For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Why, yes, I do like cats. Why do you ask?

    Those who mock others resent it when you point out that their mockery is unjustified, especially when you show them how they are the ones being stupid or foolish. You will notice that those who most enjoy mocking others avoid those who could/would teach them to understand those with a different view of the world from themselves.
    When I read the third of today’s proverbs it reminded me of the entertainment choices people make. Some people choose to spend their leisure time learning and gathering knowledge, others spend their leisure with things that distract them from thinking about anything. There is nothing wrong with limited amounts of the latter, but the wise are hungry for knowledge and will fill up their leisure time acquiring it. The fool has no interest in knowledge and will avoid like the plague any leisure activity which requires thought, let alone the acquisition of knowledge. If they spend their leisure time involved in anything which involves the acquisition of knowledge, it will be knowledge which is of no lasting value.

    Those who fear the Lord and take delight in in following His commands will be filled with joy. They are willing to lend money generously and are fair in all of their business dealings. As a result good comes their way and evil will fail its attempts to overcome them. Overall I love the message of this psalm, but struggle with writing a meditation on what it means to me.

    This passage starts with one of Jesus’ most famous statements, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” That is a very true and important statement. However, the exchange which follows probably gives us more insight into living our lives. There is one thing which I have never heard anyone preach about when they talk about this exchange. Jesus was talking to those who believed in Him. Yet, despite this, their first reaction was to take offense at Jesus telling them that they would be set free.
    Jesus points out that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. He then points out that there are some in the crowd who want to kill Him. Rather than accept that those who were trying to kill Jesus were in the wrong, they took offense. I always find this passage difficult to digest, but not because the message is so hard. I get caught up in the dynamics of the conversation between Jesus and the people so that it distracts me from the message Jesus is preaching here. I actually run into that a lot when I read the Gospel of John.
    Those who love God and are born of God will hear and love the truth. Those who are born of Satan lie, murder and steal. Or, to put it another way, truth and love are characteristics which come from God. Lies and deception come from the devil. The more we are truthful in what we say, and treat those we meet with love, the closer we are to God. The closer we are to God, the more we will be truthful and treat those we meet with love. On the other hand, the more we use lies and deception the closer we are to the devil and the farther we are from God. The farther we are from God the more we use lies and deception.

    After his battle with Goliath David became one of Saul’s chief subordinates. Everything Saul asked him to do David did, and he did it well. David was so successful that the people began singing his praises. They began praising David as greater than Saul. Saul, rather than taking this as a compliment for his good judgment in selecting David, became jealous of David. David continued to be a faithful servant to Saul and to put all of his efforts into serving Saul’s interests. Saul felt threatened by David’s success and his reactions to that perceived threat made it more real. Despite Saul’s actions, David did nothing against Saul’s interests, except act to preserve his own life. One of the reasons Saul lost his throne was because he acted to diminish the power of any subordinate who was too successful.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Those who mock others avoid interaction with those who are wise enough to get their facts straight because they do not want to be corrected when they are wrong. This demonstrates their foolishness because the wise are always seeking knowledge, even when it proves that their past judgements were wrong.

    Those who fear the Lord and take delight in doing as He instructs will be blessed. Those who fear the Lord and do as he commands need fear nothing. They can confidently trust God to care for them and provide for their needs. Their success will infuriate the wicked, who will be able to do nothing to thwart them.

    There are two complimentary points in this passage. The first is that if we are faithful to Jesus’ teachings we will know the truth and the truth will free us. Of course, it is not just knowing the truth which frees us, but telling and living it as well. As we allow the truth to take over and fill our lives we are freed from the need to remember the lies we have told and fit everything into those lies to avoid being caught out. When we tell and live the truth we are making ourselves children of God and building up our strength to live free and righteous lives.
    On the other hand, every time we tell a lie, we make ourselves children of the devil and tie ourselves into slavery to him. Those who lie frequently come to hate the truth because it reveals who they are. Lying is a sort of gateway sin which leads to all others. When we lie we begin to believe that we can reshape the world into what we want it to be. As time goes by and the world fails to conform to our lies, we commit ever greater sins until we find even murder acceptable to support the lies which we have told. Once we have begun down that path the only way to be freed is to dedicate ourselves to the truth. Let us dedicate ourselves to the faithfully following Jesus’ teachings so that we may learn, speak, and live the truth. When we do that the truth will free us from slavery to sin.

    Saul set David to many tasks and sent him on various missions. David was successful at all of them and became a hero in the eyes of the people. Once more Saul’s insecurity was revealed. Rather than rejoice in David’s successes and see them as reflecting well on him as David’s mentor, Saul became jealous of David. He feared that the people would make David king in his place. Saul’s insecurity made him a king of uncertain temper. One day, in his anger Saul attempted to kill David. David avoided the attempt and when Saul’s temper faded he sent David out as a commander of troops. David gained even more fame as his troops successfully won battles. Saul allowed his insecurity to overcome him. Rather than see David as an asset to his rule, he saw him as a threat to be eliminated. Let us not follow Saul’s path of insecurity. Rather let us follow the path laid out in today’s psalm. Let us fear the Lord and live with the confidence and trust in Him that comes from obeying His commands.