Discipline from the Lord

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 12:26 - 13:1

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Proverbs 12:26 - 13:1

Proverbs is one of my favorite books in the bible because it truly tells how to live a godly life and how to become truly wise.  Today's reading is four verses from Proverbs, which I haven't read yet - so let's see what words of wisdom I have in store for me today!

12:26  The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

I do try to give good advice to my friends.  Good advice, in my opinion, is telling the person what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.  It is also telling them the truth, not some lie that will make them feel better at the moment but will make it hurt more down the road.  I have friends who give me good advice, and those friends are treasured in my heart. 

12:27  Lazy people don't even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

When I read this verse, I thought of the saying "waste not, want not."  This was odd to me because this translation (NLT) uses the word "diligent" to those who make use of everything they find, whereas the dictionary defines it as "Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties".  Regardless, we are being told to make the most of everything we have, and this is definitely something I need to work on!

12:28  The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.

I have seen this over and over and over and over; yet the message rings true each time.  Being godly, being wise; that is the path to life.  It is the path I want to be on!

13:1  A wise child accepts a parent's discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction.

When I first read this verse, I didn't know what to think about it - how could a child really decide he or she wants to become wise.  In other words; how is this relevant?  Then it hit me - duh! - we are all children of God.  And for us to be wise children of God, we must accept discipline and correction from our Father with a happy heart.  I have children, and I know the reason I discipline them is because I love them.  I want them to be happy, I want them to be safe, I want them to be healthy, I want them to be well managed, functioning adults.  I want them to live a long, happy life.  When I think of discipline from the Lord in this manner, it reminds me that the Lord somehow manages to love me!

An Introduction to Joshua

Today's Reading:

• Joshua 1:1 - 2:24

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Joshua 1:1 - 2:24

Today is a monumental day, because today I started the book of Joshua.  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Number and Deuteronomy as well as many parts of the New Testament- those are all books that I have at least read parts of here or there over the course of my life.  Joshua is one that I have yet to ever even begin to read.  Don't get me wrong - I know the most famous story of Jericho - but I have not yet read it.  So today I embark on a journey further into the Word of God; and I am very excited to do so.

Joshua was the appointed successor of Moses - he was the man who was to lead the people of Israel into the promised land.  He had the full support of the people he was leading (1:16-17) and they were ready to take the promised land for themselves. 

Joshua sent out two scouts to spy on the area around Jericho (2:1).  Those scouts met a prostitute named Rahab who had remarkable faith in the Lord (2:11).  Rahab hid the scouts from the king's men and helped them to escape the city after the gates had been closed.  In return the scouts agreed to spare Rahab and her family, so long as she remained true to her oath not to betray them.

Chapter two ends with the scouts recounting the fact that the people were already terrified of the Israelites (2:23).  It looks like I should soon be reading the account of the battle of Jericho.  I am very excited to continue my studies!

The Psalms of Asaph; Godly Advice

Today's Reading:

• Psalm 79:1 - 79:13
• Proverbs 12:25 - 12:26

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Psalm 79:1 - 79:13
Psalm 79 is a Psalm of Asaph.  The people are in the midst of great destruction brought upon them from the Lord.  The people are begging the Lord not to punish them, but to instead punish the godless who caused their demise.

I have a few problems with the cries from these people.  First of all, they do not account of any sins.  They claim they are being punished for their ancestors.  I have not yet read about these people anywhere else but these Psalms -- since my readings are broken up, I am reading Psalms along with my regular readings.  That being said, my study bible quotes two verses that state people will no longer be judged by the sins of their parents -- Ezekiel 18:20 and Jeremiah 31:30.  I assume, based on those two verses being quoted here, that the timing of this destruction took place after people were eradicated of the sins of their parents. So in other words, these people are not yet even realizing what sins they have committed (or they are ignoring them and passing blame elsewhere).  If they don't realize the sins they have committed, how can they ask for forgiveness from them?

The other thing that bothers me about this psalm is that the people don't praise the Lord at all.  All they do is ask the Lord to save them, and only then will they praise and thank him forever (79:13).  All the great psalms of David made sure to praise the Lord, even during the midst of the storms he faced.  Our Lord is worthy of praise, always.

The writer of the psalm begged the Lord to punish the offenders, not His own people.  I could certainly see why the Lord would be more harsh with his own people.  I think of my own children -- when one of them knows that they are disobeying, they are always punished far greater than the one that does wrong yet does not realize it.  As the Lord's people, we are expected to love him, and show that we love him, we obey him.  That is how we choose life instead of death. 

Proverbs 12:25 - 12:26

25  Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers them up

26  The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray

These are two very good verses to consider.  I would like to focus on the second one (verse 12:26).  I can say I do my part by giving my friends good advice and not trying to lead them astray.  So when I read that verse, I thought about the reverse of it -- about receiving advise.

According to this verse, I should be wary of the advice of those who are not godly and give much more esteem to the advice of those who are.  I will certainly keep this in mind for anytime that I am faced with a dilemma! 

Short Parables of Jesus, According to Luke

Today's Reading:

• Luke 13:1 - 14:6

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Luke 13:1 - 14:6
Today's reading contained many short parables.  These parables are:

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (13:6-13:9)
A man planted a fig tree, but that tree had yet to produce fruit.  So he was going to cut that fig tree down, until the gardener pleaded with him not to.  The man decided to give the tree one more year to produce figs; if it failed to produce fruit after all the extra nourishment then it would be cut down. 

This was a very short parable that was very open to interpretation.  Jesus in his time was talking to Israel, so perhaps it was a warning to them.  I read it as a warning to myself -- what I am doing to produce a fruitful crop?  How am I trying to help grow the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (13:18-19)
Jesus told the people that the Kingdom of God was likened to a mustard seed.  It starts off as the tiniest of seeds; yet grows into something so large that it houses the birds in nests. 

Again, this parable is so short and has no extra explanation to it, which leaves one to decipher the meaning of it themselves.  My study bible says the birds who nest in the tree are likened to the people who find protection and security within the Kingdom of God. 

The Parable of the Yeast (13:20 - 21)
In the final parable of this reading, the Kingdom of God is compared to yeast.  It takes but a tiny sprinkle to completely permeate all of a loaf of bread dough.  My study bible suggests that this is reference to the Kingdom of God permeating the entire world.  It is amazing how the Kingdom of God continues to grow.

The Lord Buried Moses

Today's Reading:

• Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12

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Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12
Today's reading finished off the book of Deuteronomy and was a relatively short reading.  In chapter 33, Moses blessed all the tribes of Israel in preparation of his death and their journey into the promised land.

In Chapter 34, the Lord had Moses up to Mount Nebo to see the promised land in its entirety.  I am sure it was painful for Moses to know that his one huge mistake cost him the ability to ever set foot into that land.  Regardless, even though he punished, the Lord still loved Moses greatly -- and there is a lesson for all of us to be learned in that.

We are then told that Moses died and that the Lord buried him (34:5-6).  I thought that was very strange -- I don't recall any reading so far where the Lord buried someone.  We are told that the burial place of Moses remains a secret to all men, even to this day.

I really wonder why that is.  I did a little looking online, hoping for some answers.  What I found was a reference to Jude 1:9, where there is a short reference to the archangel Michael having a dispute with the devil over the body of Moses.  Right now I do not know any more than that, and given the results of my search, I am doubtful that I will know anymore, even after reading through the entire bible.  But hence is the nature of the Lord -- some things are His secrets, only to be revealed to us at the time of His choosing.

We are told that Moses was 120 when he died, "yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever" (34:7).  I think this verse shows us that the Lord wants us to be strong and healthy, not sick and frail.  Even if we are 120 years old and about to die, we should be doing the work of God until the day we die.  And the Lord will always give us the ability to do so.