For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
I definitely prefer the NIV to the New Living Translation for today’s proverb. The results of what we say effects what we eat and whether or not that food is satisfying. The things we choose to say can result in either positive or negative outcomes. The more we talk the more important it is to choose our words with care.
Are we worn out with praying to God for His mercy? Let us I will call out to God for forgiveness and ask that He rescue me from my sins. I am weak and it is only by the action of God’s Spirit that I will be able to escape from sin. I wish to do God’s will and serve Him, but I do not have the strength. However, the Lord will answer my prayer. His Spirit will move within me and give me the strength to His will.
I was struck by Paul’s description of the commission which he received from Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was being sent to the Gentiles to turn them from the power of Satan to God. That commission is ours as well. We are sent into the world to open the eyes of those who do not know God. We are to show them the light of God so that they may turn from darkness to that light. Those who see the light which we reveal and turn to it will receive forgiveness and become sanctified as one of God’s people. No matter how sinful someone has been, they may turn to God and become a saint.
The other part of this which always moves me is Paul’s response to King Agrippa. King Agrippa asked Paul if he thought he could convince Agrippa to become a Christian in such a short amount of time. Paul’s answer is what should be our prayer, goal, desire in our interactions with all who do not know the Lord. Whether quickly or slowly it is my desire that all who I speak with come to know and follow Jesus as their Lord.
When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh first settled in the land they trusted in God and He answered their prayers. As a result they were able to spread through the land they settled and became numerous. Unfortunately, once they had settled in the land they became unfaithful to God and began worshiping the gods of the people God had driven from the land before them. If we trust in God, He will answer our prayers. Yet, if when we are successful we turn our eyes from Him, we will suffer just as the people of these tribes did.