Tag Archives: Love one another

Daily Bible Study

December 6, 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Getting Ready For Christmas

Hosea 4-5:15

     Hosea laid out God’s case against Israel. There was no faithfulness or kindness, no knowledge of God in the land. They made vows and broke them. They killed and stole and committed adultery. This sounds like the nightly news. Then Hosea says something we should take to heart. He says “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame:”. Even the priests, those who were supposed to be teaching God’s laws and directing people to worship God, were guilty of idolatry. The priests benefited when people sinned, so they encouraged people to sin. If we are among those who others look to for spiritual guidance, are we encouraging them to sin because we benefit from it (either materially or because we feel better about ourselves when we see the contrast between ourselves and them)?
     Several times Hosea repeats in different wording that we should not place the blame on others for what is wrong in our society, instead we should look at our own actions. He tells us that the priests do wrong, but he tells us that the people do the same things that the priests are doing. In this passage this is not a statement telling preachers and teachers to be careful because others follow their example. This passage is telling the average person not to try and shift the blame to the preachers and teachers because the average person is doing the same things. The passage tells us that, yes, the women are committing prostitution and adultery but why should they be singled out for condemnation because the men are doing the same thing, committing adultery and hiring prostitutes. He condemns the leaders because they have led the people into a trap of sin and idolatry. However, there is no room for the people to complain and try to pass off blame because they chose leaders who were willing to lead them in the direction they wanted to go. When prophets arose to call on the people to follow the Lord, they were attacked and condemned. When I see what is wrong in society, there is no room for placing the blame on others. I need to look to my own actions, to my desire for material things rather than following the will of God.

Snow On the Garage

2 John 1:1-13

     John begins his second letter by telling us that he loves the Church and its members. Further he tells us that everyone who knows the truth does so as well. He loves not just some of the members of the Church, but all of them. Once again John emphasizes the importance of loving one another. This is not an empty emotion, but rather a motivation for action. Loving one another means that we act to give to each other that which is in their best interests. John transitions from telling us to love one another to telling us to watch out for false teachers by telling us that he is reminding us to love one another because there are false teachers (deceivers) who teach that Jesus did not come in a real body. It is interesting that John makes this link between believing and teaching that Jesus was a historical person and loving one another. He tells us that if someone comes to us who teaches something other than the truth of Christ, we should not invite that person into our homes. We should not encourage such people lest we become partners in the stumbling block they put before others coming to know the Lord.

Abandoned House In the Woods

Psalm 125:1-5

     If we trust the Lord we will be secure. The land of the godly will not be ruled by the wicked. So, if you think the nation’s leaders are wicked, you better judge yourself and make yourself right with God. God will do good to those who are good, those whose hearts are in tune with Him.

Friends At Bhakail Yule

Proverbs 29:9-11

     A wise person can take a fool to court, but they will not gain satisfaction from the action. The wicked hate the blameless, but the upright seek to help them. You can tell a lot about people from how they react to those who have done nothing to be ashamed of. The last of today’s proverbs tell us that a fool vents his anger, but a wise person holds their back.

Daily Bible Study

December 5, 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Sharing God’s Plenty

Hosea 1-3:5

     Today I begin reading the book of Hosea, which starts with Hosea being given a very heartbreaking instruction by God. Hosea is told to go and marry a prostitute. He is to marry a woman that he knows is going to be unfaithful to him. God gives Hosea instructions on what to name his children. His first born he is told to name Jezreel to indicate that God is going to bring judgment against Israel (the Northern Kingdom) for an atrocity committed at Jezreel. God is going to bring this judgment to bear in the Jezreel valley. When his wife becomes pregnant again, Hosea is told to name this child “Not Loved” (what a poor child to go through life with that name) because God was going to stop showing love to Israel, although He would continue to show love to the Kingdom of Judah. Finally, Hosea is told to name his second son “Not My People” (another child for whom I feel sorry) because God declared that the people of Israel were not His people any longer. However, this is followed up by a prophecy that the day would come when God would once again call the people of Israel His people. He would reunite the people of Israel and of Judah into one people. They would be called the children of the living God. It would be a day of rejoicing when God planted His people once more in His land.
     Through Hosea God tells Israel that He will strand her in a desert place with no food, clothing or water. When this happens, she will run after the other things that she had worshiped in place of God in order to obtain life’s necessities and pleasures, but God will block her path. Then, and only then, will she turn back to God. She did not realize that the good things she had that she sacrificed to other gods were gifts from the only true God. As a result God was going to take those things from her and turn her out into the desert to experience privation and suffering. But God was going to win her back. The day would come when God would woo His people back and they would no longer view themselves as His slave, but as His wife. They would no longer seek after other gods. In that day, God would grant them peace and call those who He had said were not His people His people.
     I read Hosea’s indictment of Israel and it reminds me of Christians in the U.S.(and most of Western Civilization). God gave us wealth beyond imagining. Instead of using it to glorify God (there are notable exceptions to this), all too many of us used this wealth for our own pleasure. We began to act as if we were entitled to it. We put ourselves in place of God and used the gifts He had given us to honor ourselves. If we do not turn from our idolatry, God will take His gifts from us. But He promises that He will woo us back, that He will show us His love even as we experience the desert of privation and suffering. Let us turn to Him now so that we may show the world the goodness of the Lord and help fulfill this prophecy that people will tremble in awe of the Lord’s goodness.

Fellowship After Worship

1 John 5:1-21

     Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ (Anointed One) has become a child of God. If we are children of God, then we will love God our Father. If we love the Father, then we will love His children. We can know that we love God and His children if we obey His commands. Jesus was revealed as God’s Son by both His baptism (water) and His death (blood). In addition, the Holy Spirit confirms this. So we have three things which testify to Jesus as the Anointed One of God, water, blood and spirit. Those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God acknowledge this testimony, while those who deny that Jesus is the Son of God are calling God a liar. It is God Himself who is testifying that Jesus is His Son through these three things, spirit, water and blood.
     We may know that we have eternal life if we love God. And we know that we love God if we love our fellow believers. We know we love our fellow believers if we act to meet their needs. When did I last act to show my love for my fellow believers? I know the answer to that question and it is long enough ago to convict me that waiting for such an opportunity to come into my path is not enough. I need to seek a way to show my love of my fellow believers and of my fellow man.
     John has three themes in this short letter. The first two are closely related. They are that we are to love one another and that if we love one another it will show in our actions. Love is not passive, it leads to actions. Love causes us not only to want what is best for the one we love, but to act so that they will have that which is best for them. The third theme is that those who have been saved and become God’s children do not make it a practice of sinning. If we are truly God’s children we will not make plans to do that which we know to be wrong.

More Fellowship After Worship

Psalm 124:1-8

     Today’s psalm encourages us to think about what our life would have been like if God had not been on our side. Think of all of the ways in which we could have been overwhelmed by the troubles we have faced in this life. I remember my Dad talking about events from his younger years (in particular a girl he dated before he met my Mom) and saying, “But for the grace of God.” He rarely ever completely said what he thought might have happened if it were not for God’s grace but it was clear that he did not know why he did not make a decision that looking back he realized would have been a very bad decision. I see that in my own life. I look back and see times where I do not know why I did not make the choice that would have led to disaster, or where I made a choice that should have led to disaster but circumstances beyond my control intervened to deflect my life from a course of woe. Times that I look back on and think, “There, but for the grace of God.” Satan has laid traps for my feet, but even when I took my eyes off of God, God has been faithful and broken those traps in order to set me free. I will praise the Lord and tell the world that my help is from the Lord.

Zach holding Zach-Zach(Isaac Zachary)

Proverbs 29:5-8

     If we flatter our friends, we may lead them to believe they are more talented than they truly are which may lead them to take actions that will lead to their humiliation or worse. Evil people think they are freer than those who do good, but they are instead trapped by their sin. The righteous on the other hand are freed from the trap of sin and for this they rejoice. The godly care about the rights of the poor, but the wicked do not care about anything. Always remember that what someone says they care about is not what is important, what is important is what their actions show they care about. You can get people agitated by mocking your enemy, but the wise person will calm anger. Think about what this means when you judge the behavior of those around you, are they mocking certain people to stir up anger against them? Or are they working to calm anger so that people can work together? Do not judge them by what they say about themselves or by what others say about them. Judge them by what they do.

Daily Bible Study

December 1, 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Snow In the Backyard

Daniel 8:1-27

     Daniel describes yet another vision that he had. In this vision he saw a ram with two horns, one longer than the other. The ram butted everything out of its way in all directions. Then a goat with a single horn appeared in the west. The goat charged the ram and broke off both its horns then trampled it on the ground. The goat became very powerful, but at the height of its power its horn was broken off and four horns emerged to replace it. Each of the four horns pointed to a different compass point. At this point the metaphor of the vision becomes confused (as often happens in dreams). A small horn came out of one of the four horns and extended towards the land of Israel. The power of the small horn extended up to heaven where it challenged the authority of the Commander of heaven’s armies by cancelling the daily sacrifices and defiling the Temple.
     In the dream someone who looked like a man approached Daniel and a voice called out that Gabriel should explain the vision to him. When Gabriel approached Daniel, Daniel was so frightened that he fainted. Gabriel roused Daniel with a touch and explained the vision to him. The ram represented the kingdom of the Medes and Persians (what we know today as the Persian Empire). The goat represented the kingdom of Greece. The single horn represented Alexander the Great (something we can tell looking back that is not explicitly stated in the explanation) who died at the height of his power. He was replaced by four generals who each took over part of his empire (one in each direction from the land of Israel). Shortly before the four Hellenistic kingdoms were conquered by Rome one of those kingdoms was ruled by a king (Antiochus Epiphanes) who attempted to put an end to traditional Jewish worship and who rededicated the Temple to the worship of Zeus. Daniel is told that this king will be brought down, but not by human power. Antiochus Epiphanes was successful in battle against the Parthian Empire (revitalized Persian Empire) who had invaded his territory. However, after his initial successes and before he could consolidate them he died suddenly of disease. There are many who see more to this vision than that obvious interpretation since at the end of the explanation Gabriel tells Daniel to keep the vision a secret. I am satisfied with the interpretation of this prophecy being about the fall of the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great and the eventual fall of the Seleucid (Antiochus Epiphanes was a member of the Seleucid dynasty) dynasty. I am willing to consider additional meanings for this prophecy considering that in the explanation Gabriel says that it refers to the very end of time.

Rock Wall in the Woods

1 John 2:1-17

     John wrote this letter so that we might not sin, but he told us that even if we do sin we have an advocate who will plead our case before the Father. IF we know and love God we will follow His commands. Someone who does not follow God’s commands does not know or love God. If I wish to be viewed as living in God I must live as Jesus did.
     John tells us that the command to love one another is not a new command. Yet it is new because Jesus showed us what it means to truly live this command. If I claims to be living in the light in fellowship with God, yet harbor animosity towards a fellow believer, I am in fact living in darkness and am not experiencing the light of God. If I love my fellow believers then I am living in the light and I will not cause anyone to stumble. John tells us not to love the things of this world. I strive to love serving God more than I crave physical pleasure, more than I take pride in my accomplishments or my possessions. All of those things will fade away and be of no real consequence. I know that only what I do that pleases God and serves His will has real meaning, but I still find myself chasing after those other things.

Shallow Roots

Psalm 120:1-7

     If we cry out to the Lord when we face trouble, He will hear our prayer and answer us. He will rescue us from among liars and deceitful people, but we must be careful not to be one of those. I will seek peace, even when I live among those who are seeking war and violence.

Fall in the Woods

Proverbs 28:25-26

     Greed is the source of conflict, we fight because we want what others have. Trusting in your own insight is a sure route to trouble. Ask others for their advice and you will soon learn wisdom.

Daily Bible Study

July 30, 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.

2 Chronicles 26-28:27

     Uzziah succeeded his father Amaziah on the throne of Judah. We are told that Uzziah did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord and was successful as a result. Uzziah built a well-trained large army and conquered much of the surrounding territory. His spiritual mentor was Zechariah. However, after Zechariah died, Uzziah entered into the sanctuary of the Temple, where only priests were supposed to go, and burned incense. The high priest and eighty other priests confronted him over this. He went into a rage against them for opposing him on this. While he was in this rage, he broke out with a contagious skin disease (usually translated as leprosy). When the priests saw this, they rushed him out of the Temple. Uzziah lived in isolation in a separate house the rest of his life. His son Jotham took charge in his name until his death when Jotham became king.
     We are told that Jotham also did what was pleasing in the sight of God and continued expanding the power of Judah. However, it mentions that the people of Judah were not faithful to God during this time. When Jotham died his son Ahaz succeeded to the throne. Ahaz did not follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Instead he cast metal images for the worship of Baal and offered sacrifices at pagan shrines. He even went so far as to sacrifice some of his own sons in the fire. While Ahaz was king, Judah was invaded by a force from Israel which captured a large number of people and took them as slaves. However, a prophet of the Lord confronted them for taking their fellow descendants of Israel captive as slaves and leaders of the people of Israel demanded that they not bring them to their towns as slaves. The Israelite force returned some of their plunder (possibly all, the passage is not clear) to the captives and returned them to Judah. King Ahaz attempted to hire the king of Assyria to help him, but the king of Assyria plundered Jerusalem as well. King Ahaz shuttered the doors to the Temple to prevent anyone from worshiping there and set up altars to pagan gods throughout Jerusalem and the rest of Judah.

Romans 13:1-14

     The first part of today’s passage tells us to submit to the governing authorities. They only have such power as God has delegated to them. God has instituted governments to punish wrongdoers. In addition, Paul tells us that those who are in positions of authority in government were placed there by God. We should obey governing authorities not just to avoid punishment, but to please God, since He has established them. This includes paying taxes. We are, also, to respect and honor those in positions of government authority.
     Paul follows this up by instructing us to owe no one anything, except for our obligation to love one another. Paul tells us that the commandments can be summed up by “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Time is running out, the Lord will be returning soon. We must avoid wild parties, drunkenness and sexual immorality. We must strive to serve the Lord and not seek ways to indulge our evil desires.

Psalm 23:1-6

     Today’s psalm is one that anyone who knows the Bible at all is familiar with. There is a reason for this, it contains a lot of basic truths. The Lord is our shepherd. He will guide us to those places where all of our needs will be met. Even when we pass through difficult and dangerous places and times, we need not fear because God will protect us. If we faithfully follow the Lord’s guidance, when we finish this life we will dwell in His house for eternity.

Proverbs 20:11

     Today’s proverb tells us that even children are known by the way they act. Considering that, how much more will we as adults be judged by our behavior.

Daily Bible Study

May 24, 2012 Bible Study

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or my understanding of them, please leave comments.

2 Samuel 4-6:23

     After the death of Abner those parts of Israel that looked to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, as king became disheartened. Two of Ishbosheth’s captains killed him and took his head to David, thinking that David would be grateful to them for doing so. They were wrong. David had them executed for killing Ishbosheth. After the death of Ishbosheth the leaders of the tribes of Israel (besides Judah, over which David was already king) come to David and request that he become their king. I noticed reading through this time that David only made one overture to become the king of all Israel and that was after the death of Saul and before Ishbosheth was made king. After that it was others who took the initiative. Once he has control over all of Israel, David begins taking control over the surrounding peoples. He starts by taking Jerusalem from the Jebusites. As David is consolidating his power he receives a gift of friendship from the king of Tyre. During this same time the Philistines muster their armies to attack David. David defeats them twice.
     David then brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem from where it had been since its recovery from the Philistines at the beginning of Samuel’s Judgeship. David makes this a major celebration which is cut short just as they get near to Jerusalem when one of the men guiding the cart carrying the Ark is struck dead when he touches the Ark to steady it. David was angered by the death of this man. We are not told why the man was struck down. However, in the Law God gave the Israelites instructions on how the Ark should be transported. He told them that it should be carried using poles put through the rings put on it for that purpose. In this passage, David was transporting the Ark on a cart. When three months later David had the Ark taken the rest of the way into Jerusalem, that is how he had it moved. Again the Bible tells us that David made this move a great celebration. He had a sacrifice made and gave gifts of food to all of those present. The passage tells us that David danced before the Lord with all of his might. David threw himself into his worship and made no attempt to guard his dignity. When confronted by his wife Michal, King Saul’s daughter, over his lack of dignity, David expresses a willingness to look foolish even to the point of being humiliated in his own eyes in order to worship and celebrate before God. We need to have the same attitude. We must be willing to abandon our dignity in order to worship God. David did not let anything distract him from his worship of God, neither should we.

John 13:31-14:14

     Jesus tells the disciples that He is going somewhere that they cannot follow. He continues by telling them that they should love each other as He had loved them, that the world will know that they are His disciples by their love for each other. Peter wants to know why he can’t come with Jesus, since he is ready to die for Him, so he says. Jesus tells Peter that not only is he not ready to die for Him, but that Peter will deny that he even knows Him before the rooster crows the following morning. Jesus immediately follows this by telling them not to let their hearts be troubled. He tells them that He will return for them and besides that they know the way to where He is going. Thomas and then Philip ask questions which demonstrate that the disciples do not yet understand what Jesus has been teaching them. Jesus explains to Thomas that He is the way and that there is no other way to the Father. Then Jesus tells Philip that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father. Jesus continues by telling the disciples that those who believe in Him will do the same works and even greater works than He has done.
     This is a very powerful passage. It tells us that Jesus is the only way to the Father. There are no other paths that lead to God. One cannot be a Christian and believe that people can find other ways to God. It also tells us that we can ask anything in Jesus name and He will do it. I do not fully understand this because it does not seem to actually work out that way. However, I think it is like my understanding of the passage where Jesus says that if we have faith like a mustard seed we can say tell a mountain to move and it will move. I believe that the reason that works is because if we truly believe that it is God’s will that a mountain be moved from where it is to somewhere else, we will grab a shovel and start filling a wheelbarrow. I think that is the key to understanding how prayer and faith work together. If we believe that a certain result is in God’s will for this world we will start taking action to accomplish that result, even if we know there is no way that we can accomplish the end we seek. If we ask for something in Jesus name it means that we believe that something is in service to God. If we believe that some end is in the service of God, we will take action to make that end occur, even if we are well aware that our actions are entirely insufficient to accomplish that end. I believe that as we work to accomplish Godly ends, others will join us and the power of God will move until those ends are accomplished.

Psalm 119:17-32

     God’s instructions are wonderful truths. They will encourage us when we are experiencing sorrow. If we strive to learn and obey God’s commands our wisdom and understanding will grow. Yesterday’s two stanzas each ended with thoughts that I made my prayer, today’s end with thoughts that I wish to make the center of my thinking today:

“Your laws please me;
they give me wise advice.”
“I will pursue your commands,
for you expand my understanding.”

Proverbs 15:31-32

     Listening to criticism is the only way that we can grow and become wise. Refusing to listen when others tell us that we have done something wrong, or less well than we could have, hurts no one but ourselves. When we listen to correction we can improve ourselves. These lessons in these proverbs seem obvious, yet how often do we fail to heed them?