For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 13:7-8

    You should not judge people by the front they put up, some people will pretend to be richer than they are, some people will pretend to be poorer. Let us treat the rich and the poor the same, judging people by the results of their actions, not by who they pretend to be.

Psalm 85:1-13

    Two phrases stood out to me in this psalm: “Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.” and “Won’t you revive us again,” I find myself praying to God for restoration and revival. I spent some time trying to compose deep thoughts about how that all tied together, but I will settle for that.

Luke 18:1-17

    Jesus reminds us of the importance of being persistent in our prayers. When we see injustice in this world, let us cry out to God in prayer day and night until he brings justice. And not just about injustice, but whatever need we see in this world, let us persistently cry out to God that it be met. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this parable of Jesus is how He concludes it. After telling us to be persistent in asking God for justice, Jesus asks how many He will find on earth with faith when He returns. There is a connection between having faith and continuing to cry out to God for justice day and night. Do we have enough faith to keep asking God for the changes we desire in this world? Even when nothing seems to happen?
    The next parable which Jesus told is further instruction on praying. The Pharisee was busy telling God ho good he was. The tax collector was busy asking God for mercy. Do we recognize that we are sinners, or do we think we are good people? Being a Christian is not about being a good person. It is about knowing that you are not a good person and that you need God’s mercy.

Joshua 13-14:15/a>

    Today’s passage begins by telling us that Joshua was an old man by the time the things recounted here take place. After describing the lands yet to be conquered and how the land was to be divided up, it tells us that Caleb came to Joshua for permission to claim his portion. Caleb was a contemporary of Joshua and had been one of the twelve spies whom Moses sent to scout out the land. Caleb was the only one, aside from Joshua, who advised the people to enter the land at that time. Caleb was forty years old when he spied out the land. Now forty five years later he was going to lead the conquest of the land that would be his and his families. At 85 years of age, Caleb was still a warrior for the Lord. Will I still be fighting for God’s causes when I am 85? I pray that I am.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 13:5-6

    These two proverbs definitely go together. It is their very distaste for lies and falsehood which protect the godly from going astray. Since they choose honesty and integrity their path is clear and straight. The wicked on the other hand are misled into trouble because they believe that lies and falsehood can bring them happiness (they are wrong).

Psalm 84:1-12

    Yes, it is a joyful experience to live near to God. Reading this psalm fills me with joy and with the desire to be closer to God. It always amazes me how a psalm like this, or a song which expresses similar sentiment can both fill me with joy and give me a strong desire to be close to God. I was reading this psalm and feeling convicted because I do not always feel this way when the feeling the psalm expressed began to overwhelm me.
    I do indeed agree with the psalmist when he says:

A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I am not very good at being a servant, but I understand the sentiment when the psalmist says that he would rather be a gatekeeper in the House of the Lord than live as lord among the wicked (I know that is not quite what he says, but I think that is what he means).

Luke 17:11-37

    The story about the ten lepers is here for two reasons (yes, there I go again only two points). First, it reminds us that those who respond with gratitude for a miraculous event are the exception, not the rule. Second, it shows us that just because no one else expresses their gratitude does not mean that we shouldn’t. Let us live our lives like the on healed leper who returned to express his gratitude to Jesus.
    When Jesus was asked about the coming of the Kingdom of God, His answer is exactly the opposite of what Islam teaches about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom which stands separate, controlling a certain amount of land and the people living there. And it is not some future utopia. No, the Kingdom of God is right here among us. It is composed of those who are servants of God, whom God has made citizens of His Kingdom. We bring God’s Kingdom to those around us when we act as the one leper did by expressing our gratitude to God for what He has done for us.

Joshua 11-12:24

    When the rest of the peoples who lived in the land heard what had happened in yesterday’s passage they did not follow the path of the Gibeonites and attempt to make peace with Israel. Instead they joined their armies together and attempted to defeat the Israelites with overwhelming force. There are two lessons here (there is that number again). The first is a warning for Israel’s enemies today. In this passage, Israel’s enemies outnumbered them by a large amount AND they possessed superior military technology. Yet the Israelites defeated them and destroyed their weapons.
    The second lesson is for everyone who serves God. If we follow the instructions which God gives us we will overcome all of our enemies, no matter how much they outnumber us and no matter how much power they have on their side. God will crush those who obstruct the path upon which He has set His people.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 13:2-3

    This proverb warns us to choose our words with care and to not just blurt out whatever comes to mind. If our words are well chosen and righteous they will bring us good things and a long life. If our words are poorly chosen, or designed to further our own interests at the expense of others, they will bring us violence and trouble.

Psalm 82:1-8

    I am convinced that this psalm is addressed to those rulers and government officials who believe that they are greater than those over whom they have authority, who believe, in a sense, that they are “gods”. Certainly it is addressed to those who believe that they receive their authority by “divine” right (whatever they consider to “divine”, whether God, themselves, or something else). The psalmist tells us that they are not wrong, but God has given duties and responsibilities to those whom He has given authority to govern others.

Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
Rescue the poor and helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
These rulers and officials may have been given authority by God, but they will die and face God’s judgment, just like all other mortals. If they abuse their God-given authority beyond certain limits, God’s judgment will come to them sooner rather than later.

Luke 16:1-18

    I don’t believe I have ever heard a sermon or read a commentary on this passage which notes that it immediately follows the parable of the prodigal son, which in turn was in response to those who condemned Jesus for associating with notorious sinners. As such, part of its message is about why we should spend time with sinners. There are things we can learn about how we should act when we associate with such people. In this parable the lesson was to use our worldly goods to benefit others and make friends with them.
    Further, the lesson of this parable is that we should use our material wealth to serve God. We have a choice in this life, either we serve God, and our material wealth is merely another tool in our toolbox to accomplish His purposes, or we serve wealth, and our religion is merely a tool for acquiring wealth. We cannot both seek to serve God and to acquire wealth (that does not mean that no one one who serves God will acquire wealth, merely that it cannot be their goal). One or the other will be our master. We must choose which we will serve.

Joshua 7:16-9:2

    I struggle with what to think about this passage. The only message I get from is that we need to examine ourselves individually and as a group to make sure that we are faithfully keeping God’s commands. If any one member of a group is hiding rebellion against God’s instructions, it may stymie the group in its efforts to follow God’s will.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 12:27-28

    The connotation of this proverb is that even if they do catch game, they cannot be bothered to put out the effort to cook it. On the other hand, those who are successful make use of everything they can from the game they catch and the plants they harvest. This proverb teaches us to make productive use of all the resources which come our way. This proverb is a challenge to find productive uses to put what is otherwise waste.

Psalm 80:1-19

    This psalm gives us an example of how we should pray when we face difficult times. The psalmist calls on God for rescue, but he acknowledges that in order to be rescued by God people need to turn to God. I love this phrasing from the NLT:

Turn us again to yourself, O God.
Make your face shine down upon us.
Only then will we be saved.

He repeats it three times, each time exalting God even more…”O God”, “O God of Heaven’s Armies”, and “O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies”. Let us beg God to turn us again to Him, acknowledging His power and glory.

Luke 14:7-35

    Jesus gives us warning against seeking honour for ourselves. Jesus warns us against assuming positions of high honour for ourselves because it will be incredibly embarrassing if we have to yield them to someone more deserving. Instead, we should assume positions of low prestige. If we do the latter, we will be even more honoured when the host of the event pulls us out to put us in a position of prestige. This advice is not just about events regarding this world. It is of even greater import in heavenly matters, where the host is God Himself.
    Accompanying that advice, Jesus advises us not to throw feasts for those who can reciprocate. Instead of inviting our family and rich neighbours to our parties, we should invite the poor, the blind, the lame, and the crippled, those who will be unable to repay us by inviting us to their parties. When He gives this advice, Jesus tells us that God will repay us for doing this. However, I think He was also making a point about how we invite the better off as a subtle way of holding ourselves up to be admired, “Look at all the A-list people who come to my parties.”

Joshua 3-4:24

    It is easy to overlook the significance of the memorial which Joshua had the Israelites set up after they crossed the Jordan. After all what is the big deal about a stack of twelve rocks? The thing we forget is that these were large rocks, not huge, but large. And they were all water polished. Water polished rocks have distinctive characteristics and looks. Geologists use those characteristics to identify places where there used to be streams and rivers. The memorial the Israelites built would have been a testimony to the fact that they walked through the Jordan on dry ground.