For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    I do not think there is anything I can add to either of these proverbs. Both make a very good point. The truly wise are able to learn from such distilled wisdom without repeating the mistakes that taught this lesson to someone else.

    If you want a life filled with joy seek the Lord. Do not compromise with evil, do not seek the lesser of two evils. Rather seek that which is truly good by consistently following God’s commands. This entire psalm is about the joys and benefits which come from listening to God. The joy does not come because we are obeying arbitrary commands. The joy comes because those commands instruct us how to get the most of this life by being who and what God designed us to be.

    James warns us against allowing ourselves to believe that our wealth will save us, or even provide us shelter on the day of judgment. If we have failed to use our wealth to serve others, or even worse, if we have acquired wealth at the expense of others, that very wealth will testify against us on the day of judgment. It would be better to impoverish ourselves in service to God and others.
    Let us patiently wait for God to act. Let us avoid grumbling about those who take a different approach to serving God than we do, or who seem to be blessed while doing things we are called not to do. Instead, let us patiently serve God in the way in which He has called us, even when we suffer as a result while others seem to glide through life. Most importantly let us live our lives with such honesty that we will never feel the need to emphasize the truth of what we say with an oath.
    When things are going badly, pray! When things are going well, sing praises! These are two different forms of the same thing. We must never forget the power of prayer, especially the prayer of a righteous person. I am reminded once more that I do not pray as much, nor as deeply, as I ought. If you doubt the power of prayer, consider Elijah. He prayed that it would not rain and it did not rain until he prayed again asking for it to rain. If you want to change the world, pray. I am not saying that all you need to do to change the world is pray, but I am saying that it will take prayer to do so.

    This is a bit of a stretch, but it is where the Holy Spirit (or perhaps just my mind) went today. Ezekiel discusses the return of God’s glory to the Temple. In it he discusses how the people of Israel had defiled the Temple before the Exile by worshiping idols and venerating their kings with only a thin wall between their idolatry and the presence of God. In the New Testament it refers to our bodies and our minds as the new Temple. How often do we do something similar to what the pre-Exile Israelites did? Worshiping God with one part of our mind while reserving a place in our minds for things He detests (pornography, greed, selfishness, envy). If we put such things aside He will live within us forever.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    This proverb reminds us that the oppressors of the poor are not always the rich. The poor, also, sometimes oppress the poor and when they do it is even worse than when the rich do so.
    The way to fight the wicked is to support the rule of law. The wicked thrive and are honored when the law is arbitrary. The last of these proverbs really remind me of our society today. Many people fail to understand justice, do not know how to tell what is right, because they have become enamored of wickedness. Those who seek God instinctively understand what is right and recognize justice when they see it (and injustice when they see that as well).

    The psalmist says that if someone opens the door where the righteous can enter into the presence of the Lord, he will go in and praise the Lord. Will you do likewise? I will, for God has answered my prayers and given me victory. God has taken that which the human experts rejected and made it the key element of His work. Do people tell you that you are too small, too insignificant, too whatever, to make a difference? Do not listen to them, God has put you where you are in order to serve His purpose. He will use you to accomplish great things.

    I was really struck by the wording of this passage in light of world events. What causes quarrels, fights, and wars? They come about as a result of the evil desires inside each and every one of us. We want what we do not have, so we scheme and kill to get it. If that means starting a war, some of us will do that as well.
    James goes on to remind us that all of this is pointless because if we asked God He would give it to us, as long as our motives are correct. If our intention is merely to satisfy our own pleasures, God will not give it to us. If, on the other hand, we want something so that we can serve Him, or meet the needs of others, He will give it to us. If we have allowed the world to convince us that we deserve something we have become idolaters. Instead of seeking things for our own pleasure and glory, let us humble ourselves and seek things for the good of others and the glory of God.

    Every time I read Ezekiel’s description of the Temple which will be built after Israel’s restoration I look for what it means for me. I am sad to say that the Holy Spirit did not inspire me with any meaning from this passage today. I have read several blogs which attempt to explain what role this Temple plays in Christian theology, but they failed to move me. The only thing about this passage which is at all striking is the possibility that there will be a time in the near future where ISIS (or some other alliance of Muslims) attacked Israel, were decisively defeated by an act of God, and the people of Israel built a Temple in Jerusalem with no need to fear international repercussions.