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What Does the Bible say about some of these
everyday issuses?
Selfishness - Turn my heart
toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. (Psalm
119:36)
An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies
all sound judgment. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his
own opinions. (Proverbs 18:1,2)
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition
in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not
come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy
and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the
wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate,
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James
3:14-17)
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one
claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With
great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and
much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to
time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put
it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a
Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement),
sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32-37)
Sin - Then
I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will
confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
(Psalm 32:5)
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly
not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would
not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every
kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart
from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found
that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the
commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy,
righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in
order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through
what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We
know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do
not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if
I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I
myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry
it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this
I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it
is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see
another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and
making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched
man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus
Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful
nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:7-25)
Wealth - but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the
desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Mark 4:19)
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell
on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to
inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus
answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You know the
commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false
testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
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." At this the man's
face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and
said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter
the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:17-23)
They all gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." (Mark 12:44)
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be
arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their
hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (1 Timothy 6:17)
You say, 'I am rich; I have
acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are
wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)
Wisdom - For the
message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man?
Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the
wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not
know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who
believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ
crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God
has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the
foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than
man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you
were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of
the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised
things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may
boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us
wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is
written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (1
Corinthians 1:18-31)
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it
by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor
bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the
devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every
evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:13-18)
Worry - "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than
food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? "And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not
labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like
one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we
drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 7:25-34)
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