“And us?” asked some soldiers. “What about us?” John answered them, “Be content with what you earn. Never extort money or terrify others by threats of violence or be guilty of accusing the innocent.” (Luke 3:14)

It’s truly striking that John taught one message, yet his message reached out to all people of diverse works of life. That’s the power of our gospel when correctly presented. The three things John pointed to the people, compassion, integrity and now mercy, are captured in the words of Christ in Matthew 23:23. Jesus pointed out the weightier matters of the law, saying: “To walk in the love of God, to display mercy to others, and to live with integrity.” John was a forerunner indeed!

Now, to the soldiers, John taught the virtue of contentment. Contentment believes in a Source: God Almighty. Hence, it breeds mercy for others and prevents varied forms of manipulations, oppressions or extortions. 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us: “Loving money is a root of all evils. Some people run after it so much that they have given up their faith. Craving more money pushes them away from the faith into error, compounding misery in their lives!” Instead, we have this promise from God in Hebrews 13:5: “Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t He promised you, ‘I will never leave you, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!’”

Psalm 15:5 says we can stand confidently before God when we “never crush others with exploitation” and “never be bought with a bribe against the innocent.” We become unshaken and stand firm forever.

#goodmorning 🌷

BeEncouraged❤️ Freely received. Freely shared