The Key To God's Heart - Chap 16

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SERVICE(Chapter 16)Every

soul, every individual, is a part of the whole. All are part of the

totality. A cell in the body is a tiny speck, it is invisible to the

naked eye, yet many of these cells together are vital for the

functioning of the body. Each one makes up the whole, without one the

other cannot function. So it is with humanity and mankind. We all need

each other, for man is a creature that is born in society, lives in

society and has a need of society. He should also repay the community

this debt he owes. We cannot learn, cannot experience without

interaction, without each other, this is why love is fundamental to

creation, to everything that exists. By loving God, one learns to love

all others, learns to love the entirety of His creation as His vesture.Service

is an expression of love. Service should not only be for God but to the

God in man. Service to man is service to God. Love finds its

expression, its way of showing love, through service. Just as we all

need a material way expressing love, i.e., gifts, presents, little acts

of lovingness so also love should and does express itself as service.

Yet, service is not just confined to what we do sometimes, or when we

wish to do 'Service'. Service should be everything we do. Every little

act of ours should be service, a gift, an offering at the feet of the

divine. Whether it be work, passing a pen, offering to help a child

with homework, helping the elderly, even cooking and cleaning; whatever

it is, it is service. The secret is to SEE and view it as service and

carry it out in that spirit. We have a tendency to divide our life into

sections, our prayer times and our love for God that is totally

distinct from any other tasks we may be engaged in during the day.

Then, there is the service we do, which is very much separate from our

love to God and our daily chores. The secret, the way forward is to

merge the three into one and call it love of God, and through that love

to consider every act, every word spoken, every task accomplished as an

act of service to the highest being, the divine Lord. Service is not

isolated acts of kindness or a two hour period set aside every week for

the elderly or hospital visits. It is a continuous stream, ceaseless

flow of love towards the Lord in the form of acts of service.Being

engaged in service is an opportunity to win His love. And that you can

be doing every hour, every second you think about Him. The Lord is

constantly and continuously engaged in service, service to His

creation. Indeed He is the one and only true servant. He is the servant

of His servants. He always serves. He serves 24 hours a day, 365 days a

year. He is always on call. He never takes a holiday. He is ever at our

service. He serves every one regardless of eligibility or

ineligibility, mankind, animals, the entire universe. Then how can we

not serve, how can we not serve each other and assist Him in His task.

How much happier He would be that we take up the work on His behalf and

assist Him. Start pouring out love in the form of service to all

members of the community and gradually expand that love to include all

mankind and then all creatures. The best way to change things is by the

way we live and behave and the quality of service that we give to

others.Know

that your life is but a link in the great chain of life. Make it a

perfect link by thinking and acting perfection. Do not strain and pull

against the other links for in doing so, you may cause grief and

discomfort to others. At all times keep the other person in mind and be

careful not to cause hurt. If we but had the gift to see ourselves as

others see us. Be considerate and kind in your thoughts and words. All

thoughts go directly to their target to see to it that only messages of

love are dispatched from your mind. When you are happy, joyful,

blissful, when everything in your world is as you wish then remember to

give the same joy to others. You must understand that if you are not

careful you could hurt someone very badly, if you fail to understand

that each person and their idea of happiness is different. We are all

different, no two of us have the same leanings, notions or ideas.Service,

love and faith can help you to attain the Lord's love. Love and loving

service to others will provide you with the grace of God. To serve, one

must be free from selfishness and selfish desire. There is a short

story to illustrate this. There was once a man who was distressed by

all the suffering in the world, the pain, the children dying, the

legions of hungry, famines and destitution. One day, he prayed and

prayed to God. He prayed to God to help these people, to alleviate

their suffering. He prayed to God to provide for them. God responded,

'But I have provided for them, I have created you.'Our

goal should be to give a helping hand to those less fortunate than

ourselves. When you help another, you help yourself. When you love

another, you love yourself. Love is the moving and transforming energy

in our lives and should express itself in selfless actions towards our

fellow men. This is love in action. This service and our living and

working together are tools for our own development and the realization

of God within all of us. Expand your heart so that it can encompass

all. Do not narrow it down to the few persons you know and make it into

an instrument of restricted love.This

life has the mission of crucifying the ego on the cross of compassion.

This opportunity to be of service to your fellowman comes to you as a

gift from God. Serve with that sense of gratitude, for it is God who

accepts the service from you. This path of service leads from 'I' to

'We'! According to one's experiences, a person will go through various

steps and stages of development that entwine into each other - all

leading to the realization of the divine within each one of us.To

make service an act of God, one must understand the inner significance

of service. Service directed towards oneself can be classified as

spiritual exercises undertaken for self-improvement. Then comes service

extended towards the entire family. The next step is to offer services

to neighbors and friends and undertake service acts according to

circumstances. We can say that one attains the basic knowledge that is

shared by others. This leads to one educating oneself in the company of

others. Very soon, we find one begins to take part in community service

projects. This service is dedicated to the needy people of society.

During this phase, the 'I' consciousness begins to disappear. One

serves large groups through tasks that might be designed for the whole

of mankind. Now, one is working in conjunction with God's plan. At this

stage, we find only realized souls whose lives consist of total

unconditional pure love for all beings.Here

are some ideas on how to serve : Direct a prayer to God seeking

guidance for service. Such a prayer encircle this planet like a pearl

collar and would connect us to all others. Pray to Him so that He shows

the way and that you are able to find the person who should receive

your service. Communication - make contact with your neighbor. Take

part in training in voluntary organizations. Learn to organize, plan,

prepare and to visualize so that meetings can be held in an orderly

manner. Take care of the disabled as loving service is the only

language that they can understand. Help in any case of rehabilitation

by aiding persons to re-enter society. Help the helpless and lonely.

Visit people in hospitals. Give work to elderly people so that they may

help others and thus realize that they are needed (sharing the

production of a blanket by knitting small squares). Sponsor courses for

cooking healthy food. Take elderly people to a farm for contact with

nature. Organize programs for cleanliness, inside and outside.

Encourage traditional religious institutions in their work. Take care

of people who are homeless or street sleepers. Establish 'adoptions'

with orphanages. Provide help and support for aids cases. Undertake

enlightening events with handicapped persons, e.g., (theatre, dance,

music, literature). Offer palliative care for very sick persons

(visualization, meditation, relaxation, acceptance). Develop a program

for the systematic sharing or study of service experiences.Start

with something small, something you can do consistently. Dedicated

service to mankind or the community is a spiritual discipline. It draws

the energy of love towards one. Pray each day that you are born anew

and are determined to carry out all your tasks this day as offerings to

the Lord who is ever present before your mind's eye. Let all your

thoughts, words, deeds, be sacred and pure. Let none come to harm

through you and let no one harm you. Pray to Him to guide and direct

you. In the evening, you should pray that the tasks of the day are done

and it was the Lord who made you walk, talk, and think and act as you

did. Make an offering of all those thoughts, words, deeds to Him.

Engage yourself in good company, good thoughts and good deeds. God can

be attained through loving service where the Lord alone matters.

Service is its own reward. Seek not anything other than just the

service of God carried out to your utmost capacity. Then only the name

and form of the Lord is cognised.(From : THE KEY TO GOD'S HEART by R SAI)Copyright

by the Author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or means without permission of

the Author. Visit : Sai Messages : http://saimessages.blogspot.com/ Sai Divine Inspirations : http://saidivineinspirations.blogspot.com/ Love Is My Form : http://loveismyform.blogspot.com/ (for non-Sai members)

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