For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The wise do not boast about what they know, nor do they make an effort to convince everyone of their superior knowledge. Those who attempt to show everyone how much they know an any given subject instead reveal how foolish they truly are.

    The psalmist reminds us how time and again the people of Israel rebelled against God, despite the wondrous acts which God performed in order to rescue them. Nevertheless God saved them once more when they turned to Him again. Let us strive not to follow their example. But even if we do, when we turn once more to God we can know that He will forgive our sins and welcome us back. Even so, let us remember that every time we turn away from God there is a risk that we will not turn back to Him before we meet our end.

    Jesus tells a story that reminds me of a bumper sticker that was popular for a while, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” This story tells us that the opposite is true; he who dies with the most toys, loses. Jesus goes on to point out that we should not worry about what we will eat, or what we will wear. God knows our needs and will provide for them. Rather than worry about material things, let us seek to do God’s will and serve His kingdom. If we do this, God will provide for our needs. Jesus reminds us to use our material possessions to serve God by assisting the poor and needy. By doing this we will store up treasures where they will last for eternity, rather than where they can only do us good for the short length of time which we will live.

    God told Moses that he was about to die. So Moses brought his assistant Joshua before the people of Israel and named Joshua as his successor. It is worth noting for every leader that Moses had trained Joshua for many years. Then when the time came that he would no longer be able to lead Israel he appointed Joshua to replace him. In addition to training a leader to succeed him, Moses left written instructions for the people of Israel, instructions which he had received from God. It is important that those who lead a group make provision for its continued leadership after they are no longer able to provide leadership.
    Moses wrote a song as part of his farewell to the people of Israel. This song reminds us that all too often when God blesses us with material possessions we forget Him and turn away from Him. This goes well with Jesus’ instruction to use any material wealth which we acquire to help the poor and oppressed. If we do not focus on using our material possessions to serve God we will end up serving our material possessions rather than God.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    If you tell the truth, you do not need to worry about explaining inconsistencies. If you tell lies, you need to be constantly remembering what you said and fitting it into the other things you talk about. When you plot evil you need to fill your mind with the lies and deceit necessary to carry out your plot. On the other hand, when you plan on how to obtain peace your mind can, and will, be filled with joy at all of the wonderful things you wish to do for others.

    This psalm reminds us of the importance of telling the next generation about what God has done, both in our lives and in the lives of those who went before us. Let us tell those younger than ourselves what we know of God’s wondrous actions so that they may know of Him and choose to follow Him. Each generation must decide for itself to follow God, but we need to give them the information to make an informed decision.

    Jesus tells the Pharisees and teachers of religious law that while there is nothing wrong with acting so as to appear righteous, it is not enough. It is not even the proper place to start. It is more important to give to the needs of the poor and support justice than it is to do things which make others think we are righteous. When we teach others about following God, we should strive to act in ways which make it easier for them to do so. Let us encourage those who are trying to follow God, rather than stressing the ways in which they are falling short.
    Jesus then turned His attention to the crowds. He warns us not to imitate the hypocrisy of religious leaders, nor to allow it to discourage us from doing what is right. We should not let human opposition frighten us, since the most they can do is kill our bodies. Rather, we should fear God who can kill not only our bodies but can destroy our very souls. Then He tells us that despite the fact that we should fear God, we should also trust Him to care for us. We are more valuable to God than we can possibly imagine. God pays attention to the details of our life more closely than we are even capable of ourselves, to the point of numbering the hairs on our heads.

    Today we are given a choice between life and death. If we love God with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, and obey His commands, He will give us life and joy. If we reject His commands and worship things other than Him, we will be destroyed. God is not far from us, nor are His commands. They are not difficult to know and understand. We do not need someone specially trained to interpret them for us. We do not need to send someone up to heaven, nor to the ends of the earth to know God’s will. He lives with us and will speak in our hearts to show us the way. We need only seek His face and we will find Him.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Most people think that they know what is the good, right, and true thing to do, but those who are wise honestly seek and consider the advice of others before choosing a course of action. When others suggest that their chosen course of action is a mistake, a fool gets angry and feels insulted, while a wise person calmly considers what they have to say.

    This psalm is a wonderful reminder that God is glorious and majestic. He is more majestic than anything on this earth, or anywhere in this universe. God will judge those who do evil and deliver the oppressed. Even those who stand in defiance of God bring glory to His name. He will use those who defy Him as weapons to carry out His will.

    I have heard several different takes on the story of Mary and Martha. Today it struck me that Martha was caught up in getting things done, in providing things to her guests. Mary, on the other hand, was more concerned with spending time and socializing with her guests. Jesus’ message was that it is more important to spend time with people getting to know them and their needs than it is to get things done.
    Next Jesus taught His disciples about prayer. First, He gave them a template for prayer. I remember when I first saw this broken down into its component parts (actually, it was Matthew’s version, but it works here as well). It gave me a new insight into prayer that has stuck with me ever since. I am going to try to do the same thing here using the NIV:

Father,

Acknowledging both God’s authority over us and love for us as our father

hallowed be your name,

We desire that people venerate God’s name and acknowledge that it is holy

your kingdom come.

We pray that God’s authority be recognized by all

Give us each day our daily bread.

Provide us each day with what we need to make it through that day

Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.

This is a twofold piece. We ask God to forgive our sins while recognizing that He will only do so to the extent which we forgive those who sin against us

And lead us not into temptation.

Finally, we ask God to help us avoid, and resist, temptation to do wrong.
    Having given us a template of how to construct our prayers, Jesus reminds us to be persistent in our prayers. He then gives us a threefold approach to petitioning God: Ask, Seek, Knock. If we persist in asking God for our desires, He will give them to us. However, it is not an entirely passive thing. We must actively seek the things we desire from God. As we seek we will find (especially as we seek to align our desires with His will). Finally, when we find what we seek, we are to knock to request admittance into God’s presence. This last reminds us once more of the need for persistence. Jesus concludes His teaching about prayer by pointing out that earthly fathers will give their children good things when they ask for them. How much more will God give us the good things we ask for out of His love for us. There is also a subtle reminder that when God is slow to give us what we ask for, perhaps we should examine our desires to see if what we ask for is really something good. Jesus tells us that when a child asks his earthly father for an egg, he will not give the child a scorpion. The reminder here is that an earthly father also is unlikely to give his child a scorpion even if the child asks for one. In the same way, some of the things which we ask of God may be bad for us just as a scorpion would be a bad gift for a young child.

    I have declared today that the Lord is my God. I will walk in His ways and do as He tells me. This is not the first time I have made this declaration, and I pray to God that it is not the last. Will you join me in making this declaration? Will you dedicate your life anew to serving God? If we do this, God will send His Spirit upon the people of this land and claim them for His own. God will use those who submit to Him to change the world. Use me today God to show someone Your love!

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The wicked desire what others have acquired through wicked, or other means. The godly are satisfied with what they have earned through their own hard work. The wicked say things which trap themselves into situations they wish to avoid. The righteous have integrity and tell the truth, so are spared such problems. Those who combine honest, wise words with hard work receive many good things.

    God will bring justice to the wicked at the time He has planned. The proud, who boast of their greatness, and the wicked, who act in defiance of God, will face His judgment. God will have the final say. He decides who rises to prominence and power, and He decides who will fall to be remembered no more. God will break the strength of the wicked. I will praise His name for all of the wonderful things He has done.

    When the seventy-two disciples Jesus had sent out returned they were excited and happy because demons had submitted to them when they spoke in Jesus’ name. Jesus replied that He had given them (and us) power over the enemy. The only name we need to know in order to command demons is the name of Jesus. He has given us power over demons and all of the servants of Satan. However, let us not rejoice in the power He has given us over demons. Rather, let us rejoice that God has chosen us for admittance to heaven. It is not my place to seek out evil spirits to drive forth, but if I come across them as I serve God’s will, He has given me the authority to send them away.
    I am really struck by the importance of not getting caught up in exercising power over evil spirits. We have the passage where Jesus downplayed that power followed by the account of the Good Samaritan. Jesus had a conversation with an expert on religious law where they agreed on the two most important commands. The first is to love God with everything that is within us, every aspect of our being: our heart (emotions), our soul (who we are and how we act), our strength (physical ability), our mind (our thoughts and our mental ability). That command is linked with the second: to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to explain who is meant by “our neighbor”. The answer is that “our neighbor” is anyone in need whom we might encounter as we go about our business. When we encounter people in need, Jesus tells us that we are to do whatever is within our power to help them.

    We need to give thought to the consequences of our actions. Are we using our position of power, or wealth, to make life more difficult for someone in financial hardship? If someone is counting on the money we owe them to meet their living expenses, let us pay them promptly. We should not accept the tools that a workman needs to do the work which provides his living in order to settle a debt (or anything else that someone might need in order to live and have the possibility of prospering). In all of our business dealings let us take care to provide value in exchange for the value we receive.