RSS

Weekend Reading- Psalm 6 & Proverbs 6

0 Comments | This entry was posted on Mar 13 2010

Saturday: Psalm 6

1 O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.
Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O LORD, until you restore me?

4 Return, O LORD, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?*

6 I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my plea;
the LORD will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Sunday: Proverbs 6

LESSONS FOR DAILY LIFE
1 My child,* if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement
and are caught by what you said—
3 follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Now swallow your pride;
go and beg to have your name erased.
4 Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.
5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,
like a bird fleeing from a net.

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
7 Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

12 What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
13 signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
14 Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
15 But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

16 There are six things the LORD hates—
no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
18 a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

20 My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
21 Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
23 For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
24 It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
25 Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
26 For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,*
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.
27 Can a man scoop a flame into his lap
and not have his clothes catch on fire?
28 Can he walk on hot coals
and not blister his feet?
29 So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.
He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

30 Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.
32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,
for he destroys himself.
33 He will be wounded and disgraced.
His shame will never be erased.
34 For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation,
nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

March 8- Keep Watch!

0 Comments | This entry was posted on Mar 08 2010

For the past two months we have been going through Scripture on a daily basis.  We have gone through John, Daniel, some of the Psalms and Proverbs and now we are almost through Mark.  There is a common theme in both the books o f the Old Testament and the New Testament.  That theme is, there is something next!

What do I mean by something next?  We red in John Jesus had pointed to the afterlife.  He had pointed to the end when all death and destruction would be gone away with.  He wrote that there would be a better, perfect place.  We read the same thing in Daniel and now in Mark that there is an eternal place, an eternal plan for those who follow the way of Yahwah, of Christ.

As we have read about the perfect eternal dwelling there is an urgency in the writers voice.  Mark tells us to “Keep Watch, to Watch Out,” because noone knows when this will take place.  He writes of Jesus teaching of a parable in reference to this. For some this maybe terrifying, thinking about the afterlife.  That was not the intention, rather Jesus’ teachings and Daniel’s teachings were to encourage us, to prepare us for that which is better then now.

How do you react to the words of Jesus?  Does fear creep in or excitement?  Today, be alert to what is going on around you.  God is preparing an eternal dwelling where there is no pain or sorrow, no fighting and only love and unity.  May we be ready and say in confidence, “Come Lord Jesus, come!”

Weekend Reading- Psalm 5 & Proverbs 5

0 Comments | This entry was posted on Mar 06 2010

Saturday Psalm 5

1 O LORD, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The LORD detests murderers and deceivers.

7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.

9 My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.*
10 O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O LORD;
you surround them with your shield of love.

Proverbs 5

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.
2 Then you will show discernment,
and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.*
6 For she cares nothing about the path to life.
She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

7 So now, my sons, listen to me.
Never stray from what I am about to say:
8 Stay away from her!
Don’t go near the door of her house!
9 If you do, you will lose your honor
and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
10 Strangers will consume your wealth,
and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
11 In the end you will groan in anguish
when disease consumes your body.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
and now I must face public disgrace.”

15 Drink water from your own well—
share your love only with your wife.*
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,
having sex with just anyone?*
17 You should reserve it for yourselves.
Never share it with strangers.

18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts satisfy you always.
May you always be captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,
or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes.
22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
they are ropes that catch and hold him.
23 He will die for lack of self-control;
he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

March 5: Impartial- Mark 12:14

0 Comments | This entry was posted on Mar 05 2010

“Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.”

How often do we see favoritism and partiality played out around us every single day.  This seems to be such a childish behavior, something that happens on the playground but no.  Who did our kids learn it from?  They learned it by watching the “adults” around them.

As a Chrisitian, a follower of Jesus, we are given the example that we do not play favorites.  Jesus was impartial to the people around him.  We probably could even take it a step further and say he went out of his way to do more for the less fortunate then those who had any form of power or positiion.

This weekend be aware of how you respond to the people around you.  Ask yourself who do you tend to be drawn to more, those who can do something for you or those you can do something for?

March 4: Victory Is Ours!- Mark 11:1-11

0 Comments | This entry was posted on Mar 04 2010

It was a seen like no other.  For centuries the Jews had waited for the day of their King!  They were cheering and celebrating as THE ONE road on the colt.  Their hope was that oppression would be taken away and prosperity would be the new way of life.

Jesus had looked at this picture very different.  It was a time of celebrating knowing that victory had come.  He was able to take in the excitedment of the people.  He welcomed their enthuisasm, knowing their hope was for the Messiah to be present.

There was also the other side of what Jesus was feeling.  He knew that victory was present but he also knew he had to finish the course to bring about the complete victory.  This victory would cost him his very life.  This vicotry would be won through pain and yet he was willing to go through with it.

We are in a similar state as a Christian.  We know that death is defeated and our salvation is secure.  We understand that the stronghold of sin no longer has control over us.  What we also know is we must finish the course of this life.  We, like Jesus know that victory is in the present and we hold onto the future one as well.  There is pain ahead of us.  We are going to be tempted and tried.  We also know that as we hold on to the present victory we, like Jesus can celebrate in the moment because of the victory that we have.

March 3: How To Handle People- Mark 10

0 Comments | This entry was posted on Mar 03 2010

For so many, Christianity is looked at as self rightous, narrow-minded and seperatist.  I find that very hard to believe when you read the words of Jesus.  Just look at Mark Chapter 10.  It is in this chapter that there are so many different situations and each situation Jesus handles the situation at hand in reference to the heart of that person.

It was the teachers of the Law that wanted to pin Jesus down and have him answer in a way to trap him.  The disciples and others wanted to keep the children and lame away from Jesus not to bother him but he welcomed them.  Matter a fact he was bothered by how the children were pushed aside.  What about the rich man, he wanted to be that person who did all the right things and Jesus confronted the treasure he valued most.  And what about the two who wanted to be great, Jesus said, greatness is symbolized by being a servant rather then a king.

There is a lesson about the Christian faith and how we deal with people.  First, Jesus dealt with the heart of the person.  He was more concerned with the deception that had taken hold rather then the perfect person.  God wants to deal with our hearts.  Secondly, Jesus dealt with each person differently.  He never swayed from who he was or what he stood for.  Rather he was sensitive to the person in front of him and dealt with the situation by dealing with the individual.

Today, we will all interact with many people.  Be like Jesus and look past the surface and ask God to help you speak to the heart of the person before you.