Tag Archives: Religion

May 6, 2014 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:26-27

    The only sure course to find security in this life is to allow fear of the Lord to guide our actions.

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Psalm 105:16-36

    Reading this psalm reminds us that God uses the hard times, the difficult times, to shape blessings for us. No matter how bad things may seem, they are part of God’s plan to shape us so that we are ready to experience the blessings He has in store for us.

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John 4:43-54

    This passage is a challenge to us when we pray for healing. First, there is Jesus’ response when the official asked Him to heal his son. Are we like this, where we only turn to God when we want something from Him? Do we only believe in God when we need Him to do miracles for us? There is another part to this story as well. The father begged Jesus not to let his little boy die and Jesus granted his request. When the man met his servants, they told him that his son started to get better at the time when Jesus had told him his boy would live. When we pray for healing, or anything else, do we expect it to happen right away? Do we have the faith to say to those who come to us for God’s intervention, “Go, your son will live”?
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Ruth 2-4:22

    When Boaz discovered that Ruth was gathering grain behind his workers that they had missed as they harvested the crops, he told his workers to not harass her and to intentionally leave some grain for her to gather. He invited her to share the meal he provided to his workers and encouraged her to drink from the water he had drawn for them. Boaz did all of this because he had heard what she had done for Naomi. Later, when Ruth snuck in and spent the night sleeping at his feet, he did not take advantage of the situation and took care to protect her reputation. Since she had made it clear that she would welcome marrying him, Boaz went out and did what was right in order to do so.

May 5, 2014 Bible Study — Worship the Father In Spirit and In Truth

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:25

    Someone who truthfully recounts what they have seen will save lives, those who lie and mislead about what they have seen betray the trust which has been placed in them.

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Psalm 105:1-15

    Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let us remember all of the wonderful things which God has done. God is a god of justice. He will see justice done throughout the land. He stands by the promises He has made. He has stood by His people throughout history. When nations have oppressed the descendants of Jacob, God has brought those nations down. He promised the descendants of Jacob that He would give them the land of Canaan and even though they wandered the nations of the earth for over a millennium, once more they own the land that He promised them. Our God is honest and just. He keeps His promises.

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John 4:4-42

    We must worship God in spirit and in truth. Salvation comes from the Jews, but we must recognize that God created all people to worship Him. There is no one place for worshiping God. Let us worship God where we find ourselves. It is time, and past time, to stop building barriers of exclusion to exclude certain people from those we consider eligible to worship God. The people of the village came out to hear Jesus because of what the woman at the well told them. However, once they heard His message they came to believe in Him for themselves. Let us live our lives to invite people to “Come and see”. People must hear how the Gospel message applies to their own lives.

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Judges 21:1-25

    In reaction to the crime in Gibeah, and the defense of that town by the tribe of Benjamin, the people of the rest of the tribes made war on Benjamin. When the war was over, they regretted the wholesale slaughter they had committed. They realized they had over-reacted and sought ways to restore the tribe of Benjamin. There is a warning at the end that reminds us how a society ends up with the problems both of Gibeah and of the over-reaction to it. “All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” We must hold each other to standards of right behavior. We must find friends who will hold us accountable to do what is right. It is not enough that we think that something is right, we must make ourselves accountable to others who can tell us when our view of what is right is merely what is in our interest.

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Ruth 1:1-22

    In this passage, Ruth makes one of the great statements of faith and commitment, “Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Pastors often talk about this and Ruth’s wonderful commitment to her mother-in-law. What strikes me when I read it however is the question of what did Naomi do to inspire such faith and commitment in Ruth. More importantly, do I live my life so as to inspire others to make such a commitment? If not, what do I need to do to inspire people to make such a commitment?

May 04, 2014 Bible Study — He Must Become Greater, and I Must Become Less

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:22-24

    Those who plot evil have already made a mistake and it will only get worse from there. Those who plan to do good receive love and kindness (this is not just a matter of having good intentions, but making actual thought-out plans). It is hard work that leads to success and profit, talking about what you are going to do accomplishes nothing.

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Psalm 104:24-35

    The psalmist continues today on expounding on how we can see God’s glory and power in the world around us. What more is there to say than this:

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

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John 3:22-4:3

    For a period of time, John the Baptist and Jesus were both preaching and baptizing in the Judean countryside. Apparently a Jew used the example of what Jesus was doing to make a point in an argument with some of John’s disciples. They went to John to complain that Jesus was taking followers away from John and his teaching. John told them that this was the way it should be. John says something here that each of us should echo when it comes to Jesus. We must become less and less so that He can become greater and greater. Let us strive so that everything we do turns attention not to ourselves, but to Jesus.

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Judges 19-20:48

    This is a fairly horrific story. There is an interesting point that comes up in several different ways in this story. The Levite passed by and traveled later into the day to avoid staying among strangers. He chose instead to stay among those who he thought were more like himself and thus safer to stay with. The people of that town betrayed that common bond and committed a heinous crime. When the rest of the people of Israel heard of this atrocity, they sent word to the tribe of Benjamin requesting that they surrender the men of this town for justice. Rather than bringing their close kinsmen to justice for their crime against more distant kinsmen, they came to their defense. The end result of their decision to fight against their kinsmen being brought to justice was tragedy for the entire tribe of Benjamin. Similar things happen in the world today when people come to the defense of those undeserving of such defense because of some tenuous claim of kinship. When a group of people stands up to prevent justice being served on those who have acted wickedly, things will not end well.

May 3, 2014 Bible Study — Do I Want Others To See What I Am Doing?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:20-21

    I always read this proverb as saying that no one wants to be friends with the poor, but everyone wants to be friends with the wealthy. The second verse today is an important follow up. It tells us that it is a sin to despise our neighbors, even if they are poor. Blessings come to those who are kind to the poor and help the needy.

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Psalm 104:1-23

    If we look at the world around us, we will discover that God is truly great. I cannot hope to improve on the psalmist’s words here. I read this psalm and it reminds me both of the beauty and power of nature, which God created. I will praise the Lord.

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John 3:1-21

    When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he had trouble understanding what Jesus was saying to him. We received physical life from our mothers, but the only way to receive spiritual life is for the Holy Spirit to enter into us. We cannot explain how it works, that is why we see some sinners struck down like Saul on the road to Damascus, while others continue without such intervention. Jesus goes on to discuss how those who do right do not attempt to hide what they are doing from others, instead they choose to do their work in the open and full light of day where anyone can see that they are doing what is right. On the other hand, those who do evil seek to hide in the shadows and avoid the light so that others cannot see what they are doing. Do I seek light to do my work, or do I try to hide my actions from others? Am I afraid to let others see what I am doing?

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Judges 17-18:31

    This story takes place a long time after Joshua, yet the tribe of Dan had not yet settled into the area allotted to them. It starts out by telling us about a man named Micah who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, although the passage does not tell us whether or not he belonged to the tribe of Ephraim. Micah stole a large number of coins from his mother. When she cursed the person who had stolen the money he returned it to her. She took the money and had an idol made for her son (I truly do not understand her motivation here). Micah set the idol up in his own house and began to worship it, going so far as to recruit a member of the tribe of Levi to be his priest. Micah was sure that now that he had his own god with a Levite priest that he would be blessed. After a short time, a group of men from Dan came and took the idol from him, convincing the Levite to go with them and be their priest. Micah was devastated by his loss.
    Micah experienced what everyone who gives their allegiance to something other than the true God. That something will be taken from them and they will be left with nothing. Is there something I am setting up in place of God?

May 2, 2014 Bible Study — Let All That I Am Praise The Lord

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:17-19

    If you are easily angered, you will do foolish things. If you spend your time scheming, people will hate you. If you insist on taking a simplistic view of the world, your opinion on everything will be foolish. If you want to make prudent decisions you will take the time to gather knowledge before you form an opinion.
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Psalm 103:1-22

    This psalm fills me with joy and challenges me to put more focus on praising the Lord. Let all that I am praise the Lord! The Lord is compassionate and merciful. I cannot improve on the words of the psalmist. The love of the Lord remains forever. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

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John 2:1-25

    I love the story of Jesus turning water into wine for the wedding in Cana. It completely subverts the idea that Christians are all supposed to be teetotalers. Another interesting thing about the first miracle which Jesus performed is that only the servants, his disciples, and his mother knew what He had done. None of the “important” people at the wedding were aware of what Jesus did. Something else that I wonder about is, how did Mary know that Jesus could do something about the wine running our?
    Unlike the other Gospels, John tells the story about clearing the Temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (the others tell such a story in the week before His crucifixion). Some have suggested that Jesus performed this act twice. That is certainly possible, but I do not hold an opinion one way or the other. The element of this passage which sticks with me today is Jesus’ emphatic statement that we should not turn our places of worship into marketplaces. When we come together for worship we should focus on worship. We need to be very careful about any economic exchanges we conduct there.

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Judges 15-16:31

    Samson continued to show poor judgement in the women he chose to associate with. He continued to spend time with Delilah, even after she had twice attempted to take advantage of what he told her was the secret of his strength. However, the story of Samson’s death is a reminder of what happens to those who believe that they have achieved success through a god other than the true God. The Philistines brought Samson out as part of their celebration of the greatness of their god Dagon. They praised Dagon for giving them victory over Samson. So, when Samson called on God, God answered. God demonstrated that He has the final say.

May 1, 2014 Bible Study — Come And See!

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:15-16

    The simple believe what they are told, but the wise investigate its truth before acting upon it. It is foolish to react angrily to rumour without confirming its truth. It is important to confirm the facts of a case before deciding what one believes about it and taking action.

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Psalm 102:1-28

    I try to avoid applying the Bible to modern politics because I believe God calls us to dedicate our allegiance to the Kingdom of God, not to earthly nations. However, today as I read this psalm I was struck that it was a plea for God come to the defense of Jerusalem. As I read it, I feel led to pray that God come to the defense of the land of Israel. I pray that He send His Holy Spirit upon the people living there and call them to follow Him faithfully. I further pray that He demonstrate His power upon this earth by coming to the defense of that land so that the peoples of this world will go to Jerusalem to worship Him. Let all of this happen so as to bring glory to the name of God.

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John 1:29-51

    When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to two of his disciples as the Lamb of God, they went to Jesus and asked where He was staying. Jesus replied, “Come and see.” Later, Philip went to Nathaniel and told him about Jesus. Nathaniel was skeptical. Philip did not attempt to convince him, he just said, “Come and see.” Following Jesus is not an intellectual exercise. It is something that you need to experience to understand. When we attempt to reach others for Christ, let us remember this. Rather than try to convince their intellect, hoping their heart will follow, let us invite them to experience what it means to follow Christ. Let us call out to those around us, “Come and see.” Do not take my word for what it is like to follow Jesus, come and see for yourself.

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Judges 13-14:20

    I was struck by the similarity between the instructions given to Samson’s mother when she was told that she would give birth and the advice given today to pregnant women (especially those who have had trouble carrying a child to term). She was told to avoid alcohol and watch her diet carefully (avoid foods forbidden under Jewish law).
    Something that strikes me every time I read this passage is that Samson never learned use good judgement in his relationships with women. I fault Samson’s parents for this, for not directing his interests towards women who would be good for him. I will use an example of someone I know. When he got out of high school, he got involved with people who were a bad influence on him (the bad influence went both ways in his case). When his father realized what types of women he was getting involved with, he found a way to direct his interest elsewhere. The father did not do it by telling him he needed to stay away from his friends. Rather his father convinced him to pursue an interest in a different area, where he would just so happen to meet women more likely to be a good influence on him. The funny thing is that while she influenced him to turn away from moving in a bad direction, he did the same for her.
    The passage tells us that God used Samson’s poor judgement when it came to women, but how much better would things have been if Samson’s father had turned his interest towards a woman who would have been good for him? God will use our flaws for his glory, but that does not mean he could not use us even better if we avoided those mistakes.

April 30, 2014 Bible Study — How To Live a Godly Life

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:13-14

    This proverb reminds us to remember that just because someone is laughing and appears to be enjoying themselves, it does not mean that their grief is gone. It takes time to work through grief, there are no shortcuts. Continue to offer support to those who have experienced grief, even if they seem to be handling it well.
    Those who fail to be faithful will receive their just reward, as will those who are good. Choose your actions accordingly.

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Psalm 101:1-8

    I love this psalm because it both lifts me up with joy when I read it and it gives great advice for living a godly life.

  • Live a blameless life–something I can only do if God helps me
  • Live a life of integrity–even when in the privacy of my own home
  • Refuse to look at anything vile or vulgar
  • Have nothing to do with those who deal crookedly, who do not keep faith
  • Reject perverse ideas and stay away from all evil
  • Refuse to tolerate those who slander others
  • Spend time with faithful people, hire only those who are above reproach
  • Do not hire those who deceive or spend time with liars

Yes, I will sing of God’s love and justice as I beg Him to help me live according to this list.

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John 1:1-28

    The comparison John makes here to God as a source of light reminds me of the comparison of good and evil to light and dark. Neither dark nor evil are things in and of themselves. They are the absence of something else. Dark is the absence of light and evil is the absence of good. As I think about it in this context, I like the alternate translation of verse five, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.” As the author goes further with this metaphor, I love how he points out that John was not the source of light. Rather John pointed people towards the light. In the same way, we need to point people towards the source of light. Let us reflect the light of God in our lives so that others will wish to experience it first hand. Whatever about me is good is but a poor reflection of the goodness which is God. Let us polish, and clean, our mirrors so that they become ever better reflections of God’s goodness. But let us not be afraid to risk getting dirty, if that is what it takes to reflect God’s light into nooks and crannies.

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Judges 11-12:15

    Jepthah’s half-brothers drove him out, apparently with the approval of the community leaders. Yet when trouble arose and they needed his skills, those same community leaders begged him to come back and rescue them. Despite what they had done to him, Jepthah returned and led the people in defeating their attacker. This story does not tell us about a great man of God who led God’s people to victory. Rather it tells us about a flawed man who was used by God to protect a people who were themselves flawed. Let us recognize that God will make use of us despite our flaws.

April 29, 2014 Bible Study — It Wasn’t Supposed To Happen This Way!

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:11-12

    Even though the wicked have established a permanent residence while the righteous are still living in transient housing (house vs tent), The righteous will flourish and remain while the wicked will be forced to move on. The second part of this proverb is an important warning, a path may seem like the right way to go, but lead to death. We must choose our paths carefully.

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Psalm 100:1-5

    This psalm fills me with joy this morning. I am the Lord’s. I belong to Him and am glad to reside in His everlasting love.

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Luke 24:13-53

    Luke tells us about the two disciples walking to Emmaus because it gives us an insight into the thinking of all of the disciples on the first Easter. They had been sure that Jesus was the Messiah, but then things did not go the way they expected. He was arrested and crucified. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. He was supposed to emerge victorious over the Romans. They did not know what to think about the report from the women that Jesus had risen from the dead, after all, they were women. How often are we guilty of the same thing? We get a glimpse of God’s working and think we understand where He is going, then when it doesn’t work out that way, we think our initial insight must have been wrong. We rarely consider that maybe the insight was right, it was just our understanding of where things went from there that was wrong.

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Judges 9:22-10:18

    The people of Shechem realized their mistake in supporting someone just because he sounded good and rebelled against Abimelech. Abimelech heard of their rebellion and brought his army to Shechem, where he destroyed the city and killed the people. Apparently by then the rebellion had spread, so Abimelech took his army to the next town and attacked it. However, just as he appeared to have won the battle, he was struck down and died. The story of Abimelech reminds us of the importance of choosing our leaders with care. It also warns those of us who aspire to positions of leadership that we will pay a price for misusing the authority we are given.

April 28, 2014 Bible Study — Is the Resurrection Nonsense?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:9-10

    There are two ways to deal with our feelings of guilt. Fools dismiss guilt as being silly. The wise and godly acknowledge their guilt and do what they can to make amends. Only you can know the depths of your hurt, but you are also the only one who can experience the heights of your joy. No one can ever fully know what someone else feels.

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Psalm 99:1-9

    Let us exalt the Lord our God and bow before Him. Let us remember how our forefathers in faith cried out to God when they were in trouble and He answered them. He will do the same for us. He is a forgiving God, but He will discipline us for our sins. He will discipline us in order to teach us how to live according to our best interests.

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Luke 23:44-24:12

    When the women heard the message delivered to them at the tomb, they remembered what Jesus had said about dying and rising again on the third day. So they rushed back to tell the rest of the disciples what they had seen and heard. But the men did not believe them because it sounded to them like nonsense. Peter, at least, went to check out their story. When we hear stories about how God is working that sound incredible, do we check it out for ourselves? Or do we dismiss it as nonsense?

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Judges 8:18-9:21

    Gideon had many sons by many wives and made no provision for who would lead the people of Israel after his death (whether one of his sons, or someone else). As a result one of his sons, Abimelech, turned to his mother’s relatives, who were prominent in the city of Shechem, to gain power. They gave him money which he used to hire some “rough customers” to follow him. He led his band of troublemakers to his father’s house to kill his brothers. One of his brothers escaped and cursed both Abimelech and the people of Shechem who had supported his power grab. The people of Shechem backed Abimelech because they thought he would serve their interests. They gave no thought as to whether he would be a good ruler. They supported him despite the fact that he started his rule with an evil act.

April 26, 2014 Bible Study — I Am Sending You!

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:5-6

    Truly honest witnesses do not shape their testimony in order to deceive their listeners. On the other hand, once you realize that someone has distorted the truth in order to mislead you, you should expect that everything they say is similarly deceptively worded. Those who mock the beliefs of others may seek for wisdom, but they will not be able to find it. We see this around us all the time in people who mock Christianity as “superstitious nonsense” who then, in their search for meaning, fall prey to things that are truly superstitious nonsense.

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Psalm 95-96:13

    Let us praise God today, let us sing to Him with thanksgiving. Let us kneel, surrendering completely to God’s authority, and worship Him. He will watch over us and care for us, if only we listen to His voice and follow His instructions. Let us not harden our hearts and determine to follow our own will rather than God’s. He desires what is best for us and if we follow His instructions they will bring us joy. I will listen to His voice today (and every day)!
    Sing a song to the Lord and rejoice! Let us call on all of the earth to honour God, because that is the path to prosperity and happiness for all. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. If people would only do as He commands, misery and misfortune would be no more.

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Luke 22:54-23:12

    Whenever I read of Peter’s denial of Christ, I sympathize with him and it gives me renewed hope for myself. I know there have been times when I have denied Christ because of social pressure just as Peter did here. It gives me great hope to realize that Peter was forgiven for his denial. However, the passage also reminds me that Peter suffered great grief from his denial. It gives me great grief that I have at times denied my faith in Christ to avoid ridicule. I will continue to ask God’s Spirit to move within me to keep me from doing it again.

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Judges 6:1-40

    I have read the story of Gideon many times. When the angel came to Gideon and told him that God was with him, Gideon asked why all the bad things had happened to God’s people. The angel’s answer to Gideon is one for all of us who see injustice and people suffering in this world. The angel told Gideon, “I am sending you!” If you want to know why there is wrong and suffering in this world, it is because you (and I) have not done what God has called us to do. Rather than ask God why there is suffering in this world, let us ask God what He wants us to do about it.
    Gideon’s reply is all too often ours, “I am too insignificant to help.” But God has an answer for that as well. God tells us, “I will be with you.” Gideon asked for a sign that this message was indeed from God. Let us not be afraid to ask God to confirm what He is telling us. He will do so, but once He has confirmed the message, let us act on it.