Acts 2-3; Proverbs 7:6-27

Friday's Bible Reading: Acts 2-3; Proverbs 7:6-27

The tenth day of summer.

2 Kings 10-11; Proverbs 7:1-5

Thursday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 10-11; Proverbs 7:1-5

The ninth day of summer.

Today is "girls' day." I get to enjoy the company of both Joelle and Jenna.

2 Kings 8-9; Proverbs 6:20-35

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 8-9; Proverbs 6:20-35

The eighth day of summer.

2 Kings 6-7; Proverbs 6:12-19

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 6-7; Proverbs 6:12-19

The seventh day of summer.

Jenna's seventh birthday.

2 Kings 4-5; Proverbs 6:1-11

Monday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4-5; Proverbs 6:1-11

The sixth day of summer.

Psalms 120-121

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 120-121

The fifth day of summer.

Acts 1; Proverbs 5:15-23

Saturday's Bible Reading: Acts 1; Proverbs 5:15-23

The fourth day of summer.

Janelle and Joelle arrived a little after 4 a.m. on Friday. Today we're heading to Grand Haven. The latest reported water temperature is 59 degrees. Brrr. Too cold for me. We'll see how the southerners like it. :-)

John 21; Proverbs 5:1-14

Friday's Bible Reading: John 21; Proverbs 5:1-14

The third day of summer.

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
TABconsider its ways and be wise! —Proverbs 6:6

This verse wasn't part of yesterday's Bible reading, but it was illustrated yesterday in my mailbox so apparently the schedule is slightly off rhythm. When I went to get the mail, the box was swarming with newly hatched ants. And the larvae of not-yet-hatched ants looked globs of, well, uh, so as not to ruin anyone's favorite food let's just say it looked like globs of ant larvae. The still picture I've inserted doesn't do the scene justice because you can't see the baby ants darting in all directions.

But trust me, they definitely were not sluggardly. They were busily doing something, but I couldn't tell what it was. It looked like mass confusion. I thought about cleaning up the mess with a bucket of water, but I figured Jay would want to see it when he got home so I saved it for him. I did however take a picture to show to friends. And it was a good thing I did. By the time Jay got home the ants were gone, and so was any sign that they had been there. What neatniks! What can I say that hasn't already been said, "Consider their ways and be wise."

2 Kings 2-3; Proverbs 4:18-27

Thursday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 2-3; Proverbs 4:18-27

The second day of summer.

More on falling . . . stumbling . . .

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
(tab)shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
(tab)they do not know what makes them stumble. . . .
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
(tab)fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet
(tab)and take only ways that are firm.
Do not swerve to the right or the left;
(tab)keep your foot from evil. —Proverbs 4:18-19, 25-27

2 Kings 1; Proverbs 4:1-17

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1; Proverbs 4:1-17

The longest day of 2006. Summer begins. Yea!
Sunrise: 6:04 am
Sunset: 9:24 pm
Length of Day: 15 hours, 20 minutes
Length of Visible Light: 16 hours, 30 minutes

What a difference humility makes.

After injuring himself in a fall through the lattice of his upper room, Israel's king Ahaziah sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to find out if he was going to recover.

God sent Elijah to meet the messengers and give them an ominous message for the king: "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!'" (2 Kings 1:4).

When the king heard the message and figured out that it was from Elijah, he sent a captain and 50 men to order Elijah to "come down." Instead of coming down, Elijah called down fire from heaven that consumed the men. He did the same thing to a second company of 50 men. The captain of the third company sent by Ahaziah took a different strategy. Instead of ordering Elijah to come down, he fell down on his knees before Elijah (1:13) and begged for his life and the lives of his men. Receiving permission from the angel of the Lord, Elijah went down with them to the king. The message to Ahaziah did not change however. He would die from his fall. But the men who "fell" before Elijah lived.

The real position of power is humility, not arrogance.

From yesterday's reading in Proverbs . . .

The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
(tab)but he blesses the home of the righteous.
He mocks proud mockers
(tab)but gives grace to the humble. (3:33-34)

1 Kings 21-22; Proverbs 3:27-35

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 21-22; Proverbs 3:27-35

1 Kings 19-20; Proverbs 3:11-26

Monday's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 18-20; Proverbs 3:11-26

Psalm 119

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalm 119

As I was reading Psalm 119, I kept thinking about the woman from Rockford who fell 500 feet to her death on Saturday after stepping over a stone retaining wall at Tower Falls while visiting Yellowstone National Park. Spokesman Al Nash was quoted as saying "it was not unusual for people to step over it to get photographs."

She wanted a good picture to remember her vacation. Instead her family has a terrible image they will never forget.

Other tourists stepped over that wall, snapped their pictures, and went on with their vacation. They saw it as an inconvenience, not something to respect. They ignored the barrier set up to protect them but suffered no consequences.

The law of God is like that retaining wall. We see it as an inconvenience, something to "step over," even though it's meant to protect us. Sometimes we seem to get away with our indiscretions. We might even get a "good picture." But we're endangering our lives and jeopardizing the well-being of others.

Psalm 119 is about loving and obeying God's law . . .

I will always obey your law,
tabfor ever and ever.
I will walk about in freedom,
tabfor I have sought out your precepts.
I will speak of your statutes before kings
taband will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands
tabbecause I love them.
I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love,
taband I meditate on your decrees. —Psalm 119:44-48

More verses from Psalm 119 . . .

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
tab—Psalm 119:32
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
tab—Psalm 119:35
I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.
tab—Psalm 119:59
I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
tab—Psalm 119:101
I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
tab—Psalm 119:104-105
[B]ecause I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.
tab—Psalm 119:128
Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
tab—Psalm 119:133
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
tab—Psalm 119:165

PRAYER: Loving Father, stepping over a small retaining wall seems so harmless. So does ignoring some of your "small" laws. Thank you for your mercy in keeping me from falling into the abyss time after time. May I not presume upon your goodness by assuming that you will always protect me from my carelessness.

Jim Samra's sermon on Sunday was a further reminder of the importance of the footsteps that we choose.
A Father's Footsteps, sermon by Jim Samra

John 19-20; Proverbs 3:1-10

Saturday's Bible Reading: John 19-20; Proverbs 3:1-10

Perhaps people in Western Michigan should call a temporary moratorium on travel. Within the past week, three stories about local people venturing away from home have made national news—none of them positive. On Wednesday, a private bus headed to Cedar Point crashed into a construction zone barrier near Toledo, injuring eight people. On Friday, a recent graduate of Hope College went hiking near Mt. Rainier and didn't return. And on Saturday, a woman from Rockford fell to her death while trying to take a photograph at a scenic overlook at Yellowstone National Park.

The bus accident probably wouldn't have made national news except that members of a prominent family (DeVos) were onboard. The local media showed its true colors by reporting in detail on the condition of the "important" people (i.e., Maria and Dalton DeVos) while not even mentioning the names of others onboard except for Margie Krause who was air-lifted to an Ohio hospital. The other injured people would have remained anonymous if it weren't for the Toledo Blade, which published their names. The names of the injured passengers made it obvious to many people that the bus trip had more to do with an outing from Ada Christian School than anything to do with Alticor. But the local news media never made that connection—or chose to ignore it.

John 18; Proverbs 2:12-22

Friday's Bible Reading: John 18; Proverbs 2:12-22

Jay and I watched the movie "Shadowlands" tonight. We hadn't seen it since January 1994. I had forgotten how powerful it is. We saw it the first time with friends who were going through some troubling times. The meaning we saw in it then was different from what we saw in it last night after the year we've just been through. I'm going to have to watch it again before I have to return it.

1 Kings 17-18; Proverbs 2:1-11

Thursday's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 17-18; Proverbs 2:1-11

I had my devotions today in the Conservatory at St. Marys Lacks Center after my second three-month checkup. It is a beautiful, tranquil setting—an excellent place to thank God for bringing me through this past year. Trust me, no amount of praise is enough. On my way up to the Conservatory I stopped on the fourth floor and visited two of my nurses who took care of me last year when I was in the hospital. I wrote about one of them in the June 10 ODB: Who Knows Best?

Now that I think about it, that question goes well with today's Bible reading. As I read about the widow of Zarephath and her encounter with the prophet Elijah, I wondered what caused her to obey God and give Elijah her last bit of food. In speaking to Elijah she referred to the Lord as "your God," so she had no reason to expect him to take care of her. But Elijah assured her that the God of Israel would save her and her son from starvation if she would feed Elijah. And so she did. And God rewarded her obedience by multiplying her resources. She trusted that God knew best. And she proved her trust by being obedient, even though it meant giving to a stranger all the resources she had to keep herself and her son alive.

Until today I hadn't paid much attention to the background of this story, but this is interesting. When God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, he said, "I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food" (1 Kings 17:9). God had gone ahead of Elijah. The widow didn't trust Elijah, she trusted God, even though she was not an Israelite. Although Scripture doesn't say why God chose this particular widow, it does say, though much later, why he chose someone outside of Israel. Jesus himself gave the explanation:

23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "
24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon." —Luke 4:23-26

This is a sad reminder that God often has to use "outsiders" to accomplish his work. I wonder how often God is doing that today. I wonder how many times he's had to bypass me to get something done.

1 Kings 15-16; Proverbs 1:20-33

Wednesday's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 15-16; Proverbs 1:20-33

1 Kings 13-14; Proverbs 1:8-19

Tuesday's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 13-14; Proverbs 1:8-19

Sobering thoughts about worship . . .

Anyone who wanted to become a priest [Jeroboam] consecrated for the high places. This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth. —1 Kings 13:33-34

The idea that worship has anything to do with human preferences doesn't come from the Bible.

Israel's King Jeroboam thought he would do the people a favor by making worship convenient for them: "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem," he told them. So he set up places of worship in two towns that required less travel. This meant that the people would no longer be worshiping in the place where God had chosen to put his name.

But the change in venue wasn't really for the benefit of the people; it was for Jeroboam's own benefit—so that he could retain his position of power over them (1 Kings 12:26-27). Jeroboam made other worship decisions that were equally unwise. He let people other than Levites serve as priests, and he instituted a festival "like" the one held in Judah, but during a month of his own choosing (1 Kings 12:33). Jeroboam's decisions about worship were based on what he thought people wanted, not what God said he wanted. Jeroboam was more concerned about gaining the support of the people than the approval of God.

Sound like anything going on today?

More on Jeroboam from aish.com . . .

The role of Jeroboam was to form a caretaker monarchy. Jerusalem the holy city, and the Davidic monarchy which it parallels, are eternal.... The unraveling of Jeroboam begins when he takes his role as leader and becomes anxious about the upcoming pilgrimage to Jerusalem. If the people do travel to Jerusalem, the erstwhile Davidic monarchy now led by Solomon's son Rehoboam could regain its luster and power, spurred by religious revival of the masses in the streets of her capital.... At this point Jeroboam comes up with a tragic plan -- replace Jerusalem, or at least make it obsolete, redundant.... While his motivations are clear, his behavior is shocking. Why would he possibly wish to replicate arguably the greatest tragedy in Jewish history? At the foot of Mount Sinai the Jews displayed their unfaithfulness to God. Now, outside of Jerusalem, he builds not one calf of gold, but two! Why would he think that the people could possibly be led astray by this cheap imitation of holiness?... Jeroboam's task was to help the Davidic dynasty find its greatness again; instead he pathetically attempted to guarantee his own position.... But all that Jeroboam wishes is to know who will capture the spotlight, who will lead. If it is other than himself, even the Messiah son of David, he is not prepared to capitulate. That was his tragedy. He was unwilling to live up to the legacy of the role of Joseph, to aid from a secondary role.... Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains (says Psalms 125:2) -- the ascent is arduous. Instead of aiding the people in their climb, Jeroboam created unholy imitations. All spiritual growth takes a difficult path. We must work to help others climb these hills, rather than giving in to frustration and giving up the climb. —Rabbi Ari Kahn

1 Kings 11-12; Proverbs 1:1-7

Monday's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11-12; Proverbs 1:1-7

Well, what a depressing way to begin the day . . .

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign wives. . . . They were from the nations about which the Lord had told the Isaelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord . . . (1 Kings 11:1-6).

If the smartest man who ever lived didn't know enough to guard his heart (even though he advised others to do it—Proverbs 4:23), it's not surprising that so many of the rest of us fail in this area.

I wrote a devotional on this subject titled "Brains Are Not Enough." It's the ODB article for 10 July 2006. I'll post a link to it when it's available online.

Psalms 117-118

Sunday's Bible Reading: Psalms 117-118

Psalm 117
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD.

Thoughts on Strength . . .
If anyone believes that counting is always a good thing to do, certain portions of Scripture pretty much squelch that idea. Counting resources and measuring strength on the basis of numbers got King David in a heap of trouble (2 Samuel 24). God wanted David to trust in him, not in the strength of his army, so David's census-taking of all his fighting men was an affront to God. In some of his songs (including one in today's Bible reading), David acknowledged that it was not good to trust in anyone but God:

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes. . . .

14 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation. —Psalm 118:8-9, 14 (see also Psalm 20:7).

For David, this was one of those times like we all have . . . we know the right thing to do yet we do the wrong thing. Our minds tell us what is right, but our hearts urge us to do something different.

As soon as the dastardly deed of counting was completed, David realized what a tragic mistake (sin!) he had made. David repented immediately, and God received his confession. But God did not spare David the consequences. He did however give him a choice of punishment: three years of famine in the land; three months of fleeing from his enemies; or three days of plague on the land.

David chose door number three—three days of plague. His reason sounds spiritual, but there's a hint of selfishness in it as well. "Let us fall into the hands of the Lord," David said—thus involving his whole nation in punishment for sin that he alone committed—"but do not let me fall into the hands of men" (2 Samuel 24:14).

Obviously it's good that David trusted God's mercy—though it's kind of ironic considering the sin he was being punished for . . . trusting in men rather than God.

David finally felt guilty for his choice when he saw the angel striking down the people: "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong," he said to the Lord. "These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family."

But by the time David got around to interceding on behalf of his people, God's mercy had finally kicked in.

The three-day plague on Israel killed 70,000 people before God said "Enough!" to the angel of affliction.

The spot where God's wrath ran out was the place where Araunah the Jebusite threshed his wheat—a flat spot near the top of Mount Moriah. God told David to make a sacrifice in that spot, so David bought the threshing floor, and David's son Solomon later built the temple in that place (2 Chronicles 3:1). Thus it became the place where God's wrath would run out for centuries to come—through temple sacrifices—until the ultimate sacrifice of God's perfect Lamb.

A picture on this website shows the threshing floor of Araunah, which is now covered by the Dome of the Rock, the Muslim mosque built on the Temple Mount.

Earlier this week (Tuesday) we read about Solomon's building of the temple (1 Kings 6), its high quality of materials and craftsmanship, and also its detailed ornamentation. The temple was not just functional, it was also beautiful.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever." Psalm 118:29

John 17

Saturday's Bible Reading: John 17

John 16

Today's Bible Reading: John 16

It's unusual for the ODB Bible reading schedule and my own to be this close. John 16 was part of the ODB Bible reading on Tuesday. See post titled 6-6-6.

1 Kings 9-10

Today's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 9-10

Did I break blogger.com?! The service has been down as much as it has been up since I started blogging. Not sure what to make of that. Nearly every time I take a break to post a thought, I am taken to a page that says "Down for unscheduled maintenance," or something like that. Now that I think about it, if I had been blogging last year that would have been a great title. "Down for unscheduled maintenance" was pretty much the theme of my life in 2005. So far, 2006 has been much better. Praise God!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. —Mark 12:30

1 Kings 7-8

Today's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 7-8

6-6-6

The devotional below is one that I wrote for Our Daily Bread but which they chose not to publish. I wrote it to go with their daily Bible reading schedule, which has John 16 as today's reading. I didn't realize until the editor pointed it out to me that my devotional referring to the apocalyptic "Left Behind" series was written for the date 6-6-6. I love these "coincidences"! Since it doesn't appear in today's Our Daily Bread, I decided to post it here for anyone who is interested.

...........................................................

6 June 2006

Left Behind

Read: John 16

I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. —John 16:7

For authors Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, the phrase “Left Behind” is music to their ears and money in the bank. But for the rest of us the words are like a knife in the heart. They bring to mind our worst memories or our biggest fears. How do we fill the emptiness when someone we love leaves us behind?

This must have been the question the disciples were asking when Jesus announced that he would be leaving them. For three years they had been like family—living together, traveling together, ministering together. But now their leader was moving on. Jesus did his best to prepare them, but his ability was limited by their inability to bear it (John 16:12).

Although Jesus couldn’t tell them everything they needed to know about the future, he promised them everything they would need to get through it. He would send Someone else to finish the job he had started. Life would be different, and they would be sorrowful for a time. But eventually their sorrow would be turned to joy (16:20).

This knowledge cannot ease the pain of being left behind, but it can help us get through it. If we determine to leave behind thoughts of what could have been and focus instead on what is yet to be, today's sadness will one day turn to joy. —Julie Ackerman Link

1 Kings 5-6

Today's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 5-6

1 Kings 3-4

Today's Bible Reading: 1 Kings 3-4

"Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places" (1 Kings 3:3).

Psalms 114-116

Today's Bible Reading: Psalms 114-116

John 15

Today's Bible Reading: John 15

John 14

Today's Bible Reading: John 14