For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
If you want to avoid trouble, be careful what you say and think before you speak. The difference between self-confidence and arrogance comes down to respecting others. If someone does not respect others people notice and will fail to respect that person.
The wicked may seem to prosper, but it will only be for a short time. If we trust in the Lord and do His will (which is to do good), He will bless us and give us safety. If we allow Him to guide us, our actions will shine forth for all to see. I will let go of my anger and resist the urge to fight those who do wrong. I will do what is right, calm in the knowledge that God will bring just recompense to those who do evil. If we humbly wait for God to deal with the wicked He will give us peace and happiness.
Paul reiterates the fact that we are not all given the same gifts. God has given different people different gifts because His plan calls for all of those different gifts. One person could not adequately fulfill all of the purposes for which the diverse gifts exist. However, the important thing to remember is that no matter what spiritual gifts we are given, we are to use them in love. Without love, none of the spiritual gifts are worth anything. If we exercise even the most glorious spiritual gift we can imagine without love we will be unable to accomplish anything of value. On the other hand, if we love those around us, and act on that love, the results will be wonderful, even if we have no other spiritual gift (of course, while we may think that we have no spiritual gift, God will bless us with many such gifts if we are expressing His love).
If you want to be sure that you are acting in love, read verses 4 to 7 and meditate on what it says…Go ahead, I’ll wait…We will not fully understand how the things in this world bring about God’s will until God replaces our mortal bodies with immortal ones, but we can love and act with love even so. Our limited minds can only comprehend a small part of God’s infinite being and love. All of the spiritual gifts will come to an end. Only three things endure for eternity: faith, hope, and love. Of these, love is the most important.
Haman had plotted to destroy the Jews because his sense of self-worth was challenged by Mordecai’s refusal to worship him in the place of God. However, others joined in his plot because they saw the opportunity to profit by persecuting one group and seizing their assets. Such plots occur throughout history, some leader rises up and stirs up the crowd against a particular minority (frequently the Jews, but sometimes others) in order for the connected to seize the property controlled by that minority. However, such a strategy always results in destruction for those who employ it. There are two possible results. Either the general population rejects such a strategy and pushes back against it, bringing destruction to those who employ it, as happened here. Or the strategy is carried out on one group after another until those who initiated the strategy are striking out against each other.