For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Why, yes, I do like cats. Why do you ask?
Those who mock others resent it when you point out that their mockery is unjustified, especially when you show them how they are the ones being stupid or foolish. You will notice that those who most enjoy mocking others avoid those who could/would teach them to understand those with a different view of the world from themselves.
When I read the third of today’s proverbs it reminded me of the entertainment choices people make. Some people choose to spend their leisure time learning and gathering knowledge, others spend their leisure with things that distract them from thinking about anything. There is nothing wrong with limited amounts of the latter, but the wise are hungry for knowledge and will fill up their leisure time acquiring it. The fool has no interest in knowledge and will avoid like the plague any leisure activity which requires thought, let alone the acquisition of knowledge. If they spend their leisure time involved in anything which involves the acquisition of knowledge, it will be knowledge which is of no lasting value.
Those who fear the Lord and take delight in in following His commands will be filled with joy. They are willing to lend money generously and are fair in all of their business dealings. As a result good comes their way and evil will fail its attempts to overcome them. Overall I love the message of this psalm, but struggle with writing a meditation on what it means to me.
This passage starts with one of Jesus’ most famous statements, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” That is a very true and important statement. However, the exchange which follows probably gives us more insight into living our lives. There is one thing which I have never heard anyone preach about when they talk about this exchange. Jesus was talking to those who believed in Him. Yet, despite this, their first reaction was to take offense at Jesus telling them that they would be set free.
Jesus points out that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. He then points out that there are some in the crowd who want to kill Him. Rather than accept that those who were trying to kill Jesus were in the wrong, they took offense. I always find this passage difficult to digest, but not because the message is so hard. I get caught up in the dynamics of the conversation between Jesus and the people so that it distracts me from the message Jesus is preaching here. I actually run into that a lot when I read the Gospel of John.
Those who love God and are born of God will hear and love the truth. Those who are born of Satan lie, murder and steal. Or, to put it another way, truth and love are characteristics which come from God. Lies and deception come from the devil. The more we are truthful in what we say, and treat those we meet with love, the closer we are to God. The closer we are to God, the more we will be truthful and treat those we meet with love. On the other hand, the more we use lies and deception the closer we are to the devil and the farther we are from God. The farther we are from God the more we use lies and deception.
After his battle with Goliath David became one of Saul’s chief subordinates. Everything Saul asked him to do David did, and he did it well. David was so successful that the people began singing his praises. They began praising David as greater than Saul. Saul, rather than taking this as a compliment for his good judgment in selecting David, became jealous of David. David continued to be a faithful servant to Saul and to put all of his efforts into serving Saul’s interests. Saul felt threatened by David’s success and his reactions to that perceived threat made it more real. Despite Saul’s actions, David did nothing against Saul’s interests, except act to preserve his own life. One of the reasons Saul lost his throne was because he acted to diminish the power of any subordinate who was too successful.