In The Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit .
One God . Amen .
Virtues and Vices
First of all , we need to know that this book is important because it speaks about virtues .
Being filled with virtues is from the most important things to enter the kingdom of heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ . Without these virtues you will never be able to see God nor see the kingdom of heaven . The more you are filled with virtues the better your eternal life will be .
Virtues have been the main thing in life since the time of Adam and Eve and till the last day , and even in eternity , in the eternal life , and not only in our human world , but it also was , and has been the most important thing in the world of spirits , the world of the angels . Satan became pride and murmured against God and disobeyed God , so , he was cast out from heaven and thrown down into Hades .
For instance , we all know that love is the main virtue and without it no one will be able to live with God nor with the saints . It comprehends and includes all life relationships and all the commandments of God "Mt. 22 : 37 – 40 Jesus said to him , you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul , and with all your mind , this is the first and great commandment , and the second is like it , you shall love your neighbor as yourself , on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" .
Also we all know that the sermon on the mount which is one of the best teachings of Christ , starts with many virtues , like , the poor in spirit , the pure in heart , the meek , the peace-makers and those who thirst and hunger for righteousness .
We also know "James 2 : 13 judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy" .
And "Heb 12 : 14 without holiness no one will see the Lord"
And outside the heavens will be "Rev. 22 : 15 outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" , "Rev. 21 : 8 the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" , "Rev. 21 : 27 there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie" .
Please also note that these last three verses mention that liars will not enter the heavenly Jerusalem , because most people lie and do not even know that they are doing something wrong , I am going to write about the difference between to lie and to speak in a good political way later .
- About justice and truth , please read my booklet called [Justice and truth (with mercy)] .
- The pure in heart : are those who will see God , because the pure heart is the heart that is full of virtues . It is good to ask from God to give you a pure heart "Ps. 51 : 10 create a pure a heart in me , O God"
- Prayer : we should also pray saying : [Lord , please , fill me with good virtues . or , O Holy Spirit , please fill me with your good fruits . And cast away all vices that are in me] .
- As virtues are good and important for men , they are also good and important for women "Prov. 31 : 10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies" .
- Every saint had many virtues , like for instance , the Virgin Mary had humbleness in heart , obedience and love , that is why God chose her to be His mother . And all other saints chosen by God , were chosen only because they were righteous , and of course because they loved god and obeyed Him .
+ Now , this book is just very little words about virtues and vices , mainly titles and many commandments of God and verses , to remind some of God's people of these virtues , because I have seen in my life that most people have never heard of some of these virtues , and if they have heard of them they forgot them or … .
- While talking about virtues and vices we shall talk about behavior and conduct . If you are righteous , you must pray and fast and be honest and faithful at work and with your family and friends . All social fields are related to each other , and all virtues are related to each other . I can not do justice and truth , unless I am merciful especially to those who are merciful , and unless I have love to all people , if I love one and hate another I may oppressthe one I hate , and unless I have knowledge and understanding to all God's Nomos and to all civil law , and unless I know how to pray to always ask God's counsel because for sure there will be things and situations which I shall not know , and so on , we can see how all virtues are related to each other . Righteousness should be complete and perfect .
- Please always have in mind , to let everything be for the glory of God "1 pet. 4 : 11 that in all things God may be glorified" , "Mt. 5 : 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" .
- Important point : We need to know that a virtue is a virtue only because God said it is a virtue and wants us to do it , but if God at any time says "do not do it" , so we must not do it , we must always obey God not worship righteousness , we love God before everything else . In other words , there is no absolute right or absolute wrong , everything can be right if done in the right time , in the right place , with the right person , and in the best way , otherwise it will be wrong , and only God knows everything , He alone is the Omniscient . For instance , when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah , that was not wrong at all , a judge can sentence a murderer to death , and God being the Judge of judges knew that they all were sinners and they would not repent , so He destroyed them otherwise they would destroy the surrounding peoples and nations . So let us always obey God and be ready to accept His commandments with joy .
- Also please note that righteousness does not come through reading and hearing sermons only , but also through prayers and meditations , through the work of the Holy Spirit within us . Righteousness may differ from one person to another , and may differ in the same person from time to time and from age to age and from country to country . Every thing is relative . So as we said , only God knows what is suitable for every one , so ask Him to give you counsel in every moment what to do and what to say and how to behave .
Although everything is relative , but still there must be limits to everything , and there must be some things common . And in all cases and in all places we must be guided by love , our love to God and to men , and also must have in mind the verse which the Lord says "Mt. 7 : 12 whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" . But again , even love is relative , and it differs from time to time and from place to another , so the only thing we can do is to pray to God to guide us in all our life . We depend on God but still every one must do all what he can , we do what we can do and then God does for us what we can not do . By all this every thing in our life will be great , our love to God and His love to us will be complete and perfect .
- When you first start gaining virtues , you will gain one virtue , then another one untill you get all what you can . In the begining it may be little hard to perceive , but then by time and with many prayers you will perceive and comprehend all virtues together , and then you may reach the perfect degree which the Lord wants from us in general , and specifically from you .
- Of course there must be some wisdom with every virtue , always ask God to give you useful knowledge , right understanding and heavenly wisdom .
- Try to know what virtues are suitable for you , for your work , for your age and for all your circumstances , and concentrate on them .
- While trying to be righteous , remember : "Ecc. 12 : 12 much study is a weariness of the flesh" , "Ecc. 7 : 16 Do not be overly rightoues nor be overly wise , why should you destroy yourself" , concerning this last verse , we need to know something , remember , in the beginning we said that there is a difference between to lie and to speak in a political way , sometimes you will have to speak in a political way or else you will be overly rightoues and you will destroy yourself and destroy others . Also remember , we said that there is nothing absolute , everything can be right if done in the right time and the right place , so if for the good you need to speak in a political way , do it , if you don't do it you will be wrong and it may be a sin against you and people may blaspheme God because of you . Remember , we do not worship righteousness , we only practice righteousness because it is good for us and for others and because it glorifies God . Even Jesus Christ Himself and His apostles did that. But , please , keep in mind , that these good policies are not right in courts , if you are a witness in any case that will affect others , you must say everything accurately and exactly . Remember the Lord's commandment "Do not bear false witness" .
Also there is a difference between speaking with policies and playing with words , the first glorifies God and is good for us , while the second may destroy a lot of things .
- Of course to very rule and to every commandment , there are exceptions , but because they are much , so again , that is why , we always ought to pray and ask God's guidance and counsel . For instance , the Jews in the Old Testament had to keep the Sabbath without doing anything , but they had circumcision that must be done in the eighth day , so if the eighth day came on a Sabbath , still they had to do circumcision , that was the exception , and now in the New Testament , our Lord Jesus taught us that every good and charitable deed can be an exception .
- Also in every virtue and in every commandment , there is the minimum limit and there is the perfect class , the minimum is right before sin , but perfection is endless . Like a test or an exam , if you get 100% , so you are perfect , but if you get 60 percent , it is not good but still you will pass .
- Please do not forget , let every thing be for the glory of God , for the salvation of all and for the edifying of the church and of God's people , and do not forget to do what is good for you .
It is your right to do what is good for yourself , this is not sin , but this should be within limits , so that you do not harm others nor do anything against God . And know that something may be right but you do it in a wrong way or a wrong place . And Again the right thing is what God says it is right , but if after a moment God says it is wrong , we must obey Him .
+ The good and the bad , and , the right and the wrong ,
always look like each other :
It is like wheat and tare , we can not differentiate between them until they grow up and bear fruit and then we can tell , if good fruit it is wheat . But , if someone has good experience and he always asks God's counsel and guidance , then most of the times he can tell what is good and what is bad and the difference between them .
We are going to take some examples :
[1] The difference between , good competition , and bad struggle :
For example , students in college , compete to excel and every one of them wants to be the first , so every one can do what he can , but it is not lawful to harm any other one . This rule can be applied to all fields in life in general , even in spiritual fields , every minister can do the best he can to be loved more by God , but without affecting negatively a good ministry of any other one .
[2] The difference between , good zeal and Jealousy , and bad jealousy :
The Bible says about God "Exod. 34 : 14 the Lord … is a jealous God" , the good zeal is like that which our Lord Jesus had "Jn. 2 : 17 Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up" , and many saints had zeal for the glory of God . This is the good zeal . But bad jealousy is that which can be in a person and causes him to do a lot of bad things , and may even destroy him .
[3] Good cunning and intelligence , and bad deceitfulness :
Saint Paul says "2Cor. 12 : 16 I caught you by cunning" , so , with some cleverness he brought many people to the Lord , without harming any one , but he had to do that for their benefit and to perform God's will . But bad deceitfulness is like what Satan did through the serpent to Eve "2Cor. 11 : 3 as the serpent deceived Eve" .
[4] Good agreement , and bad counsels and devices :
It is good that any group of people agree together to do any good thing , whether they are in one family , in the same company , friends , in one ministry , in the same church , any group of people have the right to do all what may benefit them , but once they start to harm others , so they are mistaken . This happened many times against David , and he prayed to God to save him from all the counsels and devices of his wicked enemies . Please when you pray , take care lest you pray against righteous people or against good deeds of other people .
[5] The difference between , a gift , and a bribe :
As we have said many times , the main difference is that , a gift is given with love without asking for any bad thing , but a bribe is given with bad intention and will cause harm to others . But still there is one more important point , a judge , or any one in a similar position , should not take even a good gift , that is what God says , read "Exod. 18 : 21 / 23 : 8 / Deut. 10 : 17 / 16 : 19 / 27 : 25"
[6] Joy , and sorrow and sadness
+ There are 3 kinds of joy : 1] Earthly evil joy , where there are many offences and things against God and against others , and this for sure will lead to hell .
2] Wordly good joy , it is good but it is vanity and grasping for the wind . This kind is what Solomon had , he spoke about it in chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes .
3] Spiritual joy , to rejoice when God is glorified , when the wicked repents "Lk.15:7" , when people do righteousness and when justice and mercy spread on all the earth …. , and for sure all these will lead to the everlasting joy with the Holy Trinity in the everlasting life.
Verses about joy are "1 Cor. 13 ; 6 / Mt. 5 : 12 / Phil. 4 : 4"
+ 2 kinds of sorrow : "2 Cor. 7 : 10 godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation , not to be regretted , but the sorrow of the world produces death" .
1] worldly sorrow , for losing things or … , we should not fall in it lest we despair .
2] Spiritual (godly) sorrow , because of the many sins we see everywhere and because men harm us and hurt our feelings … , but we must know that all this will end , and we should rejoice in all things because our reward will be great in heaven "Luke 6:22 / Mt. 5 : 4".
[7] Chastening and giving instructions , punishment , and destruction :
"Heb. 12 ; 6 whom the Lord loves He chastens" , usually chastening is because of love , someone loves another like a father loves his son , his son makes mistakes , so he chastens him to be better .
Destruction is to destroy completely , like that which the Lord did to Sodom and Gomorrah , and like that which He will do to Satan and his followers in the last day "2 Thes. 1 : 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction" , because they do not want to repent .
Punishment includes all degrees between chastening and destruction . So please when you punish someone , you need to know exactly to what extent he should be punished . And when you punish remember , justice , mercy and love .
+ Now , we are going to say little things about many virtues and vices , mainly we are going to write biblical verse with little comments . To make it easier we are going to collect the similar ones together in groups . Let us start with love :
[1] Love , hatred , peace :
+ Love :
Many things about love are well known to all of us .
But may be , not many of us know the following :
- The love of each hypostasis (person) of God :
About the love of God the Father : please read "Jn. 3 : 16 / 1 Jn. 4 : 9" . Because He loves us , He has granted us to be called His children "1 Jn. 3 : 1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God" , and He will glorify us and give us everything with His Son "Rom. 8 : 29" .
About the love of God the Son : for our sake , He "Phil. 2 : 7 made Himself of no reputation , taking the form of a bondservant , and coming in the likeness of men , and being found in appearance as a man , He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death , even the death of the cross" read also "John 15 : 13 / 1 Cor. 15 : 3 / Rom. 5 : 6" , He also asked the Father to give us everything with Him "John 17" , and promised us to give us many great things "Rev. 2 , 3" .
About the love of God the Holy Spirit : He does every good thing for us in all times in our life , and He gives us the honor and the glory . I hope all churches alays glorify Him , for He is worthy of all glory .
- when we love God we also should fear Him "Mt. 10 : 28 / 2 Cor. 7:1"
- Please always remember the best two commandments , love God and love men , on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets "Mt. 22: 35 – 40 / Mk. 12 ; 28 – 31 / Lk. 10 : 25 – 28" .
+ Hatred :
It is the opposite of love , if a man's heart is not full of true love , for sure bad hatred will be there . It is one of the worst vices , because it leads to most of them .
We should hate evil and wickedness , and hate everything against God "Rom. 12 : 9 / Amos 5 : 15" .
Some people come to a point that they even hate God's commandments , but they will be punished severely "Lev. 26 : 15" . Also those wives who hate their husbands shall be punished , please read "Titus 2 : 3 / Ezek. 16 : 44 – 48" .
- The Jews hated the Egyptians , but the Lord commanded them not to hate an Egyptian "Deut. 23 : 7".
N.B. : Many books can be written about love and hatred , try to learn about them as much as you can .
+ Peace :
"Mt. 5 : 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" , making peace is part of love , if you love someone you love that he lives in peace .
But to make peace you must have some capabilities to do so .
Also you always try to be in peace with everyone . And always pray to God to give you His peace .
[2] Humbleness of heart , pride , poor in spirit , meekness and gentleness , calmness and quietness , talking and words :
+ Humbleness of heart , pride , poor in spirit :
We all know much about them , pride is one of the worst vices , it is the sin of Satan and the sin of Eve and Adam , while humbleness of heart is one of the best virtues which God loves .
The poor in Spirit are those who are humble in their hearts , with meekness and love , this is different than just to be , socially , poor and needy .
+ Meekness and gentleness :
The one who is meek and gentle is he who is harmless , and who love and forgive others.
Meekness and gentleness are from among the fruit of the Spirit "Gal.5 : 5" .
They are good for both men and women "Mt. 11 : 29 / Mt. 21 : 5 / Ps 37 : 11"
The meek will inherit the earth "Mt. 5 : 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" .
+ Calmness and quietness :
"Mt. 12 : 19 He will not quarrel nor cry out , nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets" , "Is. 30 : 15 in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" , "Ecc. 9 : 17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet" .
+ Talking and words :
This point or this subject needs a big book , it includes many points , every one of us talks much in all his life in every minute and in everything .
I would like to remind you of just one verse "Mt. 12 : 36 , 37 I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment , for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" .
[3] Holiness and sanctity , purity and cleanliness , desire and lust :
+ Holiness and sanctity , purity and cleanliness :
They should be for the spirit , the soul , and the body , and for everything in us and everything we have . It is written in the Bible , "Lev. 11 : 44 you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy for I am holy , neither shall you defile yourselves" , "1 Peter 1:16 it is written , be holy for I am holy" , "1 Thessalonians 4 : 3- 7" , "Hebrews 12 : 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" .
"Holy" is one of the best names of all God's names with which we and the angels praise God , "Is. 6 : 2 , 3 Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts" .
Also about purity and cleanliness , the Lord says "Ezek. 36 : 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean , from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you" , please read my booklet [blessed water and blessed oil] .
+ Desire and lust :
God created a lot of good desires in us , each desire should be used the right way , so it is not sin to desire good things the right way , but the sin is to desire what is not lawful for you or to desire a good thing but in a bad way . For instance , in "Luke 22 : 15" Jesus desired to eat with His disciples , He desired to eat with them and to eat the lamb of the Passover , so there was nothing wrong . But the wrong thing in general , is that because of your desire to eat you harm others or you eat something that harms you . We can say the same thing about any other desire , whether social and physical desires or even spiritual desires .
A well known example for a bad lust is "Mt. 5 : 28 I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" .
[4] Thanksgiving , contentment , murmur , rebellion ,
+ Thanksgiving , contentment :
It should be every time , especially when we pray and before and after everything , it is written "1 Thessalonians 5 : 18 in everything give thanks , for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" . This is what Jesus Himself and His apostles did , and all churches do the same , and every one of the people of God should do the same . Read "Mt. 15 : 36 / Mk. 8 : 6 /Luke 22 : 17 / John 6 : 11/ Acts 27 : 35 / Rom. 1 : 8 / 1 Cor. 1 : 4 / Rev. 11 : 17 / Rev. 4 : 9" . Giving thanks should not be to God only but also to every one who helps you or who does any favor for you .
- "1Timothy 6 : 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain" , a content man always give thanks to God and to others .
N.B. : to have high and great targets and goals , is not against contentment , as long as you always do what is according to God's will and do not harm anyone .
+ Murmur , rebellion , stubbornness :
They are from among the worst vices , they usually come with pride . There are many verses and stories in the bible about them . Satan's sin was rebellion against God . Some of the Jews murmured against Jesus "John 6 : 44" so they did not take Jesus' blessings , and the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron "Ex. 16 : 2 , 3" so God destroyed them , and so Saint Paul advises us not to murmur lest similar things happen to us "1Cor. 10 : 9- 11 nor let us tempt Christ , as some of them also tempted , and were destroyed by serpents , nor complain as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer , now all these things happened to them as examples , and they were written for our admonition"
- Also about rebellion and stubbornness , it is written "1 Sam. 15 : 23 rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft , and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" , and In "Deut. 21 : 18 – 21" God commands that if a son rebels against his father or his mother he must be punished .
Also we should not rebel or be against the angels of God "Ex. 23 : 20 , 21", or the saints of God , but honor them .
+ Accusation :
One of Satan's names is "the accuser" "Rev. 12 : 10 the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down" .
Solomon the king advises us saying "Prov. 30 : 10 Do not say evil of a servant to his master, or he will put a curse on you, and you will get into trouble" .
Also if you have a problem , first pray for it , then talk to that person to stop what he is doing against you , then after that see what you can do in a good way according to all surrounding circumstances .
+ Envy :
Joseph's brother sold him because of envy , and the Jews handed Jesus over because of envy "Mt. 27 : 18" , and Solomon says "Prov. 24 : 1 Have no envy for evil men, or any desire to be with them" , "Prov. 14 : 30 envy is a disease in the bones" .
But as we know "1 Cor. 13 : 4 love does not envy" .
[5] deceitfulness and falsehood , thefts and robbery , false witness , witness of truth , witness to God , lie , honesty , faithfulness :
These vices in this group are widely spread everywhere , and many people do know that they are vices , but they even think that they do God's will and it is kind of wisdom and intelligence , they never heard of those commandments forbidding these evil things .
let us read the following important verses :
+ deceitfulness and falsehood :
"Lev. 19 : 11 You shall not steal , neither deal falsely , neither lie one to another"
"Malachi 2 : 15 and let no one be false to his wife" .
"Ps. 59 : 5 O Lord … have no mercy on any workers of deceit" .
+ Thefts and robbery :
Do not steal "Deut. 5 : 19 / Mt. 19 : 18 / Mk. 10 : 19 / Lk. 18 : 20" ,
"Prov. 6 : 30 , 31 do not despise a thief even if he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry" , "Mal. 3 : 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me , but you say, Wherein have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings" ,
"Lev. 19 : 13 Do not be cruel to your neighbor or take what is his" ,
"1 Cor. 6 : 10 Neither … , nor thieves, nor … will inherit the kingdom of God" ,
"Mk. 10 : 19 Do not steal , do not bear false witness , do not defraud" .
Important point I would like to say here , because some people misunderstand the acts of God , in "Ex. 12 : 36" it is mentioned that the Israelites spoiled the Egyptians , and in Genesis it is written what means that Jacob robbed Laban , his father-in- law , so some people think that is good to rob others , but of course not , especially after these many verses we have just read , we are sure that it is sin to steal or rob or defraud , in these two stories the Israelites had been oppressed by the Egyptians , and Jacob was oppressed by Laban , so God only gave them their rights .
+ False witness , witness of the truth , lie , honesty , faithfulness :
- You shall not bear false witness "Ex. 20 : 16 / Deut. 5 : 20 / Mt. 15 : 19 / Mk. 10 : 19 / Lk. 18 : 20" .
- "Acts 5 : 2 why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit" ,
"Colossians 3 : 8 Do not lie to one another" ,
"John 8 : 44 Satan is a liar and the father of it" ,
"Lev. 19 : 12 you shall not swear by my name falsely" .
- About the false men and women there are :
False christs : "Mt. 24 : 23 – 26 if anyone says to you , look, here is the Christ! or there! do not believe it , for false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect , see, I have told you beforehand" .
False prophets : read "Ezek. 13 / Jeremiah 14" and "Mt. 24 : 11- many false prophets will rise up and deceive many" . About the main false prophet read "Rev. 16 : 13 / Rev. 19 : 20" .
False apostles : read "2 Cor. 11 : 12 – 15" .
False brethren : read "2 Cor. 11 : 26" .
Some other liars : "Ezek. 13 : 6 They have seen vanity and lying divination , saying , the Lord says , and the Lord has not sent them" .
About the women among these liars , "Ezek. 13" , "Rev. 2 : 20" .
- Many saints bore witness of Jesus Christ and bore witness to the word of God . read "John 1 : 15 / John 19 : 35 / Acts 10 : 43"
- One of Jesus' names is "the Faithful Witness" . Jesus wants us to be faithful , and if we become faithful He will give us great reward in heaven "Mt. 24 : 45 – / Lk. 12 ; 42 – / Mt. 25 : 20 – / Lk. 19 : 16 - / Lk. 16 10 – / Rev. 2 " .
[6] Kindness , mercy and pity and compassion , obedience and disobedience , patience and longsuffering , forgiveness , to give and to take , to honor :
+ Kindness :
A kind person , is that one who likes to do good to others and benefit others , he likes goodness and hates evil , he is full of love and is merciful to others .
One of the best kind saints is Tobith , so please read the book of "Tobith" , it is one of the Canonical books which are not mentioned in the Holy Bible of some denominations . The name "Tobith" means "God is kind" .
"Acts 28 : 1, 2 the natives showed us unusual kindness" ,
"2 Cor. 6 : 3 – 6 in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God , in much patience , … , by kindness" ,
- It is of the fruit of the Spirit "Gal. 5 : 22 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness …" .
- It is an attribute of God " Eph. 2 : 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" .
+ Mercy and pity and compassion :
I think they are well known to all of us . Our Lord Jesus said that in general in all His commandments "He desires mercy and not sacrifice" "Mt. 9 : 13 / Mt. 12 : 7 / Hos. 6 : 6" . In the day of Judgment we all will need that God be merciful to us , He said "Mt. 5 : 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" .
About Jesus' compassion read "Mt. 9 : 36 / Mt. 14 : 14" .
+ Obedience and disobedience :
One of the most important things that must always exist in our relationship with God , is obedience . Disobedience was the sin of Satan and of Eve and Adam , their sin was pride and disobedience , actually disobedience includes pride , rebellion , hatred , foolishness . While obedience includes many virtues . Saints became saints not only because they were righteous , but mainly because they were obedient to God and so God made them righteous and made them great saints . About Abraham , for instance the book says "Heb. 11 : 8- by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance , and he went out , not knowing where he was going" , and Peter says "1 Pet. 1 : 13 , 14 rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ , as obedient children" .
The bible is full of many things about the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience , read "Job 36 : 11 –" , "Acts 5 : 32" and the important chapter "Deut. 28" .
- We should also obey our parents , our fathers and mothers , and our masters , obey them in the Lord , through the commandments and the will of the Lord "Eph. 6 : 1- / Heb. 13 : 17 –" , but always keep in mind "Acts 5 : 29 We ought to obey God rather than men" .
Even Christ Himself , as man , obeyed God "Heb. 5 : 8 - though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" , "Phil. 2 :8" .
- We have authority from Him that by faith and righteousness , other creatures may obey us "Lk. 17 : 6"
+ Patience , longsuffering ,
"Gal. 5 : 22 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering" , "Numb. 14 : 18 The Lord is long-suffering" , "Ps. 37 : 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" , "Lk. 21 : 19 By your patience possess your souls" , "James 5 : 10 take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience" , 1 Cor. 13 : 7 love … endures all things" .
+ Comfort :
"Is. 51 : 12 I, even I, am He who comforts you" , and the Holy Spirit is the Comforter "John 14 : 16 , 26" , and God wants us to comfort each other "1 Thessalonians 4 : 18 comfort one another with these words" .
+ Forgiveness :
I think we all know that we all should ask forgiveness from God , now in this life and in the day of Judgment . And also we all should forgive to those who ask for our forgiveness . Read "Mt. 6 : 14 / Lk. 17 : 3 , 4 / Lk. 7 : 47"
+ To give and to take :
They both are good as long as they are through love "Acts 20 : 35 remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, it is more blessed to give than to receive" . when you give , give with generosity , but at the same time not more than what you can "2 Cor. 9 : 7 let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity , for God loves a cheerful giver" . God wants us to ask from Him , and He will give us more and better that what we ask for "Lk. 11 : 9"
+ To honor :
We must first honor God with every possible way , and honor your father and your mother "Prov. 3 : 9 , 10 / John 5 : 23 / Deut. 5 : 16 / Mt. 15 : 4 / Mk. 7 ; 10 / Lk. 18 : 20" , "Ephesians 6 : 2, 3 Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise , that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth"
- Praising God by giving Him the honor is mentioned many times "Rev. 2 : 7 / 19 : 1 / 4 : 9".
- God honors those who honor Him "John 12" . And He wants us to honor each other "Rom. 12 : 10 … in honor giving preference to one another" .
[7] Anger , wrath , good and evil thoughts , scorn and contempt :
+ Anger :
"Mt. 5 : 22 I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment" , notice here that our Lord says "without a cause" , because sometimes it is good if someone becomes angry for a holy cause .
We all becomes angry sometimes , but be careful that when you become angry you do not sin "Eph. 4 : 26 Be angry, and do not sin" .
In Proverbs there are some good verses about anger , read "14 : 29 / 15 : 1, 18 / 22 : 24 / 19 : 11"
+ Wrath :
"Eph. 6 : 4 you fathers , do not provoke your children to wrath" ,
"Eph. 4 : 26 do not let the sun go down on your wrath" .
+ Good and evil thoughts :
"1 Cor. 13 : 5 love … thinks no evil" , "Mt. 15 : 19 out of the heart proceed evil thoughts , murders , … these are the things which defile a man" .
Always try to have righteous will and use it to direct your thoughts the right way , and always pray to God to give you right understanding .
+ Scorn and contempt :
"Ps. 1 : 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful" , "Rom. 14 : 10 why do you show contempt for your brother?!" .
Also the Bible says "Prov. 1 : 22 the scorners delight in their scorning" , and so they always mock and insult rightoues saints , this was done to Jesus and to many saints "Jer. 20 : 7 / Ps. 119 : 51 /Mt. 27 : 31 Lk. 23 : 11" .
[8] Counsel , knowledge , understanding and wisdom , Building up and breaking down :
+ Counsel :
We should always pray asking for God's counsel "Prov. 19 : 21" , and also take the counsel of other righteous people who have experience in the same specific spiritual field we need . And also if you have experience in a specific spiritual field help others and give them the best advice whenever you can especially if they ask you .
And beware of the counsel of the evil ones , it is sometimes destructive .
+ Knowledge , understanding and wisdom :
It is good to have useful knowledge , right understanding and godly heavenly wisdom , so pray to God to give them to you . Please read my book [Knowledge , wisdom , understanding and counsel] . Try not only to understand the knowledge you read or hear or see , but it is more important to understand God's will and to understand yourself and to understand those whom you deal with . About understanding read "Prov. 28 : 5 / 2 Timothy 2 : 7 / Mt. 15 : 10 / Mt. 13 : 19"
+ Building up and breaking down :
"Ecc. 3 : 3 a time to break down, and a time to build up" , of course in general it is good to build up , and to let everything for the edifying of the body of Christ , the church and the people of God and the glory of God . But sometimes it is good to break down , especially if you are going to break something old and useless to build a greater tower that will Glorify God more and will be more useful .
[9] Anxiety , fear , hope :
"Luke 12 : 29 - 31 do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you" .
And Also remember that He promised us to give us His peace "John 14 : 27" .
- There are 3 kinds of fear :
1] Normal or natural fear that does exist in everyone and even in saints "Mt. 14 : 26 / John 19 : 38" .
2] The fear that is a kind of respect and to give honor , to God and to your father and your mother and to those who have authority over you , "Prov. 1 : 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" , "Rom. 13 : 7 Render therefore to all their due , taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor" .
3] the sinful fear "Rev. 21 : 8 the cowardly, unbelieving, … , and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone" , this kind of fear includes no hope in God and no trust in God , and so it may lead to other sins .
- And so everyone must have complete hope and trust in God , in His love and mercy , in His power and might and in His promises "1 Timothy 4 : 10 we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" .
"1Cor. 13 : 13 And now abide faith, hope, love" .
- From among the best things which give peace and trust in God are , prayers and fasting , try to always pray and fast as much as you can , like for instance you can pray saying [God please , let me always have complete trust and hope in you , always keep me and save me and deliver me from every evil" , also there are some good psalms to say like :
Ps. 91 He who dwells in the secret place of the most High …
Ps. 70 make haste O God to deliver me …
Ps. 27 The Lord is my light and my salvation …
Ps. 23 the Lord is my shepherd …
Ps. 86 Let Your ears be open to my voice , O Lord , and give me an answer , for I am poor and in need …
Ps. 117 Praise the Lord all you nations …
And Ps. 51 / Ps. 57
[10] To admonish , be watchful , spy :
+ To admonish :
"Rom. 15 : 14 admonish one another" , "Col. 1 : 28 you shall not hate your brother in your heart , you shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him" , "1 Thess. 5 : 12 we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you" , "James 5 : 20 he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" .
+ Be watchful :
"Mt. 10 : 17 beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues" . Be watchful because "1 John 5 : 19 the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" , "Mt. 18 : 7 offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes" , so be wise and "Gen. 19 : 17 Escape for your life" , "Prov. 27 : 12 prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself" , escape and hide yourself , for disasters and evil and wicked men are everywhere . And also around you are many people and angels who watch you .
+ Spy :
Take care , for there are many spies around you whether men or angels , it is said that angels record everything we do and say , preparing for the day of Judgment . And even the devils , they want to find something with which they can accuse us to God .
You need to know that not every spy is wrong , first because God Himself ordered Moses to send men to Canaan to get knowledge about the land . Second , if you work for any firm the owner has the right to collect information about all employees and to always know what is going on in his firm . But the bad point here which is considered a vice , is that the one who has this job to get information , does not know his limits , and he uses his position in a bad way . Sin usually comes from misunderstanding and from bad intention .
+ Prayer : Lord , please , always save me from all weaknesses and misunderstanding of every person . Let me know how to be watchful , and how to be full of virtues .
[11] Perfection :
Our Lord Jesus Christ says to all of us "Mt. 5 : 48 be perfect" , and He also said it to Abraham "Gen 17 : 1" . The Bible also said about Job that he was perfect "Job 1 : 8" and about Noah "Gen. 6 : 9" and Jacob "Gen. 25 : 27" , so it is possible that we also become perfect .
Perfection includes everything , all what we mentioned in this book and everything else , hold fast to every good virtue and stay away from every vice and from every evil .
But this perfection God wants for us , is relative not absolute , only God is absolute in His attributes . If a child in first primary (elementary) gets 100% , so he is perfect compared to his age and to what is required from him , when Elijah fasted 40 days , he became perfect in fasting but he was not perfect in marriage nor in knowledge , while Paul and Solomon were perfect in knowledge but not in fasting , and so on , this is the perfection which is required from us , each one according to what he is given , according to his job and according to his talents .
Of Course , only Jesus Christ as man was perfect in all fields , He was the best in all fields in all times , and He is the only one without sin .
Last thing I would like to say here in this point , is what our Lord said "Lk. 17 : 10 when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do" , so , if anyone becomes perfect , he must not become pride but give much thanks and praise to God .
+++ Let us take an example and apply to it the virtues we mentioned :
This example is about the relationship of every one with others and with God , because as we said these virtues are important because they let us live a better life together and with God . As our Lord has taught us , any relationship should start with love , but what is love , everyone understands love in a different way , so I should understand it according to the Bible , and also , according to how the other one understands it . Then if I really love Him I will not hate him , and I start to give him what I can and what he likes . I thank him when he does good things to me .
When we talk or deal together , I should be honest , meek and humble , I should not lie nor deceive him nor be pride nor rob any of his rights nor think any bad thought about him .
In bad times , I bear him , I should be patient , speak with him wisely , comfort him , never murmur or rebel against him , but may be sometimes I should insist to do something that is good for both of us . We should love each other and respect each other .
If we both will deal with others , I should become a peace-maker , be just and say the truth , never oppress him nor accuse him to others and never bear false witness against him , never mock nor contempt him not even while having fun .
And in general always try to satisfy him and do what makes him better , and never do or say anything against him .
- All what we said here , also applies to our relationship with God , but also , God must be always our Lord and God , although He is our Father , but still He is also our Lord and God , and He is always worthy of all glory and honor .
+++ Let us now remember the main points :
1] Mt. 22 : 37 – 40 Jesus said to him , you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul , and with all your mind , this is the first and great commandment , and the second is like it , you shall love your neighbor as yourself , on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets"
2] Mt. 7 : 12 whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets'
3] Let everything be for the glory of God , for the salvation of all and for the edifying of the church of God and the people of God .
4] You need to have the good will , and do all what you can , to gain all the virtues you need and the virtues which are suitable for you and your life on earth and in heaven .
5] One of the best conclusions of the wisdom of Solomon is "Ecc. 3 : 1 to everything there is a time" , and if we say it in more details we can say [a virtue can be right and good if done in the best time , in the right place , in the right way , and with the right person] , but if not , it may be wrong and becomes sin . And also we must know that we like virtues because we obey God , not because we worship virtues . God , the lover of mankind , the Merciful and the Omniscient , wants us to live the best possible life here on earth and in our eternal life with Him , so what He says is always the right thing .
6] As we said , to be grown up in virtues and in righteousness , it happens through years and in all your life , you must always contemplate on them and meditate in God and in His commandments .
+ I hope I have introduced something good to you all , this book took much time and much effort , although it looks small and easy .
+ May God fill us all with good virtues .
+ Please pray for me much .
Subject Page
+ The good and the bad , and , the right and the wrong , always look like each other : 4
[1] Love , hatred , peace : 5
[2] Humbleness of heart , pride , poor in spirit , meekness and gentleness , calmness and quietness , talking and words : 6
[3] Holiness and sanctity , purity and cleanliness , desire and lust : 6
[4] Thanksgiving , contentment , murmur , rebellion : 7
[5] deceitfulness and falsehood , thefts and robbery , false witness , witness of truth , witness to God , lie , honesty , faithfulness : 8
[6] Kindness , mercy and pity and compassion , obedience and disobedience , patience and longsuffering , forgiveness , to give and to take , to honor : 9
[7] Anger , wrath , good and evil thoughts , scorn and contempt : 10
[8] Counsel , knowledge , understanding and wisdom , Building up and breaking down : 11
[9] Anxiety , fear , hope : 11
[10] To admonish , be watchful , spy : 12
[11] Perfection : 13
+++ Let us take an example and apply to it the virtues we mentioned : 13
+++ Let us now remember the main points : 14
