For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Giving to the poor is making a loan to God. Our debt to Him already exceeds what we could ever hope to repay, yet we can be assured that He will more than repay us all that we give to the poor.
My help does not come from the mountains and the high places. My help comes from the Lord. It is God who watches over us and He does not slumber, nor does He sleep. What more can I say than what the psalmist writes.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
I love this psalm, it fills me with joy.
The writer informs us that the Antichrist is not singular. There is not a single individual who will appear who is the Antichrist. He tells us that there are many antichrists. Anyone who denies that Jesus is Lord, those who claim that it is possible to have salvation without Him, are antichrists. As I was reading this I realized that there is a question one should ask those arguing that it is Christian to accept controversial teachings (such as support for legalized abortion, or gay “marriage”). That question is this; is it possible to come to God without faith in Jesus? If their answer is “Yes”, there is no need to listen to any more of their arguments. They are rejecting the basic message of Christianity.
This is an important point made by John in this letter. Those who deny Jesus, who claim that it is possible to be righteous and good without faith in Him, are not Christian and are not serving God. It is only possible to know God and approach Him through faith in Christ. When listening to those who claim to speak on behalf of God, this is the most important thing to know about what they teach. It is not possible to follow God without first acknowledging Jesus. Those who truly follow Jesus will also know the Father.
Daniel acknowledges that God was in the right to bring judgement against the people of Israel for their sins. He does not ask God to act because he, or the people of Israel, deserve God’s mercy. Daniel acknowledges that they do not deserve God’s mercy. There is a lesson here for us. We should not think that we deserve God’s mercy. When we call on God to rescue us from trouble, we should do ask that He do so in a way which will bring honour to His name. We do not deserve God’s mercy, but He will show it to us because He loves us.