The Kingdom of Righteousness

Isaiah 32

"Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.

The mind of the rash will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear."

The time will come, while the humble were struggling, when God will bring peace for all those who trust in him.

To God be the Glory.

Be patient for the Lord

Isaiah 30

We are in oppression, but we have a refuge.

The day of the wicked and the day of the contrite will come at a day and time unknown.


To God be the glory.

Only the humble

Isaiah 29

"The Lord says:

"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men. ^[b]

Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the LORD,
who do their work in darkness and think,
"Who sees us? Who will know?"

You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
"He did not make me"?
Can the pot say of the potter,
"He knows nothing"?"

"Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."

"Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction."

To believe, or be in God's Kingdom, to be a disciple of Christ does not mean we will not be subjected to the people, or should I say the rulers of this earth, consequences. Meaning, we will feel deprived, wronged, and even death. But it is only God that will save us in the right time, and when the time comes, it will be evident. In the mean time, our only hope is to stay steadfast in our humility and not conform to the rules of life on this earth.

To God be the Glory.

Drunkards of Ephraim

Isaiah 28

"In that day the LORD Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people."

God will protect

Isaiah 27

God will come for those who are humble towards him.

"Sing about a fruitful vineyard:

I, the LORD, watch over it;
I water it continually.
I guard it day and night
so that no one may harm it."

And for those who do not...

"For this is a people without understanding;
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator shows them no favor."

To God be the Glory

God will discipline

Isaiah 26

"My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you."
Is there a difference between soul and spirit?

"When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness."
Yet, as the people learn, some will not accept.

God's righteousness is wrath to those who do not believe.

To God be the Glory.

Thank goodness.

Isaiah 25

"In that day they will say,
"Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

Ultimately, it is the power of God that is going to allow people to choose, and for those who understands and believes, it will be glorious.

To God be the Glory

Die, Die, Die.

Isaiah 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, & 24.

OK, sorry, but this is getting a bit repetitive.
Damascus, Cush, Egypt, Babylon, Jerusalem, Tyre, and finally Earth, will all be destroyed.
Great, now what?

From all the events that is going on at this time of life in America, I am in no place to be reading this, however, I am looking forward to chapter 25.

To God be the Glory.

God will smite Moab

Isaiah 16

Continue propehcy towards Moab's end.

To God be the Glory

End of Moab

Isaiah 15

Even if the people of Moab cries out, there is no hope.

There are sin that is just unforgivable, especially from a people that is not of God's kingdom.

To God be the Glory.

End of Babylon

Isaiah 14

"The LORD will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Aliens will join them
and unite with the house of Jacob.

Nations will take them
and bring them to their own place.
And the house of Israel will possess the nations
as menservants and maidservants in the LORD's land.
They will make captives of their captors
and rule over their oppressors."

No one is more powerful than God

Isaiah 13

"Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory of the Babylonians' pride,
will be overthrown by God. "

Too powerful for me to even say anything.

To God be the Glory.

SIng for Joy

Isaiah 12

Be grateful and joyous for God has turned away our calamity.

Trust in him, and we will not be afraid.

"The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."

"Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world."

To God be the Glory

Righteousness judges

Isaiah 11

"...but with righteousness he will judge the needy,"

The prophecy of Jesus.
It is deep when Isaiah refers to Israel as a "stump" and not a nice grown tree.

To God be the Glory.

Warning about sin

Isaiah 10

Evil will end.

God will prevail.

To God be the Glory

Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9

Isaiah predicts the ultimate salvation for the Israelites, for they have sinned against God and he is angry.

To God be the Glory.

Fear God

Isaiah 8

Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz : "...the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria."

Fear God.
"... he will be a sanctuary;
but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare."

"Both" houses?

To God be the Glory.

The Prophecy

Isaiah 7

Isaiah prophecies the coming of Jesus.

"He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right."


To God be the Glory.

Stand firm in humility

Isaiah 6

Isaiah was sad as much as he was sinful in God's sight.
But God sent an angel, a seraph, to take away his sin against God by putting a piece of hot coal on his lips.
His commission was then to tell God's people to do what is right.

To God be the Glory.

Evil vs God

Isaiah 5

God will not protect evil.

"Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter."

"Therefore the LORD's anger burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down."

Scary.

To Bod be the Glory.

The Day of the Lord

Isaiah 4

It seems like this is in accordance with the book of Revelations.
God will come, and all of Israel will be called and their sins be cleansed.

To God be the Glory.

The Day of the Lord

Isaiah 3

"In that day the Lord..."
Probably the most profound statement in the bible. What I think is the fact that people disobey God's ways and ends up in evil. There is no other "good" way except God's way. God allows things to happen so that the day of the Lord will come and make judgment on the leaders that lead them astray.

To God be the Glory.

Back to the roots

Isaiah 1

Deep.
Scary.
Yet hopeful, only through God.

" learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow."

"If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;"

To God be the Glory.

The beginning or not yet.

I feel as if I have read enough of the New Testament, minus Revelations, for now. I am heading back in time to Genesis and learn.
Maybe I should stay in it more more day.
I will do James today.

Be merciful to those who doubt

Jude

"Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

"...build yourselves up in your most holy faith..."
"...pray in the Holy Spirit."
"...Keep yourselves in God's love..."

"...[Jesus] is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy."

To God be the Glory

Full understanding

Philemon

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."

To God be the Glory

Love each other deeply

1 Peter

I felt I had read this letter again, even though I read it recently.
A good letter craves to be read over and over again.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Sometimes, with my own insecurities, my sin, I find it hard to believe it.

To God be the Glory.

Plead to Titus

In reference of the 2nd letter to Timothy, it seemed as if this was a plea to Titus to stay strong but eventually he deserted Paul.
Again, I see the presentation of the quarrel, if you will, between the Jews and the Gentiles. Again, Paul stands firm in his conviction on the grace from Jesus that was enough and not the law which the Jews were used to.

To God be the Glory.

Stay strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus

"...our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus."

"Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us."

"Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted..."

It is as plain and simple to me.

To God be the Glory.

Life = Doctrine

1 Timothy

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles."

"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Living righteously according to God is the only way to live. Be pure and simple.

To God be the Glory

Be grateful

1 Thessalonians

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

• Be joyful always
• Pray continually
• Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

I think I need to improve on all of this.

To God be the Glory.

Rejoice!

Philippians

Paul's letter of encouragement helps us to get focused on the ultimate goal, be with God.
As much as he is living for Christ, he would rather be dead and be with Christ.
He has learned contentment, whether poor or rich, starving or well fed, he is content.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" 4:4

I can attest to that. While financially we were excellent, there was this feeling of lacking, and when we are financially not at all, there is still this lacking of something, which is happiness.
So what is true happiness? Like what King Solomon said, everything is meaningless.

"So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me."
Ecclesiastes 2:17

"For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."
Ecclesiastes 12:14

To God be the Glory

Post election

Letter of Ephesians

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

The people has spoken, and thanks be to the great nation that allows freedom of speech, we are allowed to express our thoughts, even if it is not encouraging.
The 44th president will be a memorable number. Where the biggest, most prominent statement is not of policies, or improvement of financial, but a statement of color on the skin.
This reminds me of Jesus being accused or sentenced to death, where no one has any reason, but just pure hatred towards another party, and choosing because of that.

In any regards, the actions of humans has not change since the beginning of time, the beginning of creation.

But all this is to be a statement, Republican, Democrat, or Independent, it is a statement to God's testimony and God's Glory.

To God be the Glory.

3 John

It was encouraging that the entire letter of Colossians was read during the church service yesterday.

John's 3rd letter continues to emphasize the importance of continuing in the faith, as some have been faithful for a while.
Divisions are caused again by people, namely Diotrephes, because he has become self seeking, and has formed his own church.
Demetrius on the other hand is well praised for his faith.

To God be the Glory.

Love one another

2 John

V6 "...his command is that you walk in love."
One of the biggest fundamentals of Christianity and one that is the biggest short comings of people following Christianity.
Because we do not know what love is, and God was able to love us first, we are in the constant state of learning what love is, and therefore a constant state of challenge.
Some, myself included, believes love is a law, and it is to be followed and carried out, or, love does not judge, or love might be happiness, but what is happiness? The list goes on, but we probably can find the answer in the 1st letter from Paul to the Corinthians.

Ultimately, God is love, and the only way to learn what love is, is to walk with Jesus.


V8-11
"Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."

On the other hand, if God is love, than what is not of God is not love, or hate.
The teachings and messages from the apostles were very strict and God made it specific to point out love what is good, and hate what is evil, for evil has no part of God.

To God be the Glory.

Love each other.

1 John

Not sure who the audience is, or who John was writing to, but overall, it seems as if though the disciples were starting to worship idols, and "working" to be saved.
It is alluding to the fact that there are false teachers in the mix leading them astray.
They are becoming more materialistic and selfish.
Hence the warning.

To God be the Glory.

Be steadfast

1 Peter

Keep up the good work.
It is through trails and suffering that our faith and believe gets stronger.
Jesus went through the same trials and died, so we may have a new life.
We pledge through the baptism that we would repent and believe there is an inheritance that God has prepared for us that will never fade or perish.

To God be the Glory.

Stay humble, stay strong in Christ

2 Corinthians

It seems as if though Paul was a bit more "relaxed" on the last letter to the Corinthians.
All in all, the Corinthians did refresh the hearts of Titus.

To God be the Glory.

2 Corinthians 12 & 13

"I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged."

From Paul's letter, 1 Corinthians, to this, the underlining theme, was that the Corinthians were still not repenting from the sin of impurity, sexual sin and debauchery.

Even thought he commended them on the spirit of giving, they are still falling short, and seem to like it, in the sexual and physical aspect of the body.

To God be the Glory.

One husband, Christ

2 Corinthians 10

"...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

"...your faith continues to grow..."


2 Corinthians 11

Knowing God and his plan is pure and simple.
"...simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." NASB

"Concern for Their Faithfulness" NKJV

To God be the Glory

Generosity

2 Corinthians 9

From all that the Corinthians was going through, one thing they seem to do well or at least were commended for was their generosity.

Many a times, this passage was used to teach, or preached, specifically about money given to the church.
I believe it is more than that. The Corinthians gave more than just money. They gave all they had. It was food, clothing, shelter, and last but not least, money. However, there might be one element that might be a stumbling block, and might just make sense. The Corinthians were a nice bunch of people, but because they were so nice and giving, the morale suffered. When does one stop giving? Do we give to even the point of sexual immorality? Be yoked with unbelievers? Is everybody the same? Let's not offend, but be giving. These are something to ponder about if the Corinthians were commended on the generosity and was warned about other short comings as sexual immorality and division among the body.

Just the thought of the day.

To God be the Glory.

Grace of giving

2 Corinthians 8

Give as the Lord gave.
Does it mean money, or does it mean give in general?
If the disciples did not have much money then, what did they give then?
"Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." -Acts 2:45
If they sold the possessions for money, what were they going to do with the money?
Did they sell it for food, clothing, or even a house?

What ever it might be, the whole point is nobody was in need.

To God be the Glory.

Joy

2 Corinthians 7

When disciples of Jesus are united in the Spirit, joy will abound.
Being united in the Spirit results in righteousness brings about repentance from this world and leads to salvation.
We are ultimately not "saved" till the last day.
We are "saved" with a deposit, and like any deposit, we can lose it if the covenant is broken.
If God cannot break the covenant, who can? Us, humans.

So we must be more the eager to do what is right and good, be obedient and grow in God's righteousness till the last day.

To God be the Glory.

Stay pure, stay true, stay faitful.

I was at Jury Duty yesterday, but was disqualified because I could not be impartial.
After being introduced to the case, I found myself condoning the behavior, and as much as I want to see the outcome, the words of the judge, making sure that there is no partiality towards one or the other, ran through my conscience and I could not do it.
Today, I feel like if Jesus was there, would he acted as if he was there where the woman was caught in adultery?
Maybe I was a bit too harsh?

2 Corinthians 6

"As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain."
Paul continues to plead with the Corinthian disciples to fight the good fight and not loose heart. One of the short comings seems to be getting involved in bonding with people that are not believers.

V14"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers."

Stay pure.

To God be the Glory.

Ministry of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5

Since God created humans, we are from heaven but were deceived and fell.

V5 "...So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

V11 "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men."

We are preaching a message of reconciliation with God.
The way to be reconciled is through Jesus Christ.

V15 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

It is when we are reconciled with God in Christ, we are a new creation.

V17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

As a new creation, we are hopeful to become "the righteousness of God."

To God be the Glory.

Do not lose heart

2 Corinthians 4

"...we have this treasure in jars of clay..."

We are dead in Christ so that we can live and reveal Jesus in our body.

I think I have to read the entire letter of 2 Corinthians to get what Paul is saying.

To God be the Glory.

New Covenant

1 Corinthians 3

V5 "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."

The ministry of Christ is a ministry of glory, life, freedom and righteousness.
Life, freedom and righteousness is brought forth only in Christ.
When Christ died and was resurrected, all these things came about.

V18 "...we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

We should have a ever increase reflection of the Lord's glory form the Spirit in which we received.

To God be the Glory.

Aroma of Christ

2 Corinthians 2

V9: "The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything."

Paul follows this with forgiveness of sinners will sustain a disciple to not be outwitted by satan, and we are aware of his schemes.

Love this passage, and it is convicting:

V14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."

To God be the Glory.

Back to Corinth

2 Corinthians 1

V12 "We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace."

V13 "For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand."

I am not sure of his discription: "Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, yes" and "No, no""

From the looks of it, it means he is not double minded, for God is not double minded.

2 Corinthians 2

Love this verse:
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."

To God be the Glory.

Final greetings in Corinthians

1 Corinthians 16

V13 "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."

V21-24

" I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen."

The Dead

1 Corinthians 15

All in all, Paul is testifying on the matter on the resurrection of Christ, and with it the baptism of Christ.

Here is the link I posted within my blog, which is more of a cross reference study:
Baptism for the dead.

V58 "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

To God be the Glory.

Excel in the gifts

1 Corinthians 14

V12 "Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church."

The speaking of tongues is always controversial, but so is everything else in the Bible if you do not study it out correctly.

"Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people," Isaiah 28:11

"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." Acts 2:4

"(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Acts 2:11

Tongues are languages from the different ethnicity in this world.
It is not just the language, but the expressions through the language as each people in their ethnicity has been accustomed to it.

If we reference all the words "tongues" or "tongue" in the scriptures, a clear picture of what it actually means will surface.

Let us "excel in gifts that build up the church."

To God be the Glory.

Love 愛

1 Corinthians 13

This is probably the one of the most well know scriptures and pretty self explanatory.
So I have include a few versions to reference.

V4-8

NIV
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails."

NLT
" Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! "

NKJV
" Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails."


NASB
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails."


Chinese Union Version (Traditional Text)

"愛 是 恆 久 忍 耐 ， 又 有 恩 慈 ； 愛 是 不 嫉 妒 ； 愛 是 不 自 誇 ， 不 張 狂 ，

不 做 害 羞 的 事 ， 不 求 自 己 的 益 處 ， 不 輕 易 發 怒 ， 不 計 算 人 的 惡 ，

不 喜 歡 不 義 ， 只 喜 歡 真 理 ；

凡 事 包 容 ， 凡 事 相 信 ， 凡 事 盼 望 ， 凡 事 忍 耐 。

愛 是 永 不 止 息 。"

To God be the Glory.

Gifts from God

1 Corinthians 12

The Holy Spirit, or God determines who has what gift.
V11 "...he gives them to each one, just as he determines."

Each gift is given for one purpose only, to build up God's kingdom for his very own purpose.
V7 "... the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

There is no discrepancy in the Holy Spirit we receive, it is the same.
V13 "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

So no one is better than the other. We are all part of an intricate part of the equation.
V25-26 "...there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. "

V31 "...eagerly desire the greater gifts."

To God be the Glory

Worship

1 Corinthians 11

This is an interesting passage.
Times have changed, so is this not applicable in regards to the role of men and women in worship?
Should all Godly women have long hair?
v15 "...if a woman has long hair, it is her glory...?"

According to this passage regarding the Lord's supper, it seems to emphasize it is a meal that all the disciples have together, not a "communion" of cracker and juice.
As in the last supper Jesus had.

Learn from Israel's history

1 Corinthians 10

This is a powerful chapter.
Paul shared what happened in the past to the Corinthian church and it is still applicable today, in the 21st century.
V2 "They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Guided by the cloud and went through the red sea equates to the guide of the Holy Spirit and baptism for the forgiveness of sin.

V8 "We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died."
Even though they were God's people and was promised through Abraham, their disobedience put themselves to death.

Therefore, be more aware, and not be ignorant, because we have no excuse to be ignorant of what is written for us to be examples of God's will.

To God be the Glory.

Get the prize

1 Corinthians 9

Paul's only concern is to be rewarded by God.
He knows he is free and is not obligated to anyone here on earth, however he is following through with a task that was entrusted to him by Jesus, and that is to preach the Gospel of Christ.
He works as hard as he can so he might save some, and ultimately receiving what is due him as promised by Jesus in Heaven.

To God be the Glory.

Brother with weaker conscience

1 Corinthians 8

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up

Being careful in exercising my knowledge in Christ, for if I become a stumbling block to a brother with "weak conscience", and wound his knowledge, I sin against Christ.

Therefore be very cautious to encourage people with "weaker conscience."

To God be the Glory.

Be devoted to God's will

1 Corinthians 7

As much as distractions will present itself more when married, it is the same as if you were single.
Either way it is still a blessing to be married.

Marriage established in a Godly principles can only make it stronger. It takes double the effort, but can produce double the results.

Sorry not much more today in this chapter other than the context of marriage.

To God be the Glory.

Settle

1 Corinthians 6

Being wise and humble in God's knowledge.

V2: "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?"

V3: "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!"

We have the authority in God's kingdom. Ultimately, being humble towards one another.

V12: "'Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me'—but I will not be mastered by anything."

This chapter is pretty self explanatory, I think.

Judge within

1 Corinthians 5

We have to judge within.
For we are in God's Kingdom and God does not tolerate sin.
V11:
"...you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler..."

If we don't, the church will be contaminated.

To God be the Glory.

Stay humble

1 Corinthians 4

Paul is re-affirming his role as an apostle for God, and continues to address division in the church.
He is most concern with the Lord's affairs because he knows God is the ultimate judge.
His continues to be humble and lift up the brothers in the Corinthian church.
From what I see, the Gentile disciples struggles with being the adopted, and some are getting more arrogant towards the apostles.

Scary.

To God be the Glory.

Unity in Christ

1 Corinthians 3

Yesterday was a tough day physically. Got a stomach flu and I was out cold for 24 hours.
Waking up today was refreshing, even though not completely recovered, it is refreshing non the less.

Paul continues to stress the importance of unity in Christ.
As he states, the most basic fundamentals of being a disciple of Christ is the foundation of Jesus Christ.
How you build after is, in hope, aligned with God's will.
As some people might refer to it as the "essentials" and "non-essentials" of Christianity.

Ultimately, we have everything, all knowledge of God, so use it accordingly to God's will.

So what is this foundation?
I think the is the million dollar question, and so there are many, many denominations out there that will tell you what you want to hear.

So what is the truth?
The truth is understanding God by not what you want to hear, but by what God is truly saying.
I have the basic principles on one of the links.

To God be the Glory.

Wisdom from the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2

Our lives is a living testament of what the Spirit does.
If we are humble, we can discern what God's will is through the Spirit.
We, who has the Spirit, are therefore only under the discernment from God, and not from the discernment of this world.
One without the Spirit cannot understand what God's will is.

V15: "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment."
V16: "...we have the mind of Christ."

To God be the Glory.

No Divisions

1 Corinthians 1

After further studies, we can come to the conclusion that the Corinthians were mostly gentiles.
So if we read it from the point of view, it clearer as to what Paul is addressing.

V 10:"...be perfectly united in mind and thought."

V5,7: "For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge... Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed."

As much as there was division in the church, Paul was thankful of God's grace given to them.
He then continues to appeal to them to be unified and stay on course.

Be united

Romans 16

For the finale, Paul re-enforces his love for all the Saints. He commends those who continues to do the will of God.

He also "urges" to be careful of those teaches contrary teachings, and "Keep away from them." V17

Paul's love and indignation for God is overwhelmingly obvious.

To God be the Glory.

Bear with one another

Romans 15
Paul continues to encourage the Israelites, especially, to accept the Gentiles as brothers, disciples, as Saints. As much as they are new to this, they have equal rights to God's Kingdom.
V9: "...Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy..."

V13: "...May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

To God be the Glory

Be conscience

Romans 14

It seems that Paul is mostly addressing the manner of how we come together and eat. Food seems to be the main topic here and it seems to be a really important matter.
I imagine eating together is like a party, a celebration, or a special occasion. Just like Jesus had his last supper before he died.
Ultimately, it is the same message: building one another up, living in peace with each other so we may all be strong and be ready to give an account to God.

The main point is not to be condemning to the believing brothers, but to help or be mindful to keep them strong. We have to encourage them to do what is right rather condemning them because they are not "strong" enough.

Paul refers to situation like these as "disputable matters."

To God be the Glory.

Submission to God's governance on earth

Romans 13
God has established governing authorities on earth and therefore it is our duty to submit to God's establishment here on earth.
We are in debt to God just as we are in debt to his will here on earth, even paying taxes!
However, as Paul writes, we are even more in debt to the relationship God has commanded us to do, love one another. V10: "Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
We must:
v12: "...put on the armor of light."
v13: "...behave decently."
v14: "...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,"

To God be the Glory.

The opposite

Romans 12

Be opposite to the believe and living practices of this world.
We are no longer obligated by the "pattern of this world."
Do not conform to it and be " transformed by the renewing of your mind."
To transform the mind, or renew the mind takes a knowledge. Knowledge from God. The Bible.
It is when you acquire this knowledge from the Bible that is from God, it is when you can see if "God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

With great knowledge comes great power, and hence do not be arrogant, but be aware of the the measure of faith God has given me.

Use the gift and continue to teach, share and give to others, just as Christ gave to me.

The next section is super convicting and challenging at times.
Loving your enemies is one principal that defies worldly patterns.
Next time someone that is following me too closely on the road, or tailgating, I have to "bless" them, not curse them or hate them. Forgive and move on.

To God be the Glory.

Romans 11

This chapter has a lot of meat.

All in all, as a gentile who has come to believe in God, consider myself, lack of a better word, lucky.
Fortunate enough that God opened his doors to us from his covenant with Abraham.
More than anything, I must not ridicule the faith of the Israelites, but more grateful than anything.
The time for God to come is when, "...but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ."

Glory be to God.

The Ingrafted

Romans 11

Their loss, our gain.
V11: "...salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious." That is humbling.
However, when the Israelites repent and becomes a disciple of Christ, their reward is far greater than the Gentiles.
V20-21:"Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief... For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either."
V22: "...[God's] kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off."

Again, a continuing comparison of the Israelites and the Gentiles.
What our roles are and ultimately, be grateful and continue in God's kindness.

Remnant of Israel

Romans 11

It's Friday, and I am getting this time in so I can be more focused in the get together this morning, and this is a powerful chapter.

I will focus on the first section and hence the title.
Clearly as Paul says, I am the elect, the adopted, the remnant, the chosen because I am not of Jewish descent.
I can see why the Israelites have issues since God is "letting" others into his kingdom that is not of his own.
The Israelites (most) have turned away from him and worshiped something else, some to the point of the evil one. Their hearts were hardened.

I should be even more grateful.

God's open arm

Romans 10

At this point, after the past "9" chapters of pleading, Paul is again with humility and love, continues to plead for the Israelites to believe and turn towards God.
In this chapter, unfortunately one of the most miss used scripture resides. A lot of people come and says, all you have to do is... well, you know.
However, they fail to realized that Paul had been explaining the situation in the last "9" chapters.
As he appropriately says: "...their zeal is not based on knowledge."

It is more and more convicting, and humbling for me to read, and understand these words in this chapter and the letter from Paul to the Romans.
The love of God for me, and all of us humans is just unbelievable, and I guess that is why it takes faith!

To God be the Glory.

The Chosen 2

Romans 9

This chapter is reasoning with the Jews, who were the chosen people, that now even the Gentiles are able to be part of God's Kingdom. As much as it does not seem fair, it is God's will. God is choosing, or allowing people in with his grace and not attainable through works. Maybe if we look at the Abraham's descendants, they were chosen not because of their works, but because of Abraham's righteousness. The only "works" were after the fact that they were chosen, and because they sinned against God, that sacrifices for the atonement of sin was necessary.

The Chosen

Romans 9

I would like to re-look at Romans 9 again. I do not think I got the most out of it yesterday. I was stuck on a couple of issues and had to work it out through the day.
Starting off, Paul explains his love for the Israelistes by letting them know the "great sorrow and unceasing anguish in [his] heart." He wishes all Israelites can be saved. He wishes he can give his life over to hell, and use it as a redemption to save the Israelites that are not chosen by God.
That is an amazing heart. I am speechless and humbled by his compassion towards his race, his people, his family.
As much as his desire, his will, his idea is amazing, it is not possible. We know that no one can enter through the doors of heaven except through Jesus. Jesus is the only perfect human that was able to be the atonement for us, the sinners here on earth. As much as Paul is a really nice, amazing person, he is still obligated to sin and fallen short the glory of God.
So as the letter continues in v16, it does not depend on our human efforts or desires, but on God's mercy.
I will stop here for today and continue tomorrow.

God's choice

Romans 9

V11: "God chooses people according to his own purposes..."

We all agree that God is God. We are not God. I am not God nor a god. Therefore, if someone that is going to be a part of God, it will have to be according to his purpose.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
As we read earlier, Paul mentioned some have not come to accept or believe God. Believing and accepting that Jesus is the son of God is our own free will. However, it is not up to us to make them believe or forgive them of their sins because we are not God. Nor can we change God's plan and purpose to fit our own. Only those that accepts what God has brought forth can be part of God's kingdom.
There are some that will never change, example, the evil one. Those who chooses to follow him will never see God's Kingdom but they will be in hell.

Life in the Spirit

Romans 8
Living a life lead by the Holy Spirit is what we are bound by and is pleasing to God.
V11, "...And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you."
I must rely on the the Spirit to live righteously, because...
V13, "For if you live by its dictates, you will die..."
We receive the Spirit through Baptism.
V15,"...you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children."
However, it is not all peachy and easy...
V17, "...But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

Dead to Sin

Romans 7
We died with Christ through baptism and therefore we are no longer held by the accountability of what we deserve.
V4: "As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God."
However, as Paul points out, just as he is human as I am human, there is a war going on inside of us, but thanks be to God, we, disciples of Christ, have the power to overcome the desires of this world.
For "the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good."

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6
V2-4, "...all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

As much as we, disciples of Christ, were baptized into his death, we are still susceptible to the wicked desires of this world. It is still possible for us to be slave to sin, therefore, continue to live righteously and resist the evil one by counting yourself dead to sin.

The Roman disciples, Jews and Gentiles were sinning up a storm, and Paul is calling to them to a Godly repentance. Grace be to God that he allows us to repent.

A New Hope

Romans 5
V3-4: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
I guess it says it plainly that we have to go through sufferings in his name to understand what hope is. Tough to hear, but it is what it is and it is worth it.
We have hope because of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
As death entered the world through one man, it leaves with one man.
We were once enemies of God, but through Jesus' death, we are his beloved children.

Credited as righteousness

Romans 4
What is credited as righteousness?
According to Paul, in Romans 4, righteousness is an act that is achieved, or taken in according to your faith in God.
Abraham does convict me because of his faith in God, and rightly so since he is accredited by God as righteousness and became the father of many nations.
Faith is really a challenging force. To be really honest. As much as it is easily said, "Just have faith, brother!" It is a challenge because it is time dependent. It seems faith gets tougher when it does not come in a "timely" manner. Maybe I should say, faith gets tougher if it does not come to fruition in "my" timely manner.
V19-20, "Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God."
I know I waver, sad to say and happy to confess.
The challenge that I face within me comes from knowing if this is what God wanted.
Thanks be to God, that I am still able to read, understand, learn, and continue to grow in Christ to be perfect till the day arrives.
Glory be to God.

God is Righteous

Romans 3

The Jews were entrusted with the words of God. They have the revelation of God. However, some were unfaithful and unbelieving, but that does not nullify God's truthfulness or faithfulness.
We at times would like to blame God for the sins we commit. Some might say, I know, my futile thinking has been there, since God created us, therefore he must not be perfect. That is a very human and limited perspective.
Some even go the extra step of justifying their sins as a tool to help others see the power of God. Now if that is not a human perspective, I do not know what is.
Sin brings death, while Godly righteous repentance away from sin brings life. Therefore sinning on purpose does not get you closer to God nor letting others see God's mighty power.

As Paul continues, as much as Jews were the chosen ones, God has allowed gentiles into his love as well. Therefore, we are all alike and sin now separates us from God.
v23-24 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Ultimately, there is one God, and we are all under his mercy and grace.

God’s Judgment of Sin

I do not have a better title. It is from Romans 2 NLT.
When you start, it came across as if I cannot judge, and I am the pits. Further reading reveals that Paul is directing the conversation to people professing to be Godly, yet not keeping with God's righteousness. They are but using God's knowledge to put others down.
Vs 12 is powerful, because it somewhat answers the question what if someone who does not know God, or the opportunity to know God, what happens? "...they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law." As you can see, I did not write that nor was it my opinion, it is written in the Bible.
And for those who knows God,"...who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it." Voila.
V13: "For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight."

For the next section, "The Jews and the Law", Paul is addressing the heart, and more importantly the issue with circumcision.

Mankind

Romans 1:18-32
As much as God made himself known to us, some decided not to accept God.
We, us humans, all know who God is, however some of us, as it is written, "they neither glorified him as God" NIV,NKJV, "they wouldn’t worship him as God" NLT, "they did not honor Him as God" NASB, etc. However, more importantly. from each of the translations, this is what was followed: "nor gave thanks to him".
Being thankful and grateful towards God results in glorifying, worshiping and honoring God.
For those who are not thankful, and ultimately not glorifying, worshiping, or honoring him, God gave them over and abandoned them to what they crave, which the bible describes as wicked, and depraved thinking.
Some might say, how can God do that? My God is a kind a merciful God!
Yes, he is. It is us who chooses. God gave us the opportunity to know who he is.
Vs32: "They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too." NKJV.
Is that not the truth? Is that not scary?
I choose to do what is right and what is wrong. I know what is right. I know what is wrong.
From the description of wickedness is, I cannot refute it. I can only choose what is right and that is God's righteousness. Following it and doing it.

Paul

I missed yesterday.
As much as it was a great morning yesterday with a discussion group regarding the Word of God, none the less, a personal time with God is more important.

I am starting Romans to study Paul's convictions and humility.

Romans 1

Paul is always consistent in his address to whomever he writes.
He comes across with such grace, humility, respect and authority.
With that, it is followed by his acknowledgment of his love and longing to be with them, so that they may be mutually encouraged with each others faith.
He is always desires to strengthen them with spiritual gifts so that the people he is addressing can continue in their walk with God and increase their ability to be stronger to defend against the evil one.

The people he address, in this book and others, are the people who do God's will. We call them "Christians" today. He calls them saints, people loved by God.

vs 16-17: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

His introduction alone can teach us so much.

I will follow up with the rest of Chapter 1 tomorrow.

Selfish Jonah?

Jonah 4:1-4
I have read this many times and understood this passage many times before, but for the first time, I see.
God ask Jonah to do something but he refused, and hence rebelled against God.
From the looks of it in verse, it seems that Jonah was very content and happy being at home. He knew who God was and knows what he can do.
The rebellion came when God asked Jonah to leave his comfort zone, his home, stop whatever he is doing and go help save a nation. However, Jonah's perspective was that God is BIG and POWERFUL enough that God can do it himself.
At times, I wonder, what is my calling and what is my mission for God?
I am sure Jonah's day to day responsibilities were of some importance and this is one of the few or just one major assignment that came up.
I know my day to day responsibility is to be growing in Godly righteousness so that I can go and help others come to know God. The Great Commission.
It seems like, if I may be so lucky, that God would make it clear as to a major assignment would come up that needed me to stop whatever I am doing and make a drastic, maybe temporary change, in life so that others may be saved.

It is funny, or maybe not, that after what was said and done, Jonah had the guts to tell God to take him away from this earth put him out of his misery.
Does that mean he would rather be in hell than on earth doing God's will or does he mean that he is done with the turmoils on this earth that he is ready to go "home" into God's kingdom, heaven?
I think it is heaven that Jonah was referring to, because he feels like God owed him from the following passages.

In a lot of ways, I find myself like Jonah. I look at this world and I think it should suit me just fine.
If something happens that is not of my liking, I get angry, just like Jonah.
But thanks be to God, he is gracious enough, patient enough, loving enough to even provide shelter and teach us of his wonderful message of love that I can, sometimes slow, learn the true meaning of happiness and joy on this earth.

God of compassion

God is all loving, compassion and understanding God.
God cares and is hurt by the sin people are getting into.
The Word did not mention what they have fallen into, but enough to catch God's attention.
Some questions might be, why did he need Jonah to go?
Is there no one else?
Can God not do some miracles?
Did God know the city, not just one or two people, but the whole city was going to repent towards him?
Or did God know the whole city was going to repent, but just did not know when in the next 40 days?
God gave us a choice, just like Jonah going in to Nineveh, choose good or choose evil.
Choose good, and live a long prosperous life.
Choose bad, and you are fending for yourself, and ultimately, hardship.
I believe the most important environment God was maintaining, and still is, is the relationship between each and every human being.
The sins of this world has not separated us from the richness of the world, but the richness of the relationship that we have within one another.

Jonah repents

Jonah 2
Do we all pray to God when we are in distress?
Probably not. Some "cling" on to their worthless idol.
Jonah repents with songs of thanksgiving.
I know when I have to opportunity to repent, I am grateful.

Jonah, a funny guy

Jonah 1
Jonah is loved by God. His righteousness must have been pleasing to God for he would not have been sent by God to preach to the wicked city of Nineveh. Yet when he was called, he ran away to flee from God.
That is funny.
He clearly knows who God is and what he can do.
He displays his understanding of how big and how powerful God is when he was on the boat and has no fear of the circumstance.
This is the question or questions:
The crew on the boat believed and worshiped God because Jonah was there.
If Jonah was not defiant, would the crew have come to know God?
Was this God's plan?
Did God know Jonah was going to run?
Was God trying to reach the crew on the boat?
The answer is, yes.
According to the Bible, God knows all and his plan will be carried out.
One thing I know and am learning more and more, God uses us to be representations, or ambassadors for him so that people will know who he is.
Because we are such visual based beings, we come to believe when we see. As Job puts it, I can hear and understand, but to believe in something I cannot see is more challenging.
To see another human being doing something, or saying something, connects the understanding side of our brain.
That is why we need to go and spread the gospel and be like a light to the world so men/women will know who God is.
I know I can be like Jonah, not wanting to do something because I, the selfish me, thinks I know better and can determine what is best for God's kingdom.

God, the Merciful

Job 42

Confessing, admitting and acknowledging God is the Almighty, wonderful and all righteous being, is the first step to repentance.
Like Job, all humans are visual beings, which we quantify and discern what is real.
We can hear and understand, but without visual confirmation, it is difficult for us to believe, and hence faith comes in to play.

God was angry with Job's friends because they did not come to repentance like Job, and allowed them to offer burnt offerings for the forgiveness of their sins against him.

It is comforting to see God's generosity in providing Job with twice over what he had.

God, the Owner

Job 41

"Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me."

As much as an I am an owner of my home, my car, my family, my life. Nothing I that have, I made on my own nor do I have absolute control. I own my home because I can pay for the mortgage. I can support my family because I can pay for the food, the clothes and shelter. I have a car because I paid for it. If I do not have the means to support them, I am nothing.
God owns everything, even the strongest of the strongest animal on this earth.
God allowed me to have a life and the means to sustain me. Who am I to get critical of not being justified?
I do not even have the ability to produce air that would sustain me alone.
Let me be grateful and enjoy the gifts and share his joy with others.

God, the Almigty.

Job 40

The LORD said to Job: "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!"

... Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:

"Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me."

I would not want to be in that situation.

The best thing to do is to enjoy the time here on earth and let God do his will.

At times, I know I get frustrated doing the best I can and see no results. I believe I was doing it for God, but the end is not what I have anticipated, so the blame goes to God and not I.

The most important aspect of be a disciple of Jesus is to know that the results are already confirmed, I am just waiting for the day to arrive.

God, the Provider.

Job 39
While we tend the earth to feed ourselves, God provides for all the living things in the world and some to serve us, like the horse. As much as we do manage some animals, like the horse, his being, his nature was created and provided by God. We are mere users of what God has created, not creators.
As a designer, I do not create something out of nothing. I create something that is already existed, and merely tweak it's existence and hopefully be more desirable or needed by us humans.
So why am I here?
I believe, just as God started from the beginning, as Adam and eve, he wanted a relationship with us. As I have children of my own, the relationship between us parents and our children is priceless. To be a provider and somewhat of a creator, the tie is unique and immeasurable. To be loved by your offspring is the most gratifying emotional feeling in the world.
I believe, the point here is not to be proud, or arrogant, of what I can do, but be grateful and humble of what God has allowed me to do.

God, the Designer.

I have been reading the book of Job for the past few days.
Job 38 hits home for me because I am a designer by profession.
I have designed countless products and each product had it's own challenges and reward.
Creating the world including us in it is beyond my understanding or anyone on this planet.
In just a few short minutes, my perspective of my own troubles and problems seems really minute.
I am happy, and thankful.

Introduction

Starting today, I am writing a thought everyday for the rest of my life regarding what I have learned and experienced since the day I have committed to God in 1993.
Scriptures is the foundation of what I share.

Most importantly, this is an accountability for myself to stay true to what I have come to know.
I welcome any thoughts and comments along the way, as long as it is based on the the Word of God.

To God be the Glory,
Thomas

Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Matthew 5:16
...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.