And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord." Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king." But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?" And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." 2 Chronicles 18:4-7 (ESV) We often choose who to listen to based on who reinforces what we want to hear. The book of 2 Timothy, chapter 4, speaks to this issue, as does this passage in 2 Chronicles, and our general observation of life. Choosing who you listen to is not ...
Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. John 12:28-31 (ESV) Jesus did all things for our benefit, not for His. He is the model of success. We can guard our life, energy, time, resources, and more, only to find that we wasted them all. When we think of others and care for others, we invest in their lives. We do things for their sake, not ours. When we care for ourselves, we need to do so in a way that does not limit our ability to help others. Moms and dads need to help each other schedule "alone time," or time with God, in ways that enhance family relationships rather than limit them. If we learn to die to ourselves, we have a...
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, "You are exacting interest, each from his brother." And I held a great assembly against them. Nehemiah 5:6-7 (ESV) Those who help people because they gain have not helped anyone but themselves. They have masked their greed with public kindness and generosity. They appear to care for others, when clearly, they are caring for themselves and using others. Using other people's money has always been essential to business plans, because, if done correctly, both parties win. Loaning money to those you will own or who will struggle for the rest of their lives to pay it back is not love, kindness, or Christianity. Those who are irresponsible need to be taught responsibility. Those who do not work should not eat, and those who have much need not lord it over the needy. Wisdom is needed to know what is best to do. The...
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