For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 23:4-5

    It is futile to exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of wealth. What good will it do us to acquire large amounts of money, if we spend all of our time getting it and have no time to spend it (whether on ourselves or others)? We may think that we are clever enough to know when we have “made it”, but wealth is fleeting. No sooner do you think that you have a fortune than it will disappear. Let us focus on doing God’s work rather than on acquiring wealth.

Psalm 55:1-23

    The psalmist was troubled and worried about many problems. He could not get his fears and worries out of his mind. So, he called upon the Lord, and not just once, but persistently. He called upon the Lord morning, noon, and night. Let us follow the psalmist’s example. When troubles and worries are filling our minds, let us call upon the Lord morning, noon, and night. In verse 22 the psalmist tells us how to deal with whatever it is that is worrying us. For this I prefer the NIV:

Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
“Cast” is so much more expressive of how we are to do this than “Give”. The word cast expresses an action where it is harder to take it back than that expressed by “give”. It is not easy to follow this advice, but it is sure. Morning, noon, and night let us call out to the Lord and give over to Him the worries of this life which fill our minds. Once we have cast our cares upon Him, let us turn our minds to doing His will.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

    Paul tells us that despite the many things he experienced which could be the basis of boasting, he has chosen not to do so. Part of what kept him from doing so was his knowledge of what he referred to as “thorn in his flesh”. He never tells us what that “thorn” was. He tells us that he begged God to take it from him, but that God told him that God’s grace would allow him to live with it. Some have suggested that the “thorn” was a vision problem, others have suggested it was some other physical disability. Reading this today, the context seems to imply some sort of temptation which Paul found impossible to resist, yet Paul’s writings, as I understand them, teach that if we fully turn ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength to resist all temptation. Ultimately, the key to remember from this passage is that God’s power works best in our weakness.

Isaiah 8-9:21

    Isaiah prophesied that Judah would be delivered from the alliance of Syria and Israel. Rather than feel sorrow for the suffering the people of Syria and Israel experienced, the people of Judah rejoiced at their misfortune. Therefore God told Isaiah that they would experience a measure of that same suffering. Let us never rejoice over the suffering of others, not even those who wish us ill. God condemns such behavior in the strongest terms. God calls us to love all people, even those whose actions will lead them to suffering, even those whose actions wrong us or others.
    God instructed Isaiah not to think like everyone else does. That instruction is intended for us as well. Do not believe conspiracy theories and do not be afraid of the things which frighten those who do not fear the Lord. Rather it is God whom we should fear. We should tremble at the thought of making God angry. If we fear the Lord, He will keep us safe. Isaiah warns us against getting caught up with those who seek guidance from the dead and other paranormal means. We see the sort of thing he was warning about in the popularity of shows such as Ghost Hunters. As people have less and less trust in God, they become more susceptible to conspiracy theories, superstition, and paranormal explanations for what is happening. They refuse to accept or follow God’s instruction, then become angry when bad things result.
    Despite the great anger which God expressed against the people of Judah through Isaiah, He still promised that there would be an end to the darkness. He promised through Isaiah that Jesus would come and shine the light of deliverance upon God’s people. Even today, as people turn from God to superstition and conspiracy theories, God is preparing once more to cause His light to shine out among them. I believe a great darkness is descending upon the world once more. However, I also believe that the darkness is but a prelude to God’s light once more bursting forth for all people to see. As I think about that I feel inspired to call out to God, “Here I am. Send me.” (Of course, just thinking that frightens me a bit, where will He send me?)

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 23:1-3

    I actually think that the footnote to the NIV makes the most sense of this proverb. When you sit down to a meal with the movers and shakers of this world, pay attention to who else is there and to what they say and do. If you allow yourself to be caught up in the pleasure of eating the food set before you, you may as well kill yourself because you will miss some interaction which is important. Do not become so enamoured of eating with the movers and shakers that you are willing to give up what is important to you.

Psalm 54:1-7

    God is my helper. He is the one I will call on when trouble arises. I will count on Him when enemies attack me. Those who plot against me because I serve Him will have their plans to blow up in their faces. Even when times are good, I will serve the Lord. I will give to the work of the Lord, not because He demands it but because I love Him.

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

    Paul points out that whatever others may have to boast about their faith and righteous service of God, he had as much or more. Yet despite all of this, Paul does not want us to believe his message on the basis of any of that. He wants us to judge him on the basis of what God has done through him despite his weakness, not because of his strength. God does not choose us because we are strong, wonderful people. Rather God has chosen us to demonstrate His willingness and ability to heal the weak and broken. It is only my willingness to admit my flaws and failures that has any value to God. If God can use me to accomplish His purpose in this world, then He can surely use you to do even more.

Isaiah 6-7:25

    When Isaiah found himself in the presence of God he was sure that he was doomed. He realized that he was a sinful man in the presence of righteousness. What is interesting is that Isaiah recognized that his sinfulness was expressed by the words he spoke. When Isaiah acknowledged his sinfulness before God, God cleansed and forgave him. Having forgiven Isaiah, God asks who He can send to deliver His message. God is asking this question today. Whom shall He send? Having been forgiven, will I answer as Isaiah did? Whenever I read this passage, I cannot help but imagine Isaiah standing there going, “Me, Me, send me! I’ll go!” Although sometimes I also imagine Isaiah looking around, seeing no one else there and saying quietly, “Well, I’m here, you could send me.” In both cases I imagine Isaiah having some doubt as to whether or not he was truly qualified, if God will really want to send him. We may feel the same way, I certainly do. But God’s answer to us is the same as His answer to Isaiah, “Yes, go, and say to this people…”
    The question is not whether God wants us to deliver His message. The question is, are we willing to go?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 22:28-29

    The proverb writer warns against moving boundary markers set up long ago. While this is partially about not cheating our neighbors, it is also a warning about following the rules to which everyone has agreed. The “boundary markers” are agreed upon markers positioned so that everyone knows where the boundary between one property and the next is. If I move one of them to my advantage, how can I tell when someone moves it to their advantage? And what basis do I have to complain when they do so? This applies as much to things like the definition of marriage as it does to physical markers which mark the boundary of property.

Psalm 53:1-6

    This psalm starts with a very true, and important, statement which often causes us to miss the rest of what it says. Only those who are truly and completely fools believe in their hearts that there is no God. Such people are corrupt and their actions are evil. However, the psalmist goes on and tells us that God is looking on the world looking to see if any are wise. He finds that none are. All have turned away and done evil. No one truly does good. It is only because God is gracious and chooses to restore us that we are able to do any good whatsoever. Were it not for God’s grace I would still be one of those fools who say that there is no God.

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

    Paul warns here against listening to those who skillfully and convincingly teach a gospel other than that presented here in the New Testament. This passage, combined with my experience in life, makes me suspicious of those who preach a finely polished message. I have learned that those who preach a carefully honed message which has you nodding along and feeling good about yourself are usually preaching something other than a message given to them by God. One sign that such people are corrupt is that they live the fine life with money gathered from those who listen to their preaching. This contrasts to preachers such as Paul, through whom God works great wonders and who refuse to be a financial burden on anyone.

Isaiah 3-5:30

    I read this passage and wonder if Isaiah was talking about our society today. All of those who a society depends on for stability and honour seem to be gone. People seek to oppress one another at every opportunity. The young insult their elders. The vulgar hold the honourable in contempt. Those with the potential to be true leaders will decline to step forward because the people would rather be led by those who seek their own self-interest.
    Despite all of this, God will look after the godly and judge the wicked. When things have reached a point where recovery seems impossible God will raise leaders to bring people back to Him. The leaders will finally turn the people back from where they were. But before that happens, the rich will accumulate wealth while driving others away from them so that they will live alone. The rich will gather land to themselves, yet it will be unproductive. Where God calls for justice there will be oppression. The people will spend their time seeking only their own pleasure rather than on working to serve the Lord. I see it today, those who say that evil is good and that good is evil. Such people will face great sorrow.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 22:26-27

    If you guarantee someone else’s debt, make sure that you are able to pay it off, because you probably will.

Psalm 52:1-9

    We all know, or know of, someone like the person the psalmist describes. Someone who brags about the evil they do, who tells stories about how they did nasty things to other people. Perhaps we have found ourselves doing it. There are those who destroy others with their words and then brag about it. Such people trust in their own might, wealth, and cleverness rather than trusting in God. God will repay them for their sins. If we trust in God, we will not think of ourselves as better than others and will not attempt to destroy them. If we trust in God we will praise His name and lift others up before Him.

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

    This passage is so relevant right now with the rise of Islamic extremism and other violent attacks on Christians. Those who follow Christ are waging a war and have been doing so since Jesus was raised from the dead. But we do not fight with the weapons of this world, we do not fight with the sword and the gun. Rather we fight with God’s weapons, which are mightier than any wielded by mere man. These weapons will allow us to show the flaws in human reasoning and to knock down the strongholds of belief built upon purely human thought. Such things are necessarily false arguments and contain the seeds of their own destruction within them. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can destroy every idea, thought, and ideology which sets itself up against the knowledge of God. Let us take captive our every thought and make it obedient to Christ, and then, not only our own thoughts but other thoughts as well. If we allow the Spirit to guide us and direct us, He will show us how every human thought, idea, and ideology can be brought around to reveal the true knowledge of God and Christ.

Isaiah 1-2:22

    Yesterday, the theme from 2 Corinthians was being a cheerful giver. However, no matter how much we give to God’s work, it will not make up for doing evil. God does not want our wealth, He wants our obedience. Isaiah warns that for all too many of us our hands are full of blood. God calls for us to give up our evil ways and learn to do good. Let us seek justice, and not just for ourselves, but for others who have not the ability to get it for themselves. If we turn from our sins and begin to obey God, He will wipe us clean and purify us from our sins.
    If we do not turn to Him and accept His grace, we will face His coming judgement. Those who are proud and think that their appearance of righteousness will suffer God’s judgement. On the day of God’s judgement, those who thought they could get by with their own tarnished righteousness will hide in fear. They will abandon the things in which they put their trust in the attempt to avoid the coming judgement. Those who have put their trust in people, whether it be a preacher, or a political leader, will find that their trust was misplaced. No human will be able to save you on the day of God’s judgement.