I am trying to pass on excellent resources to y’all – and “TheMoazWeb” is the newest addition to my blogroll in that effort.

Baruch is a native born Israeli, and a decorated war veteran. He came to Christ through the witness of some faithful Christians in Israel – and he has pastored a Church there for many years. In fact, he just retired from the pastorate in order to devote even more time to writing.

Baruch’s book: “Judaism is not Jewish” – subtitled “A friendly critique of Messianic Judaism” is a must read. For those confused by and/or caught up in the strange world of the popular Messianic Judaism movement in the United States – it is a clear and forceful call to recover a truly Gospel centered Christianity for Jews and Gentiles alike. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The site is still being developed, but I have every confidence the forthcoming material will be Biblically sound, Christ centered, and spiritually healthy. Do visit often.

You can get there BY CLICKING HERE.

1 – The one-word theme of 2 Corinthians is: SUFFERING. Paul’s opponents sought to discredit his ministry by pointing to all of his suffering as though it meant God was dealing harshly with him. Paul instead shows how suffering is so important to the life of the Christian and our ministry one to another. We will not serve God one iota past what we are willing to suffer in serving Him. Those who want to serve Christ without suffering or who want to preach a Christianity devoid of suffering, distance themselves from the Lord who suffered for them. If suffering is automatically a sign of God’s displeasure or failure in the Christian life – then Jesus was the most miserable failure of all. This necessary theme is expanded upon by Peter in his first epistle.

2 – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

RAF: Christians are not as much repositories for God’s riches, as conduits. Many would like to be useful in ministering to others while at the same time failing to realize that God’s primary way of equipping us for that work – is in meeting OUR need SO that we can then meet another’s. If we are unwilling to need His comforts – the comforts which become ours in the midst and aftermath of suffering – then we need not be surprised if we have nothing to give to anyone else. His blessings pass to and thus through us to others. He does not give us what WE do not need to give to others – but binds us to others by means of the need and His supply in it. It is those who have been comforted in their grief, who are best enabled to minister Christ to the grief of others. Those who have found His supply in want, His support in trial, His peace in the storm and His presence in abandonment and lonliness – then have Him to share with others in the very same circumstances. It is amusing how we pray for faith, but then do not want any trials where we actually have to trust Him for anything. We will plead with Him for opportunities to minister to others, but are unwilling to have needs He has to meet in us first, so that we can truly minister Him and not ourselves to those in like need. It is when we’ve been comforted, that we can best bring Him as comfort to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We could add here that this then exposes the first foundation of any true Gospel ministry in evangelism as well. We are not equipped to call others to flee to Christ for salvation, if we have not known our own sinfulness, and fled to Him for mercy and grace ourselves. It is Heaven’s economy that those who call men to Christ, are those who first know their own desperate need of Him – and how He has met that need by His death at Calvary. Unregenerate preachers are an abomination. Like nurses with numb hands trying to be tender to burn victims in excruciating pain.

3 – 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (ESV) For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

RAF: There is a vast difference between despairing of life or of a situation ever changing for the better, and yielding up to despair altogether. Christians are not required to be unrealistic in their assessments – either for the good or the bad. It is not faithlessness to be in a position where you say – “this does not look like it will ever get any better.” In fact, our unwillingness to accept certain unchangeable realities can bring us to the utmost frustration and defeat. Faithlessness, is seeing the situation, and forgetting that “this” – here and now, is not THE end – imagining that there is NO future whatever. Faithlessness fails to insert the sure hope of the resurrection into the equation. It stops with the circumstances. Paul points to the impossible place he was in with his companions, and then demonstrates how in it, indeed by means of it – God was getting them to look beyond the immediate, and remember that the God who raises the dead is the One above it all. And that if nothing changes here and now – in THAT day, it will. We may be so utterly devoid of resources as to despair that we will even make it through the present circumstance alive. And if we do not – our God will raise us up on the last day. And that is where our hope rests.

4 – 2 Corinthians 1:12-14 (ESV) For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge— just as you did partially acknowledge us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

RAF: Paul places no weight on enjoying great comforts or earthly, external trappings as somehow indicating God’s favor. What he prizes is how he has been enabled to live in all of life’s circumstances:

a. With a conscience right before God;

b. Having behaved – conducted himself – in simplicity: sticking to the necessary essentials;

c. and living in sincerity – plain, straightforward transparency, not needing to hide anything;

d. Not reasoning according to this world, but according to Heaven’s wisdom;

e. Living in the knowledge of being people who have received grace;

f. And thus living first and foremost in communicating that grace to others.

This is the the way he first came to them;

this is the way they accepted him at first;

this is the way it still is;

and this is how it is to be when Christ returns.

5 – 2 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV) For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

RAF: In our day, it is not unusual for many to think more about THEIR ministry, than THE ministry. In other words, some are about the business of building their ministry which they want to take on a certain form and by which they wish to identify themselves. It is not uncommon to hear it said: “I have such-and-such a ministry.” This mindset, which appears to be one Paul had to confront in some in the Corinthian Church is met most comprehensively in this text. Note:

a. The proclamation which Paul is about, is NOT about HIS ministry – it is about Christ Jesus. Paul is not as much concerned about having a church planting ministry or a counseling ministry or a healing ministry or a music ministry or anything else of that kind. What he is about, is proclaiming Christ. That may be done in thousands of different contexts – but as the central object, it never changes. The message is more important than the ministry. Whenever this gets reversed, monuments to men are not far behind.

b. The proclamation of Jesus is not simply or merely as Savior – but as Lord. Gospel preaching which does not in the end call men to come to Jesus as their God and King – as their Lord, fails to be Gospel ministry. His Lordship is inherent in the concept of the incarnation – He left His pre-existent glory to take on human flesh. It is inherent in His earthly ministry, displayed as Lord over disease, demons and even the Sabbath. It is inherent in His resurrection – where he is declared to be Lord of all! It is inherent in salvation where we are translated from the kingdom of darkness, into His kingdom – where we become His bond-slaves. We cannot truly preach Him apart from being Lord. This is what we are calling men to, to repent from self-government to Christ’s Lordship.

c. And how then does Paul classify his “ministry?” “Servants” – slaves, for Jesus’ sake. Slaves of Jesus, so that others might know Him.

6 – 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (ESV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

RAF: This portrait of the Christian life is so foreign to our Americanized Western Christianity. Here, the picture painted is of a people constantly or at least repeatedly brought to the end of themseves by circumstances of every kind, SO THAT, His supernatural sustaining power might be demonstrated through us – IN us. While we are alive in these bodies, we are always being given over to circumstances which would seem to destroy us – and by means of it – He brings others to life. It is beyond our comprehension. But Dear Saint, you who have been trested and tried and who have thought that it must mean God has abandoned you or is hanging you out to dry for some unknown reason – listen to this passage. Ease, success, plenty and no adversity are not the presupposed norms of the Christian life. It is just the opposite. And those who would tell you different, are not reliable. This reality remains unknown to them. You in Christ who are standing today in the midst of severe trial, and know full well that you are not doing it by means of even the smallest ability of your own – He is manifesting Himself to the rest of us in your mortal flesh.

1 – Proverbs 3:3 (ESV) Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

RAF: Never let the wonder, the mystery, and glory, the reality of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness toward you ever escape your consciousness. When we imagine His love to be vacillating or indistinct – or when we doubt the absolute certainty of His commitment to see all of His promises to come to pass – faith suffers its most devastating blows. See our God as constitutionally incapable of the any of the defects of human love. In the darkest of hours, He cannot love you any more, nor can He love you any less. See Him as ontologically unable to fail to keep His word, or to break His promises. He does not merely carry out His promises faithfully, He IS faithful. This is the One with whom we have to do. This is our God. Loving and faithful beyond anything the human mind can imagine. This is the One in whom we place our trust.

2 – Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

RAF: Bring everything to Him, EVERYTHING. Do not fail to make every concern, ever twinge of anxiety or fear known. And do the same with every joy and thankgiving. Bring Him into every aspect and moment of life. Every experience. Live life IN Christ.

3 – Proverbs 3:11 (ESV) My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,

RAF: This need to refrain either from despising (treating lightly) or wearying of the Lord’s discipline is true whether you are the subject of such loving discipline, or if you are in leadership and must be an agent in carrying it out, or, if you are part of a Body which engages actively in such outward love.

All three applications must be made.

a. The sinner, treats the Father’s discipline as though it is a light thing. Either that God does not discipline at all and just leaves us to ourselves, or, that He does not take unrepentant sin in our lives very seriously. It is easy then too – if we DO live in the reality of His loving discipline, to grow weary of it, as though we can do NOTHING right and want to just get away from every manifestation of it. Such then is the need to be reminded this is love, and the product of His delight in us. To pay us the supreme compliment, that the Lord of the universe pays attention to the details of our lives.

b. Leadership can treat it lightly and thus neglect it. Or, being confronted with many needs to administer it in certain seasons, can grow exceedingly weary in the process. But we are to be agents of God’s love – NOT His wrath. We must keep this focus and not let it cross over into something heavy and odious. We too must remember how the Father is delighting in sons and daughters, and that we are there to manifest His love, care and concern in His active involvement in their lives.

c. So too a congregation can begin to wonder if Church discipline is really all that necessary. After all, it is painful and uncomfortable. We naturally dislike it. As a people we can grow weary and just say – “let’s let God handle it alone – why get ourselves all upset at people’s sins and involved in them?” Then again, we must take up the banner of love and be sure we do not neglect to love in the hard places. To do what is uncomfortable, when it is best for the ones we are loving in Christ’s name.

4 – Proverbs 3:13-14 (ESV) Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.

RAF: Three times in Scripture we are admonished that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; Prov. 9:10). Knowing God now, is the beginning of the treasures of eternity. How can we know what life is meant to be apart from understanding the purposes of the One who gave it to us and sustains us in it? And how can we understand His purposes fully, unless we come to know Him for Himself? In ancient courts of law, advocates for one accused did not so much provide evidence against the accusations themselves, as they did testify to the fact that the character of the one accused made it impossible that they could do what they were accused of. Nothing will make us more sure of God than getting to know Him. Nothing will make us happier in His providential appointments in our lives than grasping how fully and perfectly He loves us – and how flawlessly wise he is both in His direct actions and in His permissions. This truly is better than gain from silver or gold. These are lasting riches. These are eternal glories. You gain true, cosmic, eternal wisdom when you understand who and what God is, and stand in the right fear that being exposed to such awesome and incomprehensible realities engenders. And when at last you prize this above all other things – then you will know true contentment and satisfaction.

5 – Proverbs 3:19-20 (ESV) The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.

RAF: Here is a call to keep always in view – that it is God who made this world in which we live – with purpose and wisdom, and that by His design it functions and exists. This is so we never cross over into existential despair. So we never fall into the fears of randomness. Never fail to see God is behind life itself, and that He remains sovereign and supreme as He moves all of history toward its final goal of all things summed up in Christ Jesus. The knowledge that human existence is on a trajectory toward an eternal goal is vital to our living in hope and reality. The damnable horror that has sprung from a Godless, evolutionary view of man that makes him nothing more than a cosmic accident plunges the souls of men into a bottomless despair. Only the light of the Gospel as it reveals the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ can rescue us from that wretched abyss.

6 – Proverbs 3:28 (ESV) Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

RAF: Give the Gospel at every opportunity. Do not listen to the deceptions of your own hear that argue you need to be in a better mood, or have your mind in a better place, or that it is inconvenient, or that you don’t have the time at that moment to do it well. You have the words of eternal life with you at all times. Seize the moment He has provided you. Don’t wait. Fulfill your ambassadorial role and tell them the good news. “Christ has come. He has died the death for sin at Calvary. Final judgement awaits us all – and might be here in a moment. Look to Christ and put your trust in Him as your sin-bearer. Today. Forsake your sin, repent and believe.” What an impact a moment can have on someone’s eternity.

1. Proverbs 30:15-16 (ESV) The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

RAF: Master lesson in life #1. 15-16 / There are UNFILLABLE voids in the souls of men.

Do not be surprised at the lengths men will go to try and satisfy such voids. Eph. 1.23. The most heinous and horrific crimes will be traced to this cause. The most inexplicable crimes of humanity flow from this fountain.

2. Proverbs 30:18-19 (ESV) Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

RAF: Master lesson in life #2. 18-19 / There are UNFATHOMABLE mysteries in life.

Do not be surprised that there are things you will not be able to figure out. You will not get all the answers you seek in this life. We are much better off to be like Job, who received no answer as to WHY he suffered so, but came face to face with the WHO, who was orchestrating it all – the One who was redeeming for him even the wicked designs of the Devil. See: Col 2.

3. Proverbs 30:21-23 (ESV) Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

RAF: Master lesson in life #3. 21-23 / There are UNFITTING realites in life.

Don’t be surprised at injustice here. We live in a fallen world. There are inequities all around us. We can all see that some things are off kilter, out of joint, skewed, lop-sided and improper. It will be so until Christ puts all of His enemies under His feet. He IS making all things new. But they are not new yet. See: Col. 1.20

4. Proverbs 30:24-28 (ESV) Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.

RAF: Master lesson in life #4. 24-28 / There is UNTAPPED wisdom in Creation all around you.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. (Ps. 19:1). Don’t be surprised if some of the answers you are seeking are right in front of you. Woven into the fabric of our Sovereign’s universe are examples of His wisdom and how things work. So it is that Jesus teaches by means of examples from nature, the home, the farm, normal human life and observable phenomena of all kinds. God’s first mode of revelation has not ceased speaking any more than the Bible and Christ have. Nor is there ever any contradiction between them.

5. Proverbs 30:29-31 (ESV) Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride: the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any; the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king whose army is with him.

RAF: Master lesson in life #5. 29-31 / There are UNLINKED similarities in life.

Not everything is a conspiracy. Men simply share a common fallen nature. And, drawing unwarranted connections between things which are not actually there – and then drawing conclusions – is a souce of unending confusion and strife. Under this umbrella resides the dreadful tendency to assign motives to people’s actions without really knowing. Each time we imagine we know why anyone does what they do, without actually ascertaining from them the true facts – we sin against them, and often respond sinfully to what we do not even know to be certain yet. Only God knows the deep thoughts of men. Often our own motives are not even clear to us – how much less the motives of others? How carefully we need to tread here.

6. Proverbs 30:32-33 (ESV) If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth. For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.

RAF: Master lesson in life #6. 32-33 / There are UNAVOIDABLE consequences to our attitudes and actions.

Do not imagine that justice will not be done, or that anyone escapes their proper due. Ezekiel 18:4 (ESV) Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. The wages, the pay-off, the consequence of sin, really is death (Rom. 6:23). Always. Those who seek mercy in Christ and put their trust in Him, will find justification in the blood of The Lamb. Those who depend upon themselves, religion or some other means or method will perish in their sins. These things are as certain as gravity.

1. Proverbs 28:1 (ESV) The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

RAF: Unresolved guilt in the heart leaves men timid and suspicious in their unrest. Liars always suspect they are being lied to. Adulterers and adulteresses often accuse their spouses of being unfaithful. Thieves constantly imagine they are being ripped off. Gossips just assume they are being talked about all the time. Cheaters constantly worry about being cheated. The mind of those who are walking with Christ in uprightness do not spend their days in such turmoil. If you are constantly worried about what other people think of you, put it down to being one who is constantly judging others in your own heart.

2. Proverbs 28:2 (ESV) When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue.

RAF: An increase in civil government is a direct result of a nation which is moving away from God. Government must increase to try and make up for the lack of self-government. It is a vicious cycle. The less responsibility each person takes for themselves before God, the more imposition from the outside becomes necessary to keep chaos from taking over. The problem is that over time, the governmental structure becomes so inflated, it must collapse under its own weight. Fewer and fewer people take responsibility for themselves before God, and that corruption extends to the government since the government is but – people. Those trying to enforce the rules and regulations themselves have abandoned personal responsibility – and thus a self-imposed judgment is inevitable. Our men and women in leadership will continue to reflect the populace in general, and will grow more and more corrupt over time. Only the Holy Spirit reigning in the hearts of men can reverse such a state of affairs. No governmental system is capable. Sin can only be dealt with in Christ – not by any external structure.

3. Proverbs 28:5 (ESV) Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

RAF: And so the morning newspaper carries the sotry of a Montreal “Pastor” will serve but 49 months in jail (reduced from 5 years for time served while the trial progressed) over his sexual relations with his 10 year old “wife”.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090126.wpastormarriage0126/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20090126.wpastormarriage0126

Those who seek the Lord, have some real sense of the true gravity of sin. Thus they understand the nature of what justice truly demands. They have felt conviction as it comes from God through His Spirit. They have seen justice at the Cross. They know their own sin is due such a death and eternal penalty. They understand mercy and grace are not simple dismissives – that justice meted out is awesome both in scope and magnitude. They understand nothing less than the full extent of the Law is required – and that grace must take that into account in making a way of redemption. They understand it, because their Redeemer, has paid their price. The wicked, make a pitiable attempt at it – and as demonstrated above – fail tragically.

4. Proverbs 28:7 (ESV) The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

RAF: Gluttons are an interesting lot in Scripture. And they are not what one might suppose. Often, the concept is related to characterizing one who simply overeats. But this is not the Biblical model. Gluttons in Scripture would be better understood as “party animals” in today’s parlance. “Riotous eaters” is closer to the original. Those who give themselves up to worthless pursuits and in laziness produce nothing of profit. They are the bored effete. Tanned and toned, average or obese, they move from party to rave to soiree to one mindless amusement after another. Whatever next appeals to their sense of fun and fancy. They care for nothing other than pleasure, fun and ease. Duty is bondage in their eyes – even sinful to them. They can be as skinney as a rail – and living off the largess of any and all who are foolish enough to sustin them. No ambition. No goals. No self-discipline. Apathetic. Leeches. They take, and do not contribute. They are shameful and yet remain unashamed.

5. Proverbs 28:13 (ESV) Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

RAF: The secrecy of sin is its power to bind. What is forced underground, hides and cannot be easily rooted out. This is why confession of sin is a key to breaking its grip. Just as certain bacteria are killed by exposure to light, so sin which is not hidden, gets dealt with by virtue of it detection. Many a fatal condition goes untreated without exposure and detection – claiming the life of its host. Father, give me a heart that detects and acknowledges my sin quickly. May there be nothing between us. May I quickly and freely expose my every corruption to the light of your countenance. Cleanse me.

6. Proverbs 28:14 (ESV) Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

RAF: DO NOT resist the work of the Spirit in pricking your heart regarding sin. Hardness against His work will result in an eventual fall into calamity you will not be able to bear. At the first twinge of conscience, relent. The repeated habit of turning a deaf ear to the Spirit’s inward work results in not hearing God at all. If we do not care for the music or message coming through our radio or television, we can change the channel. God has but one channel – and so when we shun the message, we can only turn down the volume. The problem is, you lose the ability to hear ALL He is saying, not just the one thing you do not like at the moment. If you will not hear Him concerning your sin, you will not be able to hear His comforts or counsel either. It is all or nothing. Holy Spirit, give me always ears to hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.

7. Proverbs 28:16 (ESV) A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

RAF: Oppressive leadership – especially in the Church, is a sign of a severe lack of understanding. A lack of understanding what true leadership is, and how it functions. One thing is for certain, it does not oppress. If this is its tactic, then something is wrong. The addition of humanly imposed weight over and above what Scripture requires of us constitutes oppression. Jesus’ description of it is best in Matthew 23:4 ^“They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” This is one of the key aspects of Phariseeism. And it must be guarded against in the Church in every generation.

8. Proverbs 28:19 (ESV) Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

RAF: How often do we hear: “If I only had X, or if Y were the case – THEN I could serve God well” ?

Work with what God HAS given to you, rather than pining after and chasing what He hasn’t. There is fruitfulness in His appointments. There is fruitlessness in mourning what we do not have, or endless yearning and churning over what isn’t. If we will not work “the land” He has given to us, it is no wonder then if our spiritual lives remain lean.

9. Proverbs 28:20 (ESV) A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

RAF: There is no shortcut to spiritual growth and maturity – faithfulness alone takes the day. How we long for some spiritual experience which will immediately catapult us to some new level in Christ. It is a foolish fancy. The old proverb that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” isn’t Scripture, but it is true. More than that, a journey of a thousand miles is completed by repeated stepping – every inch of the way. Heavenly Father, make us faithful men and women – faithful to keep walking the road to the Celestial City. As Jesus set His face toward this earthly Jerusalem, may we be known as those who have set ours faces toward the Heavenly Jerusalem to come.

10. Proverbs 28:21 (ESV) ²¹To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

RAF: A man’s weakness is whatever he thinks he cannot do without. Here is where he is most vulnerable. This is the price we set upon ourselves. This is how much we determine we are worth in our own eyes. Father, may our hearts be willing to do without anything and every thing in this life – that we may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Make this heart mine.

11. Proverbs 28:25 (ESV) A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.

RAF: People who stir up strife – want something. Follow the “money”. As James 4:1 reads: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” Be sure of it – if there is a quarrel, a fight, strife of any kind – someone is after something, and the quarreling will not stop until they get it. Some perceived gain is being denied them. And they cannot rest – they WILL rage. Examine your own heart and it will soon be evident – you are most angry, when you imagine you are denied what you value – be it money, recognition, fame, respect, love, consideration, understanding – name it. Father, make us desire only you – for no one can deny us that, and then we will be satisfied all the days of our lives.