Service

"The end point of all spiritual practice is not bliss and ecstasy. It is service, contribution."

Service of self vs. service to self

"Once you feel you have been truly served, then the emphasis in life is on what you serve, who you serve and why you serve."

“You are here to serve. Service is your ultimate expression of your greater nature and the reality and the presence of the Divine in the world. But this is service not simply for a reward, not simply service to gain social recognition or even Divine approval. It is not service based upon restitution. It is not service as a kind of payment for your former errors. It is something that emerges naturally within you, from a deeper conscience within you. It is not a compensation. It is a natural expression of your deeper nature and an early indicator of your greater work in the world.”

“Fundamentally, your gifts to the world represent a form of service—a kind of service that is not demanded or expected by your culture or even by your religious institutions. It is not a service that you perform to gain approval and recognition in society or amongst your family, friends or those people you wish to impress in any way. It is not service rendered for a result, for a reward. It is not service rendered to serve your notions of how the world should change. It is not a service rendered upon the guarantee of success and the assurance of fulfillment. All these calculated expressions of service do not come from Knowledge. Knowledge just serves.”

Your service to the world

"God does not want you to lose yourself in God, in some kind of ecstasy. Rather, you are sent here to perform certain services to others and with others, specific things in the world. And that is why you have a unique nature and a unique design."

"The promise is in the individual, and this has always been the case. All new revelations, all new improvements, innovations and great steps in science, commerce and social justice have always been furthered by individuals who were inspired and committed to their service. This is how all races in the universe are advanced and have promise."

"This is the world you have come to serve, and nothing but this service will render real meaning and true relationships for you. Understand this, and you will find the secret and the key to greater happiness, a greater meaning and a greater purpose, which are waiting to be discovered."

“You are here to serve a world in transition, a world that is emerging out of its isolation into a Greater Community of life.”

"You can do many constructive things in the world, but your greatest service is to teach about Knowledge and to demonstrate Knowledge, the power and the presence of Spirit and the greater qualities of love, forgiveness and respect that emanate naturally from Knowledge itself."

"You do not know how it is going to turn out. But how it is going to turn out really does not matter because you are here to serve the world, and you serve the world without requiring a result. If your service is pure, if it comes from love and compassion, you give because you must give, not because you are assured of an outcome. You do it anyway. You try to bring about a good result, but in the end, you cannot control it. Then if your service to others seems to fail, you will not feel devastated. You did what you could. Like the physician in the field of battle taking care of the wounded soldiers, you do what you can with what you have."

"Knowledge will bring you to the world, for you must serve the world. You must help humanity in your own unique and appointed way. Perhaps you will serve only one or two people, take care of one or two people. Perhaps you will take care of wildlife or the environment. Perhaps you will serve the interests of your local community or your local church. Perhaps you will serve the interests of your nation or the international community."

"Service is not about giving what you want to give, it is about giving what the situation asks of you. That is service."

Your ability to serve

"Many of the greatest contributors to humanity were born under very unpleasant or impoverished circumstances. Often they were not the children of loving and protective parents."

"You do not know how it is going to turn out. But how it is going to turn out really does not matter because you are here to serve the world, and you serve the world without requiring a result. If your service is pure, if it comes from love and compassion, you give because you must give, not because you are assured of an outcome. You do it anyway. You try to bring about a good result, but in the end, you cannot control it. Then if your service to others seems to fail, you will not feel devastated. You did what you could. Like the physician in the field of battle taking care of the wounded soldiers, you do what you can with what you have."

The role of Knowledge

"God’s Power and Presence in the world are so strong that they can arouse a dedication, a commitment and an integrity far greater than anything else could possibly evoke. This can transform a person’s life, elevating them to a greater level of service and clarity, making them a true light shinning in a darkening world."

“You either serve Knowledge or you serve the substitutes for Knowledge, for in all things you must serve.”

“Remember that you can only serve that which you value. If you value Knowledge, you will serve Knowledge. If you value ignorance and darkness, you will serve that. That which you value is your master and your master will give you that which you must master.”

“You only have two choices, for you can only serve Knowledge or that which attempts to replace Knowledge. Since nothing can really replace Knowledge, a desire to serve that which replaces Knowledge is the desire to serve nothing, to be nothing and to have nothing. This is what we mean when we speak of poverty. It is a state of serving nothing, being nothing and having nothing.”

Contribution to a world in need

“You must give back to the world. You are drawing resources from the world. You are an impact on the world. You are polluting the world. You cannot avoid this. You will have an impact on the world even if you live the most simple life." … "You take. You must give something back. It is like paying rent to the earth. You must give something back. Have that be part of your life and contribution. Support people who are doing important work in this regard and have that be an expression of this contribution.”

“You are bringing something rare and extraordinary into the world, something the world cannot itself provide, because over this bridge that you have built will come the Power and Presence of God into the world, and you will be a conduit and channel for this. And though it may be expressed under very mundane circumstances—by feeding people, taking care of people, helping people, taking care of the environment, assuring the well-being of other species of animals and plants—whatever your specific area of contribution, you are bringing the Power and the Presence into the world and with it the remembrance for everyone that they too were sent here for a greater purpose. And it is real and powerful, and it will not abandon them.”

The need to serve

“Service is fulfillment. To not serve is to sacrifice, for here you are denied your own gifts and your own nature and you will not understand why you are here or what you possess.”

“A failed saint is a person who has been sent into the world who never could really connect with this greater purpose. You have a second chance. If you missed your calling and you are older, then it is all about service. You look for a set of needs that can benefit from your talents, skills and assets. But if you are a young person, then understand that you must find the deeper current of your life before you commit yourself to anyone or anything.”

“The mind seeks a master. That is one of the reasons why people give themselves to other authority figures because they do not know of Knowledge, who is the real master. Your mind as a servant is magnificent. Your mind without anything to serve is pathetic.”

“You have come to serve the world. If this is denied or neglected, you will fall into disarray within yourself. If your purpose is not being served and furthered, you will feel alienated from yourself, and you will fall into the darkness of your own imagination. You will condemn yourself and believe that God condemns you as well. God does not condemn you. God calls you to recognize your purpose and fulfill it.”

“Human beings must serve. You were made for this. In fact, all beings were made to serve. If you are a taker in life, you will be very unhappy. Life here cannot give you enough to satisfy you. It is always taking things away. This is extremely sad.”

Relationship

“When you graduate from this world, for those of you who evolve beyond this world’s learning, you will have to take care of people. That will be your task.”

“When you serve something greater, you are greater. When you serve something less, you are less. You are what you serve.”

“There are no heroes here. There is no one to worship. There is a foundation to be built. There is work to be done. There is a preparation to undergo. And there is a world to serve.”

“You are here to perform a great service to others through what you do, what you say and how you relate to yourself and other people. You are here to move the scale away from hatred and discord and self-disassociation. You are here to add to what is good and what is necessary, to keep Knowledge alive in the world and to share the miracle of Knowledge with others, to promote freedom at all levels where it is needed and to strengthen your bonds with certain individuals and your connection to the human family as a whole. Knowledge will show you how to do this, where to do this, where to give yourself and where to hold yourself back. It will do this beyond the expectations of your society, your family, your culture, for it is free of these persuasions and these influences. It is the only thing in you that is really free, and its freedom here is to give and to serve, and to fulfill your destiny here.”

See also

Giving

Mission

Contribution

Higher Purpose

Personal Revelation

Supporting the Message and the Messenger

Further Study

• Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 10: https://www.newmessage.org/the-message/volume-6/wisdom-greater-community-book-1/service-in-the-world Service in the World]

• Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 15: Who serves humanity?