Temple and life. For beginners in church life

"From morning to evening. How to Live Like a Christian" is a spiritual tip for those who care about their own soul. The book talks about how to pray at home and in church, how to behave in difficult circumstances and during successful periods of life; how to treat parents and raise children correctly, how to remember and love those who are no longer with us. The book provides the basis for a conscious attitude towards worship and the Sacraments of the Church, as well as the rules of external behavior in the temple, in dealing with the clergy and parishioners, and much more. The recommendations contained in the book are supported by quotations from the Holy Scriptures, instructions of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church.

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The given introductory fragment of the book From morning to evening. How to live like a Christian (M. A. Dubrovina, 2017) provided by our book partner - the company liters.

Things to remember during the day

« N More necessary than all feats is prayer. Prayer is a means for attracting and a hand for receiving all the graces that are so richly poured out on us from an inexhaustible source - the boundless love and goodness of God for us,” instructs St. Nicodemus the Holy Highlander.

That is why we need to try to develop the skill of prayer not only in the morning, but throughout the day, especially before difficult and responsible tasks. It is very important to pray to the Lord before starting any difficult task, before a serious conversation, before using transport, etc.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.(James 1:17). Therefore, you can receive God’s blessing, like any gift of God, only through prayer. Archimandrite John (Krestyankin; †2006) edifies: “Accustom yourself to begin and end every task with prayer. And then life will go outwardly in the same direction, but its content will be different. It will all be sanctified by God’s blessing.”

If the practice of prayer takes root in our lives, then we will understand how soul-healthy it is to live in an atmosphere of prayer.

Everyday care

In earthly life, a person needs shelter, clothing, food and other things, so he needs to get them and think about it. Saint Theophan the Recluse (†1894) instructs:

“There is nothing sinful in the cares of everyday life. This is how God was pleased to arrange our lives. But the enemy, creeping up on this sinless person, instills a sinful thing - this is an incessant worry that weighs on both the head and the heart. All the Savior’s instructions about neglect are directed against this disease: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things: enough for each day is its own care.(Matt. 6:34). This does not mean that you should do nothing, but that, while doing everything, you should not be tormented by unnecessary worries...

The sin of over-concern is that it wants to arrange and obtain everything itself without God; by the fact that after that he teaches us to rely on hope on what we have gained and on our other ways exclusively without God’s Providence, and through both of these, we instruct us to consider the blessings of life as our main goal and our present life as our ultimate goal, without extending our thoughts to the future life. You see what a God-fighting spirit moves in this multi-concern!”

We should try to do all our everyday affairs as if for the Lord Himself, that is, from the heart, with a clear conscience, with pleasure, without allowing any slowness or negligence in them. Holy Scripture teaches: Cursed is he who does the Lord's work carelessly(Jer. 48, 10).

In his “Paternal Testament,” the self-taught writer and wise peasant Ivan Tikhonovich Pososhkov (†1726) writes: “Work in all truth, without laziness and guile, - do not drive the day to evening, but bring the matter to an end... Live peacefully with your fellow workers, not argue, and if they offend you in any way, be patient. Scripture says: He who endures to the end will be saved(Matthew 10:22) ... Without God’s will, no one will harm you, just be a man of God yourself, live in God’s way in everything, do not complain about anyone, not even your enemy, and remember that poverty and wealth are all from Gentlemen... God forbid you to do and say as unscrupulous people do and say: “If only you can get away with it,” but try to do everything according to your conscience, as before God... And if your master sometimes offends you in some way, do not be angry and not only to people, but also to God, do not complain about him... Say to yourself: “For my sins, God sent me such a master or comrades, I must endure.” For such your patience, for your gentleness and meekness, God will not leave you and will lead you out of your need - not by your intelligence, but by His Divine Providence, and will not only endow you with this earthly wealth, but will not deprive you of the future Kingdom of Heaven.”

The Lord said to His disciples: You can't do anything without Me(John 15:5), therefore, if our affairs are successful, we should not be proud of this and attribute success to our own on our own and skill.

If the work we must do is difficult and requires special patience, then, in the words of Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov), “don’t be cowardly, don’t be lazy, don’t be annoyed, don’t indulge in anger, impatience, murmuring, etc., help yourself some kind of edifying singing, secret prayer, raising the heart to the Lord God in some short prayerful sighs to Him... Such exercises help keep the soul in union with God, drive away all evil from it, strengthen it in goodness and support bodily strength.”

Saint Theophan the Recluse teaches: “Choose several short prayers or directly take the twenty-four prayers of Chrysostom and repeat them often with appropriate thoughts and feelings. As you become more proficient, your head will be enlightened by the memory of God and your heart will be warmed.”

Among the short prayers, the holy fathers recommend the following: the publican’s prayer “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (see: Luke 18:13) or “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” as well as “Lord, have mercy.” Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) considers the Jesus Prayer the most excellent of all short prayers: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Venerable Aristoclius (†1918), Elder of Athos and Moscow Wonderworker (his relics rest in the Moscow Church of the Great Martyr Nikita on Shvivaya Hill behind the Yauza, on Athos Compound), instructs to constantly prayerfully call Holy Mother of God: “Whether you go to work or whatever you are doing, say: “I place all my trust in You, Mother of God, keep me under Your roof.” And so always call on the Mother of God, and also: “Mother of God, do not despise me, who requires Your help and Your intercession” - or otherwise, as you know how - just call.”

Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God

The famous elder Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) says: “In order for our affairs to be successful, we must always ask for God’s blessing and not begin any business without prayer; in case of failures, let us not indulge in cowardice and despondency, but with patience we will begin to trust in the mercy of God, continuing our labors and pursuits. And the Lord, looking at our submission to His will, will crown our efforts with the desired success. Receiving contentment from the Lord in bodily goods, let us not become attached to them, but, on the contrary, we will always remember the commandment of God: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you(Matthew 6:33) - and you will be sons of the Kingdom.”

Christian work, or the Path to virtue

While going about your normal business and getting caught up in the bustle of the world, you should not forget about your Christian responsibilities, since they are entrusted to us by the Lord.

First of all, we must love the Lord. And loving God means trying to recognize His will, moving away from everything that is contrary to the Lord, and joyfully and diligently doing what is pleasing to Him.

The Apostle Luke says how we should love the Lord: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.(Luke 10:27).

Righteous John of Kronstadt interprets these gospel words this way: “To love God with all your heart means not to have attachments to anything and to give your whole heart to the Lord God, doing His will in everything, and not your own; with all your soul, that is, always have your whole mind in God, affirm your whole heart in Him and surrender all your will to His will in all circumstances of life, joyful and sad; with all our strength, that is, to love so that no opposing force could tear us away from the love of God, no circumstances of life: neither sorrow, nor oppression, nor persecution, nor height and depth, nor the sword (see: Rom. 8:35, 39); with all your thoughts, that is, always, think about God, about His goodness, long-suffering, holiness, wisdom, omnipotence, about His deeds, and in every possible way avoid vain thoughts and evil memories.”

From St. Basil the Great we read: “What are the signs of love for God? The Lord Himself taught us this, saying: If you love Me, keep My commandments(John 14, 15). The Lord says: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; as I have loved you, so love one another(John 13:34). And the Lord Himself determined the measure of this love: So, in everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them.(Matt. 7:12).

According to the words of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria (12th century), the Savior Himself “shows us the shortest path to virtue: since we, as people, know from ourselves what we should do to others.”

This means that if we want well-being for ourselves, we will want the same for our neighbors.

If we become angry due to the rude treatment of our neighbor, we will not say anything until the anger passes.

We are pleased when they help; We will try to help our neighbors in everything, especially in spiritual need.

It is unpleasant for us when people speak badly of us, expose our shortcomings and vices, treat us rudely and insult us - and we will not do this ourselves.

Let's not judge. Among believers, the sin of judging our neighbors is very common, and it must be added that we discuss and condemn people with pleasure. And sometimes condemnation even turns into entertainment, especially when we gather with our friends and acquaintances to “scratch our tongues.” Such a pastime is almost commonplace and ubiquitous, but no one remembers that it is sinful and destructive for the soul. When we judge someone, we forget the commandment of the Lord: Judge not lest ye be judged(Matt. 7:1). The holy fathers said about the sin of condemnation that, looking at the sins of others, we cease to notice our own.

Let us not slander or listen to condemnation and gossip from others. Slander is the work of the devil. From the lives of St. Gregory of Akraganti (VII century), St. Stephen the Confessor (IX century), from Memorable legends about the hermit Abba Nikon and others, we know that slanderers can be punished by demonization.

In the biography of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea (III century) we read. In his youth, studying at the Alexandria School, he was distinguished by his extraordinary modesty and virginal purity. He was loved and respected by both his comrades and mentors. But his good behavior was not to the heart of the libertines and envious people. They decided to disgrace him and bribed the fallen woman to slander the innocent. In front of many, she approached Saint Gregory and demanded payment for the sin he allegedly committed with her. Out of shame, he lowered his gaze and only blushed. The harlot continued to scream, demanding money. And then Saint Gregory asked his friends to pay her. They gave the money. As soon as the slanderer took them, a demon immediately attacked her. She fell to the ground, screamed terribly, gnashed her teeth, emitting foam, so that everyone was horrified. The demon tormented her until Saint Gregory prayed for her. Only then did she receive healing.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (†1783) compares a slanderer with a person infected with a terrible fatal disease. “One infected with a pestilence injures those who communicate with him; the slanderer harms the one who listens to his slander. From an infected person the ulcer spreads to another, from another to a third, from a third to a fourth, and so on to all people, if they are not careful; So it is from a slanderer - one will hear slander and tell another, another - to a third, a third - to a fourth, and so everyone hears and is damaged by slander... - says St. Tikhon. – The slanderer also harms the one he slanderes: for with his tongue he wounds him as with a sword. He also harms himself: for he sins gravely. He also harms those who listen to his slander: for he gives them a reason for slander and condemnation and thus leads them to the same lawless deed in which he himself finds himself... Christian! Beware of the slanderer pestilence You take care of an infected person, otherwise you yourself will become infected from him and die. Beware of experiencing human sins yourself, so that you do not judge and slander your neighbor. Experience and recognize your sins and cleanse them with true repentance and faith. This is a Christian work to which you are called by Christ.”

Here's the situation from modern life: they talk dirty in front of us about good person, and we understand that this is slander, but at the same time we either listen silently or agree, thus participating in a terrible sin. If we are unable to resist slander, then we must ask the Lord about it: “ Deliver me from human slander(Ps. 119, 134) - not only so that people do not slander me, but so that I do not slander others!”

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) speaks about how we need to behave towards each other and cherish a good feeling towards others: “Forgive insults to your neighbor, refrain from causing offense, from irritation, from anger, etc. Let us not obey the devil, who teaches us to hold evil in our souls against our neighbor, but in the simplicity of our hearts we will forgive our neighbor for the insults inflicted on them, also at the instigation of the devil. Let no one think evil against each other, let no one be carried away by evil suspicion towards his brother, for this is the charm of the enemy of our salvation, who is trying in every possible way to destroy the union of love and brotherhood in us and to implant demonic enmity and hostility.”

How not to sin in various life circumstances

“During their earthly life, people are given various positions,” says Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). – All these provisions are not accidental; they, as tasks to be solved, as lessons for work, are distributed by the Providence of God, so that every person in the position in which he is placed, fulfilling the will of God, works out his salvation.”

The life circumstances in which we find ourselves, the position in society we occupy, are different for everyone. But all this is not without the will of God or God’s permission, so we will always, in any situation, try to act righteously and piously. The simple and very comforting spiritual recommendations of Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov) will help us with this:

“When you are happy, everything in life goes according to your desire; Then thank the Lord God for everything with all your heart and be extremely careful not to remain ungrateful to Him. When taking advantage of earthly prosperity, do not become attached to it with your heart: your heart should be attached only to the Lord God. Never forget His words: Give me, son, your heart(Proverbs 23, 26)…

If any misfortune befalls you, never indulge in immoderate grief, fear, grumbling or despair: the All-Wise and All-Good Lord sends us every earthly disaster for our benefit. If you feel guilty of something, then imagine the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, who suffered for you incomparably more than you can suffer - who suffered completely innocently, without the slightest murmur or displeasure, and become convinced that you deserve much greater misfortune. If, when a misfortune has befallen you, you feel innocent, then thank God with all your heart that through this misfortune He wants to save you from anything disastrous for the salvation of your soul. For constant joy makes the soul frivolous, arrogant and fickle; With constant happiness, we all very easily indulge in vanity, pride, voluptuousness... Say: “You, Lord, know what is good for me, do with me according to Your will.”

If you are rich, then never think that you owe your wealth to yourself, your ingenuity and activity. Firmly remember the words of the Spirit of God that only The Lord makes poor and makes rich, humiliates and exalts(1 Samuel 2:7), and therefore do not be proud of your wealth, but be humble, consider it a gift from God and diligently thank the Lord God for it, but do not cling to wealth with your heart, so that you do not become a slave to your wealth. Keep your heart towards him in such a way that you can calmly do without him, as soon as the Lord God pleases to take him away from you...

If you are poor, then bear your poverty complacently. Carry this burden graciously until it pleases the Lord God to remove it from you—carry it, if He pleases, until death. Be always cheerful, do not grieve, do not complain, especially do not be discouraged and do not use any wrong means, contrary to the will of God, to deliver yourself from poverty. Always remember... whatever the Lord does to us, he does in order to facilitate our salvation. Remember that the Lord God will never put more burden on you than you can bear. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but when you are tempted, He will also provide relief, so that you can endure it.(1 Cor. 10:13). Remember also that He is always with you to provide His help. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.(Matthew 28, 20)…

If, in your poverty, some other burdens oppress you, then do not lose heart here, but console yourself with holy thoughts. For example, do they hate you, despise you? Think: “What a problem! My Lord and Savior was God, but they hated Him too, they despised Him too.” Are you being squeezed or offended? Think: “What a problem! Who was oppressed and offended more than anyone else, if not the Lord Himself!” Think also: “If someone is not despised and humiliated, then how will he practice humility? If someone is not insulted, how will he learn humility? If someone is not insulted, how will he learn patience, meekness and other similar Christian virtues?”

When you are praised, be extremely careful, because then you are in a dangerous position: you can fall into pride, vanity, carelessness or other harmful seduction. To prevent this from happening to you, try to look at the praise given to you with distrust, and if they praise you to your face, it is best to interrupt the conversation in a decent manner and turn the speech to another subject. Firmly remember that what is worthy of praise in you is not yours, but God’s, and God gave you the disposition, ability, strength, desire and opportunity to acquire something worthy of praise and, therefore, the glory for this does not belong to you, but to God.

When you see something worthy of praise in yourself and feel a desire to tell others about it, try to destroy this desire in yourself with the idea that because of human praise you will make yourself unworthy of praise from God, because you receive a reward from people. Remember the very important words of the Lord: Woe to you when all people speak well of you!(Luke 6:26).

When you see that many greedily seek their happiness in sensual goods and pleasures, in bliss, in luxury and pass it off as wisdom; when you see that many, for their earthly happiness, use all kinds of lies and all deceit, defend hatred, vindictiveness and other passions, and consider refusal to satisfy sensual pleasures to be stupidity, then we must firmly remember in our hearts and say, as the apostles taught: “ We are Christians, we must live according to the law of Christ.” Bear each other's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ(Gal. 6:2), and the law of Christ requires that we crucify our flesh with its passions and lusts (see: Gal. 5:24), rejecting lies, saying the truth, each one to his neighbor(Eph. 4:25), but all vengeance was left to the Lord God, who said: Vengeance is mine, I will repay(Rom. 12:19).”

Once again, let us not fail to turn to the advice of the peasant Ivan Pososhkov: “If you become poor, my son, and are unable to support yourself, then do not be discouraged, do not despair and do not touch any unrighteous deeds, do not make acquaintances with worthless people, but put your hope in God.”

This is how we must try to act if we want to live like a Christian and achieve salvation.

CHRISTIAN LIFE

Christian life is an indivisible whole: either we are with God or against Him: “ He who is not with Me is against Me"(Luke 11.23).

Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church, and the soul of a Christian, like a bride, can be either faithful or unfaithful to its Bridegroom.

If a soul has loved Christ much, much is forgiven, but if it has not loved it, then even a thousand good deeds will not save, for, as the apostle said, “ If I give away all my property and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, it will be of no benefit to me."(1 Cor 13.3).

« Sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3.4), and it consists precisely in violating the law of spiritual growth. Even stopping in the movement towards God, according to the holy fathers, is tantamount to retreating back.

And a small betrayal is already a real betrayal.

Sin is everything that disrupts communication with God, our divine-human life.

There is nothing worse than fear. To a fanatic, the devil always seems scary and strong; he believes in him more than in God. However, the Monk Silouan of Athos said: “The devil only scares, but has no power.”

What a person needs most is a spiritual cure for fear.

A person who stands before God will never become a fanatic. He becomes a fanatic only when he puts himself before people. The fanatic seeks power, not Truth. Truth is not given ready-made and is not perceived passively by man; it is an endless task. Truth does not fall from above on a person like some kind of thing. Truth is a way out of oneself. A fanatic cannot lose his temper. He loses his temper only in anger against others, but this is not a way out to others and to others. This is a distortion of Christianity.

The Christian life is not about fulfilling the greatest number of rules of good conduct or accumulating good deeds; This is a complete rebirth of man.

It does not resemble not only the life of a sinner, but also the life of a non-Christian righteous person.

This Life is supernatural, divine-human. A Christian lives not alone, but with God, and not according to his own, but according to His will.

It was not new rules, not even a new moral teaching that Christ gave and gives us, but Himself, but in Himself this new Life, filled not with human, but with Divine love.

She is moved by the Holy Spirit, who is, as it were, the highest inspiration of man, the inspiration of a holy life.

A true Christian fulfills the will of God not as a slave carrying out someone else’s command, but as a son of God by adoption, and clearly realizes that the will of God is, in essence, his own, innermost desire. And, indeed, by doing the will of God, he only gains freedom and becomes himself.

But this is possible only with close unity with Jesus Christ, since only in Him human nature was inseparably and inextricably united with the Divine nature.

Union with Christ is achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit, the acquisition of which, according to the word of St. Seraphim of Sarov is the goal of Christian life.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love and unity, descended on the Holy Church, on this most perfect union of love on earth, called to unity, like the highest unity of the Most Holy Trinity. Therefore, a person can acquire the Holy Spirit only in the Church.

The fullness of communion with God or grace is holiness.

Few reach it and can say with the Apostle Paul: “ It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me"(Gal 2.20).

But even on the path to it, Christians are not deprived of communion with God, that is, the firstfruits of a grace-filled life. It is only important that its seeds, sown through the word of God and the Holy Sacraments, sprout and grow. This growth is what it's all about.

If life, driven by passions and lusts, dies away, and the effort to live according to the will of God and the ability to communicate with God grows, then we live.

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Christian life * * *nun Eupraxia 21/X-60 We received your two letters. Mother, your name Eupraxia means good deeds. If you want your life to be according to your name, then you must everywhere and always coordinate your actions with the Gospel, which teaches us to do good and

To the question Christian life... How is that? given by the author August the best answer is For most, this is the kind of life when you say one thing, do another, and think something else.

Answer from Neurologist[guru]
This is how Seraphim of Sarov defines the goal of Christian life: “They told you: go to church, pray to God, do God’s commandments, do good - that’s the goal of Christian life. And some were even indignant at you because you were busy with unpleasing curiosity and told you : Do not seek your superiors. But they did not speak as they should have. Here I, poor Seraphim, will now explain to you what this goal really is. Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian deeds, no matter how good they are in themselves, however, the goal of our Christian life is not in doing them alone, although they serve as necessary means for achieving it. The true goal of Christian life is the accumulation of the Holy Spirit of God. Fasting and vigil, and prayer, and alms, and Every good deed done for the sake of Christ is a means for accumulating the Holy Spirit of God. Note, father, that only for the sake of Christ a good deed done brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Still, what is not done for the sake of Christ, although good, will not bring rewards in the life of the next century represents and does not give the grace of God in this life either. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said: “Whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (Luke 11:23). To do this you need to start here right faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners, and by acquiring for ourselves the grace of the Holy Spirit, introducing the kingdom of God into our hearts and paving the way for us to acquire the bliss of life in the future century. That is why the Lord said to the Hebrews: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you say what you see, the sin remains on you” (John 9:41). So then, your love for God. So the accumulation of this Spirit of God is the true goal of our Christian life, and prayer, fasting, vigil, almsgiving and other virtues done for the sake of Christ are only means to accumulate the Spirit of God. The purpose of the worldly life of ordinary people is to accumulate, or make money, and for nobles, in addition, to receive honors, distinctions and other awards for state services. The accumulation of the Spirit of God is also capital, but only grace-filled and eternal, and it, like money, official and temporary capital, is acquired in the same ways, very similar to each other. God the Word, our Lord God-man, Jesus Christ likens our life to a market place, and calls the work of our life on earth a purchase and says to all of us: “use them in trade until I return” (Luke 19:13), “valuing time, therefore that the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16), i.e., gain time to receive heavenly goods through earthly goods. Earthly goods are virtues done for Christ's sake, providing us with the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. Of course, every virtue done for the sake of Christ gives the grace of the Holy Spirit, but prayer gives most of all, because it is, as it were, always in our hands, as a weapon for accumulating the grace of the Spirit. Would you like, for example, to go to church, but either there is no church, or the service has passed; you would like to give to a beggar, but there is no beggar, or there is nothing to give; you would want to observe virginity, but you do not have the strength to do this due to your constitution or due to the efforts of the enemy’s machinations, which you, due to human weakness, cannot resist; We would like to do some other virtue for the sake of Christ, but we also don’t have the strength, or we can’t find the opportunity. But this has nothing to do with prayer: everyone always has the opportunity to do it - rich and poor, noble and simple, strong and weak, healthy and sick, righteous and sinner.

Answer from Admin[master]
overeat and not live

Answer from pickle[guru]
A life dedicated to serving the Lord

Answer from Mikhail Potapov[guru]
Saint Theophan the Recluse:
“We need to understand for ourselves when and how a truly Christian life begins in order to see whether the beginning of this life has been laid in us, and, if it is not, to know how to lay it, to the extent that it depends on us.
It is not yet a decisive sign of true life in Christ if someone is called a Christian and belongs to the Church of Christ. Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! God!" , will enter the Kingdom (Matt 7:21). And not all those Israelites who are from Israel (Rom 9:6). You can be among the Christians and not be a Christian. Everyone knows this.
There is a moment, and a very noticeable moment, sharply indicated during our life, when someone begins to live like a Christian. This is the moment when quality begins to appear in him distinctive features Christian life. Christian life is zeal and strength to remain in active communion with God, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, with the help of God’s grace, by fulfilling His holy will, for the glory of His most holy name. The essence of Christian life consists in communion with God about Christ Jesus our Lord, in communion with God, which at the beginning is usually hidden not only from others, but also from oneself. The visible or felt evidence of it within us is the heat of active zeal, exclusively about Christian pleasing to God, with complete self-sacrifice and hatred of everything contrary to this. So, when this heat of jealousy begins, then the Christian life begins; and in whom it constantly acts, he lives like a Christian. "

Answer from Yatyana.[guru]
Not easy for sure.

Answer from Yergey Dolotov[newbie]
Seek the answer from Christ himself, not from people. And He said everything in Scripture.

Answer from Andrey Chirkazerov[guru]
Striving to live up to God's standards.

Answer from Valera Khimchenko[guru]
You are a Jew. I don’t give a damn about Nature, I don’t give a damn about the Earth, I don’t give a damn about people. The main thing is that you have the cake.

Answer from Alena Stechenko[newbie]
From the heights of heaven, our Jesus Christ brought us the Father, declaring: “He is in me, and I in him. It is true that I and the Father are one.” Jesus Christ raised man from the mud, affirming: “You are my brothers, and we are all children of one God and the Holy Spirit in us all.”
And the voice of the Prophet Muhammad echoed: “The believers are all brothers. Their prayer should be: “Glory to the Most High, the God of all, in whom is your salvation, may there be peace for All! “Can any Jew, honestly, say that God is exclusively their God, a Christian will then say that Christ is only their God, and a Muslim will say that Allah is only their God? Would any normal person insist that he was made of special blood and meat of a higher quality than other people? >>>

Christian life is zeal and strength to remain in active communion with God, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, with the help of God’s grace, by fulfilling His holy will, to the glory of His Most Holy Name. The essence of Christian life consists in communion with God about Christ Jesus - in communion with God, which at first is usually hidden not only from others, but also from oneself. The visible, or felt within us, evidence of it is the heat of active zeal, exclusively about Christian pleasing to God, with complete self-sacrifice and hatred of everything contrary to that.

Thus, when this heat of jealousy begins, then the beginning of Christian life is laid: and in whom it constantly acts, he lives like a Christian. Do not quench the Spirit, the apostle commands: be on fire with the Spirit; Serve the Lord.

It is clear that the cold fulfillment of the statutes of the Church, regularity in affairs established by prudent reason, serviceability, sedateness and honesty in behavior are not yet decisive indicators of what constitutes a truly Christian life in us. All this is good, but since it does not carry within itself the spirit of life about Christ Jesus, it has no value before God. Things of this kind will then be like soulless idols. And the good watch goes well; but who can say that there is life in them? So it is here. This integrity of behavior can lead into seduction more than anything else. Its true meaning depends on internal locations. Just as, by outwardly refraining from sinful deeds, one can have attachment or co-delight for them in the heart, so doing the right things outwardly, one can not have a heartfelt disposition towards them. Only true zeal and goodness wants to accomplish in all its fullness and purity, and pursues it to its smallest shades. She seeks the former as her daily bread; she treats the latter as if she were a mortal enemy.

The work of piety and communion with God is a difficult and painful task, especially at first. Where can I get the strength to carry out this work? With the help of God's grace in animated zeal. A merchant, a warrior, a judge, a scientist go through a laborious and laborious service. How do they support themselves in their labors?

Inspiration and love for your work. There is no other way to support yourself on the path of piety. Without this, we will find darkness, burdensomeness, boredom, and lethargy in serving God. Zealous pleasing to God is a joyful, spirit-inspiring procession towards God. We must do everything for the glory of God, contrary to the spirit living in us. It is clear that without zeal a Christian is a bad Christian - lethargic, relaxed, lifeless, neither warm nor cold - and life is not life. So, true testimony about Christian life is the fire of active zeal for pleasing God. How is this fire kindled? Such zeal is produced by the action of grace, but not without the participation of our free will. One must pray for the sending of grace and one must be ready to receive it. The Spirit of God, descending into the heart, begins to act in it not only with consuming, but with all-pervasive jealousy.

Every Christian strives to live as God tells him to live. However, few people know what this command of God is, despite the fact that most believers have heard about the existence of God's Ten Commandments and even recognize the importance of observing them.

Another thing is that of all the commandments we are usually familiar with only “thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal.” What else does God require of us and how to live according to God's commandments right, especially in modern world? This question is very relevant.

Ten Commandments of God

The Bible (Exodus 20) tells how God proclaimed His law on Mount Sinai in smoke, fire and an earthquake. After this, the prophet Moses wrote down everything God's words on two stone slabs.

Briefly, the law goes like this:

1. I am the Lord your God, so that you may have no other gods.
2. Do not make yourself an idol or any image. Do not worship them or serve them.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. You shall work six days, and the seventh day, the Sabbath, is for the Lord Your God. Don't do anything about it.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. Dont kill.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Do not covet anything that is your neighbor's.

At first glance, it may seem to some that all the commandments are very simple, while others, on the contrary, will think that they are complex and incomprehensible. How to live according to God's commandments?

How can an ordinary person keep God's commandments?

A modern believer reading these lines might think something like this:

1 commandment: I’m not a pagan, I don’t believe in polytheism. There is One God. Of course, sometimes I pray to saints, but I don't consider them gods. I keep the first commandment.

2nd commandment: I don’t worship any pictures. Yes, there are icons in the church that help to focus on prayer and contemplation of God, but this is a centuries-old tradition. And the priests probably know what they can do and what they can’t do.

3rd commandment: Yes, I’m a sinner, sometimes in God’s anger I remember. But this is in order to calm down - it turns out to be a mini-prayer. It's OK.

4th commandment: Saturday, what are you talking about? I heard about the resurrection - on Sunday Christ was resurrected, and this is probably why He abolished the observance of the Sabbath. In general, what difference does it make what day you pray to God?

Then everything is simpler - I respect my parents, I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t cheat on my wife, I didn’t steal anything (powder from work doesn’t count - it’s compensation for moral damage). Slander - I didn’t lie to anyone (again, gossip is a completely different matter). Envy – well, if just a little bit.

What happens in the end? We either close the Bible with a clear conscience and move on with our lives, or, at best, we understand that we are not as holy as we would like, but we believe that God will forgive everything (if we light a candle, or, even better, confess).

Few people ask themselves the question: what does God think about my behavior? How are we supposed to keep God's law?

What did Christ say about the Ten Commandments?

Who else but God's Son, Jesus Christ, could tell us how to live! It was He who revealed to us in the famous Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7, the important principles of Christian life.

Christ did not examine all ten commandments, showing us only an example of how we should reason.

The essence of His words is this: if you think that you have not killed anyone, but in your heart you are angry with your neighbor or simply call him a fool and an empty person, you have already broken the law! And if you think that you have never cheated on your wife, remember how many women you have dreamed about in a less than decent way?

It turns out that even thoughts and motives can lead us into sin!

After thinking about this, every person will come to the conclusion: we cannot be absolutely sinless and cannot keep the law. Then why was it given to us? Could it be true that Christ died for our sins and by His resurrection abolished God’s commandments?

How did the resurrection of Christ affect the law?

Before His sermon, at the very beginning, Christ says: Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

For verily I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law, until all is fulfilled. (Holy Gospel of Matthew 5:17, 18).

It turns out that those who say that after God’s commandments were abolished are wrong. Otherwise, during His life He would definitely have spoken about it. Besides, we might decide that it is now okay to kill and steal. But who will like this interpretation of the law?

Without a doubt, the Divine law, which is the universal measure of the life of every person, cannot be abolished.

Then, how can we live according to God’s commandments, especially in the modern world, when prohibitions and restrictions are especially not welcomed by people?

God's law as a set of prohibitions

Unfortunately, most people perceive the commandments as a strict and even meaningless prohibition, for violation of which God will punish in the most terrible way.

At the same time, many of us understand that a simple ban does not solve anything in life. Try strictly forbidding your child not to go into a power socket or not to take a knife, without explaining to him the reasons and consequences?

Obviously, this will only stir up the child’s interest and, next time, he will probably try to check why it is “not possible.”

In the life of an adult, the same laws apply, since he is just a grown-up child, who still does not understand why it is “impossible” to act one way or another, why one should observe?

Trying to formally follow the rules and adjust our behavior to God’s requirements, we will never be able to please God. This is impossible because we are all sinners, as stated above.

What does God want from us?

Love is the basis of all law

Christ in His teaching gave us the solution to this complex puzzle. When He was asked what the most important commandment in the Law was, He said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; All the law and the prophets are based on these two commandments. (Holy Gospel of Matthew 22:36-40)

So, what does God want from us? It turns out that He will be satisfied only by our sincere love for Him and our neighbors. How could it be otherwise, when only love can help us honor God and treat others well?

Remember how a person who loves behaves! Can he kill, cheat, or otherwise harm the object of his love? It’s hard to imagine, although anything can happen in life.

In any case, it is much easier to keep the Ten Commandments when we are filled with love!

It’s a different story if we don’t know how to love and don’t know how to do it. Then formal adherence to the rules will not help us in any way.

Fortunately for us, God never gives commands that we cannot fulfill.

And He is always ready to endow us with His holy love and help us cope with our sins, if we just ask Him about it and accept Divine help with faith.

It is not for nothing that the Apostle Paul said: I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13). Including, with God's help, we will be able to keep God's ten commandments.

Therefore, every Christian should think about how to live according to God’s commandments and ask God for the strength to do this.