Tag Archives: Luke 17:11-37

Daily Bible Study

April 15, 2015 Bible Study — The Kingdom of God Is Already Among Us

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:5-6

    These two proverbs definitely go together. It is their very distaste for lies and falsehood which protect the godly from going astray. Since they choose honesty and integrity their path is clear and straight. The wicked on the other hand are misled into trouble because they believe that lies and falsehood can bring them happiness (they are wrong).

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Psalm 84:1-12

    Yes, it is a joyful experience to live near to God. Reading this psalm fills me with joy and with the desire to be closer to God. It always amazes me how a psalm like this, or a song which expresses similar sentiment can both fill me with joy and give me a strong desire to be close to God. I was reading this psalm and feeling convicted because I do not always feel this way when the feeling the psalm expressed began to overwhelm me.
    I do indeed agree with the psalmist when he says:

A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I am not very good at being a servant, but I understand the sentiment when the psalmist says that he would rather be a gatekeeper in the House of the Lord than live as lord among the wicked (I know that is not quite what he says, but I think that is what he means).

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Luke 17:11-37

    The story about the ten lepers is here for two reasons (yes, there I go again only two points). First, it reminds us that those who respond with gratitude for a miraculous event are the exception, not the rule. Second, it shows us that just because no one else expresses their gratitude does not mean that we shouldn’t. Let us live our lives like the on healed leper who returned to express his gratitude to Jesus.
    When Jesus was asked about the coming of the Kingdom of God, His answer is exactly the opposite of what Islam teaches about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom which stands separate, controlling a certain amount of land and the people living there. And it is not some future utopia. No, the Kingdom of God is right here among us. It is composed of those who are servants of God, whom God has made citizens of His Kingdom. We bring God’s Kingdom to those around us when we act as the one leper did by expressing our gratitude to God for what He has done for us.

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Joshua 11-12:24

    When the rest of the peoples who lived in the land heard what had happened in yesterday’s passage they did not follow the path of the Gibeonites and attempt to make peace with Israel. Instead they joined their armies together and attempted to defeat the Israelites with overwhelming force. There are two lessons here (there is that number again). The first is a warning for Israel’s enemies today. In this passage, Israel’s enemies outnumbered them by a large amount AND they possessed superior military technology. Yet the Israelites defeated them and destroyed their weapons.
    The second lesson is for everyone who serves God. If we follow the instructions which God gives us we will overcome all of our enemies, no matter how much they outnumber us and no matter how much power they have on their side. God will crush those who obstruct the path upon which He has set His people.

Daily Bible Study

April 15, 2014 Bible Study — The Kingdom of God Is Here

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:5-6

    The righteous hate lies and all that is false. Their integrity guards them from unrecoverable errors. The evil are misled by sin into disgrace and shame.

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Psalm 84:1-12

    I completely agree with the psalmist. I desire with all of my being to enter into the presence of God. Oh, what a joyous place that is to be! If we draw our strength from God, even when we pass through times of trouble and sorrow we can experience the joy of the Lord. I would rather be a servant in God’s house than the guest of honour in the home of the wicked. I desire to serve God with all of my being.

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Luke 17:11-37

    The Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come? Jesus answered that the Kingdom of Heaven is not something that we can say, “Here it is,” or, “It is over there.” The Kingdom of Heaven is in our midst and within us. When we serve God we have brought the Kingdom of God to those around us. Let us do everything in our power to show those around us what it like to live in the Kingdom of God so that they will desire to live there as well. And not some day in the future, but to live in the Kingdom of God today.
    However, the day will come when Jesus will return and take those who serve Him out of the world. That day will happen just like every other day. People will be going about their business side by side. One will be taken, while one will be left. I strive to be sure that on that day, when I am going about my business the business I am going about is God’s business.

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Joshua 11-12:24

    Of all the people in the land which had been promised to the Israelites, only the Gibeonites attempted to make peace with the Israelites. All of the other peoples banded together to attack the Israelites. Despite the military strength arrayed against the Israelites God gave them complete victory. Sometimes I wonder about the people who were wiped out by the Israelites is it possible that they were all so evil that they deserved such complete annihilation. Then I remember the story of Rahab and her family. Perhaps there were other stories of lesser significance that we do not know about. It is important to remember that those who do not choose to separate themselves from those who are evil are likely to suffer along with the evil.

Daily Bible Study

April 15, 2013 Bible Study –The Kingdom Of God Is In Our Midst

     I am approaching the one year mark of doing this daily Bible study blog. I am getting excited about discovering what God has in store for me as I begin blogging about the passages that I blogged about last year. I am debating if I am going to go back and read what I wrote last year to compare it to what I write this year. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. As I said, I am excited to see what difference going through these passages for the second time makes.
     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. 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.

Magrat in camouflage
Magrat in camouflage

Joshua 11-12:24

     After Joshua and the Israelites defeated and subdued the southern region, the kings of the northern region united to attack them. Joshua mobilized the Israelites and marched against the northern kings, while their armies were still camped at their initial muster point. The Israelites surprised the northern kings and defeated their armies decisively. The Israelites then went on to conquer the cities, completely destroying their populations.When Joshua finished this campaign, the Israelites controlled all of the land except for some Philistine cities on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea (at least that is how this passage reads to me) and the land had rest from war. It is interesting to note that after defeating Jericho and Ai, Joshua only attacked those who either first attacked Israel’s allies (the Gibeonites) or gathered their armies to attack Israel.

Magrat goes exploring
Magrat goes exploring

Luke 17:11-37

     As Jesus reached the border between Galilee and Samaria on His way to Jerusalem, He met ten lepers. The lepers begged Jesus to heal them. Jesus responded by telling them to go and show themselves to the priests (as the Law of Moses required of lepers who had been healed). As the lepers followed Jesus’ instruction and went to show themselves to the priests, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, upon noticing that he was healed, returned to Jesus and fell at His feet praising God. This one was a Samaritan. Jesus notes that only one out the ten returned to praise God and that one was a Samaritan. He asked where the other nine were? The question I need to ask myself is this, am I the one or the nine?
     Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come? Jesus’ answer is intriguing. He tells them that the Kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed (I think the New American Standard Version does the best job of translating this in a way that is understandable). Jesus tells them that we will not be able to say about the Kingdom of God, “Here it is,” or “It is over there.” He tells us instead that the Kingdom of God is in our midst. When I read what Jesus says here, it reminds me of earlier passages where He compares it to yeast. The Kingdom of God is in our midst and is (or should be) permeating all aspects of society. I think that to some degree the problems in our society resulted from Christians forgetting that they were the yeast permeating the dough and began to think that we were the dough.
     Jesus goes on to tell His disciples that the time will come when they will long to see His coming. People will proclaim that the Messiah is “Over here,” or “Over there.” But we should not believe them because when Jesus returns, it will be like a flash of lightning that lights up the sky from one end to the other. When I read that description I think about the incredibly bright lightning bolts that happen every once in awhile, the ones where even if your eyes are closed you see the flash. Jesus goes on to tell us that just like in times past when the day of judgment arrived (the Flood and what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah) people will be going about their lives with no thought to the coming judgment when it will arrive suddenly. No one in the time of Noah missed the coming of the Flood, no one in Sodom and Gomorrah missed the coming of the day of judgment on those cities. In the same way, when Jesus returns, no one will miss it.

What's over there?
What’s over there?

Psalm 84:1-12

     I strive to fully share the sentiments the psalmist expresses in this psalm. I want to do this every hour of every day:

With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.

And I do believe that this is true:
A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

There are times when I forget but God reminds me before I go completely off of the rails. It is truly better to be a lowly servant in the house of God, than a mighty ruler anywhere else.

Magrat up close
Magrat up close

Proverbs 13:5-6

     I like the NIV’s translation of today’s proverb: “The righteous hate what is false,…” A short time back I realized that the way to read proverbs like today’s is as a method for judging myself. Do I hate what is false? Or do I revel in deception and guile? If the former, I am being transformed into God’s likeness. If the latter, I am on the path to shame and destruction.