Principles Matter
March 01, 2024
00:01:00
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
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What would it take for you to compromise your principles?
My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.
Recently I heard a statement that went like this, “I don’t think principles matter if you can’t get elected.”
Principles form the core of who you are. Principles form the foundation of a civil society.
George Washington in his farewell address identified religion and morality as indispensable supports.
“In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness,” George Washington said.
It makes me think of a scripture. “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?”
What would it profit a man to gain an election yet lose his principles?
“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:2-3 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Just before his execution, Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy by the Spirit of God to seek out faithful men, who would be able to teach others, and pour into them all he’d received from the incarcerated Apostle. He then exhorted Timothy to anticipate times of hardship and to press forward with Jesus commission to make disciples nonetheless.
Jesus warned that hard times would come. We must press forward in obedience even while suffering hardship.
“For this reason a man shall leave his Father and Mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Matthew 19:5 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
It’s often repeated that 50% of marriages end in divorce. However, that statistic is not based on hard data and it doesn’t apply at all to committed Christians who marry.
Over 70% of married, Bible-believing Christians, who are active in their local churches have never divorced.
Though the rate of divorce is still too high, it isn’t nearly as high as the world would have you believe.
Simply put, marriages comprised of a husband and wife who place their faith in Christ Jesus for salvation individually usually remain in tact and thrive.
ng hardship.
“When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The word we live in likes to emphasize emotions. Our government educational system is riddled with social-emotional learning. Our young people are being indoctrinated into the notion that feeling is synonymous with thinking. All of this undergirds an unbiblical understanding of compassion.
The world cultivates the notion of simply feeling our way through life. But biblical compassion is responsive and active. Jesus was moved with compassion. It compelled him to teach many things.
Biblical compassion moves us to action. Compassion teaches.
“Leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” Matthew 5:24 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Jesus focused authentic Christ-following to heart evaluation in addition to conduct assessment in the Sermon on the Mount. He also highlighted the reality that worshiping God includes our relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
He described a worshiper en route to make an offering unto the Lord who remembered that he had a frayed relationship with a Brother. Christ commanded him to render a whole offering by first being reconciled to the Brother. Then, continue in worship by making an offering.
Love for God is displayed in our relationships in His Body.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Proverbs 1:5 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The LORD has given us a prescription to fortify Believers against the sin of worry in Philippians 4. He then commands us to set our minds to think on whatever is true, honorable, just, excellent, lovely, or praiseworthy.
The connector between dispelling anxiety and directing our minds is thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving dispatches God’s heavenly garrison around our hearts and minds.
Thanksgiving is the key to having the mind of Christ uninterruptedly.
Thanksgiving causes us to refocus ourselves to view the whole life from the vantage point of God’s active role in it.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
According to newly released CDC data, there were 2.5 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases in 2022, including a rise in chlamydia and potentially deadly syphilis.
Syphilis attacks the heart and the brain and has increased 80% in the U.S. over the last five years. On the verge of eradication in 2000, syphilis cases have now exploded.
Many experts have opined that the increasing popularity of dating apps has facilitated the current “hook-up” culture where people meet for casual fornication.
We suffer when we reject God’s word.
“I will make mere lads their princes, and capricious children will rule over them.” Isaiah 3:4 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Special Counsel Robert Hur documented that Mr. Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice-presidency when he was a private citizen.” In some instances, the illegally possessed classified documents date back to the 70s and 80s.
Nevertheless, Hur added,
no criminal charges are warranted in this matter… at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present… as a well-meaning elderly man with poor memory.
In other words, the Special said Mr. Biden is not mentally competent enough to stand trial for his clear violations of the law. Soooo, how is he mentally competent enough to occupy the oval office?
“A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.” Proverbs 11:1 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
In over two hours of arguments, SCOTUS Justices questioned the attorneys for the state of Colorado and former President Trump as to whether Colorado could lawfully exclude Mr. Trump from the November ballot.
All of the Justices seemed to indicate through their questions that they were not inclined to agree with State of Colorado. Even Justices who usually lean regressive balked at the notion that one state could determine whether a presidential candidate could be removed from the ballot.
The decision should be unanimous in upholding the constitution, which would also be in Mr. Trump’s favor.
“So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:6 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Jesus affirmed the creation of mankind in two sexes and the definition of marriage as the exclusive lifelong union of one man and one woman in Matthew 19. His affirmation solidified identity and marriage’s definition to the exclusion of any counterfeits.
In Ephesians 5, the Spirit of God conveys through Apostle Paul that the marital union is the only human institution that is a living, breathing illustration of Christ’s relationship to his bride, the church. That is why it is unsurprising that marriage is continuously attacked in this dark world.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 (NASB95)
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
Jesus gets us, but do we get Him? Jesus is God. He left Heaven, came to Earth, lived among us—fully God and fully Man; to show us the way, to tell the truth, to give His life for us on the cross, and to conquer death by His resurrection. Tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He didn’t sin. And He loves us enough to pay the penalty for our sin. Don’t be fooled by those who say love means tolerance. No! Love means truth. Yes, Jesus gets us. Through repentance and faith, we can get Him…eternally!
"A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.” Proverbs 1:5 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
As Solomon pronounced the entire purposed for the book of Proverbs in its first chapter he also noted that a wise man sets himself to hear, to learn, and to increase his knowledge as a result. That wise man, a man of understanding, also affirmatively seeks out wise counsel.
In short, the wise man knows that he doesn’t know it all. As a result, his course is set for continued accrual of wisdom. If you want to be wise, pursue sources of wisdom and learn from them. The greatest available wisdom source is God’s holy word.
“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” John 17:15 (NASB95)
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer recorded in John 17, He makes the observation that the world would hate His disciples. Yet, He follows that by praying not that His disciples would be removed from the world, but that we would be kept from the evil one.
As difficult as times have become, we Christ-followers must recognize that our God and King saved us and planted us in the world at this time intentionally. It would be an abdication of our assignment to adopt an escapist disposition. We’ve been ordained for this moment.
"Longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.” 2 Timothy 1:4 (NASB95)
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Paul’s second epistle to Timothy was written near the very end of Paul’s life, while he was incarcerated awaiting an imminent, albeit uncertain execution under Nero.
He begins chapter one of this epistle describing how he prayed for Timothy night and day and how he longed to see him. This reveals a fiber and texture that undergirded their relationship. Paul and Timothy loved each other deeply.
This deep and abiding reciprocal love is necessary to effective disciple making. Knowledge isn’t enough to make a disciple. The love of Christ must abound.
“And he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze.”
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is The Hamilton Minute.
This is a description recorded in scripture about a man named Hiram. His father was a Sidonian. His mother was an Israelite, of the tribe of Naphtali.
Because God filled Hiram with wisdom, understanding and skill for all manner of metalwork, Solomon summoned him from Tyre to work on the Lord’s temple.
We must understand, embrace and celebrate that God’s granting of wisdom includes our metalworkers, stone masons, carpenters, plumbers, truck drivers and more.
He gives wisdom for daily duty, and we need laborers filled with God’s wisdom.
“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14(a) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
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EveryLife provides high-quality, affordable diapers and wipes centered around the belief that every child is a gift from above that deserves to be loved, protected, and celebrated every day.
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Go to everylife.com for more information.
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Matthew 19:5 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
God initiated human history and defined for all time what marriage is and identified the only two types of candidates that comprise a marriage: one man and one woman. He also identified the archetypical union from which these candidates would derive. The prospective husband and wife both come from the ancestral unit of a Father and Mother.
Though Adam and Eve didn’t have biological parents, this pronouncement reveals God had particularized specifics in mind as to what He ordained Fathers and Mothers to be. Fallenness didn’t change God’s plan.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Our world that is changing quickly and dramatically. But we do not have to fret. Jesus, as He concluded the Sermon on the Mount, already told us how to prepare ourselves. Submitting ourselves to his Word with regularity and consistency is one part of the preparation strategy. The other part is doing what He’s said.
The coming rain, floods, and wind are inevitable. He didn’t say “if” they come. He said “when” they come. Having Christ’s Word, but failing to obey Him qualifies one for the hall of fools.
“And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
As comforting as it is to know that eternal life in the tangible, manifested presence the Messiah is our home, salvation is not intended to focus us exclusively on the eternal state. In fact, Jesus explicitly instructed His disciples that we are to be reproducing disciple-makers.
Central to following Christ as his disciple is denying ourselves daily. Living self-willed, self-absorbed, and self-centered lives is actually contrary to the call to follow Christ. Denying ourselves is a daily priority if we are to follow Him.
“You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.” 1 Samuel 12:21 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Samuel admonished the Israelites, “… do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.” v. 20(b). The inevitable consequence of “turning aside” from the LORD is that you will give yourself to futility, things that “can not profit or deliver.”
Do you want your life to mean something? Do you want it to count? You actually were created for life eternal. The only way forward is to give your life wholeheartedly to Christ.
Eternal life is the only way to live now.
