Be All You Can Be!

The United States Army had a saying a few years back, "Be All You Can Be."

It urged people to join the army to become stronger, better, and more complete people.

The message that Jesus preached offered the same program, minus the military training.

Jesus' teachings are properly and legitimately seen as a template by which we can model our lives.

But while other teachings in our world seek to make us better business people, better employees, more enthusiastic dieters, or materially richer, the message Jesus preached challenged us to become more spiritually complete.

Jesus tells us that God created us to be complete beings, and that we are to forgo those things that hold us back from accomplishing that Goal.

Sin - falling short of God's ideal for us - is what keeps us from becoming what God wants us to become.

When we repent of our sins (by recognizing our acts were not aimed at doing God's will) and commit to seeking and doing God's will, we begin to become who God wants us to be.

By accepting the knowledge of God's path Jesus reveals to us, we are then challenged by Jesus to actively live out this Faith.

We live out our faith not just with our lips, or our good intentions, but with Good Works. And we have the life of Jesus and the ongoing spiritual support of God's Spirit to guide us.

God has given us so much - our spirits, our ability to do great things, our inborn talents, and the very earth and universe around us.

He asks in return that we BE ALL WE CAN BE - that we become spiritually whole and complete (perfect) just as He himself is perfect. And that we serve in perfect mercy and compassion, just as Jesus did.

We become a gift to others after we prepare ourselves spiritually to do God's will.