I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Daniel 6:1-28

     After the conquest of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, Daniel once more was appointed to a position of authority. The other administrators and government officials sought out ways in which they could manipulate and/or blackmail Daniel into supporting their interests. They were unable to find anything to use against him, except for his faith. So, they went to the king and flattered him into outlawing worship of any being or thing other than the king for thirty days. Despite the law, Daniel refused to change his practice of praying to God and he made no attempt to conceal this fact. The other officials watched Daniel and as soon as he carried out his practice they returned to the king and demanded that Daniel suffer the punishment written into the law, which was to be thrown into a den of lions.
     The king realized his mistake too late. The law had been written and could not be changed. So, he had Daniel arrested and thrown into a lion’s den. He expressed his hope that Daniel’s god would protect him from the lions and returned to his palace, refusing to eat. In the morning when the king returned to the lion’s den, Daniel was still there, unharmed. The king ordered Daniel’s release and had the officials who had conspired against Daniel arrested and thrown into the same lion’s den. The lions immediately attacked and killed the conspirators.
     Daniel was targeted despite his integrity (and in my belief because of his integrity). His enemies used that same integrity against him, yet even so, Daniel refused to compromise his beliefs. Both Daniel and his enemies knew that if they could separate him from his routine of prayer and worship of God, they could crack his otherwise unimpeachable integrity. Daniel had a regular, daily routine of connecting with God. This gave him the strength to remain faithful to God in all that he did. It is the same for us. If we want to be people of integrity(and as followers of Christ, we are called to be people of integrity), we need to have daily communion with God.

2 Peter 3:1-18

     Peter wrote that some will scoff at the idea that Christ will return. They will tell us that things have been as they are since the beginning of time. They overlook the fact that right in that statement is a testimony to God. Time began when God created the universe and the earth within it by His word. By His word, he destroyed the earth with water in the flood. Now, by His word, the earth and the universe are awaiting the day He will destroy them by fire. God is not constrained by time and does not view it as we do. Christ will return at the time which God has already determined, but it will not be at a time that we, as humans, will expect. It will not be by our timetables nor according to our understanding. Any delay we perceive in His return is not a result of God being slow. Rather it is a result of God’s grace and patience. God wishes for everyone to repent and is giving us time to reach out to our friends and neighbors.
     A day of great destruction is coming, but we should not dread that day. Rather we should look forward to it with great hope and anticipation, because it will be followed by the creation of a new heaven and new earth. This new creation will be filled with righteousness and the sin and destruction of this earth will be destroyed with it. With this hope, let us live peaceful, blameless lives as an example to others whom God is patiently calling to come to Him. God is giving people time to be saved. Let us not waste the time which He is giving us, but let us reach out with His Spirit to those who do not yet know Him.

Psalm 119:129-152

     God’s laws are perfect and trustworthy. They do not require advanced degrees, or esoteric studies. Those who seek to understand God’s commands and will need only study His word to achieve understanding. The study of God’s law provides the light necessary to understand it. Even the simple-minded can comprehend what God desires. Actually, sometimes it is easier for the simple to understand what God wants than it is for those of great human understanding. I want to understand God’s will for my life, so I will turn to Him in prayer. I will pray and cry out to God. I will study His word and listen to His voice, then He will give me understanding of what He wishes me to do.

Proverbs 28:21-22

     It is wrong to show partiality, even though some people will do wrong for the most miniscule of perceived gain. Hoarding wealth in order to grow rich leads to poverty, always of the soul and often material as well.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Daniel 5:1-31

     Nebuchadnezzar’s successor, King Belshazzar, threw a feast. During the feast he decided to demonstrate his power by bringing the cups which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and using them to praise and worship his gods. While they ate and drank, giving praise to the many idols which they worshiped, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall. He called for his wise men to tell him what the writing meant, but none of them could read it. He and his court were struck with terror. The queen mother heard the commotion and told him to send for Daniel. When Daniel arrived, King Belshazzar offered him great honors if he could tell him what the writing meant. Daniel declined the honors and read the message.
     This story is about what happens when someone comes to believe that they are in the position they are in because they are more deserving of honor than others. We are in whatever position we are in in life because God desires to make use of us there. The good things do not happen because we are better than others, or more deserving. The bad things do not happen because we are worse than others, or less deserving. In both cases, God puts us in that situation so that we can serve Him. When we fail to use the circumstances we find ourselves in to serve God, things can only get worse as illustrated in this story.

2 Peter 2:1-22

     Peter tells us that just as their were false prophets among the people of Israel there will be false teachers among the followers of Christ. These teachers will teach clever but destructive heresies, things which sound much like the truth but contain twists which destroy. He explains how we can recognize them by their greed and immorality. They will teach that immorality is not immoral. They appeal to twisted sexual desires and to greed. They promise freedom but are themselves slaves to sin and selfish desires. I read this and it is as if he is speaking to those of today who proclaim that sexual immorality is not immoral and those who proclaim that following God will result in becoming wealthy and having all of one’s material desires satisfied.
     Sandwiched in the middle of his prophecies against false teachers is a promise to those who are faithful. He points out that Noah and Job both lived in the midst of wicked people, people whose wickedness would lead to their destruction. Yet in both cases God provided rescue. God delivered both Noah and Job from the destruction He was about to bring upon the people among whom they lived. Neither Job nor Noah lived lives as examples of perfect moral behavior. However, both were deemed righteous by God because they strove to worship and obey Him, despite their human weaknesses. Let us today stand as witnesses to those around us and call them to turn from their wickedness. Destruction is coming, but I will not fear it because God has promised to save those who strive to serve Him. I am deserving of God’s judgment, but I have faith that. through Christ Jesus, He will have mercy on me.

Psalm 119:113-128

     The psalmist warns us against divided loyalties. We cannot be loyal to both God and material desires. I will seek to follow God’s commands and serve Him all of my days. I will put my hope and trust in Him. I will not take the counsel of evil-minded people, instead I will study the Lord’s word and obey His commands. This psalm touches me deeply today and raises my spirits when so much is going wrong. I have been truly blessed by God.

Proverbs 28:19-20

     It is through hard work that our needs are met, those who pursue get-rich-quick schemes and fantasies of wealth end up in poverty.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Daniel 4:1-37

     Today’s passage describes Nebuchadnezzar having another dream. The dream foreshadowed Nebuchadnezzar abandoning his throne for a period of time (seven “periods of time”) and then returning to take it up. The account tells us that Nebuchadnezzar became arrogant and took credit for his success. He came to believe that he was a god and could do anything he desired. In response to this, God struck him with some form of madness so that he left human civilization and lived as a wild animal for some period of time. At the end of the time chosen by God, Nebuchadnezzar looked up to the sky and his sanity returned. When his sanity returned he praised God and acknowledged His power.
     This is a lesson for us to remember that everything we have accomplished in this life has happened according to God’s will. When we begin to believe that we are the masters of our own fate and stop humbly honoring God for the gifts He has given us, He will show us the limits to our ability.

2 Peter 1:1-21

     Peter began his second letter by reminding us that God will give us grace and peace in proportion to our knowledge and understanding of God and Jesus Christ. He then wrote about the structure of our lives in Christ. There is an order to how we should build our relationship with God. It starts with faith in Christ and a recognition that without Him we can be nothing but slaves to sin. Once we have come to this faith, the natural reaction is to allow God to replace our sinful desires with the desire to do good (and to actually do good). Once we have received the desire and willingness to do good, we next add knowledge of God’s commands and will. It gives us no benefit to know God’s commands if we have not yet received the desire to follow them. As we are given a knowledge and understanding of God’s will for us, we begin to exercise self-control, which leads to embracing patience. As we patiently endure the trials which God sends our way we acquire godliness. Godliness expresses itself as brotherly affection for our fellow believers and as love for all we meet. As we acquire these characteristics in increasing measure we will become more effective at carrying out God’s will in this world.
     If we discover that the ministry we are involved in is unproductive and/or ineffective, we can look at this list and examine whether we are approaching some aspect in our lives in the wrong order. For example, are we seeking more knowledge before we have applied what knowledge we already have in order to do good? Or, are we attempting to express love and brotherly affection before we have learned to exercise self-control? It is never wrong to express love and brotherly affection. However, if we have not yet learned the appropriate self-control for the situation, our attempts to express those may fail and instead of love and brotherly affection we may exhibit selfish control and interference.

Psalm 119:97-112

     The key to wisdom is studying God’s instructions. If you want to be wiser than others, meditate on God’s word. However, it is not enough to just meditate on it, you must also put it into practice. In this passage is a phrase that we must make a touchstone for our lives:

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.

As we study God’s word and apply it to our lives we will discover that it provides guidance for our path helping us to see obstacles before we trip over them and stumble. Of course we can still trip and fall if we refuse to adjust our course according to what the light of God’s word reveals to us. O Lord, give me the humility to accept the need to adjust my course according to Your will to avoid the obstacles that are before me.

Proverbs 28:17-18

     The perverse will find themselves falling into traps of their own making.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Daniel 2:24-3:30

     Having received both a description of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and an interpretation of it from God, Daniel approached the man under orders to kill all of Nebuchadnezzar’s advisers on wisdom. Daniel told him not to carry out his orders because Daniel was able to tell the king the meaning of his dream. When Daniel was brought into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence the first thing he did was refuse to take any credit for the interpretation. Daniel told the king that no human agency has the ability to reveal the secret which the king was keeping. However, God knows all secrets and reveals them to whom He wills. The key lesson I take away from this passage is Daniel’s statement that he did not possess some special insight, not was he wiser than others. He was merely the one whom God had chosen to reveal His meaning to King Nebuchadnezzar. Do we have the same humility when God chooses to use us for His purposes?

     The second part of today’s passage from Daniel is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament. King Nebuchadnezzar set up a gold statue and issued a proclamation that everyone was to bow down to worship it. Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego refused to do so. When King Nebuchadnezzar found out, he confronted them. Nebuchadnezzar asked them what god would be able to save them from being thrown into a fiery furnace at his orders? Their response is one that I wish to emulate in all circumstances:

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us… But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.

The God whom I serve is able to rescue me from all troubles and hardships, but even if he does not, I will not serve or worship any god but the one true God.

1 Peter 4:7-5:14

     This passage is full of important teachings. It starts by reminding us to have disciplined prayer lives, something I struggle with. It then tells us to demonstrate hospitality to our fellow believers in an ungrudging fashion. Peter then tells us to use whatever gifts God has given us to serve others with all of the strength we have, which also comes from God. Whether that gift is one of speech, or some other means of helping others, let us seek to use it to bring glory to God’s name.
     We should not be surprised when we face trials and tribulations as a result of our faith. I will rejoice when I am insulted or persecuted because of my faith in Christ. God will not fail me in my trials any more than he failed Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Peter changes tack somewhat as he moves to his next exhortation. He tells us that elders, those with authority over others in the Church, should humbly use that authority to serve those others, while those who are younger should accept the authority of the elders. Let us serve one another with humility and humble ourselves before God, just as Daniel did. I will give all of my worries and cares to God because He desires good things for me and has the power to bring them into being. I will stand firm on the foundation which God has laid for me.

Psalm 119:81-96

     We may face troubles and trials that seem to be beyond our endurance, yet God knows our limits. His love for us knows no bounds and His faithfulness is eternal. He will rescue us when the time is ripe. Let us humbly wait for His rescue for it will arrive in a timely fashion, even if not in the time we desire.

Proverbs 28:15-16

     A wicked ruler is as devastating to those he rules over as a wild predator is to someone who is helpless. A ruler who oppresses his people is a fool, a wise ruler will hate corruption. This fits in with what Peter said about leaders in the Church. Those in a position of leadership, whether it be elders in the Church, or government officials, should use their authority to serve others, not to satisfy their own desires.