If you listen to Cain, he will tell you that righteous Abel was the problem.
If you listen to Potiphar’s wife, she will tell you that righteous Joseph was the wicked man.
If you listen to Pharaoh, he will tell you that Moses was an enemy of the state.
If you listen to Saul, he will tell you that loyal David was a traitor.
If you listen to Haman, he will convince you that Mordecai was a dangerous enemy.
If you listen to Ahab and Jezebel, they will tell you that Elijah, the prophet of God, was the troublemaker.
If you listen to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, they will tell you that the sinless Jesus was a blasphemer.
If you listen to Judas Iscariot, he will find a way to justify betrayal.
If you listen to Pontius Pilate, he will wash his hands while Truth stands directly in front of him.
And if you listen to the world, do not be surprised when it calls righteousness evil and evil good.
My friends, listen carefully: a lie does NOT become Truth simply because it is repeated loudly, confidently, or by powerful people.
Be careful what you hear.
Be careful whom you believe.
Be careful whom you follow.
Test everything by the Word of God.
The world may condemn you for standing for Biblical Truth but the only verdict that ultimately matters is His!!!
Stand firm. Stand faithful. And above all, listen to Jesus.
I used to love my wife because she earned it.
When she was kind, I was kind.
When she respected me, I respected her.
When she didn't—I didn't.
Marriage was a transaction.
A balance sheet.
I gave what I got.
Nothing more.
Then one Sunday our pastor said something I couldn't shake.
"The way you treat your wife is the way you treat the Lord."
I thought he was being poetic.
He wasn't.
That night I looked at my wife.
Really looked.
She was exhausted.
The kids had been brutal.
The house was chaos.
And I was keeping score.
Waiting for her to earn my kindness.
That's when it hit me:
I wasn't loving a woman.
I was worshiping myself.
Every act of service I withheld was worship I stole from God.
Every cold shoulder was an altar to my ego.
Every "she started it" was a prayer to my own righteousness.
Marriage isn't a contract between two people.
It's an offering to the One who made them.
I started loving her differently.
Not because she deserved it.
Because He does.
I served her when she didn't thank me.
I pursued her when she pulled away.
I led when I didn't feel like leading.
Not for applause.
For an audience of One.
She noticed.
Not right away.
But one night she said:
"You're different. What happened?"
I told her the truth.
"I stopped loving you to get something back."
"I started loving you to give something up."
She didn't understand at first.
Now she does.
When you love your spouse as an act of worship
Everything shifts.
The scoreboard disappears.
The transaction ends.
And marriage becomes what it was always supposed to be.
A daily death to self.
A living sacrifice.
An act of worship disguised as a Wednesday night doing dishes.
Your spouse isn't your enemy.
They're your offering.
Treat them like one.
This woman says the quiet part out loud and speaks an uncomfortable truth. Say it louder for the people in the back!
“If the Government feeds you, it can starve you. If the Government houses you, it can evict you. If the Government pays your utilities, it can turn them off. If the Government pays your cell phone, it can disconnect it. If the Government provides your transportation, it can decide when you go and where you can travel. If the Government takes care of your health, it can decide when it has spent enough money on you. If the Government educates your children, it can choose what they learn. If the Government raises your children, it can shape what they believe. If the Government controls your information, it can control your truth.
And when a Government controls all of those things, it doesn’t have to take your freedom, you will hand it over piece by piece in exchange for comfort. You’ll think you’re being cared for, when in reality is, you’re being kept.”
Powerful words and she is 100% correct.
In the immortal words of Ronald Reagan- "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.' "
Science says we need at least 4 basic elements to survive:
Water
Air
Food
Light
And look what the Bible tells us about Jesus:
I am the living water
I am the breath of life
I am the bread of life
I am the light of the world
Science was right, we need Jesus to live.