August 8th One Year Bible Readings

Ezra 7:1-8:20 ~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 ~ Psalm 30:1-12 ~ Proverbs 20:28-30
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Old Testament - We have great readings in Ezra today!  It is very encouraging that King Artaxerxes wrote such a strong letter of endorsement for Ezra, the priest and scribe.  It made me think that government and religion can work together for good.   Below is a wonderful engraving from Gustave Dore of King Artaxerxes proclaiming freedom for the Israelites from Babylon:

I found chapter 7 verses 9 & 10 intriguing: "He had left Babylon on April 8 and came to Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the LORD and to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel."  What I noticed here is that it says about Ezra - "the gracious hand of his God was on him."  And why was this?  "Because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the Lord AND to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel."  Ezra was living his life not just for himself.  He was committed to studying God's law and teaching it to those around him.  And thus, the gracious hand of God was on him.  And this just makes me wonder about our lives today.  Are we committed to studying God's Word, the Bible, and then teaching it to those around us?  Are we like Ezra in any way?  Should we be?  Below is an image from a 14th century illuminated Bible of Ezra teaching the law:

New Testament - Allright... so Paul has a little bit of scolding for the church in Corinth in our readings today!  Perhaps we would do well to listen to some of this scolding today too?  Verse 5 is powerful for us to consider: "So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, he will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give to everyone whatever praise is due."  I think far too often we ourselves try to judge others - saying that someone is wholly righteous or that someone is a doomed sinner.  Neither this excessive praise nor condemnation is ours to give.  It is only for God.  God is the judge.  We are not.  So be careful not to jump to conclusions about someone else...

If you blinked, you just might have missed verse 20 today - "For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God's power."  Great stuff!  I am afraid that sometimes we do indeed reduce the Kingdom of God and living out our faith to just fancy talk.  We sometimes talk a lot, but we do not practice what we preach.  Rather than focusing on our fancy talk, how about if we simply live by God's power?  It's a revolutionary idea!  :)

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in First Corinthians titled "Follow the Leader" is at this link.

Psalms - Today in Psalm 30 verses 4 through 5 we read: “Sing to the Lord; you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” How does this verse speak to you? Do you believe that God’s anger can last only a moment, but his favor last a lifetime? If you are weeping now in some area of your life, do you believe that God can bring rejoicing to you? Will you pray to God to grant you favor in this life and in life everlasting? Will you pray to God to heal any situation that you are weeping over today, and to bring you rejoicing tomorrow? Do you look forward to this rejoicing that will allow you to sing to the Lord as a saint and to praise his holy name?

Proverbs - I love Proverbs 20 verse 29 today! "The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old."  I think the beauty of this Proverb is to show that there are unique values & contributions we can make both when we are young and when we are old.  When we are young we are full of strength.  We can do much and with much energy.  However, when we are young, we do not have much experience, so we will likely make some mistakes in our youthful zeal.  When we are older, we are blessed with experience.  So that when we act, we act wisely.  We know how to spend our time and what type of activities are important.  We don't have the strength perhaps that we had when we were younger.  We may not be able to do as much with as much energy.  But the experience focuses us, such that we can prioritize what we do.  Whether you are young or old, are you utilizing your strength or your experience for Kingdom purposes?  Are you spending your time on things that have eternal value rather than things that are fleeting and temporal?  How are you using your strength and experience for God this very day?

Worship God: Chris Tomlin songs seem to be on my mind this week. First Corinthians chapter 4 verse 20 reminded me of Chris' song "Enough."  I ended up finding this great YouTube clip below of Chris and Louie Giglio being interviewed on how "Enough" was written (and Chris plays the song around the 3 minute mark):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaLNjeTEeE4

Is God enough for you? Click here for more than enough!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. " Psalm 30:4-5 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray for rejoicing in your life, if you are going through a dark night of the soul. Pray for the morning. Pray in thanksgiving that God's favor lasts a lifetime for those who love Him. Praise His holy name!

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

Ezra 7-8:20

In reading today’s passage, I am struck by King Artaxerxes’ respect and honor for the Lord. I don’t think the king learned about the “God of Heaven” by going to a Jewish Seminary. I believed he learned about this God from observing Ezra, his character, his wisdom, his integrity, all of which flowed from Ezra’s relationship with God and God’s Word.

I know of Believers who are strong in their understanding of the Word and who cannot be compromised on their jobs, they may be hated but they are respected. They are trustworthy and things that require the utmost security, integrity and diligence are regularly given to them. I believe the king saw this same trait in Ezra and then judged the God Ezra served as good and magnificent based on what he saw in Ezra. When we serve God and follow his commandments and ordinances, we show ourselves wise and trustworthy.

God speaking to the children of Israel in the wilderness:

Don't add a word to what I command you, and don't remove a word from it. Keep the commands of GOD, your God, that I am commanding you. You saw with your own eyes what GOD did at Baal Peor, how GOD destroyed from among you every man who joined in the Baal Peor orgies. But you, the ones who held tight to GOD, your God, are alive and well, every one of you, today. Pay attention: I'm teaching you the rules and regulations that GOD commanded me, so that you may live by them in the land you are entering to take up ownership. Keep them. Practice them. You'll become wise and understanding. When people hear and see what's going on, they'll say, "What a great nation! So wise, so understanding! We've never seen anything like it." Yes. What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way GOD, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us?
(Deu 4:2-7 MSG)

I Corinthians 4:1-21
Us folks love to “one-up” each other and we love to design the goal or standard, declare, by consensus of a party of one, ourselves, that the goal or standard is primo, then turn and judge everyone else by our own standard. When we place teachers/preachers above the Word of God then we are doing the same thing Paul accuses the church at Corinth as doing.

The power of the Gospel is not in the person’s voice or elocution and expounding of the Word, but it is in the Word, and the Word only, that is what brings deliverance and salvation.
Psalm 30:1-12

God told Noah,

Gen 8:22 "While the earth continues to exist, planting time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease."

God has set things in cycles, day is always followed by night, summer comes before winter or after winter depending on perspective, with summer comes heat and then the cold of winter. To harvest one must plant, then some of the seeds from harvest are saved to plant again in the spring season to bring another harvest. So too are our seasons of weeping and sorrow, though it may appear to be a life long curse, weeping and sorrow are always followed by joy. But the greatest joy is the Joy of the Lord.

For his anger lasts only a brief moment, and his good favor restores one's life. One may experience sorrow during the night, but joy arrives in the morning. (Psa 30:5 NET.)

Don’t give up and in to the despair of what may seem to be perpetual sorrow. Wait out the nights of your life for your morning, no matter how far off it may appear to be, is sure to come.

Proverbs 20:28-30
Youth may be admired for vigor, but gray hair gives prestige to old age. (Pro 20:29 MSG)

If we ever took these words to heart, the companies that make hair dye would go “belly-up.”

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[RAS]

In 2011, I prayed a lot about being overly critical of others and judging others. Toward the end of 2011, I found myself praying "...God, keep me mindful that I make decisions and choices; and you make judgments." Judgments are not mine to make. When I find myself judging someone or judging a situation etc, I tell myself, "I make decisions and choices..." It has really helped me refrain from criticizing or judging others.