Luke 10: 21-24 (Daily Bread of 28/12/2018)

HAPPY ARE THOSE TO WHOM YOU HAVE REVEALED THESE THINGS

Key Verse 10:21

Jesus gives thanks to God for the kingdom of God revealed to the world. There is no greater joy than to know and recognize the kingdom of God for us sinners. Let us give thanks for the fact that God has revealed it to us this year even more. 

1. From what you have revealed to the children (21-22) 

Jesus was very happy because the kingdom of God is revealed to certain categories of people. They are not only children, but also people whose hearts are pure and simple. Humanely, they are not very intelligent, but it is to those who belong the kingdom of God, for he humbly accepts the kingdom of God. Paul says in 1 Corinthian that God chose the vile things of the world to reduce to nothing those who are wise according to the world. Jesus is the Son of God and it is he alone who knows the Father, at the same time as he reveals him to whom he agrees to do so. Now, those who act according to his will and do the mission come to know God the Father, for Jesus rejoices in them and wants to bless them.

2. From what you see (23-24)

Jesus was very happy because the disciples, despite their modest origin, came to see the kingdom of God, through obedience to the word of God. In the history of Israel, there were many prophets and kings who wanted to see the coming of God's kingdom. The prophets prophesied the coming of the Messiah, without knowing the moment. One of David's descendants will be sent as Messiah to save humanity. Following their prophecy, the kings wanted to see this graceful coming of the Messiah, but all died without having seen. But now, before the disciples stands the Messiah of the world. He is the Sovereign of the universe and the judge of the living and the dead and the Wedding Lamb in the kingdom of God. The spiritual eyes that see spiritual reality are happy. Unfortunately, how blind people's eyes are because of their attachment to the world. Their proud hearts and human wisdom prevent them from seeing the kingdom of God.

QT - Proverbe 10 :1-17

THE RIGHT AND THE WICKED

Key Verse 10: 1

Solomon puts in parallel the righteous and the wicked and their respective paths. Although their beginning may be similar, their end opposes diagonally.

1. The righteous and the wicked (1-10)
The proverb describes the righteous with diverse profiles such as the wise, the diligent, the prudent. Likewise for the wicked, he describes them with diverse profiles such as the fool, the thief, the lazy, etc. The hand of the active people enriches themselves but that of the inactive get impoverished. The righteous heaps the blessing on his head, but the wicked man has a mouth full of violence. The righteous receive gratitude and remembers him, while the name of the wicked disappears from the remembrance of man. The wise man accepts the commandments, but he who speaks lightly runs to his loss (8b, 10b). The integrity sees his life in safety, but the one with the crooked heart sees his life in danger and his life is full of shame.

2. The wise and the foolish (11-17)
The heart of the wicked is filled with hatred, and it provokes quarrels. But the heart of the righteous is full of love. And this love covers the faults. Peter quoted these words to emphasize the power of love. He covers the multitude of sins (1P4: 8). From the mouth of the righteous comes the word of wisdom (10,13). But the back of the fool is struck by the rode. The wise holds the knowledge in reserve and uses it in the better place. But the fool ruins himself because of their inappropriate words. The wicked uses many pretexts and excuses, but it is only a human trick, and the ruin is imminent. From the mouth of the righteous comes wisdom, but is not always wise to utter plausible words. The fool can make a wise fellow by saying fine words, but his hollow words lead to the destruction that reveals his wickedness. The bad guy can get rich, but it does not bring him to life. The righteous receive instruction from the others, though it is sometimes bitter. But the fool despises it and goes astray. May God make us a fountain of wisdom.

QT - Actes 16 :11-40

THEY HAD SO MUCH JOY TO HAVE BELIEVED IN JESUS

Key verse 16: 34

Philippians did not start spectacularly, but from the women near the river. In the work of God there is the work of grace, but there is also the impediment. Paul and Barnabas were imprisoned because of God's work. But they have also experienced a great work over there.

1. The successful life of the missionary Saint Paul. (16: 11-15)

Paul, lacking the synagogue in the city, came to walk near the river and met a group of women. Then a person became interested in Paul's words. Lydia opened her heart and accepted the gospel. Then he invited the whole group of Jesus to her home and she and her family were baptized. This was the work of the Holy Spirit. When Paul followed His direction, he was able to bear a lot of fruits. Paul did it on a one-to-one basis, and his love focused on Lydia and gave out a great impact around him. The work of God is not the work of mass, but the work of personal salvation. Paul especially appreciated the value of one soul.

2. The glory of God is revealed in the midst of all things (16: 16-40)

Paul practiced good deeds in the name of Jesus, however, he was imprisoned by the enemy. But instead of complaining,  he gave thanks, there came a miracle in which he and all the prisoners saw their chains undone. But the guardians, seeing that they had not escaped, was touched and asked the way of salvation to Paul. He and his family were converted and baptized. Then the great progress of the gospel took place in the city. Paul, despite imprisonment, obtained the greatest fruit of preaching. The will of God can be accomplished in difficult moments. Sing to each other with confidence to God, when you cross the difficulty, pray to God constantly! The officers were afraid that Paul was Roman. Perplexed, they wanted to secretly free Paul, but Paul makes it clear that they make a public apology and publicly declare their innocence. We must not close our eyes to the injustice of the world. Acquiescence and forgiveness are two different things.

The Beginning of Knowledge Proverbs 1

Proverbs 1:1-33

key verse: 7

THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE

Introduction to Proverbs

This book contains proverbs of many authors but the main one is Solomon. Wisdom, which is more precious than pearls or gold, is the theme of this book. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Justice, holiness, humility, mercy, peace, diligence, keeping God's word, correcting children, virtuous women, etc are all examples of wisdom. The result of wisdom is life (chapter 3). In most cases, this book deals with wisdom in the world, though sometimes it deals with wisdom pertaining to eternal life (12:28, 15;24, etc).

Solomon wrote Proverbs to make knowledge known to men. This part is divided into three sections: introduction, bad influence and God's answer to resistant men.

1. The Beginning of Knowledge (1-9)

Words of wisdom help us receive instruction, justice, equity and integrity. Wisdom builds as our desire to learn increases. Contrary to human wisdom, divine wisdom can be obtained only through the fear of the Lord. Only fools reject it. 

2. Bad Influence (10-19)

Psalm 1 says "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers." When temptation comes, we must be vigilant and hold fast to justice, or risk running after evil. He who tempts others will fall into his own snare.

3. God's answer to man's resistance (20-33)

Wisdom takes revenge. She cries out against stupidity. She invites the simple to follow her ways. However, people refuse to understand or listen. Their resistance is not without consequence and they receive their just rewards. Though God called many times, they turned a deaf ear. Now, it is God's turn. When they reach out to him for help, he will turn a deaf ear. Since they hated knowledge, God will not rescue them. Since they despised is correction, they will wander. Those who listen to his words will live in a secure and prosperous home. 

QT - Actes 14 :1-6

 THE WORK OF PAUL IN ICONIUM

Key Verse 14: 3a 

Paul visited Iconium and preached the word. The work at Iconium is characterized by the work of preaching.

1. Paul preached with full assurance (1-3)
The work of the gospel at Iconium seems that there is not too much of a particular character. But the work of the gospel often proceeds by the calm and unceremonious aspect. The words "in such a way" in verse 1 show us how much Paul preached with power and assurance. His preaching brought a lot of souls to Christ. But there was a problem, for the unbelieving Jews stirred the Gentiles to hate and persecute the believers. Their hearts were hard as stones without being convinced by the Spirit who asked them to repent. During their stay in the city, Paul and Barnabas did several works. But the true master of the work was only Jesus. It was Jesus who testified to the truth and it was Jesus who made the miracles visible through their hands. It is important to know that the master of the work is Jesus Christ and let him work according to His will.

2. They proclaimed the Gospel (4-7)
There was a division between believers and unbelievers. These are in principle pagans versus Jews. But the Jews disturb the camps, provoked divisions among the pagans. So they produced a bias among the pagans. Some were from the Jewish Party, and some from the Apostles' Party. Division and bias are the wrong leavens for the people of God. The Jews and pagans who were being fooled by them began to persecute the Apostles. They mistreated them and wanted to stone them. But Paul and Barnabas prayed and decided to flee the city. They went to Lystra and Derbe, two cities of Lycaonia. They were cities of refuge. Being severely persecuted previously, they might have thought it was finally the moment they rested. But that was not the case. Indeed, they began to announce the good news even in this new city. Purely and simply, they proclaimed the Gospel.

Deuteronomy 34:1-11 (Daily Bread of Friday 23/11/2018)

MOSES SAW THE PROMISED LAND AND THEN HE DIED

Key Verse 34: 6

Today's Word speaks Moses's last day on eart. God forbids him to go into the promised land. Moses was the greatest servant of God. 

1. He died on Nebo (1-6)

Moses went up to the mountain of Moab and looked at the promised land. God showed him the land of Canaan, from East to West and North to South. This was the land upon which Abraham's feet had trodden. God had promised to give it to him and his descendants. God showed it to Moses, but forbade him to enter it because of what happened at Meriba. Moses died at Nebo, but the Lord buried him, so no one knows where his tomb lies. According to legend, any attempt to find him is doomed to failure. Sometimes there are things that God doesn't need to reveal. Sometimes man has to resign himself to what he knows. 

2. Moses the greatest servant of Israel (7-11)

Moses was 120 years old when he died. His death was a part of God's will and plan. Thus, Moses did not wither away as the dean of the earth. God had taken Enoch and Elijah without letting them pass through death. Similarly, the Lord took his life and made him disappear. He still had the vigour and sight of man. God's plan for him ended and he had to leave the leadership to his successor: Joshua. He was a man of war who lead the people during the conquest of Canaan. Moses is nevertheless worthy of constant memory in Israel's history. Not only was he the most humble man on earth (Num 12:3), but he was also a powerful, Spirit-filled leader who brought salvation to his people. The signs that he had operated on Pharaoh to free his people from slavery in Egypt were formidable. He was their unrivaled liberator. The wonders he had worked throughout the wandering in the desert with his people were remarkable. He was their incomparable driver. He should be constantly remembered by the Israelites, and the prophecy that God would send a prophet like him surely points to Jesus Christ.