(Psalm 53)
Fools say to themselves,
“There is no God.”
They are all corrupt,
and they have done terrible things;
there is no one who does what is right.
God looks down from heaven at mankind
to see if there are many who are wise,
any who worship Him.
But they have all turned away;
they are all equally bad.
Not one of them does what is right,
not a single one.
“Don’t they know?” God asks.
“Are these evildoers ignorant?
They live by robbing my people,
and they never pray to me.”
But then they will become terrified,
as they have never been before,
for God will scatter the bones
of the enemies of His people.
God has rejected them,
and so Israel will totally defeat them.
‘How I pray that victory
will come to Israel from Zion.
How happy the people of Israel will be
when God makes them prosperous again!
Showing posts with label Accountability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accountability. Show all posts
Sunday, July 20, 2008
1.4 Act According To Our Different Talents
(Roman 12:3-8)
And because of God’s gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you. We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have; if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach; if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.
And because of God’s gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you. We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have; if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach; if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.
1.3 We Will Be Measured the Way We Measure Others
(Luke 6:38)
“Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands-all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.”
“Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands-all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.”
1.2 Usage of Just Measures
(Deuteronomy 25:13-16)
“Do not cheat when you use weights and measures. Use true and honest weights and measures, so that you may live a long time in the land that the Lord you God is giving you. The Lord hates people who cheat.”
“Do not cheat when you use weights and measures. Use true and honest weights and measures, so that you may live a long time in the land that the Lord you God is giving you. The Lord hates people who cheat.”
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
1.1 Parable of the Silver Pieces
(Matthew 25:14-29)
“At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like this.
Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to one according to his ability: one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip. The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand. In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand. But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand. ‘You gave me five thousand coins, sir’, he said. ‘Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned.’ ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master. ‘You have been faithful in managing small mounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’ Then the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, ‘You gave me two thousand coins, sir. Look! Here are another two thousand that I have earned.’ Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master. You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’ Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, ‘Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not plant, and you gather crops where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you.’ ‘You bad and lazy servant!’ his master said. ‘You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins. For every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.”
“At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like this.
Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to one according to his ability: one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip. The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand. In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand. But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand. ‘You gave me five thousand coins, sir’, he said. ‘Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned.’ ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master. ‘You have been faithful in managing small mounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’ Then the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, ‘You gave me two thousand coins, sir. Look! Here are another two thousand that I have earned.’ Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master. You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’ Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, ‘Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not plant, and you gather crops where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you.’ ‘You bad and lazy servant!’ his master said. ‘You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins. For every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.”
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