For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Those who fear to do wrong will be blessed, but those who stubbornly refuse to do what is right will end up with more trouble than they know what to do with.
If we follow God’s commands they will teach us what we need to know and how to make good decisions. If we wish to do good, we must learn from God because He is the only source from which we may learn goodness. If we are willing, He will discipline us until we learn to stay true to His path. God created us, surely He knows what we should do to fulfill our potential. I will do as He says because He knows what will bring me joy.
Rather than repay evil with evil and insult with insult, seek how you can bless those who insult you or do evil to you. This is harder than it seems (as I am sure you are aware), but God will bless us if we do so. If you are always seeking to do good for those around you there are few who will desire to bring you harm. Even if someone does desire to bring you harm because of doing good, God will bless you. Therefore we do not need to fear when others threaten us for doing good.
When others ask why we do what we do and have the hope let us be prepared to explain our actions. There is no reason to do so in a defensive or accusatory manner. Instead, let us explain our actions in a humble and gentle manner. To bring that home, when I explain why I am faithful to my wife to a philanderer I should be careful not to draw a contrast to his actions. I do not wish to condemn others through my example. I wish to show them the joy they can have by choosing to also follow God’s commands. If we are gentle and respectful in our actions and statements, God’s Spirit will use us to convict others to turn from their sins. If we live as we ought, those who speak against us because of our faith will be ashamed of themselves when they witness the type of lives we live.
When Daniel and his friends rejected the food which the Babylonians offered them they did not do so because they knew the diet they preferred would make them healthier and more able to master their studies. They chose to take a stand because they believed that doing so was God’s will for them. On the other hand, they also believed that God would not have commanded such a diet if it was less healthy than the one they were rejecting. We can be confident that obeying God will be in our best interest, just as it was here for Daniel and his friends.