For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The point of this proverb is very similar to Jesus’ parable about the farmer who wanted to build a bigger barn. Riches do not last, so make sure to maintain the ability to produce enough to meet your needs.

    Once again the psalmist gets it right. I will love the Lord for all that He has done for me. He is good and kind. There is nothing I can possibly do to pay Him back for all He has done for me, so I will praise His name. God cares deeply for each and every one of His creatures.

    If you need wisdom ask God, and He will give it to you. James tells us that when we ask God for wisdom we should not doubt that He will give it to us. I think that what James is saying here is that when God answers our prayer for wisdom we need to accept the answer He gives us. I know that sometimes it can be a real challenge to accept the answer we get. How can we be sure that we are interpreting God’s response correctly? Nevertheless, God makes His answer to us clear, if we are willing to listen.
    Temptation is a product of our own evil desires. When we fail to recognize the evil inherent in those desires they will give birth to sinful actions. If we do not at some point check those sinful actions they will grow until the bring forth death. Every time we yield to sin a little bit we move closer to accepting that which we initially would have found beyond the pale. So, evil is a product of our giving in to our own nature. On the other hand, everything that is good and perfect is a gift from God. It is easy to miss this contrast. When we do evil, it has grown from within us. When we do good it is because God has granted us a gift and worked through us.

    Considering the news of the last few days I was struck by a phrase from Ezekiel’s prophecy against Edom. “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come!” I am convinced that if we do not listen to it, and let it temper our thoughts and desires, it will be directed at us. I am certain that it is directed at those who rejoiced to hear of the events in Paris, Beirut, and Kenya (and elsewhere) over the last few days. But I suspect that it is also directed at those who desire a bloodbath in response (that does not necessarily mean all of those planning, or executing, military responses to these events).
    God speaks of gathering His people once more, but not because they deserve it. It is not because of anything we have done that God has called us to His side. No, He has done so in order to bring glory to His name. He has cleansed us, given us a new heart, and a new spirit so that the nations of this world will know that He is Lord. None of this is because we deserve it. Let us be thoroughly embarrassed about what we have done. I have applied this passage to the Christian Church, but let us remember that it also applies to the descendants of Jacob. When we look at the modern nation of Israel, let us remember that the fact that it exists is an example of God’s power.