For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
If someone tells you gossip about others, do not be surprised if they reveal any secret you share with them to those you would rather did not know it. If you find yourself talking a lot, be careful that you do not reveal secrets which have been told to you in confidence.
Those who live according to God’s truth do not spend their time with liars. They do not associate with hypocrites. If we truly trust God we will say, “No, thanks” when invited to join the activities of the wicked. Let us live with integrity and publicly praise the Lord.
Throughout the letter to the Romans Paul warns us against division in the Church. Here he points out that division is not caused by those who defend the traditional teachings. Rather division is caused by those who teach things contrary to those traditional teachings. There are people who use arguments that are carefully crafted to hide their flaws and appeals to how wise their listeners are (all the while implying that their listeners are wise for agreeing with them, but foolish if they do not) to convince people. These people are not seeking to serve Christ. Instead they are attempting to further their own desires. If we remain obedient to God and faithful to His word, we will not be fooled by such teachers (or at least, not for long).
Hezekiah’s son had turned to idol worship and built many pagan shrines throughout Jerusalem. However, when he was defeated and captured by the Assyrians, he cried out to the Lord. God returned him to Jerusalem. Upon his return, he remained faithful to God and destroyed the altars and shrines he had constructed for pagan gods. Even after his reformation the people continued to worship at the high places, but the worship was to God alone. Let us remember that people can change and return to God, no matter how sinful their previous lives have been.
I find the story of King Josiah inspiring. He became king at the age of eight, after his father was assassinated (apparently for good reason). Josiah’s father had been a godless king, who sinned in many ways. When Josiah turned sixteen, eight years after taking the throne, he began to seek God. Four years later he began a campaign to wipe out idolatry in all of the land of Israel, including territory that was not truly under his control. He destroyed the shrines in the high places and demolished the altars to pagan gods throughout the entire land. When he finished this campaign, he appointed men to repair and restore the Temple.
Up until this point, Josiah, and his advisers, had been worshiping God based on oral tradition and common sense. While they were cleaning and repairing the Temple, the workmen found a copy of the Book of the Law. When they brought this to Josiah and read it to him, he was devastated to discover by how much they had fallen short of God’s commands. Josiah called an assembly of the people. There he dedicated himself to follow the instructions which God had given Moses and called on the people to renew their covenant with God. Josiah is a wonderful example of how a strong, dedicated leader can bring about change in a society by inspiring people to dedicate themselves to serving God.