For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
We need to choose our words with care because they will provide the “food” we will eat. The type of life we will lead going forward will come out of what we say to others now. Those who say treacherous, dishonest things will find their lives filled with violence (probably a result which they desire). So, let us be careful not to say things which will lead to results we do not desire. Carelessly saying whatever comes to mind will lead to our destruction.
God will pronounce judgement on the rulers of this earth. He will hold them accountable for making unjust decisions. On the other hand, He will honour those rulers who give justice to the poor and the orphan. He will praise those who rescue the weak and the needy. All the nations on this earth belong to God. He has given authority to those who rule over them. He will judge those rulers if they fail to use that authority wisely. Those who use their authority for their own interests, at the expense of justice may seem to prosper for a time, but God is keeping score.
Jesus told the story of the shrewd manager. Upon being told that he was about to be fired summoned all of those who owed his master and cut their debts in half. Jesus holds this up as an example for us. He was not telling us that we should defraud our employer if we are fired. Rather, we should use our material resources in order to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Let us show others that we care about them by the way in which we use the material resources which God puts at our disposal.
A story I learned in my childhood illustrates this point. During the Revolutionary War a woman who lived near where I grew up refused to take sides. At one point she was arrested for having wounded British soldiers in her house, whose injuries she was treating. George Washington (or one of his commanders, I do not remember this detail) intended to execute her for treason. However, her neighbors came forward and begged him to not do so. They argued that she had always been generous to her neighbors, helping those in need. In fact, they produced evidence that she had provided care equally to injured soldiers from Washington’s army. In the end, she was not executed because the Army was satisfied that she had used her resources to help those in need regardless of which side they were on. Jesus concludes His teaching on this subject by reminding us that if we allow it, money will become our master, demanding loyalty which we should be giving to God.
Yesterday’s passage concluded with the account of how the Israelites were defeated when they attacked Ai. This defeat occurred because one of their number had failed to follow God’s command at Jericho and kept some of Jericho’s wealth for himself. The important lesson from this passage is that an organization can be defeated in its pursuit of God’s goals if even one of its number has allowed his personal desires lead him to disobey God. This passage reminds me of an event from my past.
When I was in my 20s and attending elsewhere, the congregation my parents attended was struggling. However, it seemed to have found a new mission and new life. It was being led by a team of three interim pastors. Men who were semi-retired from ministry and had other means of support (although they were receiving a stipend for this role). After several years, one of those men left his wife of many years. He went to live with a woman with whom he had been having an affair for many years. Within a matter of months the congregation had disbanded. To this day, I am convinced that the reason the congregation disbanded was because of this man’s sin.