For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
In a way there are two sides to this. On the one hand, it is up to a woman whether or not she will be a wife of noble character. Women, it is up to you to to make the effort to develop noble character. No one else can do it for you.
On the other hand, men, your wife is likely to live up to (or down to) your expectations. If you treat her as if you believe her to be a disgrace, she will likely be a disgrace. If you treat her as if you consider her to be a woman of noble character, she will likely be a woman of noble character.
Women and men, it is up to you how you want to live your life. Women, you can be a woman of noble character if your husband (or the men/people in your life) believe you are a disgrace. It is harder, but you can do it. Men, if you believe, and act accordingly (that is the important part), that your wife (and the other women in your life) are women of noble character, they will likely live up to your expectations.
I love the sentiment of this psalm. I cannot think what to write about it except to say I desire to reflect the humility the psalmist expresses when he says:
Once again we have a story of a demon possessed man who approaches Jesus and asks Him, “Why are You interfering with me?” Jesus had not approached the man. It was the man who approached Jesus. Jesus did not interfere with the demon possessed man until the man came to Him. This is an important lesson, when the man got in Jesus’ face and demanded to be left alone, Jesus did not back down. Rather He recognized that this act was a cry for help.
There is another piece to this story. The people of the region were familiar with this man. They had tried on several occasions to bind him under guard to keep him from harming himself and others. At least, I assume that was why they had done it. Whatever their reasons, it had failed. The man had broken free and run wild. Yet now, they saw him fully clothed, cleaned up, and completely sane.
Their response, fear. Rather than see the transformation of this man as a sign of hope and seek for similar changes for themselves, they asked Jesus to leave. Jesus did as they asked. When the man who had been freed from demons asked to go with Him, Jesus told Him to stay. Proving that you do not always have to leave your home town to do missions work.
Moses told the Israelites to commit themselves wholeheartedly to God’s word. The instructions he gave them that day apply to us today. We should talk about God’s word(s) when we are at home and when we are on the road, when we get up in the morning and when we go to bed at night. The words of God should be in our thoughts all day, every day. They should guide our actions in everything we do. And we should talk about them with those we spend time with.
God promises that if we, as a people, obey His commands the environment around us will be pleasant and healthy around us. We are not instructed to be environmentalists, but if our actions are destroying the environment around us we are not being faithful to God. We are called to be good stewards of the resources with which God has blessed us. If our actions are consistent with the commands God has given us then the land around us will be blessed and thrive. We will turn deserts into prosperous land and that in a way that will continue from generation to generation.
