Day 252 Bible Readings – Psalm 131: 1-2 (ESV)

Isaiah 20-23, 2 Corinthians 11: 1-15, Psalm 131

Psalm 131: 1-2 (ESV)

“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

Verses 1 and 2 from Psalm 131 spoke to me today. In this psalm David renounces not only his pride and arrogance, but his ambition. David also says he has calmed his soul and is content with God and his plan and feels like a child who had been weaned from its mother. I feel that Holy Spirit has been convicting me this past week of wanting to be recognized and praised, instead of having a humble attitude of being called to serve God. God has given me gifts, and there is a part of me that constantly wants to be recognized and praised for those gifts. I found myself fantasizing this week of being recognized for my gifts and having Holy Spirit at the same time, telling me that I was indulging in the sin of pride. God is the source of all gifts, and he gives them to us to fulfill his plans on earth. I struggled all week with my ego fighting the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and it made for a very stressful week. My pride also made me realize I was trying to be somebody who I am not, which is a boastful and ambitious person.

When I read psalm 131, it gave me great comfort to know that David had the same struggles and I need to adopt how he calmed and quieted his soul. God is the source of everything in our lives, and if we remember that and not get caught up in pride or ambition, we will have a greater sense of peace within ourselves.

Day 251 Bible Readings – 2 Corinthians 10: 4-6 (ESV)

Isaiah 17-19, 2 Corinthians 10, Psalm 130

2 Corinthians 10: 4-6 (ESV)

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Verses 4 through 6 from 2 Corinthians 10 shows Paul reminding the Church of Corinth that we are always in a spiritual battle, and that we always have help from God. God gives us power to destroy the strongholds in our mind, which are the thoughts and perceptions that are against God or that tell us that God is not real. God helps to us to destroy the arguments and opinions that we have, by examining them and realizing that they are false. When we give us these false thoughts and perceptions, what will be left is only those thoughts that are obedient to God. When we find these strongholds within our mind, we must discipline our minds and repent for having these thoughts. When we have repented, our obedience to God will be complete.

I know for myself that I often forget that the hardest spiritual battle in my life is the one with my own mind. I fight with my own doubts about God – doubts that he hears me, doubts that my prayers will be answered, doubts about faith that I have, doubts about everything in my life. The battle is daily, sometime hourly if I am in a particularly difficult season in my life. The only way I am able to win my spiritual battle is because I have help from the Holy Spirit. I know I cannot do it on my own. I’ve tried, but the doubts are strong and indeed like mighty fortresses that seem to rebuild themselves as soon as they are taken down. But with God’s help, I have the strength to combat my own doubts and win the daily battle with my mind.

Day 250 Bible Readings – 2 Corinthians 9: 6-7 (ESV)

Isaiah 14-16, 2 Corinthians 9, Psalm 129

2 Corinthians 9: 6-7 (ESV)

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Verses 6 through 7 from 2 Corinthians 7 is Paul telling the Church of Corinth that when we give, we must give freely and not out of reluctance or compulsion. You cannot give in order to get something back, but to give because God wants us to give. Paul also tells us God wants us to give generously as much as we can, because someone who gives generously will receive many blessings materially and spiritually.

I think these verses also apples not only to money, but to giving of any kind. If we give our time, we must do so without reluctance or because we feel obligated to give our time. I think back to all the times when I gave of my time and was complaining the whole time. Those experiences were not fun for me because I didn’t want to give my time, but I felt obligated to volunteer my time to sometimes look good or because I felt it was my duty. I didn’t give cheerfully or out of generosity. Those experiences were miserable for me. I sowed sparingly and barely got anything back. It is better to give because you want to give, because you feel it in your heart to give, and you do not expect to get anything back. This attitude in giving will grant us the greatest gifts from God material and spiritually.

Day 249 Bible Readings – Isaiah 11: 6-9 (ESV)

Isaiah 11-13, 2 Corinthians 8: 16-24, Psalm 128

Isaiah 11: 6-9 (ESV)

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

I like verses 6 through 9 from Isaiah 11 which shows a future world where God reigns supreme on earth and we have peace on earth. The prophet Isaiah saw natural predators and prey together living in harmony with a child leading them. That child is the baby Jesus, who will come later as the Messiah. Everyone in this future world has knowledge of God including all the animals. Isaiah shows us an ideal world where there is no violence, not even the natural violence of a predator animal eating other animals for food. These verses remind me a painting I saw at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC by Edward Hicks called “Peaceable Kingdom”. But I’ve seen other paintings as well depicting these verses. You can find it here - Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks.

Is it possible that we will someday see our world with less polarity and less violence? Can places where there has been historical conflict like the Middle East be at peace? I pray every day that this world of peace manifests in our world.