Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?’

我的东西难道不可随我的意思用吗？因为我作好人，你就红了眼吗？’

难道我的东西不可随我的意思用吗？因为我作好人，你就眼红了吗？’

难道我的东西不可随我的意思用吗？因为我作好人，你就眼红了吗？’

难道我不可随意使用自己的钱吗？因为我慷慨，你就眼红吗？’

难道我不可以照自己的主意用我的财物吗？还是因为我仁慈你就嫉妒呢？’

难道我不可以用我的东西，做我愿意做的事吗？还是因为我好心，你就嫉妒了吗？’

我的東西難道不可隨我的意思用嗎？因為我作好人，你就紅了眼嗎？』

難道我的東西不可隨我的意思用嗎？因為我作好人，你就眼紅了嗎？』

難道我的東西不可隨我的意思用嗎？因為我作好人，你就眼紅了嗎？』

難道我不可隨意使用自己的錢嗎？因為我慷慨，你就眼紅嗎？』

難道我不可以照自己的主意用我的財物嗎？還是因為我仁慈你就嫉妒呢？’

我將我自己的東西按我自己的意思作，不可以麼？還是因我慈善、你就眼紅了麼？」

難道我不可以用我的東西，做我願意做的事嗎？還是因為我好心，你就嫉妒了嗎？』

以我之物、行我所欲、不亦宜乎、我為善、爾嫉視乎、

以我之物、行我所欲、不亦宜乎、我為善、爾怒目何也、

我之物、我不可隨意而用乎、因我為善、爾即相嫉而怒目乎、

吾豈不能從心所欲、處吾之所有乎？吾之慷慨、乃使爾側目耶？」

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’

Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’

Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’

Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good?

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my business? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’

He said to Moses,“ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. I will show love to those I love.”( Exodus 33:19)So it doesn’t depend on what people want or what they do. It depends on God’s mercy.In Scripture, God says to Pharaoh,“ I had a special reason for making you king. I decided to use you to show my power. I wanted my name to become known everywhere on earth.”( Exodus 9:16)So God does what he wants to do. He shows mercy to one person and makes another stubborn.One of you will say to me,“ Then why does God still blame us? Who can oppose what he wants to do?”But you are a mere human being. So who are you to talk back to God? Scripture says,“ Can what is made say to the one who made it,‘ Why did you make me like this?’ ”( Isaiah 29:16; 45:9)Isn’t the potter free to make different kinds of pots out of the same lump of clay? Some are for special purposes. Others are for ordinary use.What if God chose to show his great anger? What if he chose to make his power known? But he put up with the people he was angry with. They were made to be destroyed.What if he put up with them to show the riches of his glory to other people? Those other people are the ones he shows his mercy to. He made them to receive his glory.We are those people. He has chosen us. We do not come only from the Jewish race. Many of us are not Jews.

Be careful not to have an evil thought in your mind. Don’t say to yourself,“ The seventh year will soon be here. It’s the year for forgiving people what they owe.” If you think like that, you might treat the needy people among you badly. You might not give them anything. Then they might make their appeal to the Lord against you. And he will find you guilty of sin.

But suppose your eyes can’t see well. Then your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is darkness, then it is very dark!

Adultery, greed, hate and cheating come from a person’s heart too. So do desires that are not pure, and wanting what belongs to others. And so do telling lies about others and being proud and being foolish.

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong. He became angry.He prayed to the Lord. Here is what Jonah said to him.“ Lord, isn’t this exactly what I thought would happen when I was still at home? That is what I tried to prevent by running away to Tarshish. I knew that you are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them.Lord, take away my life. I’d rather die than live.”But the Lord replied,“ Is it right for you to be angry?”

When the Jews saw the crowds, they became very jealous. They began to disagree with what Paul was saying. They said evil things against him.

We were also chosen to belong to him. God decided to choose us long ago in keeping with his plan. He works out everything to fit his plan and purpose.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children.

Some are also faithful today. They have been chosen by God’s grace.And if they are chosen by grace, then they can’t work for it. If that were true, grace wouldn’t be grace anymore.

Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you brag as though you did not?

You were living in your sins and lawless ways. But in fact you were dead.

You gave him authority over all people. He gives eternal life to all those you have given him.

There may be a gentle and caring man among you. But he will treat his own brother badly. He’ll be just as mean to the wife he loves and to any of his children who are still alive.

You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth to be his people.The Lord chose you because he loved you very much. He didn’t choose you because you had more people than other nations. In fact, you had the smallest number of all.The Lord chose you because he loved you. He wanted to keep the promise he had made to your people of long ago. That’s why he used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt. He bought you back from the land where you were slaves. He set you free from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Don’t eat the food of anyone who doesn’t want to share it. Don’t long for his fancy food.

The Lord said,“ I will make all my goodness pass in front of you. And I will announce my name, the Lord, in front of you. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And I will show love to those I love.

Those who won’t share what they have want to get rich. They don’t know they are going to be poor.

I reached out my great and powerful arm. I made the earth. I made its people and animals. And I can give the earth to anyone I please.Now I will hand over all your countries to my servant Nebuchadnezzar. He is the king of Babylon. I will put even the wild animals under his control.All the nations will serve him and his son and grandson. After that, I will judge his land. Then many nations and great kings will make him serve them.

“ But the Lord chose me. He is the God of Israel. He chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah to lead the tribes. From the tribe of Judah he chose my family. From my father’s sons he chose me. He was pleased to make me king over the whole nation of Israel.The Lord has given me many sons. From all of them he has chosen my son Solomon. He wants Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’ s kingdom. He wants him to rule over Israel.

Brothers and sisters, don’t find fault with one another. If you do, you will be judged. And the Judge is standing at the door!

God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first harvest of his new creation.

So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God’s grace has saved you.