For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    There are people who take pleasure in doing what is wrong, in doing things which hurt or anger others. The proverb writer tells us, accurately, that such people are fools. Those with real understanding realize that there is greater pleasure to be had in doing what is wise and right. The pleasure to be had from helping and comforting others outstrips that to be gained by bringing them harm.

    Every time I hear the song “Thank You” bu Led Zeppelin I think of this psalm. While that song is a love song and this psalm is a psalm of praise to God, they both have a similar feel. The gist of the Led Zeppelin song is that the singer and his lover will be together even when the world comes tumbling down around them. That is a nice sentiment, but I much prefer the sentiment in the psalm.
    The psalmist tells us that when our world comes crumbling down around us, we do not need to fear because God will be there to rescue us. A much better sentiment because it is true to a much greater degree than that of the song. God will be there for us to the end of the world and beyond. Our lover may wish to be as well, but they may be taken from us by circumstances beyond their ability to control.
    So, when our world is crumbling around us, let us be still and know that God is there for us. He will be our refuge and our strength. He is always ready to help in times of trouble.

    The day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was in a sour mood. As He entered the city, he cursed a fig tree. Then when He got into the Temple, He drove the merchants and those buying from them out of the Temple. I have rarely heard anyone mention that when Jesus drove people out of the Temple it was not just the merchants. He also drove out those buying from them. When He referred to them turning the Temple into a den of thieves, He was not directing His ire at merchants. He was angry at all of the parties involved. To what degree are we taking part in what He condemned here when we go shopping on Sunday?
    What Jesus is condemning here is our failure to set aside time to focus on God. We get too caught up in our material pursuits, buying and selling, that we do not turn our attention to God. This is another one of those times when I know what this passage means to me, but I cannot quite put the words together to say it.

    I really don’t have much on this passage. However, it does show us the importance of giving back to God from what we have. A tithe is just the start of what we owe to God. What we owe to God is everything which we have.

    God told Moses and Aaron to count the men of fighting age among the people of Israel. It is important to catalog the resources you have available before you begin a campaign to carry out the will of God.

    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.

    Only fools take pleasure in doing wrong. The wise realize that the fleeting pleasure one might gain from such actions is not worth the greater pain which it causes (whether that pain is to others or oneself).

    What a wonderful psalm! God is my refuge, I need fear nothing.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

People may bluster and threaten, yet I know that God is sovereign and His will cannot be thwarted. I will trust in Him and He will protect me. The psalmist then gives us a command from God:

Be still, and know that I am God!

It is when we are still in both our minds and in our bodies that we hear God speaking to us.

    I have a perspective today on the story of the donkey which Jesus rode in the Triumphal Entry that I have never heard mentioned before. The attitude of the owner of said donkey. When the disciples went to untie the colt they told those standing nearby (who I am assuming were the owners), “The Lord needs it and will return it soon.” At which point they were sent on their way with the colt. Do we have a similar attitude with our possessions when someone tells us that God has need of them? Are we willing to put our possessions at the disposal of those doing God’s work? How do we know when God is calling for us to offer our possessions for use in a particular ministry?
    This passage makes this the perfect place to discuss something that has been concerning me lately. Often times at our congregation someone will hold a sale as a fundraiser for some event in the lobby of our building after our worship service. Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day for commercializing the Temple. I am quite sure that the presence of merchants in the Temple courtyards began from good motives, just as these fundraisers are held from entirely good motives. However, the question is, how do we know when we have crossed the line? I want to be clear that I do not think any of the fundraisers that have been held at my congregation have crossed the line. They have just become a frequent enough occurrence that I believe some attention should be given to the impression they may give outsiders who attend our services. I, also, want to say that I do not have the answer here.

    This passage is among the reasons I started doing this blog. I believe it is important to read all of the Bible regularly, but before I started this blog I found myself skipping over passages like this one. Today I realized that this passage tells us the importance of determining what resources we have available to accomplish the mission which God has given us. Moses could not effectively plan how to invade the land of Canaan until he knew not just how many men he had, but how many were in each unit (tribe). In the same way we need to muster our resources and figure out who God has sent to aid us when we start a new mission for Him.

    This passage describes a way to determine the value of possessions which have been donated to the service of God.