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. I want to apologize for not getting this posted earlier. I was under the weather yesterday and did not get my study done until this morning.

     Isaiah tells Israel to take comfort from God. Despite the fact that God has allowed them to suffer, He will redeem them. If we trust in God, there is no need to fear any human. God’s redemption is for forever, man’s scorn lasts for but a short time. Here we have a passage that has been made into a great song, “Our God Reigns.” “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” We are those messengers, or, at least, we are supposed to be. We have been sent to tell everyone the news of God’s peace and salvation. Those who listen to our message will certainly consider it beautiful that we delivered it.
     All too often we do not deliver the message we have been sent with because we are afraid of suffering just a smidgen of what our Savior suffered. He was despised and rejected. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. How often do we still do the same? When we hear someone saying that Christians behave badly, do we ask them if they think that we behave that way? Do we behave that way? Or, are we afraid to be associated with the One whose followers they hold in such contempt? I am working on not being afraid to stand with my Savior, but I know that I am no stronger than Peter who denied Him three times.

     We are to imitate God and live a life filled with love. We should follow Christ’s example as He gave Himself up to suffering for our sake. We should not be involved with sexual immorality, impurity, or greed. Those who are greedy are idolaters, they worship the things of this world. There are those today, just as there were in Paul’s day, who try to justify the above sins. Paul tells us not to be fooled by them. We should be careful how we live and take advantage of every opportunity to do what the Lord wants us to do.
     Here we come to a passage that causes many to stumble. Paul tells us to submit to one another. That is not terribly controversial. Then he tells us that wives should submit to their husbands. This is a passage that many have trouble with. I believe this passage is fully normative. However, as I am not a wife, I do not spend much time with that passage. It is what comes next that I pay attention to. Paul tells us that husbands should love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the Church. How did Christ love the Church? He suffered and died for her. In the same way, we, who are husbands, should be willing to suffer and die for the good of our wives. But more than that, we should be willing to live every aspect of our lives so that we bring happiness and joy to our wives. Showing love and care for our wives is showing love and care for ourselves.

     Let us praise God’s name with singing and honor Him with thanksgiving. If we humble ourselves before God, we will see Him at work and it will bring us joy. God hears the cries of the needy and cares for them. Let us imitate Him in this way.

     When you find yourself in the presence of the wise, keep silent and learn. This is not what the proverb says, but it is what I take from it. There are times and places where I can bring wisdom. But there are also times and places where anything I would have to say would be foolishness. In those latter cases, I need to learn to keep silent.