Monthly Archives: August 2015

Daily Bible Study

August 12, 2015 Bible Study — Being Single In the Church

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:5-7

    If you carefully plan and work diligently at the plan you will prosper, if you hastily knock things together you will soon find yourself impoverished.

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Psalm 32

    When we refuse to confess our sins, to acknowledge that we have done wrong, it will eat at us, destroying our peace of mind and our bodies. However, when we finally confess our guilt and acknowledge our wrong it all changes and we discover that God will forgive us. Then we experience joy and our bodies begin to recover. It is not enough to confess our sins, we must also seek to follow God and no longer do what is wrong. Instead of continuing to do wrong, let us follow the path that God lays out for us and do right.

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1 Corinthians 7:25-40

    This is a complicated passage because Paul is making several closely related points. The stimulus for Paul’s teaching was “the present crisis” which was occurring in Corinth (and perhaps throughout the Mediterranean). However, I believe there is applicability to what he taught here for the Church at any time. The primary message was that in times of crisis we will be better off if we do not change our current status; if we are single, we should remain single; if we are married, we should stay married.
    However, I think the modern Church (and probably the Church through most of history) misses an important point Paul makes here. The Church all too often treats single adults as if they are not yet adult. There is tendency towards the attitude that when they finally grow up they will get married. Paul tells us that those who are single can focus more on serving God than those who are married. Those who are married must spend some of their time considering how they can meet the needs of their spouse, not just on serving God. Paul is not saying that this is wrong, just that those who are single are able to expend more effort on serving God. Those who are single can spend their time doing God’s work and thinking about how to please Him. On the other hand, those who are married need to spend some of their time thinking about how they can please their spouse. God’s calling is for some Christians to be single and for some Christians to be married. All too often the people of the Church have acted as if being married is the norm and being single is somehow abnormal. We spend too much of our time trying to find God’s intended mate for our single friends and not enough time considering that they can, in many ways, better serve God by remaining single.
    I rejoice that God gave me a wonderful wife, but I regret that when I was single I did not spend less time looking for a wife and more time looking to serve God.

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Nehemiah 3:15-5:13

    The first thing that struck me about this passage was that the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall did not happen by government mandate. Nehemiah inspired the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding area to work on rebuilding the walls. He did not tax them in order to hire workers, nor did he conscript their labor to do the work. Instead, those who were able rebuilt the sections of the wall near where they lived and worked. The reconstruction was not a top down, government mandated effort. Instead, it was an effort by the people which was supported and encouraged by the government.

Daily Bible Study

August 11, 2015 Bible Study — On Marriage

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:4

    When one starts to believe that they are better than others, it is only a matter of time until they will begin to undertake evil acts against those they believe are their inferiors. It is when we start to believe that certain individuals and groups are of less value than ourselves that we start to justify mistreating them in order to advance our own interests.

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Psalm 31:19-24

    God has stored up goodness waiting for us to turn to Him. When we learn to fear Him and follow His commands He will release that goodness to us. If we cry out to Him for mercy, God will rescue us and shelter us from those who wish to see us fall. God will protect us if we loyally serve Him.

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1 Corinthians 7:1-24

    When I read today’s passage it sounds like he was talking about contemporary society. Paul says that staying single and nor having sexual relations with anyone is a good thing, but because of how much sexual immorality there is it is not practical for everyone. In order to minimize the temptation of sexual immorality that our society throws at us everyday, each man should have a wife and each woman a husband. Husband and wife should work to satisfy the sexual desires of their partner so that their partner is not as susceptible to lust. This is clearly a two way street.
    Paul makes it very clear that he is not commanding Christians to marry. He states that it would be ideal (Paul’s view of ideal) if everyone would be able to resist sexual sin without being married, but he knows that not everyone has that gift. Those who are single and find themselves struggling with sexual temptation should get married. So, Paul tells us that he believes that the ideal is for single Christians to stay single. However, he emphasizes that those who are married should stay married. It is wrong to leave your spouse. The only wiggle room which Paul allows is that if one is married to an unbeliever and the unbeliever leaves the believer, the believer is freed (I believe Paul would have had some serious words for a believer who married an unbeliever).
    Ultimately I find three key points in this passage. The first is that those of us who are married should strive to satisfy the sexual desires of our spouses. The second is that if a single person (whether never married or widowed) is able to resist the sexual temptations of our society, it is a blessing if they remain single…being single does not make one a second class Christian, on the contrary, we should hold them up as the ultimate example of Christianity. The third is that a Christian should not divorce their spouse under any circumstances. However, a Christian whose non-Christian spouse divorces them is free to go on with their life.

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Nehemiah 1:1-3:14

    Nehemiah received a report that things were going badly in Jerusalem for the returned Exiles. However, he did not rush off to do something about it. And he did not demand that the government do something about it. No, Nehemiah fasted and prayed for several days, actually, from the context of the passage it appears that he did so for several months (my reading is that he fasted and prayed for days at a time over a period of several months). At the end of that time, Nehemiah felt that God had given him an answer as to what he should do. This represents the model we should follow when we hear of a tragedy somewhere which touches our heart. Let us fast and pray until God gives us a direction as to what action He wants us to take.

Daily Bible Study

August 10, 2015 Bible Study–On Lawsuits Among Believers

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:3

    It is a good thing to make sacrifices to and for God, but you cannot make up for doing wrong by doing so. You cannot even make up for not doing the right thing by making sacrifices to God. If we want to please God it is more important to do what is right and just than it is to sacrifice to Him (or for Him).

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Psalm 31:9-18

    I do not think that the message this psalm carried for me today was one the psalmist intended to convey, but it is one I believe the Holy Spirit intends us to hear. When we have been separated from God by our sin, do we suffer in tears and agony the way the psalmist depicts himself in this psalm? Do we turn again to God with repentance and remorse? Do we trust His unfailing love and grace to transform us so that we are freed from our bondage to sin? I know that I do not feel the level of remorse for some of my sins that I need to learn. I pray that God’s Spirit will move within me so that I recognize the harm I am doing to myself and others with my sins and so that I will feel the sorrow which I know they cause God.

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1 Corinthians 6

    Paul here addresses the issue of lawsuits. Believers should NEVER take another believer to court over anything. I have heard stories of a congregation suing Church leadership over ownership of a building, or a Denomination suing a congregation over the same thing (and in both cases vice versa). I have heard stories of believers suing other believers (or, at least both parties claimed to be believers). For all of these cases Paul suggests that we should find another believer (or group of believers) to judge between us. This teaching makes sense to me, when we have a dispute with a fellow believer which we cannot resolve between us (for whatever reason), we should find someone else in the Church to judge how it should be resolved.
    Some people will ask, “But what if the other party refuses to be bound by that judgment?” Paul has a simple answer for that. It is better to let yourself be cheated than to ask unbelievers to judge between us. It is better to be cheated than it is to allow the name of Christ to be sullied by our disputes. Are we willing to trust God enough to do that? Or is it more important to us that we get our own way than that we bring glory to God?
    I agree with Paul. It is better to be cheated than to take my fellow believer (or even one who merely claims to be my fellow believer) before unbelievers for judgment between us.

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Ezra 10

    I always struggle with this passage because of how the issue is framed. I have a problem with the idea that it is wrong to marry outside of one’s “people”. However, I do like the way the New Living Translation deals with this. It makes it clear that the problem was not that the women were not descendants of Jacob. No, the problem was that they were pagans, that they worshiped gods other than God. It is really simple. For any marriage to last a husband and wife must share the same faith. If you start out with different faiths it just means that you will end up with some syncretic blend of the two which is inconsistent with either of the two original faiths.

Daily Bible Study

August 9, 2015 Bible Study–Reject Sin

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:1-2

    It is not enough to do what we think is right. We need to compare what we think is right against what God says is right. God knows whether we are trying to do what is best for others or merely looking out for own interests, even when we have convinced ourselves we are doing good.

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Psalm 31:1-8

    I will trust God to take care of me. He is the strong fortress within which I will shelter from all those who pursue me. If I will follow Him, God will lead me out of danger and into safety. I commit my body, life, and spirit to God to use as He sees fit.

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1 Corinthians 5

    In the last chapter, which I read and commented on yesterday, Paul told us not to make judgments about people ahead of time (or as the NIV translates, “before the appointed time”). Yet he immediately follows his discussion of that by telling the Church in Corinth to judge a man guilty of sexual sin. So, obviously there is more to what we are supposed to do than “do not judge others.”
    As we read Paul’s writing here he appears to be horrified by the situation. Not only was the man committing this sin an accepted member of the Church while openly committing this sin, the Church was proud about this fact. They are using him as an example of how accepting they are. When the Church is accepting of its members sins the entire Church becomes corrupted. The purpose of the Church is to call people to be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that they can learn to live without sin. Once the Church accepts one sin it will gradually lose its ability to call people to turn from ANY sin.
    I believe that the problem here was not that the man was sinning. The problem was that he, and the Church, were not only pretending that there was nothing wrong with his sin, but were proud of it. All of us have sinned, and most of us will continue to sin (although the Bible gives us hope to overcome that sin). However, we are called to acknowledge that sin as a failure and to strive to allow the Holy Spirit to overcome it in our lives. Sin is not something for us to accept and continue doing. It is something for us to acknowledge the pain and suffering it causes, both to ourselves and to others. When someone who claims to be a believer in and a follower of Christ begins to live in sin (and in this case, I am not using that as a euphemism for sexual sin) without any remorse, we, as their brothers and sisters in Christ, are called upon to challenge their behavior and call them to accept the transformation of the Holy Spirit. This action must be done in love, but we may not accept those who call evil good as our brothers.

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Ezra 8:21-9:15

    When Ezra prepared to set out with the group he had gathered he was concerned for their security because of the large amount of treasure they had been given for the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezra did not want to ask the king for a military escort because he had already spoken to the king about how God protected those who worshiped Him. There were two actions which Ezra and the rest of the group took to ensure the safety of the treasure they were entrusted with. The first was to spend time in fasting and prayer requesting that God protect them in their travels. The second thing they did was to divide up the treasure among various groups, carefully documenting how much of what was given to each group. The division was done in an open and public manner so that no one would be able to claim that one group was given more, or less, than they were actually given. A careful effort was made to avoid even the possible appearance of impropriety.

Daily Bible Study

August 8, 2015 Bible Study — Imitate Me As I Imitate Christ (And Not As I Fail To Do So)

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:28-30

    A ruler is secure when he is loved by his people. He will be loved by his people when he demonstrates that he loves them by doing what is in their best interest, not what is in his own best interest. This applies even in governments which are variations of democracy. If the people, who are the rulers in such governments, vote for what is in the best interest of their fellow citizens rather than just what they perceive is in their own interest, the government will be strong and well-loved. When the people vote for they perceive as being in their own interest rather than what they believe to be in the best interest of others, the government will be weak and hated. In the latter case, it will be replaced by a government whose rulers, at best, have the appearance of answering to the people, but do not.

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Psalm 30

    All too often when times are good we respond just as the psalmist did. We think that nothing will ever go wrong again and that our success is a product of our own skill. We forget God, or minimize the amount of time we spend with Him. I am as guilty of this as the next person. Sometimes, we think that our success is evidence that we are doing God’s will and that therefore we do not need to seek time in communion with Him. If we make that mistake, God will discipline us and act to bring us back to Him. If we once more turn to Him and seek His will He will turn our mourning to joy.

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1 Corinthians 4

    Paul tells us not to judge ourselves, nor should we fell condemned by the judgement of others. The only judgement which matters is that of God. We should not judge ourselves as better than others, especially not on the basis of which human leaders we follow.
    Paul urges the Corinthians to imitate him. Let us seek to follow leaders whom we can imitate and by imitating them we are imitating Christ. We should strive to live our lives in such a manner that when others imitate us they are imitating Christ.

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Ezra 7:1-8:20

    The king of Persia recognized the value of people following God’s law. He encouraged Ezra to travel to Jerusalem and appoint judges and magistrates who would judge according to God’s laws. Artaxerxes also encourage Ezra to teach God’s law to those who did not already know it.

Daily Bible Study

August 7, 2015 Bible Study — Are You Building On the True Foundation?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Happy Birthday to my lovely wife.

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Proverbs 20:26-27

    When the wicked start forming alliances among themselves a wise ruler acts to break those groups up and bring as many of the wicked to justice as possible. He does not allow the wicked to thrive and build organizations unopposed. A wise ruler realizes that if he allows the wicked to do so it is only a matter of time until they will challenge his authority and seek to replace him. If they have been allowed to get too strong, they will succeed.

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Psalm 29

    Let us honor and worship the Lord. I cannot do justice to the image which the psalmist creates as he describes the power and glory of God. Read this psalm today and meditate on what a great God we serve.

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1 Corinthians 3:5-23

    It does not matter which teacher you learned from/follow. It does not matter what denomination you are a member of. That teacher, the founder of that denomination is a servant of God, spreading His message, or they are not. Find out what message God sent through every teacher who serves Him. Some plant, some water, some provide nutrients necessary for growth, but it is God who makes things grow.
    Paul then switches metaphors from growing plants to building a building. If we desire to build something worthy of heaven we must build on the foundation which is Jesus Christ. There are no other foundations which will produce a building which will stand the test. The foundation has already been laid by those who have gone before. It actually just occurred to me how this passage applies to evaluating teachers and religious groups. When you examine the teachings of a particular teacher, or the founder(s) of a denomination, are they building on the foundation which is already laid? Or are they attempting to lay an entirely new foundation? If they are laying a new foundation, run away from them as fast as you can, no matter how beautiful the structure they are building appears.
    Paul goes on to speak about how different builders use different materials. Those who use more durable materials will build something which lasts, but even those who use less durable materials will survive, so long as they built on the foundation which is Jesus Christ.

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Ezra 4:24-6:22

    In yesterday’s passage, those who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple were able to obtain orders to prevent its building by asking the authorities to check the records about Jerusalem and Judah being a rebellious province. A search of the Babylonian records indicated that such was indeed the case. Thus a halt was ordered to construction of the Temple. In today’s passage, we are told how the Jews referenced Cyus’ order to build the Temple and asked for the archives to be search. As a result, not only were they ordered to resume building, but those who had opposed their actions were ordered to support them in every way they were able. These two passages highlight the importance of how an argument is framed. Let us follow the Spirit’s lead so that we may put the task God has given us in the best possible light.

Daily Bible Study

August 6, 2015 Bible Study — Not The Wisdom Of This Age

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:24-25

    Do not worry when you cannot understand where your path is taking you. God is directing our steps and has a destination in mind for us. If we love Him and trust Him we will find joy at the end of our road.

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Psalm 28

    This psalm is a call asking God to bring the wicked to justice. Additionally, the psalmist praises God for showing him mercy. Both aspects represent things we should model. However, there is an additional point the psalmist makes I want to take note of today. He says that if God remains silent he may as well die. I want to have a similar desire to hear God speak to me. I wish that every day I felt incomplete until I had heard God speak to me. There are days when I have that feeling, but not every day. I pray that God will make it so that I seek His voice each and every day.

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1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4

    In yesterday’s passage Paul told us that the Gospel is foolishness by human standards. In today’s passage he emphasizes that he did not say that it was actually foolishness. Instead, Paul tells us that the Gospel is wisdom, but not the sort of wisdom which will help you rule the world, or even a piece of it. The lesson in this passage is that the only way we can acquire the wisdom of God, the only way we can know God’s thoughts is by receiving His Spirit.
    Then comes the part I struggle to remember. No matter how eloquently, no matter how clearly, we explain spiritual truths those who have not receive God’s Spirit will consider what we say to be foolish. We will never convince anyone to come to Christ by our grand words. It is only when the Spirit begins to move in their hearts that they will begin to understand the wisdom of the words which the Spirit speaks through our mouths.

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Ezra 3:1-4:23

    I always struggle with the response of the leaders of the returned Exiles when those whom they now lived among asked to work with them to rebuild the Temple. They flatly rejected the offer of assistance. On the one hand, the rejection was flat out and cold. They told those who had offered that they could have no part in the effort. It seems to me that we should accept all who wish to worship God and welcome their assistance in building God’s Kingdom.
    On the other hand, these people had been living in the area all during the Exile, and not once had they thought to rebuild the Temple. They claimed to be seeking God, but they had made no effort to dedicate themselves to serving God until the Jewish Exiles returned. There are dangers to accepting help in doing God’s work from those who are not truly dedicated to serving God. If they have been splitting their allegiance between serving God and other interests they are likely to attempt to bring this same mindset into the new task as well.

Daily Bible Study

August 5, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:22-23

    Do not seek revenge for the wrong you perceive others to have done you. If they have truly done wrong, God will handle the matter. If your perception is in error and you take revenge, you will be the one in the wrong. Trust in God to bring everyone justice.

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Psalm 27:7-14

    God desires that we come and talk with Him. He is calling us to do so, let us listen to His voice and answer Him. When we come to the Lord in prayer, it is not enough to tell Him of our desires, we must also listen to what He has to tell us. If we enter into conversation with God, He will never reject us. Our friends and our family may reject us, but God never will.

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1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5

    The message of the Gospel is foolish to those who rely on human wisdom. We will never find God by seeking out what mankind thinks of as wise. The victory of Christ was dying on the cross. Christ did not achieve His victory by dying. Dying was His victory. Without the Holy Spirit working within us we can never understand this.
    Christ may be foolish to those who are wise by the world’s standard, but for those who have been called by God He is the power and wisdom of God. It is not by what the world views as power, or wealth, or wisdom that we come to God. God chooses those whom the world calls foolish, those whom the world calls powerless, those whom the world calls impoverished, or to sum it up, those whom the world calls worthless. Through those He has called God shows His power, His wealth, His wisdom, and most importantly He shows us that no person is worthless. I will boast about nothing but the power and wisdom of God.

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Ezra 1-2

    When Cyrus of Persia had defeated Babylon he not only allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, he encouraged them to do so. In this way God fulfilled the prophecy He had given through Jeremiah regarding the length of the Exile.

Daily Bible Study

August 4, 2015 Bible Study — You Do Not Lack Any Spiritual Gift

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:20-21

    When we read this proverb we often do not realize the full intent of what it says. When the proverb says “curse” it does not mean use foul language. It means “attempt to cause bad things to happen to someone.” So, those who attempt to cause bad things to happen to their own parents will discover those bad things coming upon themselves. Even if your parents deserved the curse you sent their way, sending it their way will cement yourself into following them in their evil ways.

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Psalm 27:1-6

    If we truly put our trust in God there is nothing for us to be afraid of. There is no one and nothing which can harm us if God does not wish us to be harmed. Just as important as that is the fact that God loves us. If we trust Him and wish to serve Him, then anything which happens to us will bring us joy (if not immediately, then in the long run) as we see how it furthers God’s purpose.

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1 Corinthians 1:1-17

    Usually when I read 1 Corinthians everything before Paul starts talking about division in the Church reads to me as just “intro” or “presenting his credentials”. It does not really register. He tells the Corinthians, and I believe that this applies to us as well, that God has enriched them in every way. God has blessed them(us) with knowledge and skilled speakers (the way Paul says this reads to me as both those oratory skill and those able to talk in various languages). In addition, they(we) do not lack any spiritual gift needed for the life of the Church.
    I realized that Paul was telling us that we have no excuse for failing to accomplish the tasks which God has given us (for this discussion I am talking about us as the local body of believers, not us as individuals). If we think that we are missing some skill or knowledge, we have not looked closely enough at those who are among us, or we have failed to listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. God is faithful. He will not call us to a task which He has not provided us the strength, knowledge, and skill to accomplish. We often seek outside of the local body of believers for resources when God calls us in a new direction when we should be looking for whom among us God is raising up for the task. The place we do this most often, to the detriment of the Church at large as well as to the local body, is in the case of pastors. I believe that most of the time pastors should be called from among those who are already part of the local body of believers, rather than from outsiders (there are clear exceptions to this, but we have made those exceptions the norm).

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2 Chronicles 35-36

    I am always uplifted when I read about the Passover which Josiah celebrated. The story makes me envision spiritual revival throughout the land. I imagine the people having a renewed dedication to serving the Lord. But then Josiah goes on an ill-fated expedition. He decides to challenge King Neco of Egypt as the latter marched to do battle against the Babylonians. Josiah died in this battle and the kings who succeeded him did evil leading to the conquest of Judah and Jerusalem. The follow up to Josiah’s glorious reign always saddens me.

Daily Bible Study

August 3, 2015 Bible Study — Stay Away From People Who Cause Divisions

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 20:19

    If you spend your time with those who are always talking about what others are doing, pretty soon everyone will know what you are doing. More importantly, they will “know” it in a way that is unflattering to you.

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Psalm 26

    If we act with integrity God will declare us innocent, but how can we be sure that we will act with integrity?

    Remember that God examines our hearts and our minds, which should make us aware of His unfailing love and cause us to rely on His faithfulness. This results in us being uncomfortable when we find ourselves around liars and hypocrites, so uncomfortable that we choose to not be around them as soon as we are able. Our integrity will lead us to separate ourselves from gatherings of evildoers and to not aid the wicked in their projects (even those projects which appear to be innocent of their wickedness, because while that may appear to be the case, it is not).

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Romans 16:10-27

    Paul wraps up his letter to the Roman believers by warning them to watch our for, and stay away from those who cause divisions. This is an important message for the Church today. However, it is interesting to note who it is that Paul says causes divisions. The people who cause division are those who teach things which are contrary to what we have been traditionally taught. This strikes me as pointing out a mistake the Church often mistakes. All too often we have allowed and encouraged those who teach, but don’t practice, that some behavior is acceptable to remain in leadership positions.

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2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33

    In yesterday’s passage it told us that King Manasseh did many evil things until he was taken prisoner by the Assyrians. During his captivity he turned to God and repented his sins. Today’s passage starts out by describing how he acted after this transformation. He spent the rest of his life working to reverse the things he had done as a young man. Unfortunately, his son followed his youthful example rather than his mature example.
    However, Manasseh’s grandson sought God from a young age. Josiah started out by destroying pagan shrines and idols as far as his power would reach. He continued by purifying the Temple and restoring it to use. Josiah led a religious revival in the land of Israel, one which extended beyond the area over which he ruled.