Quotes And Sayings Essay Example

1. a. “You are the Light” from Matthew 14-16: In this quotation, Jesus uses mundane images such as the light in order to articulate certain truisms to his disciples regarding his mission and ministry. Jesus uses the images of the light and the lamp in order to illustrate a philosophy of service that Christ and his followers had. Light indeed was an expression of the goodness of God and truth. The images of the light and lamp are evident throughout the New Testament and in the psalms. The goodness of God’s grace gives people joy, light, and peace that illuminates the darkness and vagaries of people’s lives. This image of the lamp is deployed in order to describe how Jesus’ followers live in the light of God’s truth and love while conversely liberating people from deception and sin. As such, it is the mission of Christians to become light-bearers for others to illuminate the truth.
b. “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” from Proverbs 29:7: This biblical verse related to the philosophy of service by exhorting on the differences between the wicked and the righteous. The righteous act in a way that reflects that they have fully integrated into their hearts the laws of God. The wicked, however, attack and confront the righteous and act in an antithetical manner. This righteous/wicked dyad fortifies the dichotomous logic that permeates the Bible. The righteous evince empathy and sympathy through their service for others, while the wicked convey self-regard, and self interests. As such, those who lack a humanitarian ethos are discursively framed and juxtaposed with the devil rather than with God. Such a philosophy is personally important because it is a guiding principle that all people should embrace.
2. a. “It is the action, not the fruit of the action” by Mahatma Gandhi: This quotation suggests that success should be measured by how a person treats others. Gandhi endeavored to obtained knowledge while also being a man of action. Indeed, one’s life philosophy can be read through the actions of people.
b. “Anytime you have an opportunity” by Roberto Clemente: This quotation articulated by a famous baseball player sheds light on a humanitarian ethos that has guided his efforts to positively impact the world. By serving others and assisting those who are less fortunate on the micro and macro levels renders one’s existence important. Thus, all humans have an intrinsic ability to make a difference in the world if they act in the service of others.
c. “I know of but one way: Find a field of labor” by J.N. Andrews: This quotation invokes religious sentiments in order to influence others to work in the service of God. All types of jobs, whether menial, dirty, or corporate, should be conducted in the same way that ministers work in religious institutions. All types of work regardless of how much a society values it are necessary and worthy under the auspices of God.
3. a. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” in Matthew 25:35
b. “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares” by Henri J.M. Nouwen in his Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life
c. “Be a good human being, a warm-hearted affectionate person. That is my fundamental belief. Having a sense of caring, a feeling of compassion will bring happiness of peace of mind to oneself and automatically create a positive atmosphere” by the Dalai Lama (Buddhism).
4. In Matthew 25:31-36, Jesus delivers the parable of the sheep and goats in order to teach religious and spiritual truisms by appropriating real-life situations. In this parable, Jesus presents a man who has been condemned for his sins and lost. On the other hand, Jesus also presents a sheep that stands for a man who has been saved and redeemed in the eyes of God. The sheep had shown good works by giving drink, clothes, and food to the needy. Indeed, he had acted in a charitable manner. The goat is presented as the sheeps corollary and had not acted charitably. As a result, the goat was damned to hell while the sheep was saved. Jesus makes it clear, however, that the sheep did not get saved due to his good works. Rather, the sheep’s good works was a the consequence of his salvation rather than the cause of it. As such, it seems that this parable suggests that all of God’s believers have a affinity and love towards one another. The relationship between people and God produces the impetus for good works. Those who emulate and follow Jesus Christ will treat others with compassion and kindness, thereby serving one another in the same way that they serve God and Jesus Christ.

Works Cited

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books : New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford UP, 1989. Print.