When Jesus Christ came to earth, many high priests quite sincerely expected the Messiah, but they could not recognize him because they relied upon their interpretations of the many predictions and signs as described in earlier prophetic texts. The chief priests expected the Messiah to come according to their own ideas of what he should be like.
The problem was that Jesus was the way he was, and not the way the high priests wanted him to be. Those who tried to understand Jesus failed to do so, intellectually. Despite the fact priests sincerely expected the Messiah, they did not accept him once he appeared, and consequently, they’re still waiting for the first coming. Only those people who had an open heart could feel and understand his divine energy and accepted him as the Good Shepherd.
Similar stories happened in the life of the Buddha. In the time of the Buddha, there were many highly educated philosophers who could not understand and accept the Buddha and arrogantly considered him a charlatan. The same fate was with Krishna. Now, after several millennia, it is easy enough to say that Krishna is the divine teacher of mankind, but during his lifetime there were quite a few philosophers and scholars of the Vedic texts who denied him.
3. You are perfect from the beginning, for God created you in his image and likeness
God is love. Love can only be felt through love. One who is in love can find oneness with the Divine.
(Sathya Sai Baba – "Collection of lectures", 1991)
Love is the greatest treasure in the world. God is the True Self of every person, which is why to love God means to love your Higher Self. Love begins with love for oneself, which is the divinity that lies dormant in the Spiritual Heart of each person. Self-love has nothing to do with selfishness.
True love for yourself lies in the awareness of your infinite creative potential. How can you love God if most of the time people don't even know how to accept themselves? How can you love your neighbor if you do not understand how to accept and love yourself?
To love God means to see God in every person. You look into the eyes of the person right in front of you and see in them the light of the True Self, which is also your True Self. I was incredibly lucky in the ‘90s to meet Mother Teresa at the Delhi airport as she walked through the huge airport building blessing everyone in her path. I watched her actions with awe, feeling the amazing divine love emanating from Mother Teresa. I also approached her in order to receive a blessing.