Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, became king over a people that were exploited by his father; yet, he knew nothing about it. Rehoboam behaved as if he sat on a pot of gold. He inherited a shadow of empty greatness. He became an example for every leader who sets out to lead without analyzing his own inability. For people to lead, one has to have the ability and the means by which one can decide between right and wrong. It is a question Jesus asked and so should every leader, or king, or president. We read in the Gospel of Luke, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace” (Luke 14:28-31). Unfortunately, far too many political promises are built on sand and not on a rock. To conclude His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us an alternative in Matthew, “Every one then who hears (reads) these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears (reads) these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).

The commandment to love your neighbor is a commandment of "grace." The Christian lives in a world that restricts him/her from practicing grace outside their faith and outside their race. Our age and our time is no different from the time of Jesus and his followers. The traditions of the elders did not permit Jesus to eat with the publicans and the sinners. Nor did the traditions allow the priest or the Levite to stop and help the victim, as the Good Samaritan could who was not subject to the Pharisaic laws. I, too, have lived under governments, which did not allow their subjects to assist or harbor people that were regarded as unacceptable. My parents took in a Jewish lad and our neighbor feared persecution and death. Nevertheless, what Jesus and the Good Samaritan did took much more courage. Unfortunately, even the Samaritans were not tolerant of the Jews. Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman resulted in an enormous outpouring of grace. Let us take a hint from Jesus how to treat those who are not like we are; for --- grace does foster grace.

Elijah and Elisha were godly men. Most of the time, their spirits were in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord. And that is one reason why there is no mention of repeated fillings of God's Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is an independent agent. By man's invitation, the Spirit of the Lord will cooperate with the spirit within man for as long as man keeps the door to his heart open for God's Spirit to live within him. The prayer of David for the Spirit to return to him is an example when man closes the door to his heart with transgressions. The disciples, in particular Peter, were in need of repeated filling of God’s Spirit (Psalms 1:10-12; John 20:22; Acts 2:16; 4:8; 12:44; Luke 22:31-32). The New Testament is filled with references for the need of the Holy Spirit to fill the lives of the saints. In this world, the saints still get their feet dirty and they must forgive each other daily, before the sun sets every day. We can measure ourselves by our words and by our actions just how much we comply with the demands of God’s Spirit.

Elijah and Elisha were godly men. Most of the time, their spirits were in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord. And that is one reason why there is no mention of repeated fillings of God's Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is an independent agent. By man's invitation, the Spirit of the Lord will cooperate with the spirit within man for as long as man keeps the door to his heart open for God's Spirit to live within him. The prayer of David for the Spirit to return to him is an example when man closes the door to his heart with transgressions. The disciples, in particular Peter, were in need of repeated filling of God’s Spirit (Psalms 1:10-12; John 20:22; Acts 2:16; 4:8; 12:44; Luke 22:31-32). The New Testament is filled with references for the need of the Holy Spirit to fill the lives of the saints. In this world, the saints still get their feet dirty and they must forgive each other daily, before the sun sets every day. We can measure ourselves by our words and by our actions just how much we comply with the demands of God’s Spirit.

Living in grace does not permit us to cause others to suffer for our deliberate infractions. The idea that God favored the Jews over the other races is a Hebrew impregnated presumption. And so is the belief that God punished Pharaoh and Abimelech for Abraham’s mistakes. God cannot show any favoritism! Nor can God tolerate any lying!

The true "nature of grace" is building relationships, which fosters acceptance of each other and also the acceptance of the people in the world. The world may not accept your faith, but it certainly will accept your services because you are trustworthy. Grace is earned, even in the world.

The question is, "Who is ruining the earth and the people on earth?" The Bible insists that God made a good world! And the Bible insists that God made man good! Man was to manage the world and everything on it (Genesis 1:31). Then, who let Satan, the serpent, into the good world? Again, the Bible insists that it was Eve and Adam! It was Eve and Adam's friendship with the snake lost them Paradise. Not only did Eve and Adam lose Paradise, they also lost their relationship with God, the Creator (Genesis 3). God chose Noah, Abraham, and Israel to save man and the world. However, the offsprings of these men, fell into the clutches of Satan. And it was Satan who kept, and who continues to keep sowing bad seed, which is enjoyable to the human appetite of the flesh. At long last, God sent His Son Jesus to save Israel and the world. But, the Jewish leaders of the chosen people, felt threatened! And therefore, the Jewish leaders had Jesus God’s Son removed. Inadvertently, these Jewish high priests sacrificed the “Lamb of God” for their sins. It is a remarkable story! Let us follow the trail of Jesus the Lamb, God sent John the Baptist to announce His Presence:

Jesus, before He went to the cross, to the grave, and before He rose from the dead, He promised the disciples to send the Holy Spirit to refresh their minds, to remind them of what He had taught them, and to direct their future mission. The disciples were slow in reaching out to the world with the Gospel. They even were not able to collect Jesus’ Life and Jesus' Message into writing. Meanwhile, Jesus enlisted Saul of Tarsus, who was trained in the Scriptures. Saul was raised in a Gentile, as well as in a Jewish culture, to become the first Gospel preacher to the World. Saul became Paul! And Luke, his Gentile friend, became his physician and his scribe. The Holy Spirit used Luke’s mind and skills to record Paul’s life and work. Paul met the "Risen Christ" on the road to Damascus and he had a different perception of the invisible Lord. For instance, Jesus’ body died, but Jesus' Spirit revealed Himself to the spirits who were in prison for their faith during the time of Noah. Paul, joined by Peter, also believed that Jesus, in the Spirit, preached to the dead:

Elijah lived during a time when Ahab and Jezebel had flooded Israel with Baal prophets, and they were making inroads in Judah. The prophet went into hiding and complained to God and said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” God told Elijah, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” Then the Lord said, “Yet I will have seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (I Kings 19:10,18). It was not Elijah, but it was Micaiah who first stood up to Ahab and to Jehoshaphat.

Elijah lived during a time when Ahab and Jezebel had flooded Israel with Baal prophets, and they were making inroads in Judah. The prophet went into hiding and complained to God and said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” God told Elijah, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” Then the Lord said, “Yet I will have seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (I Kings 19:10,18). It was not Elijah, but it was Micaiah who first stood up to Ahab and to Jehoshaphat.