Daniel 8:1-27 ~ 1 John 2:1-17 ~ Psalm 120:1-7 ~ Proverbs 28:25-26
Old Testament - Daniel chapter 8 is quite a chapter! I'm not 100% sure how to post up on this chapter - so I went over to bible.org to see what they had to say and I came across this paragraph over there - "Daniel chapter 8 is a preacher’s nightmare.
Even noted scholars hesitate to be dogmatic in their interpretation of this chapter.
Daniel himself has not the foggiest notion of the vision’s meaning, even after the angel Gabriel has interpreted the vision for him."
I think I better just link over to what bible.org has to say about this chapter today. This is in the blog world what one would call a punt! :)
The closing verse 27 of chapter 8 certainly stands out to me today: "Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it." Do you think you'd be physically exhausted & sick if you saw a vision like Daniel saw in this chapter?
New Testament - First John chapter 2 is full of tons of wisdom today! Verses 5 & 6 are so strong: "But those who obey God's word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did." Do we realize that obeying God's Word, the Bible, demonstrates our love for God? Do we live our lives as Jesus did? Do we really love God? Do we obey God's Word?
Verse 9 certainly gives us much to consider in our lives: "If anyone says, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness." Are you living in the light?
Verses 15, 16 & 17 are worth looking at. Bible commentaries suggest that the "world" in these verses is not the created world or people - but the world of sin, which is the dominion of Satan. "Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever." Are we doing the will of God in our lives? Do you want to live with God forever? Do you continually pray to God to deliver you from lust & pride?
Psalms - Psalm 120 is the beginning of 15 Psalms known as "songs of ascent!" This could mean the ascent of the stairs to the Temple in Jerusalem - or more likely the annual religious pilgrimages and the ascent to Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Are you ready for the next 15 Psalms of Ascent?
Verse 1 in this Psalm should be encouraging to each of us: "I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer." Do you have troubles in your life? Have you brought them to God in prayer? Will you? Will you allow him to answer your prayer?
Proverbs - Proverbs 28:26 today teaches us: "Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe." This is a good reminder to seek wisdom continually in our lives. And not just to rely on our own senses. Where can we find wisdom in our lives? Do you believe reading the Bible each day will bring wisdom into your life? Actually, let me go off on a slight tangent here, but I think it's related. A while ago Dennis Prager had a call from a Christian guy on his radio show. (Dennis is Jewish) They were debating a subject and Dennis asked the caller where he gets his morals from - from his heart or from a religious text? (obviously inferring the Bible) The caller said he gets his morals from his heart. Which sounds like a good answer on the surface... but look at this Proverb again - "trusting oneself is foolish." And remember Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" This was a very powerful question I think Dennis asked the caller. And Dennis challenged the caller on the answer of saying he got his morals from his heart. Dennis' point was that our morals should come from the Bible - from God. What do you think on this point? Where do your morals come from? I do think that obviously we want to incorporate God's morals into our hearts... but will our morals first come from our hearts or from the Bible? I'm with Dennis. I'm voting for the Bible as being the source of our morals. And I'll go one step further - I'm voting for Jesus, who is the Bible made flesh.
YouTube - Today's readings in First John remind me of Addison Road's song "Hope Now:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPCYpwJee7w
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week:"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." First John 4:10 (NIV)
Comments from you - 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
Mike
