For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted over the last few weeks to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

Proverbs 26:9-12

    All of today’s proverbs warn us about the dangers of becoming involved with a fool. Verse eleven tells us how to recognize if we are a fool. All of us do foolish things from time to time. However, only a fool does the same foolish thing over and over.

Psalm 95-96:13

    Will you join me in singing praises to God, in shouting out loud about His great works? Please join me in coming before the Lord in humble thanks giving. Let us listen to His voice today. I will not harden my heart and rebel against Him. Oh Lord send Your Spirit into me so that I do not try Your patience.

Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
The gods whom others worship are mere idols, but our God is the Creator of heaven and earth. In the past I have read this psalm as an enthusiastic encouragement for people to praise the Lord. Today, I read this as a plea. Please come and worship the Lord. There is joy to be had in doing so. Do not wait for Him to bring His judgement against evil.

2 Timothy 4:1-22

    We are instructed to preach the word of God at all times, whether the time is favorable or unfavorable. It is not enough to tell people about our faith when they are receptive. We must discuss our faith even when they are unreceptive. Let us correct, rebuke, and encourage those around us, but remember to do so patiently and gently. We are in a time when people do not want to listen to sound doctrine. People seek teachers who will tell them what they want to hear rather than the hard truths. People will reject the truth and seek after myths which allow them to do what they want to do. There will come a time when we will suffer for serving the Lord, for remaining true to the Gospel. Rather than fear such suffering let us embrace it as evidence that we are being faithful.
    I must admit that I struggle with that last. I see a time of persecution coming and I am afraid that I will not be strong enough to stand up under it. I fear that I will not remain faithful in the face of persecution. Oh Lord, set your Holy Spirit upon me that I will remain faithful even when it costs me.

Jeremiah 48-49:22

    Jeremiah gave prophesies against Judah’s neighbors, lands which had rejoiced to see the downfall of Israel and Judah. However, the peoples of these lands had boasted of their riches, power, and gods as protecting them from the fall which struck down Israel and Judah. The lesson which strikes me today is that it is a mistake to revel in the misfortune of others. When disaster strikes, whether natural or man-caused, it does not respect borders. If our neighbor suffers misfortune, we should do our best to help, otherwise that same misfortune may strike us as well.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted over the last few weeks to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

Proverbs 26:6-8

    Trusting a fool to deliver your messages will have a predictable outcome, and it is one that will be unpleasant. Proverbs can be useful shortcuts for learning, but a fool will use a proverb to avoid learning anything.
    We generally honour people in order to encourage others to emulate them. If you honour a fool it is likely people will emulate the foolish behavior rather than that which you intended.

Psalm 94:1-23

    It may seem like God is taking His time in bringing the wicked to judgement. It may seem like God is not listening to the cries of the poor and oppressed. The wicked think that they can avoid suffering any consequences for killing widows, foreigners, and the fatherless. However, He who made our ears can surely hear, and how would He know to make eyes if He could not see?
    Those who accept God’s discipline and learn from His instruction will experience joy. He will give them relief in troubled times. God will cause to be established governments which make judgements based on justice. He will raise up virtuous people who will pursue justice. When we start to doubt, let us call out to God. Then He will support us and lift us up. Trust in God and turn to Him when evil seems triumphant. He will turn the sins of the evil against them.

2 Timothy 2:22-3:17

    Paul tells us to stay away from foolish, ignorant arguments. They serve no purpose other than to start fights. This does not mean that we should stay away from all arguments, just foolish, ignorant ones. However, even with arguments we should get involved in we are to avoid being quarrelsome. Rather we should be king to everyone, able and willing to teach, and, most important for this context, patient with difficult people. Rather than argue forcefully and angrily, we should gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Let us rely on God to change the minds of those we disagree with, rather than trying to do so by the force of our arguments or personality. An important element of this is the willingness to allow God to change our minds if we are the ones in the wrong.
    Paul describes what people will be like in the last days. He sounds like he is describing what many people are like today (in context it sounds like he was describing the people of that day as well). People love only themselves and their money. He describes such people in detail telling us that they will act religious but reject the power of God which could actually make them godly. The important point is that we should stay away from such people. He warns us that such people worm their way into people’s homes and gain control over gullible women. Women who are vulnerable to such people are burdened with guilt and controlled by various desires. Paul describes such women as always willing to listen to new teaching, but never coming to an understanding of the truth. Those who prey on such women have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. A little further on Paul points out an important characteristic of such teachers. They will go from bad to worse. Most importantly, they will both deceive others and be deceived themselves.
    It is worth repeating that those who work hard to deceive others about God’s truth are often easily deceived. This gives us an important lesson. When we are marshaling our arguments for the truth, check the facts we plan to use. If we allow ourselves to use “facts” which are not actually true, even if they support a true argument, we are setting ourselves up to be misled. We need to do our due diligence on the things we hear and confirm that they are true from sources who were either present when they happened or heard from someone who was there. If the story does not contain information which will allow you to check its veracity (where did it happen, when did it happen, who was there) do not use it in your arguments (except perhaps as an illustration of your point, rather than as support for your point).

Jeremiah 44:24-47:7

    Jeremiah told the people of Judah who fled to Egypt that they could not worship both God and the “Queen of Heaven”. This whole exchange reminds me of many people today who call themselves “Christians”, yet read their horoscopes daily and follow other idolatrous practices. You have to choose if you are going to follow idolatrous practices, or if you are going to worship God. God will not accept divided loyalties. We need to examine our lives and root out all forms of idolatry.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted over the last few weeks to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

Proverbs 26:3-5

    Verses four and five contradict each other, but a little thought show the point the writer is making. On the one hand, if you allow yourself to be caught up in the logic, or lack thereof, of a fool’s arguments, you can all too easily lose sight of what the issue under discussion really is. On the other hand, if you do not respond to a fool’s arguments they, and others, may conclude that their arguments logically support their conclusions. There is a fine line between allowing a fool to drag you into his folly and allowing him to believe that you accept his arguments.

Psalm 92-93:5

    It is indeed a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Doing so is proper because of all that God has done for us, but more than that, there is great joy to be had praising the Lord. When I think of all that God has done for me, it gives me a thrill to realize how much He cares for me. If you are feeling depressed, start looking at your life and focus on those things God has done for which you are thankful. This will gradually lift you out of depression and fill your heart with joy (it may take more than this for those suffering from clinical depression, but even there it is worth a try).
    The floods may rise against us. Seas of trouble may rage against our lives, but God is mightier than the oceans deep and stronger than lightning and thunder. I will put my trust in Him. If I build my life on the foundation He has provided me, it will stand firm against all waves and storms which might rise.

2 Timothy 2:1-21

    Paul taught things which were confirmed by reliable witnesses. He then instructed Timothy to teach those things to trustworthy people who would pass them on to yet others. Are we willing to be trustworthy in passing these teachings on yet again?
    Paul then uses three metaphors for the Christian life: soldier, competitive athlete, and farmer. In all three cases Paul points out that these types of individuals do not allow themselves to be distracted by things that do not contribute to their goals, goals which are determined by things outside of their control. In the same way, we should be dedicated to the goal of serving God. The essence of that goal is to preach the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, raised from the dead. Paul was willing to endure anything in order to preach that Gospel, are we?
    If we die with Christ, for preaching this Gospel, we will be raised with Him. If we suffer for the Gospel, we will reign with Him. On the other hand, if we deny Him, for whatever reason, He will deny us. However, He will remain faithful even if we are unfaithful, because God cannot be otherwise. Let us avoid fighting over words even as we work to correctly explain the word of truth. If we belong to the Lord, we will turn away from evil and seek to cleanse ourselves from impurity. That way we can become utensils that God can use for every good work.

Jeremiah 42-44:23

    Many of those who remained in Judah gathered because they were afraid of what Nebuchadnezzar would do when he heard that his governor had been killed. They went to Jeremiah and requested that he ask God what they should do and where they should go. They stated vehemently that they would do whatever God told them to do, whether they liked it or not. Jeremiah agreed to ask God to give him guidance for them. After ten days Jeremiah gave them the Lord’s answer. Jeremiah told them that if they stayed in the land of Judah, God would be with them and they would have peace. However, if they went to Egypt in an effort to escape war and hunger, war and hunger would follow them there. Jeremiah finished by telling them that he knew that they would not listen to what he had said. Instead they would go to Egypt and suffer the consequences which God had promised them.
    When the people heard what Jeremiah told them, their leaders immediately accused him of lying to them because Baruch wanted them to be killed or carried off into exile. They refused to listen to the message which God had given to Jeremiah. They took Jeremiah with them when they traveled to Egypt. When they arrived in Egypt, Jeremiah once more prophesied their downfall there. Further Jeremiah confronted them about their worship of various idols they had made for themselves in Egypt. Rather than deny that they were committing idolatry, the people blamed the fall of Jerusalem and the difficult times leading up to it on their being insufficiently dedicated to their idols.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted over the last few weeks to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

Proverbs 26:1-2

    No one expects a fool to be honourable any more than they expect snow in the summer. It happens on rare occasions, but people are always surprised when it does. Curses can be real, but those who are undeserving of a curse will be no more effected by it than a sparrow will land on a moving person’s head.

Psalm 90-91:16

    Let us remember that our lives are short. We do not have much time to serve the Lord, so let us not waste what time we have. If we seek to do the Lord’s will, He will make our efforts successful.
    This psalm speaks to me with what is going on in the world today. If we make Him our shelter and rely on Him for our safety, we need not fear anything in this world. In a world where diseases such as Ebola are once more spreading, where war and chaos are spreading, and where economies seem about to crash, the psalmist tells us this:

Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
The Lord is my shelter, my place of safety. He is my God and I will trust in Him.

2 Timothy 1:1-18

    Often times we see those who have come to Christ after being lost in sin, drug addicts, convicted criminals, low-life’s of various sorts, as the greatest witnesses for Christ. However, Paul commends Timothy for the faith imparted to him by his mother and grandmother. Timothy was able to serve the role he had in the early Church because he was raised in a godly household. Those of us who were raised in Christian families and came to our faith as a result bring necessary skills to the Church. Let us use those skills to further God’s will, just as those who experienced the complete devastation of sin use their skills for that purpose. Whatever background we have, God has used it to mold us into the people we are, people He wants to use to accomplish His purposes.
    We have been given a spiritual gift. Let us seek to fan into flames the gifts which the Holy Spirit has given us. These gifts will help us to proclaim the Gospel to those we encounter without shame. Perhaps the hardest part of what Paul tells us here is that we should never be ashamed to tell others about Christ. God will give us the strength to face and embrace any suffering which may result from us doing so. We will face ridicule and worse when we publicly declare our faith, but let us embrace that as evidence that we have been judged worthy of sharing in the suffering of Christ. Rather than trying to avoid persecution and suffering for our faith, let us embrace the opportunity to show our love for God, relying on the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to see us through.

Jeremiah 39-41:18

    When Jerusalem fell, just as Jeremiah had predicted, Jeremiah was given a message for the man who had rescued him from the death certain Jewish courtiers had planned for him. Because that man, Ebed-melech, had trusted God and acted to protect Jeremiah, God protected him when Jerusalem fell, even though he had been a high official in Jerusalem and the Babylonians slaughtered most of those.
    The Babylonians offered Jeremiah a place in Babylon where they would care for him. However, Jeremiah chose to stay in Judah and continue to minister to those Jews who remained. One of those who had led guerrilla forces against the Babylonians killed the governor Nebuchadnezzar had set over the land. His actions suggest that he intended to set himself up as the next king of Judah. The other former guerrilla leaders banded against him and gathered the people together to decide what to do. They were afraid of what Nebuchadnezzar would do when he heard that his governor had been killed.