Decembers Question

The 11th Step mentions "knowledge of His will for us..." How does this "knowledge" come to you? Or do you seek it out?

The answer to this is twofold; simply put, it comes to us as a result of searching, studying, and practicing the spiritual principles of love. There is no great mystery here. No hidden path reserved only for the mystics or holy ones. Note that i stated the principles of love (plural), not the principle of love.
Throughout human history there have been many powerful spiritual teachers. When we study their teachings, we find common threads interwoven into the fabric of each. Like a circle they always come back to the universal truth of love. Examples of just a few are:

A Course in miracles:
“Teach only love for that is what you are.”

The Dalai Lama:
1.“All major religious traditions carry basically the same message; that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.”
2.“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”

The five precepts of Buddhism:

All religions have some basic rules that define what is good conduct and what kind of conduct should be avoided. In Buddhism, the most important rules are the Five Precepts. These have been passed down from the Buddha himself.

1. No killing Respect for life
2. No stealing Respect for others' property
3. No sexual misconduct Respect for our pure nature
4. No lying Respect for honesty
5. No intoxicants Respect for a clear mind

The teachings of Jesus:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

The Bible:

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” I John 4:12

“I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:17

The Principles of love: (From, The Message)
If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

After meditating on just these few teachings it becomes easy to discern that God’s will for us is to love one another. All things begin and end there. Everything that follows for each of us as individuals flows from this universal truth; love one another. When we practice this in our daily lives it becomes clear that everything else we do, when done in love follows and fulfills the divine will. There is of course much, much more, that validates the statement; God’s will for us is to love one another. However, time and space prohibit full discussion here. Let it suffice to say that mastering the principles of love is a lifetime’s work. We are such self-aware, self-centered creatures that developing the practice of selflessness, which is an integral part of love, is painstakingly difficult.

The divine will is that we be happy, content, prosperous, and in harmony with the spiritual energy that emanates in and through each of us. We accomplish this by loving. Much of this is confirmed in the “Big Book.” Chapter four, “We Agnostics” which discusses the matter of faith at length. The third step prayer; “asks that we be relieved of the bondage of self.” Page 84 (3rd edition) states, “The spiritual life is not a theory. We must live it.” Again, by taking an honest look at the principles of love we are able to see that it is not an emotion, but rather a way of life, a way of doing things quite opposite of our natural instincts. We are reminded time and again of the importance of service to our fellows. Service that is done without thought of reward or recognition.

All of these things and all of these teaching come full circle to complete God’s will for all of us through the process of loving.