Our Speech

Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29 NASB)

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6 ESV)

LORD, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3 CSB)

Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:3-8 CSV)

Legitimate Pride

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)

There is only one being who can feel proud and not sin. He is God. Because He is worthy to receive glory and honour and power, for He created all things, and all things existed for Him and because of Him.

Karma Samsara Moksha Nirvana

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:8-10 ESV)

The Bible says we do not always get what we deserve. If the Bible is true, then karma is false.

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)

The Bible says we live and die once. If the Bible is true, then samsara is false. If there is no samsara, there is no moksha or nirvana.

Ruling With Christ

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6 CSB)

Today's Christians, those who passed on or raptured, and all believers who have passed on since the creation will be resurrected to rule with the Anointed One for a thousand years.

But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived - God has prepared these things for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9 CSB)

Wrong View Of Religion

Many people thought that religions are choices. You can choose to be a Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or Muslim and it is all the same. Religions teach you to be good, give you some assurance and also give you some god or gods or ideas or beings bigger than mankind to believe in. It did not occur to many people that they should test their religion to see if it is true.

But the Bible tells us that there is only one true God who created the heavens and the earth. You have to believe in Him and none else.

The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens! (Psalm 96:5 NLT)

You are to say this to them: "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens." (Jeremiah 10:11 CSB)

Furthermore, the God who created the heavens and the earth choose from the nations of the earth a nation for Himself and prove that His Word is true by the His prophecies about that nation.

Or has a god attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of another nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (Deuteronomy 4:34 CSB)

Fear of God

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. (Proverbs 9:10 NLT)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)

Above all, fear the LORD and worship him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things he has done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24 CSB)

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19 ESV)

How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. (Psalm 31:19 NIV)

Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. (Psalm 25:12 ESV)

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. (Psalm 112:1-2 ESV)

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. (Psalm 128:1-2 ESV)

The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short. (Proverbs 10:27 ESV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV)

Three And Four

"There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman. (Proverbs 30:18-19 NIV)

There is one thing, then two things and now three and four things: air, land, sea and sex.

One Thing

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4 ESV)

But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 ESV)

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21 NIV)
See also Luke 18:22.

He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25 ESV)

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 ESV)

One thing to desire, one thing that is necessary, one thing that lacked, one thing to know and one thing to do. Then again, there are two things to desire (Proverbs 30:7-9).

How To Be Wise

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 NIV)

And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'" (Job 28:28 ESV)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Psalm 111:10 ESV)

In order to be wise, one must first fear God, the creator of heavens and earth. This is the pre-requisite.

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 NIV)

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. (Proverbs 8:17 NIV)

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1 KJV)

The God who created the heavens and earth can be found easily and His creation loudly proclaim His existence.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5 NIV)

When one finds God, one can ask Him for wisdom and He will give.

This is the summary of how to be wise:

1. Recognise the Creator of heavens and earth;
2. Fear Him;
3. Ask Him for wisdom.

Death The Equalizer

One person dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease, well nourished in body, bones rich with marrow. Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having enjoyed anything good. Side by side they lie in the dust, and worms cover them both. (Job 21:23-26 NIV)

Ezra Trust God

I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, "The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him." So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer. (Ezra 8:21-23 CSB)

Jehoshaphat's Wise Policies

In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials - Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah - to teach in the cities of Judah. The Levites with them were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; the priests, Elishama and Jehoram, were with these Levites. They taught throughout Judah, having the book of the Lord's instruction with them. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people. (2 Chronicles 17:7-9 CSB)

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges in all the fortified cities of the land of Judah, city by city. Then he said to the judges, "Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for a man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the matter of judgment. And now, may the terror of the Lord be on you. Watch what you do, for there is no injustice or partiality or taking bribes with the Lord our God." (2 Chronicles 19:4-7 CSB)

To teach and to judge are the simple policies which a government and use to rule the people wisely. However, what is being taught is important. If you teach wrongly, you will judge wrongly.

Time of Distress

Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress. (2 Chronicles 15:6 CSB)

As the age of the gentiles end, there will be more and more distress, just as in the time of King Jehoshaphat. 

For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7 CSB)

Household Salvation

For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. (1 Chronicles 17:25 ESV)

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)

We dare to pray for the salvation of our household because God has promised to save them.