All of the Ten Commandments are tied into two commandments:
1) "And though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." - Mark 12:30
2) "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." - John 15:12
Discipleship
It takes hard work, love, faith, courage, and selflessness to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. We must pick up our cross and carry it daily, following the master where He leads. "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23) Carrying our own crosses is one step in the right direction, however it is not enough. We must be willing to help our neighbors carry their crosses as well. Jesus said, "Come follow me." We can help others follow the Lord by helping them through their faith journey. One of the many ways we can show our love for God is by giving up ourselves to others. Serving others means giving up our time, energy, and skills to create a better world by helping our neighbors. We are all blessed and must use our gifts, which come from above. Everyone has unique and special skills, which can be implemented in order to help and serve our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We can show others what love and Christianity is all about by the way we walk. By this, I mean that talk is cheap because anybody can do it, but actions take a real effort and they are the solid proof of a committed Christian willing to serve others. There are many people who desperately need our help in this world. Sure, it is not always easy, but remember, God's Son, Jesus Christ, did not have it easy dying on the cross for us. WE are all called to serve the Lord and others in different ways. One of our missions in life is to figure out what way we are to serve the God and our fellow man. This part of exploring our faith is known as finding our purpose in life.
Every human being created was born into the world for a reason. Nobody is an accident; everyone is part of a master plan. Why are we, a chosen people, here on this planet? "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (John 15:16) We should not go through life taking everything for granted, but instead first being thankful for the life we have been so graciously given. Each person who roams this Earth must figure out why he is here. We all have a purpose: there is a reason why we have been given the gift of life. If we do not ever give any thought to what this life is all about, how can we understand how to live the right way? There are many philosophies and millions of ideas, but only one truth. That truth come from above, the Lord God grants it to all. We must live life by serving God and our fellow brothers and sisters, and then we surely will be rewarded. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." (Isaiah 43:10) When dealing with the purpose of life, we must always remember that no matter what career we choose or whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of God with the purpose to serve Him, and those around us. God calls us to live through love and by doing this our life by grace is made complete. "In all that you do, whether in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (New Testament)
There are many ways to serve; it just takes some effort to get the job done. When we help cloth the naked and feed the hungry for example, we are essentially feeding and clothing Christ himself. For the word of God says "whatever you do for the least of my people that you do onto Me." "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall no way lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42) It is essential that we pick up our crosses, which are the struggles we face daily and prevail day after day for God in service. God is all knowing and understands all of the obstacles we face. Jesus is committed to getting up to bat with us, helping us overcome all of the curve balls that life throws. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) WE must remember that we are not supposed to be living for ourselves, but for God and for others. If we do this we will surely be granted a reward. We might not see our reward right away, but we know that God is true to us always, and will grant us happiness in the world to come. Mother Teresa, a true servant of the Lord and powerful missionary disciple who lived a life of love and charity, said that we should live life through JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself. If we live life this way, and in this order, we cannot go wrong. Doing God's will is the only way to live; there is no substitute to loving God and neighbor. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)
Let us in whatever we do remember these words of prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, I will follow where you lead. Perhaps I will never understand the way of the cross; I will, though, by your grace and strength, learn to walk in it, confident that since it is the way you chose, it is my way to the Father as your disciple. Amen
GO AND BE FISHERS OF MEN!
Every human being created was born into the world for a reason. Nobody is an accident; everyone is part of a master plan. Why are we, a chosen people, here on this planet? "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (John 15:16) We should not go through life taking everything for granted, but instead first being thankful for the life we have been so graciously given. Each person who roams this Earth must figure out why he is here. We all have a purpose: there is a reason why we have been given the gift of life. If we do not ever give any thought to what this life is all about, how can we understand how to live the right way? There are many philosophies and millions of ideas, but only one truth. That truth come from above, the Lord God grants it to all. We must live life by serving God and our fellow brothers and sisters, and then we surely will be rewarded. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." (Isaiah 43:10) When dealing with the purpose of life, we must always remember that no matter what career we choose or whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of God with the purpose to serve Him, and those around us. God calls us to live through love and by doing this our life by grace is made complete. "In all that you do, whether in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (New Testament)
There are many ways to serve; it just takes some effort to get the job done. When we help cloth the naked and feed the hungry for example, we are essentially feeding and clothing Christ himself. For the word of God says "whatever you do for the least of my people that you do onto Me." "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall no way lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42) It is essential that we pick up our crosses, which are the struggles we face daily and prevail day after day for God in service. God is all knowing and understands all of the obstacles we face. Jesus is committed to getting up to bat with us, helping us overcome all of the curve balls that life throws. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) WE must remember that we are not supposed to be living for ourselves, but for God and for others. If we do this we will surely be granted a reward. We might not see our reward right away, but we know that God is true to us always, and will grant us happiness in the world to come. Mother Teresa, a true servant of the Lord and powerful missionary disciple who lived a life of love and charity, said that we should live life through JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself. If we live life this way, and in this order, we cannot go wrong. Doing God's will is the only way to live; there is no substitute to loving God and neighbor. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)
Let us in whatever we do remember these words of prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, I will follow where you lead. Perhaps I will never understand the way of the cross; I will, though, by your grace and strength, learn to walk in it, confident that since it is the way you chose, it is my way to the Father as your disciple. Amen
GO AND BE FISHERS OF MEN!
Some of the ways we may serve the Body of Christ
-Habitat for Humanity
-Working in Soup Kitchens
-Donating clothing, food, or other goods to the less fortunate
-Donating Money to charitable organizations
-Visiting the Lonely
-Visiting and spending time with the Elderly, Going to Nursing Homes, Hospitals
-Offering help to others (especially our family) without being asked
-Helping siblings as well as being good big brothers/sisters
-Being a positive role model for youngsters and our youth
-Supporting those who are influenced by peer pressure and helping them abstain from alcohol, drugs, and sex
-Cleaning up the environment by picking up trash
-Helping fellow students with studies or in student tutoring
-Putting others first all the time
-Thinking WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) before acting and then doing the right thing
-Showing others the way of Christ by your faith, actions, deeds, and love
-Working in Soup Kitchens
-Donating clothing, food, or other goods to the less fortunate
-Donating Money to charitable organizations
-Visiting the Lonely
-Visiting and spending time with the Elderly, Going to Nursing Homes, Hospitals
-Offering help to others (especially our family) without being asked
-Helping siblings as well as being good big brothers/sisters
-Being a positive role model for youngsters and our youth
-Supporting those who are influenced by peer pressure and helping them abstain from alcohol, drugs, and sex
-Cleaning up the environment by picking up trash
-Helping fellow students with studies or in student tutoring
-Putting others first all the time
-Thinking WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) before acting and then doing the right thing
-Showing others the way of Christ by your faith, actions, deeds, and love
