The Company of God (2)

The Servants of God
So, what exactly does a servant of God do? Is there a job description? In truth, we are born to serve God. It is not an occupation. It is our nature. However, most of us forget, ignore or willfully reject serving God.

Lord what wilt Thou have me do? Behold the true sign of a totally perfect soul: when one has reached the point of giving up his will so completely that he no longer seeks , expects or desires to do ought but that which God wills. [St. Bernard].

We are not referring to ministers, imams, priests or gurus. We are discussing the way of life of true devotees, of persons who make worship of God the prime consideration in life.

Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity. [Quran 3:104].

When we are sincerely motivated to work in Divine service, a spirit of dedication and commitment prevails. Working to please God is a state of mind that ignores both worldly praise and popular disapproval.

Do your duty to the best of your ability, O Arjuna, with your mind attached to the Lord, abandoning worry and selfish attachment to the results, and remaining calm in both success and failure. Selfless service is a yogic practice that brings peace and equanimity of mind. [Bhagavad Gita 2.48].

Spiritual Dedication
Being engaged in Divine service is a lofty practice requiring an exalted focus. We must remain detached from transitory desires while always remembering our purpose and goal. A sincere faith sustains the necessary effort and makes complete spiritual dedication attainable..

Whatever is done without faith whether it is sacrifice, charity, austerity, or any other act is useless. It has no value here or hereafter, O Arjuna. [Bhagavad Gita 17.28].

Our thoughts must seek contentment from a Transcendent Source, not subject to the vagaries of faddish trends and ephemeral pursuits. This is no regular employment and no common Employer. Dedicated to God, we rise to our highest potential, motivated by an incomprehensible energy and focused on the ultimate eternal goal.

For a work to be considered good it must not only conform outwardly to the law of God, but it must be motivated inwardly by a sincere love for God. [R. C. Sproul].

Submission
God’s mercy encompasses all aspects of worship and His service does not require extreme measures. He does not ask us to afflict, mutilate or torment ourselves. All that we need to do is turn to Him in sincere submission.

The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say, “Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust You to be God. You lead me today and I will follow.” [Kay Arthur].

Praise God that He allows you to serve Him. Thank God that you can call yourself His servant. Pray that He accepts your worship and forgives your faults.

Say: “[Thus speaks God] `O you servants of Mine who have attained to faith! Be conscious of your Sustainer! Ultimate good awaits those who persevere in doing good in this world. And [remember] wide is God’s earth, [and,] verily, they who are patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, beyond all reckoning!’” [Quran 39:10].

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The Company of God (1)

Ultimate Career Goal
What is our ultimate career goal? Are we looking for the perfect job? What opportunities are available for the greatest advancement?

 . . . seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. [Matthew 6:33 (ESV)].

Whether or not we are already employed, a full-time job is available to all of us as servants of God. Not only is it the work available, but it is necessary employment if we want to make “ends” meet.

True joy and complete satisfaction are available only from the hand of God. A particular action, event or circumstance cannot produce lasting pleasure and enjoyment without God providing it. Whether it is merely a meal or a sunset, or one’s career, marriage or entire life, it is the presence of God that renders it absolutely satisfying, genuinely gratifying.

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. [Matthew 6:24 (ESV)].

We are accustomed to receiving hourly wages or yearly salaries. We rarely think in terms of total compensation for our existence, getting paid for a lifetime of works. We cannot measure God’s wages in hourly pay or yearly salaries. In God’s service, we are paid continually, with unexpected bonuses, but the greatest compensation is goes beyond a lifetime of any services rendered.

The Great Provider
God is the consummate employer, the most beneficent of patrons, the supreme grantor, the ultimate sponsor. None compensates as God compensates, for He is Owner of all things, To Him belong all that is in the heavens and on earth. God is doer of whatever He wills.

Do you not see that God has subjected to your use all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, both seen and unseen?  [Quran 31:20].

As Creator and Owner of the universe, God has all the resources of creation at His disposal. Every disposition, every grant, every gift, every wage is authorized by Him. What God Bestows, no one can withhold, and what He withholds no one can grant.

God is All-gentle to His servants, providing for whomsoever He will. [Quran 42:19].

There are no limits to God’s bounties and no one regulates His giving. He is independent of creation, free from needs. He rewards, provides and enriches.

God is the great Comforter, the magnificent Benefactor. The beneficence of God is worth more than all we can earn in multiple lifetimes, for it leads to eternal reward and everlasting compensation. Who would not accept God as an employer?

If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine [Exodus 19:5-6].

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In God We Trust

One attains peace, within whose mind all desires dissipate without creating any mental disturbance, as river waters enter the full ocean without creating any disturbance. One who desires material objects is never peaceful [Bhagavad Gita 2:70].

Stable Society
A strong economic order requires a stable social environment in which to function. Whether its consumer confidence, social instability or political unrest, trading and investing suffer when people feel insecure.

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes [Psalm 119:1-5 (ESV)]

Business Fear
Secular fears on the part of the business community inhibit commerce. Such insecurity becomes increasingly common when fundamental values such as trust, integrity and honesty are neglected as a result of spiritual decline.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life [Psalm 128:1-6 (ESV)]

Submission to God
Divine trust produces communal confidence, harmony and the mutual understanding necessary items for dynamic economic progress. At the same time, remembrance of the God prevents exploitation, economic oppression and corrupt business practices. The spiritually gifted entrepreneurs succeed not only because of confidence and perseverance, but also because their business activity is itself part of worshiping God.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him [Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)].

Without trust in the Divine Creator, cyclical disharmony, social friction and physical conflict continually gnaw on the essential fabric of the society. Submission to God anoints the society with an intangible confidence that is reflected in everyday commercial vitality.

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever [Psalm 111:1-10 (ESV)].

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