Relationships With People

17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV) Reminds us to “Love for Enemies” ⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ⁴⁴But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: 22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? Previously we discussed the difference between kings who were not elected to office. They were in their positions of rulership based on their lineage
23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. 24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25 But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. James talks about being impartial in how we judge and act towards others” James (KJV) 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. ²For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; ³And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: ⁴Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? ⁵Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? ⁶But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? ⁷Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? ⁸If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: ⁹But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer. Appreciate and respect a person who thinks before they speak and delivers a response that is correct and truthful. Rather than 28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Witnessing untruthfully against your neighbor
27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. A wise man plans before he begins to build. Luke 14:27-29 (KJV) ²⁷And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? ²⁹Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. A Christian will love even their enemies and do good even for someone who trash talks them. Luke 6:27-36 (NIV) Love for Enemies ²⁷“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you. ³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.³⁵But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Attitude

9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. It is better to desire the Kingdom of God than to desire sin. We discussed sowing and reaping before.
10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Remember Stephen and how he acted when faced with his upcoming death! He did not give in. So should we when we face challenging situations.

INTEGRITY/ACTIONS

1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. 2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. 8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. There is no point in coveting what an evil person has. They are generally unhappy people who can sleep soundly.
11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall no the render to every man according to his works? In this day an age, no one can say that they did not know that what they were doing is wrong. the last 6 of the ten commandments and result in criminal actions being brought against us. Stealing is against the law. Lying under oath results in imprisonment. Adultery is a causal reason for divorce – even in the courts.
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. In the final analysis, a lazy person reaps what they have sown. Nothing from nothing bring nothing!

THE BENEFITS OF WISDOM

5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. 6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. Wisdom is valued and a crucial part of any decisions that a person makes. A king does not go to war without taking advice from his counselors.13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Wisdom and the acceptance of wise makes a wise leader’s decision making as sweet as honey.