reach its port or the sailors
learn the art of navigation? Christ clearly pointed out that obedience is
the path of knowledge. He said:--"My doctrine is not mine, but his that
sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."--St. John vii, 16-17.
So Baha'u'llah says: "Faith in God, and the knowledge of Him, cannot be
fully attained except ... by practicing all that He hath commanded and all
that is revealed in the Book from the Pen of Glory."--Tablet of Tajalliyat.

Implicit obedience is not a popular virtue in these democratic days, and
indeed entire submission to the will of any mere man would be disastrous.
But the Unity of Humanity can be attained only by complete harmony of each
and all with the Divine will. Unless that Will be clearly revealed, and
men abandon all other leaders and obey the Divine Messenger, then conflict
and strife will go on, and men will continue to oppose each other, to
devote a large part of their energy to frustrating the efforts of their
brother men, instead of working harmoniously together for the Glory of God
and the common good.

Service

Devotion to God implies a life of service to our fellow- creatures. We can
be of service to God in no other way. If we turn our backs on our
fellowmen, we are turning our backs upon God. Christ said, "Inasmuch as ye
did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me." So
Baha'u'llah says:--"O son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards mercy,
forsake the things that profit thee, and cleave unto that which will
profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou
for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself."--Words of Paradise.

'Abdu'l-Baha says:--

In the Baha'i Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are counted as
worship. The man who makes a piece of note- paper to the best of
his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on
perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and
exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is
worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to
do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to
minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A
physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from
prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, is
giving praise.