Tag Archives: Psalm 119:49-64

November 24, 2015 Bible Study — Submit To Authority

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 28:12-13

    Everyone does well and is happy when the godly are successful and things are run according to their ideals. On the other hand, everyone flees and/or hides when the wicked are running the government. This provides us a good way to measure our government. The closer its laws (and the enforcement thereof) resembles God’s ideal, the more prosperous its people will be. The farther from God’s ideal the government is, the more wicked it is, the more dangerous things are for the common people.

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Psalm 119:49-64

    The proud will hold us in contempt for following God’s instructions, I will not allow that to cause me to stop. Evil people will try to cause us to sin, but they will fail if we are anchored in God’s word. So, set your anchor by reading His word daily.

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1 Peter 2:11-3:7

    This world is not our home, let us live as transients who are merely passing through. However, let us live among our unbelieving neighbors in such a manner that they give honor to God. Let us submit to those who have authority over us, so long as it does not cause us to violate God’s law. God has given us freedom, but that is no excuse to do evil. God has called us to do good, even when it leads to suffering. We should submit to those with authority over us, even when they mistreat and abuse us. However, if we are in a position of authority over others we should treat them as our equals, because they are.

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Ezekiel 47-48

    Ezekiel’s description of his vision of the Temple has the type of detail which makes it seem like something that will literally happen. Until He gets to this passage where he describes the river of life which he saw flowing out of the Temple. From here to the end of the book, his descriptions seem to include numbers which carry significance, although I do not understand the significance of those numbers. However, there is an aspect of Ezekiel’s description of the river which does convey meaning to me. There flows out of Jerusalem a river which brings life and healing to all whom it touches. That river springs from Jesus Christ. It provides healing and sustenance to those who accept that He is the new High Priest who has sacrificed Himself for our salvation.

May 26, 2015 Bible Study — Lessons From a Grapevine

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 16:1-3

    We can make whatever plans we like, but if we want them to succeed we will seek out what God wills for us. God provides the answer which works, let us make our plans according to His will.

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Psalm 119:49-64

    The theme continues today, God’s word is something we should treasure. Are we willing to follow God’s instructions, even when people hold us in contempt for doing so? The fact of the matter is that the people of this world will hold us in contempt for obeying God’s commands. They will tell us that it is wrong to do so. Yet, if we reflect on who God is, we will follow the decfees He has laid out for us.
    Evil people will try to drag us into sin, one way or another. I will anchor myself in God’s instructions and I pray that you will do the same. Today’s passage ends with a prayer we should all make our own, “Teach me Your decrees.”

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John 15:1-27

    There are a lot of grapevines around my property, but none of them produce much in the way of grapes because they are not cultivated. If I were to prune them and manage them they would be much more productive. Of course, they would no longer be able to spread wherever the sun and nature take them. The same is true of ourselves. If we wish to be fruitful servants of God we must be pruned and disciplined by Him. Sometimes such pruning is painful, but it is the only way for us to be fruitful. Eventually, I am going to pull out and get rid of those unproductive grape vines around my house. In the same way, God will eventually cut us off and allow us to die if we are not productive for Him.

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2 Samuel 9-11:27

    In light of the controversy over Josh Duggar, it is worth noting the story of King David and Bathsheba. David committed an horrendous sin in this story. He used his power to have sex with a married woman. Then he arranged for the death of a loyal follower in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his actions. Despite this, we are told elsewhere that David was a man after God’s own heart. That is not said because of what he did here. Rather, it is said despite what David did in this story.
    When considering situations like that of Josh Duggar let us remember that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. The answer to such sins is not to stone the person who committed them (whether literally or figuratively). Rather it is to echo what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go, and sin no more.”

November 24, 2014 Bible Study — Submit To Government Authority

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 28:12-13

    Everyone cheers when good people succeed, but when the wicked become powerful people go into hiding and attempt to avoid being noticed. If most people seek to avoid drawing attention to themselves, it tells you that those with power are wicked. When people cheer for the successes of those in power, you know that those people are leading in a godly way. Usually our leaders are somewhere in between and we see the behavior of the people being somewhere in between as well.
    Those who hide their sins will find them being revealed at inopportune times, or otherwise interfering with their success. Those who admit to their sins and turn from them will receive forgiveness and be able to move beyond them.

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Psalm 119:49-64

    The arrogant will mock us for relying on God’s promises, but they are our only true hope. It is easy to become angry at those who reject God’s directions on how to lead a good life. They fail to see the connection between that rejection and the problems they seek to solve. The solution to most of the problems we see in this world is following God’s direction. It is by obeying God’s commands and instructions that we will find our way to dealing with the problems which life presents us.

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1 Peter 2:11-3:7

    Peter reinforces his teaching that we are to live as foreigners among unbelievers. He instructs us to live such good lives that, even if they accuse us of wrongdoing, the unbelievers around us will honour God for our behavior. We need to examine our lives to be careful not to do anything which will bring dishonour to God’s name. This includes recognizing that the government, and its officials, have authority over us. Let us strive to be respectful of everyone, especially those with government authority, and live good lives, so that those who accuse us of wrongdoing look foolish.
    Peter makes clear how we are to judge our response to government commands. He tells us that we are to love everyone and respect the Church, the family of believers. We are to fear God and respect the government. This means that we should NOT fear the government. When the government instructs us to do that which violates God’s commands, we should respectfully decline. Another point worth making, Peter tells us to submit to government authority. Elsewhere we are told that all government authority comes from God. Therefore, the government does not have the authority to tell us to do anything which is counter to God’s commands.
    Peter goes on to tell slaves to submit to their masters, even if their masters are bad masters. This instruction contains the same limitation as the previous instruction to submit to government authority. He then tells wives to submit to their husbands. Further, they should seek to have beauty that comes from being a good, loving person, not that which comes from adornment (or cosmetic surgery). Wives are told to submit to their husbands, even if they are not godly men. That is both easier and harder than following his instructions for husbands.
    Peter tells husbands that they are to honour their wives and respect them. My wife may be weaker than I, but she is just as much God’s child as I am. And when I say weaker, I mean that literally. She cannot pick up as heavy an object as I can (or perform other feats of strength as easily as I can). The reason that the instruction given wives is easier is because it is easier to interpret what it means for a wife to submit to her husband than to interpret what it means for a husband to honour his wife. On the other hand, honouring your wife will probably not involve submitting to emotional or physical suffering at their hands. I will say that if your wife suffers emotional or physical suffering at your hands, you have FAILED to honour her.
    There is one last point I would like to make here. It is instructive that Peter has no instructions for how masters should treat their slaves. This leads me to the conclusion that Peter could see no way to be faithful to God and hold a fellow human being as a possession.

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Ezekiel 47-48:35

    Ezekiel describes a river which flowed out from the presence of God. This river got deeper as it flowed away from the Temple. It starts out as shallow stream, but becomes a deep flowing river. This river is a river of life. It brings life everywhere it flows. It even converts the Dead Sea from a place where no fish live to a place that abounds with life. Life will abound wherever the water of this river flows. I believe that Ezekiel was talking about how life will flourish in the restored Israel as a result of their faithfulness. However, it also tells us how the love of God works in the world around us when we faithfully follow Christ and express God’s love of those around us.

May 26, 2014 Bible Study –Jesus Is the Vine and We Are the Branches

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 16:1-3

    It is only by seeking God’s direction and guidance that we will be able to make plans which will succeed. God knows why we do the things we do and will judge us based on our motives.

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Psalm 119:49-64

    God’s promises hold my hopes and dreams. They revive me and give me comfort, no matter how deep the trouble I may face. I will not be ashamed of honouring God, even though the proud and mighty hold me in contempt for doing so. God’s words and instructions bring me comfort when I meditate upon them. My daily study of His word settles my mind and helps me live as I should. Oh Lord, I am Yours and You are mine. Teach me each day to follow your precepts.

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John 15:1-27

    There parable Jesus told of the vine and the branches contained two important thoughts for us. If we fail to produce fruit, God will cut us off from Jesus and leave us on the pile to be destroyed. However, if we are indeed connected to the vine which is Jesus we will indeed produce abundant fruit. The important thing to remember from this is that we do not receive the blessings we receive from God in order to make our lives more comfortable. We receive those blessings in order to serve God and produce the fruits of righteousness. When we fulfill the commands which Jesus has given us, we demonstrate God’s love for those around us. As we remain in Jesus by fulfilling His commands we will experience joy. That joy will flow out from us on to all those around us.
    Jesus goes on to remind us that the world will not love us any more than it loved Him. Since the world crucified Jesus, we should examine our actions and beliefs very carefully when we are not being condemned by the world around us. There may be times when we are treated well by the world, just as there were times when Jesus was treated well by the crowds. However, we will always face opposition from those who view themselves as the “best and the brightest” in our society, just as Jesus did. Even those times when the crowds honour us will be short, just as they were for Jesus. Let us always remember that the world hated Jesus and that hate was most expressed by those who were seen as the “righteous” in society.

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2 Samuel 9-11:27

    In the account of how David came to sin with Bathsheba we learn that David failed to do what he should have done. Rather than lead his armies himself, he sent them off to war under Joab. If David had been leading his armies, he would not have been in Jerusalem to be tempted by the sight of Bathsheba. This is an important lesson for us. The best way to avoid sinning is to avoid temptation. The best way to avoid temptation is to keep busy doing the Lord’s work. Temptation will still come to us, but we will find it much easier to resist if we are busy doing God’s work.

November 24, 2013 Bible Study — We Are Slaves To God

     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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Ezekiel 47-48:35

     As Ezekiel finishes describing his vision of the new Temple, he describes a river which will flow out from the Temple and into the Dead Sea. He describes going along the river and crossing it every 1,000 cubits. At each crossing the river was significantly deeper until it became too deep to walk across and could only be crossed by swimming. The description is of a river of life which will bring new life to the Dead Sea, so that it will teem with fish. As I read the passage it seemed to be a figurative prophecy about the river of life in the New Jerusalem after Christ returns. Yet, the emphasis on the fact that the marshes and swamps will remain salty makes me wonder if it is a prophecy that will yet take place in this world.

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1 Peter 2:11-3:7

     Peter instructs us to live lives that are above reproach, so that even when unbelievers accuse us of doing wrong they will know that we behave honorably. Continuing in that line of thinking, Peter tells us to submit** to human authority because it is instituted to punish those who do wrong and honor those who do right. He goes on to tell slaves to submit to their earthly masters, wives to submit to their husbands, and husbands to be considerate of their wives and to treat them with respect because we are all equal before God. The theme running through all of this is that we as believers need to act honourably in all we do. God has given us freedom, yet we answer to God and may not use our freedom as a cover to do evil.


** I prefer the word “submit” here as used by the NIV and the NRSV (and most other translations) to the word “respect” used by the New Living Translation because it is possible to submit to authorities, even when they behave badly, but it is impossible to respect those who have not only failed to earn it but have acted in disreputable fashion.

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Psalm 119:49-64

     I rely on God’s promise to me. It is my source of hope. God’s promises are the only sure source of hope we can find. It is through meditating on His commands and following His instructions that we will find comfort in all that troubles us. O Lord, teach me Your decrees.

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Proverbs 28:12-13

     When the righteous are victorious, everyone considers it a cause for rejoicing. When the wicked rule, people hide because no one knows who will next suffer from their depredations. Those who conceal their sins will find them coming back to haunt them whenever they think they are about to succeed. Those who confess their sins and turn from them will find mercy and forgiveness.

May 26, 2013 Bible Study — Love Each Other

     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Magrat looking regal
Magrat looking regal

2 Samuel 9-11:27

     Once David had clearly established himself as king, he sought out any remaining descendants of King Saul. He received word that Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth was still alive, although crippled. David had Mephibosheth brought to Jerusalem and gave him back all of his grandfather’s properties. In addition, David arranged for Mephibosheth to eat at the royal table, even as David’s own sons did. In this way David fulfilled his vow of friendship to Jonathan.
     After this, Nahash, who had been king of the Ammonites and a friend to David, died. David sent ambassadors to express sympathy and extend a hand of friendship to Nahash’ son, Hanun. However, Hanun’s advisers convinced him that David’s ambassadors were really spies looking to gather information for a coming attack by David. Based on his advisers advice, Hanun had David’s ambassadors seized. He had half of their beards shaved, cut off their robes embarrassingly short and sent them back to David. When David heard what had happened, he was furious. But the first thing he did was tell his ambassadors to stay in Jericho until their beards grew in once more. By shaming his ambassadors, Hanun had shamed David.
     David sent his army under the command of Joab to exact revenge. Meanwhile the Ammonites hired Aramean mercenaries to help defend themselves. Joab and his brother split command of the Israelite army and defeated the combined forces of the Arameans and the Ammonites. The Arameans sent for reinforcements. When David heard that the Arameans had sent for reinforcements, he mobilized all of Israel and led the forces into battle himself. David defeated all of the Aramean forces and extracted tribute from their kings. That was the end of that fighting season.
     The following spring David sent Joab and the army back against the Ammonites. They quickly defeated the Ammonite army in the field and laid siege to the Ammonite capital. Meanwhile David had remained in Jerusalem. It appears to me that the author suggests that failing to lead his army himself is what set David up for the temptation and sin which followed. One day while his army was in the field, David was on the roof of his palace and observed a woman bathing. The woman was Bathsheba and she was married to one of David’s Mighty Men, Uriah the Hittite. David had her brought to him and slept with her. When she discovered that she was pregnant, David sent word to Joab to send Uriah to him. David asked Uriah for a report on the battle and then told him to spend the night at home. Uriah, however, refused to go home and spent the night with David’s palace guards. When David asked him why he had not gone home, Uriah told him that he could not sleep at home while the Ark of God was in a tent and his fellow warriors were in the field at war. David attempted to get him drunk so as to convince him to go home, but this also failed. David then sent a letter to Joab telling him to station Uriah near the wall in battle and then pull back the other troops. Joab did as David ordered and Uriah was killed. Joab sent word to David about the losses that day with explicit mention that Uriah was among those killed. When Bathsheba’s period of mourning was over, David made her his wife. Today’s passage ends by telling us that God was displeased with David’s actions in this case.
     I have felt for some time that David’s first mistake was to not follow his duty to lead his army in battle. First we have what reads like slight disapproval when the passage points out that in the spring, when king’s normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the army out to war while remaining in Jerusalem. Then we have the comment that Uriah made that he could not in good conscience go home to his wife while his fellow soldiers were camped out in the field of battle. Often times we get into trouble because we have not done what we should have in the first place. If we are doing what we should be doing, we will face less temptation.

White flowers among the greenery
White flowers among the greenery

John 15:1-27

     Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. We receive life by remaining connected to Him, just as the branch of a vine only remains alive as it remains connected to the root system. The only way that we can be fruitful is if we remain in Him, and Him in us. If we fail to bear fruit, God will cut us off from Jesus, and thus from life. However, even if we are fruitful, God will prune us so that we may be more fruitful.
     If we obey Jesus’ commandments in the same way that He obeyed the Father’s commandments we will remain in His love. If we remain in His love by obeying His commandments we will be filled with joy. After telling us that if we keep His commandments we will remain in His love, Jesus said that His commandment was that we love each other the same way that He loved us. He loved us by laying down His life for us. He goes on to say that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Then He tells us that we are no longer merely His servants, but are His friends. The final point of this part of Jesus’ speech is that we did not choose Him, He chose us.
     Jesus then goes on to warn us that the only way the world will love us is if we are one of its own. If on the other hand we accept Jesus call to come out of the world and become His, the world will hate us in the same way that it hated Him. Those who reject Jesus will reject us. Those who would persecute Jesus will persecute us. They saw the miraculous signs which Jesus did and rejected Him anyway. We must remember that no matter how good of an argument we make, or what miracles God performs through us, there are those who will reject God’s message and us for accepting it. But the Holy Spirit will live within us and testify about God to us. We then must testify about Jesus and God to those around us.

Snapping Turtle close up
Snapping Turtle close up

Psalm 119:49-64

     Once more today’s psalm aligns with Jesus’ teachings from today’s New Testament passage. I will use this from the NIV to illustrate:

The arrogant mock me unmercifully,
but I do not turn from your law.

This psalm reminds of the joy to be had from dedicating our lives to following God’s commands. It also reminds us that the wicked will attempt by whatever means they can find to turn us away from those commands. But this from the New Living Translation will be my refrain:
I will hurry, without delay,
to obey your commands.

I will strive to do as that says and hurry to obey God’s commands as I understand them.

Snapping turtle on the lawn
Snapping turtle on the lawn

Proverbs 16:1-3

     Today’s proverbs tell us how to make plans that will succeed. That is to make plans that are designed to bring glory to God and that bring about God’s will on this earth.

November 24, 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

God’s Paint-By-Numbers Green Lane Edition #288

Ezekiel 47-48:35

     Ezekiel next described a river that flowed out from the Temple that got deeper as if got further from the Temple. He said that life would flourish wherever this river flows. The river would flow into the Dead Sea making it fresh and full of fish. He tells us that the marshes and swamps around the Dead Sea will still be salty. Many trees will grow alongside this river and life will flourish wherever it flows. The trees that grow along the river will never lose their leaves and they will always be full of fruit.
     This passage is part of several in the Bible which talk about the River of Life that flows forth from God. I do not know if Ezekiel was talking about a metaphorical river here or if he was describing something that will actually happen where enough water is washing down into the Dead Sea for it to become a fresh water lake. Today however I will treat it as being metaphorical (because I think the metaphor has value). The Dead Sea supports no animal life of any kind (fish, reptile, amphibian or mammal). Yet Ezekiel tells us that when the River of God starts flowing into it from Jerusalem it will come to life and support an abundance of fish and other sources of food. This is a great metaphor for the impact of Jesus on people’s lives. Areas of their self that have been dead come to life. And as we drink from the River of Life it gets deeper because God comes to live within us and we become a source for that River as well. Let us drink deeply from the River of Life and invite God into our hearts so that His water can flow out from us to refresh those around us.

Deep Creek Lake

1 Peter 2:11-3:7

     Since we are temporary residents and foreigners in this world we should be careful not to give in to the desire to be part of this world. We should be careful to live properly and honorably among our unbelieving neighbors so that even when they accuse of us wrongdoing they will see our honorable behavior and give glory to God. Peter is not satisfied to tell us to live honorable lives. He follows it up by giving us instructions on how to do so. He tells us that we should respect all human authority. That while Christ has set us free we should not use that freedom as an excuse to do evil. He tells us that in our work we should accept the authority of those over us and treat them with respect, even if their behavior is not worthy of respect. We should do what we know is right and patiently endure unjust treatment. When we suffer for being good we should endure it patiently because this pleases God.
     He goes on to tell wives that they should accept their husband’s authority. He says that they should do this so that even if their husband refuses to accept the Gospel, he may be won over by their pure and reverent life. Further Peter tells women that they should not be concerned with external beauty–fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, and beautiful clothes. Instead they should focus on the beauty that comes from within, the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that never fades. Then he says the part that so many overlook in their outrage over this. Husbands are to give honor to their wives in the same way that wives are to accept their husband’s authority. Peter tells husbands that their wife is their equal and that they should treat her as such. He tells us that not doing so will hinder our prayers. An important point in this is that the instruction to the husband is not conditional upon the wife accepting the husband’s authority just as the instruction to the wife is not conditional upon the husband giving honor to the wife. We are each accountable for fulfilling our side of the bargain, irrespective of whether our spouse is fulfilling their side.

Another View of Deep Creek Lake

Psalm 119:49-64

     God’s promise to me provides me with comfort whenever I face trials and troubles. I will follow the Lord’s instructions even in the face of mocking by those who do not believe. O Lord I strive to follow the psalmist’s example and spend my life following Your commands. Do not let evil people entice me into disobeying your commands. Teach me Your decrees Lord, so that I may gain wisdom.

Magrat Stalking a Leaf

Proverbs 28:12-13

     Everyone is happy to see the success of those who serve the Lord, but when the wicked rise to power people hide in fear. When we succumb to sin, we are better served to confess those sins and turn from them than to attempt to conceal them from others. All too often I have struggled with situations because I tried to cover up my failings and sins, when if I had openly confessed my failure I could have resolved the problem and put it behind me.

May 26, 2012 Bible Study

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

2 Samuel 9-11:27

     This passage begins with David seeking to find anyone left of King Saul’s family in order to honor his oath with Jonathan. He receives a report that Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth is alive. Those who report this make sure to mention that Mephibosheth is crippled and therefore not a contender for the throne. David summons Mephibosheth to his court and gives him the properties that had belonged to Saul. The passage tells us that David had Mephibosheth eat at his, David’s, table. This would have been similar to how the sons of tributary kings held as hostages for their fathers’ good behavior would have been treated. However, since Mephibosheth’s father was dead, this would have been more of an honor than a hostage situation.
     At some point after this a king of the Ammonites who had treated David well died. David sent ambassadors to his son, now king of the Ammonites, to express sympathy. The Ammonite king’s advisers convinced him that David’s ambassadors were actually spies, so the king humiliated them. David was infuriated and goes to war with the Ammonites. However, instead of leading his armies himself David sends them out under the command of Joab and remains in Jerusalem. When Joab is successful in his initial encounters with the Ammonites, they ally with the Arameans. The Arameans send a large army to relieve the Ammonites. This causes David to mobilize all of the fighting men of Israel and lead them to war. David goes out and decisively defeats the Arameans.
     The passage next tells us that at the time of the year when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the army out to fight the Ammonites while David remained in Jerusalem. It is not clear if this is the same war as the previous passage, or another one. Whichever is the case, David has left himself open to temptation. While he is taking a leisurely stroll on his palace rooftop, he sees a beautiful woman taking a bath, Bathsheba. He sends to find out who she is. He discovers that she is married to one of his soldiers, in particular one of his “mighty men”, Uriah the Hittite. Even though she is the wife of one of his most loyal supporters, David sends for her and sleeps with her. When Bathsheba informs David that she is pregnant, David sends for her husband Uriah. David attempts to get Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife, but he refuses to do so since his fellow soldiers are in the field. David then writes a letter instructing Joab to send Uriah to the most dangerous part of the battle and ensure that Uriah is killed. When David learns that Uriah is dead and Bathsheba completes the period of mourning, David marries her. This passage is a perfect commentary on how sin seeps into our lives. First David sets himself up for temptation by not doing something that he ought. Next, David succumbs to temptation. Then after he sins, he compounds that sin by further sins. This often happens to us today. We set ourselves up for temptation by not doing things which we know that we should do. In the same way that if David had been doing what he should have been, leading the army in war, he would not have been tempted, we, also, would avoid most temptations in our lives if we were doing the things that we should be doing (whether that is a Church activity or just chores around the house). Additionally, one sin often leads to another in a futile attempt to cover up our initial sin. Of course the converse is true as well, as we do the things that we know God is calling us to do, we find we are less exposed to temptation and sins which were controlling our lives lose their power over us.

John 15:1-27

     Here Jesus uses the allegory of the grapevine to describe our relationship with Him. Just as the gardener will prune away from the grapevine those branches which are not fruitful, so God will prune us away from Christ if we do not produce fruit. And just as branches that are not connected to the main vine will whither and die, so we shall whither and die if we do not remain in Christ. Of course, Jesus further tells us that if we remain in Him we will be fruitful. The thumbnail I am using is a picture of some basil mint I am growing. Last summer I got a couple of varieties of mint to grow in our yard. I decided to put the pots in the ground and allow the runners that came out from the plot to root around the plant and start my mint garden. This worked well for one of the varieties, but for the basil mint it did not work so well. The basil mint I had gotten had become root bound in the pot and while it did ok last summer, it did not come up very well this spring and none of the runners rooted. So this spring I pulled the pot out of the ground and removed the basil mint from the pot and placed it in another pot with more soil. I was not sure if it was going to make it. I decided I would give it a few weeks and see how it progressed. If it had not I would have thrown it away. I am still a little disappointed in its growth, but it is coming along. This is how God often treats us. He puts us into the place that He wants us to flourish, but sometimes we are too bound up by our own issues that we cannot see how this situation will allow us to flourish. So God, as a loving gardener, will transplant us to another location where He can tend to our needs more thoroughly and bring us out to be the fruitful creation that He created us to be. Now, in the case of the basil mint, its failure to thrive in its initial location is my fault. I should have recognized that it was too root bound in the pot I got it in and addressed that, but I am an inexperienced gardener. This is not so in the case of God and His placement of us. Our failure to thrive in the place that God plants us is our fault, not His. We become caught up in other interests, or afraid to reach out and are unproductive. But God is a loving gardener and He will transplant us to a different setting giving us the opportunity to thrive. Showing us how we are letting our fears and concerns interfere with being fruitful. Like with plants, some of us thrive when we are uprooted and placed in new settings while others shrink into themselves and suffer for a time until they become fully acclimated to the new location. We need to recognize that God has placed us where He has because He knows it is a place where we can thrive.

Psalm 119:49-64

     Once again I am blessed by today’s psalm.

“The proud hold me in utter contempt,
but I do not turn away from your instructions.
I meditate on your age-old regulations;
O Lord, they comfort me.”

How true this is. Many times people will look at me as a fool or someone not very bright because I insist that the Bible means what it says and has been understood to say for thousands of years. I have been led astray by my attempts to be seen wise by people like this in the past, but I have learned to trust the Bible over my own judgement. There have been times when I have thought I understood God’s will better than those who followed the traditional understanding of biblical teaching, but every time I have been proven wrong. This does not mean that I am now right on every position I take on biblical issues where Christians agree. Some of those disagreements go back to the first century, so there are traditions interpreting scripture on each side of some of those. However, whenever an interpretation is presented as a new understanding that displaces and contradicts traditional biblical understanding, I know which side I am going to come down on. For the most part one discovers that this “new understanding” is something that was addressed and rejected by biblical writers. I am blessed by studying the Bible and find new meaning for my life daily in its age-old instruction. Today, this is my prayer:
“O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me your decrees.”

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Proverbs 16:1-3

     These proverbs tell us that while we are free to make our plans according to our own will, we will be more successful if we commit ourselves to taking action according to God’s will. The middle one also tells us that God knows our real motives for doing things. This is true even when we lie to ourselves and convince ourselves that we are doing something for noble motives when in fact we are doing so to satisfy our own sinful desires. The message of this proverb is more than that. I think it tells us that we need to examine ourselves closely to see if we are indeed doing things for the reasons we think we are. I know there have been times in my life where I did something for what I thought were selfless motives, even godly motives, where later I realized that my real reason for doing it was something I hid from myself, where my real reason was for my own benefit. It is important to remember that just because we are doing something for our own benefit, it does not mean that it is wrong. There are times when we do something for our own benefit where we tell ourselves, and others, that we are doing it solely for godly motives, where if we had been truthful about our motives we may have succeeded, but, because of our dishonesty, we failed. If we wish to commit our actions to the Lord, as this proverb advises, the first step is to be honest with ourselves about our motives. It is only when we admit that we wish to do something in order to satisfy our own desires that we can judge whether it truly serves God for us to do it.