Tag Archives: Proverbs 23:19-21

September 18, 2015 Bible Study — We Are All One In Christ

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:19-21

    We are warned against partying with those who drink and/or eat to excess. If we spend too much time with such people, we will do the same. The result of partying to excess is to end up much poorer than you started.

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Psalm 62

    The psalmist calls on us to wait quietly before God. It is easy to read that as “wait quietly FOR God,” but that is not what he is saying. The psalmist is telling us to go “before God” and wait quietly, my interpretation is that this is a form of prayer and meditation. At another point in the psalm, he tells us to pour our hearts out to God and trust Him. So, at all times we are to pour our hearts out to God, tell Him our deepest desires and fears, than to quietly wait in meditation for His answer or action. I really need to work on the meditation portion, on waiting quietly for God to speak to me.

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Galatians 3:23-4:31

    This passage has a lot of lessons for us, but I struggled to find the context which would allow me to tie them all together. Then it struck me that most of this letter to the Galatians is Paul’s response to some teachers whom the Galatian believers were starting to follow. These teachers were teaching them that some people were better than others because they followed certain rules (from the context I would guess that these rules were derived from Jewish law). Paul points out that while the law served its purpose, that purpose is now passed.
    These teachers whom Paul was responding were determined to win the Galatian believers away from Paul’s teaching, away from the Gospel. When Paul was in Galatia, these teachers were zealous to do good things for the Galatian believers, but once he left, their zealotry was for commanding the Galatian believers. They presented the idea to the Galatian believers that the other believers should follow their instructions because they were better than those others. Paul responded to this by pointing out to the Galatians that we are all one in Christ. The Jew is not better than the Gentile, men are not better than women, slaves are not less than those who are free. Christ died for each and every one of us. All who were baptized in Christ have been clothed with Christ. If we belong to Christ we are heirs to Abraham, and the promises he received.

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Isaiah 28:14-30:11

    The rulers, the elite, those who are in positions of power are all convinced that they have struck a bargain with death. They believe that they will be able to dodge the troubles and hardships which their actions have set in motion. With lies and deception they have fortified their positions, they are convinced that those fortifications can never be swept away. However, God has placed a foundation stone from which He will test all fortifications against the measuring line of justice and all walls against the plum-line of righteousness. Those whose fortification is made from lies will be swept away. They will discover that the bargain they struck with death is null and void. However, those who build on God’s foundation will have a fortress which will never be shaken. Those who establish their position on justice and righteousness will be secure. Look at our current crop of politicians, they are all convinced that the only way to rise to power is lies and deception, and the voters believe they are right. This path leads to destruction.

September 18, 2014 Bible Study — We Are All One In Christ

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I added a “Ministry Links” tab to my blog. On it I am going to link to the websites of various Christian Ministries which I support to one degree or another. Currently, it has a link to the congregation I attend and of which I am a member and a link to a ministry which does wonderful work in Honduras and elsewhere: MAMA Project

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Proverbs 23:19-21

    Those who always eat and/or drink to excess are going to end up in poverty. As will those who pursue any pleasure to excess. Do not spend your time with those who do not live in moderation, or you will join them in their poverty.

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Psalm 62:1-12

    I will not beat my chest and boast. I will quietly wait for God to act, because He is the source of any successes I may have. God is my rock and my fortress. I will put my trust in Him. What a contrast between what the psalmist says and the way people so often behave today. Let us learn to follow the psalmist’s example and not that of the spoiled brats who brag over every little victory and taunt their opponents.

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Galatians 3:23-4:31

    We are all equal, no one is better than another. If we have been baptized into Christ, we are all one. This passage is such a basic principle of the Christian faith. Jews are not better than Gentiles, nor vice versa. Men are not better than women, nor vice versa. Slave and free, before God there is no difference. If we belong to Christ, we are heirs to God’s promises to Abraham.
    We cannot earn favor with God by following rules and regulations. It is not by somberly following rituals or observing the correct Holy Days that we will gain favour with God. God desires that we joyfully and gratefully do His will. Let us be cautious about zealots who are quick to separate themselves from the established Church and seek to convince others likewise. There is nothing wrong with being zealous, as long as we are zealously doing good and not just when those we wish to impress are watching. Let us zealously seek to do good for others, even when no one will notice, perhaps especially when no one will notice.

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Isaiah 28:14-30:11

    As I read this passage, I was reminded of those who think they can cut a deal with evil. They think that they can remain safe by telling people what they want to hear, even when they have no intention of acting accordingly. However, God has established a firm and solid base against which right and wrong can be measured. It is only by measuring our words and our actions against that foundation that we can find safety. You can claim to be a Christian all you like, but unless your actions conform to your claim it will do you no good. The number of people who loudly proclaim that society should adhere to Christian moral standards while not maintaining them themselves always amazes me. Those who proclaim such high standards while making no effort to uphold them will face more severe judgement than those who openly revel in immorality.

September 18, 2013 Bible Study — What Am I Building My Refuge On?

     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.

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Isaiah 28:14-30:11

     Isaiah warns the rulers who think that they have found a way to avoid the troubles that are coming. He tells them that their refuge is built of lies and deceptions. He tells them that God has laid the solid foundation stone of truth for anyone who wishes to build on. Those who rely on it will survive the coming troubles. However, because they have chosen to build their refuge on lies and deceptions, it will be swept away in the coming storm. Those who have made a deal to avoid death and destruction on the basis of lies will find that God has overturned their deal and it is null and void.

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     I will build my refuge from the troubles of this world on the foundation stone of truth which God has laid. As Paul tells us that foundation stone is Jesus. I know all too many people who have built their lives on lies and deceptions. I will pray to God that He will give me the words to show them how to start over and build their lives on His truth.
***

     Isaiah tells those who refuse to believe the promises that God is making that they are blind. He says that they fall into two classes, those who can read, but refuse to break the seal on the scroll to read what is written inside and those who cannot read. He says that they honor God with their lips, but in their hearts they have no interest in God. Their worship of God is nothing but rote following of man-made rules. Their wisdom will perish and what they know will vanish (the prophet is speaking here of those who have built a refuge on lies and deceptions). They think they can hide their evil plans and actions from God. The prophet tells us it is foolishness for the pot to call the potter stupid. The day is coming when the deaf will hear the words of God and the blind will see. The humble will be exalted and the poor will feast. The scoffers will be gone and the arrogant will disappear. Those who plot evil and use trickery to pervert justice will be killed.
The prophet follows this up by saying:

My people will no longer be ashamed
or turn pale with fear.

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Galatians 3:23-4:31

     We have been made children of God through Christ. As believers and followers of Christ we are no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. We are all one in Christ. None of us are more, or less, important than others. God has sent His Spirit to live within us leading us to call God by a term of loving affection.

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     Every time I read this passage I think of how without Christ our relationship is, at best that of a son, or daughter, who called their father, “Father”. A stern figure to be respected and feared, but never approached. But now with Christ our relationship is that of a child, who when they become frightened because the shadows on the wall make them fear the monsters under the bed, cries out, “Daddy!” knowing that their father will come and drive the monsters away and hold them in his arms until the fear subsides. If you do not know God as that kind of father, I pray, with all of my being, that His Spirit will come to you and show you how much He loves you.
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     Paul asks the Galatians why they would want to return to that formal distant relationship, where they were enslaved to rules and regulations when they have this much closer relationship with a father who loves them? He asks that they remember how they felt when they took him in and cared for him in his sickness when he first came to Galatia. He tells them that those who are teaching that they must obey the letter of the law are zealous to win them over. But they are zealous to win them away from Paul rather than for their own good. They want to lead the believers to distrust Paul so that they will be more loyal and faithful to these new teachers. Paul tells them that zeal is a good thing when it is in a good cause AND when it is all the time. We need to be zealous for the right reasons and we need to be zealous all of the time, not just when it makes us look good.

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Psalm 62:1-12

     This psalm fits in so well with what the Spirit said to me from the passage in Isaiah.

I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.

I will not try to drive away the threats I face. I will wait quietly for God to come and deal with them. I will cry out to my God when something causes me to fear, then I will quietly wait on Him. He is the rock upon which I will base my security. As long as I stand on Him, I will not be shaken or disturbed. I will rest quietly in His presence, knowing that my enemies cannot harm me there.

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Alanna vs Adam (2)

Proverbs 23:19-21

     If you spend your time partying with drunkards and gluttons you will end up without any money or assets.

September 18, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

Tabitha

Isaiah 28:14-30:11

     Today’s passage starts with a message that applies in many ways. It applies to political leaders and religious leaders. All too often the leaders, rather than follow the path laid out by God, attempt to compromise with the enemies of those they lead. I will address the ways in which I see religious leaders do this. Those who oppose the Church often call Christians stupid for one reason or another. All too often the leaders of the Church attempt to be seen as smart by those opponents of the Church by abandoning those doctrines which are criticized by those enemies. They think that by doing so they will be seen as enlightened by the “intellectuals” who are “too smart” to accept God’s wisdom. But God has laid a Foundation Stone and He measures everything against that. Those leaders who attempt to build a structure that does not line up with that Foundation Stone will see their structure swept away. In the other hand, those leaders who build in line with the Foundation which God has laid, will discover that the structure they build will stand firm against whatever assaults come at it. God will measure our organizations with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Anything that does not measure up to those standards will be destroyed.
     Isaiah uses a metaphor here that carries a message to me that perhaps is not the one intended. Isaiah discusses how a farmer uses different methods to thresh different grains. He points out that some grains are more fragile than others, so a farmer will use less forceful means to thresh the more fragile grains. In the same way, some people can be led to seek God’s righteousness by less stressful means than others. Those people are likely to be crushed by the more vigorous threshing that some people need to be brought to seek God. So, God will adjust the method He uses to separate us from our sins depending on our ability to withstand crushing blows and the need for more forceful blows to separate us from our sinfulness. I am unhappy with the way that explanation of the metaphor came out, but I cannot think how to phrase it better.
     Isaiah goes on to make a strange prophecy. He says that God is going to bring judgement against Jerusalem for the evil that its people do, but at the last moment those whom He has raised up to attack Jerusalem will be driven away. Isaiah goes on to say that too many people say that they serve the Lord and honor Him with their words, but their actions are far from those that God commands. God will bring judgement against such people. Those who pervert justice and plot evil will be killed and disappear from among God’s people.

Barony Wars, Fencers Engage

Galatians 3:23-4:31

     Paul tells us that God gave us the Law in a manner similar to putting a guardian in charge of minor children. Now that Christ has come we have been released from being under the guardianship of the Law and are freed to serve God as his adopted children. The divisions among us have been erased and we are the heirs to God’s promise to Abraham. He goes on to tell us that before we came to know Christ we were slaves to those things which we worshiped. Now that we have been freed, why would we accept being enslaved to the same sorts of things again? We do not gain righteousness with God by following prescribed rituals and rules.
     Paul goes on and gives us a guideline that will help us avoid false teachers. He tells us that false teachers will try to convince us that we should not listen to any teachers other than themselves. We should be zealous to do good, but not only when there are Church leaders around to impress. We are the children of God’s promise, we should not live as slaves to rules and regulations. I just had a new insight into how what Paul is talking about applies. If a Church body finds itself constantly having to clarify and reword its guidelines because people are taking advantage of “loopholes” in the wording of those guidelines, that Church body has fallen into legalism and has failed to inspire those within it to follow God’s path of righteousness. The guidelines have become the standard against which people are measured rather than God.

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Psalm 62:1-12

     In the face of opposition and attack we should wait for God to rise to our defense. He will do so. He will provide us with a refuge against those who wish to destroy us. We should not count on any human defense, neither the common man, nor the powerful. When they are weighed on the scales against God, they weight as less than a puff of air. I will wait for the Lord to move.

Barony Wars, Fencers watch the bouts

Proverbs 23:19-21

     Today’s proverb tells us not to get caught up with those who spend all of their resources on pleasure. We need to learn to delay gratification so that we can gather resources so as to serve the Lord by helping those in need.