For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I added a “Ministry Links” tab to my blog. On it I am going to link to the websites of various Christian Ministries which I support to one degree or another. Currently, it has a link to the congregation I attend and of which I am a member and a link to a ministry which does wonderful work in Honduras and elsewhere: MAMA Project

Proverbs 23:17-18

    The proverb writer tells us not to envy sinners. He is not talking about envying someone who sins for their big house or fancy car. He is talking about envying people because of the sins they enjoy committing. I remember envying men who were womanizers. I was wrong to do so. Rather than envy sinners, let us fear and obey the Lord.

Psalm 61:1-8

    God will listen to our cry, He will hear our prayer. When our heart is overwhelmed He will lead us to safety. We may not be able to see the path, but God will guide us to a fortress where our enemies cannot reach us. Let us sing His praises forever.

Galatians 3:10-22

    If we want to be made right with God by following the law, we must never break any of the law. Any failure to live up to the law will doom us. No one is capable of living such a life. We cannot make up for our sins by doing good. It does not work that way. Doing good is what the law requires of us. We cannot hope to be made right with God by doing good. We can only be made right with God by placing our trust in Him and accepting the righteousness He offers us through Jesus’ death. I will do good because God has made me righteous, not in order to be made righteous.

Isaiah 25-28:13

    God does many wonderful things, things which He planned long ago. He will destroy cities, turning them into rubble. He will bring nations down into the dust. But He will be a refuge to the poor and needy. He will provide shelter for all who fear Him. For those who are righteous (see above) life never becomes too difficult. God will smooth out the path in front of them. The righteous desire to bring glory to God’s name. The wicked, on the other hand, practice their wickedness despite God’s kindness to them. They continue to do wrong, even as the signs point to trouble coming. They will be struck down because of their wickedness.
    Isaiah tells us that even those who seek God will suffer, but nothing will come of their suffering. Instead, those who die in the Lord will live, their bodies will rise again. The suffering we experience will be to call us to account and will be nothing like that of those who refuse to call on God. God will use our suffering to turn us from our sins. As we turn to serving God, He will gather us together. When we do not listen to His word spoken gently, God will then speak it with force. Let us turn from our sins and serve the Lord.

     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.

Isaiah 25-28:13

     Isaiah praises God for all His wonderful acts. God will destroy mighty cities, turning them into rubble. As a result, nations of ruthless people will learn to fear Him. In contrast to the destruction which God has and will bring upon the powerful and ruthless God has and will be a refuge for the poor and needy. God is spreading a feast out for all the peoples of the earth. Death has been swallowed up in victory. Those who declare that this is their God will partake of the feast and He will wipe away all tears.
     God will bring down the cities of the arrogant so that the poor and needy, the oppressed, will be able to walk over them. He will smooth the path for the righteous so that it is not steep or rough. I will show my trust, my faith, in God by obeying His laws. I know that doing His will is the only path to lasting happiness and fulfillment. I strive to live like this

All night long I search for you;
in the morning I earnestly seek for God.

The wicked do not respond to God’s kindness. God will give them opportunity to repent, but they will continue to do evil until God brings judgment against them. The time is coming when God will punish the people of the earth for their sins. But when that day arrives He will also defend those who are faithful to Him. He will treat those who are faithful to Him as a vineyard, tearing out the briers and thorns to throw on the fire. However, even in that day, those who turn to Him in their distress will be welcomed into His arms.
     We as people on this earth complain because God treats us as little children, spelling out His will a line at a time, a little here and a little there. However, God has tried showing us the big picture, offering us a place of rest, but we do not listen. Therefore, God will continue to show us His will a line at a time, a little here and a little there.

***
     I, for one, am grateful for God’s patience in spelling out His will for my life a line at a time. I know sometimes I complain because I do not see where He is leading me, but I, also, know that when He has shown me I get distracted from what comes next and try to jump ahead to the “good” parts before the time is ripe. I just ask that God show me where to put my foot next.

Galatians 3:10-22

     Paul points out that if we try to live by the law then we can never make a mistake, we must keep every aspect of the law every day for all of our lives. If we have ever made a mistake and committed even the most minor of sins then we cannot hold ourselves up as righteous. On the other hand if we live by faith, we recognize that we cannot possibly measure up to God’s standard and we rely on God to redeem us. It is through faith that we can have life. It is not by keeping the law that we are justified before God, because, sooner or later, we will fail to keep every element of the law. It is only by faith that Christ will provide us with righteousness that we can be justified before God. The law was given to show us that none of us are more righteous than others of us. All of us have sinned, have done things that cause harm to ourselves and others.

Psalm 61:1-8

     This psalm shall be my prayer whenever I face troubles. I will cry to Lord and beg Him to hear my prayer. I will seek the safety of sheltering under His wings. He will hear me and answer my prayer. He reserves a place for those who fear Him. When my heart is overwhelmed I will cry to God for help.

***
     Why does the psalmist cry out to God when his heart is overwhelmed? He does not say it here, but I know from my experience what the answer is. I cry out to God when my heart is overwhelmed because I know from experience that God will deliver me. I am striving to turn to Him sooner so that I can find and follow His path before I am overwhelmed.

Proverbs 23:17-18

     I will not envy sinners, even when they appear to live a life I want for myself. I will continue to fear the Lord and strive to please Him, because nothing I desire compares with accomplishing that. I have never been disappointed by the rewards I have received for doing that which pleased the Lord.