The purpose of life and the key to happiness is the development of maturity, not the acquisition of possessions.

Regardless of how good any of us may think that we are, none of us are sinless, and so none of us are worthy of heaven.

We need to avoid becoming like the men of Sodom, who exalted their personal desires above the law of God, although they knew that that which they were doing was wrong.

Leaders should not lead their people in opposition to God or His commandments because of fear of that which their followers might do if the leader applies the commandments, which was the case with Jeroboam, or simply because of their own sinful desire to do that which they want, which is the case with most leaders.

Our primary concern should be that we develop the proper belief structure that will allow us to be profitable in bringing others into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The rewards in Heaven are for those that work to increase the number of souls in the Kingdom of God. The Lord exposes us to an assurance of the Gospel, and expects us not only to believe it, but to do that which we can to convince others of its’ truth, and to present an attractive church, not meaning one that has attractions, but one that is genuine and sincere about living the Christian life and providing an inviting example to those who are outside.

When Jesus Christ points out the error of our ways to us, we have to decide whether or not to repent. There is no magic to help us make the decision. There is also no escaping the consequences of our decision.

It is most important that the spirit with which we obey the law of God must be a sacrificial spirit, meaning that we must be able to put aside our own needs so that any benefit that comes from that which we do will go to others, and we must be able to put aside our desires to build up our own reputation so that any glory that comes from that which we do will go to God.