For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Those who lie and bear false witness against others will suffer for their actions. They may seem to get away with it for a time, but they will not be able to avoid the consequences forever.

    The wicked may plan and plot to trap others into doing their will, but they will fall into traps of their own making. We can be confident of God’s justice. He will ensure that the wicked suffer the fate which they deserve. Let us beg God to have mercy on us, otherwise we will suffer the fates which our sins deserve. When God shows us His mercy, let us shout His praises for all to hear.

    Paul wrote the letter to the believers in Rome to introduce himself and what he taught about Jesus to them. He starts out by describing the goal of his teaching. His goal was that those who heard him would believe and obey God. He taught that once one believed the message he taught one would act upon it in order to bring glory to God’s name. As he does elsewhere, Paul begins this letter by telling us that while our actions do not bring us righteousness, the righteousness we receive through our faith will determine our actions. What we believe determines what we do. If we truly believe the Gospel message we will act accordingly.
    There is another thing which strikes me every time I read this passage. It is something which every one who attempts to teach others about Christ should bear in mind. Paul says that he desires to visit the believers in Rome to teach them and encourage their faith. But he also wanted to be taught by them. He did not intend to go to Rome solely so that he could impart to them his own wisdom, he recognized that the believers in Rome had things to teach him as well. If and when we find ourselves called to be teachers we need to humbly recognize that those we are teaching know something that we need to learn as well.

    This passage tells us something about how David became such a successful leader and king of Israel. First, he did not impose himself upon the people of Israel as their leader. Rather the people of Israel acclaimed David as their king. The warriors and leaders of warriors came to David and offered him their support. But it was not just the military men who supported David. People in other walks of life brought food and supplies to David and his men to acknowledge and celebrate his leadership of the nation. David was acclaimed the leader of the people of Israel by people from all walks of life.
    The second thing this passage tells us is that David used his position of leadership to call the people to faithfulness to God. When the people had made him king, one of his first acts was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to his capital in order to make the worship of God a central part of the nation. The people followed David in his worship of God. A good leader needs the people to choose to follow him. Then he needs to lead them to follow God.
    The final thing this passage tells us about David’s leadership was that he planned his actions based on guidance from God. He did not insist on repeating the strategies that had worked for him in the past. Rather he listened to God’s guidance and modified his strategies based on circumstances and the direction which God gave him. Let us not get stuck in the rut of doing only that which worked for us in the past. When God calls us to try new things, let us be ready to do so.