Verses to remember

We all go through difficulties, but what keeps us lighted up in spirit is God through his son Jesus, who says to us and in the Word of God that we get the comfort and assurance of God's Grace, Mercy and Peace. Peter said, his words are the very words of Eternal life.

John 6:68 Peter Simon answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.


Even hundreds and thousands of years ago, David would say of God's Word as the Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Why are Words important in our lives? We communicate through the Words, our action depends upon the Words we speak, the thoughts gets converted through Words which impacts our actions. So, Words are a medium in the process of communication.

Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 

So, God wants us to know that his plans for our life is always Good, the Best. So, he has given us his Word.

John 1:1 ►

SUM   PIC   XRF   DEV   STU  Verse  (Click for Chapter) New International Version In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Love your Neighbor as your self

The Bible teaches about what it means when Jesus said, "Love your Neighbor as your self".


No wonder Jesus answered to the question raised by Pharisees, one expert in the Law asked:


 The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

It is so amazing as to how God relates to us who are not a neighbor but enemies, when we sin we become an enemy of God, but God still Loves us and wants us to establish relationship with him through his Son - Jesus. If God is distant and ignorant or silent about us, he would not have intervened. So, Loving our neighbor is continuing the relationship that we as human should have along with the most important relationship with God.

The Bible from the time of Adam to the time of Jesus and further at the time of Church and when the Holy Spirit is given to us. God was working to build the broken relationship both with him and with one another.

Leviticus 19:9-18 English Standard Version (ESV)
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life[a] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.


https://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/guest-commentary/did-the-bible-play-a-role-in-shaping-the-u-s-constitution.html


Who else can give us the Law, but only the Law maker - God himself. He is a Just God, God of Justice, he can't ignore or be unjust when he see sin and injustice caused to the innocent. This is the Hope we have in him that he will bring Justice to each and every work.

“Establish justice…”
Psalms 82:3 - Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Proverbs 1:3 - To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

Proverbs 21:3 - To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Ezekiel 45:9 - Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.

Acts 10:34 - Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:


https://nccs.net/blogs/articles/parallel-concepts-between-the-u-s-constitution-the-bible


https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7211&context=penn_law_review


Does God's hand has anything to do with what is happening in this World? Is God Sovereign?

Proverbs 21:1-9 King James Version (KJV)
21 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.

3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

7 The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.

8 The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.

9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.


We see whenever there was an outcry of injustice God has interfered.  Psalm 10:18 You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans; you will judge in their favor, so that mortal men may cause terror no more.

God acknowledges when he says: Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

We see the natural calamities and blame the nature, but we human are also responsible for the evil that which is within us and what we do in the society and to the nature.

What about Wars and Destruction:
“'Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and His anointed' [Ps 2:1]. The meaning is that the nations shall set themselves and conspire vainly against the chosen of Israel in the Last Days."

Bible clearly points out the prophesy:
Matthew 24:7-13 New International Version (NIV)
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

History's Lesson - David Takes a Census

1 Chronicles 21 New Living Translation (NLT)
David Takes a Census
21 Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.”

3 But Joab replied, “May the Lord increase the number of his people a hundred times over! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this? Are they not all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin?”

4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab traveled throughout all Israel to count the people. Then he returned to Jerusalem 5 and reported the number of people to David. There were 1,100,000 warriors in all Israel who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah. 6 But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do.

Judgment for David’s Sin
7 God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it. 8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.”

9 Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer. This was the message: 10 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”

11 So Gad came to David and said, “These are the choices the Lord has given you. 12 You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the Lord brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.”

13 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah[a] the Jebusite.

16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground. 17 And David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? O Lord my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people.”


Pride?
When David wanted to count and know the number, it is to say, "I have...."

Fear?
Is trusting God or Self? which is more important, for David, it is to trust self, knowing what is in the kingdom with the number was more important than God.

Leader like David even today go with instincts and fear, to diversify and divide on the basis of religion, cast, money etc. Like the case that we read from Chronicles we see God's Anger is not only with the Leader but also on the nation(people).