“Peace has in it confidence in the Lord: that He directs all things, provides all things, and that He leads to a good end.” - Arcana Caelestia §8455
Kempton New Church

December
19

Act on Your Beliefs

And when the days of her purification were fulfilled, according to the Law of Moses3, they brought Him up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, even as it is written in the Law of the Lord, that every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord; and to give the sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtle doves, or two young doves. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and circumspect, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And a response was made to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents were bringing in the little Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he even received Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, Now Thou sendest Thy servant away in peace, O Lord, according to Thy saying; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for a revelation for the nations, and the glory of Thy people Israel. (Luke 2:22-32)

That by "Jehovah hearing," from which Simeon was named, in the interior sense is signified obedience, and in the internal sense faith in the will from the Lord alone … "to hear the Lord" denotes to have faith in Him, and to obey His commandments; thus to have faith in the will. In John: “the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25, 28); "to hear the voice of the Son of God" denotes to have faith in the words of the Lord, and to will them. They who have faith of the will, receive life; wherefore it is said, "they that hear shall live." (Arcana Coelestia 3869.4)

The good of truth which is with those who are of the spiritual kingdom is implanted in the intellectual part, for there is formed by the Lord in this part a new will, which is that the man wills to do according to the truth that he has drawn from the teaching of his church; and when he wills and does this truth, it becomes with him good. (Arcana Coelestia 8521.2)

A man is not in heaven until he is in the state of being led by the Lord by means of good. By "good" is meant the good of life, and the good of life is to do what is good from willing it, and to will good is from love; for that which a man loves he wills. (Arcana Coelestia 9832)

Instruct me, O Jehovah, in the way of Thy statutes; And I will observe it to the last. (Psalm 119:33)

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