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The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. Proverbs 10:22 In the U.S. we live in an extremely wealthy land. No one denies that. Along with that wealth came a wisdom to form a government that had checks and balances in place to prevent one branch from becoming too greedy for more power. But what we've built here in the U.S. can be taken away quickly if we're not careful, and I believe we're rapidly approaching that point. Republics rise and republics fall. We may think we have control over our destiny, but we...

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13 Have you ever stopped to think about this verse?

Share with God's people who are in need. Romans 12:13 This is the second time this week that I've singled out this verse. I discovered something this week from looking at this passage: there's a reason God put this verse here and it's this, God will use us to help other Believers. It seems obvious, doesn't it. But quite frankly, Believers who are in need won't get help from the outside world. 25 years ago when I became a Christian I believed that people looked out for one another around the world. Was I ever wrong! Recently I figured out...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 Hospitality is not something that many in the West are proficient at. Sure, there's the occasional holiday meal with family and friends, and family is welcome upon invitation but by and large, we don't practice it. It's not that...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 This part of the passage is a direct and tangible evidence of "love must be sincere." Again I am reminded of my brothers and sisters in foreign lands. War, poverty, disease, persecution, and lack of basic necessities have made...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 Joy. Patience. Faithfulness. Three very distinct marks of a Believer. They are also three very wonderful character traits to possess, they’re all related. Think of it, you’re caring for your ailing but independent parents. Their health is deteriorating but...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 Anyone who has traveled on a missions trip knows that, odd as it seems, most of the time we don't go for the people we will eventually serve. Certainly many may benefit from the work we do or the...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 A youth group had finished a full day of yard work at a widow's house. The youth leader reported to the pastor their accomplishments and that the lady thanked the group from the Baptists for coming out. "Did you...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 Have you ever been on a team that didn't act like a team? Back in the day, I was known around my neighborhood by one of the parents as Mr. Ball Hog (granted, he didn't get points for originality...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 We see “goodness” all around us, usually without trying too hard. Obviously, though, there's a lot of evil, sick, twisted, and just plain bad stuff in the world too. Perhaps it’s time to change the lens we've been looking...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 The first sentence in this passage lays the framework for the entire passage. Love must be sincere. The rest of the passage, while not a complete description of sincere love, is certainly a good place to start. Many people...

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:15-18 Every so often in the...

The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live." And he said, "Go." Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?" "I will," Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my...

After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him." So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. "Is everything all right?" he asked. "Everything is all right," Gehazi answered. "My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have...

Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the...

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is not authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1 This is a verse that has endured a variety of interpretations over the years, especially regarding the first half of the verse. Some have taken the extreme view that no matter what they do we should obey those who are over us (even if it violates our moral conscience). On its face, it would seem extreme but it's probably the normal interpretation of it. It's the view that until recently...

Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice. Proverbs 29:26 As I write this, hundreds of thousands are descending on Washington D.C. for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. It is not hard to imagine that many are straining for that one glimpse of the president. Others will get a chance to meet and greet the new president. Some will have their own agendas; others will just want to say that they met the President of the United States in person. Very few, however,...

When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely...

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. "By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman left, taking with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels of gold and 10 sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said,...

Jeroboam thought to himself that “the kingdom, will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam. After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. 1 Kings 12:26-28 Advice is good. Bad advice is, well, bad. How can...