Tag Archives: knowledge and wisdom

October 4, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

Two Birds Wait Their Turn

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18

     Jeremiah accuses the people of Judah of worshiping other gods at the same time that they are calling on the Lord to save them from their enemies. He, also, accuses them of putting their trust in other nations to save them from their enemies rather then relying on God. Jeremiah tells them that they while they are crying out to God requesting His aid they are continuing to do evil. I need to study my own life to see how much I am guilty of the same thing. Jeremiah condemns the people of Judah for not turning to God, for following the example of the Northern Kingdom, even after they saw what happened to it. Jeremiah tells the people of Israel and Judah that if they turn back to God He will bring them back from exile. He warns the people of Judah that time is running short to turn back to God and turn from their pride in their evil ways. God has raised up a fire of judgement against them because of their sins. If they do not turn from their sins at once the fire will come down upon them. I believe that God has a similar judgement in store for the people of America. Too many Christians are putting their hope in politics when they should be putting their hope in prayer and in the mercies of an ever-loving God. We should not be campaigning to change the laws of this country, we should be “campaigning” to change the hearts of the people of this country.

Magrat stalks

Colossians 1:1-17

     Paul and Timothy co-wrote this letter to the Church in Colosse. They start off by saying that they pray continuously for the believers in Colosse and thank God for them. This is not the first of Paul’s letters that he began with such a greeting. I think this stands as a challenge and judgement upon the Church in America today. There are few who pray with the dedication that Paul showed. Paul tells the Colossians that the Gospel is spreading throughout the world changing lives. If we would spend the same amount of time and energy praying that Paul did, we would see similar levels of changed lives. Paul commends them for their love for others and then repeats that he has not stopped praying for them. He is praying that God will give them complete knowledge of His will and spiritual wisdom. We should desire the same knowledge and wisdom so that we, also, will lead lives that always honor and please the Lord. Let us pray that those around us will strengthened with God’s power so that they will be given the endurance and patience that they need. I will strive to thank God for everything He has done for me, being continually filled with His joy.

Fall Wreath

Psalm 76:1-12

     Let us not be afraid to speak the Gospel to those around us, for our God is more powerful than all of our enemies and no one can stand against Him. If we faithfully serve Him, He will defend us. Those who attack us will be destroyed, but let us pray that instead of being destroyed, they allow God to change their lives. Let us intercede with God that instead of bringing judgement and destruction on those who have chosen to be our enemies, He will bring His Spirit into their lives and change them into our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Azalea blossom

Proverbs 24:21-22

     Fear the Lord and do not rebel against Him. Disaster will suddenly strike those who rebel against the Lord.Let us pray for them and strive to bring the healing of the Holy Spirit to them.

September 29, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

Magrat Takes a Nap

Isaiah 57:15-59:21

     The prophet Isaiah condemns those who put on the forms of piety and righteousness without actually behaving in a righteous manner. He uses fasting as the example behavior, but I believe this applies to all sorts of “righteous” behavior. There are many people who claim to be working to do good who are in actuality merely working to please themselves. God gives the standards by which He judges righteousness. It is to free those who are wrongly imprisoned, to lighten the workload of those who work at your command. It is sharing your food with the hungry and shelter to the homeless. It is giving clothes to those who need them and making oneself available to relatives that need help. If you do these things, then God will bless you. This is not something that you delegate to someone else, whether that someone else be the church or the government. Further you need to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest and a day to focus on worshiping the Lord, not a day to pursue your own interests. This is where I most often fail. I too often spend my day of rest pursuing that which gives me pleasure rather than focusing on God. It is not the doing of that which gives me pleasure that is wrong. It is the failure to focus on God. Isaiah goes on to condemn a nation where lawsuits are based on lies. A nation where the courts oppose the righteous and justice is nowhere to be found. A nation where anyone who renounces evil is attacked. But God will step in. He will apply justice and save those who renounce evil. We must not delegate doing right to others.

Philippians 1:1-26

     Paul begins his letter to the Philippians by praying that their love may grow with increasing knowledge and wisdom. I think this is an important connection. How do we know if our knowledge and wisdom are truly growing in a Godly fashion? The answer is that if they are, the increase in knowledge and wisdom will lead to an increase in our love for others and for God. If we find ourselves fighting with others and with an ever shrinking circle of people with whom we associate (or who associate with us) then we can know that our knowledge and wisdom are not growing in the fashion God intends.
     Paul goes on to say that because of his imprisonment the gospel is being preached boldly. While some are preaching the gospel out of jealousy and rivalry with Paul, many are preaching it sincerely. Paul does not care what motives lead people to preach the gospel, as long as what they are preaching is the gospel. This passage concludes with Paul telling us that he is torn between continuing to serve God on this earth and dying and going to be with the Lord. This represents what our attitude towards life and death should be. We should view death as a joyous reward where we get to be in the presence of God completely. On the other hand we should view this life as an opportunity to serve God in all we do.

Magrat Takes a Walk

Psalm 71:1-24

     The psalmist turns to God in his time of trouble. He calls on God to rescue him. Like the psalmist, God has been with me since childhood. I was raised in a Christian home by Godly parents. While there have been times in my life where I have fallen away from God, God has been part of my life since my earliest years. I hope that I have been an example to many, but I wonder if I have been less of a servant than I could have been. I call on God to use me as an example going forward so that those who meet me will desire to know Him as I do.

Magrat at rest

Proverbs 24:9-10

     Fools scheme to commit sins. Do not take pride in your strength if it fails when times get tough.