Reading: Titus 3
My Verse: "To slander or abuse or speak evil of no one, to avoid being contentious, to be forbearing (yielding, gentle and conciliatory), and to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody" (3:2)
Wow! Talk about in your face - especially to politicians!
I was watching the PBS Newshour show when Brooks and Sheilds came on. The narrator spoke of their receiving the Courtesy Award from a university. They laughed about it but this is something they talk about a lot - the lack of courtesy amongst our political leaders.
Today the politician that can dish out the most trash against their opponents seems to rise in the polls. It is so hard to understand because it is so against Your precepts, Lord. You must understand that this is a huge problem for us because You tell us over and over "to slander or abuse or speak evil of no one" and "to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody."
"The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool" (Proverbs 10:18 ESV).
"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers" (James 4:11 ESV).
"Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure" (Psalm 101:5 ESV).
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).
"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander" (I Peter 2:1).
And there is so much more! It is said that if someone repeats something, then it must be important. Well, Lord, if You repeat something then we had better listen up because it is of vital importance.
Verse 8 speaks of how if we are true believers then this should come out in the things that we do. It is very hard to listen to someone claim to be a follower of You in one breath. And in the next breath they are slandering someone they don't agree with! "Out of the same source come praise and cursing. This cannot be" (James 3:10).
There are no qualifiers in this verse. We are "to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody."
Common courtesy is a God thing! Thank You, Lord God, for your mighty Word and the teaching it holds for us.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "To slander or abuse or speak evil of no one, to avoid being contentious, to be forbearing (yielding, gentle and conciliatory), and to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody" (3:2)
Wow! Talk about in your face - especially to politicians!
I was watching the PBS Newshour show when Brooks and Sheilds came on. The narrator spoke of their receiving the Courtesy Award from a university. They laughed about it but this is something they talk about a lot - the lack of courtesy amongst our political leaders.
Today the politician that can dish out the most trash against their opponents seems to rise in the polls. It is so hard to understand because it is so against Your precepts, Lord. You must understand that this is a huge problem for us because You tell us over and over "to slander or abuse or speak evil of no one" and "to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody."
"The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool" (Proverbs 10:18 ESV).
"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers" (James 4:11 ESV).
"Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure" (Psalm 101:5 ESV).
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).
"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander" (I Peter 2:1).
And there is so much more! It is said that if someone repeats something, then it must be important. Well, Lord, if You repeat something then we had better listen up because it is of vital importance.
Verse 8 speaks of how if we are true believers then this should come out in the things that we do. It is very hard to listen to someone claim to be a follower of You in one breath. And in the next breath they are slandering someone they don't agree with! "Out of the same source come praise and cursing. This cannot be" (James 3:10).
There are no qualifiers in this verse. We are "to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody."
Common courtesy is a God thing! Thank You, Lord God, for your mighty Word and the teaching it holds for us.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
No comments:
Post a Comment