The Spirit Way of Doing Things
The will of God is the way of God. It’s a way of spiritual living often celebrated as the spirit way, spirit road, spirit path, Tao, sacred way, Buddhist path, or the path to awakening.
The essential meaning behind all these expressions is that the will of God is a path of devotion to a divine Source of goodness—a high moral path of doing the right thing in all circumstances. And when you share your life with God, you walk this spirit path. That’s all it takes. The will of God is your progressive spiritual experience of becoming more Godlike by actively living in the presence of God.
The will of God is not a set of rigid laws or a strict moral code, although laws and codes may be grounded in spiritual realities. Time-honored rules of religious behavior, such as the Ten Commandments, were great starting points in the early evolution of human societies, but in the present age it’s obvious to most of us that it’s morally wrong to lie, cheat, or steal.
Ancient moral codes often emphasize what we should not do. But the will of God is not about what is wrong; it’s about what is right. It’s about wanting to do the right thing. It’s a positive and dynamic approach to morality and spirituality because God is the Divine Source of all that is positive, good, and true.
The happy and effective person is motivated, not by fear of wrongdoing, but by love of right doing. 140:4.6
– The Urantia Book
The Sacred Way is divine truth, supreme beauty, and ultimate goodness. It’s living spontaneously in the spirit—living and enjoying a genuine spiritual life that forever adapts to changing circumstances and life’s challenges.
The way of God is a way for you to become more and more like your inner Spirit. You begin to identify with this Spirit—which is the presence of God within you. You reach this goal by making good choices that are in harmony with the reality of the spiritual realm. By doing so, you begin to tune-in to spiritual frequencies. And one of the most effective ways to tune-in and become more like spirit is to intimately share your inner life with the Spirit of God within you—to live consciously in the presence of God.
Start the process by putting your creative imagination to good use. Imagine a friendly and loving version of God—a spirit entity living within you and guiding you. Infuse this divine persona with the highest ideals and the most advanced values you can possibly imagine; create a Supreme being who is all-good, all-wise, all-loving, and all-powerful. Then begin to share your inner life with this animated Divine Being. When you share your thoughts, speech, and actions with God, you begin to approach a God-conscious life.
Visualizing the reality of this holy and affectionate presence of God is a mental technique used to align you with the truth of the Spirit existing within you because what you are imagining is real. Don’t be concerned if your creation seems fictitious at first. You are using your God-given creative imagination to become aware of the very real presence of your divine inner Spirit. See Creative Imagination as a Spiritual Technique.
It may take you a long time to directly communicate with our indwelling Spirit. Nonetheless, you can still commune with God through meditation, prayer, and worship. And by doing so, you greatly increase your future capacity to realize the divine presence and to receive guidance. But without any form of direct communication, the inevitable question is, how do we know the will of God? How do we know which choice is the right choice?
The good news is that knowing the way of God is not as difficult as you may think. If you start with the basics of morality, it is likely you already know what you should not do. You know it’s not a right choice to lie, to harm others, to be angry, rude, or deceitful. And you know this because your Spirit Guide is always telling you what you should do—it’s a positive and progressive approach.
By focusing on divine attributes—the true nature of God—the will of God becomes clear because the divine nature of God is just, fair, loving, beautiful, good, and true.
In all your decisions, begin by evaluating your responses using these and other divine values and then guide your actions accordingly. Change your way of thinking and bring yourself into harmony with the will of God by keeping these values in mind and by being forever loyal to an eternal Source that is all-wise, all-good, and all-loving. See Four Divine Values as a guide.
The Golden Rule is a Powerful Technique
A beneficial and powerful frame of mind is the golden rule—the will of God in action. Indeed, when it comes to any and all social interactions, there can be no greater guide in life than the positive injunction of the golden rule, especially when interpreted on advanced levels of spiritual comprehension. It brings out the best in you because you begin to consider your actions from a more objective point of view. It’s your attempt to understand, respect, love, and care for others by taking a God-centered approach—which is the loving attitude of a wise parent. If everyone were to abide by this simple rule, the entire world would be remarkably transformed.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
– Jesus of Nazareth
There are times when you need to make decisions that do not concern relationships with others but instead have to do with personal problems. Knowing the will of God in these instances can be more challenging. But there is little need to wrestle too long over non-moral issues, such as choosing a career. It’s not so much what you do in life as how you do it.
At other times, you may need to make serious decisions in dire situations, ones that can arise when raising children, when holding positions of trust, or when disaster strikes. Knowing the best policy for the good of everyone concerned is not always clear or painless. Resolving these kinds of problems depends on your personal experience, knowledge, and wisdom—and sometimes a little help from others.
Share Your Life with God
But in every case, you can better evaluate solutions with reason, logic, meditation, mindfulness, prayer, and reflection. Avoid being hasty by dealing with your problems patiently, think them through as much as you can while sharing it all with God, and then sit in silence to receive spiritual guidance (see Divine Problem Solving).
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. 111:5.1
– The Urantia Book
Making spiritual and moral choices is a powerful method of personal transformation. Every decision you make determines the path and the outcome of your life. And whenever you make decisions that agree with the will of God—which is cooperating with Spirit life—you enhance your soul powers and become more spiritually real. Never doubt that God wants you to succeed in this endeavor. Always remember that your steadfast faith in his divine goodness is your sure path to success.
