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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Hosea condemned Israel because the richer it got, the more it sought out pagan gods to worship. Hosea condemns the people of Israel make covenants they have no intention of keeping. They have cultivated wickedness and wonder that the only harvest they get is sin. They trusted in mighty armies for their safety rather than in the God who can save. The merchants cheat and steal and boast that they have made themselves rich. They have gathered wealth by defrauding those around them and claim to be honest because no one has caught them. Doesn’t this sound like our culture today? People seek meaning for their lives in everything but the One who can actually provide such meaning.
But the prophet tells them (and us) that the days of easy work in serving the Lord are over. Now we must do the strenuous labor of breaking up the hard ground of our hearts and plant the seeds of righteousness. Then, and only then, we will be able to harvest a crop of love. Now is the time to seek the Lord so that He will shower us with righteousness. It is time to turn away from our idols of consumerism and material wealth and turn to God. Time to confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness. Let us remember that God is the source of all good things. The paths that God puts before our feet are straight and true. If we look on the light that comes from God we will not stumble, but those who insist on closing their eyes to his light and continue to sin will stumble and fall on the paths God has laid out for them.
Today’s passage is from the letter of Jude, who identifies himself as the brother of James. He says that he intended to write about salvation but instead finds that he must write about false teachings that have entered the Church. He warns us against those who teach that God’s grace allows us to live immoral lives. They are a contagion among us. He tells us that such teachers care only for themselves. They live to satisfy their selfish desires. They do not anything that helps or feeds others. They are shepherds whose only care for the flock is to gather food for themselves. He compares them to clouds that do not bring rain. They block the warmth of the sun without providing the water that is necessary for growth. They are grumblers and complainers, loudly telling others about how wonderful they are, flattering others in order to get what they want.
We must do our best to no allow these false teachers to create division among us. Let us show love to those whose faith is wavering and reprove those who fall into sin. Above all let us remember to love those around us, even as we condemn the sin. Let us strive to show those we love (which should be everyone) how the sin they are chasing after is harming them.
We can work as hard as we like but unless we are working toward God’s goals our efforts will be in vain. No matter how carefully we plan and how hard we work, we can only accomplish that which serves God.
Those who do not discipline their children are as guilty of child abuse as those who are too heavy handed. Children need to be shown discipline in order to know they are loved.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
The prophet calls for us to turn to God, to repent and follow the will of God. He tells us that while God has punished us, He desires to tend our wounds and heal us. God wants us to demonstrate love to others, not perform traditional rituals. He wants us to know Him, not perform empty ceremonies. The prophet tells us that Israel has weakened itself with its sins and does not recognize its weakness. When trouble came they turned to one earthly power after another for salvation, yet never once called on God. They turned to every possible solution except for God. They sought relief from their troubles by every means they could imagine other than turning to God. Does this not sound like the world around us today? People seek political solutions to the problems, rather than seeking to do God’s will and allowing Him to fix the problems. They seek to propitiate the gods of economics by one empty ritual after another rather than turn to God and do what He commands. Hosea condemned the people of Israel for mocking the prophets, for laughing at those who called them back to righteousness. He condemned them for being hostile to and laying traps for those men among them who stood up and pointed out the path back to God. Does this not sound like our culture today? How often do we fall in with those who make fun of people who attempt to live righteous lives in the public eye?
Today I read the last of John’s three pastoral letters. In this letter John commends Gaius for living according to the truth as reported to John by some traveling preachers who had recently returned to John and given him a report. John speaks highly of Gaius for the hospitality he showed to these fellow believers when they passed through. John then condemns a leader of the congregation local to Gaius, Diotrephes, for his refusal to help these itinerant preachers. Diotrephes even went so far as to excommunicate those who went against his instructions and helped them. Diotrephes was abusing his position of authority and John had plans to go to the city where Diotrephes was and expose his duplicity. Overall I see two lessons for us today. The first is that we should not allow Church leaders to stop us from doing what we know is the will of God. The second is that Church leaders must be held accountable for their actions.
When God does wondrous things for us, let us not forget to praise Him so that unbelievers know where our good fortune comes from. We may be suffering but if we plant a crop of righteousness we will reap a harvest of joy.
If a ruler gives credence to liars, only those who are willing to lie to get what they want will be willing to advise him. Both the oppressed and the oppressor are created by God to serve Him. A ruler who gives justice to even the poor will lead a stable government.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Hosea laid out God’s case against Israel. There was no faithfulness or kindness, no knowledge of God in the land. They made vows and broke them. They killed and stole and committed adultery. This sounds like the nightly news. Then Hosea says something we should take to heart. He says “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame:”. Even the priests, those who were supposed to be teaching God’s laws and directing people to worship God, were guilty of idolatry. The priests benefited when people sinned, so they encouraged people to sin. If we are among those who others look to for spiritual guidance, are we encouraging them to sin because we benefit from it (either materially or because we feel better about ourselves when we see the contrast between ourselves and them)?
Several times Hosea repeats in different wording that we should not place the blame on others for what is wrong in our society, instead we should look at our own actions. He tells us that the priests do wrong, but he tells us that the people do the same things that the priests are doing. In this passage this is not a statement telling preachers and teachers to be careful because others follow their example. This passage is telling the average person not to try and shift the blame to the preachers and teachers because the average person is doing the same things. The passage tells us that, yes, the women are committing prostitution and adultery but why should they be singled out for condemnation because the men are doing the same thing, committing adultery and hiring prostitutes. He condemns the leaders because they have led the people into a trap of sin and idolatry. However, there is no room for the people to complain and try to pass off blame because they chose leaders who were willing to lead them in the direction they wanted to go. When prophets arose to call on the people to follow the Lord, they were attacked and condemned. When I see what is wrong in society, there is no room for placing the blame on others. I need to look to my own actions, to my desire for material things rather than following the will of God.
John begins his second letter by telling us that he loves the Church and its members. Further he tells us that everyone who knows the truth does so as well. He loves not just some of the members of the Church, but all of them. Once again John emphasizes the importance of loving one another. This is not an empty emotion, but rather a motivation for action. Loving one another means that we act to give to each other that which is in their best interests. John transitions from telling us to love one another to telling us to watch out for false teachers by telling us that he is reminding us to love one another because there are false teachers (deceivers) who teach that Jesus did not come in a real body. It is interesting that John makes this link between believing and teaching that Jesus was a historical person and loving one another. He tells us that if someone comes to us who teaches something other than the truth of Christ, we should not invite that person into our homes. We should not encourage such people lest we become partners in the stumbling block they put before others coming to know the Lord.
If we trust the Lord we will be secure. The land of the godly will not be ruled by the wicked. So, if you think the nation’s leaders are wicked, you better judge yourself and make yourself right with God. God will do good to those who are good, those whose hearts are in tune with Him.
A wise person can take a fool to court, but they will not gain satisfaction from the action. The wicked hate the blameless, but the upright seek to help them. You can tell a lot about people from how they react to those who have done nothing to be ashamed of. The last of today’s proverbs tell us that a fool vents his anger, but a wise person holds their back.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Today I begin reading the book of Hosea, which starts with Hosea being given a very heartbreaking instruction by God. Hosea is told to go and marry a prostitute. He is to marry a woman that he knows is going to be unfaithful to him. God gives Hosea instructions on what to name his children. His first born he is told to name Jezreel to indicate that God is going to bring judgment against Israel (the Northern Kingdom) for an atrocity committed at Jezreel. God is going to bring this judgment to bear in the Jezreel valley. When his wife becomes pregnant again, Hosea is told to name this child “Not Loved” (what a poor child to go through life with that name) because God was going to stop showing love to Israel, although He would continue to show love to the Kingdom of Judah. Finally, Hosea is told to name his second son “Not My People” (another child for whom I feel sorry) because God declared that the people of Israel were not His people any longer. However, this is followed up by a prophecy that the day would come when God would once again call the people of Israel His people. He would reunite the people of Israel and of Judah into one people. They would be called the children of the living God. It would be a day of rejoicing when God planted His people once more in His land.
Through Hosea God tells Israel that He will strand her in a desert place with no food, clothing or water. When this happens, she will run after the other things that she had worshiped in place of God in order to obtain life’s necessities and pleasures, but God will block her path. Then, and only then, will she turn back to God. She did not realize that the good things she had that she sacrificed to other gods were gifts from the only true God. As a result God was going to take those things from her and turn her out into the desert to experience privation and suffering. But God was going to win her back. The day would come when God would woo His people back and they would no longer view themselves as His slave, but as His wife. They would no longer seek after other gods. In that day, God would grant them peace and call those who He had said were not His people His people.
I read Hosea’s indictment of Israel and it reminds me of Christians in the U.S.(and most of Western Civilization). God gave us wealth beyond imagining. Instead of using it to glorify God (there are notable exceptions to this), all too many of us used this wealth for our own pleasure. We began to act as if we were entitled to it. We put ourselves in place of God and used the gifts He had given us to honor ourselves. If we do not turn from our idolatry, God will take His gifts from us. But He promises that He will woo us back, that He will show us His love even as we experience the desert of privation and suffering. Let us turn to Him now so that we may show the world the goodness of the Lord and help fulfill this prophecy that people will tremble in awe of the Lord’s goodness.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ (Anointed One) has become a child of God. If we are children of God, then we will love God our Father. If we love the Father, then we will love His children. We can know that we love God and His children if we obey His commands. Jesus was revealed as God’s Son by both His baptism (water) and His death (blood). In addition, the Holy Spirit confirms this. So we have three things which testify to Jesus as the Anointed One of God, water, blood and spirit. Those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God acknowledge this testimony, while those who deny that Jesus is the Son of God are calling God a liar. It is God Himself who is testifying that Jesus is His Son through these three things, spirit, water and blood.
We may know that we have eternal life if we love God. And we know that we love God if we love our fellow believers. We know we love our fellow believers if we act to meet their needs. When did I last act to show my love for my fellow believers? I know the answer to that question and it is long enough ago to convict me that waiting for such an opportunity to come into my path is not enough. I need to seek a way to show my love of my fellow believers and of my fellow man.
John has three themes in this short letter. The first two are closely related. They are that we are to love one another and that if we love one another it will show in our actions. Love is not passive, it leads to actions. Love causes us not only to want what is best for the one we love, but to act so that they will have that which is best for them. The third theme is that those who have been saved and become God’s children do not make it a practice of sinning. If we are truly God’s children we will not make plans to do that which we know to be wrong.
Today’s psalm encourages us to think about what our life would have been like if God had not been on our side. Think of all of the ways in which we could have been overwhelmed by the troubles we have faced in this life. I remember my Dad talking about events from his younger years (in particular a girl he dated before he met my Mom) and saying, “But for the grace of God.” He rarely ever completely said what he thought might have happened if it were not for God’s grace but it was clear that he did not know why he did not make a decision that looking back he realized would have been a very bad decision. I see that in my own life. I look back and see times where I do not know why I did not make the choice that would have led to disaster, or where I made a choice that should have led to disaster but circumstances beyond my control intervened to deflect my life from a course of woe. Times that I look back on and think, “There, but for the grace of God.” Satan has laid traps for my feet, but even when I took my eyes off of God, God has been faithful and broken those traps in order to set me free. I will praise the Lord and tell the world that my help is from the Lord.
If we flatter our friends, we may lead them to believe they are more talented than they truly are which may lead them to take actions that will lead to their humiliation or worse. Evil people think they are freer than those who do good, but they are instead trapped by their sin. The righteous on the other hand are freed from the trap of sin and for this they rejoice. The godly care about the rights of the poor, but the wicked do not care about anything. Always remember that what someone says they care about is not what is important, what is important is what their actions show they care about. You can get people agitated by mocking your enemy, but the wise person will calm anger. Think about what this means when you judge the behavior of those around you, are they mocking certain people to stir up anger against them? Or are they working to calm anger so that people can work together? Do not judge them by what they say about themselves or by what others say about them. Judge them by what they do.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Today I read the end of the book of Daniel. In it Daniel recounts the last parts of his final vision. He tells us of a king who will claim to be greater than every god that mankind has ever worshiped, blaspheming even against the God of gods. This king will honor those who submit to him, giving them gifts of great wealth and appointing them to positions of power. He will conquer many and accumulate great wealth. At the height of his power he will hear news that will alarm him and he will set out with his armies, but when the time established for him by God has run its course he will come to his end and no one will come to his aid. While I believe that this prophecy applies to a particular historical ruler (probably Antiochus Epiphanes), I believe that it also tells us the fate of anyone who comes to believe that he is answerable to no one. As time goes on they will do ever more evil, until the day that God has determined for their end. When that day comes they will discover that they have no friends and none will mourn their demise.
John tells us not to believe everyone who claims to speak by the Holy Spirit. If someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge that Jesus came in a real body, or any of the other truths about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the antichrist. After this short side topic on how to recognize false prophets John returns to his primary theme of the importance of loving one another. Anyone who loves is a child of God, but anyone who does not love does not know God. God showed us what real love was by sending His Son to die so that we might have eternal life. Since God loved us that much, we should love one another. No one has seen God, but if we love one another then God lives in us and people can see God through us. God is love. Therefore if God lives in us our love will grow and become more perfect. As God’s love becomes perfected in us we will have less and less fear because perfect love expels fear. If we are afraid it shows that we have not yet fully experienced God’s perfect love. We love (God, our fellow believers, those in the world around us) because God first loved us. If someone claims to love God, but does not show love for a fellow Christian, they are a liar. If we do not love those who we can see, how can we claim to love God, who we cannot see? After all God has commanded that those who love Him must also love their fellow believers. Love is not optional and it is not just an emotion. Love changes the way we behave. If we have love for our fellow believers, we will take action to show that love.
Let us turn our eyes to God, watching Him at all times for His approval. While the proud may scoff and the arrogant have contempt for us, we will seek the approval of God. We will seek to do that which gives Him pleasure. We look to God for His mercy.
When those who hold power are godly, people rejoice. But when those in power are wicked, people suffer. A just ruler brings stability to his nation, one who demands bribes will bring about its destruction.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
In today’s passage the angel that was described in yesterday’s passage gives Daniel a detailed account of what is going to happen over the next period of time, describing the rise and fall of the world powers that will dominate in the area around Israel. It is this passage more than any other that leads many Biblical scholars to say that Daniel was written in the second century BC. They claim that it is clear that this was written after these things happened. There are other reasons why people believe that the book of Daniel was written in the second century BC, but in my experience the main one is that they do not believe that anyone could have written such a detailed account of events before they happened. A review of the other arguments for the late date for Daniel reveals that they do not stand up on their own. I believe that it is absolutely possible that someone writing in the sixth century BC could have had such detailed accounting of what was going to happen in the future revealed to them by God. I am not dogmatically committed to the book of Daniel having been written in the sixth century BC, but that is my default belief based on the claims made in the text. It will require a stronger argument than any I have yet seen to convince me otherwise.
When people consistently do what is right, it is evidence that they are righteous. On the other hand when people make a practice of sinning, it is evidence that they have not been born into God’s family. If I do not live righteously and do not love my fellow believers, I do not belong to God. If I am truly a child of God, I cannot keep on sinning. This does not mean that I will not sin because just in the previous chapter John told us told us that if we do sin, we have an intercessor with the Father. In the chapter before that he told us that if we say that we are without sin, we are fooling ourselves.
We should one another and not follow the example of Cain, who killed his brother. Cain killed Abel because Abel was doing what was righteous while Cain was doing what was evil. From this we learn to expect that the world will hate us if we live righteous lives. I need to love my brothers (and sisters) in Christ. It is not enough to say that I love them, I must also take action to show that I love them. If my actions show that I love and obey God, I can have confidence before God. But even if I feel guilty, I can trust that God is greater than my feelings and knows my actions. That knowledge can help me to no longer feel guilty and come before God with confidence. When our actions reflect our love for each other, we will receive from God what we ask for, because we will be asking for things for others. To illustrate this, if my car breaks down and I ask God for a new car, I may not get a new car. But if I was driving my sickly neighbor to their doctors’ appointments every week and my care breaks down and I ask God for a means to get them to the doctors, I will get it (that still doesn’t mean I will get a new car, although it might, it just means that I will find the means to get my neighbor to their doctors). When we seek the means to do God’s will God will provide us with it.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us gather together with God’s people to worship and fellowship.” Let us gather before the Lord to give Him thanks and praise His name. I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem because then God will be glorified. There will come a day when there will be peace in Jerusalem, then all the world will know that God is great and mighty beyond measure.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Daniel describes yet another vision that he had. In this vision he saw a ram with two horns, one longer than the other. The ram butted everything out of its way in all directions. Then a goat with a single horn appeared in the west. The goat charged the ram and broke off both its horns then trampled it on the ground. The goat became very powerful, but at the height of its power its horn was broken off and four horns emerged to replace it. Each of the four horns pointed to a different compass point. At this point the metaphor of the vision becomes confused (as often happens in dreams). A small horn came out of one of the four horns and extended towards the land of Israel. The power of the small horn extended up to heaven where it challenged the authority of the Commander of heaven’s armies by cancelling the daily sacrifices and defiling the Temple.
In the dream someone who looked like a man approached Daniel and a voice called out that Gabriel should explain the vision to him. When Gabriel approached Daniel, Daniel was so frightened that he fainted. Gabriel roused Daniel with a touch and explained the vision to him. The ram represented the kingdom of the Medes and Persians (what we know today as the Persian Empire). The goat represented the kingdom of Greece. The single horn represented Alexander the Great (something we can tell looking back that is not explicitly stated in the explanation) who died at the height of his power. He was replaced by four generals who each took over part of his empire (one in each direction from the land of Israel). Shortly before the four Hellenistic kingdoms were conquered by Rome one of those kingdoms was ruled by a king (Antiochus Epiphanes) who attempted to put an end to traditional Jewish worship and who rededicated the Temple to the worship of Zeus. Daniel is told that this king will be brought down, but not by human power. Antiochus Epiphanes was successful in battle against the Parthian Empire (revitalized Persian Empire) who had invaded his territory. However, after his initial successes and before he could consolidate them he died suddenly of disease. There are many who see more to this vision than that obvious interpretation since at the end of the explanation Gabriel tells Daniel to keep the vision a secret. I am satisfied with the interpretation of this prophecy being about the fall of the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great and the eventual fall of the Seleucid (Antiochus Epiphanes was a member of the Seleucid dynasty) dynasty. I am willing to consider additional meanings for this prophecy considering that in the explanation Gabriel says that it refers to the very end of time.
John wrote this letter so that we might not sin, but he told us that even if we do sin we have an advocate who will plead our case before the Father. IF we know and love God we will follow His commands. Someone who does not follow God’s commands does not know or love God. If I wish to be viewed as living in God I must live as Jesus did.
John tells us that the command to love one another is not a new command. Yet it is new because Jesus showed us what it means to truly live this command. If I claims to be living in the light in fellowship with God, yet harbor animosity towards a fellow believer, I am in fact living in darkness and am not experiencing the light of God. If I love my fellow believers then I am living in the light and I will not cause anyone to stumble. John tells us not to love the things of this world. I strive to love serving God more than I crave physical pleasure, more than I take pride in my accomplishments or my possessions. All of those things will fade away and be of no real consequence. I know that only what I do that pleases God and serves His will has real meaning, but I still find myself chasing after those other things.
If we cry out to the Lord when we face trouble, He will hear our prayer and answer us. He will rescue us from among liars and deceitful people, but we must be careful not to be one of those. I will seek peace, even when I live among those who are seeking war and violence.
Greed is the source of conflict, we fight because we want what others have. Trusting in your own insight is a sure route to trouble. Ask others for their advice and you will soon learn wisdom.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Daniel recounted a vision he had during the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon. In the dream he saw four beasts rise up out of a great sea. He gives a description of each of the beasts. The fourth beast has the most detailed description. It is described as starting out with ten horns. Then a small additional horn arises and three of the original ten horns are ripped out to make room for it. The small horn had human eyes and a mouth and it boasted of its great might. The fourth beast was killed and burned with fire while the other three beast had their power taken from them but lived on for a time. Then Daniel saw someone like a “son of man” come from heaven who was given sovereignty over all of the earth and a kingdom that would last forever.
Daniel’s vision was explained to him. He was told that the four beasts were four kingdoms that would rise to power on the earth, but in the end the Kingdom of God would displace them and last to eternity. To this point it appears to be a vision recounting the same future as the one from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that first brought Daniel to prominence. However, the explanation of the fourth kingdom contains additional information. It tells us that a ruler would arise over the fourth kingdom who would defy God and attempt to change the religious practices of the people of God. As with many apocalyptic prophecies there are many interpretations of this prophecy. On the face of it, it appears to me to be a prophecy about something different from that of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. At least elements of it refer to the four kingdoms that Alexander the Great’s empire split into upon his death. I, also, believe that there are other times and places where this prophecy will apply. The rise of the boastful ruler who attempts to co-opt rituals and behaviors designed to worship God into worship of himself and pillars of his power base is a common theme throughout history. History, also, shows us that such rulers repeatedly use the power they so gather to bring horror upon those they rule over. These rulers generally come to a destructive end. There is more to be taken from this passage, but for today I come away with the knowledge that rulers will arise who think that they can displace God. They will persecute any who do acknowledge any god higher than themselves. Yet, ultimately God will bring them down in a way that shows that He is in control of history.
Today I begin the book of 1 John. The author begins by declaring that he had seen and touched Jesus in the flesh. He is telling what he has actually seen and heard. Jesus is the Word of life and life itself. If we listen to and follow the words contained within this book, we will have fellowship with the author and with God. If we are attentive to these teachings we will share the joy that the author experienced.
God is light, if we live in spiritual darkness we do not have fellowship with God. If we practice the truth of God’s word, spiritual darkness will be driven out of our lives, just as bringing light into a room drives out the darkness. I need to work at shining God’s light into all the corners of my life to drive out sin. The author tells us that if we claim to be without sin, we are liars and we are calling God a liar. However, if we admit to our sins and strive to turn from them God will forgive us and cleanse us from wickedness. I strive to make sure that those around me do not get the impression that I think I am without sin, or better than them.
The very essence of the words of God is truth. God’s rules are based on essential truth about humans and the world. Those who choose to ignore His words and behave wickedly are traveling into great danger because they are moving away from that which is truthful and essential. If we love doing what God desires and walk in the path of His commands we will not stumble and God will come to our rescue when trouble threatens. When I wander away from the Lord’s will and stumble into trouble, I will cry out to Him and He will guide me back to His path’s and out of trouble. I love the final verse of today’s psalm:
I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me
That sums up so much of my life and God’s faithfulness in coming to find me when I have cried out to Him.
Woodpeckers Once More
In the long run those around you will be happier if you give them honest criticism than if you flatter them. Someone who is willing to steal from their parents will be equally willing to murder if they think they can get away with it.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Once Darius had conquered Babylon he divided his kingdom into 120 provinces and appointed a governor over each province. He then appointed Daniel and two others as something akin to an Inspector General to audit how the governors exercised their authority. Because Daniel was effective at this job, the king made plans to give him authority over the entire kingdom. The other officials and administrators began looking for ways to diminish Daniel’s influence. They were unable to find fault (at least what the king would have considered fault) with anything about the way Daniel carried out his official duties. Since they could not find anything wrong with the way he did his job, they decided to attack Daniel on the basis of his religion. But they could not attack him directly, so they went to King Darius and told him how wonderful he was. They recommended that he pass a law that for thirty days, no one could pray to anyone but him on pain of being thrown into a den of lions and told him that they supported it unanimously (they failed to tell him that they obtained that unanimity by not inviting anyone who might have disagreed). King Darius was convinced by their flattery. I don’t know about you, but this is sounding familiar. Time and again I see prominent figures attacked for their beliefs when those beliefs have little to do with the job those people do (except possibly making them better at it).
What was Daniel’s response to this new law? It was to continue worshiping in the manner that he had always done. He changed nothing. He did not even attempt to be more secretive about his actions. The other officials went to his house and caught him violating the new law. They brought him before Darius and demanded that the king enforce the law. King Darius immediately realized what had happened and began looking for a loophole that would allow him to let Daniel off. The officials insisted that the king enforce the law and because he could find no loophole he gave the order for Daniel’s arrest. Just before having him placed in the den of lions the king told Daniel that he hoped that the God Daniel served would rescue him.
The king spent the night in fasting and refused to sleep. In the morning he went to the lions’ den and called out for Daniel. Daniel answered the king and told him that God had kept the lions from harming him. The king ordered Daniel brought forth from the den. The king then ordered that those who had been behind the plot against Daniel be arrested and thrown into the lions’ den. The lions immediately attacked and ate them, demonstrating that Daniel’s safety was not the result of the lions not being aggressive against humans or not hungry.
In this passage Peter addresses the issue of the Lord’s return. First he tells us that some will scoff. The scoffers will question why Jesus has not yet returned and suggest that this is because He is not coming back. Peter reminds us that God destroyed the Earth once already with a flood and that He is going to destroy it a second, and final, time with fire. We must not forget that time does not mean the same thing to God as it does to us. God does not perceive time the way that we do. A thousand years looks no different than a day to God. I believe that what Peter is saying here can be compared to talking about a map. On a map of a state, there is no distinction between an inch and a thousand feet, both are too small to be separated out. When I tell you that two places are close together, if you do not know the scale of the map I am using, you will not be able to judge just how far apart they are. For example, to someone in California, Washington, DC and New York City are close to each other, but to someone in Baltimore, MD they are quite a distance apart. So Peter is telling us that Jesus is not being slow in returning, it is just that we do not understand the scale on which He is measuring time.
God is not being slow in bringing about the judgment. He is being patient. He wishes to give everyone an opportunity to repent. He wants to give us time to reach out to our friends and neighbors and perhaps convince them to turn from sin to following Him. However, the day of Jesus return will come without additional warning. Since everything in this world is going to be destroyed, we should live our live accordingly. Let us live recognizing that the material things of this world are temporary and thus willingly sacrifice them in order to accumulate honors that are eternal. I will strive to live a peaceful life that is pure and blameless before God. In the meantime, I will use the time that God has given me to attempt to convince others to turn from their sins, praying that the Holy Spirit will move in their lives and show them God’s path.
God’s instructions are wonderful and following them gives me joy. They are straightforward and uncomplicated such as even those who are not very bright can understand what God wants from them. I am saddened by those who choose to ignore God’s instructions, both for the grief they inflict on others and for that which they inflict on themselves. God’s commands lay out the path to joy, happiness and fulfillment. They are trustworthy and thoroughly tested. We may not understand why God calls for us to behave as He does, but we can have confidence that it is the best path for us to follow. I will continue to pray to God that He give me the strength and courage to do as He commands.
It is never good to show favoritism, yet there are people who will do wrong for the pettiest of rewards. Attempting to get rich quick is a sure route to poverty. The timing on this second could not be more perfect for me. I am reading it (and writing this) while there is lots of buzz over the size of the PowerBall Lottery prize. Many have chosen to buy tickets in the hope of getting rich quick.
I am going to try various ways to improve my blog. The last couple of days I was asking for people from particular countries to respond to my blog. I chose countries that I had been receiving hits from for the previous couple of days. Interestingly, no one visited my blog from the country I chose each day. So, I am going to discontinue that idea. I will be trying different things. If my changes make any difference to you, please let me know what you think (good or bad).
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Today’s passage is where the phrase “the writing on the wall” comes from. The story begins by telling us that King Belshazzar, one of Nebuchadnezzar’s successors, was throwing a feast for some of his nobles. As part of this feast, he thought it would be a great idea to use cups taken from the temple in Jerusalem to drink in celebration of their various idols. In the middle of their celebration and worship of these gods a hand appeared and began to write on the wall. King Belshazzar became frightened and immediately summoned his various magicians and fortune tellers. He offered them a great reward if they could tell him what the writing meant. None of them could read the writing let alone tell him what it meant.
The king and the nobles were badly shaken by the failure of these wise men to interpret the writing. When the queen mother heard of the uproar, she hurried to the banquet and instructed the king to summon Daniel, recounting how Daniel had demonstrated great ability under Nebuchadnezzar. King Belshazzar followed he advice and summoned Daniel. When Daniel arrives the king offered him great riches for solving the mystery. Daniel declined the king’s offer but answered the mystery anyway. Daniel told the king that he, the king, knew of Nebuchadnezzar being humbled before the Lord, but chose to defy the Lord by drinking to idols with cups taken from the Lord’s Temple. The writing was a message that God had chosen to end King Belshazzar’s reign. That very night Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and killed Belshazzar.
This is a very telling story. King Belshazzar and his nobles are busy partying while the city which they are in charge of is under siege. On top of that they chose to ignore the evidence of God’s power that had been evident in the reign of the king’s predecessor. I have a sense that they used the implements from the Temple in Jerusalem at the feast as a deliberate defiance against an ethos of moral behavior and self-sacrifice. The king and his nobles saw no reason they should refrain from obtaining their own pleasure even though their city was under attack and some of their fellow citizens were suffering.
Peter writes that just as there were false prophets in Israel there will be false teachers among the Church. These false teachers will make up clever lies to get a hold of other people’s money. Peter writes that God will bring judgment upon these false teachers just has He has brought judgment upon sinners in the past. He tells us that we have the example of Lot to show us that God can and will rescue the godly out from the middle of such sinners. God is especially harsh on those who indulge twisted sexual desires and defy authority. These false teachers indulge in evil pleasures and lure people into sin. They will attempt to build up a reputation for godliness among the Church while plotting to take advantage of those whom they have fooled. They scoff at the idea of supernatural powers while indulging in evil pleasures. They claim that the freedom of Christ is the freedom to engage in licentious behavior, rather than recognizing that such behavior enslaves those who partake in it. There is a reason that our society has added sexual addiction to the list of addictions that people need treatment to escape. All sins are addictive, we are to accept the freedom of Christ and resist being re-enslaved to sin (become addicted to once more).
We should be wary of false teachers. Peter here gives us several methods for recognizing them. The first is their obsession with gaining other people’s money. Preachers who spend an inordinate amount of their time asking others to give to their ministry, especially when that ministry is situated in such a manner so as to make it difficult for those giving to receive an account of how the money is actually spent. In addition, they are constantly talking about their powerful ministry and perhaps the power they have over supernatural beings. Finally, they often indulge in sexual sins and do not make much effort to hide such behavior from their followers. We see this again and again in accounts of big name preachers (and some not so big name ones as well) who have brought discredit on Christianity, from Jim Jones to Jim Baker to many others. The story often comes out about how they have indulged themselves sexually with persons other than their wives.
O Lord do not let me have divided loyalties. Let me desire to follow your commands, not seek after worldly pleasures. Help me to focus on keeping your commands and serving You. Give me a love for serving You that dwarfs my desire for wealth. Teach me to seek how I may better serve you in all that I do. Show me the actions You wish me to take and the wisdom to understand why that is the course I should follow.
A hard worker will have sufficient to supply their needs and a trustworthy person will be rewarded. On the other hand those who seek to get rich quick and fantastical schemes to profit without effort will end in poverty.
