For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
I agree with this proverb. I would rather be honest and poor than dishonest and wealthy. I could not live with myself if I lived a life of dishonesty even if being honest means being poor.
Every year when I get to Psalm 119, I try to see if I can follow a pattern through the entire psalm (besides the fact that it works its way through the Hebrew alphabet). I am never able to do so, mainly because I lose track part way through.
The opening of this psalm can be read two ways, both of which are true. First, we can read it as saying that only those who people who obey God’s law truly have integrity. The second is that only those who have integrity truly follow God’s instructions. I believe that both of these are true. It is only by following God’s law that we can have true integrity, and if we are not people of integrity, we are not following God’s law. Let us follow the psalmist’s example and ask God to move in our lives so that we follow His commands. I will ask the Holy Spirit to come into my life and transform me to obey God’s law.
The psalm goes on to tell us that the way to stay pure is to obey God’s word. The way to avoid sinning is to hide God’s word in our heart, to memorize Scripture. I will study the Bible and God’s word because it gives me great joy. I will study His commands and reflect on God’s ways. I will strive to do God’s will in all of my actions.
James makes many important points in this passage. He discusses the suffering that will come to those who have gained wealth by oppressing the poor. He encourages us to be patient in the face of suffering while we wait for the coming of our Lord. He warns us against swearing oaths, encouraging us to instead be honest so that no one needs us to take an oath to believe us.
But for me the big take away from this passage is his encouraging us to recognize the power of prayer. If we have problems in our lives, we should pray. If things are going well, we should praise God. We rarely look at it this way, but he is telling us that praising God is a form of prayer. He tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and will produce great results. Do we truly believe in the power of prayer? Are we willing to stand before the world and say that we believe that prayer can heal us? Or deal with other problems we face?
He tells us that if we are sick we should call the elders of the Church to anoint us with oil and pray over us. Such prayer offered in faith, James tells us, will heal the sick. God will make us well. Then he adds an interesting point, in this circumstance those who have sinned will be forgiven. He continues by telling us to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other. It is by confessing our sins to our fellow believer and praying for our fellow believer that we receive healing. James is telling us there is a clear link between confessing our sins and receiving healing. Do we confess our sins to our fellow believers? I must admit that while I try to do so, there are some sins I have difficulty revealing to others.
Today’s passage continues with more descriptions of the Temple to come. There is a place in the middle of today’s passage where God promises to live among His people forever if they will stop defiling His name by worshiping other gods along with their worship of Him. What are we worshiping alongside God? Have we put aside our idols? Let us worship and follow God alone and no other gods.