Work is very important to our lives. I teach my kids that their work could be walking the dog, sweeping the floor, doing the dishes, taking out the trash, doing homework, or cleaning their rooms. Whatever work we do, we ought to do it heartily. And when we do that, our work is fruitful. In this article, we'll learn about:
Whatever may be our task, we can work at it heartily, from our soul. And in our work, we can do something not just for others, but for our own spirit (God's presence within us). We can work for money, material possession, or praise from others. Certainly. However, the real reward from our work comes from the spirit (Colossians 3:23-24).
How can this be? To work heartily means to use an intensive force, with all the powers of your being. The Buddha said that our work is to discover our work and then with all our heart to give ourselves to it. That's pretty good. When we work heartily, we are using our bodies, our minds, soul, and spirit. We use everything of ourselves and we give it our all. We intuitively understand, subjectively, without effort, that we have spirit within us. And that spirit is something like a heavenly inheritance that we've received from God (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Spirit is a gift, like a reward. And we keep that spiritual gift within our hearts (2 Corinthians 1:22) like a treasure.
Quick Recap So, let’s recap. Whatever work we do, we do it heartily (with intensive force and all the powers of our being), knowing that we have received the reward of our inheritance, which is a gift of spirit in our hearts. Messy Bedroom Consider this. Let’s say I tell my kid to pick up her room before she goes to a friend’s house. She runs to her room, throws her toys into her closet, stuffs her clothes into a drawer, and runs out the door. Would you say she put your whole heart into this task? No. Now, consider the same situation, but let's imagine that she takes a couple of extra minutes to straighten each area of her room. She puts her things back where they belong and folds her laundry decently and in order. Her room would be more of a blessing to walk into. Right? Sure. This would be good example to teach children how to work heartily. For Us Adults For us adults, we also try to work heartily in everything we do. Why? Because we have inherited from God our reward, a gift of holy spirit, the presence of God within ourselves. Inheritance means having a right or privilege to which a person is entitled by birth. When we are born again (or when we realize and believe to connect with the God and everything that is created), we inherit from God a right and a privilege to live with holy spirit in our hearts. What an incredible gift! Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Steiner said that the strength of humankind was planted by God in his soul so that he could, with all his might, love to work and learn.
Remember. Because God is spirit (not an old man with a gray beard floating in the clouds), God's gift is spirit. Because God is spirit, God's gift is spirit. We have the gift of holy spirit in our hearts. And when we work, we do it heartily, with all that intensive force and power in our being. Cool stuff, eh? But where's the fruit? Where's the fruit of our work? Being Fruitful Galatians 5:22 says that when we work, with this knowledge of having spirit within our hearts, then we are fruitful.
This is the work that God's presence within you, your spirit, accomplishes. Another Recap Whatever we do, we do it heartily, because God’s presence within us brings forth fruit, such as love, joy, and peace. We bring forth fruit in every good work we do, as we steadily grow in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-12).
The more we grow, learn, become mindful of God (the universe, our Source, the unlimited power that surrounds us), the more fruit is produced in every good work that we do. As we renew our minds upon that which God has provided to us (Romans 12:2), the more we intuitively understand how powerful our spirit is in relation to the work we do.
The word translated in that verse is from the Greek word meaning “metamorphosis.” It refers to the process that leads to an outward, permanent change. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly. Our work, when brought forth from the spirit, produces fruit, which actually is the manifested presence of God's love in the renewed mind. Read that again. Our work, when brought forth from the spirit, produces fruit, which actually is the manifested presence of God's love in the renewed mind. Hercules, King Augeas, and Working Smartly There's an old story that's been told many times. It's the one about Hercules cleaning the dirty cattle barns of King Augeas. Hercules asked the king that if he could clean the incredibly messy cattle barns (which held 300,000 cattle) in one day, would the king give Hercules 30,000 cattle in return for his work. The king agreed, because he knew it would be impossible for a man to shovel the 3-feet thick layer of manure that covered the floor of his enormous barn. Hercules was smart about his work though. Let's say he was inspired. Instead of shoveling the barn, he dug a trench from the nearby river and directed the flowing water toward one end of the barn. The water flowed through the barn, washed everything away, and the barn was cleaned in less than one day. Hercules worked heartily. And smartly. Conclusion In conclusion, our work may not include cleaning a messy cattle barn, but whatever work we do (from cleaning our rooms to working in a kitchen to working in a ditch to working at an office), it can be done heartily. When we work heartily, we put all of our being into it, knowing that we have inherited a holy spirit, which brings forth fruit, such as love, joy, and peace. I encourage you to work heartily in whatsoever you do, and grow in the knowledge of God. If you liked that advice, please like us on Facebook. Download the crossword puzzle and answer sheet from this article. How you think about the world around you, directly affects how you live in it. Your thoughts influence your actions. And spirituality is different from religion in that one is about how your consciousness (mind, thoughts) is connected to the universe; the other is about how one man controls another. Spirituality is about a state of mind, where religion is about a state of fear. God is not religion, and vice versa. For example, there is a religion that teaches that a savior will one day throw unbelievers into a lake of fire, killing them all. Another teaches that suicidal killing of unbelievers is the highest form of believing.
The challenge for me is to teach my children about love, compassion, ethics, freedom, enlightenment, and doing good without getting trapped by religious dogma that is in direct conflict with those virtues. Religion is not the way. There must be another. And I believe I'm on the right path. And it leads directly to the brain. The exploring the mind is most important when learning about being a spiritual person, someone enlightened, not conformed to this world, but transformed. Full of light. A person in spirit. Prayer, meditation, and yoga are all good ways to help a person control their mind and body. These ways can help a person fully understand the mind and how thoughts of self and your spirit affect the world around you. Rudolph Steiner said, "Seek the spirit, but seek it not out of spiritual greed, but so that you may apply it in the genuinely practical life.” Life is indeed as you see (think) it. Strip away all the trappings of this world (work, money, fashion, entertainment, technology, laws, taxes, etc.), and what do you have left? You, and how you see yourself. That's what you've got. Everything else is fleeting and consumable. You may surround yourself with cool friends, a big house, a fast car, a fat wallet, and a hot woman. Friends come and go. Houses fall apart. Cars break down. Money is spent. A great woman can help, but she can't do it for you. There's only one person in charge of your own self, and that's you. Other people? No. Gurus? No. Spiritual leaders? No. Jesus? No. Buddha? No. Religion? Certainly not. I am assuming that we (as human beings, regardless of race, age and gender) all share a common need for experiencing love and joy. And the path to attaining fulfillment is a spiritual one. Not a religious one. The Buddha said, "To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him." It is written, "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). But what does that really mean to me as a man, husband and father? In The King's Guide, I share my personal study into spirituality, the mind, God, and the great exploration into the depths of being a spiritual, powerful man, with a goal applying the knowledge gained to my life. You may be interested in reading articles from The King's Guide that will help you work on being a great man. Spirit is a force that exists in the universe. It is energy. And to be a mature man is to be a spiritual one.
You may understand spirit as inspiration, an inner voice, life, the universe, or God himself. In The bible says what God is in John 4:24. It is written that God is a Spirit. God is spirit. A universal, omnipresent spirit. When people, who are in spirit, or inspired, believe for something in their lives to come about, this universal energy, this internal source of power, makes it so. You may have noticed that truly spiritual people have everything they desire, want and believe. They accomplish what they set out to do. You and I too can live like this. Spirit is an energy force that is all around us. And for those who believe in it, it is also inside us. Human beings are made of three things: body, soul, and spirit. Body is our physical body. Soul is our breath life, what makes us alive. And spirit is that which is part of the bigger universal whole. Again, you may call this invisible field of energy many things. I call it God, and what's inside you would be holy spirit. Spirit is that energy which connects you to everything. Look around you. You are made up of elements and energy, and so is everything else. The dirt and worms, the door and window, the flower and bird, the sun and stars. Everything. Among us are enlightened folk, who seem to be fully aware of this spiritual connection to the universe. When you speak with them, they may reflect on the day that they became enlightened, or awakened to the true nature of things and themselves. Christians are born again. Buddhists experience satori. Others may have experienced a right of passage. At some moment, we become enlightened, and start to walk in the light and access that power to relieve much of the seemingly burdensome work of life and live a more than abundant one. |
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