March 26th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25 ~ Luke 7:11-35
Psalm 68:19-35 ~ Proverbs 11:29-31

Old Testament - Today we get a nice recap of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy chapter 5!  We originally read these in Exodus chapter 20 and then again in Exodus chapter 34.  There are some differences in the wordings of the Ten Commandments in each of these chapters, but not enough to worry about.  :)  Check out a quick overview of some of the differences between these 3 chapters presentation of the Ten Commandments at this link.  Bible.org has a great overview of the Ten Commandments, based on Exodus chapter 20, at this link.

I love Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4 through 9 in our readings today - ""Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  And here is an appropriate image for this last sentence -

Bible.org's commentary on Deuteronomy chapter 6 is at this link.

New Testament - Wow.... Verse 35 in Luke chapter 7 is such a profound teaching of Jesus' for each of us to consider- "But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it."  Take a few moments to really meditate on this verse and what it means.  For me this verse is a reminder that sometimes in life we have to move forward in faith on something "wise" we've heard, but maybe not experienced - and then later see that the wisdom is true.  I'm not sure if I'm going to explain myself well here... but my thought is that as followers of Christ, I think we can get lazy in our faith at times.  As just one example - maybe we don't think we really need to tithe to our church.  We know the wisdom of Malachi 3:10, but maybe we haven't really experienced the wisdom of tithing.  So, maybe we need to follow the wisdom first - and then we will later know the full truth and beauty of the wisdom.  Hope this makes sense?  I'd just say that if there is a struggle in your life that God is calling you to leave behind or move forward on - go for it!  If you know you should be doing or not doing something - go with that wisdom you know and then it will "shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it."  Please follow it!

A nice image of John the Baptist sending two of his disciples to meet Jesus is below, from verses 18 & 19 - "The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"

Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 7's readings today, titled "John's Problem with Jesus," is at this link.

Psalms - I always like the idea and reminder to sing to God!  Do you sing to God at places other than church?  Maybe in your car?  Maybe at home with the headphones on?  Do you "sing" to God with the way you live your life.  Here's verses 32 & 33 in Psalm 68 today - "Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord. Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky."

Proverbs - I love the imagery in Proverbs chapter 11 verse 30 today - "The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise."  That is a powerful last half of the verse.  Those who save lives are wise...  Are you saving lives?  How?  How might you be able to save lives?  My one quick thought on this is to get involved in ministries that are serving the poorest of the poor internationally.  I honestly believe $1 a day can save a life, if not many lives.  I actually just added to this website in the lower left hand side of the nav menu a link to World Vision.  This is one amazing way to save a life.  $1 a day.  Will you invest in a child who needs you today?  Would this be wise?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike