2019 Jan 11 Proverbs 11, Psalms, Galatians 1
2019 Jan 11 Proverbs 11, Psalms, Galatians 1
Hello, with wishes for a fine day for you! Let's continue in Proverbs 11, verses 16-21:
"16 A gracious woman acquires glory, But ruthless men seize riches. 17 A kind man benefits himself, But the cruel person brings trouble on himself. 18 The wicked one earns deceptive wages, But the one who sows righteousness receives a true reward. 19 The one standing firmly for righteousness is in line for life, But the one chasing after evil is in line for death. 20 Those crooked at heart are detestable to Jehovah, But those whose way is blameless bring pleasure to him. 21 Be assured of this: An evil person will not go unpunished, But the children of the righteous will escape."
Prove 11:16 A lovely woman kind and gracious in her speech brings her honor from God, as she delights the hearts of righteous ones. Ruthless men do not seek the glory from God, but rather are often focused primarily on material wealth. As we know, "the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things," often resulting in "many pains." (1Timo 6:9,10). The counsel for Christians, while some may have wealth, is still "Let your way of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: "I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you." May we always choose the love of God over any material possession or benefit, acknowledging however that God is the 'giver of every good gift and perfect present,' and truly wants us to enjoy life, 'filling hearts to the full with food and good cheer.' (Acts 14:17).
Prove 11:17 Kindness does benefit us, as we know "there is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." (Acts 20:35). And we should know how to love oneself in harmony with God's will, if we're going to 'love our neighbor as ourself.' For instance, you might occasionally reward yourself with dessert or a favorite meal after working to accomplish something of value in God's eyes, just as you might do for your wife or another loved one. Commend efforts to use knowledge for the benefit of others, rather than merely for having knowledge of something. On the other hand, the person acting in a cruel way toward others does not benefit himself, but rather brings himself trouble, as he for instance harms his own conscience and happiness in doing what he knows is wrong.
Prove 11:18 The wicked one's deceptive wages likely refer to his temporary reward, perhaps monetary, for doing wrong, but as Proverbs 10:2 states, "the treasures gained by wickedness will be of no benefit." The one living and acting in harmony with God's righteousness, however, receives a "true reward," one that is blessed by God for his genuine benefit.
Prove 11:19 Foresighted shrewdness reveals the outcome of a course, in this case the differing results between pursuing righteousness and evil. Notice, however, that we should "stand firmly for righteousness," valuing endurance through trial or temptation, holding to what is right in harmony with God. Godly devotion moves us to appreciate our treasured relationship with Him, not wanting to hurt or displease Him in any way--in faith choosing not to violate His laws or standards, and trusting His love for us and His blessing on our faithful course of integrity, after the example of Job, Jesus, and other faithful ones of Bible record and even modern history. 1Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it." May we turn to Jehovah in prayer whenever any temptation or trial may seem to overwhelm us, trusting in His support to endure faithfully, keeping in mind our many and endless rewards in happiness for doing so.
Prove 11:20,21 Normally, God loves the person, while hating any bad that they do (2Pete 3:9). But we should never become "crooked at heart," becoming corrupt in our heartfelt desires and practices, bringing Jehovah's heartfelt disfavor and displeasure. When this happens, such a person can easily mislead and hurt others, possibly causing or contributing to their downfall, even loss of eternal life. God is not pleased when his dear human creation is led astray from His love, from faithfulness to Him and His endless blessings of happiness. May such crooked ones repent over their wrongdoing, and become restored to His divine favor and blessing. (Isaia 55:6,7). At Isaiah 1:18, Jehovah says to his wayward people: "“Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They will be made as white as snow; Though they are as red as crimson cloth, They will become like wool." Let us never forsake the blessings and rewards of serving God faithfully, and helping others to learn to do so. Upon learning the truth, may we endeavor from that time onward to set a good example for others to serve God faithfully and help them see that doing so is worth every effort. We do this in faith, as "whoever approaches God must believe that He is, and that He becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking Him." (Hebre 11:6). There is no God like Jehovah!
Psalm 83 (Book 3, 11th psalm) reveals the plots of those seeking the downfall of God's people: Verses 3,4 says "With cunning they secretly plot against your people; They conspire against your treasured ones. 4 They say: “Come, let us annihilate them as a nation, So that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” But the true God, Jehovah, has an answer to such ones. May we trust God to protect and save His people, and to let His Kingdom come for the blessing and happiness of all humans! As verse 18 concludes, "May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth."
Galatians 1:9-12 Verse 6-9 reveals that there should not be more than one "good news" of Jesus, which was accepted by the early Christian congregation as "the truth," or the "one faith" of Ephesians 4:5. Let us consider 1Corinthians 1:10 again, as Paul writes under divine inspiration: "Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you should all speak in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you may be completely united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." It is indeed possible to be truly united in an understanding of God's word in harmony with the teaching of the united early Christians, with extensions of the truth into our modern era. If this message of truth were of human origin, it could never bring true unity and harmony as it did the early Christians, and has been proven to be able to do so as well in modern times. As Paul's inspired words continue in Galatians 1:10-12: "Is it, in fact, men I am now trying to persuade or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be Christ’s slave.11 For I want you to know, brothers, that the good news I declared to you is not of human origin; 12 for neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it was through a revelation by Jesus Christ." Paul was unique, in not being taught the truth directly, yet he did teach it to others from then on. He also had a sound basis of truth to build on, being instructed in all the Mosaic Law of God by a prominent teacher of Judaism, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But he acknowledges that Christian truth is not of human origin, but rather by God through his Son, Jesus. The truth of Jesus and his message was in no way invented by humans later, as a way to subjugate or control humans, but as many records testify and bear out, Jesus was truthfully born and raised as a human, and faithfully taught the truth of God to mankind, a truth which we have record of to this day. May we rejoice at the privilege of studying the teachings of Jesus and the rest of God's word, eager to apply them to our life, bringing our life into harmony with God's word of truth and His divine law in faith, for the everlasting benefit of ourselves and others. (Matth 7:24-28).


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