BEING HONEST

“It is better to be poor than dishonest.” – Proverbs 19:22b New Living Translation

     “A poor man who gives to one in distress his sympathy and good wishes, even if he can afford no substantial aid, is better than a rich man who promises much and does nothing, or who falsely professes that he is unable to help.”¹ A general truth from Buddhism says, "Like a beautiful flower, full of colors, but without scent, are the fine but fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly"² 

     What benefit does lying have in our life? It seems to me that people find it incredibly easy to lie about an inordinate amount of things, figuring if they were confronted they would simply deny the accusation. The verse is telling us that we are a far better help to someone if we give what we are able, even if it’s simply encouragement and emotional support, than a person who promises much but delivers nothing. There may arise an exception to that rule, but in general it’s never good to lie to anyone.

     If we would emulate Christ in all our thoughts, words and actions, then we’d have no problem being honest, with the understanding that the Lord has promised to meet all our NEEDS. Therefore we have nothing to be concerned about. It is better for us to live a life that is pleasing to God than to be spiritually bankrupt. Dishonesty never leads one to the truth, nor is it a way to please God. A dishonest person has no integrity, which negates them being considered reliable or dependable. Each poor character issue begets another until the person’s heart becomes calloused. Don’t be fooled! Honesty is far more important than riches. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

1 & 2 – Pulpit Commentary.

A Quote re: God's Love by Brennan Manning

"God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be." 

Brennan Manning 

Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning was an American author, laicized priest, and public speaker. 

He is best known for his bestselling book The Ragamuffin Gospel.

A Quote re: God's grace by Rev. Rick Warren

"What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God." 

Rick Warren

Rick Warren is the author of THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE & the senior pastor of Camelback Church in CA.

A Word About Faith in God by Joyce Meyer

"The only answer to fear is faith in God, knowing He loves you unconditionally and individually." 

Joyce Meyer

Quote re: God's Grace

"Sin does not stop God's grace from flowing, but God's grace will stop sin."

Joseph Prince 

[ Joseph Prince (born 15 May 1963) is the senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore. ]

ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” – Ephesians 5:1-2 New Living Translation

     Charles Caleb Colton, a English clergyman in the early 1800’s was quoted as saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Now we are by no means trying to flatter God by imitating him, but if we were every inclined to imitate anyone, our Creator would be an excellent choice. Children tend to imitate their parents and we are God’s children, so emulating his behavioral characteristics will yield only constructive and positive benefits. But we shouldn’t imitate him for what we get out of it; we should do it because we love him and wish to be like him more than anything else.

     Christ loved us and proved by his own death that ‘love’ is indeed an action word. Talk is cheap, but actions speak volumes. He willingly gave himself up as a fragrant sacrifice to Almighty God. We are to offer up our lives to God as well, not thru death, but thru the lives we live.

     Not only are we to love God, but we are also to love others as an extension of God’s love. Our love isn’t supposed to reside solely in our words, but in our self-sacrificing service to those around us. John 13:35 says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." That is how to remain pleasing to the Lord, by being his loving, gracious and merciful representative to our brethren & to the world around us. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Resources: www.biblegateway.com; The Life Application Study Bible.

Quote re: God's Grace

"If you depend on God's grace there is no such thing as impossible."- Sri Chinmoy

ENDURING LOVE

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever." - 1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV 

     The love of God is an infinite thing. Infinity … endless time. Eternity … time without end. Not just time without end, but time without end in the presence of Almighty God. 
     Love. 1 Corinthians 13 is the only detailed, concise definition of love that I am aware of. Wrapped up in that chapter are all the attributes love is to exhibit. Without an example, how would we ever know what love was? The bible tells us that God loved us before we even knew Him. How is that possible? It’s just like parents love an unborn baby in the mother’s womb before he or she is ever born. Simply put, that is how He could love us before we ever knew Him.

     Endurance … never wearing out. Standing the test of time. The Lord remains the same forever and always. We change constantly and continuously. With God there is no changing in him at all. His love endures just as he does, forever and always! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

A Word About God's Grace from Tony Campolo

"The Gospel is about grace and we all know that grace is about us receiving from God blessings that we don't deserve." Tony Campolo

A Word About God's Grace from Joyce Meyer

"God's grace is amazing! We're saved by grace - God's undeserved favor - and we live by grace, which is also God's power in our lives to do what we could never do in our own strength. And it's all because God is love, and He loves us unconditionally, constantly and completely." Joyce Meyer

Quote re: God's Love

"God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be." -  Brennan Manning