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God--on doing the will of God--How?
Meanings are nonexistent in a wholly sensory or material world. Meanings and values are only perceived in the inner or super-material spheres of human experience.
The goal of human self-realization should be spiritual, not material. The only realities worth striving for are divine, spiritual, and eternal.
The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God…Sharing is Godlike--divine.
The imitation of God is the key to perfection; the doing of his will is the secret of survival and of perfection in survival.
Peace in this life, survival in death, perfection in the next life, service in eternity--all these are achieved (in spirit) NOW when the creature personality consents--chooses--to subject the creature will to the Father's will.
This choosing of the Father's will is the spiritual finding of the spirit Father by mortal man.
This choosing does not so much consist in the negation of creature will--"Not my will but yours be done"--as it consists in the creature's positive affirmation: "It is my will that your will be done."
The indwelling God-Spirit cannot lessen the hardships of life as you journey on through this world of toil. The divine indweller can only patiently forbear while you fight the battle of life as it is lived on your planet; but you could, if you only would--as you work and worry, as you fight and toil--permit your valiant Helper to fight with you and for you. You could be so comforted and inspired, so enthralled and intrigued, if you would only allow the Helper constantly to bring forth the pictures of the real motive, the final aim, and the eternal purpose of all this difficult, uphill struggle with the commonplace problems of your present material world.
For the most part, the soul does not make final decisions until death or translation divorces it from its material association with the mortal mind--except when this material mind delegates authority freely and willingly to its associated soul.
During life the mortal will is resident in the material mind circuits. As mortal growth proceeds, this self, with its priceless powers of choice, becomes increasingly identified with the emerging soul. Hence the potential to make a final decision, NOW.
[Note: Has it registered that it is possible for the human soul to make a final decision to unite with the indwelling Father-Spirit? And you can do it now!]
What is needed for us to make this decision and for our decision to be valid? Whether or not we qualify to make such a final decision is dependent on the state of our mind which must grant authority to our soul to make this decision on our mind's behalf.
The reason that our mind is in the box seat is that during the beginning phase of our universe career in which we are finite mortal beings, our will is resident in the material mind circuits. And it is our will that has to make the irrevocable commitment to always choose the Father's will.
But how can we be sure that we are serious? All we need to do is to commit ourselves to the doing of God's will. So what can that mean to a finite, material creature?
[There follows some comments from the Papers that bear directly on the meaning of the "will of God:"]
1. The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God…Sharing is Godlike--divine.
2. The imitation of God is the key to perfection; the doing of his will is the secret of survival and of perfection in survival.
3. Peace in this life, survival in death, perfection in the next life, service in eternity--all these are achieved (in spirit) NOW when the creature personality consents--chooses--to subject the creature will to the Father's will.
4. This choosing of the Father's will is the spiritual finding of the spirit Father by mortal man.
5. This choosing does not so much consist in the negation of creature will--"Not my will but yours be done"--as it consists in the creature's positive affirmation: "It is my will that your will be done."
[But try as we may, we cannot formulate a precise definition nor a set of rules to specify what the will of God actually is. Perhaps it is best described in the answer Jesus once gave to a young inquirer:]
"This was a conference which lasted well into the night, in the course of which the young man requested Jesus to tell him the difference between the will of God and that human mind act of choosing which is also called will. In substance Jesus said: The will of God is the way of God, partnership with the choice of God in the face of any potential alternative. To do the will of God, therefore, is the progressive experience of becoming more and more like God, and God is the source and destiny of all that is good and beautiful and true. The will of man is the way of man, the sum and substance of that which the mortal chooses to be and do. Will is the deliberate choice of a self-conscious being which leads to decision-conduct based on intelligent reflection."
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