Day 299 Bible Readings – Proverbs 9: 11-12 (ESV)

Jeremiah 52, Titus 1, Proverbs 9: 1-12

Proverbs 9: 11-12 (ESV)

“For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.”

In verses 11 and 12 from Proverbs 9, Solomon talks about the benefits of having wisdom which is provided by God. Solomon says if have wisdom, you will live longer. Who doesn’t want that? Solomon also says if you are wise, be wise for the benefit of yourself. Conversely if you ignore wisdom and scoff at it, you will also bear the consequences of ignoring wisdom.

I love these verses. I do believe that if you follow the wisdom of God, you will live a longer life because God’s advice will help you to avoid the pitfalls of life. I don’t think that God is saying you won’t have trials and tribulations in life, because you will. You cannot escape the trials of life. But if you follow the wisdom of God, you will learn to avoid the things in life that could harm you. I also like what Solomon said about wanting wisdom for yourself. Yes, others may benefit, but you are the main person who will benefit from wisdom. And if you scoff at wisdom and don’t follow it, you are the only one who will suffer the consequences of your actions. Don’t follow wisdom for anyone’s benefit but your own. And if you decide not to follow wisdom thinking you will get back at someone or harm them, you are wrong. The only person you are hurting is yourself.

Day 298 Bible Readings – Jeremiah 51: 20-23 (ESV)

Jeremiah 51: 15-64, 2 Timothy 4, Proverbs 8: 32-36

Jeremiah 51: 20-23 (ESV)

“You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms; with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer; with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman; with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.”

In verses 20 through 23 from Jeremiah 51, the prophet Jeremiah talks about the power of God and his ability to use us in his plan for the world. If you doubt the power of God and how he uses people in his plan, these verses remind from Jeremiah remind us of God’s power. Jeremiah also reminds us that God can use anyone in his plan. These verses also remind us that God can anyone to not only destroy nations and kingdoms, but ordinary people as well. In these verses, Jeremiah says that God can use individuals for judgement against his enemies, but God can also use us in other ways as well. We just need to remember that when we hear the God or the Holy Spirit telling us what to do, we need to listen and make sure we have discernment with what we are hearing. And when our discernment is clear, we need to obey what we are being told even though it might not make sense to us at the time. God has a plan and can see the big picture that we cannot, so we need to have trust in God fully that what he is telling us is part of his plan.

Day 297 Bible Readings – 2 Timothy 3: 12-13 (ESV)

Jeremiah 50: 11-46, Jeremiah 51: 1-14, 2 Timothy 3, Proverbs 8: 22-31

2 Timothy 3: 12-13 (ESV)

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Verses 12 and 13 from 2 Timothy 3 shows Paul telling Timothy about what could happen in perilous times. Paul was very prophetic, and he could be talking about what is going on in our world today. People who believe in God and/or profess to believe in God are still getting persecuted. Christians in the United States are getting cancelled and/or ridiculed in the media and social media. Hollywood has often portrayed people of faith in movies as horrible and prejudiced people. Paul also wrote how evil people will go from bad to worse. We are seeing more crime being reported and levels of human trafficking not seen in a long time It’s a wonder that some people think we are in the end times. Are we in the end times? I don’t know. But the signs are definitely there that Paul told Timothy to be aware of so he could be on his guard. We need to also be on our guard as well. We may not be in end times, but the signs are certainly there.

Day 296 Bible Readings – 2 Timothy 2: 22-23 (ESV)

Jeremiah 49: 7-39, Jeremiah 50: 1-10, 2 Timothy 2, Proverbs 8: 12-21

2 Timothy 2: 22-23 (ESV)

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.”

Paul gives great advice to Timothy in verses 22 and 23 from 2 Timothy 2 on how to cleanse himself. Paul first tells Timothy to cleanse himself of bad things such youthful passions. I’ve discovered this is such great advice because I have lately become aware of how childish I am about eating. I eat like a child, meaning I eat what I want when I want. I eat with the passion of a child instead of the thoughtfulness of an adult, whose body is growing older and has different needs. But then Paul says you cannot just give up bad things because it creates a vacuum in in your life. You must fill that vacuum with the pursuit of good things like righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Then Paul also says you need to make you apply these pursuits to your relationships with people, and make sure your relationship is right with people. Paul then says we also need to put aside anything that creates quarrels with others. This makes so much sense if we want a peaceful life – why live a life full of unnecessary contention with others? We must rid ourselves of anything that could distract us from our relationship with God and his plan for us.