Tag Archives: Religion

April 25, 2014 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:3-4

    I like the NIV translation better here. Lashing out at others because your pride has been hurt is foolish. The wise choose their words carefully; using them to build a defense of their actions rather than to attack those who have offended their pride. If your first priority is keeping everything neat and orderly, you will never accomplish anything productive.

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Psalm 94:1-23

    The psalmist asks how long it will be until God brings justice to the wicked and the proud. Then he reminds the wicked who oppress the weak and powerless that God is indeed watching and keeping track of their deeds. God will exact justice from those who kill widows, orphans, and foreigners for their own benefit. Those who do evil may think that God can not, or will not, call them to account for their evil, but they are mistaken. It may seem that His judgement falls more frequently on those who only do minor wrongs. However, that is not His judgement, rather it is discipline to offer the chance to return to Him. Let us learn from God’s discipline and listen closely to His instructions. Then we will receive relief from troubled times and not fall subject to His coming judgement. God will turn the sins of those who do evil against them, but He will be a fortress protecting those who accept His discipline. Oh Lord, let me always respond to your discipline!

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Luke 22:35-53

    Jesus reminds His disciples that when He sent them out to preach the Good News, they took nothing with them except the clothes on their backs and they wanted for nothing. Now He tells them to gather all the supplies for a trip that they can and to sell their cloak to get a sword if they don’t have one. Then when they tell Him that they have two swords among them, He tells them that that is sufficient. It seems to me that the message Jesus was conveying here is that there are times when we should go out on faith, fully relying on God to provide for our needs and there are other times when we should plan for trouble and gather what supplies we will need to get through the hard times ahead. It seems that His instruction about buying swords was to emphasize the importance of preparing for all eventualities, rather than an instruction to take up arms to do violence.

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Judges 4-5:31

    When Deborah was judge over the people of Israel, they were oppressed because they had not kept God’s commands. However, God had Deborah call Barak, the war leader of the tribe of Naphtali, to raise warriors. Barak accepted her commission, but insisted that he would only go out to battle if she accompanied him. Because Barak did not trust Deborah’s prophecy enough to act on it without her at his side, the glory for the final victory went to someone else. Barak was the battle commander, but it was Deborah who told him when it was the time and place to attack. And it was Jael, the wife of a Kenite, who killed the general of the opposing forces. It was Jael who ended the war, because if Sisera had escaped he would have been able to raise another army and return to raid the Israelites. Barak and his warriors would have needed to disband so that they could return to their land to raise their crops.

April 24, 2014 Bible Study — The Greatest Is the One Who Serves

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 14:1-2

    If you fear God, it will cause you to follow a straight path of righteousness. If you despise God, you will follow a crooked, devious path as a result.

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Psalm 92-93:5

    Yes, it is good to give thanks and praise to God morning, noon, and night. There is a certain joy and fulfillment that comes from singing God’s praises, even with a singing voice as limited as mine. God has made me glad with all that He has done. He has done great things for me, but even greater things to bring justice to evildoers. The wicked may seem to flourish, but they will utterly destroyed. The godly will flourish because God’s goodness is forever.

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Luke 22:14-34

    Once again in this passage Jesus’ disciples began to argue among themselves which one of them would be the greatest. Jesus pointed out to them that the kings of this world lord it over their people, ordering them about for the benefit of the king. And that men who call themselves Benefactor order others to serve themselves. Yet that is not how God measures greatness. If I want to be considered great in God’s eyes, I need to put aside my desires and serve the needs and desires of others. A truly great leader will strive to meet the needs and desires of those whom they wish to lead.

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Judges 2:10-3:31

    After Joshua’s death, those who had known his leadership died off. Once that generation had died off, the people began worshiping the gods of the people around them. As a result God stopped protecting them from raiders and other enemies. However, God still loved His people. So, He raised up judges to lead them and guide them back to Him. The people would follow such judges while those judges lived. While the judge lived the people would prosper as they followed God’s commands. But when each judge died, the people quickly returned to their sins. This is the story of human history. God raises up men to call His people to Him. They answer His call and follow God’s leading. This leads to prosperity for those who obey God, but once prosperity has come, people lose sight of God and worship things other than God.

April 23, 2014 Bible Study — Be Always On The Watch

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:24-25

    This proverb is based on an important point about love. If I truly love someone, I want what is best for them, even if that results in them not liking, let alone loving, me. I am not a parent, yet I have observed the truth of this proverb time and again. Parents who truly love their children make the effort and take the time to lovingly discipline them. Those parents who are more concerned with having their children loving them than in what is best for the child carry out lax discipline. In both cases, the children know the truth. Children whose parents discipline them consistently based on what the parent believe is best for the child know to the deepest part of their being that their parents love them. Children whose parents are lax, or inconsistent, disciplinarians do not truly believe that their parents love them.

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Psalm 90-91:16

    The psalmist reminds us that what to us is a long time is but a moment to God. God will fulfill His promises, but the passage of time is not the same to Him as it is to us. The psalmist follows that up by reminding us that we do not have much time to serve God. Let us do what we can to serve God while we still have strength and time.
    I will join the psalmist in saying about God:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

I know that He will rescue and protect me. He will answer when I call. You too may have such confidence if you love Him and trust in His name. I will seek to serve the Lord in all of my actions.

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Luke 21:29-22:13

    Jesus reminds us not to let ourselves become distracted by carousing and drunkenness, nor by the worries of this life. Let us keep alert for how we can serve God and pray that He give the strength to stand before Christ. Let us always be on the watch for Christ’s return so that He will find us faithfully serving Him when He arrives.

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Judges 1-2:9

    After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel conquered more of the land. However, they failed to completely drive the people who were already living there out of the land. From the account written here, this was partially a lack of ability and partially a lack of will. For example, the tribe of Judah attacked and defeated Jerusalem, killing everyone there. However, when the tribe of Benjamin too possession of Jerusalem, they allowed the Jebusites to live there with them. I always struggle with the lesson presented here and at other places in the Old Testament. The Israelites often fell into sin because they failed to keep themselves separate from the peoples around them.
    On the one hand, it is important to keep ourselves separate from those who do not worship and serve God. On the other hand, we cannot bring the Gospel message to the lost if we do not interact with them. As we live our lives we must balance our need to spend time with those who will strengthen our dedication to serving God with reaching out to those who do not yet have a relationship with Him.

April 22, 2014 Bible Study — Who Can Escape The Power of the Grave?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:20-23

    If you want to become wiser, spend your time with those who are already wise. If you spend your time with those who are foolish, not only will you begin to act foolishly, you will end up in trouble, even if you do not do anything foolish yourself (other than spend your time with fools). The earth produces sufficient food for all people to have enough to eat. It is injustice that leads to the poor going hungry.

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Psalm 89:38-52

    The NIV version of verse 48 is appropriate a few days after Easter.

Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?


The answer to the latter half of that question is Jesus, and those who trust in Him. God’s enemies mocked(still mock) His Anointed One and denied (and many still deny) that He could escape the power of the grave. Yet Easter morning is testimony to the fact that He did escape that power.

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Luke 21:1-28

    Luke’s version of the widow’s offering gives me an insight into what Jesus was teaching here that I have never noticed before. The widow gave only a very small amount of money, but to God it was worth more than the vast amounts given by others. Her offering’s value was because she trusted God enough to give even that which she needed to live on. She trusted God to provide for her needs. While those more wealthy gave large amounts of money out of that which was in excess of their needs, still retaining wealth in excess of what they needed to live. This is an important lesson for us, we should give until we feel it. The proper amount to give is complicated and I think God is leading me to flesh out my thoughts on this subject.
    Jesus tells the disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. As we read His account of the events that led up to the destruction of Jerusalem (something which was still in the future as He spoke), we should recognize that He is describing what happens during the lead up to every great calamity. Surely, what He says is very similar to the world leading up to WWI and WWII. Jesus warns us that as the world is turning towards such things those who follow Him will be persecuted. They will be arrested, tortured and put on trial. If we are faithful to Christ, we will be persecuted. It may be in minor ways, or it may be to the point where we give our lives for our faith, but if we are faithful we will be persecuted by those who refuse to believe. Whatever persecution we face, let us face it with joy because it will provide us with an opportunity to present the Good News of Christ to those who have not yet listened (they may have heard, but did they listen?).

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Joshua 24:1-33

    In this passage is one of the great calls to dedicate ourselves to God. It contains elements of a sermon that every pastor should preach regularly. I am not sure how often, but over half of the congregation should remember the last time he preached it. This is a message for those who claim to be the servants of God.
    First Joshua points out all of the good things which God had done for the people of Israel. Then he declares that they should fear God and serve Him with all of their being. Let us destroy all of those things which we are tempted to worship in place of God, those things which lead us to act in ways other than those which God commands. If we are not willing to make that commitment than we need to decide what gods we are going to worship instead of God. That is the only choice we have. Either we worship God wholeheartedly and single-mindedly, or we acknowledge that we would rather worship something else. Today is the time to decide.
    There are times when we need to decide as a group, but even then we can follow Joshua’s lead. He told the people of Israel that they needed to decide. But no matter what they decided, His decision was made. He, and His family, would follow the Lord. I ask that you say his statement with me today:

As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

April 21, 2014 Bible Study –He Is the God of the Living

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:17-19

    Those who ignore criticism and disregard discipline will end in poverty and shame. Those who change their behavior in response to correction will be honoured. Everyone enjoys seeing their dreams come true, but it is foolish to pursue them with evil methods.

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Psalm 89:14-37

    Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. Any ruler who wishes a long and prosperous reign will base his rule on them as well. God has raised up Jesus as the eternal heir to David’s throne. God will beat down His adversaries and destroy those who hate Him. Let us hear the call to worship and walk in the light of God’s presence

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Luke 20:27-47

    As I read today’s passage about the Sadducees who attempted to trap Jesus with a question about the resurrection of the dead I was reminded of an article I read yesterday. There are still people today who claim to believe in an all-powerful God who do not believe that He can, or will, raise people from the dead. The article I read claimed that the story of Jesus’ resurrection was a source of rifts between Christians. Jesus makes it clear here that the dead will indeed be raised. Yesterday we celebrated that Christ rose from the dead. He did not rise in a metaphorical manner, or just as a spirit. Jesus rose from the dead in this physical world. God can indeed raise the dead in a physical body. He is not bound by the laws of the physical universe.

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Joshua 22:21-23:16

    Yesterday we read the passage where the tribes living east of the Jordan built an altar just before returning home. Those living west of the Jordan were afraid that it was intended for idolatry and prepared to go to war to wipe this stain out of the midst of the nation of Israel. First, they sent a delegation to determine why the altar was built. Those living east of the Jordan met the delegation and explained the purpose of the altar. They had built the altar to remind their descendants, and the descendants of those living west of the Jordan, that they were one people who together worshiped the God of Heaven. Let this be a reminder to us that all of those who worship Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are one family. Anyone who worships the risen Jesus Christ is my brother, or sister.

April 20, 2014 Bible Study — With My Mouth Will I Make Known…To All Generations

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:15-16

    The best and easiest way to gain people’s respect is to demonstrate good judgment. If you try to gain one person’s respect by betraying the trust of another you will end up facing your own destruction. There are people who are proud of the fact that they never plan anything and always act on impulse. This proverb reminds us that acting on impulse is foolish and while it sometimes works out for the best, it is better to think things through before taking action.

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Psalm 89:1-13

    I prefer the NIV for this psalm. This is probably because it is reminds me of the hymn, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord” (which is based upon this psalm). I will make God’s faithfulness known to all generations. The first two verses are so appropriate today of all days:

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

It is because of God’s great love that Jesus was on the cross and because of that love that He rose from the dead. I will declare these facts for all to hear.

The Lord is risen!

He is risen indeed

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Luke 20:1-26

    When the teachers of religious law challenged Jesus to tell them where He had gotten the authority for His actions, He turned the tables on them. By asking them whether John’s authority came from heaven, or was merely from man, He pointed out to the crowd that the religious teachers were really asking Him for a human authority to justify His actions. The crowd watching this exchange would have recognized that Jesus was telling them that if they could not tell whether John’s authority came from heaven or from men, they would be unable, or unwilling, to accept that His authority came from heaven.
    The religious leaders were stung by Jesus’ remarks (and the parable He told after that confrontation). So they attempted to trap Him by asking if it was OK for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. On the one hand, if Jesus said that it was not OK, they could have the Romans arrest Him and execute Him on grounds of stirring up rebellion. On the other side there were several angles they could use to diminish His standing with the crowds. First, paying taxes is never popular and a significant number of those who followed Jesus were just waiting for Him to start the rebellion against Rome. Second, and importantly, paying tax to Caesar could be interpreted as a form of idolatry since Caesar had declared himself a god.
    Jesus’ answer was wonderful in many ways. First, from the perspective of non-Jews, Jesus’ answer was that Jews should pay Caesar’s tax. This meant that the religious leaders could not use it to have the Romans arrest Him. Second, it contained a condemnation of those who raised the question (and showed that they were indeed trying to trap Him). They were carrying a coin which had Caesar’s image on it and which declared him a god. If they had been the type of people they wanted the crowd to think they were, they would not have been carrying such a coin. Finally, Jesus’ answer told them that while the coin bore Caesar’s image, and thus belonged to him, we bear God’s image, and thus belong to Him.
    Let us give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but let us never forget that we belong to God. Let us give all that we are to God’s service.

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Joshua 21-22:20

    Once Joshua had finished allotting land to all of the other tribes of Israel, the Levites approached him and the other leaders of Israel requesting that they be given towns and surrounding lands according to Moses’ instructions. Once all of the land had been allotted the Israelites finished taking control of the land and the tribes with land east of the Jordan returned home. Before they crossed over the Jordan to the East, those tribes built a large altar as a memorial to their connection to the Israelites living west of the Jordan. The rest of the tribes of Israel believed that they had built the altar as a separate place of worship from the one where the Tabernacle was located and gathered their forces to cleanse the land of this idolatry. However, before taking action they sent a delegation to discover the reasons for the eastern tribes decision to build this altar. This is an important lesson for us. Before we judge the actions of another group we should speak with them and learn what their motives were and their intentions are.

April 19, 2014 Bible Study — The Lord Needs It

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:12-14

    Refusing to listen to instruction will lead to frustration and failure, respecting commands given by those in positions of authority results in success and rewards. Seek advice and instruction from those who are wise, by doing so you can avoid taking actions with dangerous consequences.

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Psalm 88:1-18

    Let us come to God by day and by night. Let us pray all of the time. Every time I read the last line of this psalm I am reminded of the song by Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence.” That song begins with the line, “Hello darkness my old friend…” Further in the song refers to “people hearing without listening.” That song so reminds of how people react to the words of God. They hear, but they do not listen. They would rather bow to the “neon god they have made.” Let us listen to God when He speaks to us. Let us seek Him out when times are good, so that He does not need to do drive our friends away to get our attention. I will not wait until times are bad to seek God both day and night.

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Luke 19:28-48

    Am I willing to act as the owners of the colt acted in this passage? Will I surrender the use of my possessions because, “the Lord needs it?” Look what resulted from their willingness to allow Jesus to use their colt. As Jesus rode along, the people began to shout and sing His praises. There was such an outpouring of joy and worship that Jesus said if the people did not cry out, the very stones would have done so. Have you ever been filled with praise for God such that you felt that if you did not cry out the rocks and trees would do so?
    As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He wept over the city. He wept because He knew that the people of the city had rejected their opportunity to be saved from the coming destruction. God had offered them an opportunity for salvation and they did not accept it. Do we feel a similar passion for bringing salvation to those we meet? Do we weep over the possibility that they will miss their opportunity to be saved?

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Joshua 19-20:9

    The passage lays out how the land not yet conquered was to be allotted among the tribes which had not yet received and allotment of land. The passage ends with the designation of the cities of refuge. These were established so that those who had caused the death of another could receive a fair and just trial. Those who caused the death of another could escape to one of these cities and request a trial to establish that they had done so by accident. The authorities of these cities were obligated to protect them from being killed in revenge until they had received such a trial.

April 18, 2014 Bible Study — The Son Of Man Came to Seek and Save the Lost

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:11

    If you acquire wealth by get-rich-quick or dishonest schemes (there is often very little difference between the two), you will quickly lose that wealth. The only wealth that will last is that which is built bit-by-bit through hard work.

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Psalm 87:1-7

    The psalmist tells us that God has founded a city which is greatly blessed. That city goes by the name of Jerusalem. The citizens of that city are loved by God, but it is not like other cities. God will write the names of people from every nation down as citizens of His Jerusalem. Yes, I will sing that the source of my life comes from Jerusalem, the city of our God.

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Luke 19:1-27

    Here we have the story of Zacchaeus, one of my favorite Bible stories. I am not sure what it is about this story that I like so much. Perhaps it is the image of Zacchaeus up in the tree, quickly climbing down when Jesus addresses him directly. I always visualize him almost falling out of the tree in his haste to answer Jesus. As I think about it, I realize that much of why I like this story is Zacchaeus’ enthusiastic response to Jesus. The story starts with Zacchaeus trying to find a place to get a look at Jesus as He passes by, but then it quickly changes when Jesus tells Zacchaeus that He is coming to his house. I want to be that enthusiastic about Jesus. On the other hand, are we as welcoming of sinners as Jesus was? Or are we more like the people who grumble because Jesus reached out to Zacchaeus?

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Joshua 16-18:28

    Once the people of Israel had taken control of a good portion of the land they set up the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Joshua then turned to the remaining tribes and asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?” How long are we going to wait until we take ownership of the promises which God has made to us? I am not sure what this means for me, but I feel convicted that there are things which God has been calling me to do that I need to stop waiting for the right time and just do them. I pray that God’s Spirit will make what these are plain to me in the coming days.

April 17, 2014 Bible Study — Am I Willing to Go All-In for Jesus?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:9-10

    Goodness shines brightly out of the godly while the wicked snuff out whatever goodness is within themselves. At least one condition necessary for conflict to occur is pride, without pride, conflict will not come about. True wisdom lies in being humble enough to take advice.

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Psalm 86:1-17

    I love this psalm and will do as the psalmist recommends. I will call upon God when I am in trouble, for I know that He will answer my cry. There is no other god like Him. One of the things I ask of God is that He teach me His ways, so that I can live according to His truth. I, also, ask that He purify my heart, so that my life will honour Him. I know that I am not able, by my own strength of will, to live a life according to His ways, nor am I able to purify my heart. But I know that God has the power to cause these things to happen and I pray that He send His Spirit upon me to accomplish these ends.

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Luke 18:18-43

    In the story of the rich man there is one element I do not remember ever being expounded upon, and another that I have rarely heard discussed. I will address the latter first. The rich man came to Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to follow the commandments, he replied that he was already doing that. The rich man clearly felt that he needed to do more, that following the commandments was not enough. He recognized that not committing any sins of commission was not enough. He sought to find out what positive action he should take (or, possibly, he was seeking Jesus’ affirmation that he had indeed done enough). The point is that this rich man recognized that not doing wrong is not enough. In addition to not doing what is wrong, we need to do what is right.
    This brings us to the element of this story I do not remember hearing anyone expound upon. Jesus told the rich man to “Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The key part of what Jesus was telling the man was that he should come and follow Jesus. Selling his possessions and giving the money to the poor was merely there so that the man would not have it as a fallback. It was a sign of commitment. Are we willing to follow where God leads, even when it means not leaving open an option to turn back? The key thing which Jesus was telling this man to do was make a complete commitment, all-in. Are we “All-in”?

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Joshua 15:1-63

    When Caleb went to take the land that had been given to him as his inheritance, he conquered much of the land that was given to him. However, when he went up against one of the cities, he declared that he would give his daughter’s hand in marriage to whomever conquered it. After its defeat, he kept his word. As part of the marriage settlement, Caleb gave some land to her and her new husband. However, the land apparently did not have any springs on it, so she asked her father for springs to go with it. He granted them to her. I recounted all that to note that when we give to others, we should be sure that we do not make them dependent upon us to gain any benefit from the gift. In this case, the land Caleb gave his son-in-law was only usable as long as he had access to the springs which Caleb initially kept for himself. When we “help” those in need, let us make sure that we are not making them dependent upon ourselves, or upon someone else, not even upon the government. We should strive to help those in need to be able to stand on their own (with God’s help and none other).

April 16, 2014 Bible Study — Will The Son Of Man Find Faith On Earth?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 13:7-8

    Those who have wealth can use that wealth to rescue themselves from dangers those who are poor will never face.

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Psalm 85:1-13

        God forgave our sins and covered them over. As I read this psalm there were a couple of lines which are my prayer today:

Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.

Won’t you revive us again,

I humbly request God to restore me and revive me in my love of Him. The phrase “revive us again” reminds me of this song. My prayer is not just for God to restore and revive me. I pray that He restore and revive all of those who have at one time or another accepted His invitation to become His people. God will pour down His blessing upon those who accept His call to righteousness and peace.

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Luke 18:1-17

    Luke recounts two of Jesus’ parables in this passage. In the first parable Jesus gives us a lesson for our prayer lives. If an unjust judge will grant the widow’s request because she is persistent, how much more will our loving Father grant our requests? As we seek God’s will in our lives and in the lives of those around us, let us be persistent in asking God to send His Spirit to carry out His will. When we feel that what we wish God to do will further God’s will, it is not enough to pray to God once requesting that He act. We are to be persistent in asking God to act in this world.
    The second parable is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying. The Pharisee spends his entire prayer telling God how righteous and wonderful he is, recounting everything he does right. The tax collector on the other hand, recognized his sin and begged God to be merciful. When we come to God let us recognize our shortcomings and acknowledge that we need God’s mercy in our lives. By God’s standard of righteousness, there was not a significant difference between the tax collector and the Pharisee, except that the tax collector recognized his sin and turned to God for mercy. In the same way, the only difference between myself and the vilest sinner on this earth is the extent to which I recognize my need for God’s forgiveness.

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Joshua 13-14:15

    When Joshua was reaching the end of his life, God came to him and told him that in due time He would drive the peoples out of the rest of the land promised to the Israelites. God further told Joshua to assign those, as yet, unconquered lands to the tribes according to God’s direction. In Joshua’s lifetime the people of Israel were insufficient in numbers to occupy all of the land which God had promised to the descendants of Abraham, so God did not give drive out all of the people living in those lands. In the same way, in our lifetime the number of people serving God may not be sufficient to fulfill the mission which He sent us to begin (or extend). Nevertheless, let us carry out as much of it as He grants us the strength and wisdom to accomplish. The fact that the mission is not completed in our lifetime does not mean that we are a failure.