For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
The wicked desire what others have acquired through wicked, or other means. The godly are satisfied with what they have earned through their own hard work. The wicked say things which trap themselves into situations they wish to avoid. The righteous have integrity and tell the truth, so are spared such problems. Those who combine honest, wise words with hard work receive many good things.
God will bring justice to the wicked at the time He has planned. The proud, who boast of their greatness, and the wicked, who act in defiance of God, will face His judgment. God will have the final say. He decides who rises to prominence and power, and He decides who will fall to be remembered no more. God will break the strength of the wicked. I will praise His name for all of the wonderful things He has done.
When the seventy-two disciples Jesus had sent out returned they were excited and happy because demons had submitted to them when they spoke in Jesus’ name. Jesus replied that He had given them (and us) power over the enemy. The only name we need to know in order to command demons is the name of Jesus. He has given us power over demons and all of the servants of Satan. However, let us not rejoice in the power He has given us over demons. Rather, let us rejoice that God has chosen us for admittance to heaven. It is not my place to seek out evil spirits to drive forth, but if I come across them as I serve God’s will, He has given me the authority to send them away.
I am really struck by the importance of not getting caught up in exercising power over evil spirits. We have the passage where Jesus downplayed that power followed by the account of the Good Samaritan. Jesus had a conversation with an expert on religious law where they agreed on the two most important commands. The first is to love God with everything that is within us, every aspect of our being: our heart (emotions), our soul (who we are and how we act), our strength (physical ability), our mind (our thoughts and our mental ability). That command is linked with the second: to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to explain who is meant by “our neighbor”. The answer is that “our neighbor” is anyone in need whom we might encounter as we go about our business. When we encounter people in need, Jesus tells us that we are to do whatever is within our power to help them.
We need to give thought to the consequences of our actions. Are we using our position of power, or wealth, to make life more difficult for someone in financial hardship? If someone is counting on the money we owe them to meet their living expenses, let us pay them promptly. We should not accept the tools that a workman needs to do the work which provides his living in order to settle a debt (or anything else that someone might need in order to live and have the possibility of prospering). In all of our business dealings let us take care to provide value in exchange for the value we receive.