Fri.'s Devo - Think on These Things

Read James 1:17-
Every good thing we receive from God is perfect. He is the father of light so he doesn't change his mind or have mood swings. It was his decision to give us Jesus, his word of truth that we might be the first fruits of the human race. So we need to heed God's voice, be quiet and listen, and put down our own desires. The desires of man do not accomplish the righteousness of God. We are to put far away from us all moral filth and the superabundance of bad that is so accessible, and receive with humility the Word that has been implanted in us. Only this word can save our souls.
Those are noble thoughts but how does that play out in a world inundated with evil? Phil. 4:8 is the answer: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
We can't control the things that we accidentally run into but we can control how they affect us and if we linger there. We can control our minds and we must. The Bible talks about taking thoughts captive.
Lord, help us to have self-control and a desire to keep ourselves clean for you.

Thurs.'s Devo - The Crown of Life

Read James 1:12-16
Blessed is the man who can stand under adversity because when he wins he shall receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. This is a wreath like an athlete would get when he crosses the finish line and has won. The thing is we are not in competition with anyone but we will all get the prize if we persevere till the end. But we have an adversary, the Devil who does not want to see us win so he tests us.
When the devil does test us we are not to blame God. God is not the one who tempts us. We are tempted when we open a door for the enemy to come in and we don't kick him out immediately. The longer he stays the more territory he takes and when he has finished his work he has convinced us to sin. Sin always leads to death. He knows us better than we know ourselves because he has observed us and knows our weaknesses. He will hit us when we are down and has no mercy. His only pleasure is to get us to fall to sin. If he can't steal our soul, he wants our testimony so that is why verse 16 says not to roam or be seduced by the devil.
Lord, may we be sly as serpents and harmless as doves. Wake us up to the schemes of the Devil and may we wield the sword you have given us.

Wed.'s Devo - Created for Eternity

Read James 1:9-11
I can so relate to James, he jumps around from one thought to the next and then comes back to where he started. These verses are one of his bunny trails so we'll follow it. He exhorts the poor, depressed person to rejoice because God thinks so much more of him than he thinks of himself and one day he will know that. The rich man should rejoice that one day everyone will be on the same level and he will be held responsible with what he did with his wealth. God doesn't measure a man by his accomplishments but by his humility in them. Life all through scripture is compared to grass. It grows into maturity only to be withered by age and its beauty and youth lost. This is so depressing unless you know where it all ends up. We were given our lives as a gift from God but we aren't meant to stay here. This is our test and our chance to change this world but it never ends for us if Jesus is our Saviour. This body wears out, but we are going to get a new body that never wears out.
Thank you Lord for that reminder. You have created us for eternity!

Tues.'s Devo - Wisdom Rocks!

Read James 1:5-8
This cracks me up: "if any of you lack wisdom..." That would be all of us; who doesn't lack wisdom? But James makes it sound so easy. If you need wisdom just ask for it and God will bountifully give it to you. I was reading earlier where the children of Israel grumbled to Moses because they didn't have any water. God told him to gather the people around the rock and speak to the rock and it would pour forth water. The interesting thing to me was that he knew exactly what rock the Lord was talking about because it followed them everywhere they went. We find out in the New Testament that that rock was Jesus. We have that same rock that follows us around. It is not a visible one because it is inside us. It never leaves us but it guides us just the same. We have God's Holy Spirit gps inside us so we can ask with faith unwavering. Verse 4 tells us that we won't receive anything if we waver. "Waver" means to separate thoroughly; withdraw from or hesitate". So we can't let our mind be separated from faith or we won't get what we are asking. We can't afford to listen to the things the devil tells us or what people tell us if it is not faith. If we do we will become double minded and vacillate back and forth. This kind of thinking make us unstable in our journey. We must be grounded in God's word and command our thoughts to follow them.
Lord, in everything we do today, let it be guided by your Spirit of wisdom.

Mon.'s Devo - Joy!!!

Read James 1:1-4
Paul wrote to the Gentile churches and James wrote to the 12 Jewish tribes. One day God showed me that we are all spiritually a member of one or more of the tribes of Israel and have the ministry of that tribe. I am of the tribe of Levi with some Judah in me. I would encourage you to ask God what tribe you are from. It is very helpful to know.
James starts right off with encouraging us to see the bright side to what is going on in our lives. He says to "count if all joy when you fall into divers temptations". That word "count" means to "command". So we are to command delight into our different adversities. We can do that if we understand that when our faith is being put to the test it is working cheerful and hopeful endurance. And if we let this endurance complete the job we will be complete in every way lacking nothing at the time we need it. That is a pretty good promise! It reminds me of the blessings in Lev. 26. I especially like Lev. 26:10, "You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new." There is no famine or want when you walk in obedience to God and trust him. It doesn't matter what is going on in the world around you, we have a hiding place in God. That is why we can command joy into our trials.
So we command joy into the trials that come our way today. Work patience into our being that we might mature into the perfect man of God.

Sat.'s Devo - Shopping with God

My second son, Caleb is getting married March 13th. As of last Sunday, I didn't have a dress for the wedding. The wedding is in New Orleans and I knew I wanted something a little springy so I have been waiting for the spring dresses to come in. I also knew I wanted a short dress instead of a long one. Then there are all the other criteria like no plunging neckline, no square neck, no v-neck. So you see, I'm a little hard to please. I looked on line at about 1,000 dresses (no exaggeration) and couldn't find one. I had found a very pretty dress in a catalog but it was $350 and I also needed one for the rehearsal dinner. I found one for the rehearsal dinner in the same catalog for less and ordered it. I finally got desperate and decided to order the expensive one but when I did they were back-ordered till the middle of March. Apparently not everyone in America is experiencing financial struggle. So I was back to the drawing board. I kept being drawn back to that catalog. I finally went on line to that store and found a perfect dress on sale for less than half the price of the first one. I was so excited. Did I mentioned that I was praying the whole way through this process. I always take God shopping with me. On Monday we are going to start studying James which is all about our trials producing patience.
Back to my dresses. I got them in this week and they are just the right size. I am adding some antique lace to the neck of the one for the wedding and it will be perfect. Thank you Jesus!

Fri.'s Devo - We are Both Fortunate and Profitable.

Read Eph. 6:21-24
When I read what I would be blogging on today I laughed and asked God what there was to say about this. When I ask this I know the answer is going to be, "look a little deeper". So I did and I got interested in this Tychicus guy and wondered who he was and if he was mentioned anywhere else in scripture. I never pay much attention to the last greetings in these letters but, lo and behold, Tychicus is mentioned 5 times in the New Testament. Paul trusted Tychicus to be his delgate to the churches when he was in prison. He was an Ephesian who followed Paul to Rome and visited him in prison. He wrote and carried back Paul's letter to the Ehesians which we have been studying. Paul described him as a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord. Tychicus was to visit the churches and report to them how Paul was doing and bring back news of them to Paul. His name means "fortunate". He was fortunate to serve Paul and be in close ministry with him. Sometimes he traveled with Onesimus whose name means "profitable". What great descriptions for servants of Christ. If we know Jesus and serve him humbly we will be both fortunate and profitable.
Peace be to us, and love with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be to all of us that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Thur.'s Devo - Freedom!

Read Eph. 6:20
Paul says that he is an ambassador in bonds, that he may freely speak what he wants. What an oxymoron. He is in chains in the natural but set free in the spirit. He can speak what ever he wants because, other than death, what can they do to him in prison. In Acts 20 he said that he was bound in the spirit to go to Jerusalem even though all along his way prophets had prophesied his imprisonment. Jesus felt the same way. He told his disciples that they had to go to Jerusalem so that all the things written by the prophets about him would happen. Jesus, like Paul was in the chains of his earthly body but inside he was free. We too are in bondage to the world's system and its control only on the outside. Inside we are free no matter what man does to us. John wrote that "you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." He goes on to explain that if the son sets you free, then you are really free. 1Co. 7:22 says: "For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's free man; likewise he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. (another oxymoron) Either way, we are free! It doesn't matter if you work under a hard-hearted boss or are in a prison camp, you are free in your inner man and he is the one that is eternal. He sees all men equal.
Lord, let us live in the freedom Christ died to give us.

Wed.'s Devo - Christ in You

Read Eph. 6:19
This verse is Paul's prayer for himself as an apostle over so many churches. He prays that God would give him the words to say so that he might have the confidence to speak about the mystery of the gospel. So what is this "mystery of the gospel"? Romans 16:25 says that this mystery was kept secret since the world began, but has now appeared in the teaching of Jesus. This mystery according to Eph. 3 has to do with the Gentiles being grafted in. In Eph. 5 it has to do with the church and how it is like a marriage: the two shall be one. But in Col. 1:26 I think we get the best description. It says that God made known to us the riches of the glory of God to the Gentiles which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.
God's plan from the beginning was to bring salvation to the world. He chose a small group of people: Abraham and Sarah to show how he relates and deals with his children. They were to be examples to the world of a people set apart for God. They failed miserably, just as God knew they would, because they were under the law which brings death. God then sent Jesus,at just the right time, to save us from the hopelessness of sin and invite everyone into his family. He died to bring us that salvation, then sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Now we can beat sin and succeed because we have the power of the Holy Spirit inside us. This is the mystery of the gospel. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was "on" certain people but now he is "in" us. That is why nothing is impossible to those who believe.
Lord, thank you for your great plan. I can't imagine not having the Holy Spirit inside me and am so grateful that I am living in the days of grace. May we live as people of grace and power who know who we are in you.

Tue.'s Devo -Watch and Pray

Read Eph. 6:18 2-16-10
"Praying always"? How do we do that and live our lives and work? I think to "pray always" means that we maintain a God conscienceness (is that a word?). We start our day with him if it is just to say, "Good morning, Lord." When we come across a problem in our everyday stuff we ask God about it. We learn to practice his presence and are comfortable there. I think we do this more than we know. To abide in him means that we live in him. If we are born again we have the Spirit of God living inside of us. When we are aware of this then it changes the way we live. So as we learn to let God's thoughts be our thoughts we can maintain the attitude of prayer as we go about our day. It goes on to say that we are to worship God and petition him in the Spirit. If we worship and ask for things according to his Spirit then we will get what we ask because it will be in align with God's will.
Next, we are to be watching or always awake. There is no way we can always be awake physically but we can spiritually. We can be aware of what God is doing and respond accordingly. And we can diligently hear and pray what we need to be hearing and praying for each other.
Lord, incline our ear to hear your voice and practice your presence. You are always speaking so may we always hear you.

Mon.'s Devo - Take up our Shield and Fight

Read Eph. 6:16,17
"Above all" take up the shield of faith. That phrase "above all" means over everything you do you are to do it in faith. "Shield" in the Greek means "a portal or door", and "faith" means "a persuasion or conviction of truth". We know that Jesus is the door and he is our shield and buckler so he is the shield that extinguishes the darts of the enemy. Those darts are spears. King Saul threw spears at David when he became overcome with evil thoughts. God always protected David and gave him a way of escape. Jesus does not always keep the spear from coming, but he does keep all the darts from harming us if we use him as our shield. Our problem is that some of the time we think God is throwing the darts, when it tells us that the darts are from the wicked. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual chiefs, superhuman forces, world rulers whose ruler is Satan, and spiritual plots in the spiritual realms.
Next we are to take the helmet of salvation. This protects our head from Satan's darts. The helmet surrounds our mind with steel and completely covers our head. If we guard our mind and use the sword of the Spirit we will think the thoughts of God instead of lies of the Devil. We are told to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. If we think on these things then our minds will be renewed in righteousness, not in the things of this world that drag us down. The Word of God is the only weapon we need. It can do anything and mixed with faith it is fail proof: it will accomplish what it is sent out to do.
Jesus, you are our shield and you have given us authority over the wickedness of this world. Remind us to send out our darts that defeat the enemy. Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths

Fri.'s Devo - Walk in Peace

Read Eph. 6:15
"And your feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace". How many sermons have I heard on this. Let's start with the end: the gospel of peace. This is the good news about Jesus who came to reconcile our hearts back to God. This reconciliation is the peace. There is no other religion that promises peace and actually delivers. One of the greatest testimonies in the world is to walk in peace when the world surrounded by chaos. We are to be children of peace - peacemakers. So we should walk with the purpose of sharing the gospel of Jesus bound to our steps like a sandal. When Jesus sent the disciples forth by twos and gave them power over unclean spirits, he told them to take nothing: no script, no bread, no money, and not to bring 2 coats. They could only bring a staff and their feet shod with sandals. (Mark 6:7-9)
When the angle came and let Peter out of jail he told him to bind on his sandals. So if we are to go out into the world with the good news of peace it makes sense that we bind the truth to our walk. Lord, prepare us to be carriers of your peace and your gospel.

Thur.'s Devo - Truth and Righteousness

Read Eph. 6:14
We are to abide in Christ with our "loins girt about with truth". Our loins are externally our hips but internally our reproductive organs. Since we are the bride of Christ we all have female reproductive parts. We reproduce the seed that we have planted inside us. If we plant the word of truth we will reproduce truth. If we plant the lies of the devil we will reproduce deception and lies.
Next we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness. This righteousness is to be in our heart. Jesus as our High Priest wears a breastplate adorned with the stones of all his children. We are all represented by one of those stones. It was called the breastplate of judgment. His judgment will be a righteous one and we who are righteous will be saved from it. Is. 59:17 says that Jesus "put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke." If Jesus had to clothe himself with this armour then we need it even more. 1 Thess. 5:8 calls this a breastplate of faith and love. What a good way to describe God's righteousness.
Lord, may we see your righteousness as faith and love instead of rules we have to follow to measure up. Your righteousness protects our hearts from darts the enemy sends may we wear your breastplate with honor and be filled with the seed of your Word.

Wed.'s Devo - Abide in Peace

Read Eph. 6:10-13
These are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. It starts out by telling us to be empowered in the Lord with his ability and might. That sounds impossible but he gives us the tools to do just that: it's called the WHOLE armour of God which means using every tool he has given us to stand against the trickery of the devil. Our struggle is not against human beings but it is against invisible superhuman demons ruled by Satan and against all his plots. We are commanded to put on the whole armour of God so that we can stand in the evil day. So what is the "evil day"? In Prov. 16:4 it says, "The Lord has made all things for himself: yes, even the wicked for the day of evil. Jeremiah talks about a "day of evil" yet to come. Every time period has its own "evil day" when it looks like the devil is winning. We have to stand clothed in the armour of Christ and stand against him. In the end of time there will be a great evil day but Jesus will conquer the devil once and for all. In verse 13 it says that "having done all, to stand." That word "stand" means to "abide". We have to learn to abide in Jesus no matter what is going on around us. We have a hiding place in God that is safe and strong. We receive help and comfort in the secret place that allows us to abide in peace in a volatile world. Tomorrow we'll start putting on the armour piece by piece. Lord, show us how to abide in your presence and choose your peace over the storms of life.

Tue's. Devo - Honoring Your Boss

Read Eph. 6:1-9
Obeying your parents is the right thing to do but honoring them is different. Obeying is being subordinate to, but honoring means to highly prize and value them. If you honor them there is a reward. The reward is a long good life. Fathers are not to bring their children to anger but to bring them up educating them and teaching them about the laws of God. If you are a slave, voluntary or not, you are to fearfully and attentively listen and heed the commands of your master obeying him as a type of Christ. You should not need to be watched to be sure you do your job. You are not doing it for him, you are doing it for Christ so it should come from your heart. You will receive a reward from God in proportion to the job you do. If you are the boss then you should treat your employee like you want God to treat you because we are all the same to God. He is not impressed with your title. A good thing to remember is that God places people to be in authority. I have had some good bosses and some very questionable ones, but I finally learned to honor them no matter what. That was a huge revelation to me, but when I did start honoring my boss the stress and bad attitude left.
Lord, we are so full of pride and need your grace to humble ourselves before you and man. Give us your heart to love the unlovely and be kind to the ones who are bitter.

Mon.'s Devo - Jesus and His Church

Read: Eph. 5:28-33
In the Bible, the marriage relationship is used to represent the relationship between God and his church. The man is a picture of Jesus and the wife is a picture of the church. The man is commanded to love her as he would love himself and by loving her he is loving himself. Jesus loved us more than his own body. He gave it up to be slaughtered for his bride. In the same way we are to love the body as we love our own body. We belong to this body called the Church. It fits us much more than our old family of the flesh. Our new relationship with Jesus as his body was a new concept to the church that had been kept secret since the beginning of time. That is why it is important that the husband love the wife and the wife reverence her husband: it shows the love Jesus has for us and our worship of him.
This is a powerful tool we have to proclaim Jesus to the world. In our world divorce is rampant in and out of the church. If we realized the powerful testimony of a happy marriage maybe we would understand why the devil works so hard to destroy marriages. Divorce is such a hurtful sever which leaves people hurt and hopeless. If this is you, then take courage, Jesus is the best husband in the universe and he loves you and has called you to be his bride. Lord, heal us from the scars of worldly relationships and may we fall on you, our healer and restorer.

Sat.'s Devo - Walking in the Spirit

Gal. 5:25 "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
The other day I had had breakfast with a friend and was headed home. I instantly got the feeling I was suppose to turn around and go back the other way. I turned into a parking lot so I could turn around and asked God where we were going. I didn't get an answer just a knowing that I was suppose to be going south. I thought of all the places in that direction and remembered I had an errand I could do at Hobby Lobby so I stopped at Hobby Lobby and did that. I didn't feel like I was suppose to stay there so I left and across the parking lot was my bank and I needed to go there too so I went there. As I was coming out of the line at the bank I noticed Olde Time Pottery and knew that was where I was suppose to go. It was going out of business so I went in asking God what I was suppose to be looking for. He reminded me that I wanted a place to put all my sample fabric books I had just received. I had been thinking of getting a shelf of some kind but hanging them would be the best option. All of a sudden I looked up and saw this purse stand that would be perfect. I went up to the checker and asked her if they were selling their display stands and she said no. The guy next to her said he wasn't sure but he would check. He came back and said, "Yes, $20!!!!" I said, "SOLD"!
I now have it in my workroom holding all my sample books and it is perfect. God is so good and knows the desires of your heart and loves to grant them.

Fri.'s Devo - Sing, sing, sing!

Read Eph. 5:19-27
"Speaking to yourselves"... I love it! I always tell people to pray out loud, especially when they want to proclaim something or tell the devil where to go. This verse says to sing out loud to yourselves which makes your heart sing. Imagine the load it can lift to sing and have your heart become an instrument. It will surely help you do the next verse - "give thanks always for all things". Singing does make you joyful and thankful and probably preps you for the next assignment which is not so easy: Submit yourselves to one another. Then, even harder: wives, submit yourselves to your husbands. "Submit" in the Greek means "to put yourself under and obey." (Not what I wanted to hear.) But, honestly, I have to say that in submission to your husband is a very safe place to be. Then if something goes wrong, it's not your fault. Our husbands are suppose to be a type of Jesus and we are suppose to be a type of the church. We obey Jesus and he loves us in return. Jesus loves us so much he gave his life for us that he might make us holy and pure as we use the word to cleanse us. One day Jesus whil present us as a glorious church without any stains or folds, holy and spotless.
I can't picture a spotless church or myself as holy but I believe the Word says what it means and it will come to pass. Lord, help us to allow you to cleanse us and get rid of our sins.

Thurs.'s Devo - Make the Most of your Opportunities

Read Eph. 5:11-18
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." I use to think that this meant not to associate with sinners but that is totally unscriptural. Jesus came to save sinners and was rebuked by the religious for eating with sinners. Our enemy is not flesh and blood humans but spiritual darkness and demons. They are the ones we are not to have fellowship with. We are to rebuke them and their deeds. We are not to even speak of the things they do in darkness. But when we rebuke the things of the devil people and truth is brought to the light and the works of the devil are made apparent for all to see. If we wake up out of our spiritual slumber Jesus will illuminate our eyes to see. Our walk should be exact and purposeful. We are to rescue the opportunities we find ourselves in because life down on this earth is evil. We have a short time to be down here so we should make the most of our visit. If we walk down here with God's purposes in mind then we are wise and we will be doing the will of the one who sent us just as Jesus did.
Hollywood understands that there is a devil and he displays himself on the earth. They glorify his power. Lord, help us as Christians to help them realize there is a God and he displays himself on the earth. Help us to glorify your power. Every day we are given opportunities to spread kindness and light to a very dark world. May we shine bright.

Wed's Devo - A Life Pleasing to God

Read Eph. 5:1-10
As followers of Christ we are to walk in a continual love feast. This means not having sex before we are married, being morally pure, and not being greedy. We are not to do anything shameful or obscene, stop our silly talking, vulgar jokes and all things that are not proper. Instead we are to replace them with thankfulness. If we have a heart of gratitude for what Jesus did for us on the cross we won't want to stain ourselves with sin. Jesus' blood was shed to free us from sin; why not honor that with our lives.
For we know that no prostitute, demoniac, fraud, or idolater will ever inherit the kingdom of God. God warns us not to let anyone deceive us with their empty words or we will get the wrath of God that he gives to the unbelieving. We don't want any of their inheritance because we know what darkness looks like and we have been called out of that darkness into light. We now walk in light. The source of all we do should be virtue, innocence, holiness, and truth which are fruits of the spirit in us. These are the standards we can use to test everything to decide if it is pleasing to God.
Lord, help us to walk in purity, and innocence to this world and power and truth to your kingdom.

Tues.'s Devo - Minister Grace to the Hearers

Read Eph. 4:28-32
When I first read, "let him who stole steal no more" I though "well I don't do that". Then I looked up the meaning in the Greek of "stole" and it means filch. So I took out my dictionary and looked up filch. It said "to steal (usually something small or petty)". That made it a little harder to deny. I might not shoplift but I might steal someone's thought and pass it off as my own. Or I might take something from my mother's house and just not tell her thinking she doesn't use it and will never miss it. How do we stop doing these small petty things? The next part of the verse tells us. We are to stay busy with hard work so that we not only have enough for ourselves but also for those who need it. If we stay focused on others needs and work hard we won't have time for the devil to tempt us to steal and we won't need anything we can't buy yourself. Hard work makes us appreciate what we have and it helps us prioritize our wants and needs.
Verse 29 and 31 talk about the mouth, that unruly member. "Mouth" in the Greek means "the front or edge of a weapon". How true that is. Have you ever offended someone by what you said when you had no intention of doing that? I have, recently. When I heard their response it was like an arrow going into my heart. I had no idea they would take what I said that way and there seemed to be no way to take it back or gain their forgiveness. I was devastated and still am grieved with no solution except to pray. But I will stand on verse 31 and not let bitterness or wrath, or anger or malice get a root in my heart. Instead I will cling to verse 32 and choose kindness and tenderheartedness and forgiveness because God for Christ's sake has forgiven me.
Lord, help us to choose to think the best of one another and dole our mercy and grace. Help us not to grieve the Holy Spirit which is the stamp of our redemption.

Monday's Devo - Walking in Unity

Read Eph. 4:22-28
To move into this unity that verse 13 talks about, we have to put off our old conversation which is corrupt and we must reform our mind by reading the word of God. Isn't if interesting that the word "conversation" means "behavior" in the Greek. We are what we talk about. We can't edify with our mouth is inside us is hatred and envy. We must put on the new man that is created in God's righteousness and holiness. We must stop lying and speak truth instead. A lie is an untruth so if we speak contrary to faith we are speaking an untruth. We are suppose to be speaking truth with our fellow man which means sharing the truth we know about Jesus with him.We cannot be exasperated to the point of sinning and never leave a situation angry. I guess he put that right after the though about speaking truth to our neighbor knowing that the truth is controversial. I wonder if the part that says, "let not the sun go down upon your wrath" could mean don't let anger blind your eyes so that you can't see the light of truth. In Matthew 7 it talks about if you notice the twig your brother's eye and don't realize you have a beam in yours, how will you be able to see clearly to pull the twig out of his eye. In other words, walk in forgiveness and mercy and you won't judge others.
We must never open a door for the devil to come in. We must not get our wealth by ungodly means and be ready to give to those who need it.
Lord, help us to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You.