"Truly, inasmuch as you have done such things for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done the same for me."

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The Words of Jesus of Nazareth by Lee Cantelon

Disciples and Servants

 

You cannot allow two masters to rule your life. Either you will disregard one and love the other; or else cling to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and remain enslaved to the gods of this world.

 

Refrain from calling men your spiritual father; for you have only one Father who dwells in heaven. Neither allow anyone to call you learned teacher; for there is only one true teacher, Christ. The person who would be greatest among you must first become your servant; and all who humble themselves shall be exalted.

 

When the Messiah returns in his glory and all the holy angels are with him, he will sit upon the throne of his heavenly glory. Before him will be gathered all nations and he will separate them, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep he will set on his right hand, and the goats on his left.

 

Then the King of Heaven will say to those on his right: "Come, blessed by my Father; enter into the inheritance of the kingdom, prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you offered me food. I was thirsty, and you brought me cold water to drink. I was without home, and you invited me in. I was without clothes, and you clothed me. I was ill, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."

 

Then the righteous will answer in amazement: "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we shelter or clothe you? Did we ever care for you when you were ill, or visit you in prison?"

 

The King will reply: "Truly, inasmuch as you have done such things for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done the same for me."

 

To the ones on his left, the King will say: "Depart from me! For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you offered me nothing to drink. I was without home, and you turned me away. I was naked, and you gave me no clothes. I was sick, yet you didn’t care for me. I was in prison, but you didn’t visit me."

 

These will protest: "Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or homeless, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and fail to comfort you?"

 

The King will answer: "Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you have failed to do these things for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have failed to do them for me."

 

Those on the left will be sent away into eternal darkness, but the righteous will be ushered into the kingdom of life.

 

You call me master and teacher. If I, then, am willing to be your most humble servant, should not you be willing to serve one another as well? I have lived my life as an example before you. Imitate me, and do the same to others as I have done for you.

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Lord God, Abba Father, thankful and humbly I pray for all those souls to still do not believe, and for those that believe yet need help with their unbelief. The ways under the sun consume us and will swallow us whole in our pride and selfishness if we do not repent and learn to die to those parts of us that are not rooted in You through Jesus Christ. Liken my heart to Jesus, renew a fresh righteous spirit in me to serve only You. Forgive me for what I have done wrong and failed to do right. Bless me and mine indeed, and provide for us according to Your will and for Your call. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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It’s true he was a sinner. But don’t pass so final a judgment. Have pity in your heart and don’t forget that he may yet be an Augustine, while you remain just another mediocrity.

— St. Josémaria Escriva

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Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

1  And the LORD said to Moses,  2  "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.  11  "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.  12  And you shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.  13  "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.  14  You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.  15  "You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.  16  You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.  17  "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him.  18  You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. 
Psalm 19:8-10, 15

8  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;  9  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  10  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 
Matthew 25:31-46

31  "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  32  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 

33  and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.  34  Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  35  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  36  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  37  Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?  38  And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?  39  And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’  40  And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’  41  Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;  42  for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,  43  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’  44  Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’  45  Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’  46  And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

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Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:

When Heaven Invades Earth Unabridged By Bill Johnson Narrated by Tim Lundeen – When Heaven Invades Earth is a powerful statement and testimony on the Kingdom of God. Theologically sound, well supported, and extremely well argued, this message provides a carefully constructed biblical foundation for the average Christian to live and walk in the miraculous power of God. Not only is the supernatural possible, it is our commission. The Great Commission that Christ gave the Church challenges us and makes us responsible to rise up to this supreme supernatural calling. Johnson explains how we are called to dominion in the earth through the divine rule of God.

Soul Communication: Opening Your Spiritual Channels for Success and Fulfillment Unabridged By Zhi Gang Sha Narrated by Marilyn Smith Do you want to communicate with your own soul? Do you want to communicate with your spiritual guides and angels? Do you want to communicate directly with the Divine? You can! In Soul Communication, Dr. Zhi Gang Sha reveals secret Soul Power techniques to develop the four major spiritual communication channels: Soul Language, Direct Soul Communication, Third Eye, and Direct Knowing. While the soul wisdom is profound, Dr. Sha also gives you remarkably simple and practical tools for applying it. This book empowers you to transform every aspect of your life, from health to relationships and finances. Receive guidance from the Divine, your spiritual guides, and your own soul. Empower yourself to fulfill your physical life and your spiritual life.

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