For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 21:13

    Another way of expressing the point made by this proverb is, “What goes around, comes around.” Except that this proverb makes it clear that failure to act may be just as bad as acting badly. Yet another way to put this proverb is this, help those in need when you have the opportunity because one day you may be in need and wish for someone to help you.

Psalm 34:1-10

    I love this psalm. I get tired of saying this, but it is true of so many of the psalms. First, it encourages me to praise God all of the time. It does more than that, it challenges me to tell others about what God has done for me, to tell them how He has answered my prayers. This psalm tells us to tell others what God has done for us, inviting them to follow Him.
    However, it reminds us that no one will ever come to saving faith based on our testimony. No, verse eight tells us that the most important part of our invitation must be to invite them to experience God for themselves. It is only when we take the risk and experience God for ourselves that we truly come to faith. If you have not yet come to faith in Christ than I invite you to “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” I am sitting here crying as I write this, thinking of my friends who are starving for God, yet refuse to taste the meal He has laid out for them. They are convinced that it will taste terrible. I have told them how fabulous it is, but there is nothing more I can do until they taste it for themselves.

1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13

    Paul tells us to discipline our bodies. We should train in a manner similar to the way in which professional athletes train. However, we are not seeking to train our bodies to athletic excellence (although we may do that as well), rather we are to train our bodies to the discipline which allows us to better serve God. Let us train our bodies to avoid sin. My recollection is that when I have heard (or read) someone teach on this passage they have emphasized “spiritual” discipline and minimized the idea of physical discipline. I put spiritual in quotes in the last sentence because I am coming to believe that true spiritual discipline cannot be truly separated from physical discipline. If we wish to have spiritual discipline (and I believe that we are called to do so) we must also have physical discipline.
    This passage comes at a good time for me. When I started this blog, I intended to complete it every morning. For some time now I have started it in the morning but have been letting it go until later in the day to complete. Over the last few days I have been convicted that I need to start disciplining myself to completing it in the morning before work (or whatever other activities I do for the day). In addition, my blood sugar has been higher than it should be a good bit. I need to discipline my diet so as to bring that back down. Until this morning I did not see those two things as connected. However, I believe that they are. I believe that as I discipline myself to complete my devotions (this blog) first thing in the morning it will help me discipline myself to bring my blood sugar down. And as I discipline my diet to bring my blood sugar down it will help me discipline myself to complete my devotions first thing in the morning. I pray that the Holy Spirit aid me in this twofold endeavor.

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39

    The leaders of the Levites led the people in a prayer in which they acknowledged that the hardship they were facing was a result of their sins, and the sins of their ancestors. The Jewish people were subject to the authority of the Persian Empire because when times were good they had repeatedly turned from God to worshiping idols. At the end of this prayer the people vowed to separate themselves from the pagans living around them. They would not marry anyone who did not worship God. They vowed that they would not do business on the Sabbath or other Holy Days. There is an important element in their vow. They did not say that they would strive to prevent those who did not worship God from doing business on those days. They merely vowed that they would not do business with them on those days.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 21:13

    If we do not use what resources we can to help those in greater need than ourselves the day will come when we are in need and no one will help us. What goes around, comes around. Let us never forget to help those whose need is greater than our own.

Psalm 34:1-10

    The beginning of this psalm is such a great expression of how I wish to approach life:

I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart.
There are times when I allow things in this life to distract me from praising God, I strive to make those occasions ever fewer because this next is also true:
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
The psalmist tells us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” If you want to know that God is real and that He is good, you need to live as if you believe that He is real and good. If you assume that God is real, and live your life accordingly, before long He will show you that He is indeed real.

1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13

    In Christ, Paul was made free. He was no longer bound to any particular pattern of behavior. He was free to act as he chose. Yet he chose to live by the standard of goodness recognized by those among whom he found himself. He did not hold himself up as better than they because he was a Christian. Instead he demonstrated how Christ had a message, even for such as they. Paul found common ground with those he found himself among so that he could bring them the Gospel message. Let us strive to do the same.
    Paul was willing to do whatever it took to reach unbelievers with the word of God. Are we willing to do the same? Let us seek out those who have not yet heard the Gospel and live our lives among them, as one of them. What will it take to reach the unbelievers nearest you? Are you willing to do it? Am I?

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39

    Nehemiah summed up the history of the people of Israel, with emphasis made to God’s offering them chances time and again to serve Him. Once more God was offering them a chance to serve Him and be an example of faithfulness and justice in the world. The leaders of the people created and signed a covenant to follow God’s law, particularly the laws regarding the Sabbath Year. The people then made a solemn vow to bind themselves to the same covenant. They recognized that God had brought them back to the land He had promised their ancestors, giving them a chance once more to be faithful to Him. When God redeems us from the consequences of our sins, do we recognize that He has given us another chance to be faithful to Him? Do we dedicate ourselves to doing so?

     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.

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39

     The people continued their communal prayer recounting God’s actions throughout their history and the rebellion of their ancestors. At the end of this prayer, the people made a binding agreement, in writing and signed by their leaders, to obey all of God’s laws and commandments. In addition they swore to not arrange for their children to marry the children of those who did not worship God and keep His commands. They swore to not do business on the Sabbath. They promised to pay an annual tax for the maintenance of the Temple. They promised to offer the first fruits of their harvests and a tithe on the rest. They promised not to neglect the Temple.

1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13

     Paul continues his discussion of our freedom in Christ in today’s passage using himself as an example. He tells us that he is a free man, enslaved to no one. However, he allowed others to dictate how he behaved in order to bring as many as possible to Christ. When he was with those who lived according to strict rules and regulations because they thought that was what it meant to be righteous, he lived according to strict rules and regulations in order to convince as many as possible to accept the Gospel message. When he was with those who rejected rules and regulations because they thought that rules and regulations interfered with loving each other, Paul lived without regard to rules and regulations in order to convince as many as possible to accept the Gospel message. Despite doing the latter, Paul states that he believes in living according to God’s rules and regulations as mediated by Christ. When he was among those who were weak, Paul says that he became weak. He was willing to become all things to all people in order that some might be saved.

***
     Paul refused to insist that people take him as he was. He was willing to reach them in whatever way necessary. He would behave in whatever manner was necessary to get a hearing. This did not mean that he compromised the Gospel. However, among the straight-laced, Paul was straight-laced. On the other hand, among those who thought the straight-laced were all hypocrites, Paul avoided coming across as straight-laced. With those who were tired of the arguments and discord between different groups, who wondered how anyone could know who was right, Paul avoided coming across as “I’m right and you’re wrong.”
     I think I do pretty good on the first two counts. However, I have trouble with the third group. All too often, I come on too strong when I disagree with people. I have been asking the Holy Spirit to help me with that and I think I have been making progress.
***
     Paul then goes to the metaphor of athletic training. All athletes who hope to compete at the highest level train with discipline, yet only one of them comes out victorious. In the same way, Paul strives to live his spiritual life with discipline. He does not live so that he can feel good about his spirituality. He has a goal and everything he does is aimed towards that goal. He is not just casually running so that he can be in better condition. He is running hard so as to prepare his body for a race. He disciplines both his body and his spirit.
     Paul then uses the example of the children of Israel in the Exodus. They were all guided by the cloud that moved in front of them. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual water, yet God was not pleased with many of them. Some of them craved evil things and worshiped idols. Some of them engaged in sexual immorality. Some of them put God to the test and some of them grumbled against God. All of these sins led to death.
     Paul warns us not to be cocky in our faith, not to become overconfident and stumble because we took our eyes off of God. He tells us that God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted more than we can resist. When we are tempted, He will show us what we must do to overcome the temptation. We just need to do what He shows us.

Psalm 34:1-10

     This psalm has some great lines:

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
But there is one that stands out to me: Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I am not sure what the psalmist meant, but I read that as meaning that the psalmist is telling us that if we want to see that God is good, we need to try living according to His commands for a while. If we do that we will quickly see that they lead us to a better life than living according to our own designs. It reminds me of the decision that led me to finally put my doubts to rest.
     For many years I struggled with the question, “How do I know if God is real?” After many years of working on understanding how the world worked and after looking at different ideas about how it came to be, I was left with two choices that could potentially be intellectually satisfying. Either the God of the Christian Bible was real, or the universe was the product of random chance and nothing meant anything. I wanted proof one way or the other, but I was unable to find any.
     As time went on, this lack of proof led me more and more to think that the universe was purely random. There was only one problem. That conclusion depressed me beyond words. Finally, one day I was crying out in my soul to God, “I cannot go on any longer if You do not exist, please prove to me that You are!” At that moment it came to me that I had my answer (I know now that this was God speaking directly to me). Since I could not live with the conclusion that the universe was random, I would live as if I believed that the God of the Bible was real. I would “taste and see.” Within days, I knew (not just thought, not just believed, KNEW) that the God of the Bible was real. I had tasted of God and seen that He was good!

Proverbs 21:13

     When you hear the cries of those in need, have the means to do something for them, and do not, then you can know that the day will come when you are in need and your own cries will not be answered.