“All religion is of life; and the life of religion is to do good.” - Doctrine of Life §1
Kempton New Church

December
14

Be Spiritually Awake

And Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had directed him, and took to him his wife, and knew her not, until she brought forth her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus. (Matthew 1:24-25)

All that have lived a good life in the world and have acted from conscience, who are such as have acknowledged the Divine and have loved Divine truths, especially such as have applied those truths to life, seem to themselves, when let into the state of their interiors, like one aroused from sleep into full wakefulness, or like one passing from darkness into light. They then think from the light of heaven, thus from an interior wisdom, and they act from good, thus from an interior affection. Heaven flows into their thoughts and affections with an interior blessedness and delight that they had previously had no knowledge of; for they have communication with the angels of heaven. They then acknowledge the Lord and worship Him from their very life, for being in the state of their interiors they are in their proper life; and as freedom pertains to interior affection they then acknowledge and worship the Lord from freedom. Thus, too, they withdraw from external sanctity and come into that internal sanctity in which worship itself truly consists. Such is the state of those that have lived a Christian life in accordance with the commandments in the Word. (Heaven and Hell 506)

In order that the External Man may be reduced into order, it must be made subordinate to the Internal Man, and it is made subordinate when it obeys. So far as this is effected, so far the External Man also is wise. This is meant by the old man with its evil affections needing to die in order that the man may become a new creature. (Arcana Coelestia 9708)

Compliance is the very good itself of faith and charity. Everyone shall receive heaven and its joy in the measure of his affection of truth and good, and in the measure of his obedience. (Arcana Coelestia 7161:1, Apocalypse Explained 695.8)

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