Qualities of nobility

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 17:1-29 

John 19:23-42 

Psalm 119:129-152 

Proverbs 16:12-13

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Proverbs 16:13 "Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he loves one who speaks honestly."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In our Verse for Today, Solomon is speaking about the ideal. He is presenting a best case scenario where a good king is on the throne. While a good king (or leader) values "righteous lips" and "one who speaks honestly," not every leader does.

For that matter, ordinary people often do not necessarily value those things either.

But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's define our terms.

"Righteous lips:" someone whose speech comes from a good heart informed by the Bible. They uphold the standard set forth in God's Word as the ideal to be attained. Their words often contain Scripture.

"one who speaks honestly:" someone whose words can be counted on. They will tell the truth even if that truth is undesirable.

So, the one commended by the king in this text is someone who has a moral standard that has been informed by Scripture. And when they speak, you know that they are accurately speaking to what is true, whether that truth is pleasant or distasteful.

Unfortunately, too many people who go by the name "Christian" aren't spending sufficient time in Scripture and so their talk isn't "righteous." In fact, the name of Jesus rarely crosses their lips from one week to the next.

Further, too many people who go by the name "Christian" aren't honest when they speak (they say what people want to hear) and they bristle when they are confronted with unpleasant truth by people who are honest with them.

That's the difference between a wise person and a fool...

Proverbs 9:8-9 "Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke the wise, and he will love you. Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more."

Those who are wise desire righteous lips and honesty even if those words reveal that they are out of conformity with what is right. They listen gladly so that they can make the necessary adjustments in their own life.

So, today, ask the Lord to empower you as you work to become a person with righteous lips and who speaks honestly. Further, encourage those around you to be like that. Going one step farther, if you are truly a wise person, you will encourage others to be honest with you when you are not demonstrating righteous lips (or a righteous life).

After all, if you are saved, you aren't just a common person. You are a child of the King. And as nobility, you need to act like it. And we need honest people with righteous lips to help us along.

The truth will set you free

DAILY BIBLE READING:

1 Samuel 18:5–19:24 
John 8:31-59 
Psalm 112:1-10 
Proverbs 15:12-14

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

John 8:31-32 (ESV) "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Freedom! We love that word. In America, we celebrate that we live in a country with so many freedoms. We like to do as we please.

Yet, even in America, "the land of the free," we have thousands of laws and the number continues to grow. Why? Because as long as there are sinful, self-seeking hearts, there will be people who use their freedoms to trample on other people's freedoms.

The irony is that to enjoy freedom, there must be constraints (laws).

Yet, in our text, Jesus has promised freedom!

John 8:31-32 (ESV) "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"

So, what is this "freedom" that Jesus is talking about and how can it be maintained?

Briefly stated, the freedom alluded to in this verse is the freedom from bondage to sin. Just read the next comments that Jesus makes a couple of verses later and this point becomes clear. Jesus can set us free from sin and sinful habits that would bind us and destroy us.

Further, freedom would eventually devolve into anarchy if it weren't for laws. But, this is also alluded to in this verse. "If you abide in my word..." Jesus says that the Bible becomes the instruction manual (law book) for those set free and, in fact, it works to set us free even more. As long as we are learning from God's Word, repenting deeply of where we fall short, and making the necessary adjustments, we will be getting freed from sin's chains and set free to serve, love, and enjoy our Lord.

Are we under God's authority?

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Numbers 22:21-23:30

Luke 1:57-80

Psalm 58:1-11

Proverbs 11:12-13

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Numbers 22:38 "Balaam replied, 'Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.'"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In Numbers 22, the leaders of Moab hired a prophet. They wanted him to pronounce a curse upon the Israelites believing it would undermine the strength of God's people.

Yet, the prophet (Balaam) told them that they (and he) had no authority to determine what he would say over the Israelites. He was under God's authority and could only say what God told him to say.

I wonder if a mighty movement of God could begin and sweep across our land if God's spokesmen, pastor/preachers, would take this verse to heart.

Sermon (video): Be People of Truth (Matthew 5:33-37)

As Christians, we are called by Jesus to say what we mean and mean what we say. In short, Matthew 5:33-37 calls us to be honest.
 
But, I wanted to show in this sermon that we must also make sure that we speak the truth in love, that we know what the truth is by studying God's Word, and that we develop toughness to experience the consequences of speaking the truth in love.
 
To watch the sermon, click here.