable Essence' who stands above human thoughts. No being can ever fully know the Creator's identity or essence. The best we can do is recognize some of His names or attributes. Any image of God that we may cherish is our creation, not that of our Creator: (1:12) Our imagination can only picture that which it is able to create.6 'Abdu'l-Baha (1:13) Even God's supreme Messengers acknowledge their inability to know God in all His glory and grandeur. They know Him only by what He chooses to reveal to them: (1:14) I have known Thee by Thy making known unto me that Thou art unknowable to anyone save Thyself.7 The Bab (1:15) Our understanding of God is very narrow, as it is confined to our own experiences. It is not much better than a child's. Here are a few questions from children's letters to God: (1:16) Dear God, How did you know you were God? (1:17) Dear God, Are you really invisible, or is that just a trick? (1:18) Dear God, Are you for real? Some people don't think so. If you are, you'd better do something quick! (1:19) Dear God, My sister never stops talking. I am getting desperate. Do you have any miracles left? (1:20) Dear God, Thanks for all the food you have given us. I have tried most of them. Ice cream and chocolate are your best ideas. (1:21) Dear God, Do you have to go everywhere I go? (1:22) Dear God, They say you are smart. The people you made are weird. Can you figure them out? (1:23) Apparently, God has the same question: (1:24) The heart is deceitful above all things...Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind... Jeremiah 17:9-10 (1:24) Whatever we think about God is bound by our experiences and limited to our narrow vision of reality. We can learn about the attributes of God from His Messengers, from nature, and from uncovering the mysteries within our own souls. But we can never learn the essence of God.
(1:26)
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