For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The righteous will pick themselves up from set back after set back, but when the wicked fall they will fail to rise again.

    When it seems like God no longer performs miraculous signs nor speaks through prophets, remember what He has done in times past. He will perform such wonders once more when the time is right. Fools will dishonour God’s name because they think He will not intervene in history. However, He will defend His honour and those fools who insult Him will learn their error.

    This is another passage which I had committed to memory that perhaps I should re-memorize. Paul tells us that if anyone could have confidence in their own effort to be righteous it would be himself. He had everything going for him, born in a good family of great pedigree, taught from an earliest age to follow the rules, zealous in obeying the law. He had once valued all of these things, but no longer. All of those things, and anything else that could be considered to his credit, he considered a loss because they distracted from becoming one with Christ. No matter who we are or what we have done, none of it has any value compared with knowing Christ. Anything that makes us think we have righteousness in our own right is a flaw that distracts us from focusing on the righteousness which comes from Christ. If we think that in some way, in some part of our life, we have value independent of our faith in Christ it will prevent us from accepting what the Spirit wants to do in that part of our life.
    Rather than seeking some righteousness we can call our own, we should strive to know Christ in all aspects of our lives and experience the power of God that raised Him from the dead. Let us covet sharing the type of suffering which Christ suffered (I cannot begin to tell you how much just writing that frightens me) so that we might share in His death, which is the only way to experience His resurrection.
    As long as we are on this earth, let us not think that we have accomplished the goal and reached perfection. However, let us forget our past mistakes and look toward what we can do in the future in order to serve God. We cannot change our past, so let us focus on what the Spirit can do to transform us in the future. Let us seek out examples like Paul to model ourselves after. Look around for those who are striving to serve God the way in which Paul did. Then, let us follow their example so that we can become ever more like Christ.

    We have a choice to make, will we be humble and contrite before God? Or will we seek our own way to righteousness? Those who strive to be righteous on their own may as well be mass murderers for all the good their righteousness will do them. Those who seek to consecrate and purify themselves are doing so before an idol while feasting on disgusting things. It is only when God consecrates us and purifies us that we become purified and consecrated.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Honey is good for us to eat, not least because we find its flavour pleasant. In the same way, wisdom gives us pleasure, but is good for us in ways we do not normally perceive.

    It is a mistake to envy the proud and wicked. If we focus our attention on them we will wonder whether it is worth our effort to do God’s will and remain pure. Focusing on the wicked will leave us bitter and tear us up emotionally. However, if instead of focusing on the wicked and their lives we focus on God and His will for us He will give us life and joy. When we focus on God we realize how empty and meaningless the life of the wicked is. With our attention on God, we will be unwilling to trade what He gives us for what the wicked have.

    Paul commends two men to the believers in Philippi, Timothy and Epaphroditus. We should strive to emulate these two men and to not be like those Paul contrasts them with. Timothy genuinely cared about the Christians in Philippi. Paul contrasts that with others who only cared for themselves. All too many people put their own interests ahead of those of Christ. Epaphroditus was more concerned that those who cared about were distressed to hear that he was ill than by the fact that he was ill. Epaphroditus was willing to risk his life in order to the Lord’s will. In this case by apparently risking his health to do what needed to be done. He is an important reminder that the suffering we experience as a result of serving the Lord will not necessarily be the result of persecution.

    Despite all of our sins, God is still our Father and loves us. Let us pray and throw ourselves before Him, begging His forgiveness. We are as clay formed into the shape which God determined for us. Our separation from God is not because God turned away from us. God has always been ready to be found. He is there to be found by any who will look for Him. Not only is He there to be found, He is crying out to us, “Here I am. Look and see.” But so few of us are willing to turn from our sins and look.
    Isaiah reminds us that the righteous deeds we hold out to demonstrate our wonderfulness are mere filthy rags. All of us are infected with sin. Yet all too many hold themselves up as paragons of virtue. I cannot tell others to stay away from me because their sin might contaminate my perfection because the truth of the matter is that my sin is more likely to contaminate them than theirs me. Let us turn to God with humility, recognizing our sin. We have no place to hold ourselves up as better than others.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    We cannot stand aside when the innocent are condemned to die by claiming we did not know. God knows the truth of the matter. If we did not know that injustice was being done because we did not want to know, He will hold us accountable. God will repay as our actions deserve.

    We are to pray for our rulers. Let us pray this psalm. If a ruler has God’s love of justice and always treats the poor fairly, all of his people will prosper as will the land he rules. If a land’s rulers defend the poor and rescue the children of the needy that land will be blessed in all that happens there. If the people are faithful and pray for their rulers, God will bless the land.

    We have no reason to be frightened or intimidated by those who oppose us because of our faith in Christ. We have been given the privilege not only of believing and trusting in Christ, but also to suffer for Him. We should not be afraid of persecution for our faith in Christ, rather we should see it as an honour, as a reward for faithfully serving Him.
    Paul challenges us to set aside our selfish goals and desire to advance our own interests. Instead we should value other people more than we value ourselves. Rather than seeking our own desires, let us work at doing that which brings happiness and pleasure to others. Let us seek to imitate Christ, who although He was God chose to walk humbly as a man and suffer a criminal’s death. Let us do every task which God sets before us without grumbling or complaining. This last part is one which is a struggle for me. Sometimes it is so easy to grumble and complain while doing what we know we should do.

    Isaiah prophesied that the people of Israel would return to the land God had promised to Abraham’s descendants. God promised that not only would He gather them once more, but they would bring wealth from the ends of the earth. God promised that merchants from all over the earth would do business with the people of Israel. As I read this passage today, I am reminded of the economic position in the world of the state of Israel in my lifetime. Part of me thinks that such passages are prophesies about the modern state of Israel, other parts of my think that they refer to God’s action through Christ. Ultimately, I think it is a little bit of both.
    When Jesus returned to Nazareth, He read the beginning of chapter 61 in the Synagogue and told the people that the passage was fulfilled through Him on that day. Whenever I read this passage I am reminded that it was fulfilled through Jesus, but I believe that God intends for it to be fulfilled, to a lesser extent, through all of us who seek to follow Christ. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, just as it is upon all who truly love and serve Christ. When I read this passage, I can feel God’s Spirit filling me up. He intends for me to bring good news to the poor. God wants me (and you) to comfort the broken-hearted.
    Let us call for the captives to be released that the prisoners freed. When I read that couplet in the passage, I cannot help but think of William Wilberforce who upon his conversion dedicated his life to ending the slave trade. He died three days after learning that Parliament had abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. Our God loves justice and hates wrongdoing. Let us do likewise.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    It is foolish to come up with a sinful scheme. No matter how carefully you have thought it through, the consequences of such a scheme will include those you find unpleasant (at best).

    This psalm is a challenge to me. Is my life truly an example I would encourage people to follow? God has been my strength and protection, yet I have done less with my life than the gifts He has given me would allow. I was taught about God and by God from my earliest childhood. I have no excuse for not having done more to serve Him in my life. Nevertheless, I will praise God because He has done great things for me. I will strive to do more for Him as my life continues.

    Once again I am challenged to find a way to improve the amount of time I spend in prayer. Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Philippi was that their love would overflow ever more and that they would be filled with ever greater knowledge and understanding of God’s will. I am confident that he would pray the same thing for us today. I am also quite confident that there are two essential pieces to having his prayer fulfilled in our lives. The first is regular review of Scripture (I would recommend reading through the Bible on a regular basis, but for those whom that is a problem, listen to it read). The second, and the part where I am seeking God’s guidance on how to improve, is regular, disciplined prayer. I will request that those who read this pray that I find a way to improve my prayer discipline.
    Paul goes on to speak of those who were emboldened to preach the Gospel because of his imprisonment. It made him happy that such was happening. He acknowledged that some of those preaching the Gospel were doing so out of selfish ambition, this did not bother him all that much. Paul did not care what motives led someone to preach the Gospel, so long as the Gospel was preached. I am a strong proponent of that. I will go on to say that I do not care what motivates people to listen to the word of God preached, or to read the Bible. I have absolute confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit that when people hear or read the word of God it opens a door for the Holy Spirit to change their lives. Whether the motive of the person preaching, or the person hearing/reading is a good motive or a selfish one, the Holy Spirit has the ability to use the words of the Bible to transform people.
    This passage concludes by making a statement that should be at the heart of every Christian’s view about life. As long as I continue to live, I can serve Christ. However, if I die, I will go to be with Christ, which is even better. I will live for as long as God has more work for me to do on this earth, but dying will bring even greater joy. I am alive today because God has a purpose for me to fulfill in helping others serve Him, and I am glad for the opportunity. But death, whenever it comes, is something to be welcomed and I will do so when God so decrees. I will state now for those who care for me, when the day comes that God takes me home, do not grieve for me. Rejoice on that day for I will no longer be struggling against the troubles of this world.

    God does not desire that we put on the appearance of righteousness. Prayer and fasting in and of themselves accomplish nothing. Singing songs of praise and attending services on Sunday and other days of the week will not gain us merit with God. Humbling ourselves by doing penance is not going to excuse our actions if we have every intention of going back and repeating them.
    Rather God desires that we free those unjustly imprisoned, refuse to oppress those we have power over, share our food with the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, clothe those who need clothing, take care of our relatives in need. When we spend our effort to provide food for the hungry and act on behalf of those who are oppressed, then our light will shine in the darkness and God will take care of us.
    Our country and our society do not experience troubles because God is unable to save us from those troubles nor because He does not hear our cries for help. Rather, we, as a people are cut off from God because of our sins. People do not care about being fair and honest. They merely want what they can get for themselves. People do not seek to gather wealth by producing things. Instead they attempt to game the system and profit from others’ activity. They refuse to turn to God for peace and think that they can reap the fruits of the just and good without doing those things themselves. God will only tolerate such behavior for so long before He steps in to bring judgement and enforce justice.