For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
Those who are generous will find that sometimes that generosity opens doors to opportunities that would otherwise be closed. A freely given gift may allow someone to gain access to the movers and shakers.
The second proverb reminds us of the importance of waiting until we hear both sides of the story before reaching a conclusion. The first person who tells us their side of the story will almost always sound right, but we often will discover that the answer is not so clear-cut when we hear how those on the other side of the dispute describe things. It is important to remember that it is possible that both sides of a dispute may have genuinely acted with the best intentions…based on information of which the other side was unaware (or because they were unaware of information available to the other side).
Let us call upon God to answer the charges against us when we are falsely accused of wrongdoing. God will vindicate us when people make up baseless slanders against us because we serve Him. He will expose their lies for the entire world to see. In the meantime we need to control our anger rather than allowing it to control us. When we become angry we should remain silent and sleep on what caused our anger before we speak or act.
Let us trust in God and offer sacrifices to Him in the right spirit. Always remember that doing God’s will brings greater joy than anything which can be purchased with wealth.
When Paul was on trial before Felix, the Jewish Council made a case against him that seemed fairly damning. However, Paul was able to show that the accusations they made against him were based on hearsay and innuendo and that the only people who might be able to actually make the case were not present. This case is a perfect illustration of our proverb from today.
Later, when Paul talked with Felix and his wife in private he discussed the connection between righteousness, self-control, and the coming day of judgement. Paul was apparently more convincing than Felix expected because he cut the discussion short. Luke’s description of what Paul said to Felix and his wife in private presents us with a different take on the Gospel message than we normally think of. The Gospel message, according to this passage, is about how righteousness and self-control are related to being prepared for God’s coming day of judgement. Are we prepared to talk to the unbelievers we know about the relationship between these three things?
This passage is one of the reasons I am doing this blog. This genealogy list is extremely dry reading and I have trouble reading through it. Today I will be perfectly honest that I was unable to discern any meanings from it that apply to my life. However, I did find it interesting that the account contained a list of descendants of the king of Judah taken into Babylonian exile.