Proverbs 15:3 ESV
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.”
The Lord knows what is going on, even if we don’t. He sees
behind closed doors and he hears private conversations and he can see what is
being viewed on the internet by all of us. He knows who is telling the truth
and who is lying. He knows who is at fault and who isn’t. We can only see so
much, but he sees it all. And he is keeping watch on what is going on. He is
not asleep. We may think we know the truth, but we may not, or we may only know
half the truth but not the other half.
So, be careful in your judging that you don’t judge others
falsely or hypocritically or by your own self, or by your culture, or by your traditions,
or by the thinking and reasoning of humans. If you must make a judgment, do so
by the Word of God and with facts not just by your own prejudices and
partialities. Be fair. Be just. Listen to both sides of the issue, not just one
side. Don’t be too quick to believe one person and to not believe another
unless there is a definite history of one being a liar and the other not.
Proverbs 15:8-10 ESV
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves him who pursues righteousness.
There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
whoever hates reproof will die.”
The Lord knows who the wicked are and who the righteous are.
But if we are in tune with the Lord there should be obvious signs as to who is
living righteously and who is living wickedly. Too many people are following
the wicked blindly because the wicked are often smooth talkers who say what
people’s itching ears want to hear. They are entertainers and schmoozers who
charm people in order to get out of them what they want. And they are driven by
self and greed and their god is their own belly.
So the Lord does not accept sacrifices supposedly given to
him by those who live wickedly and who refuse to bow the knee to him in true
humility and in repentance. He is not interested in their Bible study times or
their prayer times or their times of public service or their good deeds done in
the flesh. He sees their sacrifices the same as he saw those of the Pharisees
who were hypocrites who tried to look good on the outside while inside they
were full of all kinds of wickedness. Point being? You can’t fool God!
But the Lord accepts the prayer of the righteous, and he
loves the one who pursues righteousness. But this is not self-righteousness.
This is not about trying to earn or to deserve one’s own salvation. This is
about walking in the salvation we have already received. For our salvation is
deliverance from our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can now walk in
holiness and in righteousness in obedience to our Lord, in his power and
strength. So the Lord loves those who walk in obedience to his commands.
But there is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way
of the Lord, and the way of salvation from slavery to sin, and the way of
living in righteousness and in holiness and in obedience to our Lord. And this
is not just Old Testament. This is what Jesus and his apostles taught in the
New Testament. For if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and if we do
not walk in obedience to our Lord, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit
eternal life with God regardless of what faith we professed.
Proverbs 15:29,31-33 ESV
”The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.”
Who are the wicked? They are those who practice doing what
is evil. They are liars, adulterers, deceivers, manipulators, abusers, the
unfaithful, the morally impure, the sexually immoral, thieves, crooks, and the
like. Sin is what they practice. They habitually and deliberately engage in
what they know is sinful, and in what they know hurts other people, but they do
it anyway. And they do it in direct defiance of God’s laws (his gospel) and
without conscience or compassion for those they regularly sin against.
So, even though some of them may profess faith in Jesus
Christ, and they may claim to be in fellowship with God, the Scriptures teach
that if they walk (in practice, in conduct) in sin that they are liars. And
they don’t know God and God does not know them and they are not born of God but
they are of the devil. And heaven is not their eternal destiny. Hell is, unless
they humble themselves before God in true repentance and they now follow our
Lord in obedience to his commands (New Covenant) (see above verses).
But the Lord hears the prayer of the righteous, some of whom
are being mistreated by the wicked. He hears our cries for mercy. Now that
doesn’t mean that he will rescue us from every difficult circumstance or every
abusive situation, for he promised us that if we follow him that we will be
treated like he was. And we are to share in the fellowship of his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death. But he will deliver us through every situation
he allows in our lives and he will give us all we need to keep pressing on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkG0GLOkHiw
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Above All
By Paul Baloche / Lenny Leblanc
Above all powers
above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth
Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all
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