For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The lazy leave things undone that need to be done resulting in poverty when only a little more effort could have allowed them to escape from it.

    When we cry out to God, He will come to our rescue. When we turn to Him He will forgive our sins. Those who scoff at God will learn of His power one way or another. Those who persecute God’s servants will learn of God’s power.

    Today I see this passage as giving us a tutorial on reaching the unsaved with the Gospel. We need to begin by making sure that the message we are conveying is not in error, that we are speaking and living the true Gospel message. In our efforts to convince people to follow Christ we cannot use trickery or deception. You cannot convince someone that you are speaking the truth by using trickery and deception. Further, we must make sure that our motives in preaching the Gospel are neither selfish nor impure. If we attempt to get people to follow Christ by using flattery, even if we initially succeed, we will leave them susceptible to being deceived into false beliefs later. The most important part is that we need to make those we wish to reach for Christ part of our lives. Let them see how we live out our faith day to day. Let them see our struggles and that we do not think of ourselves as perfect. But also let them see how our faith gives us hope in the face of adversity and the joy we get from serving God.

    If the people of any nation learn to follow God and cling to His ways, God will establish them safely in the land which they hold. Those who choose to love and honour God will be given a place among His people. On the other hand, if we refuse to obey His will, we will be uprooted and destroyed. We have been made to cling to God so as to bring honour and glory to His name. But if we refuse to listen to Him and follow our own desires, worshiping that which is not God, we are useless, like an article of clothing which was buried in the mud. It is not enough to cry out to God for help as we continue to live our sinful lives. We must allow His Holy Spirit to transform us, to guide us away from the sins which have brought us into this difficult place to begin with.