For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    This proverb is so true. Only the truly stupid hate to be corrected and the only person who is truly stupid is unwilling to accept discipline when they are wrong.

    This psalm expresses the faith of one suffering deep depression. Everything, and everyone, seems to be conspiring against him (and perhaps it is). Yet, no matter how bad he thinks things are, no matter how bad things actually are, he continues to have faith in God. He continues to cry out to God for rescue, believing that God will rescue him. The psalmist does this even though he is ridiculed for his faith. He acknowledges that he has foolishly sinned and prays that God does not allow his foolishness to cause others who trust in God to be shamed.
    All in all, this psalm is a great expression of faith. I pray that my faith will be as strong should I ever find myself in similar circumstances.

    Wow, I actually have three points to make on this passage. First, the more we perceive ourselves to have been a sinner, the more thankful we are to God for His forgiveness. Second, we should all strive to show our thankfulness as enthusiastically as this woman. Third, none of us should have the attitude of the Pharisee in this story. None of us should think of someone else as a greater sinner than ourselves, that we are somehow better than that other person.
    I was going to go into more detail on this, but I think that pretty much covers it. I will finish with this question: Do we realize how much we have been forgiven? Do we express to God the love He deserves for the forgiveness we have received?

    Moses tells the Israelites that when they enter into the Promised Land they must not make any treaties with the people living there. He tells them to completely consecrate those people to God. The word used here is typically translated as “destroy”, and typically the term means destroying something in order to give it to God. As I read this, I am reminded that when the Israelites left Egypt they were accompanied by a large number of non-Israelites. Those non-Israelites became part of the people of God. The Israelites were not to adopt any of the customs of the people whose land they were entering. But if those people were to dedicate themselves wholly to the service of God, well that was different. Understand, I do not think that was how those who heard Moses speak understood him. I do however think that was how God intended them to hear it.
    The second part of the passage contains both a promise and a warning. The promise is that if the Israelites live in fear of the Lord and follow His commands they will prosper. This promise was not just for the Israelites. It was for all people. So was His warning. The passage warned the Israelites to remember that their wealth came from worshiping and serving God. If they were to begin to think that the wealth they acquired was a result of their merit and specialness they might stop being faithful to God and start worshiping other gods. Just as the nations which the Israelites were displacing were being destroyed because they refused to obey God, so too would the Israelites be destroyed if they refused to worship God…so, too will we be destroyed.

    I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I write this daily blog because it helps me pay closer attention to the Scripture as I read it. Before I started writing this blog I had trouble disciplining myself to read the Bible regularly, let alone every day. I hope that by posting my thoughts I can encourage others to regularly read the Bible (and perhaps my thoughts will give someone encouragement in their walk with Christ). In order to make it possible for others to use my blog as part of their daily Bible Study (the hubris of that idea never ceases to amaze me), I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    In order to learn, you must embrace being corrected and disciplined when you are wrong. Anyone who despises being corrected is both ignorant and stupid.

    This psalm reflects how I feel right now. I am overwhelmed by my troubles and I beg of God that He rescue me. I have been foolish and made many mistakes. I acknowledge my sins before God. I have no choice because He knows them all. I ask that God not allow those who trust in Him be ashamed because of me. Oh God, do not allow those who honor you to be humiliated by anything I say or do!

    There are a lot of different takes on this story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and with perfume. There is a lot to be learned from it. However, the question that struck me is that in reality there is no practical difference in the amount of forgiveness the Pharisee and the woman in this story needed from God. The difference was in their perception of their need. Or to put it another way, if I am drowning in the ocean, it doesn’t matter if I am 1 mile from shore or 100 miles from shore. In either case, if someone does not come along and pull me out of the water, I will die.
    Simon the Pharisee perceived himself as needing just a little bit of help in order to be righteous. The woman who anointed Jesus perceived herself as being completely unable to be righteous. So, the question is how do I perceive myself? Do I understand that without Jesus, righteousness is completely out of my reach? The answer is, “Not always”. Yet, I know that it is.

    God did not choose us as His servants because we are stronger, or smarter, or faster, or in any other way better than anybody else. He chose us because He loves us. We were chosen by God to serve Him and if we do that He will bless us. However, we cannot compromise on God’s principles. We cannot meet those who do not believe in God halfway. We must not worship their gods or serve their goals.