PSALM 122
Invitation to worship verse 1
I was glad when they said unto me
Let us go into the house of the LORD
Place to worship verse 2- 3
Our feet shall stand within thy gates- O Jerusalem
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together
People who worship verse 4- 5
Whither the tribes go up – the tribes of the LORD
to testimony of Israel – to give thanks
to the name of the LORD
For there are set thrones of judgment
the thrones of the house of David
Reason for worship verse 6- 9
Pray for peace of Jerusalem – they shall prosper that love you
peace be within your walls
and prosperity within your palaces
For my brethren and companions’ sake – I will now say
Peace be within you
BECAUSE of the house of the LORD our God
I will seek your good
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. (8055 “glad” [samach] means rejoice, exalt, elated, joy, or merry.
DEVOTION: Each time we go to church would we describe the times as ones of joy? Do we look forward to going to church?
The psalmist was rejoicing when someone asked him to go to the house of the LORD. When they went to the house of the LORD, it was accompanied with singing. They were elated to be in the temple of the LORD. They were required to come to the three main feasts. They saved their money to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They wanted there to be peace in Jerusalem, so that, they could make their pilgrimage to worship the LORD.
The whole group traveled with joy. Jesus went with his mother and Joseph to the Temple to worship. HE stayed behind to question the teachers of the law. His parents thought HE was with the rest of the pilgrims going back home after the feast. It was a community affair to go to Jerusalem. That was then, this in now.
We have a true freedom to worship the LORD in our country. That freedom may be taken from us. Are we enjoying our freedom each week? The children of Israel went through a time period when they couldn’t go to Jerusalem to worship the LORD. They missed it. Hopefully, we don’t have to go through a time period like they did.
The Bible states that we should “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching?” [Hebrews 10:25] We need to be in church each week. That is our community of fellowship.
Remember the illustration regarding those who stay away from church: Pastor took amber from the fire and watched it go out in front of someone who was skipping the fellowship of church. Is our amber going out???? Let us encourage one another with our presence.
Each Sunday it is a challenge to enjoy going to church to worship the LORD. Our enemy wants us to fight with our family on the way to church. Our enemy wants us to complain about the parking, teaching, offering and other things that happen in the church.
CHALLENGE: Go to church with the joy of the LORD in your heart and a song in your mouth. Compliment the pastor before you leave.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:2 “Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!” The New
King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Standing – 5975 עָמַד [ʿamad /aw·mad/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1637; GK 6641; 521 occurrences; AV translates as “stood” 171 times, “stand” 137 times, “(raise”, “stand …) up” 42 times, “set” 32 times, “stay” 17 times, “still” 15 times, “appointed” 10 times, “standing” 10 times, “endure” eight times, “remain” eight times, “present” seven times, “continue” six times, “withstand” six times, “waited” five times, “establish” five times, and translated miscellaneously 42 times. 1 to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to stand, take one’s stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: It was always with anticipation that we would load into the car on Christmas morning! For many years there were ten of us and the car would be full and loud as we drove over the often snowy roads to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. There we would meet with all the clan and celebrate Christmas. There would be at times over seventy people crowded into that little house and how joyful and fun-filled the day would be. That anticipation grew as we excitedly looked we could see all the cars lined up and the different relatives outside or going into the house. We felt like we were already there even though we were still in the car. So the pilgrims were as they saw the gates of the city and realized their destination was complete.
Do we long for the entrance of our Heavenly home like the pilgrims longed for Jerusalem? How excited are we when we come into the presence of the Lord either in personal devotionals or corporate worship? Do we recognize we are standing at the gate of God’s house as we enter these times with Him?
CHALLENGE: Today as you enter into a time of devotion or meditation with the Lord envision coming into the city of the King after traveling for days! Capture the sense of excitement and anticipation before rushing into the throne room of the king! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to the testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. (5715 “testimony” [‘eduwth] means witness, legal provisions, a solemn statement made under oath or as part of a covenant, a precept, law, witness, revelation, or statute.)
DEVOTION: The city of Jerusalem was to be the center of unity for the twelve tribes of Israel. All the tribes were to gather in Jerusalem because the Temple was built there and it was the place the LORD said HE would meet with Israel.
This was the spot where all the holy days were celebrated. It was the place where the men of Israel were to come to for the feasts. It was a city where all were to go to as a sign to their children of the unity of Israel.
The feasts should have brought the people together as a sign that all were worshiping the only true God in the world. This is the purpose of the Biblical church today.
We are told in the New Testament to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together to worship the LORD. The local church was built to give all those who were believers together to worship the LORD and fellowship together.
Today in the bigger cities, there are many churches where people can gather together to worship the LORD. The problem is that some of the churches that exist today are not all preaching the Word of God.
So the testimony of the LORD in the places that call themselves a “church” that don’t preach the Word of God and salvation by faith in Jesus alone are not really places that are honoring the LORD and should not be places where those who are genuine believers should gather.
Israel was to come to the Temple to worship on given occasions because it was the one true place where the LORD had put HIS name. Today just because a building says it is a church doesn’t mean that it is preaching the true Gospel of Salvation.
CHALLENGE: Today Christians have to use discernment when they are looking for a church because it should be one that is genuinely preaching the Word of God and reaching out to win others in the neighborhood and world with the message of salvation.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
(7951 “prosper” [shalah] means safety, happy, be at ease, have peace and quiet, relax, be tranquil, or be in a favorable circumstance.)
DEVOTION: Some feel that his Psalm was written by King David. He wanted to encourage fellow Israelites to go up to Jerusalem to worship. He knew that the LORD had established Jerusalem as the place to worship. He set aside material for his son, Solomon, to build the Temple in Jerusalem.
His prayer for Jerusalem was that it would have peace. We know that during the lifetime of David and Solomon there was relative peace in Jerusalem. However, the sin of the Israelites caused the LORD to send judgment on the city. There were many ups and downs regarding the city all the way to the time period when the Romans ruled over the city.
Jesus came and cried over Jerusalem. HE was crucified in Jerusalem. HIS disciples waited in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost. Many were saved and scattered from Jerusalem to the rest of the world with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
We are told that when Christ returns the second time there will be a New Jerusalem come down from heaven. It is thought that the mansions that HE went to prepare will be found in this New Jerusalem. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ will reign with HIM for the thousand years.
What should our attitude be toward Jerusalem today? Should we be praying for peace in Jerusalem today? Is God concerned with the city today? Should Christians support Jerusalem?
Remember that our main responsibility is to reach the world with the
Good News of the Gospel and one city that needs to be reached is Jerusalem.
CHALLENGE: Dig into the Word of God to see what our relationship should be in regard to Jerusalem today. What should our prayer be today for Jerusalem?
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: 9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good. (1245 “seek” [baqash] means to discover, find, to attempt to do, to try to get or reach something one desires or to choose.)
DEVOTION: We have choices even after we make a commitment to the LORD. It is up to us each day to decide if we are going to be faithful to the LORD. It shouldn’t be a choice but it is.
Our choice each day is whether we will try to ger or reach the goal the LORD has set for our life. We have to make that decision each morning. It is something that takes effort in our life. It is something that the LORD wants to have us do which will cause us to become better servants of the LORD.
HE wants us to be faithful to HIM each moment of each day.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Prosper verse 6
Prosperity verse 7
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer for the peace of Jerusalem verse 6
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Give thanks verse 4
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 4, 9
House of the LORD verse 1
Tribes of the LORD verse 4
Name of the LORD verse 4
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 9
House of the LORD our God verse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Glad verse 1
Worship verse 1
Give thanks verse 4
Pray verse 6
Peace verse 6- 8
Love the LORD verse 6
Prosperity verse 7
Seek good verse 9
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Psalm of David verse 1
House of the LORD verse 1, 9
Jerusalem verse 2, 3
Tribes of the LORD verse 4
Israel verse 4
House of David verse 5
Peace within the walls of Jerusalem verse 7, 8
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Ver. 8. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, &c.] Who were regenerated by the spirit of God; adopted into his family, and children of the same father; stood in the same relation to Christ the first-born, and members of the same church; and so brethren: partners in the same blessings and promises of the covenant; partakers of the same grace; joined together in religious worship; shared in the same joys and griefs; travellers together to the same heavenly country, and entitled to the same glory and happiness. So David, though a king, reckoned his meanest subjects as such, who were spiritual men; and for their sakes, through the good will, love, and affection he bore to them, he would set praying souls an example, and by it enforce his own exhortation, as follows: I will now say, peace be within thee; now and always put up this petition, and not put it off to longer time; that peace and prosperity may always attend the church of God, as well as the city of Jerusalem, literally considered, and the inhabitants of it. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 247). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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The name “Jerusalem” means “foundation of peace,” and yet the city has been a center of conflict for centuries. If we understand biblical prophecy correctly, there can be no peace in Jerusalem or on earth until the Prince of Peace reigns on David’s throne (Isa. 9:6–7; Luke 1:26–33). So, when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are actually praying, “Thy kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10) and “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). Jesus wept over the city because they were ignorant of the peace God had for them (Luke 19:41–48) and had rejected their own Messiah (John 11:47–48). But our intercession must not be perfunctory prayers; they must come from our heart because we love God and love His people. Note the fruit of the Spirit in this psalm: love (v. 6), joy (v. 1), and peace (vv. 6–8; Gal. 6:16).
The “prosperity” mentioned in verse 6 does not refer to material wealth but primarily to the spiritual enrichment that comes to those who love God, His Son (born a Jew), His Word (a Jewish book), and His chosen people. “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). To promise that all who pray for the peace of Jerusalem will become wealthy is to misunderstand the promise. Paul prayed for his people (Rom. 10:1) and yet was a poor man materially (2 Cor. 6:10). Christian believers have a debt to Israel for the untold spiritual wealth they have given us (Rom. 15:25–27). It is selfish to want personal prosperity when the emphasis here is on the city of God, the chosen people of God (vv. 6–8), and the house of God (v. 9). But there is an application to believers today, for we are God’s people, citizens of the heavenly country, and we must pray for one another and for the ministry of the churches. We belong to each other, we need each other, and we must help each other. We must pray for peace within and among the churches. We must pray for the needs of “our brothers and friends,” and surely we must pray for the lost.
A heart for God will surely be a heart filled with praise and prayer. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 151–152). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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122:6–9 A most appropriate prayer for a city whose name means peace and is the residency of the God of peace (Is 9:6; Ro 15:33; Heb 13:20). Compare prayers for the peace of Israel (Pss 125:5; 128:6) and other psalms which exalt Jerusalem (Pss 128, 132, 147). History would prove that bad times had to come (Pss 79, 137) before the best of times (Rev 21, 22). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 122:6–9). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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8. “For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.” It is to the advantage of all Israel that there should be peace in Jerusalem. It is for the good of every Christian, yea, of every man, that there should be peace and prosperity in the church. Here our humanity and our common philanthropy assist our religious prayer. By a flourishing church our children, our neighbours, our fellow-countrymen are likely to be blest. Moreover, we cannot but pray for a cause with which our dearest relatives and choicest friends are associated: if they labour for it, we must and will pray for it. Here peace is mentioned for the third time. Are not these frequent threes some hint of the Trinity? It would be hard to believe that the triple form of so many parts of the Old Testament is merely accidental. At least, the repetition of the desire displays the writer’s high valuation of the blessing mentioned; he would not again and again have invoked peace had he not perceived its extreme desirableness. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, p. 29). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Today’s Scripture
Leviticus 16-18
Before I accepted Christ as my Savior, I did many things that fit right in with the group of friends around me. I did not see any reason to live or speak differently, as we were comfortable with one another. I soon recognized, after becoming a believer in Christ, I had old habits and lifestyles I needed to put away and not practice anymore.
Moses had gone through a list of cleansing and ceremonial functions to bring a person from alienation and sin to a restored relationship with God. The bull and the scapegoat were killed and the blood from those sacrifices were applied to the altar. Subsequently, blood was sprinkled seven times on the altar to cleanse and consecrate the altar from the uncleanness of the children of Israel (16:14-15).
A second goat had hands placed upon it and the sins of the people were transferred to the goat which was then released into the wilderness. Afterwards the priest, handler of the scapegoat and the servant handling the remains of the sacrifices, were all to wash with water and be cleansed of defilement before returning to the camp.
The significance of blood sacrifices that were spilt and presented to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle, represented a covering or atonement for individual sin. The life of everything was in the blood and this offering permitted the people access to God. No matter who brought the bull to the priest, they were cleansed from their sin before the Lord (Leviticus 16:30).
The Lord then spoke and challenged the people to be holy, unlike how they had been in Egypt. The acts and attitudes were to be different because of their relationship to the Lord. They were also not to imitate the Canaanites, with whom they dwelt (18:3).
In the New Testament, Paul challenged the believers to be a distinct and changed people. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Whether it was the old covenant, or the new, true followers of God are to live and act differently than the world around them. Can people tell we are followers of Christ by our words, works and attitudes?
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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LOVED BY THE FATHER AND THE SON
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.
John 17:6
Consider the place we occupy in the interest and love of the Father and the Son. I confess that I am almost overwhelmed when I think of this. I so often spend my time, as I am sure many of you do, wondering why it is that I do not experience more of the love of God; why God does not, as it were, love me more and do things for me. What a terrible thing that is! The trouble is that I do not realize His love for me—that is my difficulty. People often say, “I feel my love for God is so small.” Quite right, I say the same thing myself:
Lord, it is my chief complaint,
That my love is weak and faint.
William Cowper
That is true, but the best cure is not to try to do things within yourself and work up some love from the depths of your being.The way to love God is to begin to know God’s love to you, and this doctrine is the high road to that love. Before time, before the creation of the world, He set His eye upon you, He set His affection upon you; you were marked, you were already put among His people.And all that has been done, all the person and the work of Christ, all this manifestation of His ineffable love, was done because of God’s love to you. Therefore, realize His interest in you. The God who has loved you to the extent of sending His only begotten Son to endure and to suffer all that for you loves you with a love that you will never understand, a love that passes knowledge. If we but knew God’s love to us, it would revolutionize our lives.
A Thought to Ponder
The way to love God is to begin to know God’s love to you.
(From Safe in the World, pp. 41-42 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Way of Cain
“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.” (Proverbs 25:14)
Cain initially was a religious man, evidently proud of his achievements as a “tiller of the ground” that God had “cursed” (Genesis 4:2; 3:17). He assumed that God would be much impressed with the beautiful basket of his “fruit of the ground” that he presented as an “offering unto the LORD.” Cain became bitterly angry when God “had not respect” to Cain and his offering (Genesis 4:3-5).
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,” shedding the blood of an innocent lamb in substitution for his own sin and guilt before God, “by which he obtained witness that he was righteous” (Hebrews 11:4). Since “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17), Abel was merely obeying God’s Word, but Cain, proud and self-righteous in attitude, was presuming to offer up his own merits in payment for the privilege of coming to God.
This was a “false gift,” however, with no meritorious value at all before God, “like clouds and wind without rain.” The apostle Jude warns against any such presumption, especially now that we can freely come to God through His own perfect “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “Woe unto them!” says Jude, “for they have gone in the way of Cain…clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 1:11-12). This severe indictment was lodged against all who, like Cain, are superficially religious but who, by their self-righteous resentment against God, are “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). We must not boast of our gifts to God, but only of His gift to us.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
“Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.” (Proverbs 9:1)
The foundation of the house of wisdom is “the fear of the LORD. . . the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). One does not finally reach the Lord through much study and the acquisition of much wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the very “beginning of wisdom.” Without a reverent trust in the God of creation and redemption, there can be no true wisdom. “For other foundation can no man lay than . . . Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Then, erected upon this foundation and supporting all the superstructure of the “house of wisdom” are seven mighty pillars or columns. But what are these? The answer seems to be found in that New Testament book of wisdom, the book of James, where it is said that “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5). Then, “a wise man and endued with knowledge . . . [will] show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).
Finally, the seven great pillars seem to be listed in James 3:17: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” The first in the list or central column, carrying more weight than any of the other columns in the structure, is purity. Then there are six outside pillars. One is peaceableness; the next is gentleness; then comes reasonableness (“easy to be entreated”). The next phrase, “full of mercy and good fruits,” connotes helpfulness. The term for “without partiality” actually means humility, and then the final pillar is sincerity.
Thus, a life of genuine wisdom is a life founded upon the fear of the Lord and supported by genuine purity, peaceableness, gentleness, reasonableness, helpfulness, humility, and sincerity. Such a house will never fall! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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I think the most important thing that we can know about the drama played out yesterday in Washington, D.C. is that it featured immortals.
Did Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assault Dr. Christie Blasey Ford some 35 years ago in Maryland? We still don’t know.
If Kavanaugh did what he is accused of, he certainly should not serve on the United States Supreme Court, not only due to the disqualifying seriousness of sexual assault but because he flatly denied doing it. Lying would itself be enough to dismiss his nomination.
And if he did not do what he is accused of, then this whole episode is the grossest abuse of the political process I’ve ever seen. False accusations are a savage abuse of a human being.
Thursday’s hearing was built up by media pundits as being “historic.” I don’t think that’s true, but it was certainly brutal to watch. My summary of what we learned is—not much.
To be more specific . . .
First, Dr. Blasey Ford came across believable and credible in her testimony, but then confused and unclear when answering questions by hired prosecutor Rachel Mitchell. And Brett Kavanaugh came across as impassioned and sincere in defending his innocence.
Second, the format of the hearing—five minutes of questioning by Mitchell followed by five minutes of grandstanding and praise–is not an effective way to get to the facts.
Third, there remains a real lack of any evidence that Kavanaugh actually assaulted Dr. Ford. There’s certainly not enough evidence to convict him of a crime, but as was often said, this wasn’t a trial.
Fourth, the media coverage of this whole saga was despicable.
But finally, and I think most importantly, I found it incredibly discouraging to see, across social media and elsewhere, how those who were still asking for evidence were called hacks and heartless, while those moved by Dr. Ford’s testimony were called liberals or pro-abortion or worse—often by friends, even brothers and sisters in Christ.
Throughout this entire confirmation process I’ve been thinking of C.S. Lewis’ magnificent sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” especially this part:
“… it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit….”
Or to put it another way, every human being is made in the image of God, made for eternity. Our causes, our ideologies, our governments—they aren’t eternal. That’s why it is always morally hideous whenever anyone is sacrificed on the altar of a political ideology, for a political party, or for power and control.
People are ends; they’re never means.
It is not treating a human being as if they are in God’s image to sit on damaging information about their character until a day before a confirmation vote, only to trot it out to the nation for a political convenience.
It is not treating a human being as if they are in God’s image to go on national TV and proclaim the accused guilty, before talking to the accused or the accuser, and in the absence of any evidence.
It’s not treating a human being as if they’re in God’s image to suggest that even if sexual abuse happened, it doesn’t matter because the accused was young or too much time has passed, or that boys will be boys.
Our politics has become so dehumanizing, cynical, and degraded that may never know any more about these allegations than we do right now. And so, in this context, as broken as it is, here’s what Christians can do. First, we can pray that God would allow the truth to come out. We can pray that the victims of this gross episode in our history would be healed and that ultimately God would use His church to heal the nation.
But finally, Christians have to commit to never sacrifice a human person—ever—on the altar of political ideology. Not even if they’re judicial nominees or political opponents. (BreakPoint Daily Commentary by John Stonestreet)
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WALKING IN THE LIGHT
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:6-7
John is fond of the phrase, “walking in the light”; how often this idea occurs in his Gospel, and here it is again. It is not obvious on the very surface that if you take this in an absolute literal sense it can mean only one thing, and that is absolute perfection. If to walk in the light as God is in the light is taken strictly literally, as it is expressed here, there is only one deduction to draw: As Christians our only hope of forgiveness and therefore of being Christians at all is that we should be absolutely perfect as God Himself is perfect.
But clearly that is impossible! Which of us is perfect? Which of us is without sin? “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (verse 8); we cannot, therefore, be absolutely perfect. So immediately we find that this phrase of walking in the light as God is in the light must be interpreted in terms of the way in which John customarily employs this picture. And the key to that is to be found in the phrase in 1 John 1:6 where we read about walking in darkness: “If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”
We interpret this verse about “walking in the light” as the antithesis and the exact opposite of “walking in darkness.” Therefore it does not mean that I claim absolute perfection; but it does mean that I claim that I now belong to a different realm, to the kingdom of light and to the kingdom of God.
A Thought to Ponder: I now belong to a different realm, to the kingdom of light.
(From Fellowship with God, pp. 126-127, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Christian is to obey the government and love his fellow man.
INSIGHT
Love is the central characteristic of the Christian. In Matthew 22:37-40, a lawyer asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment. Jesus says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then the Lord gives the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes that love is the greatest characteristic-even greater than faith or hope. Now in Romans this theme is picked up again. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the Law. God is love. If we are to be like Him, we also must love. (Quiet Walk)
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Shannon Raj Joseph writes (MD) A true friend is not someone who only talks to you when they need something every now and then, but someone who makes you feel good about yourself. Someone who surrounds you with love and support no matter what you’re going through. Someone who lifts your head up even if times are hard for themselves. Someone who makes an effort to see how you are doing in this busy world we live in even if its a simple text. True friends are proud of your success and stick with you through your failures. They don’t judge you when you make poor decisions but they try to guide you towards the right path. True friends are hard to find, so don’t forget the ones who matter over the ones who secretly hate.
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