Category: Year B

Proverbs 1:1-7

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            One of the best aspirations for the New Year is the pursuit and accumulation of wisdom.  This is what the book of Proverbs is all about.  Specifically, to have wise dealings is to grow in three related yet distinct areas:  righteousness; justice; and, equity.
             Righteousness or righteous living is a relational term in Scripture.  It means to have right relationships with both God and other people.  In other words, righteousness is to experience peaceful and fruitful relations.  Concerning God, it is to know the wonderful freedom and joy of an unhindered relationship through Jesus Christ in dependence upon the Holy Spirit.  When it comes to fellow human relations, a person characterized by righteousness does not, for example, let the sun go down on his/her anger.  It is to know peace and to be a peacemaker so that relationships do not remain strained but enjoy harmony.
             Justice is a related term to righteousness.  We might tend toward primarily understanding justice as a punitive act.  It certainly is part of the term; God responds and acts in justice toward those who withhold righteousness and love through uncaring or evil events.  But justice is mostly concerned with providing a person with basic needs of life.  So, for example, if someone is hungry and needs food, or does not have clean water to drink, it is a just act for us to provide those necessities of life.  God is deeply concerned for justice, and he expects his people to act in this same manner.
             Equity binds righteousness and peace together by not being prejudice toward relationships and needs.  It means to not show favoritism.  Therefore, if we are righteous and just only toward people we like but ignore others in need, there is no equity.  To give our love and service to all without strings attached or without being concerned to get paid back is the practice of equality.
             To live in these ways of righteousness, justice, and equity is to be wise in our dealings.  A good place to start in pursuing these biblical virtues is to ask God to open our eyes to those within our sphere of influence in which we can demonstrate such wise living; and, then, follow through with loving those persons in which God brings into our lives.
             Righteous God, help me to grow in wisdom.  Teach me your ways.  Since you are a just God who shows no favoritism, lead me into being just like you in my dealings with others with Jesus as my example in the strength of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Psalm 8

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
As we embark on yet another new year, Psalm 8 helps to remind us of who we are and the possibilities that exist for the future.  This little psalm grounds us in reality by dealing with the ultimate questions of our existence:  Who am I?  Why do I exist?  What is the purpose of my life? 
 
            Living on such a big planet actually makes some people feel quite small and wondering how they fit in.  With such a large universe we may ask along with psalmist, “What is man that you are mindful of him?”  This question forms the center of the psalm.  Hebrew poetry is typically set up to have the front and the end of the poem point to the middle as its main focus.  That is, the psalmist purposely wrote this psalm so we would consider this great question of what God thinks of humanity within the scope of this very large universe.
 
            Out of the billions of galaxies in the universe, what is the planet Earth that God should care about it?  On our planet there are billions of creatures.  Yet out of all of those bugs, animals, fish, and birds, God has a special relationship with us, humanity, and cares for us deeply.  We know that God cares for us, according to this psalm, because he has entrusted us with the responsibility to care for creation.  We are the only creatures who have the charge to steward all that God has created.  To put it another way, we, as people created in the image of God, have a job that is befitting of a king, and it is not just a duty for us, but a delight.
 
Only we as people have the self-awareness and perspective of the world that is needed to govern the world.  So, then, we can only find our true purpose and belonging in the stewardship of creation.  Caregiving is actually at the heart of being a person.
 
            So, in this next year we have the possibilities of engaging in good stewardship of all that God has given us.  We have the opportunity to use our words in ways that care for others and build them up, rather than saying uncaring things that are not helpful.  We have the chance to be attentive to all the little things of life, whether gardening, building a bird house, working with diligence and care at our jobs, or keeping our community clean and its citizens healthy and happy, it is all important and has a significant place in God’s wondrous world.
            Let us, then, continually improve what we do, no matter what it is, so that it befits us as God’s people crowned with honor.  May this year be one of joy and contentment in knowing the majesty that you share with God as a human being in his wondrous world.  

1 Kings 3:5-14

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Solomon was a very wise king.  In this Old Testament lesson for today we understand the reason for this.  At the outset of his reign Solomon could have asked for anything from God; he might have chosen to focus on the perquisites or the power of kingship.  But instead Solomon asked for wisdom, and this pleased God.  “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this, your great people?”  This was Solomon’s prayer, and all these millennia later he still has the reputation of being the wisest king that ever lived.
 
            As a pastor, I think there is no greater prayer I could pray than this.  Rather than choosing to focus prayers and ministry on bigger budgets, more attendance, and adding on building space, I can make the choice to pray for wisdom.  Solomon’s request was borne out of a clear realization of who God is (the One who shows steadfast love) and who he himself is (“I am but like a little child”).  God’s greatness and Solomon’s humility collided in a wonderful prayer for discernment to carry out God’s will on earth.
 
            In this time of year in which it is vogue to make New Year’s resolutions based upon the individual’s willpower, let us take a different approach.  Let us pray and invite God to do the kind of deep change in our lives that is needed in order to live well and do God’s will.  May we pray for discernment to serve well, and ask for wisdom to be good stewards of our callings from God.
            O LORD, my God, give me a mind and heart of wisdom so that I might rightly discern good and evil, right and wrong, and the best decisions to made in every situation.  I choose to walk in your ways to the glory of Jesus Christ through the power of your Spirit.  Amen.

Proverbs 9:1-12

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Wisdom personified is portrayed in this chapter of Proverbs as calling out to us as people.  Wisdom’s message is a passionate appeal to take the path of insight through God’s revealed will.  “Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”  Wisdom in Scripture is the ability to apply God’s Word to concrete situations in our lives.  In our day to day lives, choosing to listen to wisdom and follow her instructions is vital to experiencing success in the Christian walk.
 
            The fact of the matter for too many people is this:  we are too impatient to let wisdom teach us her ways.  Idolatry and running after other gods often results from the inability to wait on the lessons that wisdom wants to impart.  Wisdom is not something that is gained quickly; her teachings must be learned slowly with careful application over time.  We are much too prone to finding simple solutions to complex problems.  But wisdom calls us to leave such simplistic thinking and take the high road.
 
            Rather than rush to Google for answers to our questions; instead of allowing another person to make decisions for us; in place of implementing sheer pragmatic plans, allow wisdom to penetrate the mind and heart so that what comes out is thoroughly godly and biblical.  Where is the place to start?  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”  There is no substitute to committing oneself to the regular and daily regimen of reading God’s Holy Word, and seeking to put it into practice.
            All-Wise God, the One who is never in a hurry, create in me a wise mind and heart.  Help me to sit still long enough for wisdom to bring biblical and spiritual maturity to my life, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.