Study Desk

"Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!

"Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!

"Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

"Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children!

"Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires.

So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,

leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!

"You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

It is God who clothes the wild grass—grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't he be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!

Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.

"Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you,

for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.

At once they screamed, "What do you want with us, you Son of God? Have you come to punish us before the right time?"

When the people saw it, they were afraid, and praised God for giving such authority to people.

I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than to the people of that town!

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

For John is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.'

I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Tyre and Sidon than to you!