For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    I completely agree with this proverb. I would rather live an honest, godly life in poverty than gain great wealth through dishonesty and cheating others. The second part of this is important to remember as well. I have seen it in my own life where time and again I have tried to make plans according to what I see as God’s will for my life, only to have circumstances change so as to be unable to continue with those plans. I know that no matter what plans I make, only those which are truly what God wants will come to pass.

    The psalmist reminds us that God’s words and commands provide us with guidance for our lives. By studying God’s path and following His commands we will gain wisdom. God’s word supplies us with the light which allows us to see obstacles in the path of our lives so that we may either avoid them, or know how to deal with them when we must go through them. I have experienced the truth of the psalmist’s words. As I study God’s word and embrace His commands, I discover that I become ever more unwilling to follow paths which involve lies and deceit. The more I seek after God’ Truth, the more I dislike that which is false.

    When Jesus was brought before Annas, the high-priest’s father-in-law, Annas questioned Him about His teachings. Jesus replied by telling him that He had preached openly, none of His teaching was in secret. He told them to ask those who had heard Him teach. It reminds me of a saying I have heard from time to time. If it was illegal to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me? Or to put it another way, if those we meet in our every day lives were asked to testify, could they tell the court what we believe?
    I will strive to live my life so that those around me will know what I believe. If I make sure that those around me know what I believe, the Holy Spirit will bring to me those who are open to being convinced.

    Joab recognized that David was heart-sick at having exiled Absalom. So he sent a woman to David with a story to convince David to bring Absalom home. The woman reminded David that God seeks ways to bring us back to Him when we have been separated by our sins. David took this advice to heart and brought Absalom back. But when he did so, he did not fully follow God’s example. When God brings us back to Him, He embraces us and makes sure we know His love for us. David brought Absalom back, but he did not embrace him as his son. David continued the course of fatherly neglect which had led to the problem in the first place. Let us remember that when we forgive those who have sinned against us, we must show them our love. David failed to show his sons his love in a way which conveyed it to them. Just as David’s failure to convey his love led to Absalom’s rebellion against him, so too will any other father’s failure to convey their love to their children lead those children to rebel.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    People who lack judgement get a thrill out of doing foolish things, but those who understand the connections between actions and consequences choose a path of wisdom and follow it through.

    God will bend down to hear our prayer. I have heard people say that sometimes it seems like their prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling. That is OK, God will stoop down in order to hear even those prayers which do not make it out of the room. It may seem that our cries for His help cannot even get out of our own heads, let alone up to heaven. Yet, even so, when we cry to the Lord for help, He will answer. I cannot pay the Lord back for all that He has done for me. Everything that I possess is already His. So, I will praise His name and serve Him in whatever ways that I can.

    The crowd asked Jesus to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah. Jesus answered them by telling them that He had already told them, but they did not believe Him. The proof was in what He did. In the same way today, the proof of the Gospel we preach is in the works we do. If we listen to Jesus’ voice, speak what He has told us to say, and do what He has told us to do, we will provide proof of God’s existence and greatness. Jesus and the Father are one. Saying so, made the crowd want to kill Jesus. In the same way, we will face opposition when we show that we have become one with Jesus. When we preach the Gospel, let our message be the same as Jesus’ here, “Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.” As we preach the Gospel we must also do God’s work in helping those in need.

    Continuing in the theme of Saul’s insecurity vs David’s faithfulness we have today’s story. Saul gathered a strong force of elite fighting men significantly larger than the group following David and went hunting for David in order to kill him. At one point Saul goes into a cave by himself to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding deep in this cave when Saul went into it. Despite having been told by Samuel that he had been chosen by God as the next king of Israel David refused to kill Saul when the opportunity presented itself. David demonstrates once more his confidence in God’s plan for himself. He was confident that God would protect him from Saul and would, in His own time, clear the path to fulfill His promise to David. Do we have a similar trust in God’s provision for our lives?