Job 23:1-27:23 ~ 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11 ~ Psalm 41:1-13 ~ Proverbs 22:5-6
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Old Testament - In chapter 23 verse 12 today Job makes such a powerful statement about his relationship with God! "I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread." (NIV) The first statement is of course powerful - Job has not departed from the commands of God's. But the second statement is the one that really stood out to me today - Job has treasured God's words more than food! This may sound like nice high holy talk from the Old Testament... but I think each of us should stop and meditate on this one in our lives today. Do we treasure God's Word, The Bible, more or do we treasure the food we eat each day more? I'm sure most of us would say the Bible... But let me put this another way for us to really think about this. How many minutes a day do you spend eating? And how many minutes a day do you spend reading the Bible? What might make this whole equation even a little bit more interesting to consider is how many minutes a day do you think about food? Prepare food? Talk about food? And then how many minutes a day do you think about the Bible? Prepare for reading the Bible? Talk about the Bible? I am afraid that we may be a people today who (when the rubber meets the road and we look at actual time spent in each activity) treasure our food more than we treasure God's Word. However, the first step in realizing we have a problem is admitting we have a problem! :) When it comes to amount of time you spend with food when compared to the amount of time you spend with God's Word, do you have a problem? Can you learn something from Job's word's today in verse 12: "I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food." (ESV)
New Testament - I love that Paul calls Jesus the "Divine Yes" in today's readings in Second Corinthians chapter 1 verse 19 in the NLT! Here are verses 18 through 20 in the NIV - "But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ." Amen! Do you realize that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God's promises in the Old Testament? The Law pointed to Jesus in the OT and the Law is fulfilled in Jesus. The sacrificial system pointed to Jesus in the OT and the sacrificial is fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is indeed the Divine Yes! In your life each and every day, is Jesus your Divine Yes?
Psalms - Today we read in Psalm 41 verse 1 – “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.” For some reason this verse really opens up my heart. Something about the word “weak.” Maybe this verse really speaks to me because I myself feel weak at times. And yet, I am so blessed in so many ways. And I realize that there are so many others out there in this world who may not have the blessings that I have, and who are struggling through an extremely tough cycle of weakness. And I wonder – what am I doing to help those who are weak? Do I really have regard for the weak? Do you? What in our life really demonstrates that we have regard for the weak? Are we investing time or finances into the weak? Are we praying for the weak? Are we loving the weak?
Proverbs - Proverbs 22 verse 6 today teaches us: "Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it." You know, this verse actually reminds me of quite a bit of recent work I've had the good fortune to participate in or observe when it comes to early childhood education. 85% of a child's brain develops in the first 3 years of their life. Think this is a critical period of time to teach children? Certainly after the age of 3 we still have so much opportunity to teach children to choose the right path. I am becoming more and more convinced that education for children is so critical here in our own backyards and throughout the world. And unfortunately, as we all know, quality education is not happening in many sectors of our society and our world. Let me encourage you to please invest in childhood education in your own backyard and around the world. Find a child to mentor. Teach a Sunday school class. Invest in nonprofits working on childhood education. Sponsor a child through World Vision where they will get a fantastic Christian education. Will you join me in personally getting involved with and investing in organizations that teach our children to choose the right path?
Worship God: Today's readings in Second Corinthians reminds me of Phillips Craig and Dean's song "The Revelation Song:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)
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
