July 28 2009

July 28, 2009

Lord God, I ask that today I be a fitting vessel for your glory. I have no hope in this world, except what you give to me. Hold me closely to your side. I ask that you protect my family, and look after those who trust in you. Especially, Lord God, I ask that you strengthen the members of the family of faith that face death for their commitment. May the Christians in North Korea be strengthened by you. And let us not forget them.

Proverbs 28:6 → Yet who do we have running our government(at all times, not just now)?

Proverbs 28:7 → Not a discerning son pleases his father, but keeps the law. The best way for children to act is in obedience to Christ. Fathers have to learn to be pleased with that behavior.

Proverbs 28:8 → Excessive interest is a passive way to make money off the work of others. There's value in work, and to simply profit always from others' work is not the wisdom God sends.

Proverbs 28:9 → There are some people that should not pray. Why offer a detestable prayer? Better to turn your ear to listen, to hear what God has said in his word. Then to offer that prayer. And side note: when planning 'public' prayer occasions, keep this mind. It's often the greatest 'earthly measure' person who is leading it, yet does this person listen to God's Word?

Proverbs 28:12 → Run away! This is another Biblical reason to homeschool---yes, we are hiding ourselves, because when you look at who runs government schools, it's time for people to hide themselves. And their children.

Proverbs 28:14 → There's a place for reverence, for some of the formalistic traditions of worshiping God. Whether it's the music, the structure, the dress, they reflect our attitudes. A heart hardened against reverence will lead to trouble.

Proverbs 28:16 → Good thoughts, whether church leader, business leader, government leader.

Proverbs 28:17 → Besides, Sam Gerrard will catch him. But, if it really was the one-armed man, it'll be okay. Also, don't provide continual aid to those who reject God and carry the bloodguilt of their sin. They'll never be at rest, and they'll never face the consequences.

Proverbs 28:19 → Do the work you have available, don't spend all your time daydreaming. Or on get-rich-quick schemes. To spend all of your work time chasing fantastic ideas leads you to poverty. Chase them when you can, but don't neglect what you've got to do.

Proverbs 28:24 → Honor your parents. It's as great a sin to rob your parents, whether of dignity or respect, as any other sin.

Proverbs 28:28 → People hide, rather than rise up? I wonder why...interesting that here and v. 12 show the righteous hiding when the wicked rule. Proverbs 28:2 shows rebellion as a bad thing, uncategorically. How do we reconcile that?

Psalm 119:129-136 → Do we seek the unfolding of God's words to have light? Are we troubled over the lack of keeping of His word? It seems that a great many times, I'm more concerned that I have violated the dictates of man than I am concerned about the dictates of God. Likewise as a body, do we concern ourselves more for our failure to do His work or for our fitting-in with society?

Establish my footsteps (Psalm 119:133) God, I ask that you give me stability in my obedience, as I seek to walk in the path your word has given.

If I ever find myself in Michigan, I'm going to Kevin DeYoung's church. Reading his book Why We Love the Church, that he wrote with Ted Kluck. Learning to be a little more patient with the structures and some of the things that seem like nonsense.

Revelation 20:2 → Need to remember, that even now, unbound, Satan is still a limited, finite created being. Many times I started to think like a dualist, that there are equal forces of good and evil in the universe. Not so. Evil is weaker, by more than a measurable amount.

James 2:1-4 → And suppose, brethren, that one comes among that carries an iPhone, and can tweet ideas in to the church staff and ask questions, while another comes in without digital service, and can only speak face-to-face. If you look with favor, and harken to the tweets of the first man, allowing him to virtually attend, though capable of physical attendance, if you listen to his questions and ideas, whilst shushing him that has no phone, have you not discriminated against the one? Are you not judging who is worthy to be a part of the service, and who must sit aside? I'm all for tech helping us when we fall short, but tech's no substitute for the real.

1 Peter 2:17 → Fear God, honor the king. Let's remember that one, shall we? I'll fear and worship God. I'll honor the President. But I didn't worship the last one, and I'll not fear this one. Or the next one. The phrase 'From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs' keeps coming up, even if just on right-wing blogs. Well, my ability to worship goes to my need to worship the one true God. Thankful to realize, though, that the people that thought President Obama was the Anti-Christ have got to be wrong. Really, who's going to buy Keith Olbermann as the false prophet? Who in their right, left, or centrist mind? Come on, now.

Our efforts should be in honoring all people, by loving them enough to share the truth with them of God's love and Christ's sacrifice. Love the brotherhood, that's the family of faith, the Church, your church. No one who abandons the family is showing that love. Does the family have issues? Sure. Some of us younger siblings get grouchy with our older siblings, but all those who follow Christ and trust in Him are the family.

Psalm 143:1 → Thankfully, He answers according to His righteousness and faithfulness. Lord God, let me live with those qualities in my heart today, not my own!