I am trying something different. Previously, I have always placed my comments on the passage in the order Old Testament passage, New Testament passage, Psalm, Proverb. For the near future I am going to post them in the order in which I prepare the comments. This is likely to be the reverse of how I was doing it, but I foresee changing it up depending on what strikes me first. Please let me know what you think of this change.
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, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Proverbs 8:1-11     The proverb writer tells us that wisdom and understanding are not hard to find, if we look for them. They are calling out to us and making themselves available to any who desire them. Wisdom is more valuable than anything we can desire, let us seek it with all that we are.

Psalm 31:1-8     If we turn to God for protection, He will not let us be disgraced. If we allow God to be our fortress, He will pull us from the traps set by our enemies. Trust in the Lord and He will set you in a safe place. Following God’s commands will lead us away from danger and into safety.

Matthew 25:1-30     In today’s passage Jesus told two parables about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the first parable He talks about ten brides-to-be waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. Five of them carefully prepare with extra oil, five only bring the oil which is in their lamp. The bridegroom is later than they expected and they fall asleep. When he arrives and they awaken, the five with extra oil quickly prepare their lamps and are ready to go. The other five need to go and get more oil, causing them to miss his arrival. Jesus tells us to be like the five wise brides-in-waiting and prepare against His return. In addition, He warns us that we cannot borrow preparation from someone else.
In the second parable Jesus gives us an example of what being prepared meant. It means taking the gifts God has given us and working hard to maximize those gifts and the impact they can have in the world around us. This second parable has always left me feeling a little scared. I have always felt that God has given me great gifts, but I must confess that I have not done much with those gifts. Throughout my life I have sought God’s guidance as to what He would like me to do with the gifts He has given me. To go along with my feeling of receiving great gifts from God has been the feeling that I have never received the guidance as to what He wants me to do with them. I suspect that my inability to discern God’s guidance for my life is a product of my laziness and fear of what He is calling me to. All of this leads me to fear that I am the third of the servants in God’s parable. Which leads me to continue to seek what He wants me to do with the talents He had given me. I know that, even if my gifts are less than I perceive them to be, that I have not lived the life to which God has called me. I will continue to strive to find the tasks to which He is calling me.

Exodus 26-27:21     Today’s passage gives a detailed description of the Tabernacle which Moses was instructed to have built. Then it ends with the instruction to use pure olive oil to keep the lamps lit. Those lamps were to be kept lit continuously, so that the light might of those lamps might shine in the presence of God. I was going to say that the bit about the lamps being kept lit was what struck me, but then I realized that was not true. What really struck me was the attention to detail necessary to construct the Tabernacle according to God’s instruction. Things like the three feet of overhanging tent covering mentioned in verse 12 of chapter 26. Or like the fact that the Tabernacle would be made of one continuous piece as mentioned in verse 6 of the same chapter. Such attention to detail is something that I have a hard time with, I believe that God is telling me that I need to work on that.