Day 303 Bible Readings – Proverbs 10: 22 (ESV)

Lamentations 3: 40-66, Lamentations 4-5, Hebrews 1, Proverbs 10: 21-30

Proverbs 10: 22 (ESV)

“The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”

I like verse 22 from Proverbs 10. Solomon tells us when you have the blessing of the Lord and it brings you wealth, no sorrow comes with it. I think this happens because it means you have discerned the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and you have followed God’s plan for you and your life. The Bible tells us that God wants the people who have faith in him to have a life of abundance, and when you follow his guidance abundance will come to you. I know for myself that it is so hard to sometimes follow God’s guidance because it seems so contrary to what I thought was right for my life. But God had a plan and when I followed what he wanted even though I was full of skepticism, my life turned out better and I became more abundant. And when I didn’t, my life went sideways. So now I try to follow God’s advice, even though it’s not always easy and sometimes I am kicking and screaming and gritting my teeth as I do what God asks me to do. But I know if I don’t, then I will have sorrow in my life.

Day 302 Bible Readings – Lamentations 3: 26-29 (ESV)

Lamentations 2: 7-27, Lamentations 3: 1-39, Philemon 1, Proverbs 10: 11-20

Lamentations 3: 26-29 (ESV)

“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope;”

Verses 26 through 29 from Lamentations 3 appealed to me when I read through the commentaries for these verses. The prophet Jeremiah found hope in remembering the faithfulness of God even in a season of trouble and affliction. Even when you are in despair, Jeremiah says you can sit quietly and find hope in the faithfulness of God. Pastor David Guzik in his commentary wrote, “Under adversity, it is best to not try and figure everything out right away. These are good times for reflection (sit alone) and listening rather than speaking. In this patient seeking of God, there is reason for hope.”

I know for myself I hate waiting, even for God. I want everything done right away, and when I have to wait I always think that I did something wrong which caused the delay. But I am learning that God is waiting to see what my response is to a season of trouble. Do I turn to God or away from him? Can I wait patiently for God and try to discern what his plan is for my next steps? Or do I give up and want to do things my own way because God hasn’t answered me? I know God is teaching me to live in the present during such times; to take everything one day at a time so I can discern his plan for my life. The waiting is hard, but I know God is patient with me and I am learning to reflect on all the good things God has done for in the past to keep my home on his faithfulness.

Day 301 Bible Reading – Titus 3: 9 (ESV)

Lamentations 1, Lamentations 2: 1-6, Titus 3, Proverbs 10: 1-10

Titus 3: 9 (ESV)

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”

Verse 9 from Paul’s letter to Titus (Titus 3) really stood out to me today. Paul tells Titus and the Church on Crete to not argue about things that don’t matter, which he says are “foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law.” Paul even reminds us that they are “unprofitable and worthless.”  I do like to argue sometimes, but I try not to argue about things that don’t really matter. A mentor at work once told me, “Pick your battles wisely because you will exhaust yourself fighting every battle.” It takes a lot of energy to argue and sometimes arguments cause bad feelings in people, even if it’s a friendly argument. I’ve had the experience where I’ve said something in the heat of an argument, and once it was out of my mouth it was difficult to undo the hurt that my words caused. I now try to only argue or fight for something that I am very passionate about, and with someone whom I know will listen to me. I don’t argue with people whom I know are not open to changing their mind. I also try to take the attitude that if I lose the fight and cannot get my way, I won’t hold it against the other person. I think we need to have the attitude that we are okay to disagree about things, and not break friendships over it. I want all my energy devoted to God, reading his word, and doing good works. I don’t want my energy to go to meaningless arguments with people. Peace in my life is so much important than having a life of contention.

Day 300 Bible Readings – Titus 2: 7-8 (ESV)

Habakkuk 1-2, Habakkuk 3: 1-19, Titus 2, Proverbs 9: 13-18

Titus 2: 7-8 (ESV)

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

In verses 7 and 8 in Titus 2, Paul tells Titus and the Christians in Crete how to be a good example to people of faith. Paul says to be a model and an example to people of good works. You need to show you are living like Christ and obeying the law, and not just talk about it. Paul also tells Titus that needed to have a good understanding of God’s words, so whatever you say cannot be questioned. Anyone who questions you will be ashamed because they will have nothing bad to say about you.

Paul’s advice to Titus also applies to people of faith as well. We need to be example of someone who follows Christ by our actions. We might not teach but we need to make sure that if we want to talk about God to other people, we need to have a good understanding of God’s words. We each have our own interpretation of God’s words according to our level of maturity, but as long as our logic is sound our critics will have nothing bad to say about us. God doesn’t want our perfection, but he does want our love for him and our love for his words.