For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted over the last few weeks to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

Proverbs 25:23-24

    People react the same way to sly attempts to subtly defame others in much the same way they react to an unexpected cold rain.

Psalm 89:1-13

    When I read this psalm, it immediately called to mind the song “I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord”. Of course that is because the opening of this psalm is the basis for that song. I want to make that first verse my life’s purpose.

• I will sing of God’s great love.
• With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

This is a promise I have made to God in the past and I will keep that promise as long as He gives me the strength to continue.



1 Timothy 4:1-16

    Paul warns us against false teachers, people who teach against marriage and who teach special diets. It is OK to eat any food that we receive. When I read this, I think of the controversy over foods which were secretly prepared by Muslim rituals so that it would be “halal”. As a Christian, I do not care that food has been offered to the Muslim god (Muslims claim that they worship the Judeo-Christian God, but then, so did the worshipers of Baal). If someone points out that certain food has been prepared to be halal, I will not eat it, but only because of the person who pointed it out. All food has been made acceptable by the word of God. I will receive it and give thanks to God for it.
    Let us avoid myths and old wives tales. Instead of spending time debating and studying such things we should train ourselves to be godly. Just as professional athlete trains themselves physically, we should train ourselves to be godly. There are two aspects to any training. The first is learning the correct way to do what it is you are training to do. You can do this by reading the word of God and listening to instruction from godly people. The second step is practicing what it is you are training to do. Take the time to act in a godly manner around your fellow believers. Invite them to critique your “technique”. Remember to weight the advice you get according to how successful the person giving it is (but don’t ignore advice from people who themselves do not live godly lives, just remember the source).



Jeremiah 33-34:22

    The passage begins with a continuation of Jeremiah’s prophecy that, even though God was bringing death and destruction upon the people of Israel, one day He would restore them to the land and make them even more prosperous than they had ever been in the past. He would restore them to their land, make them more numerous than ever, and give them peace from all of their enemies. This promise extends to all of God’s people. The day is coming when the people of God, both those biologically descended from Abraham and those adopted by God through Christ, will live at peace in this world.
    The passage ends with Jeremiah condemning the people of Jerusalem. When the city was threatened by the Babylonian armies, the people, led by their king, freed those slaves they had who were Israelites (in a belated acknowledgement of a provision of the law of Moses). However, as soon as the Babylonian armies withdrew, they re-enslaved those they had freed. All too often we behave in a similar manner. When danger threatens, we call out to God and turn from our sins. We stop doing that which is wrong to those around us. Unfortunately, all too often as soon as the crisis is past, we return to our sins and treat those around us even worse than before. God’s punishment will be severe for such acts.

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     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 33-34:22

     God promised through Jeremiah that He would not abandon the descendants of Abraham. God had made a covenant with them and He would keep that covenant as long as day follows night and the universe shall endure. In addition, God had made a covenant that there would be Levites serving as His priests and a descendant of David ruling over His people.
     In the final portion of today’s passage, Jeremiah delivers a condemnation of the people of Jerusalem. In the Law God had told the people that when they obtained their fellow Israelites as slaves, they were to free them every seven years. However, the people of Israel had not followed this instruction. During a time when the people of Jerusalem were feeling threatened by the Babylonians, they entered into a covenant with each other and with God to free those Israelites whom they had as slaves. However, as soon as the threat subsided, they went back on their word and re-enslaved those they had freed.

…
     How often do we do something similar? We are feeling overwhelmed by threats and troubles. We examine our lives and discover those areas where we are acting in ways which we know are outside of God’s will. We turn to God and repent of our sins and turn away from those things we know are wrong. Only to resume those behaviors as soon as the situation gets a little better. Let us turn to God and live according to His will in bad times and in good.

1 Timothy 4:1-16

     Paul tells us that there will arise hypocritical teachers who will lead some to abandon faith in Christ for teachings that are demonic. They will teach that certain foods are to be avoided and that people should not marry. He warns us that these teachers’ conscience will have been seared by their sins such that they see nothing they do as wrong. Paul tells us that all food was created by God to be received with thanksgiving.

…
     There are separate elements to what Paul is writing here that need to be noted. He tells us that there will arise false teachers who will justify any action they desire to take and who will feel no guilt at doing wrong, even things which they had taught were wrong for others to do. Further Paul teaches here that no food is “evil”. We are to give thanksgiving to God for whatever food we find to eat and offer prayers to God for His providing it to us. Paul’s teaching here is that the problem with any given food is not the food itself, but consuming it in excess (which is gluttony).
…
     Paul then continues to an instruction that stands as a challenge to me. He tells Timothy not to waste time arguing over “godless ideas and old wives’ tales”. Rather Timothy is to train himself to be godly. This instruction applies to us as well. I find it difficult not to argue with people about ideas which I find ludicrous. However, it seems to me that Paul is telling us here not to spend time arguing with people about ideas which are not part of the Gospel. Rather we are to train ourselves in godliness in a manner similar to that which athletes train themselves physically.
     Paul’s focus here is on spiritual training and discipline, but I think he is also recommending that we spend some time training our bodies as well. I need to work at being a positive example to everyone around me in all aspects of my life. As I read this today I realized that I need to develop a regimen of training to be godly that is similar to the regimen I would undergo if I was training to run a marathon, or compete in a competitive sport. I take part in a physical activity where some of those involved go through rigorous training in order to improve. They set up a training regimen and place themselves under the auspices of a mentor who points out aspects of their “game” that needs improvement. The mentor assigns them tasks to improve those areas. This seems to me a model which I should adopt for my walk as a Christian.

Psalm 89:1-13

     This psalm reminds me to praise God every day of my life. God’s love for us will never fail. When I read this psalm, the hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, began running through my head. I would post the lyrics here, but it is still under copyright. However, the key line for me today is, “all I have needed Thy hand hath provided.” God’s faithfulness and love will endure for eternity.

Proverbs 25:23-24

     Today’s proverb warns us against seeking to seem clever by speaking negatively about someone behind their back.