THE HEART OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

The heart of "The Spiritual Life" is the teaching of Jesus found in the "Sermon on the Mount". By doing the sayings of Jesus we build our house on the rock which will then be able to withstand the storms of life. Jesus outlines for us His commands: first the "blessed" commands of the kingdom of heaven: to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker, to rejoice when persecuted, to be the salt of the earth, to be the light of the world; then He instructs us to keep the ten commandments with His deeper, spiritual understanding; Thirdly He commands us to keep the three basic spiritual practices of alms giving, prayer, and fasting; then He commands us to serve God rather than money(mammon), "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also", the eye of your heart is to be focused on God, we are to "take no thought" for the necessities of this life, but we are to seek first the kingdom of God. Then He commands us to "judge not" our brother, to guard holy things and spiritual pearls, and to ask, seek, and knock repeatedly for the "good things" of God. Jesus commands the golden rule be kept, and that you must enter the kingdom at the narrow gate and follow the narrow way of suffering and difficulty. Then you are commanded to "beware of false prophets", to discern who the ravening wolves are who come to mislead you. Just because these false teachers say "Lord, Lord" and claim to prophesy, cast out demons, and work wonders, does not mean they are true prophets. Do their lives(fruits) reflect genuine spirituality as taught by Jesus? And finally, you are instructed to not just hear the words of Jesus, but to do them.