For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Children who mistreat their parents are a disgrace. People should be embarrassed to be seen with them.
The psalmist continues on his theme that God will rescue us if we call on Him. God will reward us for doing right. If we keep God’s ways and do not turn from Him to do evil, He will be there for us when our enemies strike. If we are faithful, God will show us His faithfulness. If we have integrity, God will show us His integrity. If we are pure, God will show us His purity. However, if we are crooked and try to get our way by being devious, God will show that He is shrewd. God will come to our rescue only if we humbly acknowledge that we do not deserve His aid. Those who proudly think that they are better than others will be humiliated by God as He shows them that they are no more His than the vilest sinner.
If the Spirit of God lives in us, we are controlled by Him, not by our sinful nature. This is an important lesson for us here. We cannot excuse our sinful acts by saying that we could not help ourselves. We may succumb to temptation, but the Spirit of God gives us a choice. We are obligated to behave in certain ways, but that obligation is not to our sinful bodies. No, we are obligated to obey the Spirit and act as He directs us. We no longer need live as fearful slaves. God’s Spirit has entered into us to demonstrate that He has adopted us as His very own children, heirs to His glory.
However, if we are to share in God’s glory, we will also share in Jesus’ suffering. There is suffering for all who live this life, but as Jesus said, the world will love us no more than it loved Him. Yet, no matter how bad our suffering may be in this life, the day will come when we will experience the joy of being united with God. The greatest joys we experience in this life are but a foretaste of what is to come.
Rehoboam was given two different types of advice about how to be a good leader. The first was given to him by his older advisers, those who had advised his father. They told him to serve the people and act in their interest. The second was given by his contemporaries, those who had grown up with him. They told him that he was leader by right and that the people were obligated to do as he said. Rehoboam rejected the advice of those older and wiser than he. He decided that since he was the leader, the king, the people were obligated to do his will, not he to do theirs. Rehoboam discovered, as all leaders do, that the people were not obligated to follow him. They chose to reject his entitlement mentality and to follow someone who promised to rule more in line with their wishes. When Rehoboam attempted to enforce his control, he discovered that those he relied on did not have as much power as he imagined.