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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
In studying the writings of Jeremiah Daniel discovered that Jeremiah had prophesied that Jerusalem would remain abandoned for 70 years, at which time God would restore the people of Israel. Upon learning this, Daniel turned to God in prayer and fasting. Notice that Daniel does not turn to God and “claim” His promise to restore the people of Israel. Rather Daniel turns to God with remorse and confesses his sins and the sins of his people. He begs God to restore His people, not because they deserve it but because God is merciful. At the end of his prayer Daniel lays out the order in which God does things. God forgives, listens, and acts, in that order. A bit of thought on that tells us something about how we should approach God. Let us therefore confess our sins, repent of(turn from) our sins, and pray.
John reminds us that we have heard that “the Antichrist” will appear sometime in the future. He tells us that the antichrist is not a singular being, rather there are many antichrists. Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the antichrist. It is not possible to be in communion with God if we deny His Son. On the other hand if we are in communion with the Son we are also in communion with God. John tells us that we must watch out for those who are trying to lead us astray. The Holy Spirit lives within us and will teach us the truth. We do not need anyone to teach us the truth.
As I read this I think of those around us who argue that we should not and cannot impose our morals on others. By this they mean that we should not ask others to live according to our moral code. However, they then turn around and demand that we live by their moral code. This happens in many ways. One of the more recent examples is related to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Supporters of the Act argue that the owners of Hobby Lobby should not be allowed to force their moral opposition to abortion and contraceptives in their employees by refusing to pay for those as part of the health care coverage they provide their employees. Yet on the other hand, they claim that it is a moral duty of the owners of Hobby Lobby (and every other business) to pay for health care coverage for their employees. They are incapable of seeing the contradiction between these two positions. I hate to use such a politically charged example, but it is important to recognize that the secular world constantly attempts to impose its morals upon us while telling us that we must not even ask others to except our morals. They deny that Christ is the Son of God, then attempt to claim the moral authority of God.
I look at the mountains in their majesty and the forests in their glory, but that is not where my help comes from. When I am in need, my help comes from God. God watches over me and will not let me stumble. What a wonderful thing to know that He is watching over me and He never sleeps, not even a short nap. This is as true for you as it is for me.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
This is true, whether we wish it or not. God is watching over us, let us willingly allow Him to guide our steps.
If we give to the poor, God will provide us with all that we need. However, if we ignore the needs of the poor and turn a blind eye to their existence, curses and trouble will fall upon us. When the government is run by the wicked, everyone attempts to stay out of sight. When the wicked fall from power, those who do not attempt to exploit others will flourish.