Tag Archives: Christianity

October 20, 2013 Bible Study — Provide For Your Relatives

October 19, 2013 AttilaDimedici

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 35-36:32

     Jeremiah honored a family clan which had stayed true to traditions laid down by their ancestor. At God’s behest, he held them up as an example to the rest of Israel. They had remained faithful to instructions handed down by their ancestor, yet the majority of the Israelites had failed to remain faithful to the instructions handed down by God.
     God instructed Jeremiah to write down on a scroll all of the prophecies which He had given him. The hope was that if the people of Israel heard all of the terrible things in store for them if they continued in their evil ways, they might repent. Jeremiah summoned Baruch and dictated the prophecies to him and Baruch wrote them down on a scroll. Baruch then took the scroll to the Temple on one of the holy days where he read it to the people. When some low-level functionaries heard what he was reading they asked him to come to them and read the scroll for them. They were horrified by all of the terrible prophecies which they heard and sent word to the king.
     The king instructed them to bring the scroll and read it to him in front of his court. As the scroll was read, the king cut off the portions that had been read and threw them in the fire until the entire scroll had been read and burned. The king and his companions showed no remorse or repentance when they heard the words on the scroll and had no fear of the terrible things predicted. When Jeremiah received word that the king had burned the scroll, he dictated a second copy to Baruch which included even more dire prophecies.

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Whenever I read, or hear this passage, I think of a picture from a Sunday School class when I was very young which depicted the king sitting on a comfortable chair cutting pieces off of the scroll as it was read to him. This story has always stuck with me as an example that we cannot escape news we do not like by destroying the medium on which it is delivered to us. Today, I was struck by something else as well. As I have been reading the book of Jeremiah, I have felt like his prophecies of doom were speaking to our country now. In this passage I was struck by how even at this late date there is still opportunity to repent and turn back to God. The doom is not inevitable, if we turn to God and change our ways, He will forgive us our sins and bring us blessings.

1 Timothy 5:1-25

Paul gives a series of miscellaneous advice to Timothy in today’s passage. Paul tells Timothy to treat those older than himself with respect, even when they need to be called to account. Those the same age or younger should be treated as siblings, gently and with love. As believers it is our responsibility to look after our family members who cannot support themselves, we should not expect the Church to care for them. On the other hand, the Church should provide for those in need who have no family to help them. Those who are in need of assistance should pray to God for His help and strive to do all they can to care for themselves.

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I get a sense from Paul’s writings (here and elsewhere) that Christians should strive to help those in need, but we should never expect others to help us. This does not mean that we are not to accept help when it is offered and we are in need, just that it is not our right to be helped. I should always strive to work so as to have the resources to provide for my own needs and to have some left over the help others, even when that seems to be impossible.

Psalm 89:14-37

Just as God made David king over Israel because he honored God with his life, so too will God lift us up if we dedicate our lives to honoring God. Let us call out to God, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.”

Proverbs 25:25-27

Compromise between the righteous and the wicked is not a virtue. It is not honorable to seek an honor for oneself.

Daily Bible Study

October 19, 2013 Bible Study — Training In Godliness

October 18, 2013 AttilaDimedici

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.

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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.

Daily Bible Study

October 18, 2013 Bible Study — Requirements For Leaders

October 17, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

Jeremiah has been given a prophecy of coming destruction for Jerusalem, but now he is given a message of hope for the future. God promised to make a new covenant. One in which He would put His instructions within His people and write His laws on their hearts. Those who wish to follow God will not need to be taught to know the Lord. Any who wish to know the Lord will be able to come to Him and know Him without anyone teaching them because God will make Himself known to them. God has done this great thing, if we look within ourselves we will see what He desires.
Earlier in this book, Jeremiah recorded several illustrations which God had told him to carry out to illustrate the coming judgment. Now, when the fall of Jerusalem was imminent, God told him to give an illustration of His promise to bring the people back from exile. God instructed Jeremiah to buy a plot of land. Jeremiah had been preaching and prophesying that Jerusalem would fall to Nebuchadnezzar. Now, when it was clear that this was about to happen, Jeremiah was telling the people that they would be restored to the land. To show that he believed what he said, Jeremiah bought a piece of land and sealed the deed in a pottery jar. Jeremiah reminds us that nothing is too hard for God. Just as God had brought about the calamities which He promised, so too would He bring about the good things which He had promised. Let us remember that we may face troubled and difficult times, but God has promised to care for us and bring us through them to better times as well.

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1 Timothy 3:1-16

Paul here lays out the requirements that someone must meet in order to be selected as an elder and as a deacon. There has been much debate about the importance of these instructions and the meaning of Paul’s statement that an elder must be faithful to his wife. However, what struck me today is that these standards are those which I should strive to meet, whether I am called to be an elder (or other leadership role in the Church) or not. These are things which an elder is called to be so that they can be a model to others in the Church. However, we are all called to be above reproach, faithful to our wives (spouse), temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. The only one of the requirements which Paul lists for an elder that is, perhaps, not one all Christians should aspire to is being able to teach (well, those who God calls to lead a single life do not need to be faithful to the spouse they do not have). In addition, we should seek to have a good reputation among those outside of the Church so as to be good witnesses for Christ.

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Sometimes we get so caught up in discussing the meaning of this passage in deciding who should be a leader in the Church that we forget why our leaders are to have these characteristics. They are to have these characteristics so as to model them for us. Which means that those of us who are not called to leadership positions are to strive to have these same behaviors and characteristics.

Psalm 88:1-18

The psalmist cries out to God from deepest despair. Even when overwhelmed by depression, he calls out to God. This psalm is a model for us. When we are troubled, no matter how severe our depression, we need to call out to God. We may not see God’s answer to our prayers, but we need to come before him with persistence. When this world’s trouble threaten to overwhelm me I will do as the psalmist:

O Lord, I cry out to you.
I will keep on pleading day by day.

Proverbs 25:20-22

This proverb suggests that the best way to respond to those who are your enemies is by being kind and caring to them. There are two benefits to this. The first is that you will make them look bad when they attack you. The second is that God will reward you for your kindness.

Daily Bible Study

October 17, 2013 Bible Study — Pray For All People

October 16, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 30-31:26

Jeremiah writes of a coming time of terror, a time of trouble for God’s people. Yet, he says that God’s people should not be afraid or dismayed because God will save them. This is a message which I will keep close to my heart. I will not be troubled or afraid, no matter how bad things are because God promises that even on that day of utmost terror He will be with His people and save them.
God said through Jeremiah that His people’s sins were so great and many that He had to punish them, He had to allow the nations of the world to devour them. However, those who devoured His people would be devoured. Those who plundered them would be plundered. Those who attacked them would be attacked. Those who refuse to become part of God’s people will endure suffering. But for those who turn to God and accept a place among His people, He will turn their mourning into joy. God will give rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowful.

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1 Timothy 2:1-15

Paul urges us to pray and petition God for all people, especially those in positions of governmental authority. One reason that we are to pray for the authorities is so that we may live in peaceful, quiet, and holy lives. A second reason for us to pray for all people, including the authorities, is that God wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth and to be saved.
In the current time of government strife here in the U.S., have we as Christians remembered our duty to pray for those in positions of authority? And have we done so? But there is a little more to it than just praying. Paul tells us to pray with holy hand lifted up, free from anger and controversy. So, when we pray, we are to bring our prayers before God without anger and without taking sides. Let us lift up those in positions of authority and request that God make His will known to them and change their hearts so that they willingly do His will. But we are not to bring our opinions about what God’s will for them to do into the prayer. Let us submit ourselves to God’s will as we pray for the people around us and for those in authority over us. This last is a real challenge for me. I am an opinionated person who is sure that I know how others should think.

Psalm 87:1-7

The psalmist wrote that the day will come when God will offer everyone from every nation the opportunity to be a citizen of His holy city. That day has arrived, through Christ, God offers each and every one of us the opportunity to be adopted into His family and thus become citizens of the Kingdom of God. What a glorious opportunity we have.

Proverbs 25:18-19

When I was little, we had a saying that I am sure is still taught to children, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is presented from the perspective of the one on the receiving end of hurtful words and thus serves some good. However, as this proverb points out, it is not true. What we say about others can be as damaging to them as attacking them with a weapon.

Daily Bible Study

October 16, 2013 Bible Study — Teach Me Your Ways, O Lord

October 15, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 28-29:32

Another prophet contradicted Jeremiah’s prophecies. Jeremiah responded by saying that he hoped the prophet was correct, but the prophets who had preceded the two of them had consistently prophesied war and disaster. As a result, a prophet who prophesied peace can only be accepted as a prophet of the Lord when his prophecies come true. Jeremiah then prophesied that the other prophet would die within the year and the prophet died in the seventh month of that same year (the other prophet had contradicted Jeremiah in the fifth month).
Jeremiah then wrote a letter to those who had been taken into exile in Babylon. He tells them to accept their lives in exile, to plant gardens, to marry and have children, and to find spouses for their children. They are to pray for the prosperity of the land in which they find themselves because its prosperity would be their prosperity. Further Jeremiah told them not to believe those who claimed to be prophets who said that they would return to Judah soon.

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Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon has bearing on us today. The recipients of Jeremiah’s letter were not citizens of the land in which they lived. They were citizens of Judah, from which they were exiled. In much the same way, Christians today are citizens of a land far from where they live, we are citizens of heaven. But just as Jeremiah told the exiles in Babylon that they should pray for the land in which they found themselves we are to pray for the land in which we find ourselves. This is not our home, but the prosperity of our neighbors is our prosperity. God wishes for us to seek the well-being of those among whom we find ourselves. Let us seek their well-being and petition God to meet their needs and soothe their hurts.

1 Timothy 1:1-20

Once more Paul talks about the law and not getting caught up in parsing every jot and tittle of the law. As I was reading it I realized he was making a point that I have known, but never thought of in this context. Paul tells us that the law was not intended for the righteous, rather it was meant for those who will not follow it. This applies not just to our Christian faith, but to all of life. Those who are truly striving to please God do not need the law, or rules, to tell them how to behave. They are seeking to act in the best interests of those around them. Laws and rules are written for those who are trying to find loopholes through which they can advance their own desires at the expense of others. Their standard fallback when confronted over their wrongdoing is, “Well, the rules/law doesn’t say I can’t do that.” Here, and elsewhere, Paul points out that the shortcoming of following the law is that those who want to do wrong will always find a loophole that allows them to behave in a wicked manner. And those who wish to serve God do not need rules to do the right thing.

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I take part in a competitive activity that has some rules and every few years they add new ones. However, for the most part the activity is governed by people who are designated by the governing body to interpret the rules. One gets to the point of being considered someone who can take that role by demonstrating that they understand the most basic rule of the organization, “Is that behavior safe?” There is very little need to make drastic changes to the rules because everyone understands that it is about what is safe. There are very few things which the rules explicitly forbid, for the most part the rules list things that might appear dangerous, but which have been determined to be safe. This all works because those involved understand this is not about what can I get away with. Rather it is about having fun without anyone getting hurt.

Psalm 86:1-17

This psalm fits right into the thread of what I have been experiencing for the last little while. I need to pray more. Here the psalmist sets the stage by entering the right state of mind:

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
answer me, for I need your help.

I need to approach God with humility. I come to Him in prayer because I need His help. I am unable to face life without Him. But there is more to my prayers than requesting God’s aid. I come to God in prayer to hear what He has to say to me.

Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.

I will praise God and give glory to His name for as long as He makes me able. God has rescued me from great tragedy.

Proverbs 25:17

Do not over indulge in the hospitality of others. Carefully pay attention to when you may be overstaying your welcome.

Daily Bible Study

October 15, 2013 Bible Study — Pray For Us

October 14, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 26-27:22

In today’s passage, God did not send Jeremiah to the secular leaders, or to the general populace. He sent him to the religious leaders and those who viewed themselves as righteous. The message which God gave these people who considered themselves righteous was that if they did not listen to God and obey the word which He had given them, they would be destroyed.

…
There is still time. If those who claim to be servants of God turn from their evil ways and listen to what God is calling us to, He will change His mind about the disaster He is about to pour out upon the world. We have forgotten what we have been called to do and have gotten involved in trying to rule our fellow man. Let us pray for the Spirit to come down upon the people of this land and change their hearts. Let us pray that the Spirit come down upon us and change our hearts. It is up to me to be faithful. I am not called to make others be faithful. I can only call on them to change insomuch as I am willing to do so as well.
Oh Lord, rain down your Spirit upon me and show me Your will. Take control of my life and use me to bring honor to Your name!

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

Over the last few weeks, I have been convicted to work on improving my prayer life by Paul’s comments to different audiences that he was praying for them continually. Today, I received that conviction from Paul’s request that the believers of Thessalonica pray for him. He asked them to pray that God’s word would spread rapidly and be honored. He asked that he, and others preaching the Gospel, be delivered from wicked and evil people. These are things which I am called to pray for. I will continue to seek the Spirit’s guidance in being more faithful in my prayer life.
Paul gives an important command at this point,

Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.

He instructs us that we should avoid being idle. We should strive to follow his example and work to provide for our needs. In addition, we should work so that we have more than enough to meet our needs so that we can provide assistance to those who are unable to meet their needs. However, none of us should be idle, relying on others to provide our needs. Such idleness leads people to meddle in other people’s affairs and become busybodies. Rather than do meddle in other people’s affairs we should work continually at doing good.
Paul concludes his letter with a prayer that is also a promise. He prays that God give us His peace at all times and in every situation. If we are willing to accept it from God, He will give us that peace.

Psalm 85:1-13

This is a wonderful psalm which reminded me of a great hymn, the final verse of which goes:

Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.

I will make this psalm my prayer for today. I will ask God to restore the people of this, and every, nation to Him once more, to revive faith in Him, so that people can rejoice in Him. I am under no illusions that the majority of the people of the U.S. were ever Christians, but at one time, the Christians were salt in this country, influencing it in a godly direction. Today, the salt has lost its flavor and I pray that God will restore us so that we can once more have a positive influence on those around us.

Proverbs 25:16

This proverb warns that too much of a good thing is bad. There is nothing wrong with doing things which bring pleasure, such as eating honey, but too much will cause problems.

Daily Bible Study

October 14, 2013 Bible Study — Who Is the Man of Lawlessness?

October 13, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 23:21-25:38

Jeremiah continues his condemnation of false prophets. Jeremiah tells us how we can be true prophets of God and how we can recognize true from false prophets. If we want to be true prophets of God, we must stand before God and listen to what He has to say. We do not become prophets of God by stealing messages from others, even if we believe that they were speaking God’s word. This does not mean that we cannot repeat what we believe are messages from God that we have heard others say. However, if we do so, we must make sure to acknowledge where we heard it and not take claim that it is a message which God revealed directly to us.
This brings us to recognizing those who have a true message from God. Does the message turn people from their evil ways and deeds? Prophecies from God lead people away from sin and burn our consciences like fire for our sinful behavior. False prophecies encourage people in their sin and lead them away from God, soothing their consciences of their bad behavior. We should seek the Lord’s answer for our questions, but we should avoid claiming divine inspiration for our own ideas.

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2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

Paul tells us not to be alarmed by those who claim that the day of Christ’s return has already come. We need to remember that the day of the Lord will not come until after the “man of lawlessness” is fully revealed. This man will oppose everything that is called God and that is worshiped. He will proclaim himself to be God. When he appears on the scene he will use displays of power in signs and wonder that will serve the lie he is telling. Those who refuse to love and accept the truth will be fooled and led to destruction. People refuse to accept the truth because they take pleasure in being wicked.

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As I read this I wondered if the “man of lawlessness” which Paul is speaking of is a single individual or if perhaps the “man of lawlessness” represents a mindset of many people. The most obvious reading of this passage is that the “man of lawlessness” is a leader similar to Hitler, or Stalin, or some of the other evil leaders of the past (and future). I would say that as Christians we need to be aware of the rise of such evil leaders and not allow them to lead us away from God’s truth. However, there is also a more subtle strain of evil and lawlessness which permeates our society. It is one where each individual is encouraged to think that he is god and not answerable to anyone. My belief is that the latter represents what Paul is talking about when he says that the secret power of lawlessness is already at work and that at some point a leader will arise who will make all of the evil leaders of the past look like pikers.

Psalm 84:1-12

The psalmist expresses his desire to live in the presence of God. There is great joy for those whose strength comes from God. There is a verse that sums up this psalm and my thoughts:

A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

If I remember this and keep it in the forefront of my thoughts, it will help me to live my life according to God’s plan for me. It helps that my greatest happiness occurs when I live according to this as well.

Proverbs 25:15

Patience and soft speech can be more powerful than they seem. I need to remember that as a Christian I am called to approach things with gentle persistence.

Daily Bible Study

October 13, 2013 Bible Study — We Constantly Pray For You

October 12, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 22-23:20

     There are four elements to today’s passage. First, Jeremiah tells the king of Judah that if he does what is right and obeys God, he will rule long and well and his descendants will sit on the throne. If those who run a nation judge righteously and defend the weak and the poor, the nation will be blessed and strong. On the other hand, if those who rule do not heed such warnings, their “thrones” will be torn down and destroyed.
     In the second element, Jeremiah condemns each of the three successors to Josiah for their failure to be righteous as Josiah was. He condemns them for their greed, selfishness, and injustice. He tells them each in turn the fate that awaits them because of their sinfulness.
     In the third section, Jeremiah wrote that God has promised that He will raise up one who will provide a wise and just king for His people. He will appoint wise and responsible shepherds for His flock, shepherds who will bring His people back from the destruction and scattering these unjust leaders have lead them into. This passage is one that gives me hope when I see our leaders leading us towards what appears to be disaster. I have confidence that God will send leaders to shepherd us to safety, if we are willing to follow them.
     The final piece of today’s passage is Jeremiah’s condemnation of false prophets, those who speak lies in the name of righteousness and justice. There are too many people who put on a front of righteousness as a cover for their own evil behavior. They proclaim that all will be well, when disaster is barreling down upon us. They make such proclamations so that they can take advantage of people and satisfy their own evil desires. Let us not fall into the trap of listening to those who claim to speak for God, but only tell us what we want to hear. We will face hard times, but if we listen to God, He will show us the way.

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2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

When we face persecution, hardships, and trials we need to follow the example of the Thessalonians. Paul wrote that in the face of such things they grew in their faith and in their love for one another. Paul reminded them, and us, that God will pay back with trouble those who trouble us because of our faith in Him. When Jesus returns God will provide rest for those who have faithfully served Him. On the other hand, those who have persecuted God’s people and refused to listen to God’s word will be excluded from God’s presence.
Once more Paul wrote about praying constantly for his fellow believers (in this case the believers in Thessalonica). I am being challenged by this every day to increase the time I spend in prayer. And what does Paul pray for them? He prays that God will give them the strength to accomplish the good things which their faith prompts them to do. He assures them that these things they are prompted to do are possible and that Jesus will be honored by their attempts, even when things do not turn out as we planned. If we rely on the Holy Spirit in our attempts to do good things, God’s will will be accomplished and we will be honored along with Christ by our actions.

Psalm 83:1-18

The psalmist calls on God to take action against those who have conspired against His people, those who serve Him. God has done so in the past and will do so again in the future. Those who conspire against God’s people will find their plans come to naught.

Proverbs 25:11-14

The NIV translation of today’s proverbs give a completely different take on them from the NLT. In the NIV the first two are about the importance of judges and rulers making right decisions and giving wise advice (and of listening when such decisions are made and advice is given). The unspoken corollary to these is the danger and destructiveness of bad rulings and advice (and failing to heed wise advice).
The final one is also very different in the NIV. The NLT is a condemnation of promising a gift and then failing to follow through. The NIV is more a condemnation of bragging about giving a gift that was never given. The former is bad, but people understand that sometimes circumstances change beyond your control and something you intended to do becomes impossible. However, there is no excuse for claiming to have done something which one has never done.

Daily Bible Study

October 12, 2013 Bible Study — Be Thankful In All Circumstances

October 11, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Jeremiah 19-21:14

     Jeremiah tells the leaders of Jerusalem that they have sinned so much that the time of God’s judgment is at hand. God is going to smash Jerusalem such that no human agency will be able to restore it. When he finishes that prophecy Jeremiah expresses the desire that he be able to keep his mouth shut. However, he writes that he has no choice, the Spirit of God overwhelms him and he has no choice but speak the words which God gives him.
     After Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, the authorities had him whipped and imprisoned. Yet when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah they came to Jeremiah and asked him to beg God to save them as He had done in the past when the Assyrians attacked. Jeremiah replied to them that God would not defend them, that instead God would act to strengthen their enemies. Jeremiah tells them that they have a choice, surrender to the Babylonians and live, or stay in the city, fight the Babylonians, and die.
     Yet even at this point, Jeremiah appears to say that God offers the rulers of Jerusalem a chance to regain His favor. Jeremiah tells them that unless they give justice each morning, help those who have been robbed, and rescue the oppressed, God’s anger will burn against them. This suggests that if they were to do those things, God would have mercy on them and save them from their troubles. As bad as things are, if only the people will turn to God, He will forgive them and bring them under His wings.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-28

While Christ’s return will come unexpectedly, if we are living in the light we will not be surprised by it. Let us be clear headed and on guard. Christ died for us so that we can live with Him forever. This provides us with the basis to encourage and build up our fellow believers. Paul then gives a list of things we should do, both to encourage and build up others and for our own well-being:

Honor our leaders
Warn those who are laxy
Encourage the timid
Take care of the weak
Be patient with everyone
Do not pay back evil for evil
Always try to do good to all people
Always be joyful
Pray continually (there’s that stuff about prayer before, I was wondering if I was going to get another reminder today)
Be thankful in all circumstances (not just the good times, but all the time)

Then Paul gets to a few things that I think all fit together in a way.

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit
Do not scoff at prophecies
But test everything that is said (so, we should not scoff at those who think they have been given a prophecy, but we should examine what they say with care)
Hold on to what is good
Stay away from(reject) what is evil

These last two are not limited to how we deal with prophecies, but I think Paul was giving those instructions as to how we are to deal with prophecies.

***
I am going to give an example here from my personal life. A fellow believer approached me the other day and told me that God had given him a word for me. I encouraged him to tell me what he felt God had told him for me. When he was finished telling me what he felt he was to tell me, I had no idea how it applied to my life. What he said contained some good advice, however I was not experiencing the type of situation which that advice would apply to. When he was finished speaking, I thanked him sincerely. I never mentioned that I did not see how what he said applied to me. I made a mental note of what he said, in case it represented something that had yet to happen. I did not, and will not, reject it because there was no evil in it. I have made a mental note of what he said, so that if it proves to be related to something that has not yet happened I can ask him further.
Based on what others have said and my interactions with him, I believe that the Spirit does at times talk through this man. In this case I do not know if in his eagerness to hear what the Spirit had to say he heard his own thoughts as those of the Spirit, or if, just as likely, he misinterpreted what the Spirit was telling him in light of his previous experiences (that misinterpretation could be a product of not knowing me well). If the latter, in time, the Spirit will make His meaning clear. If the former, I will encourage him to continue coming to me because he is sincere and perhaps the Spirit will help me aid him in coming to a clearer understanding of how to know when the Spirit is speaking to him (and the next time it may be a message from the Spirit. If, indeed, this was not a message from the Spirit, something I am not yet ready to say).

Psalm 82:1-8

The psalmist tells us that God calls upon those who govern to stop handing down unjust decisions which favor the wicked. God instructs them to recognize their mortality, even though they are sons of the Most High, and give justice to the weak and fatherless. If they want God’s favor they must rescue the poor and helpless from the power of the wicked. God will pass judgment on all those who rule nations for their failure to be just judges.

Proverbs 25:9-10

The proverb writer warns against using secrets learned in confidence to win an argument. You may still lose the argument and your reputation along with it.

Daily Bible Study

October 11, 2013 Bible Study — Like a Tree Planted By the Water

October 10, 2013 AttilaDimedici

I cam across a website today as I worked on this devotional that touched me. While I think they could have made the video even better, it is a powerful video which captures, at least in part, the Christian message. I like the way they sum up who they are and what they are about: “It really is as simple as it appears. We are a small group of people humbled by the love of Jesus. We are not a church. We are not selling anything. We encourage you to tell as many people as possible. That’s it.” I, too, have been humbled by the love of Jesus.
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 16:16-18:23

This passage contains both a continuation of Jeremiah’s prophecy of doom and a prophecy of hope. The passage goes back and forth between the two. First God says through Jeremiah that the people of Judah cannot hope to hide from Him, He is sending judgment against them and it will find them. Then Jeremiah says that God is his refuge in a day of trouble. He then returns to talking about the coming doom. It is inscribed with an iron chisel. God’s anger burns like a fire that will burn forever.
Jeremiah tells us that those who put their trust in humans are cursed. They are like shrubs in a salty desert. But blessed are those who put their trust in God. They are like a tree planted by the water. They will not fear when drought comes because their water supply is assured. In the middle of this passage is this phrase:

O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed;
if you save me, I will be truly saved.
My praises are for you alone!

Yes, that is my saying for today. Heal me Lord because then I will be truly healed.
The prophet calls on the people of Jerusalem to keep the Sabbath. I do not know exactly what to make of this passage, but I am convicted by it. I chose last year when I read this passage to strive to make Sunday a day that I dedicate to God. I have striven, with mixed success, to avoid doing business on Sundays. As I read this passage today, I feel called to step it up another step. I feel called to dedicate one day a week, Sunday, to worship and fellowship with God.
There is an analogy in this passage that sums up the dichotomy between doom and hope in Jeremiah’s prophecy. Jeremiah compares us to clay being formed by a potter. If the jar a potter is making does not come out as he intended, he will crush the clay and start over. In the same way, if God intended us for greatness and we refuse His commands, He will send us to destruction. But on the other hand, if God intended to send us to destruction and we turn to Him and honor His commands, He will send us to greatness. If we renounce our evil ways, God will bless us and rescue us from destruction.

***

Another shot as the leaves begin to change

1 Thessalonians 4-5:3

Paul wrote that we are to live lives pleasing to God. This means staying away from sexual sins. By staying away from sexual sin, we will learn to control our own bodies, which will allow us to live with holiness and honor. Holiness and honor are in opposition to the lustful passion which our society says is the human condition. Our society does not recognize how our lustful passions cause us to take advantage of one another in order to please ourselves at others expense. Paul instructs us to avoid doing this. Despite what our society proclaims, any time we indulge our sexual appetites outside of marriage (and perhaps sometimes even within marriage) we are treating those we are involved with as objects rather than as children of God.
A second point which Paul touches on is how we face death. We do not need to grieve when our fellow believers die, because we have God’s promise that they will be raised again when Jesus returns. The day of Christ’s return will begin with a commanding shout. At that moment those who have died in Christ will rise to meet Him. Then those who remain alive will be caught up with them to meet Christ in the air. What a glorious day that will be. We do not know when it will happen. It will come about suddenly when no one is expecting it, so we should always be prepared for that day. There are two important points here. The first is that we need to consider every action as if we will need to make an accounting before God of that act before we have completed it. The second, and just as important, is that death is not something to be feared. Death is the end of our trials and tribulations on this earth and the beginning of our time spending every moment in the presence of God.

Psalm 81:1-16

Sing praises to God, loudly so that everyone knows what you believe. In return for this God says that He will bear our burdens. If we turn to God, do as He asks, and praise His name He will provide for all of our needs. There is joy in praising God and recognizing before the world the things which He has done for me.

Proverbs 25:6-8

The proverb warns against claiming honors for oneself. Honors which are given to one by others are more valuable than honors taken for oneself and having an honor which one took for oneself given to another is humiliating. In addition it tells us not to be in a rush to gain attention by telling our stories, it is better to wait for others to ask for what we know about something.

Fact and Fantasy

Tag Archives: Christianity

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October 12, 2013 Bible Study — Be Thankful In All Circumstances

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October 11, 2013 Bible Study — Like a Tree Planted By the Water

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