© 1977 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
Jesus had the habit of going off alone to commune with his Father in heaven. In speaking of this spiritual communion, or worship, which Jesus so often engaged in, Rodan said, “The more complex society becomes, and the more the lures of civilization multiply, the more urgent will become the necessity for God-knowing individuals to form such protective habitual practices designed to conserve and augment their spiritual energies.” (UB 160:3.2)
Never before has man been faced with the possibility of doing so many things in such a short period of time. The average person is required to respond to myriad situations and personalities beginning early in the day and ending late. From the “Today Show” to the “Tonite Show” we move through our day at what would seem a frenzied pace to our not-too-distant ancestors. Our challenge is not how best to escape this rapidly advancing sociological monster, the technological age, but how to tame it and make it serve mankind’s purpose-finding God and becoming like him.
Before we can begin taming we must be in the position of a tamer. To me this means we must first find balance for our own lives in the midst of our present environment. We must survey our lives every so often to determine if the requirements of spiritual growth are being allotted time in proportion to the requirements of making a temporal living. Are our religious habits which favor spiritual growth in proportion to our habits of maintaining our earthly existence?
Specific religious habits will vary from person to person. I like to think of religious habits which foster spiritual growth as falling into three general areas. The first religious habit may be called rẹceiving inspiration from within. Meditation, prayer, thanksgiving, and worship can be included in this area. By taking quiet time alone to commune with the spirit realities within we allow inspiration for enhanced religious living to flow outward through us. Obviously this is most important because out of this will come the guidance for all subsequent religious habits and expressions.
We all want God to work through us but we may not stop to think that we need to take time to listen to God: to be receptive. We are regular in eating, sleeping, and working; why not be regular in communing with God as a separate planned experience?
Second in this list of religious habits is what may be called inspiration from without. Included in this is inspiration which comes from scriptures, as well as inspiration derived from the appreciation of all forms of truth, beauty, and goodness as they manifest around us. Some of us may even have a favorite scriptural text. By taking the time to read scriptures daily we create and open channels of spirit expression. We renew in our conscious mind values which we choose to guide our actions and we create a mental channel through which spiritual influences can reach us and our brothers and sisters as we carry out daily activities.
This leads to the third area of religious habits which may be called intimate personal contact. This religious habit enhances the value of the first two experiences and is essential to stabilize and actualize them in our consciousness. I do not believe we can really know the full meaning and value of inner and outer inspiration without this loving social interaction. Really this religious habit is the most natural and springs forth spontaneously with new values when inspiration from within and without become religious habits for us.
Rodan recognized that as civilization advances man has an ever-increasing need to take time to relax and spiritually re-energize himself. I do not think we need to wait for society to become more complex before beginning to develop protective habitual practices which are spiritually regenerative.
—A Urantian Friend