Proverbs 31:4-5 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Most Bible scholars believe that Lemuel is a nickname for Solomon and that it is Bath-sheba who wrote […]
Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
God expects you to be diligent. If you are diligent, HE will reward you. In 2 Peter 1:4-7, we are told about eight precious promises that you can obtain. The eight precious promises are […]
Proverbs 20:15 There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
Gold and rubies may be valuable but there is something that is of even more value; the lips of knowledge. With Gold you can purchase a great many positions, but with the knowledge of the ways of […]
Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Who are the men that are worshiped today? They are strong men, men who do great things. Sport starts, Hollywood actors who play the role of a hero, and rich men […]
Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
Are you diligent in your work or would others characterize you as a sloth? Joseph was a diligent man and it did not matter where he was, he gained favor in the sight of those whom he was working […]
Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
You understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Thus by application, if you have knowledge of the ways of God and you allow that knowledge to be applied to your life, then the […]
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understand.
In the next verse, we see a promise for those who trust in God and lean not on their own understanding. The promise is that God will direct their paths. In order for one to receive direction from God, […]
Acts 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
Paul is presenting his case to Agrippa in the presence of Festus. He is explaining not only how he has not committed a crime, but also explaining the teachings of […]
Acts 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Paul was about to be sent to Rome to present his case there. When Agrippa came and visited Festus, Festus spoke with Agrippa about the problem he had with Paul. Festus had heard the case against Paul and was not sure what […]
Psalms 114:7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
In this Psalm we see several example of how God controls the earth. The psalmist draws our attention to the parting of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. In addition, we are reminded of how God turned a rock into water. God […]
Psalms 93:4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
On December 26, 2004 a powerful tsunami hit the country of Indonesia and claim the lives of approximately 280,000. This was a very powerful wave that is considered by some as the eighth most […]
Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
A debate was occurring in Jerusalem as to whether the Gentiles were required to be circumcised before they could be saved. James stood up and used the prophets to back his belief that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. James then shared that he thought it was best that the Gentiles be told a list of four items that they should no longer do now that they have proclaimed Jesus as their personal savior.
The third item in this list is that the Gentiles should abstain from things that were strangled. The fourth item in this list is that the Gentiles should abstain from blood. During this time in history, there was a practice of killing an animal by strangling it so that its blood did not exit the body. It was considered a delicacy to eat meat that still was saturated with its blood. Nonetheless, eating an animal with its blood was clearly a violation of Mosaic Law. The animal was to be separated from its blood before the Jews were permitted to partake of that meat.
Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
God is faithful, what HE has promised will come to pass regardless of your belief or unbelief. A good example of this principle is demonstrated by the life of Noah. Noah was told that God was going to destroy the earth with a flood. Just because no one believed God except for Noah, it does not mean that God was not faithful to fulfill HIS word. The world was full of unbelief but God was faithful and HE fulfilled HIS promise and because Noah believed, he was spared.
Jesus died upon the cross and we are instructed that if we believe on HIM, we shall be saved. How many millions of people have rejected the gift of salvation? Their rejection of Jesus as their personal Savior does not mean that Jesus did not die for all who will accept HIM. God is faithful, and just because some choose to reject the truth of the gospel, it does not mean that the gospel is untrue.
Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
Paul is in the city of Athens and he was grieved at how the city was given to idolatry. Paul preached the word and they gave him the opportunity to share his new doctrine with everyone. Paul at Mars� hill did open their eyes about the unknown God that they did ignorantly worship. At the conclusion of Paul�s preaching, some mocked, some desired to hear more, while a few believed. However, Paul did not stick around to preach again, instead he proceeded on to Corinth were he waited for Silas and Timothy.
Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
The church in Jerusalem was under great persecution. Christians were being thrown into prison. Many decided that they would leave their home and find and find a new place to live. However, they did not become bitter over having to leave Jerusalem but instead, they demonstrated their faith by preaching the word of God in their new hometown.
God used this time of persecution in the church to drive his church out into the world and preach the gospel. From the outside, this appears to be a real sad time for the church but in God�s eye, it was designed so that the gospel would spread around the world.
Hebrews 11:33b wrought righteousness,
It takes faith to commit your life to righteousness. Righteousness is the state where God approves your actions. Righteousness occurs when your life is full of integrity, virtue, purity of life, and correctness of thinking, feeling and acting. Noah, Abraham, Job and David are all individuals who wrought righteousness. God saw the righteousness of these men and they did great things for God. It was not by their strength that they wrought righteousness but by their faith in God.
When Satan visited God during the time of Job, God praised Job�s faithfulness. Satan challenged God that Job was only faithful because of God�s blessing. God permitted Satan to take everything away from Job and Job did not sin. Job understood that God has no obligation to only give us good things. Job strived to live his life perfect before God.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Noah walked with God and was warned that God was going to destroy the world because of its wickedness. Noah received instructions on how he might be saved and he obeyed those instructions. Noah�s faith was demonstrated by his obedience to God. Noah heard the instruction of the Lord and he believed God. Noah obeyed God completely.
By faith Noah heard and responded. Noah also demonstrated faith in the fact that he had such a close relationship with the Lord. However, the Lord chose to highlight Enoch�s walk with the Lord to demonstrate that lesson in faith. For Noah, the lesson of faith that God desires us to learn is that he obeyed the warnings that he received.
