Q: There is this deep desire in me to serve God but something always keeps me far away from Him. Please, can you tell what it is because I would so much like to connect to Him and attain Christ consciousness.
A: The desire to know and serve God is almost hard-wired into our DNA–they’re why we have evolved through fear and ghost fear, magic, ghost and spirit worship to primitive religion and then higher forms of religious expression. Inwardly we recognize a spiritual connection with deity and most of us desire to express it in our worldly lives.
The teachings of The Urantia Book are pragmatic… you don’t have to take on poses of physical contortion, there are no magic incantations to be memorized, no special prayers to be offered, no restrictions to what one eats or drinks, you don’t have to live in a cave–these are all man-made expressions intending to appease God and to be a constant reminder of God’s presence through a sacrificial pursuit. In fact, the teachings of The Urantia Book don’t promote attempts to attain Christ consciousness, whatever that is. In this life you are a material being living on a material world–the world of the spirit impinges ever so slightly on our senses that it’s easily dismissed and denied. We’re not expected to attain perfection while here, although it’s the striving for perfection that enhances the growth of soul . What we can do is strive to become the best human being we possibly can.
God is not far away–your desire to serve God is an indication that God has already found you and you have found God. All that God would like from you is the ultimate gift you have to offer which is of your own free will to will that you serve God in all that you do–be the best checkout clerk you can be, the best mother, the best father, the best child, the best lawyer, baker, fireman, plumber, politician, mailman, pilot, soldier, judge, whatever. Those are our jobs and duties while here in the world living this life–achieving any other consciousness at this stage is not requisite nor promoted. Become a fully conscious, loving and aware human being.
One of the best ways of deepening a connection with the heavenly Father is through a study of the life and teachings of Jesus–he came here to help us do just that, deepen our understanding of the Father. There is no more accurate, uplifting or meaningful description of the full life of Jesus than that contained in The Urantia Book. You can begin reading this on-line from our site and listening to it at the same time–I recommend you begin with Paper 121 available here.”