2 Corinthians 8

WEEK   12                                       2 Corinthians 8

THURSDAY  Reflections

"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have" (2 Corinthians 8:12)

 

It isn't the amount you give; it’s willingness. If you don't have a lot, give your 10% even if it's only $5. According to God, you have given more than a person who has given a million but has only given 5%.  What matters to God is never the amount but the heart, the willingness. Remember, the widow who Jesus said gave more, though all she gave was the minimum (Mark 12:43).

 

A Warning: Often, especially in affluent societies, it is easy to think you have less than you really do. The statistics say that even the poor in the West are richer than most of the rest of the world. Paul was amazed at the giving of the poor in Macedonia and praised them. He didn't refuse to let them give because they were poor but reminded the rich that they could do so much better.

 

2Co 8:1-24
(1)  Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
(2)  How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
(3)  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
(4)  Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
(5)  And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
(6)  Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.
(7)  Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
(8)  I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
(9)  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
(10)  And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
(11)  Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
(12)  For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
(13)  For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
(14)  But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
(15)  As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
(16)  But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.
(17)  For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.
(18)  And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;
(19)  And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:
(20)  Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:
(21)  Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
(22)  And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you.
(23)  Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.
(24)  Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.

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Psalm 104

WEEK 12                                         Psalms 104

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

This psalm sings of God, the creator and maintainer of the world. The poetry of the created world and God the supplier is refreshing compared to some of the other psalms. As the psalm ends, the writer says his meditations of God are sweet. When we see God as creator and sustainer of the universe, then our meditations are sweet. When we get distracted by the wrong in the world or in us, our meditations are not all they should be. 

Psa 104:1-35
(1)  Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
(2)  Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
(3)  Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
(4)  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
(5)  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
(6)  Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
(7)  At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
(8)  They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
(9)  Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
(10)  He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
(11)  They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
(12)  By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
(13)  He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
(14)  He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
(15)  And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
(16)  The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
(17)  Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
(18)  The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
(19)  He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
(20)  Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
(21)  The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
(22)  The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
(23)  Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
(24)  O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
(25)  So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
(26)  There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
(27)  These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
(28)  That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
(29)  Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
(30)  Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
(31)  The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
(32)  He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
(33)  I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
(34)  My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
(35)  Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

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Zephaniah 2

Not a car...

WEEK  12                                          Zephaniah 2

TUESDAY  Reflections

If I were going to create a meme for this chapter, it would be the picture of Oprah Winfrey when she famously pointed out to the audience and said, "You get a car, you get a car, everyone gets a car." Of course, as in the world of memes, it would instead say, "You get destroyed, you get destroyed, everyone gets destroyed." Unlike Oprah's audience, I don't think Zephaniah's audience was even close to being happy. Yet this was God's message.

 

The only hope in this message was to those few who were trying to obey God. Zephaniah's words were: keep serving God and trust that they will be okay. There was a promise for the remnant who survived that the nations of Philistia, Moab, and Ammon would belong to them, but they had to survive first.

 

God rarely promises everything will go perfectly for those who follow him. In the New Testament, Jesus' words are even less reassuring as he promises hardship for his followers. However, for those who do follow God, the rewards are worth the pain. 

Zep 2:1-15
(1)  Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
(2)  Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.
(3)  Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.
(4)  For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
(5)  Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
(6)  And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.
(7)  And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.
(8)  I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
(9)  Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
(10)  This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.
(11)  The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
(12)  Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
(13)  And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.
(14)  And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.
(15)  This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

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2 Kings 23

 WEEK   12                                              2 Kings 23

MONDAY  Reflections

Josiah grew up under some of the worst influences. Yet when he turned to God, he really did. What a testimony about Josiah is found in verse 25: "Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses." (NIV).  What a person and what a role model. He was good, but when he saw how far Judah was from God's standards, he went all out.

 

We see so much good in all that Josiah did, and then everything fell apart at his death. His children return to disobedience. Judah is made a vassal state to Egypt. It is very sad, but not as sad as where they ended up; I am loathed to leave Josiah. Yet, I'm inspired by his commitment.

2Ki 23:1-37
(1)  And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
(2)  And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
(3)  And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
(4)  And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
(5)  And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
(6)  And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
(7)  And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.
(8)  And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.
(9)  Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
(10)  And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
(11)  And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
(12)  And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
(13)  And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
(14)  And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
(15)  Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.
(16)  And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.
(17)  Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
(18)  And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
(19)  And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.
(20)  And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.
(21)  And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.
(22)  Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;
(23)  But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.
(24)  Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.
(25)  And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
(26)  Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.
(27)  And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.
(28)  Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
(29)  In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
(30)  And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.
(31)  Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
(32)  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
(33)  And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
(34)  And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.
(35)  And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh.
(36)  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
(37)  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

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Ezekiel 17

WEEK 11                                         Ezekiel 17

SATURDAY  Reflections

God uses a riddle to cause the people of Israel to think about themselves. God then explains it to them, and the consequences are that the king of Israel will break his vow. I notice here that God is using still another method to try and get Israel to listen to him. He has used word pictures, illustrations, models, live actions, and now a riddle to get Israel to think about what they have done. Why is God doing what He is doing? God is very versatile. I believe that because of His love, He is trying to reach the people with His message. 

So, what is the riddle of the eagle?

Eze 17:1-24
(1)  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2)  Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;
(3)  And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:
(4)  He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.
(5)  He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.
(6)  And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
(7)  There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.
(8)  It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
(9)  Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
(10)  Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
(11)  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(12)  Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;
(13)  And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
(14)  That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
(15)  But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?
(16)  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
(17)  Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
(18)  Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
(19)  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.
(20)  And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.
(21)  And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.
(22)  Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:
(23)  In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
(24)  And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

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Zephaniah 1

WEEK 11                                          Zephaniah 1

FRIDAY  Reflections

Zephaniah begins with the words that God is going to wipe out everything. This is a picture of how bad things are going to be. When God brings judgment on them, it is going to seem like everything is going to be wiped out (swept clean). A study of history shows this is what it was like to those living in the lands in and around Judah.

This first chapter lays out just how bad it is going to be.

Don't worry, this isn't the end of what God is doing, though those living through it may have thought so, which is the point. 

The Bible Project about Zephaniah: https://youtu.be/oFZknKPNvz8  

Zep 1:1-18
(1)  The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
(2)  I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
(3)  I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
(4)  I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
(5)  And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;
(6)  And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
(7)  Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
(8)  And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
(9)  In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
(10)  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.
(11)  Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
(12)  And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
(13)  Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
(14)  The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
(15)  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
(16)  A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
(17)  And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

(18)  Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

2 Corinthians 7

2 Corinthians 7

Week 11

Thursday 

Paul said, “Therefore, since we have these promises, … let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”  (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Golfer Ben Crane wrote that there are four top priorities to his life:  loving God, serving his family, honing his craft, and cultivating meaningful relationships.  Talking about how those priorities affect his life, he said:  “For me, I’ve learned that TV is something that just crushes my affections for the Lord.  So one of the biggest things for me is not watching very much TV and not getting engaged in too many sports.  Because when I spend too much time with those things, I start to care too much about them and I start to head in the wrong direction.”  (Ben Crane,  “Life in the Fairway”,  p. 72)

This reminds me of the fairly well-known Susanna Wesley quote (found in our 2013-2017  Manual  on p. 49):  “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over mind, that thing for you is sin.”

I know there are things I must avoid which others might not consider sin. For me, to be what God wants me to be, I have to avoid them. Are there things in your life you need to eliminate? 

Inspired by a note written by Dr. Gary Pate. 

2 Corinthians 7

1Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. 3I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you. 4Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

5For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 6Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more. 8For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. 9Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 12Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. 13Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. 14For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. 15And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. 16I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

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Psalms 103

WEEK  11                                           Psalm 103

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

There are two extremes in the Christian Faith when it comes to the benefits of being a believer. The first is that God will supply you with everything you want in this life if you are living right. The second is that all of the benefits of being a Christian come after you die. There are scriptures for both and life experiences to demonstrate both.  The great Wisdom literature in the Bible gives evidence for both points of view. The reason for both is that both are true. I would point out that, though there are benefits now, we are not guaranteed a life without trouble and sometimes a lot of trouble.

 

However, whatever way you lean it can’t be denied that God wants to bless His people and there are benefits to being a Christian. This takes us to the Scripture I am looking at today in Psalms 103:2: “forget not all His benefits.”

 

I believe the greatest challenges in the Christian faith come not from the trials we face but from our own forgetfulness. When we forget, we fail. When we remember, we succeed. This may seem an oversimplification, but the truth is still there. The Old Testament reminds us again and again that a generation rose up that “didn’t know…”; then they sinned.

 

To keep us from falling like them, all we need to do is to remind ourselves of God’s benefits/blessings. This can be done with mental review and with music. “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me; praise his holy name. . .”

So, are you singing?

Psa 103:1-22

(1)  A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

(2)  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

(3)  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

(4)  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

(5)  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

(6)  The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

(7)  He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

(8)  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

(9)  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

(10)  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

(11)  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

(12)  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

(13)  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

(14)  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

(15)  As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

(16)  For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

(17)  But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

(18)  To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

(19)  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

(20)  Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

(21)  Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

(22)  Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

Photo by Fabrizio Frigeni on Unsplash