© 2014 Meredith J. Sprunger
© 2014 Association Francophone des Lecteurs du Livre d'Urantia
1. Inner Peace
Inner peace is the deep expression of those who have found their identity as sons and daughters of God. We are committed to following the Father’s will and strive to fulfill His plan in our lives; therefore, we are confident and sure about the ultimates of our destiny. A sense of spiritual security that nothing can displace strengthens our lives.
Material things are seen only as temporal advantages which do not direct our lives and the loss of which does not threaten our inner stability. Attachment to spiritual realities has freed us from the heavy demands of the ego and the need for social approval. Even though our outer lives are surrounded by chaos and danger, our inner self remains calm and assured. It is in fact a peace which passes all understanding. Such spiritual stability is immune to all disappointment.
2. Integration, balance and completeness
Spiritual psychology is characterized by integration, balance, and wholeness. The central role of God in our lives structures all our values and priorities. Everything our personality achieves finds its place in integrated effectiveness because all our knowledge and abilities are ordered and organized by our dedication to Ultimate Reality. Spiritual goals and intentions unify our talents and resources. We journey confidently toward a single purpose, free from paralyzing conflicts and conflicting intentions. As energetic, psychological, and spiritual systems are integrated into experience, a strong, creative personality develops.
To live in harmony with reality is to live the spiritual life. The physical, mental and spiritual aspects of experience are balanced, integrated and harmonized. Religious life produces a well-balanced personality and an integral character which are not explained by the laws of physiology, psychology and sociology. Stability and balance of character are always proportional to spiritual attainment.
Human nature has a deep desire for fulfillment and wholeness. As our soul evolves and our personality develops, there occurs an effective integration of material, mental and spiritual resources. We become more balanced and wise in our understanding of truth, representation of beauty and realization of goodness. Through the synergistic dynamics of spiritual power, we become more complete, more effective and more real.
3. Joy and happiness
The God-saturated soul is full of irrepressible joy and happiness. The enthusiasm for life is born of the inner realization that we are sustained and nourished by inexhaustible power and loving personalities of a limitless universe created and controlled by our Universal Father. When we are certain of God’s existence and willing to be led by His Indwelling Spirit we are content and full of joy; we are conscious of living in the reality of being His sons and daughters.
Happiness has its beginning in our identity and spiritual psychological orientation and not in the framework of our environment. It is closely associated with and partly the product of unconditional love. Motivated by the desire for creative service, we immerse ourselves in spirit-directed accomplishments and one day we discover that our life overflows with happiness. Finding enhanced techniques of emotional satisfaction through the pursuit of worthy goals fills us with a wonderful sense of well-being. The highest happiness is inseparably linked to spiritual progress.
Those who have found their identity as children of God, who are sure of the ultimates, possess an indestructible sense of security and inner peace. The psychology of spiritual life is characterized by integration, balance, and wholeness. The soul saturated with God is filled with unquenchable joy and enthusiasm for life. The greatest happiness is inseparably linked with spiritual progress.
1. God consciousness
The most important goal in human life is to establish communication and fellowship with the Indwelling Spirit of God. The electrochemical energy of the brain circuits so dominates that it is difficult for our minds to make contact with the supramaterial and supraideational communications of the Indwelling Spirit. As we develop our minds and discipline them to sensitivity to truth, beauty, and goodness, we become aware of a spiritual dimension of reality. We intuitively sense the presence of a quiet, loving directive. This subliminal communion with God becomes the most real experience of our lives. We strive to follow as faithfully as possible the directive of this divine monitor and to pursue with as much enthusiasm as possible the tasks assigned to us. God-consciousness is synonymous with the integration of the highest spiritual reality in the universe. It is our assurance of an eternal destiny.
2. Unity with God — salvation
Mortals develop a spiritual nature through progressive mutual communion with God and in conformity with the divine will. At some point in our universe career we become one with this Fragment of the Universal Father through gradual attunement with the Indwelling Spirit of God. While our personality and identity are never lost or dissolved, this fusion gives us clearer preeminence, greater spiritual enhancement, and makes us more real. A new order of being emerges for endless universal service. This represents salvation from material restrictions, from the unfinished state of self, from time, and from the finite limits of growth. No limits can be set to the destiny potentials of this new divine-human creation.
3. Destiny of eternal service
We live in a gigantic cosmos populated by countless material beings and celestial personalities. There is an eternal purpose of ever-increasing importance for every individual who chooses to do the will of the Universal Father. Our universal education and spiritual growth truly begins when our mortal sojourn ends and we are resurrected to more advanced worlds for progressive experience and service. We have begun the endless unfolding of an eternal educational experience dominated by the challenge of adventure, exhilarating service, and spiritual attainment. Human imagination is too limited to grasp its future possibilities. However, even now we humble human beings can enjoy the opportunities of this ever-expanding career by mastering the principles of spiritual psychology.
If you have experienced a personal and dynamic relationship with God and have dedicated yourself to the imperatives of this divine-human interaction, you feel motivated to serve the realization of the spiritual values of this world. Service is the natural and authentic expression of the personality of the sons and daughters of God.
There are countless ways to serve people and society. As you search within yourself, you will discover the activities that you find most creative and rewarding or the task to which you are most drawn. One can serve God through any vocation or constructive human activity. Since everyone is unique, each person develops a special quality of contribution to society; therefore, the attunement of the Universal Father’s service is rich in its variety of benefits and ministries to humanity. Whatever occupation, service, or activity you are engaged in, the quality and effectiveness of that service depends largely on the manner in which it is carried out. Beyond the basic technical qualities of your service, the totality of the good by which you are able to contribute to mankind is greatly increased by the following seven spiritual principles of ministry.
1. Use wisdom
Use wisdom and moderation in all your service. Avoid extremes, exhibitionism, aggressive methods, and the spectacular. Learn to distinguish between good taste and the theatrical. Remember that personal contact is more effective than impersonal mass communication. Understand the wisdom and effectiveness of small groups. Such groups form coalitions and networks more dynamic than hierarchical bureaucracies and self-interested cults. Such a network is vastly greater than the sum of its parts. It has multiple leadership, pluralistic politics, and its center is everywhere. Begin where the people are, not where you are. Communicate within their frames of reference and anticipate their natural reactions. In all your ministry, combine the most expert knowledge with the highest values. Control your mind by the power of the spirit. Be strong in spirit; know that in connection with God nothing can overcome the spiritual purposes of your life. Be fearless, but act with discretion.
2. Let love create
Let love create the atmosphere of all your interpersonal relationships. Remember that you cannot communicate effectively with others unless you accept them positively and unconditionally with all their imperfections. Strive to prevent your own prejudices and limitations from interfering with or impairing your service to them. Support, stimulate, and help people; do not seek to coerce them. Regard all your companions as persons of quality, and endeavor to help them build up their self-confidence and self-respect. Be natural and sincere, and enjoy their company. Be useful from love, from a grateful heart, and from the joy of the act itself. Ministry is an intrinsic activity of the creative mind and the loving soul. An extrinsic motivation in service compromises its spiritual value. Serving God, even for good extrinsic intentions, such as building your religious organization or even bringing about a spiritual rebirth, limits its spiritual value and personal satisfaction. Use your ministry with the intrinsic motivations of love, gratitude, and joy; and the extrinsic repercussions or results will take care of themselves. Serve with the openness of creative love but do not try to manipulate people.
3. Cultivate honesty
Temper your personal beliefs with philosophical objectivity. Always be honest and open. Cultivate freedom of opinion and respect the right of others to disagree with your deepest beliefs. Honor each person’s God-given right of free will. Try to establish common ground but do not argue with people. Let your enthusiasm for the truth animate your discussions, but do not consciously criticize or offend people.
4. Cooperate with evolution
Recognize that evolution is the deep principle of life. Do not expect immediate results. All growth is subliminal, beyond our direct and conscious control, and has the origins of a mustard seed. The roots of a new tree of life take decades to penetrate the rock of tradition in which it was planted. Be patient, but do not fall victim to a fearful psychology of “doing nothing” and burying your talents and treasures in the swamps of stagnation or the quagmires of dark cults. Be concerned with effective ministry but do not be overly concerned with results. Realize that your ministry must be planned and conducted in the context of goodwill. Always minister at the forefront of the evolution of zeal, but do not confuse this basic preparation with the superficial conditions of psychological and social zeal. All who have prophetic vision know that evolution, the plow of history, finally breaks the crust of individual resistance and displaces the clods of social stagnation. Be loyal and persevering in your service without needing to see results or to be honored by success. It is our privilege and responsibility to minister; the consequences are in the hands of God the Supreme. In all things, cultivate within yourself the mind and attitude of the Supreme. The vicissitudes of time do not change the purposes of eternity.
5. Live with everyday life
Be actively involved in ordinary, routine experience. Grow, flourish, and bear fruit in the soil where you have been planted. If possible, hold on to your old social and religious ties in a strong and healthy way. Share at the level of spiritual consent. When you are a caterpillar, do not live under the illusion that you are a butterfly or an eagle. Only by devoting yourself creatively as a caterpillar will you have inner satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. These down-to-earth activities and associations will bring a sense of proportion, authenticity, and integrity to your ministry. Forget the failures of the past and do not worry about anticipating the future. Live in the present in constant fellowship with the Father and immerse yourself in the existential moment of experience.
6. Develop a sense of humor
Cultivate an active sense of humor. Humor enables us to maintain a proper sense of proportion. You can carry burdens of man or woman’s proportion when you take the burden of the world off your shoulders. Do not take yourself too seriously, even if you are engaged in important work. Do not be concerned with prestige and status. Strive to avoid self-contemplation and cultivate self-forgetfulness. Finite personalities can become tragic figures when they lose their sense of proportion and fail to discern the comedy of life. We need to laugh at ourselves and at the frustrating, ridiculous, and absurd situations we encounter. A cheerful spirit can be a great asset in sometimes bearing the heavy burdens of ministry.
7. Serve with joy
Above all, live with joy in your heart and find joy in your service. You belong to the Father’s kingdom, which has an unimaginable eternal future of adventure and reward. Nothing can long prevent the fulfillment of your most ardent spiritual hopes and cherished dreams. All who experience this faith in an eternal destiny live in irrepressible joy even in the midst of material difficulties, social conflicts, and apparent personal defeats. As you free yourself from the bondage of attraction to things, from the worship or criticism of others, or from self-importance or preoccupation, you will experience the liberating joys of service. You will also discover that in doing so you are free from the self-centered social pressures of success or reputation. When your will is in harmony with the will of God, the life of service also brings deep inner peace. The clear growth of joy, worship and service transcends the rewards of all other human activities.
(to be continued)
Meredith J. Sprunger