- Morals & Values -

"Or what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost!' Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."  Lk 15:8-10

"A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.' And he divided unto them his estate. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate, and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, `How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, `Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.' But the father said to his servants, `Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to be merry.

"Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, `Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.' And he was angry and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, `Lo, these many years have I served thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.' And he said unto him, `Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.'"  Lk 15:11-32

"There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him and said unto him, `How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward.' Then the steward said within himself, `What shall I do? For my lord taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, `How much owest thou unto my lord?' And he said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take thy bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then said he to another, `And how much owest thou?' And he said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said unto him, `Take thy bill and write fourscore.' And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?  Lk 16:1-12

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  Lk 16:13

"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham said, `Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there.' Then he said, `I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment.' Abraham said unto him, `They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them.' And he said, `Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.' And Abraham said unto him, `If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.'"  Lk 16:19-31

"It is impossible but that offenses will come, but woe unto him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall.  Lk 17:1-2

"Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, `I repent,' thou shalt forgive him."  Lk 17:3-4

"The Kingdom of God cometh not with outward show. Neither shall they say, `Lo, it is here!' or `Lo, it is there!' For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you."  Lk 17: 20-21

"There was in a city a judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, `Avenge me on mine adversary.' And for a while he would not, but afterward he said within himself, `Though I fear not God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, who cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Lk 18:2-8

"Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."  Lk 18:10-14

"Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."  Lk 18:16-17

"A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, `Make use of it till I come.' But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him, saying, `We will not have this man to reign over us.' And it came to pass that when he had returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, `Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.' And he said unto him, `Well done, thou good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, `Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.' And he said likewise to him, `Be thou also over five cities.' And another came, saying, `Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid away in a napkin. For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou layest not down, and reapest what thou did not sow.' And he said unto him, `Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down and reaping what I did not sow. Why then gavest not thou my money unto the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with interest?' And he said unto them that stood by, `Take from him the pound and give it to him that hath ten pounds.' (And they said unto him, `Lord, he hath ten pounds!') `For I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.  Lk 19:12-26

"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's."  Lk 20:25

"The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exercise authority over them are called `benefactors.' But ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For who is greater, he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth? Is it not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as He that serveth.  Lk 22:25-27