For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 22:1

    It is better to be considered an honourable person, to be thought of as someone who does the right thing, than it is to be fabulously wealthy. You cannot buy a good reputation, but a good reputation will assist you in earning what you need to survive.

Psalm 40:1-10

    If we wait patiently for God, He will answer our cries and rescue us from our troubles. He will lift us up and give us joy. If we turn to Him, and only Him, we can trust that He will uphold us and keep us safe. He does not desire offerings and sacrifices. His only desire is that we present ourselves to Him to do His will.
    Here I am, Lord. Ready to do Your will.

1 Corinthians 16:1-24

    Paul instructs us to put aside money for charitable giving on a regular basis. Rather than attempt to come up with large sums when a cause comes up, we should gather our money on a regular basis. Paul says weekly, but I would say that you should base it on when you get paid. If you get paid bi-weekly or monthly, set aside a certain amount out of each paycheck for the Lord’s work. Currently most congregations follow his suggestion of gathering the funds each Sunday and distributing them as occasion arises. This passage is a good reminder for me that I need to get better and giving back to God.
    In the middle of Paul’s conclusion to this letter he says something that sums up much of what he said in the letter. “Do everything in love.” No matter what we do, let love guide our actions. If we confront someone about sin in their life, let it be because of our love for them, not because we think it shows how much better than they we are.

Job 16-19:29

    When attempting to offer comfort to those who are suffering, sometimes it is best to just sit with them and say nothing. Job’s friends insisted that his suffering must be a result of some unconfessed sin, but they could not name what that sin was. The lesson of the book of Job is that we should not assume that someone’s suffering is punishment for their sins.
    Despite the great despair with which Job speaks throughout this book, he makes a great statement of faith. One which will bring much comfort to those suffering if they truly believe it.

I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.(NIV)
This is the basis for a great hymn which has brought comfort to many generations, “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth”.
I know, I know, that Jesus liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know, I know, that life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.

     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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Job 16-19:29

     This passage begins with Job’s response to Eliphaz. Job says that his friends are lousy comforters. Instead of attempting to encourage Job and take away his grief, they are accusing him of being a sinner. Job calls out once more for a mediator between himself and God. He continues by declaring his innocence and asking God to defend it for him, since no one else will. He goes on to say that he has lost all hope and desires death.
     Bildad speaks up again and tells Job to stop speaking nonsense. He tells Job that the wicked suffer from various troubles and diseases. The implication being that since the wicked suffer and Job is suffering, Job must have done something wicked. Job responds that his friends think they are better than he and use his suffering as evidence that he is a sinner. Job declares that God has wronged him. He tells them that everyone has abandoned him. He asks them to have mercy on him since God has struck him. He challenges his friends for saying that all of his suffering is his own fault. In the middle of this tale of depression and woe is a statement of great faith.

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!
I have never quite understood how this fit into the rest of Job’s statements of depression and lack of hope. Here is a statement that we can hold onto when times are bad and we see no way out. Every time I read this passage it calls to mind the great hymn that was based upon it.

1 Corinthians 16:1-24

     Paul begins his conclusion by giving them advice about the money they wanted to collect in order to aid the Christians in Jerusalem. Paul recommends that they put aside a portion of the money they earn each week rather than waiting until he got there to try and gather it up all at once. He tells them that when he gets to Corinth he will write letters of recommendation for those they have chosen to take the money to Jerusalem. If at that time, it seems like a good idea for him to go to Jerusalem, they can all travel together.
     Paul then informs them of the rest of his travel plans. He tells them that he will be staying in Ephesus for a while because there is an open door for him to do great work, despite opposition. He intends to travel from Ephesus to Macedonia and then on to Corinth, where he hopes to stay for an extended period of time. In the meantime, Timothy will be visiting them and they should do their best to protect him from any dangers. He tells them that he had urged Apollos to visit them, but he had other plans. However, Apollos had promised Paul that he would try to get to Corinth at some future date.
     In verses 13 and 14 Paul gives them instructions that we would all do well to take as a mantra of what we will strive to do:

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

• “Be on guard.”–There are those who are striving to mislead us and get us to believe things that are contrary to the Gospel.
• “Stand firm in the faith.”–From time to time, our faith will be shaken, but if we stand firm we will see our faith rewarded.
• “Be courageous.”–We will be threatened for our faith, but we can rest assured that God will guard us from all dangers.
• “Be strong.”–Sometimes the path will be hard and we will have to struggle, but God will give us strength when we ask for it.
• “Do everything with love.”–We cannot go wrong if we make love the motivator of all of our actions.

***

Psalm 40:1-10

     What a great psalm, with a message that I needed today. It starts by talking about waiting patiently for God. He will hear our cries and lift us out of the mud and the mire. He will give us a new hymn of praise to Him to sing. God has given me songs of praise before by what He has done for me. Yet, if I wait patiently for Him, He will give me new reasons to praise Him in the future. If I put my faith in Him others will see what He has done in my life and praise Him.

***
Oh Lord, let me act in such a manner that others will put their trust in you because of it.
***
     God does not desire our goods or our offerings. He wants us to do His will in all aspects of our lives. The psalm ends with what is for me a challenge:I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
***
Oh Lord, place your Spirit upon me so that I can make the above statement my own. Take away my fear of speaking out. Let all of those I meet know of your good news and justice through my words and my deeds. Let no one doubt that I rely on You every moment of my life. I am weak, Lord, and I can only do these things through the motivation of your Spirit.

Proverbs 22:1

     I would rather people know that I am a faithful follower of Christ than be wealthy, even as wealthy as Bill Gates.