For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    There are those who think they can change the world for the better with lies. They are badly mistaken. If you find yourself resorting to deceit to accomplish your goals it is a good clue that your goals are evil and not good. Those who wish to make lasting, positive change to this world rely on the truth.

    There are two elements to this psalm (there is that two thing again). Each generation needs to choose to follow God’s commands by their own decision. The parents cannot decide for their children that the children will follow God (although I have known of parents who chose to follow God for their children’s sake). Each person must choose for themselves to give their hearts to God.
    Let us not be like the Israelites in the wilderness. They saw God’s marvelous power displayed for their benefit time and again. Yet, time and again they failed to have faith that God could meet their needs this time. I have seen what God has done in the past, I will have faith in His power and love for the future.

    The important point about this passage is its condemnation of hypocrisy, but we all know that. I was looking for something different to say about this when I realized something I never really thought about before. Jesus is not saying that our outward appearance should not look righteous to those around us. He is saying that we should focus on making our inward being righteous first. When we start to clean up our lives we should start with the parts that others do not see. If we clean up our inward being, our outward appearance will follow. It doesn’t work the other way around.
    When we teach people about God’s commands, we need to do more than teach them the “rules”. We need to work with them to teach them how to keep those “rules”. Jesus condemned the teachers of religious law for teaching the laws, but not offering to help people to keep those laws. Our job is to help people live a righteous life, not to condemn them for failing to do so.

    This passage was addressed primarily to the people of Israel and talked primarily about the land of Israel, but it applies to all of the peoples on this earth. The blessings and curses laid out in these passages apply to all mankind. Those who love and obey God will be blessed. Those who rebel against God and seek after other gods will be cursed.
    Today God is giving you a choice. If in the past you have rebelled against God and are suffering His curse, today you can choose to turn to Him and start walking in His way. If you do so, He will bless you and show you life. I do not know how to write this as I feel it needs to be written. I am convinced that someone will read this today who God is calling right now. All I can think is to quote the final paragraph of today’s passage (and to pray for you, whoever you are):
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    If you tell the truth, you do not need to worry about explaining inconsistencies. If you tell lies, you need to be constantly remembering what you said and fitting it into the other things you talk about. When you plot evil you need to fill your mind with the lies and deceit necessary to carry out your plot. On the other hand, when you plan on how to obtain peace your mind can, and will, be filled with joy at all of the wonderful things you wish to do for others.

    This psalm reminds us of the importance of telling the next generation about what God has done, both in our lives and in the lives of those who went before us. Let us tell those younger than ourselves what we know of God’s wondrous actions so that they may know of Him and choose to follow Him. Each generation must decide for itself to follow God, but we need to give them the information to make an informed decision.

    Jesus tells the Pharisees and teachers of religious law that while there is nothing wrong with acting so as to appear righteous, it is not enough. It is not even the proper place to start. It is more important to give to the needs of the poor and support justice than it is to do things which make others think we are righteous. When we teach others about following God, we should strive to act in ways which make it easier for them to do so. Let us encourage those who are trying to follow God, rather than stressing the ways in which they are falling short.
    Jesus then turned His attention to the crowds. He warns us not to imitate the hypocrisy of religious leaders, nor to allow it to discourage us from doing what is right. We should not let human opposition frighten us, since the most they can do is kill our bodies. Rather, we should fear God who can kill not only our bodies but can destroy our very souls. Then He tells us that despite the fact that we should fear God, we should also trust Him to care for us. We are more valuable to God than we can possibly imagine. God pays attention to the details of our life more closely than we are even capable of ourselves, to the point of numbering the hairs on our heads.

    Today we are given a choice between life and death. If we love God with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, and obey His commands, He will give us life and joy. If we reject His commands and worship things other than Him, we will be destroyed. God is not far from us, nor are His commands. They are not difficult to know and understand. We do not need someone specially trained to interpret them for us. We do not need to send someone up to heaven, nor to the ends of the earth to know God’s will. He lives with us and will speak in our hearts to show us the way. We need only seek His face and we will find Him.