Tag Archives: Psalm 71

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2015 Bible Study — A True Win-Win Situation

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 24:9-10

    If you make plans which rely on lying or other sins for their success, you are a fool.

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Psalm 71

    This psalm echoes what my faith means to me. Yes, God has been with me since before my birth (not that I have always been with Him). He has cared for me from when I was in my mother’s womb. I look back over my life and see where God, despite my failures, has cared for me. As a result, I praise Him every day of my life. I will tell everyone about God’s righteousness, about His wonderful power.

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Philippians 1:1-26

    I will seek to live my life with the attitude which Paul expresses in this passage. He had been imprisoned for several years at the time he wrote this. Yet he is joyful about his situation, because his imprisonment and suffering has helped spread the Gospel. Those who guard him realize that he is in prison solely because he was a follower of Christ, not because he had done anything deserving of prison. One of the key things he talks about are those who were preaching the Gospel because they wanted to take Paul’s place among the believers. They wanted the recognition and the honor which they saw Paul receiving. Paul did not care what their motives were, only that they preached the true Gospel. We should have a similar attitude. Whatever the reason, I will rejoice when people here the message of Christ. I have faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the bad motives of those who preach God’s word for selfish reasons.
    Further Paul is joyful even though his life is in danger in his imprisonment (my reading of the context of this passage and other historical records suggests that there was both danger from his poor health and from the threat of government action). Paul considered himself to be in a no lose situation. If he lived and was released, he would have more opportunities to serve the Lord. On the other hand, if he died, he would no longer suffer and be with Christ. Either outcome was a cause to rejoice. I daily strive to have a similar attitude. As I live, I will seek to serve God, but if I die, then I get to be with Him in person. If we take Paul’s approach no matter what the Enemy brings against us, we cannot lose.

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Isaiah 57:15-59:21

    It is not enough to go through the motions of righteousness. Fasting or doing other acts of superficial righteousness while still exploiting those who are subject to your power will not gain you favor with God. God tells us what He wants from us here:

  • free those unjustly imprisoned
  • lighten the workload of those who work for you (pay your workers what their work is worth)
  • share your food with the hungry
  • give shelter to the homeless
  • give clothes to the naked
  • don’t refuse to help your relatives who need help

Only one of these can be seen as call to petition the government. These are actions we are called to take on our own account, not try to avoid responsibility for by saying, “Someone should do something.” I’m somebody. I will do something.

Daily Bible Study

March 30, 2015 Bible Study — Are We Desperate For Jesus’ Healing?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 12:5-7

    You can tell if the person giving you advice is godly by considering the outcomes they advise you to strive for. If they are recommending that you follow a just and fair course of action, they are godly. If the person advises that you do things which are not just and fair, it is likely that following their advice will serve their interests, but not necessarily yours.

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Psalm 71:1-24

    I read this psalm and parts of it resonate strongly with me and others, not so much. The psalm starts out with the psalmist crying out for God to rescue him. While I have been in such circumstances in the past, that is not where I am today. Then there is verse 7:

My life is an example to many,
because you have been my strength and protection.

I am not so sure that my life has been an example to many, but God has been my strength and protection. Which is why I can never stop praising God for what He has done for me. A little later the psalmist says that he keeps hoping for God’s help. I do the same, but I do not just hope for that help, I am receiving it. God has blessed me and helped me in so many ways. Therefore I praise Him more and more.
    Then comes verse 17, which I connect with so well:
O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,
and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.

Here I connect most thoroughly with the first part. God has indeed taught me from my earliest childhood. My parents gave me wonderful examples of what it means to follow God. I am so very grateful to them for that. However, I do not tell others about the wonderful things God does nearly enough. I pray that His Spirit will move me to do so more. Finally there is verse 20, to which I can barely relate:
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.

I have most definitely NOT experienced much hardship, but I am confident that God will lift me up from the depths if I descend into them and He will comfort me when sorrow comes upon me. The Lord has been good to me and I owe Him so much praise.

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Luke 8:40-9:6

    One problem with reading through the Bible the way I am is passages like today’s where it has not been very long since I read, and wrote on, the similar passages in Matthew and in Mark. As a result, it is sometimes hard to see a lesson which is not the one I just wrote about a few weeks ago. It is not that I mind writing more or less the same thing. My problem is that I want to see what the Spirit is telling me as I read the passage and not just think, “Oh, the story of Jairus’ daughter. Here is the lesson that teaches.” The whole point of reading the Bible every day is for the Spirit to reveal lessons from Scripture that I need to apply in my life.
    That being said, Jairus and the woman in the crowd had something in common. They were both desperate. Jairus’ desperation was urgent and threatening to destroy him. His little girl, his princess, was sick and about to die. He had striven all of her life to protect her. Now, he was powerless in the face of death. There was only one thing he could. He went to Jesus and begged Him to heal his little girl. He went to Jesus, and joy of joys, he had hope once more. Jesus was coming. Then on the way they were interrupted by a woman as desperate as he (we will get back to her in a minute). When they resumed their progress a messenger arrived and told him his precious daughter had died. There was no reason to disturb Jesus any longer. Complete deflation, it was over. But Jesus’ said to him, “Don’t be afraid. She will be healed.” And she was, despite the fact that the neighbors laughed at Jesus when He got there. The little girl was healed and restored to her father.
    Now back to the woman in the crowd. She too was desperate, but her desperation was the soul-crushing desperation of someone who has been struggling with something for years. She has tried this and she has tried that. None of it has helped in the least. Her problem remains. She has one last hope, perhaps if she can get close enough to Jesus to touch the fringe of His clothing, then she could be healed and have a normal live. She got there, touched Him, and was healed. Best of all, no one needed to know of her desperate attempt. Except that Jesus knew and called her out in the crowd. But then all He did was tell her that her faith had made her well and sent her on her way. She must have wanted to dance a jog.
    I know people as desperate as these two. The problem is that they do not know Jesus well enough to have the kind of faith in Him described in this story. I am praying that the Holy Spirit gives me direction so that they become introduced to Him.

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Deuteronomy 13-15:23

    Moses warned the Israelites against those who would try to lead them to follow other gods. He points out the different ways in which people would attempt it. He points out that there will be people who perform miraculous signs (or, at least, what appear to be miraculous signs) and people who make predictions about the future which come true who will attempt to use these abilities to convince others to leave off following God. There will be those who offer the thrill of the secret, or being part of a “special” group, to entice us to leave off from following God. In all of these cases, we are encouraged to examine what they are teaching to see if it is indeed something other than the word of God. But if we conclude that it is, we should have nothing to do with them.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2014 — To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 24:9-10

    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).

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Psalm 71:1-24

    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.

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Philippians 1:1-26

    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.

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Isaiah 57:15-59:21

    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.

Daily Bible Study

March 30, 2014 Bible Study — Do Not Give Up Hope

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 12:5-7

    Today’s proverbs give us a basis for judging ourselves. Are the plans I make just to everyone? Or do they benefit me at the expense of others? When I give advice to others, does my advice benefit me more than the person I am advising? Does what I say encourage and support others to do things which will improve their lives? Or do I subtly encourage them to do things which will harm them? Let us make godly plans and speak righteous words.

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Psalm 71:1-24

    This psalm is both a source of hope for me and a challenge. I have turned to God for protection. I have trusted in Him since childhood. He has always come to my rescue and saved me from my troubles. However I am challenged by the psalmist’s claim to have been an example to many. Has my life been an example to others? Have I lived a life which others look at and wish to imitate? If others have imitated my life, are they better off for it?
    Let me declare God’s glory everyday. Let me never stop praising Him. Yes, I will follow the psalmist’s example:

I will tell everyone about your righteousness.
All day long I will proclaim your saving power,
though I am not skilled with words.

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Luke 8:40-9:6

    I love the story of the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak. There are so many different lessons for us here. I love the woman’s example of faith with her belief that if she could just touch Jesus’ cloak she could be healed. What struck me today was Jesus’ message to Jairus to never give up hope. A messenger came to Jairus to tell him that there was no point in bothering Jesus any longer, his daughter was dead. Jesus answer to Jairus was to tell him to have faith. Let us continue to have faith, even when the battle appears to be over and all seems lost. I will place my hope in Jesus and have faith that He can bring healing and life, even in the midst of death.

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Deuteronomy 13-15:23

    This passage contains a warning against idolatry. It reminds us that there will be different types of temptation to worship something other than God. Some will make predictions that will come true, some will perform wonders designed to entice us to rely on something other than God. Despite the promises and the wonders they perform in the service of these false gods, none of them things will be able to provide the fulfillment and salvation that comes from worshiping and serving the true God. There will be others who will attempt to seduce us into the worship of things other than God. They will offer us pleasures and entertainments, but none of those pleasures or entertainments will be able to replace the joy that comes from serving God. Some will be secretive and subtle. They will attempt to trick us into worshiping something other than God. Let us examine their teachings with care so that we will know whether what they teach truly comes from God, or from another. Let us engage our hearts, souls, and minds in worshiping God.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2013 Bible Study — The Important Thing Is That Christ Is Preached

     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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Isaiah 57:15-59:21

     Praying, fasting, reading the Bible, and going to Church are all good things, but they are not, in and of themselves, enough to please God. If we want to please God, we will not wrongfully imprison people, nor take part in their oppression. We will feed the hungry and help the needy. In order to please God we will dedicate the Sabbath to Him, not our own interests. If we give up evil ways and turn to doing good, God will save us from the coming turmoil. If we do not intervene for the oppressed, God will do so Himself, but we may not like the consequences.
     I will strive to work so that I may have the resources in order to help those in need. I need to work to deny my own pleasures to a greater extent so that I have to help those who need more. I ask that God put His Spirit upon me to direct me to do His will and not merely satisfy my own desires.

***

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Philippians 1:1-26

     Once more I am challenged by Paul’s prayer life. Here is yet another group of people who Paul prays for regularly. As I am reading through Paul’s writings I am struck by all of the people he prayed for on a regular basis. It indicates that he spent a lot more time in prayer than I do and that I need to spend more time in prayer. I, also, take note of what he prayed for them. He prayed that their love become ever more and be expressed with knowledge and insight. I realize that we need to strive for knowledge and insight, but not for their own sakes. I desire that I have greater knowledge and insight so that I can better express God’s love.
     Paul discusses how his imprisonment has inspired others to preach the Gospel. Some of them are doing so in an attempt upstage Paul and gain glory and honour for themselves. It does not matter to Paul what their motives are. The important thing is that Christ is being preached. While someone who preaches the Gospel from bad motives may discredit others who preach the Gospel, it is better that the Gospel be preached with faulty motives than not preached at all.
     Paul then states the one thing that should be at the center of every Christian’s thoughts: “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” I desire to live my life so as to bring honour to Christ. If I die, I will no longer face the struggles of this life but will go to be with Christ. Something to be desired with all of my heart. Yet if I live I can do more to serve Christ and help others to know and serve Him better. I will strive to do God’s will in everything for as long as I live, but I will not fear death because what comes after death is even better than the best this life has to offer.

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Psalm 71:1-24

     I definitely identify with this psalm. I will call on God for protection in my times of trouble. He has been with me since my birth and before. God has blessed me throughout my life as a result I praise Him daily. The next phrase is a challenge to me. I am an example to many. Unfortunately, I am not always a good example. Nevertheless, I will always turn to God when times are troubled and I will praise His name and His wondrous power. The NLT translates the psalmist as saying that he is not skilled with words. This reminds us that we must allow God to direct what we say, because no matter how skilled we are with words the Spirit will better know how to express God’s will to our listeners.

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Proverbs 24:9-10

     Fools scheme and connive in order to commit sin. Those who are constantly mocking others make no friends. If you cannot stand up under pressure, you need to ask God for more strength.