“You have heard it said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.` But I say to you, Do not resist any one who is evil. But if any one who strikes you on the right cheek, turn him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.”
January 2016 - GraceAndWorks
But if anyone has the world’s good and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.
And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do yo me?” Remember you leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.
As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, not to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed.
We have all at some time or another been put in a tough situation. Whether it was with family, friends, workplace, Church, school, money problems, etc. Sometimes we can know what to do, yet other times we are at a complete loss on what to do. Today I want to give two different views on tough situations and how those involved saw what to do.
Genesis 22:1-19 tells the story of Abraham and the tough situation he found himself in. God called upon him and Abraham said, “Here am I.” God then proceeded to tell Abraham to sacrifice his only son whom he loved very much. Abraham didn’t question God and set out to do what he was asked. He did all the preparation and took his son to the mountain where God told him to go. Isaac, Abraham’s son, had no idea what was going on and he said to Abraham, “My Father!!” Abraham said, “Here am I, my son.” Isaac asked where the sacrificial lamb was and Abraham said, “God will provide it.” An angel of the Lord called Abraham and he said, “Here am I.” Then a ram showed up caught in the bushes. God had sent the ram and Abraham did not have to sacrifice Isaac. The point of this story is that Abraham had complete faith in God. Three times he was called, and all three times he answered, “Here am I.” He was in a tough situation and knew God would take care of him.
The second story I want to share is about Moses. In Exodus 3:9-12, God calls on Moses. He tells Moses, “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” Moses didn’t want to do this for God and started asking all kinds of questions. God wasn’t taking no for an answer. God gave him all of answers and finally Moses said to God, “They are not going to believe me.” (Exodus 4:1-17) God still was not going to take no for an answer, so he gave Moses a couple things to show Pharaoh to convince him about who Moses was. 1) God put a rod in Moses’s hand and Moses dropped it to the ground and it turned to a serpent, Moses picked it up and it turned back to a rod. 2) Now God told Moses to put his hand in his bosom, when he took it out it was leprous. He put it back in his bosom and took it back out and it was restored like it was originally. God now tells Moses, After you show these things to them maybe they will believe you.” God then tells Moses, “If those don’t work, get some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground and it will turn to blood.” Now Moses tells God he is not an eloquent speaker, and asks God to send some one else. God tells him not to worry, “I will put the words in your mouth.” Moses makes one more plea to God to please send some one else. God tells him, “I will get Aaron, your brother to help you.” Moses was in a tough situation, and between he and God, they got things worked out.
What I want you to think about is this: Are you like Abraham and have complete faith in God or are you like Moses and need more help from God to get worked through things. Either way, with God, you will see that you can handle any “Tough Situation” you get put into. Have a good day all!!
Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now HE COMMANDS MEN EVERYWHERE TO REPENT, because He has FIXED a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead.
By this we know that we abide in Him and he in us, because He has given us of His own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that that the Father has sent His Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as He is so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who has fear is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.
But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed. For He will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulations and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek. but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with His holy myriads, to execute judgement on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loud-mouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage.
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