https://esv.literalword.com/?q=eccl+5%3B+romans+12
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 27 April 2023:
Ecclesiastes 5:1 — To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools.
To hear God, you must be near God. Of course, the issue of nearness to God is not about physical space but rather spiritual relationship, nearness in spirit. Jesus prayed there would be no distance between us and Him, that we would be “one” with Him, in perfect unity — “…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21) And Jesus revealed that those who were one with Him would, by definition, be one with each other – “…that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:11) Our closeness with God is most evident in our closeness to others in Christ, in the quality of our fellowship with other believers – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
Nearness is an issue of the heart – “…people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me….” (Isaiah 29:13) Nearness is about sincerity and faith – “…draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. (Hebrews 10:22) Under the Old Covenant, there were limits to how close the sinner could get to God – the Levitical priests offered sacrifices for the sins of the people, and only the High Priest could enter the inner room and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. But now, through Jesus, “Let us… with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). Jesus has opened up the Holy of Holies to us through His death on the cross. “Not only must we draw near to Christ, we must draw near to Him in confidence. This does not mean that we come arrogantly demanding forgiveness as a right or presumptuously as if we deserve His favor and specific blessings . We draw near in confidence not because of our own ‘rights’ but because of the person and work of Christ. We are confident because God, who was not obligated to redeem us, nonetheless promises to forgive us if we submit to Christ. Drawing near in confidence means that we firmly believe God’s promise of grace in Christ.” (R.C. Sproul) “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).
In Christ, we have unmerited and inalienable salvation and access to God to draw near to Him in total assurance and confidence. So, draw near to God and listen —
– Psalm 81:8 — Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
– Luke 9:35 — And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
– John 10:27 — My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
In 1 Timothy 4, Paul warns of false teachers – “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons….” Jesus says, if you know Him and His voice, you won’t be deceived by these robbers – “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” (John 10:8) The more we draw near to God and listen to Him by prayerfully studying and applying His word, the better equipped we are to spot false teachers – “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:9)
Jesus also said that when we are near to Him and abide in His love, we will clearly recognize those who aren’t – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20)
Better than offering the sacrifice of fools. Don’t be foolish. Draw near to your Good Shepherd, listen to His voice and obey. Don’t wander off and suffer needlessly –
– Matthew 9:36 — When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
– 1 Peter 2:25 — For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
– Psalm 23 — The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
– Revelation 7:17 — For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
“God takes great pleasure in worthy sacrifices. In the Old Testament God gave detailed instructions for how His people were to give their offerings. He declared that these brought a “soothing aroma” to Him (Lev. 1:13, 17). When the Israelites gave an offering to God, it was no longer their own, it belonged entirely to God. God would accept only the best that people could give. It was an affront to almighty God to offer Him animals that were damaged or imperfect in any way. God Himself met the standard for sacrifices when He offered His own Son as the spotless Lamb. Only the death of His perfect Son was a worthy enough offering to atone for the sins of mankind.
Now, God asks us to lay down our lives on His altar as a living sacrifice. Just as it was in the Old Testament, our sacrifice, once offered, cannot be reclaimed. We belong entirely to Him. We cannot make a partial sacrifice of our lives; our offering must be wholehearted.
Therefore, if you are a Christian, your life is not your own. Rather than dying, however, God asks you to live for Him as a living sacrifice. Every day, you are to offer your life to Him for His service. You do not serve Him in your spare time or with your leftover resources. The way you live your life for God is your offering to Him. Relentlessly pursue holiness so that your offering to God is unblemished and acceptable to Him (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thess. 2:12).” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Romans 12:9 — Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil.
To truly love is to hate evil; it is impossible to love while accepting evil which is always wholly contrary to love. God, who is Love, hates, “abhors” evil; therefore, we must hate evil also. God says that to truly worship Him, we must “present [our] bodies as… living sacrifice[s], holy and acceptable to God,” and He warns us that the world’s concept of love, which accepts and even approves of sin, is contrary to His – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).” As we read in Judges today, the world loves evil and will violently oppose those who live by the love of God, but Paul encourages us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).”
– Isaiah 5:20 — 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!
– Proverbs 8:13 — The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
– Psalm 97:10-12 — O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
– Amos 5:14, 15 — Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
– 3 John 1:11 — Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
– Psalm 11:5 — The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
– Proverbs 25:26 — Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Do you have “acceptable” sins in your life which have been weighing you down, robbing you of your joy and peace, hindering your relationship with God and with others? Today is the day to lay them aside and run your best race.
“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:11-12) “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) Love demands that you intervene in the lives of others who are being led astray by sin – it is unloving not to “hold back those who are stumbling.” However, confrontation must be done with wisdom and grace. It isn’t judgmental to convict someone of their sin; it is judgmental to condemn them because of their sin with a self-righteous spirit (as if we aren’t also sinners totally dependent on God’s mercy and grace). “Silence is consent.” If you say and do nothing, you are implicitly condoning their demise. True love speaks the truth in love.
– Ezekiel 3:17-21 — Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
– Jude 1:17-23 — But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Dig deeper on hating sin and loving the sinner by reading this sermon delivered on Sabbath morning, August 8, 1858, by the Reverend Charles H. Spurgeon at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens: “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.” (Psalm 97:10) — https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0208.cfm
Romans 12:19 — Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
“One of the hardest areas in which to trust God is in the matter of justice. When we perceive an injustice, we want to see the guilty party punished. We want justice to prevail, especially if we are the victim. We become impatient if we are not avenged quickly. Yet God warns us that vengeance is not our prerogative. We are to desire justice, but we are not to seek vengeance (Mic. 6:8). When someone offends us, our responsibility is to respond to the offense with forgiveness (Matt. 5:44). God takes the responsibility to see that justice is done. God loves people too much to allow sin to go unchecked.
Peter claimed that God is not slow about His promises to us, but He is patient and long-suffering before He brings about judgment (2 Pet. 3:9). Yet ultimately God has prepared for absolute justice. There will be no sin committed that He will leave unpunished. Either the punishment will fall on His Son or it will be charged against the sinner, but everyone will ultimately give an account for everything they have done (2 Cor. 5:10).
God is absolutely just, and only He can ensure that justice is fully carried out. If we are impatient and seek revenge, we presume that we are wiser than God, and we reveal a blatant lack of trust that God will do the right thing. Only by trusting God’s sovereign wisdom will we be free from our anger and preoccupation toward those who have committed evil. If we refuse to trust God’s justice, we become enslaved to bitterness and anger. We must guard our hearts and trust God to exercise His judgment against those who oppose Him.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 27 April 2023: Practice genuine love by abiding in Christ, hating sin, and loving sinners. Focus on drawing near to God and listening….
https://esv.literalword.com/?q=eccl+5%3B+romans+12
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 27 April 2023:
Ecclesiastes 5:1 — To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools.
To hear God, you must be near God. Of course, the issue of nearness to God is not about physical space but rather spiritual relationship, nearness in spirit. Jesus prayed there would be no distance between us and Him, that we would be “one” with Him, in perfect unity — “…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21) And Jesus revealed that those who were one with Him would, by definition, be one with each other – “…that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:11) Our closeness with God is most evident in our closeness to others in Christ, in the quality of our fellowship with other believers – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
Nearness is an issue of the heart – “…people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me….” (Isaiah 29:13) Nearness is about sincerity and faith – “…draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. (Hebrews 10:22) Under the Old Covenant, there were limits to how close the sinner could get to God – the Levitical priests offered sacrifices for the sins of the people, and only the High Priest could enter the inner room and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. But now, through Jesus, “Let us… with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). Jesus has opened up the Holy of Holies to us through His death on the cross. “Not only must we draw near to Christ, we must draw near to Him in confidence. This does not mean that we come arrogantly demanding forgiveness as a right or presumptuously as if we deserve His favor and specific blessings . We draw near in confidence not because of our own ‘rights’ but because of the person and work of Christ. We are confident because God, who was not obligated to redeem us, nonetheless promises to forgive us if we submit to Christ. Drawing near in confidence means that we firmly believe God’s promise of grace in Christ.” (R.C. Sproul) “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).
In Christ, we have unmerited and inalienable salvation and access to God to draw near to Him in total assurance and confidence. So, draw near to God and listen —
- Psalm 81:8 — Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
- Luke 9:35 — And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
- John 10:27 — My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
In 1 Timothy 4, Paul warns of false teachers – “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons….” Jesus says, if you know Him and His voice, you won’t be deceived by these robbers – “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” (John 10:8) The more we draw near to God and listen to Him by prayerfully studying and applying His word, the better equipped we are to spot false teachers – “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:9)
Jesus also said that when we are near to Him and abide in His love, we will clearly recognize those who aren’t – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20)
Better than offering the sacrifice of fools. Don’t be foolish. Draw near to your Good Shepherd, listen to His voice and obey. Don’t wander off and suffer needlessly –
- Matthew 9:36 — When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
- 1 Peter 2:25 — For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
- Psalm 23 — The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Revelation 7:17 — For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
“God takes great pleasure in worthy sacrifices. In the Old Testament God gave detailed instructions for how His people were to give their offerings. He declared that these brought a “soothing aroma” to Him (Lev. 1:13, 17). When the Israelites gave an offering to God, it was no longer their own, it belonged entirely to God. God would accept only the best that people could give. It was an affront to almighty God to offer Him animals that were damaged or imperfect in any way. God Himself met the standard for sacrifices when He offered His own Son as the spotless Lamb. Only the death of His perfect Son was a worthy enough offering to atone for the sins of mankind.
Now, God asks us to lay down our lives on His altar as a living sacrifice. Just as it was in the Old Testament, our sacrifice, once offered, cannot be reclaimed. We belong entirely to Him. We cannot make a partial sacrifice of our lives; our offering must be wholehearted.
Therefore, if you are a Christian, your life is not your own. Rather than dying, however, God asks you to live for Him as a living sacrifice. Every day, you are to offer your life to Him for His service. You do not serve Him in your spare time or with your leftover resources. The way you live your life for God is your offering to Him. Relentlessly pursue holiness so that your offering to God is unblemished and acceptable to Him (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thess. 2:12).” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Romans 12:9 — Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil.
To truly love is to hate evil; it is impossible to love while accepting evil which is always wholly contrary to love. God, who is Love, hates, “abhors” evil; therefore, we must hate evil also. God says that to truly worship Him, we must “present [our] bodies as… living sacrifice[s], holy and acceptable to God,” and He warns us that the world’s concept of love, which accepts and even approves of sin, is contrary to His – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).” As we read in Judges today, the world loves evil and will violently oppose those who live by the love of God, but Paul encourages us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).”
- Isaiah 5:20 — 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!
- Proverbs 8:13 — The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
- Psalm 97:10-12 — O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
- Amos 5:14, 15 — Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
- 3 John 1:11 — Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
- Psalm 11:5 — The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
- Proverbs 25:26 — Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Do you have “acceptable” sins in your life which have been weighing you down, robbing you of your joy and peace, hindering your relationship with God and with others? Today is the day to lay them aside and run your best race.
“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:11-12) “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) Love demands that you intervene in the lives of others who are being led astray by sin – it is unloving not to “hold back those who are stumbling.” However, confrontation must be done with wisdom and grace. It isn’t judgmental to convict someone of their sin; it is judgmental to condemn them because of their sin with a self-righteous spirit (as if we aren’t also sinners totally dependent on God’s mercy and grace). “Silence is consent.” If you say and do nothing, you are implicitly condoning their demise. True love speaks the truth in love.
- Ezekiel 3:17-21 — Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
- Jude 1:17-23 — But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Dig deeper on hating sin and loving the sinner by reading this sermon delivered on Sabbath morning, August 8, 1858, by the Reverend Charles H. Spurgeon at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens: “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.” (Psalm 97:10) — https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0208.cfm
Romans 12:19 — Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
“One of the hardest areas in which to trust God is in the matter of justice. When we perceive an injustice, we want to see the guilty party punished. We want justice to prevail, especially if we are the victim. We become impatient if we are not avenged quickly. Yet God warns us that vengeance is not our prerogative. We are to desire justice, but we are not to seek vengeance (Mic. 6:8). When someone offends us, our responsibility is to respond to the offense with forgiveness (Matt. 5:44). God takes the responsibility to see that justice is done. God loves people too much to allow sin to go unchecked.
Peter claimed that God is not slow about His promises to us, but He is patient and long-suffering before He brings about judgment (2 Pet. 3:9). Yet ultimately God has prepared for absolute justice. There will be no sin committed that He will leave unpunished. Either the punishment will fall on His Son or it will be charged against the sinner, but everyone will ultimately give an account for everything they have done (2 Cor. 5:10).
God is absolutely just, and only He can ensure that justice is fully carried out. If we are impatient and seek revenge, we presume that we are wiser than God, and we reveal a blatant lack of trust that God will do the right thing. Only by trusting God’s sovereign wisdom will we be free from our anger and preoccupation toward those who have committed evil. If we refuse to trust God’s justice, we become enslaved to bitterness and anger. We must guard our hearts and trust God to exercise His judgment against those who oppose Him.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 27 April 2023: Practice genuine love by abiding in Christ, hating sin, and loving sinners. Focus on drawing near to God and listening….
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 