For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Acquiring wisdom is something that is your own interest to do. Acting wisely benefits the one who does so. If we cherish and seek understanding we will prosper in what we do.

    God is sovereign over all of the earth and for all of time. Any nation or people that refuses to acknowledge God’s sovereignty will vanish off of the face of the earth. God listens to the cries of the helpless and oppressed. He will deliver justice to the fatherless and the powerless. When they understand what God is doing for them, they will no longer fear what their fellow men may do to them.

    In yesterday’s passage Paul described the sinfulness of those who deny God’s existence, despite the ample evidence which God has provided. However, in today’s passage he warns us against condemning those people because we cannot truly claim to be any better. We know what God desires us to do. Yet, all too often, we fail to do it. It is not enough to know God’s will, we must act on it. When we work at teaching others to do what is right, do we do what is right ourselves? Are we able to say that we never do any of the things which Jesus warns about in the Sermon on the Mount? Let us examine ourselves and see whether or not any of our actions will give unbelievers cause to blaspheme against God. Let us find those actions and pray to God that His Holy Spirit remove those blemishes from our lives.
    In this discussion Paul points out yet more evidence for God. He points out that when unbelievers instinctively do what is right, they are showing that God has imprinted His law on human hearts, even those who have never heard His word. If those who have never heard God’s word know what is right, how can those of us taught it from childhood have any excuse?

    When God sent Nathan back to David with His response to David’s desire to build a Temple for God, it contained what I believe to be one of the Bible’s two-fold prophecies. These are prophecies which had a meaning and an application for the people to whom they were first spoken and a meaning and application that went far beyond that. In this case Nathan told David that God would raise up one of his descendants to build a Temple for God. That descendant would have God’s favor. God would secure his throne. To David and those around him, this prophecy would have been seen as applying to Solomon (although they probably did not realize it was Solomon until a few years later).
    However, this prophecy also applies to Jesus. It is through Jesus that God’s House has been built for all eternity. For Jesus built a House for God to dwell in in the hearts of those who believe His message and follow Him. There is no God like our God. He has adopted us into His people and family. Oh Lord, do not allow me to act in a way which causes others to blaspheme your name.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    It is a natural human tendency to be friends with the rich and powerful, but to avoid those in need, the poor and powerless. We should not decry people because they are that way, but we should strive to be friends and spend time with those who are otherwise ignored or outcast.

    The wicked arrogantly ignore God, they believe that they have no need of Him, They imagine that God is just make-believe. They lie and curse and cheat, thinking that the good times will last forever. They are confident that nothing and no one will ever hold them to account for their actions.
    But they are wrong. God takes note of their actions. The helpless may safely trust in Him. He will defend the orphan and the powerless. God will call everyone to account for their actions, both the righteous and the wicked.

    I often here people say that times were different when Paul wrote his letters and that as a result this or that which he writes is no longer applicable. Yet every time I read this passage I think of the arguments made by people in our society today (and of the actions which they justify by those arguments). Paul describes those very arguments and actions in this passage. As part of that process he rebuts those very arguments.
    Proof that God exists is there for anyone who wishes to look for it. It is there in the world around us. God created the universe and its very existence testifies about Him. No one has any excuse for not knowing about God. However, many people, full-well knowing what God was truly like, made up foolish ideas about Him that are not supported by the evidence. They then rejected God on the basis of the foolish ideas they made up about Him. They foolishly reject God and call it wisdom.
    The people Paul is referring to rejected the truth about God and in its place accepted a lie. The result of believing that it is foolish to acknowledge that God exists is to lose the ability to distinguish foolish ideas from wise. They turned from normal sexual relations to sexual perversions, including same-sex relationships. They did this despite the fact that sexual relations between men result in significant health problems (something recognized in Paul’s day and known by modern medical science). As we look around at those who have rejected God we can see that they, sooner or later, justify all sorts of sins in their lives. Some sin because they see no reason to not do so. Others justify their sins in order to accomplish some goal which they proclaim as noble. Both groups not only commit theses sins, but they encourage others to do the same.
     Two thousand years later and the words Paul wrote here read as if he is writing them about what is happening today.

    In yesterday’s passage David became angry with God because of the death of one of those who were transporting the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David believed that he was doing God’s will by moving the Ark. Yet, something terrible happened. David got angry and blamed God. This was a natural reaction. However, today’s passage shows us why David, despite his sins, can be an example to us. As David thought about what had happened, he realized that the mistake was his (and his advisers). They had failed to consult with God about how to transport the Ark and had just done it in the way that seemed best to them.
    We can learn from David that it is not enough that we are striving for the goal which God desires. We must also work towards that goal in the manner which God desires. We can only accomplish God’s goals by using God’s methods.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Those who lie and bear false witness against others will suffer for their actions. They may seem to get away with it for a time, but they will not be able to avoid the consequences forever.

    The wicked may plan and plot to trap others into doing their will, but they will fall into traps of their own making. We can be confident of God’s justice. He will ensure that the wicked suffer the fate which they deserve. Let us beg God to have mercy on us, otherwise we will suffer the fates which our sins deserve. When God shows us His mercy, let us shout His praises for all to hear.

    Paul wrote the letter to the believers in Rome to introduce himself and what he taught about Jesus to them. He starts out by describing the goal of his teaching. His goal was that those who heard him would believe and obey God. He taught that once one believed the message he taught one would act upon it in order to bring glory to God’s name. As he does elsewhere, Paul begins this letter by telling us that while our actions do not bring us righteousness, the righteousness we receive through our faith will determine our actions. What we believe determines what we do. If we truly believe the Gospel message we will act accordingly.
    There is another thing which strikes me every time I read this passage. It is something which every one who attempts to teach others about Christ should bear in mind. Paul says that he desires to visit the believers in Rome to teach them and encourage their faith. But he also wanted to be taught by them. He did not intend to go to Rome solely so that he could impart to them his own wisdom, he recognized that the believers in Rome had things to teach him as well. If and when we find ourselves called to be teachers we need to humbly recognize that those we are teaching know something that we need to learn as well.

    This passage tells us something about how David became such a successful leader and king of Israel. First, he did not impose himself upon the people of Israel as their leader. Rather the people of Israel acclaimed David as their king. The warriors and leaders of warriors came to David and offered him their support. But it was not just the military men who supported David. People in other walks of life brought food and supplies to David and his men to acknowledge and celebrate his leadership of the nation. David was acclaimed the leader of the people of Israel by people from all walks of life.
    The second thing this passage tells us is that David used his position of leadership to call the people to faithfulness to God. When the people had made him king, one of his first acts was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to his capital in order to make the worship of God a central part of the nation. The people followed David in his worship of God. A good leader needs the people to choose to follow him. Then he needs to lead them to follow God.
    The final thing this passage tells us about David’s leadership was that he planned his actions based on guidance from God. He did not insist on repeating the strategies that had worked for him in the past. Rather he listened to God’s guidance and modified his strategies based on circumstances and the direction which God gave him. Let us not get stuck in the rut of doing only that which worked for us in the past. When God calls us to try new things, let us be ready to do so.