Tag Archives: Psalm 37

Daily Bible Study

August 22, 2015 Bible Study — Orderly and Proper, Not Staid and Boring

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:27

    It is detestable when someone makes offerings and sacrifices to offset wicked behavior they have no intention of changing. It is even worse when they make those offerings with the intention of getting the righteous to cover for them.

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Psalm 37:30-40

    The godly give good advice and teach right from wrong. More importantly, they internalize God’s law and live it, even when no one is watching. It may seem as if the wicked are flourishing and immune to all of trouble. It seems they will stand the test of time. Yet, look away for but a moment and when you look back they will be gone, all trace of them wiped from the earth.

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1 Corinthians 14:18-40

    Paul continues his teaching about spiritual gifts. He tells us that when we meet together he would rather we speak five intelligible words than thousands of words in an unknown language. When we get together only one person should speak at a time. When we sing, we should all be singing the same song. Our gatherings should be orderly and proper. If the service is chaotic and disorderly, we are not glorifying God. One final note, orderly and proper does NOT mean staid and boring.

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Job 4-7

    Today as I read this it struck me that one of the important lessons about the book of Job is that we need to be careful when we seek to comfort and advise those who are suffering. On the one hand we both want to and ought to give them advice and counsel which may offer them hope and the chance to ease their suffering. On the other hand we must be careful not to conclude that they have done wrong just because they are suffering. People do not always suffer in order to teach them a lesson. Sometimes they experience suffering in order to teach someone else a lesson. That someone else may be us. Let us always be ready to learn the lessons God is trying to teach. And let us welcome the opportunity for God to use our suffering to teach others.

Daily Bible Study

August 21, 2015 Bible Study –Speaking In Tongues Is Good, Prophesying Is Better

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:25-26

    The lazy desire all of the good things in life, but refuse to actually work to acquire them. They are greedy for more, more, more. The godly on the other hand are filled with the desire to give in order to fulfill the needs of those less fortunate than themselves.

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Psalm 37:12-29

    The wicked seek pleasure in harming the defenseless and profit from those who cannot protect themselves. But God will turn their plots and their weapons against them. I will be satisfied with little rather than turn to wickedness to acquire wealth. The wicked borrow and never repay, while the godly seek those to whom they can give aid.

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1 Corinthians 14:1-17

    In today’s passage Paul addresses those who think that all Christians should desire to speak in tongues. It would not be a bad thing if every Christian spoke in tongues, but it would be better if every believer prophesied. Paul points out that, unless someone can interpret what is said, speaking in tongues really only benefits the speaker. On the other hand, if someone has been given a revelation, or special knowledge, or prophesy, or teaching, the whole body benefits.

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Job 1-3

    The arguments that Satan makes at the beginning of this passage remind me of the arguments often made about crime, except from the opposite direction. Satan argues, “Well, of course Job does not do wrong. He is wealthy.” The argument we often here today is, “Of course these people commit crimes. They are poor.” Yet, here in this account Job refused to do wrong, even after everything that made his life worth living was taken from him. Which shows us that we cannot determine whether someone will be righteous, or evil, based on the blessings they have received in this life.

Daily Bible Study

August 20, 2015 Bible Study — Nothing Is Worth Doing Without Love

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:23-24

    The wrong word at the wrong time is almost always the source of trouble. If you are able to control your words, you will be able to control the rest of your behaviors. The first step to controlling your words is to desire to do so.

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Psalm 37:1-11

    This psalm reminds us that we should not spend out time worrying about what others do, not even those who do evil. Let us commit ourselves to the Lord in everything we do. He will judge the wicked in His time. Instead of worrying about the apparent success of the wicked and envying them, let us wait patiently for God to act. If we serve Him in all we do He will show us what to do and reward us for our faithfulness. We may never have the wealth that we see the wicked have, but we will never suffer the torment that comes from their wickedness.

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1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13

    Paul concludes his metaphor comparing how the different gifts make us different, but necessary, parts of the Body of Christ by describing what some of those parts are. He points out that we do not all have the same skills and that that is the way it should be. We should therefore seek the most helpful gifts. I realized two new things about what Paul was saying here (besides the understanding I have had for years). The first is that while some gifts help the Church, we only need a few people with them. On the other hand, there are other gifts of which there are never too many people who have them. The second realization I came to is that Paul was telling us that which gifts we should seek will vary from generation to generation as the situation the Church finds itself in changes.
    Having told us to seek the most helpful gifts, Paul tells us that he will now show us the best way to live our lives. Then he writes about love. All other spiritual gifts only have value in as much as they are guided by love. No matter what we do in this life, no matter the sacrifices we make, if we do not do those things out of love for others, we have done nothing of lasting value. Let us seek the gifts which can do the most to help those around us, recognizing that we will not, we can not, help those whom we do not love.

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Esther 8-10

    Haman had sent out an edict under the seal of King Xerxes saying that the Jews should be killed and that those who killed them could claim their property. By Persian law, this edict could not be repealed. However, King Xerxes allowed Mordechai to draft another edict designed to offset Haman’s edict. Mordecai’s edict allowed the Jews to unite and defend themselves. The results show that those who seek to profit by abusing and killing others will themselves be abused and killed.

Daily Bible Study

February 20, 2015 Bible Study — Planting the Seeds

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 10:6-7

    The godly will be blessed by everyone except for the wicked who will say one thing (something good), but do another(something evil and violent). People will have fond memories of the godly, but will only remember the wicked in order to curse them once more.

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Psalm 37:30-40

    The psalmist reminds us that the godly teach right from wrong. The thing about this is that in order to teach right from wrong you need to know right from wrong and in order to know right from wrong you need to believe that there is a right and wrong. I will put my hope in the Lord and He will show me right from wrong. Then, perhaps one day, I will be able to teach that to someone else.

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Mark 4:26-5:20

    Yesterday I talked about the seeds in the parable of the sower. There I talked about how we do not know what tools God may use to break up the hard ground of someone’s heart. Today’s passage talks about how a farmer scatters seed and the seed grows without any further intervention from the farmer. The farmer does not need to understand how the seed sprouts and turns into a plant. It will do it whether he understands or not. In the same way, we do not need to understand how the Holy Spirit will use the “seed” of the Gospel message we shared with someone to change their hearts. Let us scatter the seed of the Gospel message to all around us, praying for the Spirit to nourish that seed and cause it to grow.

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Leviticus 9:7-10:20

    On the very day when Aaron was ordained priest, and his sons along with him, two of his sons were killed for their failure to closely keep God’s commands. It is hard to imagine how difficult that must have been for Aaron. I struggle with finding meaning in this passage, but there is one thing that does come through clear. When the Bible talks about fearing God, it is not being figurative. We should fear God such that we are hesitant to do anything which we think might displease Him.

Daily Bible Study

February 19, 2015 Bible Study–Who Is In YOUR Family?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 10:5

    There are times when we can be productive and gather for our needs. The wise work hard during those times. Those who sleep when they have such opportunities are a disgrace.

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Psalm 37:12-29

    There are many wise statements in this psalm. However today two of them strike me the strongest:

It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.

And
The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.

I will hold these two thoughts close to my heart as I consider my day.

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Mark 3:31-4:25

    When Jesus says that those who do the will of God are His brother, and sister, and mother I have always taken it to mean that if I do God’s will I am part of His family. This is true, but it also means that if I am a member of Jesus’ family anyone else who does God’s will is a member of my family. That means it is my responsibility to help them in any way that is within my ability and that I should be able to count on their help when I am in need. All too often we in the Church today fail to live as a family.
    In the past when I have read the parable of the farmer scattering seed, I have always thought about which type of soil am I? Am I the shallow soil? Showing enthusiasm at first and then losing interest when the going gets tough? Or am I the soil with the thorns? Where the concerns of this life choke out my witness? Or, maybe, I am the good soil? But have I really yielded a ten-fold or hundred-fold harvest? Those are questions which can help us evaluate our lives and see where we need to make changes.
    However, it struck me that there is another way we should look at this parable. When we witness to those around us we should think about what type of soil they are. If they are the footpath, we should pray that God break up the surface so that the seed can take root and grow. If they are the shallow soil, we should work with them to attempt to dig those rocks out so that the seeds can grow to full maturity. If they are the soil with thorns, we should help them weed. And if they are the good soil, we should strive to plant as much seed as possible so that the harvest may be great.
    There is one mistake we must not make. We must not think that because someone is the footpath there is no reason to spread seed there. Because even the footpath may have a spot where the seed can take root. As I think about this, I think about sidewalks I have seen where a plant grows up between the cracks. Over time, that plant may break up the sidewalk, allowing other plants to grow through other cracks. In the same way, if we spread the seed of the Gospel among those who appear to us to be hardened “footpath”, perhaps one of those seeds will take root, breaking up that hardened soil and turning it into good soil. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit and remember, it is not possible to overestimate that power.
    I was going to stop there, but I had a thought about the parable of the lamp which I think is relevant here. There is an aspect about attempting to hide a lamp that I have often overlooked because we use electric lights today. If you put try to hide the type of lamp Jesus was talking about by putting it under a basket or a bed (especially the baskets and beds Jesus would have been thinking of), there is a significant chance that the basket or the bed will catch fire.

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Leviticus 7:28-9:6

    The priests were to be given a share of the offerings which the people brought to God. This is a model for us today. It is appropriate that a portion of the money we donate to doing the work of the Lord go to pay those who actually carry out that work.

Daily Bible Study

February 18, 2015 Bible Study — Madman, Liar, or God?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 10:3-4

    I am not sure it is intended, but these two verses seem to connect laziness with wickedness and hard work with righteousness. This connection is not one-to-one (that is, not everyone who is lazy is wicked and not everyone who works hard is righteous) but there is definitely a link between these things. Oftentimes people resort to evil because they are unwilling to do the hard work necessary to acquire the things they want. On the other hand, part of being righteous is working hard so that we have the resources to meet the needs of those unable to supply for themselves.

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Psalm 37:1-11

    What an appropriate reminder this psalm is when the news is about the Christians who were killed for their faith in Libya.

Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.

Rather than turn from their rage, those who committed this act embraced it. They allowed their anger to dictate their actions and harm was the result. But God is in control and they will be destroyed. Let us not follow their example so as to not follow them to their end.

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Mark 3:7-30

    C.S. Lewis wrote that when it comes to evaluating Jesus we have three choices. Either He was who He said He was, the Son of God, or, He was crazy, or, He was evil. In today’s passage we see that the writer of the Gospel of Mark thought the same way. He tells us that at one point Jesus’ family came to take Him away because they thought He was crazy. At about the same time, the teachers of religious law said that He was evil, possessed by the Devil.
    Jesus refuted both of these claims by pointing to the results of His actions. The first thing to remember about Jesus is that He claimed great power and authority. Jesus points out that the way to evaluate Him was to look at the results of His actions. If He was serving Satan, His actions would clearly result in greater evil. Instead His actions resulted in greater good. Further, anyone who was crazy would be unable to act in a manner which was consistently good. We would be able to see how His actions were erratic, sometimes healing, sometimes harming.
    Finally, Jesus points out that the greatest sin is attributing the actions of the Holy Spirit to evil intentions. Those who attribute the good actions they witness to the evil motives of those who perform them will never be able to see how the Hand of God works in the world. I frequently see people condemning actions which have good results because the person who performed those actions had “evil” intentions. Those same people will forgive actions which have terrible results because those who performed them had “good” intentions. It is important for us to recognize that when good things result, it is because of the actions of the Holy Spirit. If someone claims to have good intentions and the results of their actions are good, we should accept their claim and give glory to God.

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Leviticus 6-7:27

    I have heard wonderful sermons preached from this passage and am always impressed by the insights gained about our lives today. However, when I read these passages today all I could think was about how hard it was to meet the sacrificial regulations of the old covenant.

Daily Bible Study

August 22, 2014 Bible Study — Worship Should Be Orderly, Not Chaotic

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:27

    Sacrifices and offerings made by those who intend to go on sinning are detestable. It is even worse when they are made with the intention of influencing the actions of those serving the Lord.

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Psalm 37:30-40

    The first verse of our psalm today has two sides. On the one hand, the words spoken by those who are righteous will naturally tend to be wise and support justice. On the other hand, if we desire to be righteous we must take care that the words we speak are wise and support justice. The wicked will lay traps for us and attempt to trick us into speaking foolishly. However, if we keep our focus on God and doing His will, He will keep us from falling into their traps and protect us from their attacks.

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1 Corinthians 14:18-40

    Paul continues his critique of speaking in tongues. It is clear from what he says that, while he believes it is a valuable gift from God, the Church in Corinth has become excessively focused on it. It appears that this focus has led them to have disorderly, chaotic worship services. Paul describes how our worship services should go, something we should perhaps examine and apply today. He describes how some have songs they wish to sing, others have words from God to share, and still others are prepared to teach. He points out that only two or three should speak in tongues, and then one at a time. Those who feel led to speak in tongues should only do so if there is someone present who has been given the gift to explain what it means to everyone else. When those who feel they have a word from God speak, everyone else should consider whether what they say is right. Most importantly, our worship services should be orderly, with only one person at a time speaking.

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Job 4-7:21

    The first of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, replies to Job. Eliphaz tells Job that the righteous do not suffer, therefore he, Job, must have done something wrong. The hard times which Job is experiencing are merely God’s attempts to correct him. If Job would only turn back to the Lord, all of his troubles would go away and life would be good once more.
    Job answers Eliphaz by recounting how severe his misery and suffering are. Then he asks Eliphaz, or the others, to show him what he had done wrong, where he fell short and needed to change. Job then continues by asking God why this had happened to him? Why was God sending so much suffering his way?
    Remember, no matter how much you are suffering, you are not the first and your suffering is not greater than that experienced by others. Continue with me as we look at the rest of this book over the next few days.

Daily Bible Study

August 21, 2014 Bible Study — The Lord Gave and The Lord Has Taken Away

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:25-26

    Lazy people are killed by their own desire. They do not wish to work in order to satisfy their desires and expect others to provide for them. The righteous work hard in order to give towards the needs of those who are unable to provide for themselves.

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Psalm 37:12-29

    The wicked plot against the righteous and prepare their weapons in order to bring them down. However, the weapons of the wicked will be turned against them. The righteous may have little, but they are better off than the wicked with great wealth. The wealth and power of the wicked will not last, the Lord will strike them down. The only path to security is to follow the Lord. If we turn from sin and do good, God will bless us and keep us safe.

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1 Corinthians 14:1-17

    Paul spends the entire passage explaining that while speaking in tongues (or as the NLV puts it “special sounds”) is valuable, it is much more valuable to speak in words which the audience can understand. There are times when the Holy Spirit leading us to express ourselves through words that neither we nor those around us can understand will lift us up and bring us closer to God. However, seeking out such experiences can interfere with us receiving guidance from the Spirit and imparting it to others. Let us accept speaking in tongues if the Spirit gives it to us, but let us seek the Spirit’s guidance in ways which we can comprehend and communicate with others.

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Job 1-3:26

    Reading the introduction to Job reminds me of recent reinterpretations of the temperance movement. Many of the influential members of the 19th century temperance movement were industrialists who became quite wealthy. I have read in recent years the claim that they supported the temperance movement because having a sober workforce was good business. However, this overlooks the fact that many of those who opposed the temperance movement, who encouraged the poor working class to drink heavily, were also industrialists. The former left writings which indicated that they believed that if their workers remained sober, those workers would be able to better themselves. The latter left writings which indicated that if their workers remained sober they would leave their employ, increasing the industrialists costs as they sought replacements. The evidence suggests that the industrialists who supported the temperance movement early on did so because they were concerned for the well-being of their workers and became wealthy as a result (this changed as people began to see this result).
    Back to the Book of Job, Satan basically claimed that Job was only righteous because righteousness made him wealthy and if he lost his wealth he would abandon righteous behavior. When that did not happen, Satan claimed that Job was only righteous because he was healthy and if he lost his health he would abandon his righteous behavior. Job is a model for us. When his wealth was lost Job responded:

“Without clothing I was born from my mother, and without clothing I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Praise the name of the Lord.”

Then when he lost his health, he responded (I will use the NIV here),
“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Job’s response is that of those who are righteous because it is the right thing to do. Let us seek to so live our lives.

Daily Bible Study

August 20, 2014 Bible Study — The Greatest Of These Is Love

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:23-24

    If you want to avoid trouble, be careful what you say and think before you speak. The difference between self-confidence and arrogance comes down to respecting others. If someone does not respect others people notice and will fail to respect that person.

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Psalm 37:1-11

    The wicked may seem to prosper, but it will only be for a short time. If we trust in the Lord and do His will (which is to do good), He will bless us and give us safety. If we allow Him to guide us, our actions will shine forth for all to see. I will let go of my anger and resist the urge to fight those who do wrong. I will do what is right, calm in the knowledge that God will bring just recompense to those who do evil. If we humbly wait for God to deal with the wicked He will give us peace and happiness.

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1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13

    Paul reiterates the fact that we are not all given the same gifts. God has given different people different gifts because His plan calls for all of those different gifts. One person could not adequately fulfill all of the purposes for which the diverse gifts exist. However, the important thing to remember is that no matter what spiritual gifts we are given, we are to use them in love. Without love, none of the spiritual gifts are worth anything. If we exercise even the most glorious spiritual gift we can imagine without love we will be unable to accomplish anything of value. On the other hand, if we love those around us, and act on that love, the results will be wonderful, even if we have no other spiritual gift (of course, while we may think that we have no spiritual gift, God will bless us with many such gifts if we are expressing His love).
    If you want to be sure that you are acting in love, read verses 4 to 7 and meditate on what it says…Go ahead, I’ll wait…We will not fully understand how the things in this world bring about God’s will until God replaces our mortal bodies with immortal ones, but we can love and act with love even so. Our limited minds can only comprehend a small part of God’s infinite being and love. All of the spiritual gifts will come to an end. Only three things endure for eternity: faith, hope, and love. Of these, love is the most important.

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Esther 8-10:3

    Haman had plotted to destroy the Jews because his sense of self-worth was challenged by Mordecai’s refusal to worship him in the place of God. However, others joined in his plot because they saw the opportunity to profit by persecuting one group and seizing their assets. Such plots occur throughout history, some leader rises up and stirs up the crowd against a particular minority (frequently the Jews, but sometimes others) in order for the connected to seize the property controlled by that minority. However, such a strategy always results in destruction for those who employ it. There are two possible results. Either the general population rejects such a strategy and pushes back against it, bringing destruction to those who employ it, as happened here. Or the strategy is carried out on one group after another until those who initiated the strategy are striking out against each other.

Daily Bible Study

February 20, 2014 Bible Study — Small Things Have Big Results

     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. In order to make that possible 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.

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Proverbs 10:6-7

     If you want people to think well of you after you are gone (whether dead or merely traveled elsewhere), live a godly life. The names of the wicked are forgotten, or remembered as curse words.

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Psalm 37:30-40

     The psalmist contrasts the godly and the wicked. The godly are trusted. They offer wise advice that will help those who listen succeed. The wicked, on the other hand, are looking for an excuse to bring down the godly. They seek to bring down others to make themselves look better. Trust in the Lord and live your life according to His commands and you will do well. The wicked may seem to thrive, but no sooner do they rise to prominence than they are gone. I will seek refuge in the Lord.

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Mark 4:26-5:20

     Mark recounts two of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of God. The first one tells us that we will not, and cannot understand, how our actions will lead to the growth of the Kingdom. It is not our job to understand how it works. We are to do the things which God directs us to do and allow His Spirit to cause the Kingdom to grow just as a farmer does not need to understand how a plant grows, he just needs to plant the seeds at the proper time in the proper place. The second parable tells us that seemingly insignificant actions can have tremendous results. We need to do the small things that come our way each day because they have impact way out of proportion to their seeming significance.
     I have to touch on Jesus calming the storm. As He and His disciples crossed the lake, a storm came up. The storm was intense and the disciples were sure that they were going to die. Jesus, on the other hand, slept through it. Most of the time when we read this we talk about the fact that Jesus was able to calm the storm, but I don’t think that is entirely the point here. Jesus was able to sleep through the storm because He knew that the Father was in control. He knew that God had plans for Him and did not worry about the storms which might arise in the meantime. Jesus’ question to the disciples about their faith was about why were they worried and afraid. Didn’t they know that God was looking after them? Do we have the faith to trust that God will see us through the troubles this life brings our way?

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Leviticus 9:7-10:20

     Once Aaron and his sons had been ordained, they took up the responsibilities of making the offerings for the people. Our dedication of ourselves to God is not just for our benefit. They did not go through the process of being cleansed and made holy before God for their own benefit. They went through this process in order to be of service to others. The same it true for us. God does not bring us to Him through Christ just for our benefit, but in order to prepare us to serve others.