“Speak evil of no man.” – Titus 3:2

Speak of no man from an unholy motive, or with a design to injure him; this is decidedly wrong. We are commanded by our beloved Saviour, to love our enemies; to do good to them that hate us and despitefully use us; to pray for them and seek their salvation.

If we speak evil of them we dishonour God, bring guilt upon our consciences, grieve the Spirit, and spoil our peace of mind. If we can indulge in detraction without feeling guilty and distressed, our consciences must be blinded, and our hearts hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Our tongues are not our own, they are bought with a price, and should be employed in the service of their proper owner. Never indulge yourselves in thinking evil of another; or in feelings of jealousy, envy, revenge, bitterness, anger, or malice; for these are earthly, sensual, and devilish.

How unlovely it is to hear one professor speaking evil of another; the hearer speaking evil of the minister; the rich speaking contemptuously of the poor, the mistress of servants; much more ministers of ministers.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren.– James Smith

Whene’er the angry passions rise,
And tempt our thoughts and tongues to strife;
To Jesus let us turn our eyes,
Bright pattern of the Christian life!
How mild! How ready to forgive!
Be these the rules by which we live!

“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” – Hebrews 6:15

Abraham was long tried, but he was richly rewarded. The Lord tried him by delaying to fulfil His promise; Satan tried him by temptations; men tried him by jealousy, distrust, and opposition; Hagar tried him by contemning her mistress; and Sarah tried him by her peevishness.

But he patiently endured. He did not question God’s veracity, nor limit His power, nor doubt His faithfulness, nor grieve His love: but he bowed to divine sovereignty, submitted to infinite wisdom, and was silent under delays, waiting the Lord’s time.
And so, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

God’s promises cannot fail of their accomplishment. Patient waiters cannot be disappointed. Believing expectations shall be realized. Beloved, Abraham’s conduct condemns a hasty spirit, reproves a murmuring one, commends a patient one, and encourages quiet submission to God’s will and way.”

Remember, Abraham was tried; he patiently waited; he received the promise and was satisfied; imitate his example, and you will share the same blessing.–James Smith

All anxious cares I fain would leave,
And learn with sweet content to live
On what the Lord shall send;
Whate’er He sends, He sends in love,
And good or bad things blessings prove,
If blessed by this Friend.

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” – Luke 12:48

As Christian citizens, we must abstain from all that’s wrong and approve all that is right.

It is character that produces liberty. The reason Americans have been free is because they began as people of character. Don’t let that go past you.

Responsibility and character are two ways of saying the same thing. Responsibility and character are inseparably linked together with liberty. For example, a little baby has no responsibilities. He doesn’t have to worry about anything. Everybody takes care of him. But he has no liberties. He does what he’s told to do. He eats that pabulum and those strained beets. He is bathed and put to bed. No responsibilities, but no liberties.

As he grows in responsibility, he gets more and more liberty. There comes a time when his father will give him the car keys. But if he takes that car and acts irresponsibly, the father takes the keys and his privilege away. If he acts really irresponsibly, he may wind up in jail and all his liberties are taken away. Liberty is responsibility assumed.

A republic is a government for a people with character, and only people with character can maintain it. If we lose our character as a nation, we are going to lose our liberty. If we want to remain free, we must be men and women of character, and raise young men and women of character. –Adrian Rogers

“For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth” Psalm 135:5-6

God rules all! And though He is concealed by a veil of second causes from common eyes, so that they can perceive only the means, instruments, and contingencies by which He works, and therefore think He does nothing; yet, in reality, He does all according to His own counsel and pleasure, in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.

Who can enumerate all the beings and events, which are incessantly before His eye, adjusted by His wisdom, dependent on His will, and regulated by His power! If we consider the heavens, the work of His fingers, the moon and the stars which He has ordained; if we call in the assistance of astronomers to help us in forming a conception of the number, distances, magnitudes, and motions of the heavenly bodies–the more we search, the more we shall be confirmed, that these are but a small portion of His ways! He calls them all by — names, upholds them by His power, and without His continual energy upholding them–they would rush into confusion, or sink into nothing! They are all dependent upon His power, and obedient to His command.

To come nearer home, and to speak of what seems more suited to our scanty apprehensions–still we may be lost in wonder. With respect to mankind, He reigns with uncontrolled dominion over every kingdom, family, and individual. Before this blessed and only Potentate, all the nations of the earth are but as the dust upon the balance, and the small drop of a bucket–and might be thought (if compared with the immensity of His works) scarcely worthy of His notice! Yet here He presides, pervades, provides, protects, and rules! All changes, successes, and disappointments–all that is memorable in the annals of history, all the rising and falls of empires, all the turns in human life–take place according to His plan!

In Him His creatures live, move, and have — being. From Him is — food and preservation. The eyes of all are upon Him–what He gives they gather–and can gather no more! And at His word they sink into the dust! There is not a worm which crawls upon the ground, or a flower which grows in the pathless wilderness, or a shell upon the sea-shore–but bears the impress of His wisdom, power, and goodness! He preserves man and beast, sustains the young lion in the forest, feeds the birds of the air, which have neither storehouse or barn, and adorns the insects and the flowers of the field with a beauty and elegance beyond all that can be found in the courts of kings!

All things serve Him, and are in His hands–as clay in the hands of the potter. Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of saints!

This is the God whom we adore! This is He who invites us to lean upon His almighty arm, and promises to guide us with His unerring eye.–John Newton

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” – Habakkuk 2:3-4

As I preached last Sunday, just as Paul, on his way to Jerusalem, said, “I go..not knowing the things that shall befall me..”(Acts 20:22) we know not what the future holds for us–but we know Who holds the future. We are forced to face the future without all the facts, but the facts regarding God gives us faith to face whatever the future holds. Adrian Rogers said, “Don’t let an election steal your song“–then he wrote the following”

“Habakkuk says that in a day such as ours, the just are going to live “by faith.” Put your faith in God’s facts—that He is king evermore. That’s the way you’re going to live in this day and this age. Why? Because faith is that quality that keeps us going in dark days. Faith sees beyond the physical to the spiritual. Faith sees beyond the present to the future. Faith sees beyond the temporary to the eternal. Faith does not judge by the appearances of the hour.

Don’t you lose your faith. Faith cannot fail. Sin cannot win. Faith is the only message that will see us through, and it’s the only force that can change anything. Let me say that again. Faith is the only message that will see us through. It’s the only force that can change anything.

If we want a better land and a better life, we have to live by faith. Government cannot make us better; only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do that.”