Excerpts from a message by Luke of the Bible, with reference to the necessity for humans to turn their thoughts to things spiritual, letting the material things of life consume less of their time and energy.
“That which is eternal is of more importance than that which is temporal, even though these things are necessary to sustain humans while living on earth. It is not only a privilege but a duty for humankind to make the best use of material gifts, which have been provided for comfort and happiness. To do this, I understand a portion of ones thoughts and time must be devoted to the consideration of how to achieve the best results.
“But these things do not help the soul development or even the development of spiritual qualities. If humans continue devoting the greater portion of their time pursuing material acqusitions, when they come to lay their burdens down and pass into the land of spirits, they will find that they are very poor indeed – that the eternal part of their being has little development and their soul is fitted for a place where those who have laid up their riches on earth must necessarily go.
“So attractive is the accumulation of money and success, some devote their whole life to these efforts and as a consequence, very little of their short time on earth is given to striving for things of a higher kind. If mortals could only see and know the condition of the spirits who were engaged in similar pursuits while on earth, they would realize the utter futility of such efforts and the soul-deadening harm that this so-called success on earth has brought to these spirits.
“The law works the same on people who neglect their spiritual nature as upon those who are indifferent. In both cases the result is the same; the soul remains stagnant and the spiritual qualities lie dormant. Life is short and time is fleeting; even though one may live a long life, there is no place in God’s universe where it is so important for people to start on their way to eternal progress as in their earth life.
“Let not human beings devote so much of their time on earthly things; thoughts are things, and when applied to their spiritual development, they are things of the most vital importance. “Where your treasures are, there will be your heart also.” Amen