For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 27:23-27

    Make sure to continue to manage the work and resources which provide your income, no matter how wealthy you become. Continue to be productive as long as you are able because accumulated wealth is fleeting.

Psalm 116:1-19

    This psalm starts with a line that we should all remember. “I love the Lord because he hears my voice…” Yes, the Lord hears our voice and answers our prayers. The translation I am using (New Living Translation) says that God protects those with childlike faith. Other translations say that God protects the simple. It reminds us that many people will look at our faith in God and think we are foolish, naive, or just plain childlike for having such a faith. I will not let such opinions shake me because God will protect me. I will not fear death. I will not fear anything because I will walk in God’s presence as long as I draw breath.
    The psalmist asks,

What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
He then answers that question. We have nothing to offer the Lord that He does not already have. We have a limited number of things we can do to show our gratitude. We can lift up the salvation God has given us and show it to those around us, making them aware that it is there for them as well. We can praise God for all of the wondrous things He has done for us. We can publicly keep our promises to God, so that others will see how His faithfulness causes us to be faithful.

James 1:1-18

    I love the book of James. He starts off by stating that he is a slave/servant of God and Jesus Christ. He is owned by God and does what God commands/orders him to do. We should seek to live in the same manner. Then comes something that is hard to actually do. We should not just be willing to endure troubles and trials. We should take joy in experiencing troubles and trials. They will test our faith and increase our endurance/perseverance. As our endurance increases we will come ever more mature in our faith. When our endurance becomes complete we will find ourselves perfected (a situation I do not anticipate attaining until I enter into God’s presence in heaven).
    James tells us that the poor should consider themselves honoured by God, while the rich should be humbled by the fact that they are rich. This runs exactly counter to the way we normally look at such things. We have a tendency to honour the wealthy and look askance at the poor, usually thinking that the latter is something to be embarrassed about. This passage is one of the most direct contradictions of “prosperity gospel” (which is exactly the opposite of good news). I think that James is saying that if you are rich, God is telling you that you do not have the faith and gumption to serve Him well without that wealth. While, the poor are being honoured by God because He is telling them, and the world, that they are able to do His will with few resources. Contrary to the way the world views things, wealth is not a sign of God’s favor. Rather, it is a sign that we need to work harder to accomplish His will.
    I want to make two final points. Wealth is not a sign that someone is an inferior Christian any more than it is a sign that someone is a superior Christian. I am not wealthy by American standards, but I am when compared to most of the world. I am not sure how my faith would survive if I was at the average level of wealth for people around the world, or below. As I have gotten older I have become ever more humble. I have come to fear that if God had chosen to give me a life of hardship that my faith would not endure. However, I am sure of one thing, God’s grace will be sufficient for whatever situation He puts me in. He will not test me beyond what I am able to endure.

Ezekiel 35-36:38

    Ezekiel tells Edom that they will suffer because they took pleasure in the suffering of the people of Israel. This is a warning for us. I will never take pleasure in the suffering of others, no matter how deserving I believe they are of that suffering. The wicked may deserve to suffer for their wickedness, but rather than take pleasure in their suffering we should feel sorrow that they had not turned from their sins before it came to pass.
    Ezekiel prophesies that God will restore the people of Israel to their land. However, He will not do it because they deserve it. He will do it in order to bring honour to His name. In the same way, He has offered us salvation, not because we deserve it but so that His name may be honoured. Let us remember that we did not receive good things from God because we deserve them. God has done good things for us in order that we will honour His name. Let us never forget to honour God’s name and praise Him for His generous mercy.

     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.

Ezekiel 35-36:38

     Ezekiel speaks a prophecy against Edom. He condemns the people of Edom for their hatred of the people of Israel and for the actions that hatred motivated them to take. I see two messages, or perhaps a specific message with a general application. The specific message is that those who hate the people of Israel, the Jews, and take action against them that is motivated by that hatred will face catastrophe. God will bring judgment on those who persecute His chosen people. While I believe that God has a special place in His heart for the Jewish people, I also believe that the message of this prophecy applies to all groups of people. Those who hate people because they belong to some group and take action against members of that group, despite the fact that the individual has done them no harm, will suffer God’s judgment. Such actions will come back to cause harm on the perpetrator.

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James 1:1-18

     I have exactly the opposite opinion of the book of James to that held by Martin Luther. The book of James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. James starts by telling us to consider the troubles we face in this life as a source of joy. The troubles we face test us and teach us to persevere in our faith. Such perseverance causes us to rely more and more on God, and as we rely more and more on God, we realize that we can rely on Him for all things. If we lack the wisdom necessary to accomplish the tasks which God as set before us, we need only ask God and He will give us the needed wisdom and knowledge. When we ask God, we need to truly believe that He will answer our prayers. We should not be hedging our bets by seeking wisdom from sources other than God. I do not believe that this means that we do not accept the wisdom God sends us, no matter what route it comes to us by. Rather, this means that we reject “wisdom” that does not follow God’s principles, we do not choose answers to our problems that involve sinning. If we wish to operate with God’s wisdom we will reject all courses of action which derive from the philosophy that says, “You have to do what you have to do.”
     James also tells us that temptation does not come from God. We are tempted to sin by our own desires. It is by following our own will and desires that we fall into sin. This is why we must avoid placing ourselves in positions where our sinful desires will be aroused. On the other hand, that which is good and perfect in our lives comes from God. If we fill our time doing the things which God has called us to do, we will not have time to spend being enticed by our evil desires.
     James reminds us that God does not change. All too many times I hear it argued that the Church must change with the times. This passage I think is a direct answer to that argument. James says that God is the Father of heavenly lights and does not change like shifting shadows. This does not mean that the Church should never change, because nothing on this earth is perfect and we should constantly be seeking to transform ourselves into the perfect image of God. However, the Church should change from the prodding of the Holy Spirit, not from that of the spirit of this world.

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Psalm 116:1-19

     The Lord does indeed hear my voice. When my life troubled me and I was overwhelmed by my circumstances I cried out to the Lord and He provided me with relief. I have nothing which I can offer the Lord which He does not already have. All that He has done for me is of greater value than all that I possess and what I do possess is a gift from Him. I will praise His name because that is all that I have to offer Him for all the wondrous things He has done for me.

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Proverbs 27:23-27

     Manage your resources because accumulated wealth does not last forever. Carefully tend to those things which bring in what you need to survive so that if your wealth dries up, you will still be able to obtain food and shelter.