June 24th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Kings 6:1-7:20 ~ Acts 15:36-16:15
Psalm 142:1-7 ~ Proverbs 17:24-25

Old Testament - Today in 2 Kings 6 verse 27 we will read this verse that King Joram says to an Israelite during a time of a severe famine – “"If the LORD does not help you, where can I get help for you?” I think the thing to note in this verse is that the King wisely realized that he needed God’s power to end the famine. The King realized he could not end the famine on his own. (Unfortunately, later in this chapter the King says some dumb stuff about Elisha). I wonder about this in our lives today – do we try to help others and even try to help ourselves using our own power and without relying on God at all? Do we think we can end a “famine” or whatever problems we see at work, in our community, in our family, or in our world all on our own? Or – like this King realized – should we be asking for God’s help in these areas of our lives? I’ve been thinking about this more and more lately – about how little I truly pray for others. I see areas of my life, my family, my community, my work, my church, my favorite charities, our world, that need some help. Need some changing. Need some love. And sometimes I think that I can institute these changes all on my own! Which is foolish. Instead, I should be praying for God’s providence and work in these areas of my life where I see a “famine.” Yes, I do think that God will oftentimes answer our prayers by encouraging us to “do something” to work on a change. But, we’d be wise to prayerfully approach all areas of our life and to pay attention to where God is asking us to “do something” – and to pay attention to where God is flat-out doing the work! Are there any “famine” areas in your life? In your personal relationship with God or others? In your work, church, community? Are there “famine” areas you see in our world? Will you today begin praying to God about these “famines” in the knowledge that famines can truly only end if God is involved in the work? Will you allow God to get involved in the famine areas of your life? Will you pray more consistently than ever before in this regards?

Below is an image from a 15th century Dutch Bible for 2 Kings 7 verse 8 - "When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it."

Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Saved from the Syrians: The War that Never Happened" is at this link and "Feast or Famine" is at this link.

New Testament - In Acts 15 today we read about Paul not wanting to bring along John Mark on the next missionary journey.  Good news is that Paul and Mark were eventually reunited in missionary efforts.  Some speculate that it was because Barnabas went with Mark at this juncture, Barnabas' patient encouragement helped Mark's eventual effective ministry.

Today in Acts 16 we read about Paul's 2nd missionary journey, which took place around AD 49-52.  - (map courtesy of http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPhillips.htm)

Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "When Division Becomes Multiplication" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 142 is a prayer of David's when he was fleeing Saul and was hiding in a cave.  David is praying for deliverance to God from his enemies.  I thought verse 3 was powerful - "For I am overwhelmed, and you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me."  Have you ever felt this way?  Overwhelmed?  And traps every which way you look?  And you have no idea which way to go?  At a time like this, will you cry out to God as David did in this Psalm?  Will you "pour out your complaints before him and tell him all your troubles"? (v. 2)  Do you believe that God knows which way you should turn?  Will you allow God to ""be your place of refuge"?  In times like these, will you allow God to be "all you really want in life"?  (v. 5)

Proverbs -  Today in Proverbs chapter 17 verse 24 we will read – “A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” This is a powerful little Proverb. I have been thinking about this quite a bit in recent weeks. I have found that sometimes the world can be so tempting – or maybe distracting is another way to say it. I have found that I have lately had a lot of opportunities to go out and do “fun stuff.” Perhaps you could say I’ve been offered opportunities to “wander to the ends of the earth.” And it’s been tempting. But, I have realized that if I schedule myself 24 x 7, I don’t spend much time thinking about God at all. Reading the Bible? Maybe I can skip it for today. . . And praying for others?? Forget about it. I’m just afraid that we can spend our lives being so distracted that we will lose sight of wisdom. We absolutely need to keep wisdom in view each and every day. That is why I love the One Year Bible format in so many ways – it provides each of us with at least 15 minutes of wisdom in our lives each day! How about you? How are your days being spent currently? Are you feeling distracted? Are you keeping wisdom in view each and every day? Do you see the wisdom in spending quality time with God each and every day? Do you see the wisdom in not taking any “spiritual vacations”? (Spiritual vacations are a very bad idea. . . even when you go on a regular vacation, please bring God with you!)

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

Grace,
Mike

Comments

Father I thank you for placing within the heart of Mike a desire to lead and encourage others to read Your Word daily, which brings an immeasurable richness to each and every life that comes to this site. I thank you God for his daily comments and insights that cause us to think, contemplate and dig deeper into Your Word.

Protect him and guide him with Your Wisdom and Truth may no harm befall him, may want not crouch at his door. Impart to him daily Your strength to live each day following after You.

Watch over each and every person who enters this portal and make everyone studying Your Word a light to a dead and dying nation. In this I pray in Jesus’ mighty and glorious name, Amen

[Mike]

Thank you for this prayer!

[Ramona]

(Posting a day late)
II Kings 6-7:20

Ah, the story of the Arameans being trapped by “blindness” is awesome and shows how lacking in common sense men of military training and political leaders can be. If the king’s officers really believed that Elisha knew everything the king did, why would you set out to capture him, would not one think he would know what you are doing? Whether their assumption was true or not common sense, if one had any, would dictate the prophet would know you were coming to get him.

I am amazed how blinded to Truth we humans can be. There were plenty of times in my life that God showed himself to me either with incidents like the Arameans experienced or receiving clear words of direction and warnings from what I now know was God, yet a chose not to believe. According to Proverb’s definition, I was just a plan ordinary garden variety “fool.” Praise God for His Redemptive work on Calvary. Amazing Grace how sweet …

Interesting this official of the king who was trampled to death. He in essence said, “Seeing is believing!” when told about the sudden drop in the price of commodities, that seeing he just had to do to believe, killed him. Somewhere in that is a warning for us. I heard a preacher/teacher once say, “No, seeing is not believing, seeing is knowing. We see because we believe so believing is seeing.”

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3 NIV)
Acts 15:36-16:15

This disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, IMHO, appears to have been orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. With the break-up of the team, one evangelistic ministry became two! I believe, no, I know that each and every person upon this earth has a purpose that has been designated before the foundation of the earth. When we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us we may wind up like Paul and Barnabas, at odds with each other each thinking the other is wrong and out of line. Because each person is hearing differently, and of course each believes that what they heard in their hearing must also be what the other heard so the other is being disobedient, we clash or worse, someone submits wrongly to the vision of the other and follows along. Then major frustration and resentment develops in the others life.

Today’s reading also goes on to show how when we have an agenda set to do something in ministry, the Holy Spirit is not shy about inserting True plans. It is our job to listen intently to what the Spirit is saying and change course. We mess up when we ignore the Spirit and do our own thing and fail. Then we wonder where God is. “Hey God don’t you know I’m trying to do your work!” In reality, we need to be doing God’s work His way if it is any other way we are doing “Our work our way.”

Psalm 142:1-7

This Psalm is one I believe I need to incorporate into my prayer life, often. I just realized how universal, crossing time and space, these Psalms really are. The condition of man’s heat really has not changed since the Fall of man in the Garden. The tools we have to sin with may have become new and improved, but the sinning, the despair, the desperation and emptiness remains the same, without God.

Proverbs 17:24-25

In reading this verse, 24 Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth,” it just crossed my mind that if our eyes wonder, we will wonder and thus we are unstable. Loyalty, a characteristic we humans desire in our relationships are usually not based on “Truth” which is the only stable thing upon this earth, but based on personalities, family relationships and such like. But unless the person we have given our loyalties too is grounded on the Word of God, our unconditional loyalty to folks will also carry us to the “ends of the earth.” Yikes! This is something I must really think about for a while. Loyalty and unconditional love I don’t believe should be the same thing, have I confused the two.

Grace and peace,
Ramona