Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.
Proverbs 13:6, ESV
Practically speaking, living rightly generally keeps you out of trouble.
Spiritually speaking, Christ’s righteousness saves us from the punishment we deserve and guards us from falling back into sin.
For everyone who may have forgotten or does not know yet, I also write over at ProverbialThought.com, and I am doing an Advent series. Here is today’s thought.
Go enjoy, subscribe, and share!
Daniel
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. -Zechariah 3:8-10
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The great news of Zechariah is that the Branch of Jesse, the descendant of David, the Servant King of Israel, would be coming to His people, and in a single day He would manage to remove all the sins of His people.
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Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14, ESV
Rely on God’s love and strength to get through every season of life, watching over your faith through faithfulness to the Word and Body of Christ.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:3-4, ESV
We are to do good things for others, but it is out of love for God and others. If we do good things to look good in front of others, then we are loving ourselves only.
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2, ESV
It is not enough to seek spiritual gifts of any type if love for God and others (both, at the same time) is not driving the desire.
Seek God’s love and righteousness, and you will be amazed what God does through you.
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Nahum 1:7, ESV
Trust in God. When times are bad, He knows your need and holds you.
But trust Him in good times, too. Those are times to draw near in comfort and get to know Him.
Some of you might be feeling discouraged, afraid, worn out, or intimidated by the Enemy and his minions. I hope this helps.
Don’t be intimidated… into silence with regards to your faith – share it anyway.
Don’t be intimidated… by those who want to deny the reality or historicity of your faith – their arguments aren’t as strong as they think.
Don’t be intimidated… by politicians and lawmakers, especially those who support every kind of deviancy known to man – they will have to answer to the High King of Heaven one day.
Don’t be intimidated… by unexplained phenomena – the universe and EVERYTHING in it was created by God for His glory.
Don’t be intimidated… by those who believe truth is relative and morality is based on the flip of a coin – they’re afraid of a higher law.
Don’t be intimidated… by children who think they know everything – because…
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For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV
Stop trying to earn your salvation. It is an undeserved gift given freely to those who believe in the saving work of Christ through the cross.
Just believe it.
(Then do good works out of love.)
In this most amazing season of Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of the Savior and King, it is a good idea for us to fast. However, when you read that, your mind no doubt specifically thought about food, and while that type of fasting is the most common, and has it’s benefits both physically and spiritually, it is not the kind of fast to which I’m referring.
I’m referring to the type of fast of which the Lord says:
“Is this not the fast which I choose, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” Isaiah 58:6-7 NASB
So what is the fast that the Lord chooses? It is has two aspects: The first part of the passage can be interpreted in it’s simplest form as the importance of forgiveness (see Complete Forgiveness). This is extremely applicable in it’s own right, however, it’s the second part that is the focus of this article, and that is generosity. We must be generous, not just financially, but with whatever resources the Lord has given us, and if necessary, yes, to go without a meal or two so that someone who doesn’t have the means or ability to feed themselves can eat. This is the spirit of Christmas…the spirit of giving and forgiving.
How and what are you willing to give, to the point of going without it, this Christmas Season so that you may provide it for someone else?
a simple man of God 