Author: BTP

“He that is glad at calamities [bad things that happen to people] shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 17:5).

Sadly, there is something in our old sinful nature that can be glad when other people are experiencing a calamity—something bad that happens to them. This is especially true if we feel that the individual deserved the bad thing that happened to him/her. I remember being in a taxi in a foreign country when the brakes on the taxi did not work properly, and he went over a white line at a stop light. The policeman who saw it treated the taxi driver very roughly, and I felt sorry for him. But when I told that story to some Christians later on, they thought it was a big joke and laughed about it.

The Word of God tells us not to be glad when something like this happens, for we may well have something happen to us someday, and wish others were kind to us, rather than being glad. Let us remember always to show other people the spirit of Christ.

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

I was reminded of this verse a few days ago, when it was reported in the news media that a senator in a large western country, while speaking with a union leader, became so angry that he almost got into a fistfight with him. He was likely provoked by the union leader, but that senator did not know how to rule his spirit. He was in a position of responsibility and privilege, and should not have acted that way.

The Hebrew word used here for “spirit” has a wide variety of meanings, but here it means what is going on inside a person. The word is also used for the Spirit of God.

If we walk with the Lord, and ask Him to help us, we can control our spirit so that we do not get angry quickly, and do things that dishonor the Lord. As our verse says, it is more important to rule our spirit than to do some great thing like conquering a city.

“A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise” (Proverbs 15:12).

We live in a day when very few people are willing to listen to a rebuke or a correction. If you try to point out (in a constructive way) to someone what they are doing wrong, most of the time they will defend themselves, even if they realize they are wrong. Several years ago a new restaurant started in our area, and a man who understood the food business went to try it out. When he pointed out to the owner something she was doing wrong that would ruin her business, she simply told him not to criticize her employees. Needless to say, the restaurant closed within a year.

But the Word of God tells us over and over again that to listen to correction is the way to be wise, and that it is the wise person who is willing to listen. It is not easy to have to realize that we are wrong, but that is the way to learn and to be more wise.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).

How important it is to remember that the Lord’s eyes are everywhere, and He takes in everything that goes on in this world. Many people forget that fact, and act as if the Lord does not care what they do. Many do things secretly, thinking that they will not be found out. There is a saying that the measure of a man’s true character is what he would do if he knew that no one would ever find out. But humanly speaking, we must all hang our heads and admit that we have that tendency in us to do wrong, especially if we think we will never be found out.

It is only when we realize that we are always acting before the Lord that we begin to judge our actions in the right way. Whether we are unsaved or saved, all our actions are observed by the Lord, and recorded.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

We know that in the New Testament, God is not dealing with nations, but rather is calling individuals out of every nation to be part of His church. However, we still have nations in the world today; God honors those who want to live by right principles, and who avoid supporting sinful practices. Unhappily many nations who used to be known for being righteous are now disregarding God’s Word and even putting sinful practices into law. Then the second half of the verse applies—“Sin is a reproach (shame) to any people.” It is a shame to that nation that openly supports lying, stealing, oppression, etc., as if God did not notice.

When large numbers of people in any nation seek to honor God, and to do what is right, God honors that nation, even if many of those people are not saved. Let us also remember the last part of the verse, and what happens when God’s claims are given up.

“And Peter went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62).

If you read the part of this chapter just before this verse (Luke 22:54-61), you will see why Peter went out and cried bitterly. Earlier on, he had boasted that even if he had to follow the Lord Jesus into death, he would not deny Him. Yet he denied him three times, and in another place (Matthew’s gospel) it says that Peter spoke with cursing and swearing.

When the rooster crowed, Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him, and as you can imagine, it made him feel very sad.

However, there is something encouraging in our verse today. When Peter went out and cried, it showed that he was a true believer. If an unbeliever denies knowing anything about the Lord Jesus, or if that unbeliever speaks wrongly about Him, he does not go out and cry. No, he does not care, for he does not love the Lord Jesus. But even if a true believer does deny the Lord Jesus, down in his heart he really loves Him, and feels sorry about what he did.

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

We spoke a little about Remembrance Day, or Veteran’s Day, several weeks ago, closer to the date of November 11. But today, as I write this, it is exactly November 11, 2023. Many people have gathered together in different places to remember those who fought in various wars. But the whole remembrance is a bit spoiled by the fact that there are more wars going on right now! As I write, there is a war between Russia and the Ukraine, and a war between Israel and Hamas, an extremist Muslim group. Both wars threaten to involve other nations.

It is wonderful to realize that not only did the Lord Jesus die to put away our sins, but also in order that sin might be completely removed from this world eventually. This will not happen right away, but eventually sin will completely disappear because of what our blessed Savior did on the cross. He is worthy of our remembrance today!

“They shall lay hands on you, and persecute you…and some of you shall they cause to be put to death…But there shall not an hair of your head perish” (Luke 21:12,16,18).

In these verses the Lord Jesus is warning His followers about the kind of treatment they could expect from the world after He was rejected and crucified. All this has often happened to faithful followers of the Lord Jesus throughout the history of the church. Some have wondered, however, how the Lord could speak of some being put to death, and yet say that “not an hair of your head” would perish.

The explanation is that the Lord Jesus was speaking of eternity, and of how those who died martyr’s deaths for faithfulness to the Lord would be raised with bodies of glory. In no way would they perish, for if they were killed, they would go instantly to be with Christ. Then, when the Lord comes, they will receive their glorified bodies.

God wants us to take an eternal view of everything, and not merely an earthly view. If we give up our lives for the Lord down here, we will get an eternal reward that will make it all worthwhile.

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).

Here the Word of God clearly tells us that everything we say or do is going to come out someday, in one way or another. God sometimes brings sin to light even in this world, but not always. For believers, if we have sinned and have not confessed it to the Lord, God may have to bring it up at what is called the judgment seat of Christ for believers. Our sins will not be brought up for punishment, but rather we will lose a reward we might otherwise have had.

On the other hand, those who are not saved and who die without Christ will be brought before God at what is called the “great white throne,” and the Bible tells us that “they were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:13). This is a very serious thing to think about.

Let us remember our verses for today whenever we are tempted to do or say something wrong, and to remember that God knows all about it.

“Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:17).

We may wonder what this verse means, but it is really quite simple, and we can all understand it. There is a certain thrill that we get when we do something wrong secretly, thinking that we have gotten away with it. That is the reason that some people indulge in shoplifting. Sometimes they do not need the articles they steal, but they want the thrill of seeing if they can get away with it, without being caught. Sometimes, of course, they do get away with it, as far as this world is concerned.

However, this kind of thrill is short-lived, for then our conscience begins to bother us, for we know that stealing is wrong. Also, even if no one in this world catches us, someday we will have to stand before God. God knows all about that sin, and will not forget about it. I hope none of us who are true believers would steal, but we will speak more about this tomorrow.