For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    It is detestable when someone makes offerings and sacrifices to offset wicked behavior they have no intention of changing. It is even worse when they make those offerings with the intention of getting the righteous to cover for them.

    The godly give good advice and teach right from wrong. More importantly, they internalize God’s law and live it, even when no one is watching. It may seem as if the wicked are flourishing and immune to all of trouble. It seems they will stand the test of time. Yet, look away for but a moment and when you look back they will be gone, all trace of them wiped from the earth.

    Paul continues his teaching about spiritual gifts. He tells us that when we meet together he would rather we speak five intelligible words than thousands of words in an unknown language. When we get together only one person should speak at a time. When we sing, we should all be singing the same song. Our gatherings should be orderly and proper. If the service is chaotic and disorderly, we are not glorifying God. One final note, orderly and proper does NOT mean staid and boring.

    Today as I read this it struck me that one of the important lessons about the book of Job is that we need to be careful when we seek to comfort and advise those who are suffering. On the one hand we both want to and ought to give them advice and counsel which may offer them hope and the chance to ease their suffering. On the other hand we must be careful not to conclude that they have done wrong just because they are suffering. People do not always suffer in order to teach them a lesson. Sometimes they experience suffering in order to teach someone else a lesson. That someone else may be us. Let us always be ready to learn the lessons God is trying to teach. And let us welcome the opportunity for God to use our suffering to teach others.