" Seek ye first"...

Man's greatest privilege is to become a suitable instrument of God.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:


On coming to earth, man, who is the instrument of God, loses connection with that divine power whose instrument he is, thus keeping not only himself but even God from helping His will to be done.

When man, who is born to be the instrument of God, does not perform his mission properly he naturally feels dissatisfied. It does not mean that he does not accomplish what he desires, but it is the reason why he is unhappy.

... Spiritual knowledge does not lie in learning something, but in discovering something; in breaking the fetters of the false consciousness and in allowing the soul to unfold itself with light and power.

What does the word 'spiritual' really mean? Spiritual means spirit-conscious.

When a person is conscious of his body, he cannot be spiritual. It is like a king who does not know his kingship. ... If man does not realize the kingdom of God within himself nor realize his spirit to be a king, he does not accomplish the purpose of life.

Man's greatest privilege is to become a suitable instrument of God, and until he knows this he has not realized his true purpose in life.

The whole tragedy in the life of man is his ignorance of this fact. From the moment a man realizes this he lives the real life, the life of harmony between God and man.

When Jesus Christ said, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God,' this teaching was an answer to the cry of humanity: some crying, 'I have no wealth,' others crying, 'I have no rest,' others crying, 'My situation in life is difficult,' My friends are troubling me,' or, 'I want a position, wealth.'

The answer to them all is, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.'