For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Today’s proverb strikes me as relevant to discussions about “animal rights”. The righteous care for their animals’ needs, while the wicked are cruel. I do not believe that animals have rights, but I do believe that, as Christians, we should care for animals and make sure that we do not cause unnecessary pain or suffering to animals which are in our power. We can be sure that those who are cruel to animals will perform other wicked acts as well.

    The psalmist offers us a warning. He tells us that he slipped and almost lost his connection with God. He envied the wicked and proud because they seemed to do well. He started to wonder if he would not be better off to give up serving God and live as the wicked do. They seemed to him to live lives of ease, while he struggled and suffered misfortune. He tried to understand why the wicked seemed thrive. Then he went before God and met with others who serve God and realized that the wicked are on a path that leads to destruction. He realized that he had allowed bitterness and resentment tear him apart. He realized once more the joy of serving God. Let us remember this lesson so that we do not allow bitterness and resentment separate us from God. I will remember the wonderful things which God has done. I will testify to His greatness and love. I know the emptiness and pain which awaits those who turn from God and live in wickedness. No matter how pleasant their lives may appear, I do not wish to join them.

    I never noticed this before, but the story of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration is a bit of foreshadowing of what will happen in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying, Peter, James, and John fell asleep. While they slept, Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. They missed it! They woke up on the tail-end of the conversation. When Peter saw what was going on, he wanted to stay there, but the moment was over. How often does this happen to us? We “sleep” through a moment of great blessing, then when it is all but over, we try to freeze it and artificially extend the moment. Let us remember that God has a task for us in this world and times like the Mount of Transfiguration are to strengthen us to continue that task.
    All too often we strive to be the greatest, and seek to be honored as such. Jesus tells us that we should strive to be the servant of others, that we should not strive for authority. In God’s books it is those whom Man counts as the least who is counted as the greatest. I would rather be counted as great by God than by Man.

    We are warned against being seduced by the practices of those around us who do not worship God. This is a difficult challenge for us. It is difficult to resist the blandishments. It is too easy to forget the reasons behind how God calls us to behave and instead act like those around us do. Let us keep our focus on God and avoid turning to omens and signs to determine our behavior. Even those who claim to be prophesying on God’s behalf may be leading us astray. When someone claims to speak on God’s behalf, let us listen to what they say will happen. If it does not come to pass, we will know that they do not speak for God.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    I will echo the sentiments of this passage and recommend that any single man think closely about it when choosing a wife. I am grateful to God that He gave me the former rather than the latter.

    This psalm is definitely my prayer today. I pray that God come quickly to my rescue for I face great troubles. I know that those who search for God will be filled with joy. He is my helper and my savior. I pray that He relieves my trouble before I am overcome with despair.

    I noticed something about the story of the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) that I never saw before. When Jesus got out of the boat the demon-possessed man came to meet Him. Jesus did not go seeking him out. Having initiated the interaction with Jesus, the demon-possessed man proceeded to ask Jesus why He was interfering with him. Isn’t this something we see a lot in this world? Non-believers confront us about our beliefs and then accuse us of wanting to interfere in their lives? However, notice that when this happened to Jesus, He did not back off of His beliefs. He confronted the demons head on. In the same way, when unbelievers confront us about our beliefs we should stand firm on what we believe and not back down.

    The message of this passage is to those who have seen God’s mighty acts and experienced His discipline. If we love Him with all of our heart and obey His instructions, God will bless us throughout our lives. Let us not be deceived and turn away from God. There is a challenge for me in this passage. I will strive to commit myself to the words of God. I will talk about them when I am at home and when I am on the road, when I am going to bed and when I am getting up. I will strive to speak the words which God has given me at all times. We have been given the choice between a blessing and a curse. If we follow God’s instructions we will be blessed, but if we rebel against God we will be cursed.

    I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I write this daily blog because it helps me pay closer attention to the Scripture as I read it. Before I started writing this blog I had trouble disciplining myself to read the Bible regularly, let alone every day. I hope that by posting my thoughts I can encourage others to regularly read the Bible (and perhaps my thoughts will give someone encouragement in their walk with Christ). In order to make it possible for others to use my blog as part of their daily Bible Study (the hubris of that idea never ceases to amaze me), I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    In order to learn, you must embrace being corrected and disciplined when you are wrong. Anyone who despises being corrected is both ignorant and stupid.

    This psalm reflects how I feel right now. I am overwhelmed by my troubles and I beg of God that He rescue me. I have been foolish and made many mistakes. I acknowledge my sins before God. I have no choice because He knows them all. I ask that God not allow those who trust in Him be ashamed because of me. Oh God, do not allow those who honor you to be humiliated by anything I say or do!

    There are a lot of different takes on this story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and with perfume. There is a lot to be learned from it. However, the question that struck me is that in reality there is no practical difference in the amount of forgiveness the Pharisee and the woman in this story needed from God. The difference was in their perception of their need. Or to put it another way, if I am drowning in the ocean, it doesn’t matter if I am 1 mile from shore or 100 miles from shore. In either case, if someone does not come along and pull me out of the water, I will die.
    Simon the Pharisee perceived himself as needing just a little bit of help in order to be righteous. The woman who anointed Jesus perceived herself as being completely unable to be righteous. So, the question is how do I perceive myself? Do I understand that without Jesus, righteousness is completely out of my reach? The answer is, “Not always”. Yet, I know that it is.

    God did not choose us as His servants because we are stronger, or smarter, or faster, or in any other way better than anybody else. He chose us because He loves us. We were chosen by God to serve Him and if we do that He will bless us. However, we cannot compromise on God’s principles. We cannot meet those who do not believe in God halfway. We must not worship their gods or serve their goals.

    I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I write this daily blog because it helps me pay closer attention to the Scripture as I read it. Before I started writing this blog I had trouble disciplining myself to read the Bible regularly, let alone every day. I hope that by posting my thoughts I can encourage others to regularly read the Bible (and perhaps my thoughts will give someone encouragement in their walk with Christ). In order to make it possible for others to use my blog as part of their daily Bible Study (the hubris of that idea never ceases to amaze me), I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    If we trust in our wealth and material possessions we will fall. Wealth is only of use as long as others value it. Those who are righteous will always thrive because its value does not depend on others.

    The day is coming when God will rise up and scatter His enemies. In that day the godly will rejoice. God’s presence will make them glad and fill them with joy. God is father to the fatherless and the defender of widows. He gives the lonely families who will love and care for them. When God gives the word against His enemies He does not need to send an army to retrieve the plunder. Kings and armies will flee God’s wrath and noncombatants will gather the plunder.

    Luke continues on the theme about judging others. Rather than focus on what others are doing wrong, we should look to correct our own failings. If we want to think of ourselves as good people, we need to say and do good things. If we are prickly and people who get close to us tend to get hurt by what we do and/or say, then we are thorn-bushes or brambles, not fig trees or grape vines. We should judge ourselves by the fruit we produce. Elsewhere this passage is presented in a way that I heard summarized as telling us that we are not to judge others, but we are supposed to be fruit inspectors. I think that such is an accurate way to summarize the similar passage in Matthew. However, Luke is telling us that we should be concerned with the results of our own actions, not those of others.

    Moses continued his recap of the Israelites travel through the wilderness. He reminded them several times not to forget what they have seen God do. That reminder stands for us as well. Let us not forget to tell the generations which come after us the things which we have seen God do. As I read this passage today, I am reminded of a book that my parents encouraged me to read when I was young. The book was called the “Martyrs Mirror”. This is a book is an account of the stories and testimonies of many who died as martyrs in service of God. There was a time when almost all Mennonite homes had a copy of this book. The importance of the Martyrs Mirror is that it is a reminder of what God has done down through the ages. We need to recount to the next generation the stories of what we have seen God do, and the stories which those who went before us told us.

    I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I write this daily blog because it helps me pay closer attention to the Scripture as I read it. Before I started writing this blog I had trouble disciplining myself to read the Bible regularly, let alone every day. I hope that by posting my thoughts I can encourage others to regularly read the Bible (and perhaps my thoughts will give someone encouragement in their walk with Christ). In order to make it possible for others to use my blog as part of their daily Bible Study (the hubris of that idea never ceases to amaze me), I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    Those who seek good will find both it and favor with others. Those who seek evil will find it, to their own loss. If you seek evil, you will suffer evil.

    This psalm reminds us to praise and bless God because He has blessed us by providing for our needs. Yet it also carries the reminder that as we praise and obey God, we will be blessed by Him even further.

    Luke tells us that people came from all over to hear Jesus preach and to be healed by Him. In addition, he puts a phrase hear which reminds me of the woman who was healed when she touched the hem of his robe. “Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.” (verse 19) Then we have Luke’s take on the beatitudes. These are more troubling than Matthew’s version. Jesus said that those who were poor, hungry, and sorrowful are blessed because they will inherit the Kingdom of God, be fed, and experience joy. The scary part is that Jesus then goes on to tell those who are experiencing the good life will experience sorrow and misery in the future. I do not think this second part is a promise, but rather it is a warning (at least I hope so) because of what He says next.
    Jesus transitions from His warnings of sorrow by saying, “But to you who are listening…” He tells us to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless and pray for those who treat us badly. We are to do to others as we would like them to do to us. It is not enough to do good things to those who can/will return the favor. We need to be nice, do good things for, those who will not and/or cannot be nice and/or do good things in return. God has been merciful to us, as undeserving as we were, and are. If we expect God to reward us, we must be merciful to those who do not deserve it, and will not deserve it. Let us work to imitate God’s goodness. Jesus tells us that we should not hold others to a higher standard than we wish to be judged by ourselves. If we wish to be forgiven, we need to forgive others. I just realized that there is an implicit understanding of human nature here. Those who are unwilling to forgive others are those who think of themselves as not needing forgiveness. The measure by which we give to others (in forgiveness, good will, and material goods) is the measure by which we will be rewarded. Let us give to others generously.

    Moses continued his account of the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness. He recounts how God instructed them to avoid conflict with both the Edomites and the Moabites (descendants of Esau and Lot respectively). Moses then told of how he sent messengers to Sihon, the king of Heshbon, requesting permission to pass through his lands as they had through the lands of the Edomites and the Moabites. Sihon rejected Moses request and attacked the Israelites. I am reminded as I read this that God will provide for us. There will be obstacles in the path that God sends us on, but God will remove those obstacles. Let us not become hostile towards those who do not share our goals until they take action against us. Even then, we need to rely on God to defeat them for us.