For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 21:25-26

    Lazy people are killed by their own desire. They do not wish to work in order to satisfy their desires and expect others to provide for them. The righteous work hard in order to give towards the needs of those who are unable to provide for themselves.

Psalm 37:12-29

    The wicked plot against the righteous and prepare their weapons in order to bring them down. However, the weapons of the wicked will be turned against them. The righteous may have little, but they are better off than the wicked with great wealth. The wealth and power of the wicked will not last, the Lord will strike them down. The only path to security is to follow the Lord. If we turn from sin and do good, God will bless us and keep us safe.

1 Corinthians 14:1-17

    Paul spends the entire passage explaining that while speaking in tongues (or as the NLV puts it “special sounds”) is valuable, it is much more valuable to speak in words which the audience can understand. There are times when the Holy Spirit leading us to express ourselves through words that neither we nor those around us can understand will lift us up and bring us closer to God. However, seeking out such experiences can interfere with us receiving guidance from the Spirit and imparting it to others. Let us accept speaking in tongues if the Spirit gives it to us, but let us seek the Spirit’s guidance in ways which we can comprehend and communicate with others.

Job 1-3:26

    Reading the introduction to Job reminds me of recent reinterpretations of the temperance movement. Many of the influential members of the 19th century temperance movement were industrialists who became quite wealthy. I have read in recent years the claim that they supported the temperance movement because having a sober workforce was good business. However, this overlooks the fact that many of those who opposed the temperance movement, who encouraged the poor working class to drink heavily, were also industrialists. The former left writings which indicated that they believed that if their workers remained sober, those workers would be able to better themselves. The latter left writings which indicated that if their workers remained sober they would leave their employ, increasing the industrialists costs as they sought replacements. The evidence suggests that the industrialists who supported the temperance movement early on did so because they were concerned for the well-being of their workers and became wealthy as a result (this changed as people began to see this result).
    Back to the Book of Job, Satan basically claimed that Job was only righteous because righteousness made him wealthy and if he lost his wealth he would abandon righteous behavior. When that did not happen, Satan claimed that Job was only righteous because he was healthy and if he lost his health he would abandon his righteous behavior. Job is a model for us. When his wealth was lost Job responded:

“Without clothing I was born from my mother, and without clothing I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Praise the name of the Lord.”
Then when he lost his health, he responded (I will use the NIV here), “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
Job’s response is that of those who are righteous because it is the right thing to do. Let us seek to so live our lives.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

Job 1-3:26

     The book of Job begins by telling us that Job was a wealthy man with sons and daughters. He worshiped and feared God. We are told that one day Satan, the Accuser, came before God, along with all of the members of the heavenly courts. God asked him where he had been and he replied that he had been out patrolling the earth. God asked him if he had observed Job, a man of complete integrity who feared God? Satan replied that of course he feared God. God had made him wealthy and protected him. But if God took away everything he had he would curse God. God told Satan that he could test Job by taking all of his possessions, but was not allowed to harm him physically. >br?
     In quick succession, Job lost all of his possessions and his children died in a tragedy. This was Job’s response:

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”
When Satan went before God once more. God asked him if he had observed Job, who had maintained his integrity despite the fact that he had lost his possessions. Satan responded that of course he did, people will sacrifice much to save their life, but if God would but take away Job’s good health, Job would curse Him. God told Satan, “Go ahead, try it, but you may not take his life.”
     Job became very ill, unable to relieve his discomfort. His wife told him that things were so bad, he should just curse God and die. Job responded that he would accept the good and the bad from the hand of God. He refused to curse God and maintained his integrity. Three of Job’s friends heard of his suffering and came to visit him. They wordlessly expressed their grief at his suffering when they arrived and sat with him for a full week, making no effort during that time to ease his grief with empty words. After seven days Job finally spoke. He cursed the day he was born. He expressed the desire that he had never been born. If he had died upon birth, he would not be experiencing his current suffering. Yet, through all of that, he did not blame God.

1 Corinthians 14:1-17

     Having just completed a lesson on what love is and its importance, Paul tells us that we should follow the way of love and desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. If the Spirit gives me the gift of speaking in a language other than that spoken by those around me, I can only speak to God in that language. On the other hand, if the Spirit gives me the gift of prophecy, I can strengthen, encourage, and comfort the people around me. While Paul would like if everyone could speak in other languages, he would rather that they prophecy. Someone who speaks in other languages is strengthened personally, but those who prophecy strengthen the whole congregation.
     Paul continues to expound on this point at some length. He sums it up by saying that when we pray in another language our spirit is praying, but our mind does not understand what is going on. Paul concludes that it is better to pray so that both the spirit and the mind can be enlightened. The Spirit should fill us and our spirits should worship God, but our minds should be involved as well. If we praise God in the spirit using unknown languages, how can those around us join in our praise, since they do not know who, what, or why we are praising. In addition, if we are praising God in unknown languages, how can those who have come to learn of the Gospel be drawn to it if they cannot understand what we are saying?

***
     Do I seek spiritual gifts as I ought? Or am I afraid of them because that would mean I am called to something outside of my comfort zone? I will pray to God that He makes me receptive to His gifts and desirous of them; even desirous of being taken out of my comfort zone to fulfill His will.

Psalm 37:12-29

     How appropriately today’s psalm follows the passage from 1 Corinthians. I finished up my thoughts on that by talking of my fear of standing out if I exhibit the gifts of the Spirit and the psalm begins with:

The wicked plot against the godly;
they snarl at them in defiance.
…
The wicked draw their swords
and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
to slaughter those who do right.
Which certainly explains why I have that fear. However, the psalmist tells me why I should not fear the snarls of the wicked: But their swords will stab their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
I will take heart from this psalm and pray to God to give me the gifts of the Spirit He desires me to have, and the courage to use them in His service. I will follow the psalmist’s advice. I will turn from evil and do good.

Proverbs 21:25-26

     The lazy desire much, but are unwilling to work for any of it. Many people are greedy for everything they can get from others, while the godly are eager to give whatever they can.