Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/6320

6320 Voluntarily being of service.... Selfish love....

July 28, 1955: Book 68

Anyone who knows the spirits' process of development, who is informed of Creation's meaning and purpose, also knows that the human being as the most perfect work of creation forms the closing stage of an infinitely long process of development which has taken place on this earth. He knows that this will irrevocably be followed by his stay in the kingdom of the beyond where material creations no longer exist, where development can certainly continue under incredibly difficult conditions yet in an entirely different way than in the material world.... if the process of development on earth has not been completed to a point that the soul will be able to enter the kingdom of light. But only the least people on earth realise this, for it first requires the will to know this in order to be able to understand and believe it and this is only rarely present in people. In contrast, people's will is extremely strongly inclined to utilise the works of creation such that they will benefit their physical life.... Admittedly, by doing so people unconsciously help the bound spiritual substances in the creations to progress, because it is of service to them, although in the law of compulsion.... A great deal of matter is being dissolved through human will, it is reshaped into constantly new creations all of which are assigned useful functions, which necessarily results in the spirits' progress.... Yet the human being himself can thereby also come to a standstill or even regress in his development if he is not helpful himself at the same time, since he is no longer subject to the law of compulsion and therefore has to push his own higher development forward.... As soon as he does everything consciously, always with the intention of helping his fellow human being, his earthly work can derive inconceivable blessings for his soul.... even if he has no idea about the spirits' process of development, even if he is without all knowledge about the meaning and purpose of earthly life and the creations of this Earth.... He does not need to know it if only he voluntarily helps with love.... Yet usually he is indeed impelled by love to work but only by the love for himself.... In that case his activity can also have a detrimental effect on his fellow human beings, for the less he considers his fellow human being the more his selfish love will be satisfied.... But selfish love also has an unfavourable effect on the works of creations which were assigned to the person's field of activity, insofar as that the spirit's development in such works of creation will often be prematurely interrupted for the sake of his own advantage, because selfish love contradicts divine order and thus the person's conduct is also totally contradictory to divine order.... Even if such people knew the meaning and purpose of the creation and of earthly life they would not stop their wrong way of life and their actions against the divine order, because they are utterly controlled by selfish love and completely unapproachable by other ideas. And these humans enter the spiritual kingdom in an absolutely dreadful state, for they can no longer satisfy their selfish love like on earth, and the path to the right love, to love for their neighbour, is infinitely far away and often cannot be found at all....

Hence, a person who only loves himself takes his love for matter along into the other world, and release from it is extremely difficult, for things he desired with all his senses constantly appear before his eyes which are acutely tempting to him only to instantly disappear when he wants to satisfy his cravings.... inciting his cravings even more, and these are dreadful torments which the soul has to suffer until it starts to fight its craving with the result that the temptations gradually weaken. People have no idea of the benefits they create for themselves in the beyond if they try to overcome matter while they are still on earth, if they become its master and not its slave.... The human being can make use of everything on earth for his advantage, for the purpose of all creations is to serve the human being as well as every creature.... because being of service signifies redemption for the bound spirits within.... Consequently, the human being himself contributes a lot towards this if he offers matter the opportunity to help, if he creates things for himself which fulfil a useful purpose, in which he can certainly take pleasure again as a gift from God, yet he should always remember the spiritual purpose of material things and not tie himself to it such that all his thoughts and intentions apply to the gain of material goods in order to create a comfortable life for himself and to descend increasingly lower than things which are far less developed than him.... which signifies spiritual regression for him.... The development must always be a progressive one, and the human being's goal in earthly life is the complete release from the material shell, the rise above the latter, for then the soul will be able to leave the physical body as a free and unburdened being and soar into higher spheres.... Then it will not be held back by matter and forced to remain in earthly spheres although it no longer lives on earth.... You humans don't know how grateful a soul is which can detach itself from these spheres, but take it for granted that that which you strive for on earth with all your senses is your biggest enemy.... For your bliss rests in freedom, but you remain enslaved for as long as matter still holds you captive, and it will hold you captive for as long as you are still governed by selfish love, as long as you don't liberate yourselves through helpful love.... Only the one who is of service will be liberated.... And your existence as a human being constantly provides you with the opportunity to be of loving service....

However, you have free will and, unlike in your preliminary stage of development, are not forced to be of service. Love must impel you to do so, and helpful love will only be practiced by a person who suppresses his selfish love, who does not want to take but to give. He will indeed learn to despise matter; he will detach himself from it and liberate himself completely.... His process of development on earth will be successfully concluded with the complete spiritualisation of his soul, which subsequently will be able to be active in the spiritual kingdom with an abundance of light and strength and in helpful love take care of those souls which still linger in slavery and darkness and require help in order to finally be able to also let go of their chains....

Amen

Translated by Heidi Hanna