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 in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Jeremiah wrote that God said that we should not be like other nations and peoples who try to read their future in the stars and through portents. Rather let us trust in the God who is like no other, who created the universe. All too often we wish to be like everyone else, but God did not create us to be like everyone else.
In the middle of today’s passage, Jeremiah wrote a prayer that strikes me:
I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.
We are not able to plan our own course.
So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.
Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
My life is not my own and my course is not mine to plan. My life belongs to God to dispose of as He sees fit. I pray for Him to direct me on His paths. I ask for His correction when I do not do His will, but I know that I am unable to stand before His anger so I plead for Him to be gentle. The wondrous thing is that I know that He will answer this prayer and show me the glories of following His will.
Paul begins today’s passage with a shorter version of what he wrote in Ephesians 5-6. Wives should submit to their husbands, husbands should love their wives, children are to obey their parents, and fathers are to avoid aggravating their children. In the Ephesians passage he sums this up with “submit to one another.” Just as in his letter to the Ephesians Paul tells slaves to work for their earthly master as if they were working for the Lord rather than for people. Masters are instructed to be just and fair to their slaves.
What Paul wrote next fits into something that has been convicting me lately. He tells them to devote themselves to prayer. I have been feeling called to devote more of my time and thought to prayer. Connected to his instruction on prayer Paul tells us to live wisely among non-believers, so that we can make the most of every opportunity. In order to accomplish this, our conversation is to always be full of grace. If we are always careful about what we say, and how we say it, we will know how to answer everyone who asks about our faith. I know that if we are spending as much time in prayer as we ought, the Spirit will answer through us when non-believers ask us questions about what we believe and our faith. I will strive to be in prayer more and more.
There may be such a thing as praying enough, but I know that there is no such thing as praying too much.
The psalmist tells us that despite the fact that the people of Israel repeatedly rebelled against Him, God raised up David to be their leader and shepherd them with careful hands. David did not come from any of the obvious groups, but rather was chosen by God. We can pray that God raises such a leader again today.
Today’s proverb warns against lying about our neighbors in court or to government officials in order to gain revenge for perceived wrongs they have done to us. We should remember that they are our neighbors, who we are to love as we love ourselves.