For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 17:27-28

    Those who are truly wise do not have a lot to say, even a fool will seem wise if they keep silent most of the time. You can gain a reputation for intelligence and wisdom by not speaking. Learning to keep your temper will make it easier to avoid speaking up in situations that will make you seem foolish.

Psalm 144:1-15

    As I read this psalm, I recognized it as being appropriate in my current situation. I am in a new job where there are people with whom I find myself battling as I seek to do the best job that I can. I need to remember that God will give me the skills needed to fight these battles in the proper ways. As I serve God and do as He directs, He will be my ally in the battles I face. It is not up to me to win these battles. God will win them for me. If I am careful to only fight those battles which God commands me to fight, I will find myself in a position of strength when I face those who oppose me.
    I have recently seen how true this is, and it leads me to praise God. He is indeed my rock and fortress.

Acts 17:1-34

    As I have been reading through Acts this year I noticed something. On multiple occasions, when opposition to Paul’s preaching arose in a town, the believers sent Paul out of town. As I read, it became more and more clear to me that Paul did not deal with disagreement well. Paul did not know when to back down, when to move on. Others had to tell him, “This is not your battle to fight.” This is not to say that Paul was wrong to fight the battles he fought, just that it appears that sometimes others had to tell him when there was nothing more to be gained from continuing the fight.
    We often forget that there is only one person in the Bible who we are supposed to imitate. That person is Jesus. The Bible accounts tell us about the good things and the bad things which people like Paul did. All too often, we see the accounts of Paul and think that his confrontational style is something we are supposed to imitate, even the parts where he got it wrong. If we are faithful to God as Paul was, we will face trials and persecutions. However, sometimes we are supposed to “leave town” when we have stirred things up through our faith. We need to listen to our fellow believers when they tell us it is time to move on.

2 Kings 9:14-10:31

    The family of Ahab ruled in Israel and did evil in the sight of the Lord. As a result of their evil, Ahab’s entire family was killed. We often think that their sins were about idolatry, and this is not wrong. However, it is not complete. Ahab and his descendants abused their power. They mistreated the weak and powerless in order to satisfy their own pleasures. Their failure to honour God and follow His commands led them to believe that it was their right to treat others as objects who existed purely as a means to satisfy their lusts and desires. They chose to worship “gods” who they could manipulate to get what they wanted. Ultimately they were unwilling to accept that God was sovereign over themselves. They denied that they were accountable to anyone or anything for their actions. Ultimately, that is what idolatry is, the refusal to accept that we are accountable to anyone outside of ourselves. They discovered, when it was too late, that they were wrong. Will we make the same mistake? Or will we recognize that God will hold us to account for our actions?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 17:24-25

    A sensible person asks themselves, “Is this wise?” about every decision they make. A fool answers the question, “Well, maybe not, but look what I can get if I do this.” A wise person focuses on what is wise, the fool is distracted by glitter and glitz.

Psalm 142:1-7

    The psalmist describes a feeling we have all had at one time or another. Our troubles were so great (or perhaps are right now) that we do not know which way to turn. Every choice we see before us seems to lead to disaster. We have no one we can turn to for help, no one is willing to help us (or, at least it seems that way). When we come to that place, let us cry out to God. If we turn to God and make Him all that we desire, He will show us the way out of our troubles. He will bring into our lives those who are willing and able to give us the assistance we need. But first, we must turn to Him and desire only what He wants us to have.

Acts 15:36-16:15

    In this passage, Paul and Barnabas fought over taking John Mark with them on their next trip. We often read this and think what a shame it was that two such men of God had a falling out. What we often fail to realize is that God was working in this falling out. As a result of this disagreement, instead of one missionary journey by two men there were two missionary journeys by four men. Even if Barnabas had gotten his way and Paul and Barnabas had traveled with John Mark, John Mark would have merely been a pupil of the two men. In the actual event, John Mark went with Barnabas as his partner. In addition, if Paul and Barnabas had traveled with John Mark, Paul would almost certainly not have gotten Timothy to join him in his travels.
    So, while yes it is a shame that two such great men had a falling out, God’s kingdom was served by the event more than if they had patched things up. Paul and Barnabas each went to separate places to minister, thus doubling the number of people who could be reached. John Mark was raised to a level of greater responsibility at a time when he was ready for that. Timothy began training to be a leader in the Church. Even Silas was taken out of his comfort zone and caused to apply his gifts in ways he would not otherwise have done. We should recognize that sometimes a falling out between two Christians, or two groups of Christians, are a result of God calling them into different directions, paths that they would not otherwise follow.

2 Kings 6-7:20

    We have two stories here of how God works in ways that seem impossible until they happen. In the first story, the king of Aram sent an army to capture Elisha. Elisha’s servant was afraid because the king of Aram’s army was much greater than the defenders (or at least the defenders he was aware of). Elisha calmed his servant by showing him the forces of God arrayed on their side. Elisha’s response to the young man is always one which wells within my heart, and is one which we should always remember, “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Let us never forget those words of comfort.
    The other story is about Samaria under siege. Things had gotten so bad that people were resorting to cannibalism. When the king learned of this, he determined to kill Elisha, rejecting Elisha’s call to wait for the Lord’s deliverance. Elisha told the king that by that time the following day, not only would the siege be broken, but food would be ridiculously cheap. One of the king’s officers told Elisha that such a thing was impossible, even for God. Elisha’s prophecy did indeed come true, and the officer who doubted God’s power was trampled by the people going to gather the spoils God had given them. Let us not make the mistake of thinking that anything is impossible for God. In both of these stories, God overwhelmed armies without resorting to force of arms.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 17:19-21

    The love of quarrels is a love of sin. Some people love getting into quarrels because they believe their defenses will protect them from any attack. However, those who think their defenses will protect them from whatever trouble they can start are courting disaster. If you allow your heart to become corrupted so that all you desire is perversion you will not prosper. If you think that you can make your way through life by telling lies, those lies will lead you into trouble.

Psalm 139:1-24

    What a wonderful psalm! It is worth memorizing and meditating on.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
How very true this is. It is both comforting and frightening at the same time. It is frightening because there is no place I can go to hide from God. Every sin I commit is plainly in His sight. On the other hand, it is comforting because no matter where I am, God can reach out to save me and enfold me in His arms. Further the psalmist tells us that God knew all of our actions before we were born: You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
Finally the psalmist concludes by asking God to test him and correct him so that he could faithfully serve Him. I make this my prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Test me, oh God, and cleanse me of that which offends You.

Acts 13:42-14:7

    Paul’s sermon at the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia was initially well received by the Jews of that town. As a result, Paul and Barnabas were invited to speak again the following week at the synagogue. However, when a very large crowd turned out to hear Paul and Barnabas speak, some of them became jealous. Rather than rejoice in God using Paul and Barnabas to reach outsiders, they began to work to stir up sentiment against them. Those who were jealous of Paul and Barnabas were willing, and even eager, to receive their message when they thought that it was just for them as members of an exclusive group. However, when Paul and Barnabas made it clear that their message was for all who would hear it, they became hostile.
    The Gospel message is not a message for an exclusive group of people. It is a message for all who will listen. In addition,we should preach the Gospel to those who are willing to hear it. If the group we first approached rejects our message, we are not only free to move on to those who are receptive, but called to do so.

2 Kings 1-2:25

    When the king sent troops to arrest Elijah, the first two sets of troops were destroyed by fire. Yet the third was not. The difference between these three groups was the way they viewed the relationship between the Church and the state. The commanders of the first two stated that Elijah was a man of God, yet believed that because they were acting on the king’s orders that they had the authority to command Elijah’s actions. The third commander recognized that the king was unable to give him authority over a man of God, that the final authority was God. Notice that when the third commander begged Elijah to spare his life, God directed Elijah to accompany him. If we are truly men and women of God, the government will not be able to use force of arms (or any other means) to stop us from following God’s will.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 17:17-18

    A friend loves when times are good and when times are bad. If you count yourself someone’s friend you will not stop loving them no matter what they do. We were born to help our family members when they face hard times.

Psalm 138:1-8

    I will give thanks to God with all my heart. When I read verse 3, I thought of a friend of mine who recently experienced a tragedy in her life. She recently posted a poem on Facebook which contained the line:

I have unanswered prayers

It also contained the lines:

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Yet the psalmist tells us:

As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.

How can these two sentiments both describe how we relate to God? The answer to that question is that God does indeed answer us as soon as we pray. However, we do not always see or understand His answer to our prayers. No matter how bad the troubles which surround us, God will protect us. He will reach out His hand and deliver us. I will give thanks to God, even when tragedy strikes.

Acts 13:16-41

    Paul and Barnabas went to a Jewish worship service where they were asked to offer any words of encouragement they might have for the people there. Paul got up to speak. He recounted the story of God’s actions with the Israelites. Then Paul told them of how the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled with Jesus’ coming, death, and resurrection. He finished his sermon with a warning that applies to us as well. Let us be careful that we are not mockers who refuse to believe what God is doing in the world around us.

1 Kings 22:1-53

    When Ahab asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in battle, Jehoshaphat readily agreed. But he wanted to first ask for God’s counsel. Ahab responded by doing what many today do (and what many say was the view of most of that time). He called on his 400 prophets. The passage does not say so, but the similarity with the number of prophets of Baal which Elijah confronted at Mt Carmel seems striking. Ahab acted as if he believed, and perhaps he did, that Baal and God were the same. Jehoshaphat was having none of this. He asked once more for a prophet of God.
    Ahab admitted that there was indeed a prophet of the Lord. However, Ahab did not want to speak to him, because he never told him what he wanted to hear. Jehoshaphat chided Ahab on his attitude. It is important for a leader to hear the thoughts and opinions of those who disagree with him.