He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble to his household, but he who hates bribes will live. Proverbs 15
“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and a bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth. Those who want to be rich, will fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires, that plunge them into ruin and destruction.”
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:24
“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith, and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So, if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?” The Lord is the giver of all good things.
When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. Matthew 6:5
“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly”.
Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
“If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, and whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen!”
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it, unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1
If God is not in it, all your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit. You will plant wheat but are harvesting thorns. We can do nothing in our own strength; therefore, we should commit all our ways to the Lord for he is mercifully kind.
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the deliverance is from the Lord. Proverbs 21 31
Too many times we are preparing for a battle that is not ours, but the Lords’. We try to go up against armies unprepared, when the Lord already said, “I will fight your battles for you”. My brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to daily arm ourselves with the word of God so that when armies come upon you and I, we may be able to stand, stand still, and see the goodness of the Lord. The battle is not ours but the Lords’.
A man’s steps are of the Lord. How then can a man understand his own way? Proverbs 20:24
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. But I received mercy so that I could be an example to those who would come to believe in Him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1
If then you have been raised with Christ, keep looking for the good things of heaven. This is where Christ is seated on the right side of God. Colossians 3:1
“My brothers and sisters in Christ, “Keep your minds thinking about things in heaven. Do not think about things on the earth. You are dead to the things of this world. Your new life is now hidden in God through Christ. Christ is our life. When He comes again, you will also be with Him to share His shining greatness.”
“Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea; day by day his voice invites me, saying ‘Christian, follow me.’ As the first disciples heard it, by the Galilean Sea, turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for his dear sake.” Could we also do the same?
My brothers and sisters in Christ, this hymn, Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea, has such a moving message, a call to action, to follow Jesus. I have made a decision to follow Jesus, anywhere, everywhere, I will follow on, anywhere he leads me, I will follow on. Praise God!