Author Archives: Michael Wilson

About Michael Wilson

I became a follower of Jesus in 1965. My sweet mother led me to Jesus. I was baptized, entered the fellowship of faith and became a follower of the Way of Jesus. That leads me to the “Jesus Prayer”. Master Jesus the Messiah, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner! And He does have mercy on me. I have been redeemed having shared in the Messiah’s death, burial and resurrection.
October 30, 2018

It is time to speak up for those who have no voice. It is time to speak out for justice.

By Michael Wilson

Jesus challenges me to speak up for others. There are those who have no voice. There are those who are down and out. God has a goal for me. It is not to be quiet. It is to speak up.

Jesus challenges me to speak out for justice. Justice cries out to be done. God is a God of love and God is a God of justice. Jesus will be the judge. Justice will be done.

Jesus challenges me to stand up for the poor and destitute. If I don’t stand up for the poor, who will? As much as I’ve helped the poor, I’ve helped Jesus. Jesus is clear on that. I am clear on it as well.

Jesus said “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me. Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me— you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25)

“Speak up for the people who have no voice,
    for the rights of all the down-and-outers.
Speak out for justice!
    Stand up for the poor and destitute!” ~King Lemuel

Source: Proverbs 31:8-9

Justice is a term used for what is right or “as it should be.” Justice is one of God’s attributes and flows out of His holiness. Justice and righteousness are often used synonymously in the Bible. Since righteousness is the quality or character of being right or just, it is another attribute of God and incorporates both His justice and holiness.

Is God fair? Yes. God’s justice is with any partiality. I can trust God completely.

God calls on me to act justly. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23)

The moral righteousness of God is revealed in his laws and expressed in his judicial acts. God’s commands and judgments meet perfect standards of justice, and his apportioning of punishments and rewards is also perfectly just. God’s justice is impartial. God is God. God’s justice will be done.

A major aspect of justice is impartiality. A God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong and did not judge me for acting one way or the other would not be an admirable being worthy of my love or trust. The fact that God is just and will judge between right and wrong gives ultimate moral significance to my life and makes me accountable for my actions.

Special praise goes to Jesus for vindicating the penitent and the needy who have no human champions. Ultimately, all God’s ways will be seen as just and equitable.

  • 1 Peter 1:17  — 17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
  • Deuteronomy 10:17  — 17 “For the Master your God is the God of gods and the Master of Masters, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
  • 2 Chronicles 19:7  — 7 “Now then let the fear of the Master be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Master our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”
  • Job 34:19  — 19 Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands?
  • Daniel 5:27  — 27 “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
  • Acts 10:34  — 34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
  • Romans 2:5  — 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
  • Romans 2:11  — 11 For there is no partiality with God.
  • Galatians 2:6  — 6 But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me.
  • Ephesians 6:9  — 9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
  • Colossians 3:25  — 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

 

Advertisement

1 Comment   |  tags: , | posted in Justice

October 23, 2018

Am I offending people?

By Michael Wilson

There is wisdom and there is stupidity. God is kind enough to alert me to both.

Putting others down and being a rude bully is intended to draw attention to me. If I am so insecure that the only way I think I can look good is to put others down, that is the height of stupidity.

I don’t like to think I act that way. I need to be careful. It is too easy to fall into the trap, particularly in our new world of technology and social media.

The Apostle Paul advises “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in the Messiah forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31)

If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself
    by offending people and making rude gestures,
Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.
    Churned milk turns into butter;
    riled emotions turn into fist fights.

Source: Proverbs 30:32-33

Image result for rude

2 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Friendship

October 16, 2018

Am I disabled by the fear of what you think of me?

By Michael Wilson

Image result for fear disables

There is a fear that paralyzes me. It is the concern about what you think of me. It can be very disabling.

Will I post this on Facebook and Twitter?

Will I speak out at work?

Why am I afraid?

The answer is staggering. I don’t trust God is why. If I did trust God, I wouldn’t care what others thought of me. The only opinion that would matter would be God’s.

God has promised to be with me. If God is with me, who can be against me?

The fear of human opinion disables;
    trusting in God protects you from that.

Source: Proverbs 29:25 MSG – The fear of human opinion disables; – Bible Gateway

Jesus the Messiah, by his atoning death, resurrection, and heavenly intercession for believers, is the unique liberator from fear. The apostle Paul encouraged the Romans by informing them that in their conversion to the Messiah, they received the Holy Spirit, not as a spirit of fear and bondage, but as the spirit of adoption, whereby they could address God as “Abba”.

This is the word by which our Master Jesus addressed his heavenly Father and which Christians, by virtue of their adoption into the family of God, may also use in speaking to God. Recipients of God’s love have received a dynamic force for casting out their anxieties. A sense of God’s intimate love inspired Paul to say, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:31).

Unwarranted fear may harm the efforts of the people of God. Jeremiah was warned by God not to fear the faces of his opponents lest God allow calamity to befall him. Similar calls to courage were given to Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, and to a great many others. We realize that even godly people are tempted to fear and may be temporarily overwhelmed.

So, God repeatedly counsels his people not to succumb to that temptation. He tells them to heap their anxieties upon the God of their redemption, whose care for his sheep is infinitely great. Faith, then, is the indispensable antecedent of fearlessness as seen in the words of Isaiah: “You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Is 26:3). The psalmist repeatedly stresses the role of faith in conquering fear (37:1; 46:2; 112:7).

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Jesus, Peace

October 9, 2018

Does justice make sense to the evil minded?

By Michael Wilson

Justice is a tricky thing. For many it is befuddling and confusing. They are seeking justice here in our country. Justice is truly found in God’s country (aka Kingdom) where Jesus has been given all authority.

There is evil in this world. There is an evil one (Satan or the Devil) and some people are clearly evil minded. The daily news reveals it constantly. God gives us a choice whether to choose God (and good) or evil.

We know Jesus and we know justice. We know justice will be served. It may not occur until the day of judgement but justice will be served. God is God.

Jesus taught us to pray that God’s rule and will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. We know what justice looks like. We are ushering it in here in earths countries.

“Justice makes no sense to the evilminded; those who seek God know it inside and out.” ~King Solomon

Source: Proverbs 28:5 (The Message Bible)

Image result for evil minded

1 Comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Justice

October 2, 2018

Am I calling attention to myself?

By Michael Wilson

Humility

Jesus calls on me to be humble. God is God. God is great. I am not. I am a slave. That is all. I must be content in serving, not being served.

The Bible describes humility as meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. The Greek word translated “humility” in Colossians 3:12 and elsewhere literally means “lowliness of mind”.

I see that humility is a heart attitude, not merely an outward demeanor. I may put on an outward show of humility but still have a heart full of pride and arrogance.

Don’t call attention to yourself; let others do that for you.

~King Solomon | Proverbs 27:2

Jesus said that those who are “poor in spirit” would have the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

Being poor in spirit means that only those who admit to an absolute bankruptcy of spiritual worth will inherit eternal life.

Humility is a prerequisite for the disciple of Jesus. I must get it in my heart and soul.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Truth

September 25, 2018

Am I just being stupid?

By Michael Wilson

We all know foolish (stupid) people. We see them every day on TV or at work. Everyone really knows they are a fool and speaking stupidly. But is this about “them”? I am being warned not to be foolish myself.

I have a tendency to jump into the fray. I answer them. I argue with them. I defend myself and others I care about. I get sucked in. It isn’t pretty.

To what use is my response to things that are clearly stupid? Wisdom challenges me to not respond.

So why not respond? I look foolish falling into the fool’s trap. That is not the way of Wisdom. God’s goal for me is to focus on the truth and speak it plainly. I can wait and circle back to the truth at the right time. It may only be a few minutes later. It may take longer. I am to speak the truth about Jesus. I just need to be careful about responding to the stupidity of some things.

Don’t respond to the stupidity of a fool; you’ll only look foolish yourself.

~King Solomon | Source: Proverbs 26:4

Wisdom literature has a lot to say about fools. Proverbs 26 has many references. The skeptic and atheist are known to King David and King Solomon as fools. We hear David say: “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

I have to be careful. We all should. This is not about moral superiority. David continues on in Psalm 14:2-3 and makes it clear that as God looks down on all people, He can find none who is not corrupt, emphasizing it with “not even one.”

Yikes! I resemble that remark.

The Hebrew word translated “fool” is nâbâl, which is an adjective having the meaning of “stupid, wicked” or “vile person.” It comes from the root verb nâbêl, which means “to fall away,” “figuratively to be foolish or (morally) wicked” or “causatively to despise, disgrace: – disgrace, dishonour.” So, the Hebrew word nâbâl refers more to bad moral character rather than just being stupid. He is foolish because he thinks God will not notice his bad behavior.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Fools

September 19, 2018

Am I jumping to conclusions?

By Michael Wilson

Image result for jump to conclusionsUh oh! Here we go.

How often do I jump to conclusions about what I saw or heard? Way too often. More than I like to admit. Probably much more than I actually know.

It is wise advise to not assume and take time to discover what is really going on. Maybe it is what I thought. It is entirely possible that it isn’t what I thought.

God is God. He is the only one who knows for sure. It will be up to Jesus to be the final judge and clearly not up to me.

“Don’t jump to conclusions — there may be
    a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.” ~King Solomon

Source: Proverbs 25:8

The main theme of the sayings in this section is the nature of conflict and the way to avoid or resolve it.

  • Do not rush into public conflict, certain that right is on your side, nor if you make it a private matter, reveal all your sources; either way you may end up humiliated (8–10).
  • Don’t lose your self-control, or you may find you have lost everything (28).
  • Don’t be put off from speaking the truth in love and resisting evil but be careful how you do it.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Paths of Life

September 11, 2018

Is it evil or just bad?

By Michael Wilson

Image result for bad people

King Solomon has some wisdom for me. It is about “evil” or bad people.

God is love (1 John 4:8); the absence of love in a person is un-God-like and therefore evil. And an absence of love manifests itself in unloving behavior. I like to think I am a “good person”. I like to believe the best about others.

Don’t envy evil people; don’t even want to be around them. All they think about is causing a disturbance; all they talk about is making trouble.

~King Solomon Source: Proverbs 24:1-2

I must consider God’s mercy, justice, patience, etc. The lack of these godly qualities in anyone constitutes evil. That evil then manifests itself in behavior that is unmerciful, unjust, impatient, etc., bringing more harm into the good world that God has made.

As it turns out, we lack a lot: “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one’” (Romans 3:10).

  • How does it start? It starts with envy. It is that simple. Maybe it is their wealth or maybe it is their popularity. It is very subtle.
  • What is Gods’ goal for me? God wants me to hang out with good people, his chosen people. Jesus is clear in his mission.
  • Why is God’s goal important? If I hang out with bad people, their influence will rub off on me. They are nothing but trouble.
  • How could things be worse? There are bad people and there are evil people. Evil people are destined for God’s justice. Elsewhere in Proverbs we read that “Good people celebrate when justice triumphs, but for the workers of evil it’s a bad day.” (Proverbs 21:15)

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Justice

September 5, 2018

What is my goal for wealth?

By Michael Wilson

I have a goal. I have a plan. I have dreams. They involve money.

What does wisdom say about that?

  • What is my goal for wealth? I am overwhelmed with messages about wealth and retirement. They are everywhere I turn. Jesus says “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” (Luke 12:33-34)
  • Am I willing to wear myself out to get it? Trying to get wealthy will wear me out. There just enough hours in the day and there is always more to do.
  • Do I understand that wealth is fleeting? Jesus says “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
  • What is God’s goal? God’s goal for me is focus on Jesus and being a good citizen of the Kingdom of God. God wants me to love. God wants me to use my money to be generous to others.

“Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich;
    restrain yourself!
Riches disappear in the blink of an eye;
    wealth sprouts wings
    and flies off into the wild blue yonder.” ~King Solomon

Source: Proverbs 23:4-5

This proverb does not condemn wealth; it warns against the pursuit of wealth. Ecclesiastes also warns about pursuit of wealth and its inability to satisfy (Eccl 5:10).

It describes two situations: In one, a person pursues wealth but never enjoys it or finds satisfaction (Eccl 4:7–8). In the second, someone loses all their wealth and is left with nothing (Eccl 5:13–17).

These verses warn against overwork for the sake of gaining riches. This speaks not against being industrious but against consuming oneself for money. Wise restraint in this area (as well as in what one eats at a banquet, vv. 1–2) is needed, especially in the present day when materialism drives many people to excessive workloads in order to accumulate more money.

The reason for this advice is that riches are temporary and unstable .The first part of 23:5 is literally, “If you cause your eyes to fly after it” (i.e., wealth). Ironically, flying after wealth results in wealth flying away like an eagle.

 

Money

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Money and Finances

August 28, 2018

A generous man will himself be happy

By Michael Wilson

Generosity is interesting. It brings a blessing and happiness to me.

That happiness takes many forms. The greatest is the joy of doing what our Father desires. He says to give and obedience is its own form of blessing.

The focus of generosity should be on the poor. Solomon challenges us to have a mission with our generosity. Here, we have lots of opportunity for sure.

GOD is generous. He is caring and in a good mood. Always.

Jesus has a goal for us. We are to be generous.

A generous man will himself be happy, for he shares his food with the poor. ~King Solomon Proverbs 22:9 (The Message Bible)

In both the Old and New Testaments, we see God’s desire for His children to show compassion to the poor and needy. Jesus said that the poor would always be with us (Matthew 26:11; Mark 14:7). He also said that those who show mercy to the poor, the sick, and the needy are in effect ministering to Him personally (Matthew 25:35–40) and will be rewarded accordingly.

There is no doubt that poverty’s reach is both widespread and devastating. God’s people cannot be indifferent toward those in need, because His expectations for us in regard to taking care of the poor are woven throughout the entirety of Scripture.

  • For example, look at the Master’s words about the goodness of King Josiah in Jeremiah 22:16: “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me, declares the MASTER?”
  • And Moses instructed his people how to treat the poor and needy: “Give generously to [them] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the MASTER your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to” (Deuteronomy 15:10).
  • This sentiment is perfectly captured in Proverbs 14:31: “Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

Leave a comment   |  tags: | posted in giving/charity