41.4 Thanksgiving For God’s Justice

(Psalm 9:1-4, 7-14)

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the wonderful things
you have done.
I will sing with joy because of you.
I will sing praise to you, Almighty God.

My enemies turn back when you appear,
they fall down and die.
You are fair and honest in your judgments,
and you have judged in my favor.

But the Lord is king forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He rules the world with righteousness;
he judges the nations with justice.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a place of safety in times of trouble.
Those who know you, Lord, will trust you;
you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

Sing praise to the Lord, who rules in Zion!
Tell every nation what he has done!
God remembers those who suffer;
he does not forget their cry,
and he punishes those who wrong them.

Be merciful to me, O Lord!
See the sufferings my enemies cause me!
Rescue me from death, O Lord,
that I may stand before the people of Jerusalem
and tell them all the things for which I praise you.
I will rejoice because you saved me.

41.3 To Please Not Men But God

(1 Thessalonians 2:1-7a, 10-12)

Our brothers, you yourselves know that our visit to you was not a failure. You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him. Our appeal to you is not based on error or impure motives, nor do we try to trick anyone. Instead, we always speak as God wants us to, because he has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please men, but to please God, who tests our motives. You know very well that we did not come to you with flattering talk, nor did we use words to cover up greed – God is our witness! We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you.

You are our witness, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault. You know that we treated each one of you just as a father treats his own children. We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory.

41.2 No Treachery, No Falsification of God’s Word

(2 Corinthians 4:1-5)

God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged. We put aside all secret and shameful deeds; we do not act with deceit, nor do we falsify the word of God. In the full light of truth we live in God’s sight and try to commend ourselves to everyone’s good conscience. For if the gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost. They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. For it is not ourselves that we preach; we preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

41.1 Integrity in Civil Matters

(Romans 13:17)

Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment of himself. For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of the man in authority? Then do what is good, and he will praise you, because he is God’s servant working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of him, because his power to punish is real. He is God’s servant and carries out God’s punishment on those who do evil. For this reason you must obey the authorities – not just because of God’s punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.

That is also why you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties. Pay, then, what you owe them; pay them your personal and property taxes, and show respect and honor for them all.