FISHERMAN'S NET PUBLICATIONS CATALOG 1d


DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS

These meditations are dedicated to the memory of Shirley Stimpson
who patiently typed them into electronic script
before transferring to the Church of God in Glory

 Unit C

  Week 53   Sunday -- Read Isaiah 5:1-7

 When an owner of a vineyard invests a lot of time and money in a
 vineyard, it is reasonable to expect the vineyard to produce a
 superior harvest of grapes. Instead the owner of the vineyard in
 this parable in Isaiah was disappointed to that the harvest was a
 crop of wild grapes. What should the owner do to an unproductive
 vineyard? In today's venacular we could say he did not "throw good
 money after bad." He removed the protective hedge that was around
 the vineyard and allowed it to be trodden down and laid waste. In
 case there was any doubt who was being referred to in this parable,
 verse 7 makes it quite clear- "For the vineyard of the LORD of
 hosts is the house of Israel."
 
 This parable of the vineyard brings to mind similar passages in the
 New Testament. In Matthew 21:19-20 Jesus cursed the unproductive
 fig tree. He very likely was thinking of the passage in Isaiah when
 he did so. A fig tree is often used as a symbol of the nation of
 Israel. Jesus used such a symbol in a parable found in Luke 13:6-9.
 Paul also refered to an unproductive olive tree in Romans 11:1-25.
 He asked the question, "Hath God cast away his people?" He also
 warned gentiles- "if God spared not the natural branches, take heed
 lest he also spare not thee." A very important question was also
 asked in Isaiah, "What could have been done more to my vineyard?"
 Jesus answered this question. For a sucessful harvest the owner of
 the vineyard Himself must become the vine! "I am the true vine, and
 my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not
 fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he
 purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I
 in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
 in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine,
 ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
 bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a
 man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;
 and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
 burned." (John 15:1-6).

 Monday -- Read Mark 12:1-12
           
 Jesus often taught by using parables and quite often those parables
 were about planting vineyards. In today's scripture Jesus used the
 husbandmen instead of the vineyard to illustrate the evil. They beat
 and killed the servants and also killed the Master's son, thinking
 to steal the inheritance. In the parable of Isaiah the disobedient
 people were clearly named- the people of Israel.
 
 Our scripture tells us that the listeners knew the reason Jesus gave
 the parable- "for they knew that he had spoken the parable against
 them." They had wanted "to lay hold on him" but they feared His
 followers so "they left him, and went their way." But eventually
 this prophetic parable was fulfilled and Jesus was rejected by them
 and put to death on the cross.

 Tuesday -- Read Psalm 22:1-15

 Some Bible scholars claim that Jesus was deliberately quoting this
 Psalm of David when he cried out on the cross the same words found
 in verse 1. Jesus' purpose they reason was to identify with David's
 messianic prophecy. Others hold the view that Jesus' cry was out of
 a feeling of real rejection. It was the very moment that He took
 the sins of the world upon Himself and God the Father turned His
 back on those sins. 
 
 Many of the people standing near the cross took an entirely different
 view. They thought Jesus was calling to Elijah for help. Whatever
 reason Jesus had for such a cry, it certainly wasn't to seek Elijah's
 help. If Jesus had not been freely willing to die on the cross for us,
 the scripture tells us that He could have called upon "legions of
 angels" to help Him.

 Wednesday -- Read Matthew 23:34-39

 Wasn't the parable in Isaiah wasn't clear enough? Wasn't Jesus'
 parables clear enough either. Jesus could make it ever clearer-
 "behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes." It
 was Jesus, Himself who sent them! And not only did the people of
 the Old Testament kill the prophets that He sent, the people in
 Jesus' day also killed, crucifird and scourged right in their
 places of worship- in the synagogues! They were persecuted "from
 city to city."
 
 In case those words were still not clear enough, an actual example
 is given to them by Jesus- "the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias,
 whom ye slew between the temple and the altar" (verse 35). But even
 in the midst of this opposition and rejection, the love and concern
 of Jesus shines through in His plea- "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
 that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee,
 how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
 gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (verse 37).

 Thursday -- Read Hebrews 4:12-16

 In the earlier days of this week we have read how the word of God
 is "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword." The
 words written by the prophet Isaiah certainly mujst have pierced
 "even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit" the people of his
 day. The words of Jesus certainly were a "discerner of the thoughts
 and intents of the heart" of the people of that New Testament day.
 These words will also speak to us in our day.
 
 But these words also offer good news to all who hear and respond.
 Jesus is now interceeding for us. He now is our "great high priest."
 And He understands all our needs because He Himself "was in all
 points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." It is this wonderful
 assurance that allows us to come boldly to the throne of God's grace
 to "obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (verse 16).

 Friday -- Read Hebrews 5:5-10

 Do we become discouraged when we have to suffer? Does suffering that
 comes as a result of our sins and our disobedience teach us to be more
 obedient to the Lord? It may seem hard to believe that even Jesus, even
 though He was the Son of God, learned obedience by the things which he
 suffered. Note that since He was without sin what He suffered was not
 a result of His disobedience. (What He suffered was the result of OUR
 disobedience.)
 
 When the scripture says that Jesus was "being made perfect" it doesn't
 mean that Jesus was ever "imperfect." It's actual meaning is a follow
 through from the previous chapter. It was necessary for Jesus to
 personally experience the suffering that is caused by sin in order to
 truly serve as our high priest and become "the author of eternal
 salvation."

 Sabbath -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12

 The best prophetic description of the suffering and death of the
 Messiah is in Isaiah chapter 53. When Jesus was nailed to the cross
 He was clearly "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
 acquainted with grief." While Jesus hung on Calvary, He certainly
 bore "our griefs, and carried our sorrows." When He cried out from
 the cross He surely felt that He was "stricken, smitten of God, and
 afflicted."
 
 And it was all OUR fault! He was "wounded for OUR transgressions."
 He was "bruised for OUR iniquities." It was "the chastisement of OUR
 peace" that was poured on Him and it is with his stripes WE are
 healed." God certainly laid on Jesus the iniquity of every one of us.
 How deeply we should feel our debt and how strongly we should feel
 our gratitude.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

 Week 54    Sunday -- Read Exodus 12:1-14

 Our scripture for today is the introduction of a new covenant God is making
with the children of Israel as they are about to leave Egypt. Since it is to be
a new beginning for the people God announces a "beginning of months" and tells
them that this will now be the first month of of a new year for them. This new
covenant that God is making also will require a sacrificial lamb and that lamb
is to be "without blemish" and eated with unleavened bread. It is to be called
"the LORD'S passover" because when the Lord passes through the land of Egypt on
that particular night, the blood of that passover lamb will be "a token upon
their houses. The Lord declared, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you."
 
 What a vivid prediction of the Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who is without
blemish because He is sinless. Paul described Christ as the new passover who is
"sacrificed for us." Paul instructed the Christians in Corinth to continue the
observance of Passover but with new meanings for old symbols. The leavening is
to be a picture of "malice and wickedness" so that the new unleavened bread is
"sincerity and truth" (see 1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

Monday -- Read Psalm 116:12-19
           
 David asked an important question, "What shall I render unto the LORD for all
his benefits toward me?" The answer in the Old Testament would normally be that
an animal should be sacrificed to the Lord. But in this Psalm David gave a very
different reply to the question. He said that he would offer to the Lord "the
sacrifice of thanksgiving" (verse 17).
 
 This wasn't the only time David made such a different declaration. In Psalm 51
when David confessed his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and asked God to have
mercy on him and wash him throughly from his iniquity, he declared that God did
not desire sacrifice nor delighted in burnt offering, "else would I give it."
The sacrifices of God, David said are "a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite
heart" God would not despise (verse 17). David was not alone in declaring such
a different type of sacrifice was required. Micah also said, "He hath shewed
thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do
justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).

Tuesday -- Read Mark 14:12-25
           
 Just prior to Jesus' death on the cross, He observed one last Passover with
his disciples. The goodman of the house had the guestchamber furnished and
in a large upper room and the disciples made ready the passover meal. In the
evening Jesus and the twelve disciples sat down in the room and as they ate,
Jesus took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave to the disciples, and
said, "Take, eat: this is my body." Jesus also took the cup, and said to them,
"This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."
 
 Jesus changed an old covenant into the New Covenant. No longer would the blood
of a sacrificial animal represent God's covenant with man. A New Covenant has
now been made through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for our sins. 

Wednesday -- Read Jeremiah 31:27-34

 This new covenant that Jesus said He was making was already called by that
name by an Old Testament prophet. Jeremiah had predicted at a much earlier
time in Israel's history that God would make a New Covenant with them. This
new covenant would not be anything like the covenant that God made with the
people that were delivered from the land of Egypt because they were unable to
keep that covenant. This new covenant would be able to be kept.
 This time in the new covenant Jeremiah declared that God would have the law
written "in their inward parts." By writing His law in their hearts He would
truly be their God, and they also would truly be His people. In this covenant
it could truly be said that the people would all "Know the LORD ...from the
least of them unto the greatest of them" (verse 34).

Thursday -- Read 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

 Jesus gave an instruction to the disciples that was difficult to understand.
He told them "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood,
ye have no life in you" (see John 6:53). There are some denominations that
interpret the instruction of Jesus very literally and hold to the view that
the elements of the communion table actually become the very body and blood of
Christ. Paul advised the Christians in Corinth to "flee from idolatry" which
such a strong position on the elements can cause. 
 
 However Paul also told them that "the cup of blessing" is "the communion of
the blood of Christ" and the "bread which we break" is "the communion of the
body of Christ." Viewing the bread and cup as only symbols can be faulty by
allowing the elements to held in less respect. Paul made it very clear that
we "cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils" or
we will "provoke the Lord to jealousy." 

Friday -- Read John 13:3-15

 Another area in the communion service where Christians differ in how literal
the example of Christ should be taken is when Jesus washed the disciple's feet.
Jesus' statement, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye
also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye
should do as I have done to you" is taken by some as a universal command. 
 
 The lesson that Jesus is teaching is humility. Whatever our view, the lesson
can be missed. We may be too proud to follow Jesus' example literally or we may
take pride in the fact that we do literally follow His example.

Sabbath -- Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-26

 The communion service gives us the opportunity to meditate on the past, the
present and the future. The reference to the past is that the communion is 
held in remembrance of Jesus when His body was broken and His blood was shed
on that cross almost 2,000 yers ago. The present is the permission the passage
give that we can "eat this bread, and drink this cup" often.
 
 The future is found in the closing phrase "till he come." Jesus is coming a
second time. His first coming was to die on Calvary for our sins. His return
will be in all power and glory. Even so come Lord Jesus. Maranatha! 
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 55    Sunday -- Read Proverbs 8:1-11
    
    In our scripture for today, Solomon compared wisdom with a number of
other items that people value. "Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and
nothing you desire can compare with her" (8:10-11, NIV).

    Jesus may have had these words of Solomon in mind when He told the
parables of the hidden treasure and the precious pearls (Matt. 13:44-45). It's
worth giving up everything to obtain both the wisdom of God and the kingdom of
heaven.

Monday -- Read Proverbs 8:12-21
 
    Solomon also compared wisdom with precious commodities which are difficult
to obtain for anyone who is not wealthy. However, possession of riches is not
a requirement for obtaining wisdom. The only prerequisite to finding wisdom is
simply to seek it (8:17).

    This statement in Proverbs, as we have seen in Sunday's study, has a
familiar sound to it. Jesus also said, "Seek and you will find" (Matt. 7:7,
NIV). What is it that Jesus wants us to seek? "Seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness" (Matt. 6:33, NIV).
      
Tuesday -- Read Proverbs 8:22-31
    
    When did wisdom begin? "The Lord brought me forth as the first of his
works, ...I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world
began" (8:22-23, NIV). Wisdom was the "the craftsman at (God's) side" (8:30,
NIV).

    John wrote similar descriptions of Jesus as the Word of God: "He was with
God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing
was made that has been made" (John 1:2-3, NIV). Truly, the wisdom of God is
the Word of God and the knowledge of God.

Wednesday -- Read Proverbs 8:32-36

    What clearer declaration can be made to support the concept that the
wisdom of God, in the book of Proverbs, is the Word of God in the gospel of
John? Wisdom cried out, "Whoever finds me finds life" (3:35, NIV)

    Jesus made the same claim: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever rejects the Son will not see life" (John 3:36, NIV). John repeated
this view in his first epistle: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12, NIV). Let us find life,
by finding the Son of God, Jesus.

Thursday -- Read Psalm 14:1-7

    In the Civic Center in Denver, Colorado there is a monument which has the
Ten Commandments carved on it. An athiest orgnization has unsuccessfully tried
to have it removed. Now they are petitioning to have another monument erected
beside it with these words- "There is no God."

    I would be glad to see the complete verse quoted on such a monument- "The
fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." (verse 1). Perhaps the whole
Psalm could be included! The Lord must still be looking down from heaven to
see if there were any that seek Him.

Friday -- Read 1 Samuel 15:22-31

    We often think that the difference between the Old and New Testaments is
the sacrificial system. With the establishment of the New Covenant in Jesus'
blood, the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant were no longer acceptable.

    We should not overlook the fact that the Lord never "delighted" in burnt
offerings. His delight was in seeing loving, humble and obedient hearts. Even
when a person was disobedient, God looked for loving, humble repentant heart.

Sabbath -- Read Matthew 7:1-14

    Do we find it easier to find fault in others than in ourselves. Is it more
difficult to forgive others than to forgive our own mistakes? If so, Jesus said
we are being hypocrites! We should always put ourselves first when it comes to
correcting faults!

    Jesus gave a perfect summary to guide us in all of this, which has been
called "the Golden Rule." Why not start right now to treat other people the
way you would want to be treated.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 56   Sunday -- Read Proverbs 6:6-11

    In one of Aesop's Fables was a story that contrasted a grasshopper with an
ant. I am sure the story was inspired by this passage of scripture. There is
no denying the fact than ants are good illustrations of energetic enthusiasm.

    A person expects to lose one's possessions when robbed by a thief. However,
our scripture for today reminds us that it is just as easy to become poor as a
result of one's own laziness.

Monday -- Read Proverbs 10:4-5; 13:4; 15:19; 18:9

    In several passages we are repeatedly reminded that idleness is a clear
cause of poverty. And what could be worse than to sleep through the time of
harvest? 

    Two other descriptions of laziness are used that are quite illustrative.
Just as it is difficult to make progress when a pathway is blocked by thorns,
so, also, is slothfulness a hindrance. A lazy attitude is also a kin to a
wasteful attitude.

Tuesday -- Read Proverbs 12:24-28

    Although our theme for this week is the contrast between work and laziness,
today's scripture looks at other contrasts. Encouraging others will accomplish
much more than to cause heaviness of heart through discouragement.

    Wicked living may seem seductive to people but it is a very false illusion.
Righteousness is still the more excellent way to live. In fact, righteousness
is life (verse 28).

Wednesday -- Read Proverbs 20:4-11

    It doesn't take a lazy person much to come up with an excuse to not do any
work. In the early spring when the plowing needs to be done it can be "too cold
to work" so the plowing doesn't get done.

    A popular illustration for self-righteousness is when one "toots his own
horn." It is much more difficult to find a person who is truly faithful. And
only God can make a person's heart clean.

Thursday -- Read Proverbs 24:30-34

    A little neglect here. A little neglect there. One would think it would
not be noticeable. But in the end the "field of the slothful" ends up "all
grown over with thorns and nettles."

    Can we learn from this bad example? Solomon certainly hoped that we would.
He again reminded us that poverty will result from laziness just as sure as
being robbed by an armed bandit.

Friday -- Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

    Although the Apostle Paul could have expected financial support from the
churches he served, he wanted to set an example. He supported himself by the
manufacture and sale of tents which led to what we now call a "tent-making
ministry."

    Paul also pointed out that those who did not work were also the ones who
walked disorderly and were "busybodies." Paul's final exhortation to all- "be
not weary in well doing" (verse 13).

Sabbath -- Read 1 Corinthians 3:12-20

    Paul reminded us that there were different types of construction in a
person's life. A person can build with "gold, silver and precious stones," or
one can use "wood, hay and stubble."

    In the end, every person's work will be revealed by fire and the fire will
prove what type of work was done. But the good news of salvation is that even
if a person's work shall be burned and he suffers a loss, the person himself
"shall be saved" (verse 15).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 57    Sunday -- Read Proverbs 11:12-13; 12:18; 13:3; 15:1-2, 23, 28

    Have you ever heard the statement, "That was a very cutting remark."? We
often forget that emotional hurts that come from what we say can be harder to
heal than a physical wound made by a knife or sword.

    Even the New Testament scriptures contain numerous warnings against the
misuse of the tongue. One of the best known is James 3:5-8 "Even so the tongue
is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a
little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire... the tongue can no man tame;
it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

Monday -- Read Proverbs 16:24; 17:27-28; 21:23; 26:20-21, 28

    The tongue can be used for good as well as evil. And its proper use can
bring physical as well as emotional healing. Solomon pointed "pleasant words"
not only bring sweetness to the soul, but also "health to the bones."

    Much of the book of Proverbs is devoted to the contrast between wise and
foolish people. But in todays' scripture is special advise to help the foolish
person appear to be wise- "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted
wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."

Tuesday -- Read Matthew 5:33-37

    Jesus also had a lot to say about the use of the tongue. He taught that it
was wrong to use oaths to claim your statements were truthful. If you said,
"Yes" it should mean "Yes" and when you say "No" that should mean "No." It was
as simple as that! Anything more could produce evil.

    When we read Jesus' statement that a person should not even "swear by thy
head because thou canst not make one hair white or black" we are tempted to
say, "Today we can." Well not really if we look at the roots...

Wednesday -- Read Matthew 12:33-37

    An apple tree produces apples. A peach tree produces peaches. As Jesus
said, "the tree is known by his fruit." When people are so evil that Jesus
described them as a "generation of vipers," He pointed out that they "being
evil" could not speak good things.

    Jesus gave a stern warning them that we also should heed- "Every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day ofjudgment."
He aptly pointed out that it is our very words that will either justify us or
condemn us. Do we realize how important it is to watch what we say?

Thursday -- Read Colossians 4:2-6

     We often describe a person who uses strong language as having a "salty
tongue." When Paul said our speech whould be "seasoned with salt," that is
not what he meant.

     Paul is telling Christians they should speak gracefully and tastfully
just as salt seasons what one eats. In addition to how it is said, Christians
should also know how to give correct answers to the questions they are asked.

Friday -- Read Psalm 19:7-14

    How can we know what to say? What words can we use that will be "sweeter
than honeycombs" to the hearer? Here is good advice to follow: the Words of
the Lord fit that description. "More to be desired are they than gold, yea,
than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."

    The prayer of David should also become our prayer as well: "Let the words
of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O
LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Make this your personal prayer today and
every day.

Sabbath -- Read James 3:1-12

    Can a good tree produce bad fruit? Or can an evil tree produce good fruit?
"Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries?" Can a grapevine produce
figs? Can a fountain yield salt water and fresh at the same time? But a mouth
is different, out of the same mouth comes both blessings and curses. And James
laments that "these things ought not so to be."

    Can our tongues be controlled? Large ships can be directed by a small till
and large horses can be turned by a small bit in their mouths. The tongue is a
lot smaller by comparison but can be much harder to control. Let us endeavor
to use our tongues to "bless we God, even the Father" and remember when we are
tempted to "curse men" that mankind is "made after the similitude of God."
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 58   Sunday -- Read Proverbs 12:16; 14:17, 29; 15:28; 16:32

  Have you ever heard the saying, "Put your brain in gear before you put your
mouth in motion."? That may be a modern way to say what Solomon said a long
time ago.

  There can be no doubt, then as now, that it is very foolish for a person to
loose his temper and not take time to think over the consequences. It also may
be easier for a person to conquer a whole city than to control his anger.

Monday -- Read Proverbs 19:11; 22:24-25; 25:28; 27:4; 29:20, 22

   It certainly is easier to conquer a city when it hasn't any walls with
which to defend itself. The same is true concerning a person who has lost the
ability to control his temper. He is also without defence.

   It is also good advice not to befriend an angry person. It is too easy to
pick up his bad habits. Although Solomon had much to say against foolish
people, he felt that there was more hope for fools than there was for those
who are hasty with their words.

Tuesday -- Read Psalm 37:1-9

   This Psalm is full of good advice. Verse 3 reminds us to trust in the LORD,
verse 5 tells us to commit our ways unto the LORD, and verse 7 says to rest in
the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Like the meek, those that wait upon the
LORD shall inherit the earth (verse 9).

   One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 37:4. In it is found the
secret for receiving your heart's desire. If you delight in the Lord, the Lord
will be the desire of your heart!

Wednesday -- Read Matthew 5:21-26

    Jesus also had a lot to say about anger. In fact He pointed out that it
was directly connected to the act of murder. The Ten Commandments said "Thou
shalt not kill" and whoever committed murder was "in danger of the judgment."

    But Jesus declared that those who were angry with their brethren for no
reason were also "in danger of the judgment." Even if they called their brother
"Raca" or "Thou fool," they were in danger of hell fire.

Thursday -- Read Ephesians 4:25-32

    Here is a lot of valuable advice to follow- even if you have become angry
"let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Not only should you stop stealing,
you should work productively so you can help others in need.

    Instead of "corrupt communication" coming out of your mouths, you should
speak that which edifies and administers "grace unto the hearers." And the
best of all advice- do not do anything that would grieve the holy Spirit. Be
as forgiving to one another as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

Friday -- Read Colossians 3:5-17

    Baptism is the symbol that we have died to our old nature and have been
raised to a new life in Christ. We therefore should "mortify" our members just
as a mortician embalms a dead body.

    We well no longer experience anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of our mouths as well as lies when we have "put off the old
man" which was our old nature. Our new nature is made i God's image and will
reflect holiness, love, mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering, in short- the fruits of the Spirit. Whatever we do in word or
action, can then be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Sabbath -- Read James 1:12-21

    I would not have been surprised if Adam and Eve had said to God, "If you
did not put that tree in the garden, we would not have eaten its fruit." No
man can say when he is tempted, "I am tempted of God" becaause God Himself
cannot be tempted with evil, nor does he tempteth anyone.

    When a person is tempted, he is "drawn away of his own lust." And it is
that lustful desire that causes the sin. We only have ourselves to blame. The
good gifts and the perfect gifts are from above and come from God the Father.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

 Week 59   Sunday -- Read Proverbs 4:1-5; 6:20

    In Exodus 20:12 the fifth commandment says, "Honour thy father and thy
mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee." Solomon writes to us as if we are his children and reminds us to hear
his instruction as if he were our father.

    Solomon was inspired by the Lord to write the book of Proverbs. If our
hearts retain Solomon's inspired instructions, he has also promised us that we
will live (verse 4).

Monday -- Read Proverbs 10:1; 22:6; 30:17; 31:26-29

    Solomon reminds us that when a child is trained in the way he should go,
when he is old he will not turn from that training.  This brings to mind the
parable of the prodigal son, who eventually returned to his father "when he
came to his senses" (Luke 15:17, NIV).

    Today is a good day to pray for sons and daughters who have left God and
Christian homes.  Pray that they will remember their Christian training and
rekindle a close relationship with the Lord. A wise son will certainly make
his father glad.

Tuesday -- Read Psalm 128:1-6

    The Psalms also have a lot to say about families that fear the Lord. The
wife in this family is like a "fruitful vine" and the children are compared to
olive plants.

    Long life is again promised to such families. The father willl live to see
his "children's children." Peace is also promised throughout the land. With
such promises given, why is it so difficult for us to fear the Lord?

Wednesday -- Read Luke 2:39-52

    When Jesus came into this world as a child, He certainly set the example
as an obedient son. The Scripture tells us that "Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man" (verse 52).

    We must remember that Jesus knew that He had to be obedient to both His
earthly parents as well as His heavenly Father. When questioned by Mary, He
reminded  her that they should have known that He "must be about my Father's
business" (verse 49).

Thursday -- Read Proverbs 17:1-6

    The prodigal son in Jesus' parable probably remembered this passage from
Proverbs-  "A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and
shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren" (verse 2). When he did
finally come home he begged his father to let him be a servant in the home.

     The prodigal son's father also lived up to this passage in Proverbs. He
knew that a repentant son was his "crown" and his "glory."

Friday -- Read 1 Timothy 5:1-8
 
     Paul made at least two very important points in this passage of scripture.
Widows should use their time productively in prayer and supplication. They
should not waste time in sinful pleasure. (Good advice for all of us!)

     Paul also pointed out that although the whole church is to look after the
welfare of all its members, individual families still are responsible for their
own family members also. Neglect of your own family's welfare is a denial of
the Christian faith.

Sabbath -- Read Matthew 12:46-50

    Although we have been spending this week studying family relationships, we
need to remember what is a spiritual family. When Mary tried to interrupt Jesus
during His ministry, He had to rebuke her.

    Who are our brothers and sisters? Let us also stretch out our hands to the
Christians around us and proclaim in the words of Jesus, "For whosoever shall
do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and
sister" (verse 50).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 60  Sunday -- Read Jeremiah 18:1-11

 God often uses physical objects to express spiritual truths and the passage
of scripture for today's devotional study is no exception. Just as a potter
has comlete control over the clay that he molds, so God reminds us that He
also controls what comes into our lives.

 Perhaps part of your devotions today could be the singing or at least the
humming of this related chorus- "Spirit of the livng God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the livng God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use
me. Spirit of the livng God, fall afresh on me." May the Holy Spirit mold us
into vessels fit for the Heavenly Potter's use.

 Monday -- Read Jeremiah 19:1-9

 Although we began our devotional study this week by applying the scripture to
our personmal lives, the original application was to a whole nation of people.
God had Jeremiah prophesy to all of the house of Israel (Jeremiah 18:6).

 Today's scripture also brings out the scope of the prophecy in the element of
time in adition to space. God instructed Jeremiah to "...go forth unto the
valley of the son of Hinnom... Behold, I will bring evil upon this place..."
(verses 2-3). An element of this prophecy is still future. John in and the New
Testament declared, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth
...And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon"  (Revelation 16:15-16).

 Tuesday -- Read Jeremiah 19:10-15

 Jeremiah was instructed to give his prophetic illustration publicly- "Then
shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee" (verse
10). It was to be very clear that the destruction of both the clay bottle and
the breaking of the people was to be devastating. God said "Even so will I
break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that
cannot be made whole again" (verse 11).

 Why is this so necessary? God had already stated it in yesterday's scripture,
"Because they have forsaken me..." (verse 4). And He made it doubly clear in
the scripture for today- "Because they have hardened their necks, that they
might not hear my words" (verse 15). How much better it is to be on good terms
with God and experience His love rather than His judgement.

 Wednesday -- Read Jeremiah 20:1-6

 Instead of responding to Jeremiah's prophesy with repentance and humility, the
response was the opposite. They tried to change Jeremiah. Pashur was the son of
Immer the priest as well as chief governor in the house of the LORD (verse 1).
One would think a priest and governor would know better.

 When he heard what Jeremiah prophesied, he "smote Jeremiah the prophet, and
put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin" (verse 2). Would
this change Jeremiah and his message? Of course not! The next morning Pashu
brought Jeremiah out of the stocks probably hoping that after this overnight
experience, Jeremiah  would preach a softer message. Instead Jeremiah said to
Pashur, "The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib" (verse
3). Instead of being a terror to Jeremiah, the LORD said Pashur would become a
terror to himself and to all his friends" (verse 4).

 Thursday -- Read Jeremiah 20:7-18

 In yesterday's sripture Jeremiah not only prophesied against Pashur himself,
Jeremiah also quoted God as saying, "I will give all Judah into the hand of
the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall
slay them with the sword" (verse 4). But in our scripture for today, Jeremiah
complains to God about the prophesy, "O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was
deceived... I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I
cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a
reproach unto me, and a derision, daily" (verses 7-8).

 When what is predicted doesn't happen immediately, the messenger of God can
become discouraged and the evil ones around him can become more aggressive.
Let us not fall into the same trap of discourage in our day as we wait for the
return of the Lord. We will hear people saying "Where is the promise of his
coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were
from the beginning of the creation" (2 Peter 3:4). Let us remember these words
of Peter- "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night..." (2 Peter 3: 9-10a.)

 Friday -- Read Jeremiah 21:1-10

 Were the people finally listening to Jeremiah's message and turning to God in
remorse and repentence? On first reading It almost sounds like they are when
king Zedekiah sent Pashur to Jeremiah to "Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD
for us" (verse 2).

 But if forgiveness and deliverance is expected from the Lord, repentence must
be genuine. God doesn't forgive sins with repentence and He knew the people had
to go through captivity before they would truly turn to Him.That is why God
said, "I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth
in this city shall die... but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans
that besiege you, he shall live..." (verses 8-9). Let us remember that those
"whom the Lord loveth, He chaseneth."

 Sabbath -- Read Jeremiah 22:1-9

 As God often does with prophecies, He reiterated both a promise and a warning
through Jeremiah. The reference to "the throne of David" (verse 2) is a
prophetic reminder of the coming Messiah, Jesus, through Whom comes eternal
forgiveness and deliverance.

 But with the promise is this warning- "But if ye will not hear these words, I
swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation"
(verse 5). Yhe reference to "choice cedars" getting "cast into the fire" in
verse 7 is also a clear reminder of the final, eternal punishment of the
wicked.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 


   Week 61   Sunday -- Read Nehemiah 8:1-12

 At first reading two startling facts stand out- Ezra read from the book of the
law "from the morning until midday" (verse 3) and "the ears of all the people
were attentive unto the book of the law." These facts are not so surprising
when we realize that the people had not heard the Word of God for a very long
time. Do we who have innumerable copies of the Bible within easy reach find the
reading of God's Word of less interest?

 Another lesson of importance for us is found in verse 8: "So they read in the
book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to
understand the reading." Let us be sure when we read the Word of God that we
do not misinterpret the meaning for selfish, personal reasons.

 Monday -- Read Nehemiah 8:13-18

 The Lord's command to observe the feast of tabernacles is found in Leviticus
23:23-44. The children of Israel were specifically told to "dwell in booths
seven days... That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel
to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD
your God" (verses 42-43).

 The people of Ezra and Nehemiah's day were under deep conviction when they
realized how much their forefathers had sacrificed and how long the commands
of the Lord were neglected. They decided that they needed to start obeying the
Lord right where they were. Pray today that the reading of God's Word brings
the same conviction and resolve to us as well, both personally and as the
present day children of God.

 Tuesday -- Read Nehemiah 9:1-5

 Our scripture for today outlines a valuable "Order of Worship." We need to
start by confessing our sins (verse 2). We need to read the Word of God (verse
3a) which very likely will bring to mind more sins that need to be confessed
verse 3b).

 Having received the forgiveness of god for our confessed sins, we will surely
have the same reaction thses people did. Not only did they worship the LORD,
they began cry out to the Lord, "blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted
above all blessing and praise" (verses 4-5). If you know the chorus, "He is
Exalted, the Lord is Exalted" sing or humm that beautiful praise chorus today.

 Wednesday -- Read Nehemiah 9:6-15

 It is important to be reminded of all the blessings that the Lord has bestowed
upon His people. Go all the way back with Nehemiah and egin with creation- 
"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven... with all their host,
the earth, and all things that are therein... and thou preservest them all..."
(verse 6). Thank the Lord today for all that He has created.

 The Lord chose Abraham (verse 7) just as He has chosen you and I. May He find
our hearts faithful as well (verse 8). We also can have faith in knowing that
God will see our affliction and hear our cries as He "didst see the affliction
of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea" (verse 9). May
we heed the Lord when He speaks to us and shows us His "right judgments, and
true laws, good statutes and commandments" (verse 13).

 Thursday -- Read Nehemiah 9:16-25

 How often do we, like the people of Moses' day, harden our necks, and hearken
not to God's commandments, and refuse to obey the Lord (verses 16-17). Be very
thankful that God is still "a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow
to anger, and of great kindness" (verse 17).

 For forty years God sustained the disobedient children in the wilderness, so
that "they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled
not" (verse 21). The "children went in and possessed the land" and "delighted
themselves in thy great goodness" (verse 25). We have much more for which to
look toward. A new heaven and a new earth for all eternity. How much more we
need to show our gratitude to our merciful Heavenly Father! 

 Friday -- Read Nehemiah 9:26-37

 Nehemiah realized from past examples that lessons even when learned the hard
way can still be forgotten and had to be learned over and over again. Even when
they were forgiven "they were disobedient, and rebelled" again and again (verse
26). Again God delivered them "into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them:
and in the time of their trouble" they again cried to God and again God heard
them from heaven and according to God's "manifold mercies" He again gave them
"saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies" (verse 27).

 But "after they had rest, they did evil again" and God again put them "in the
hand of their enemies" (verse 28). What was Nehemiah's poinmt to all this?
"And because of all this we make a sure covenant" (verse 38). Well, Nehemiah,
the "sure covenant" is still in the future. Let us continue to ask forgiveness
and depend on a merciful Lord until the day He makes all things new.

 Sabbath -- Read Psalm 122:1-9

        The Jewish people still consider the city of Jerusalem very important
in the worship of God. They end the observance of Passover with the heartfelt
benediction. "Next year in Jerusalem. They also feel that the temple site in
Jerusalem is even more important because it was where God dwelt and the new
temple should be built on the exact same location. However, when David lived
in Israel, there was no temple in the city of Jerusalem. God would not allow
David to build it because he was man of war and had blood on his hands (1
Chronicles 28:3).
        The name, Jerusalem, means peace and our scripture tells us to pray
for the peace of Jerusalem.  The Jewish people recite it In the Hebrew this
way- "Sha'alu shalom Yerushalayeem (Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem)."  The
physical city of Jerusalem has seen very little peace, but Jesus has given us
a promised of peace which will culminate in a New Jerusalem that is quite
different from the world (John 14:7).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 62   Sunday Romans 12:9-21    Hate What is Evil; Hold Fast the Good

 America has taken pride in considering itself a pluralistic society. Lately
however the emphasis has been for its citizens to accept and even approve all
kinds of lifestyles. When Christians openly disagree with such reasoning, they
are told that they are hateful and bigoted and their position is not in keeping
with Jesus' attitude of loving sinners.

 The quotation from Jesus that is always ignored or overlooked is "Go and sin
no more." We need to somehow show the world that while we are called to love
sinners as Jesus did, we are still called to hate the sin. We must not be
overcome by the evil of the world, but instead "overcome evil with good."

 Monday Romans 13:1-7   Be Subject to the Governing Authorities

 Today's passage of scripture may have to be applied differently In each of
the  different countries of the world. In America there are constitutional
rights that can be claimed if we disagree with government fiats. Disagreement
in this way in another country might be considered "resisting the power." A
new law was recently passed giving even more protection to religious rights
in America. Verse 7 reminds us that even Jesus said to "Render therefore unto
Ceaser that which was Caeser's."

 The passage can also be contrasted with the disobedience of the first century
disciples when they were told not to preach Christ. Their reply was that they
had to obey God rather than man." There certainly can be times and places when
rulers are "a terror to good works."

  Tuesday Romans 13:8-14        Love Does No Wrong to a Neighbor

 Yesterday's scripture warned, "But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid"
(verse 4). That was because rulers, for the most part were "not a terror to
good works, but to the evil" (verse 3). But in contrast with inconsistent laws
that man passes, the laws of God are true. He that loveth another will always
fulfill the law of God.

 Love for one's neighbor will stop the lust of commiting adultery. Love for
one's neighbor will stop the urge to kill. Love for one's neighbor will stop
the desire to steal. Love for one's neighbor will stop a person from bearing
false witness. Love for one's neighbor will stop the mind from coveting. All
of this can only be done when we "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 14).

  Wednesday Psalm 15:1-5                     Walking Blamelessly

 When Jesus was asked what were the greatest commandments, He quoted from the
Old Testament. Loving one's neighbor was not a new concept being introduced in
the New Testament. Even David had much to say about the treatment of a person's
neighbor.

 David asked the LORD who would abide in His tabernacle and dwell in His holy
hill? God inspired him to write the answer- those who walked uprightly, worked
righteousness, spoke the truth and did not backbite with their tongue. They did
no evil to their neighbour, nor did they take up a reproach against neighbours.
These people certanly fulfilled the law of God in Old Testament times. Can we
do any less when we claim to be followers of Christ?

   Thursday 1 Peter 2:11-17   Accept the Authority of Every Human
                                                               Institution

 If we read the first part of the chapter of today's scripture we will discover
that we begin our Christian lives as "newborn babies" in Christ and need to
grow by being nourished with "spiritual milk" (2:2 NIV). We are to develop to
a maturity described as "a royal priesthood" (2:9).

 But even when we reach such maturity, we as Christians are expected to still
be subject to "every ordinance of man." Why would this be so? The answer is
quite clear: "for the Lord's sake." We should also remember that when we "do
well, and suffer for it" and do it with patience, "this is acceptable with God"
(verse 20) "because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that
ye should follow his steps" (verse 21). Have you suffered today for doing well
and did it with patience?

   Friday 2 Peter 1:2-11 Everything Needed for Life and Godliness

 Do you believe that God has given to you all the things that you need for
"life and godliness?" When we struggle every day with temptations to sin this
can seem very difficult to believe. These "great and precious promises" are
given by God for an even more incredible reason: that we "might be partakers
of the divine nature." Just think, mortal humanity being able to share in
God's own divine nature!

 Can we follow these steps given by Peter? Beginning with faith, then virtue,
knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. We
certainly can't do these things by ourselves. We need to depend on the power
of the Holy Spirit.

   Sabbath Romans 12:1-8   A Living Sacrifice...Spiritual Worship
 
 In the pagan world, human sacrifices were made to appease the gods. It was a
requirement to gain some kind of salvation. In contrast, true salvation is
obtained through the grace and mercy of God who gave His own Son to redeem us.

 If we follow today's scripture and make a "sacrifice" to our God, it is not
to obtain our salvation.  It is done in gratitude for the salvation already
received. In addition, we do not sacrifice by putting a human being to death.
Ours is a  "living sacrifice," made by giving our life to Christ, and living
our new life in Christ.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 63   Sunday 1 Corinthians 11:17-22    For the Better, Not For Worse

 How are we to interpret today's scriptural instructions in light of our 20th
Century practices? In the earlier part of this chapter Paul told the Christians
in Corinth that when a man prayed or prophesied with his head covered, he
"dishonoureth his head." But when a woman prayed or prophesied with her head
uncovered, she dishonoured her head. Then in verse 14 Paul said that even
nature itself teaches that if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto him.

 The Corinthian Church was known to be a contentious church and Paul, seemingly
with tongue in cheek pointed out that "if any man seem to be contentious, we
have no such custom, neither the churches of God" (verse 16). Paul certainly
did not want the customs of his day to cause contention or divisions in the
church. We today should try to keep 20th Century customs from causing similar
contentions and divisions.

   Monday 1 Corinthians 11:23-24     Do this in Remembrance of Me

 It is hard to believe that the Church in Corinth could be so irreverend that
Paul said when they came together it was not to eat the Lord's supper in a
worshipful attitude. Instead, their attitude was one of drunkeness, gluttony
and selfishness.

 We could easily take a very self-righteous attitude regarding this passage of
scripture because "our churches would never act in this way." But do we always
show the respect that the last supper should command? Even though we do not
hold the view of the Catholic Chuurch that the bread and wine actually becomes
the body and blood of Christ, we need to remember that Jesus did say "Take,
eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."

   Tuesday Exodus 12:1-13                  Origin of the Passover
 
 The key passage in today's Scripture is found in verse 5--"Your lamb shall be
without blemish..."  this requirement is repeated for the Levitical offerings-
"there shall be no blemish therein.  Blind, or broken, or maimed offerings...
ye shall not offer these unto the Lord"  (see Leviticus 22:19-25).
 
 Peter saw this requirement of the Old Testament sacrificial lamb as a
prophecy of Christ's sinless condition and described Him as "a lamb without
blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).  Paul expands the concept realizing
that Christ's sacrificial death also makes us a "glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle...holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).

   Wednesday Exodus 12:14-28                A Day of Remembrance


Some Bible scholars see the blood on the lintel and on the two sideposts of
the door as symbolizing the cross on which Jesus died.  More symbolic however,
is the door itself.  Jesus said--"I am the door" (John 10:9). We would do well
to also note the hyssop which is used to sprinkle the blood on the lintel and
the doorpost.  This red spongy plant was used by the soldiers to soak in
vinegar and give it to Jesus to drink on the cross as our Passover Lamb (John
19:29).

 Jesus said as He took the unleavened bread--"This is my body which is broken
for you."  Jesus turned the Jewish Passover into the Christian communion
service.  Paul bears this out when he said "Christ our Passover is sacrificed
for us:  Therefore let us keep the feast...." (1 Corinthians 5:7-8a)

 Thursday Exodus 12:43-51   The Passover for the Whole Congregation of Israel
 
 Note that it is strictly forbidden for non-Jews to partake of the Passover
meal.  If a stranger desires to partake of the Passover meal, he must first
convert to Judaism.

 This requirement has been carried over to the communion service.  We do not
close our worship to non-Christians, as a matter of fact, we want them to come
and hear the Gospel.  But when it comes to the communion service, even if we
don't practice "closed communion" we do state that only those who have
accepted Jesus Christ as Savior should partake.

 Friday Exodus 13:1-16                    Remember This Day...

 The Jewish observance of Passover begins with one of the younger children
asking the question, "Why is this day different from all the other days?" The
answer is that each generation must remember that it was by "strength of hand
the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage" (verse 14).

 Where would you follow the Lord if He were to make the route exceedingly
clear without any shadow of doubt?  It seems difficult for us to understand
the Israelites and their constant complaints, when we are told that after the
Exodus they were continually given the pillars of cloud and fire to let them
know that the Lord was constantly guiding them.

 We Christians who believe the Sabbath Commandment is a clear command not to
work on the Sabbath have no difficulty with that command when we have a 5-day,
40 hour a week job.  It is more difficult to observe the Sabbath when one is
desperately seeking work.  But the "pillar of fire" that tells us to keep the
Sabbath is still clearly burning before us.  How often do we forget that it is
the hand of the Lord thar delivers us and guides us. How often are we tempted
to ignore our "pillars of fire" when times are difficult.

   Sabbath 1 Corinthians 12:14-27         One Body, Many Members

 I was surprised to read in a nature magazine that insect colonmies such as
bees or ants actually exist as if they are one creature rather than a family
of many individuals creatures. Information is automatically passed between
them to inform the whole colony of what may be lacking and every creature is
mobilized for the benefit of the whole community.

 According to today's scripture the Christian church is to react in a similar
way. It is made up of many parts but is actually one body, the body of Christ.
The eye needs the hand. The head needs the feet. Each part of the body will
feel the pain no matter where the suffering happens to be. Why is this so?
Because just as God has coordinated the ant and bee colonies, He set every
member in the body of Christ, "as it hath pleased him" (verse 18).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 64   Sunday 2 Corinthians 5:11-15   The Love of Christ Urges Us On

 If we had started today's devotional with the previous verse, we would better
understand why verse 11 mentioned "the terror of the Lord." Verse 10 reminds us
that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" to receive the
things done duribg our life "whether it be good or bad."

 But it is not fear that should motivate us. We should find greater motivation
from what God has done for us. It was the love of Christ which made Him die on
the cross for our forgiveness that  should "constrain" us. With sins forgiven
we need not live in fear of a future judgement, but instead we should live for
the One who forgave us and gives us eternal life.

   Monday 2 Corinthians 5:16-21         There is a New Creation!

 Old things are gone!  The Old Covenant is gone!  The old system of sacrificing
lambs to cover sins is ended.  All things are new!  We are now under the New
Covenant.  The law is no longer written on tables of stone.  The Commandments
of God are now written in our hearts.  We obey, not for salvation, but rather
because of salvation.

 With all that rejoicing, let us not forget the price that was paid. Jesus, who
was sinless, died on the cross to obtain this joy.  The burden of our sin upon
Him was so massive that Paul described the sinless One as actually being sin
personified.  What ultimate love would pay such a price?!

   Tuesday Romans 5:18-6:4        Justification and Life for All

 The fifth chapter of Romans begins with justification- "being justified by
faith, we have peace with God" through Jesus (verse 1). How we are justified
is explained further in verse 9- we are "justified by his blood." We are very
clearly told that "all have sinned" (verse 12) and  because of sin, judgment
and condemnation came to all (verse 18).

 But, praise God for this! Although sin started with one man's disobedience,
justification also came through one Man's obedience. Through Jesus Christ we
can now claim His just-if-i-cation, "just as if I had never sinned." Where sin
once abounded, grace now abounds even more abundantly! But also heed Paul's
warning: Don't continue in sin so that grace may abound. We are now to consider
ourselves dead to sin. Just-as-if we had never sinner before, we must now walk
in a new life without sin.

   Wednesday Romans 6:5-11          Alive to God in Christ Jesus

 Remember your baptism. When you were immersed in the waters of baptism it was
to symbolize a death and burial. You died to your old life of sin. When you
were raised back up out of the water it was to symbolize your resurrection
with Christ to a new life.

 Although the act of baptism is symbolic, the spiritual change is to be real.
Because your old nature has been crucified with Christ and it had truly been
"destroyed" you should no longer "serve sin." Since you are "dead with Christ"
you are now DEAD TO SIN! STAY DEAD! Follow the admonition in verse 12- "reckon"
yourself to be dead indeed unto sin" and "alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord."

   Thursday Romans 6:12-23            God's Gift is Eternal Life

 Paul has already warned us that just because grace will abound when sin is
forgiven, we shouldn't commit sin just to make grace abound. Today's scripture
has another warning for us. We should not allow sin to "have dominion" over us
just because we are no longer "under the law, but under grace" (verse 14).
God forbids this as well.

 Another passage of scripture says that Christians are "free from the law" but
such freedom is not a license to disobey God's law. Our freedom is in Christ
and this freedom in Christ is only for servants of Christ. Those who disobey
God's law are not free because such disobedience makes one a "servant of sin"
(verse 17).

   Friday Romans 7:1-13        Instructed by Law; Saved by Grace

 Here is one of the best ways of understanding what freedom in Christ actually
is. Compare it to the marriage covenant. There is a very wonderful feeling of
freedom in a marriage relationship. When married a husband and a wife are free
to relate to one another as never before. But they are not free to relate in
a similar way to anyone else! Such a relationship is adultery and adultery is
sin. 

 Does that make the law that condemns adultery sin? God forbid! Paul clearly
says "the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (verse
12). "For we know that the law is spiritual" (verse 14). The freedom that we
experience in Christ is not freedom to sin, but a new experience of freedom
from the power sin had over us before Christ Jesus took control of our lives.

   Sabbath Romans 7:14-25a                     Thanks Be to God!

 We can all relate to Paul's feeling of frustration when he said "For the good
that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do" (verse 19).
This certainly is not a feeling of freedom. It is a trapped feeling. We would
cry with Paul, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body
of this death?" (verse 24).

 Release from such a feeling of entrapment comes through the freedom in Christ.
With Christ in our hearts we can delight in the obedience of God's law. With
the Apostle Paul we can thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord that with our
minds and hearts we too can serve the law of God instead of being enslaved to
the law of sin.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 65  Sunday Titus 2:11-14                         The Blessed Hope

 In today's scripture Paul gave different people special instructions for the
different situations each of them were in. The older men should be "sound in
faith, in charity, in patience. Older women be "teachers of good things" to the
young women. The young men should "exhort to be sober minded." Servants should
be obedient to their masters, All this "that the word of God be not blasphemed"
(verse 5).

 This is also the passage of scripture that refers to the "blessed hope." The
future second coming of Jesus is a hope that is blessed and glorious. Such a
hope gives us an overwhelming desire to live such godly lives.  This hope will
overcome the pressure from this present world to do otherwise.

   Monday Hebrews 12:18-29         What Cannot Be Shaken Remains

 The chapter for today's scripture began with a reminder that suffering has a
further purpose than just as a result of doing evil or because evil people want
to hurt Christians.  We can view suffering as a discipline from our heavenly
Father, because He wants to make us better sons and daughters.  In fact the
writer of Hebrews pointed out that anyone who doesn't receive chastening is not
a true child of God (verse 8).

 Does this mean that, when we as Christians suffer, all this comes as God's
chastening, even if the devil is the one who brings the suffering?  Even when
the devil brought suffering upon Job, permission to do so had to be asked of
God had first (Job 1:9-12; 2:3-6).  Remember that no suffering, while it is
being experienced, is pleasurable whether we think of it as being permitted by
God or not. But we need also to remember that  "the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in
us" (Romans 8:18). The end result is that we will receive "a kingdom which
cannot be moved" (verse 28).

   Tuesday Revelation 1:12-20                   Do Not Be Afraid
 
 Last Nativity season I was thinking about the star which the wise men saw in
the east and they had said that it had guided them to Jerusalem. The star,
however, reappeared in Bethlehem and stood over the very place where Jesus was
born. A conjunction of planets couldn't have done that, nor could a super nova
or a comet.  Could it have been an angel?

 Today's scripture refers to angels as stars. Could an angel have taken on the
appearance of a bright light in the sky that night? In Luke's gospel, angels
accompanied a glorious light, which was seen at night by shepherds (Luke 2:9).
Just as those angel gave assurance to not be afraid, the One Who stood "in the
midst of the seven candlesticks" and was "like unto the Son of man" also said
with assurance, "Fear not; I am the first and the last" (verse 17).

   Wednesday Revelation 11:15-19  He Will Reign Forever and Ever

 One of the difficulties in understanding the book of Revelation is in the
interpretation of the various visions. Who are the "four and twenty elders?"
One interpretation is in their number. The number 12 is always the number of
the people of God- twelve tribes in Israel, twelve Apostles, 12 times 12 to
multiply to 144,000. The important thing is that they "fell upon their faces,
and worshipped God" (verse 16).

 The number seven in verse 15 is also very significant. It is the number that
symbolizes completion. A most comforting thought is found in this verse- "The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever." It makes one want to sing out Handel's
"Halleluia Chorus."

   Thursday 1 Peter 1:3-9                          A Living Hope
 
        The key to today's Scripture is found in Exodus 12:5- "Your lamb
shall be without blemish..."  this requirement is repeated for the Levitical
offerings-- "there shall be no blemish therein.  Blind, or broken, or maimed
offerings...ye shall not offer these unto the Lord"  (see Leviticus 22:19-25).
 
        Peter saw this requirement of the Old Testament sacrificial lamb as a
prophecy of Christ's sinless condition and described Him as "a lamb without
blemish and without spot" (verse 19).  Paul expands the concept realizing
that Christ's sacrificial death also makes us a "glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle...holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).

   Friday Ephesians 1:15-23 The Hope For Which God Has Called Us

 The key to this passage of scripture is in verse 13. Paul told the Church in
Ephesus that when they accepted the word of truth they were sealed by God with
ed with "that holy Spirit of promise." The Holy Spirit is God's deposit which
verifies our eternal inheritance until our redemption is complete (verse 14).

 This is wha gives us such a full assurance of hope which is what this passage
of scripture speaks about. The Holy Spirit is also "the spirit of wisdom" and
the spirit of revelation. The fulness of God truly comes through the filling
of the Holy Spirit which Paul described as One who "filleth all in all."

   Sabbath Revelation 21:1-8        A New Heaven and A New Earth
        
 We have noted in a previous devotional study that Jerusalem was to be a city
of peace, but as such has seen very little physical peace. The peace of the
city of Jerusalem is not only a spiritual peace, the true Jerusalem is to be a
spiritual city as well.

 Today's scripture describes that Spiritual place of Hope and Peace. Those who
are still looking for hope and peace in an earthly city should follow in the
footsteps of those who, desiring a better city, looked for a city... "whose
builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10, 16).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 66         Sunday -- Read Mark 1:1-11
        
 When the other three gospel writers decided to tell about the ministry
 of Jesus, they began by giving some background material. Matthew started
 with the lineage of Christ, Luke explained that in light of the fact
 that there were other writings he decided to give an orderly account and
 John connected Jesus to the pre-existent Word.
 
 Mark, on the other hand was a "no-nonsense" writer. He started in right
 at the point Jesus decided to start. When Jesus knew it was time to begin
 His ministry He went to be baptised. This certainly is an example for us.
 When we begin our Christian life, it also should be through the waters of
 baptism.

        Monday -- Read Mark 1:12-20
      
 Notice what was the first experience Jesus had after He was baptised. He
 was tempted by Satan. We should expect it to be no different for us. When
 we become Christians we should not expect that our lives will suddenly
 become easier. As with Jesus, we should expect temptations in our lives.
 
 Notice, too, that the difficulties did not slow Jesus down. Rather than
 be discouraged even when he heard that John was imprisoned, He began His
 ministry in earnest. We should take heart and not allow our ministries
 to falter even in the face of persecution. 

        Tuesday -- Read Mark 1:21-34
           
 The way the scribes taught was by comparing one scripture with another.
 Jesus knew the scriptures and often quoted them, but He also did
 something else. He would say, "Ye have heard that it was said by them
 of old time... But I say unto you..." He could speak the truth because
 He was the Truth.
 
 He could prove that He had such authority because by His authority, He
 could command unclean spirits and heal diseases. He also used this
 authority to show that He could forgive sins. Which would you think
 was easier to do, just tell someone that their sins were forgiven or
 perform miracles (see Mark 2:10-11).
        
        Wednesday -- Read Mark 1:35-45
      
 There was a time in my early ministry when I wished I could perform the
 miracles that Jesus did. It seemed to me that the right thing to do
 would be to go into hospitals and empty them out. I could not understand
 at the time why Jesus would tell people He healed to say nothing about
 their healings.
 
 The answer is partly found in verse 45. When word of His miracles were
 spread around, Jesus could no longer move around freely. Another reason
 was He didn't want people to follow Him only because of His physical
 miracles. He wanted His followers to grow spiritually as well (see also
 John 6:26-27).

        Thursday -- Read Acts 10:34-43
        
 After the resurrection when the disciples started preaching the gospel,
 they used the same arguments that Jesus used to prove His ministry was
 from God. They reasoned that Jesus' ability to heal "all that were
 oppressed of the devil" was proof that God was with Him and had anointed
 Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.
 
 In keeping with Jewish logic they also pointed out that they were
 witnesses "of all things which he did." And when God raised Him up the
 third day, they were also witnesses. It was proof to all that Jesus not
 only "was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead" but also
 that through the name of Jesus "whosoever believeth in him shall receive
 remission of sins." Can we today be witnesses of anything less?
        
        Friday -- Read Isaiah 42:1-9
        
 Yesterday's scripture also pointed out that "all the prophets witness"
 to Jesus. Today's scripture is one of those prophecies. God, through the
 Prophet Isaiah, said that Jesus was His servant, whom He upholds, God's
 elect, "in whom my soul delighteth." God Himself put His spirit upon
 Jesus.
 
 At the beginning of His ministry Jesus stood up in the synagogue in His
 home town of Nazareth and read a similar scripture from Isaiah 61 (see
 Luke 4). Note that this prophecy in today's scripture has the added
 declaration that Jesus as the Messiah is God Himself. The glorious
 accomplishments of the Messiah are God's glory. It is not given to
 someone else to be done. 

        Sabbath -- Read Mark 16:14-20

 The ministry that Jesus begun is to be carried on by His followers after
 He departs from them. Jesus "upbraided them" for their unbelief and
 hardness of heart, because they didn't believe the first eyewitnesses
 to the resurrection. He still entrusted them with crrting out what we
 call the Great Commission.
 
 And just as He verified His ministry with signs and miracles, "they went
 forth, and preached every where" and the Lord confirmed their witness
 "with signs following." When we witness on behalf of Christ, we too can
 expect Him to confirm our witness. But a word of caution here is in
 order- "If we seek the Lord, the Dove will come, but if we seek the
 Dove, He will fly away."
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
    Week 67    Sunday -- Read Mark 2:1-12
     
 There is a unique difference found in this miraculous healing by Jesus than
usually found in scripture. Jesus' usual statement when healing a person is
to tell them it was their faith that made them whole. This time Jesus noted
the exgtraordinry effort made by the friends of the man who was sick. "When
Jesus saw THEIR faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be
forgiven thee." Let us remember to pray for others with believing faith.
 
 Note that this is one of the places where Jesus used a miracule to show that     
He wasn't just speaking blasphemies but actually had the authority to forgive
sins. Jesus said that the purpose for the healing was that they "may know that
the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins."

      Monday -- Read Mark 2:13-22
     
 The scribes and Pharisees were always quick to criticize Jesus. The scripture
for today gives two of these criticism. Unlike them, Jesus ate with publicans
and sinners. And also unlike them. Jesus was never seen fasting. Jesus' answer
to the first accusation is a real study in logic- "They that are whole have no
need of the physician, but they that are sick."
 
 Jesus' answer to the second accusation may have been harder for the scribes
and Pharisees to accept. In order to celebrate the presence of the Bridegroom,
they would have had to believe Jesus was the messianic Bridegroom. But on a
different occasion Jesus also pointed out that it was not proper to be seen
fasting- "when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for
they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I
say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine
head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy
Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly." (Matthew 6:16-18).

        Tuesday -- Read Mark 2:23--3:6
           
 The criticism that Jesus received most of all was in regard to how he observed
the Sabbath. At first reading it would appear that Jesus is giving approval for
the desecration of the Sabbath. David eating that which was only lawful for the
priests to eat sounds like justifiying two wrongs to make a right.
 
 Jesus is not saying the Sabbath is made for man to desecrate. The Sabbath was
made for man's spiritual benefit. Note what Jesus said about the Sabbath on the
next occasion- "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to
save life, or to kill?" This time "they held their peace" (verse 4).

        Wednesday -- Read John 5:19-29
           
 One of the most difficult concepts for the Jewish people to understand is that
Jesus as the Messiah could possibly be one with God the Father. The scripture
that is most important to them is known as the Shema- "Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai
Eloheinu, Adonai Echad! Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one."
(Deut. 6:4). Even Jesus quoted this verse in Mark 12:29. Even when Jesus prayed
to His Father He said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the
only true God" (John 17:3).
 
 But then Christ challenged the view of the singularity of God in his answer to
the rich young ruler when he said "Why do you call me good? No one is good but
one, that is God." (Mark 10:18). Christ either equated Himself with God or He
denied His own sinlessness. (A depth study of this is found in "THE LORD OUR
GOD, THE LORD IS ONE" by David Hill. Published by Fisherman's Net Publications,
Lakewood Colorado.)

        Thursday -- Read John 17:1-11
           
 In Jesus high priestly prayer, He made three requests of His Father. First     
He prayed for Himself- "glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."
Jesus needed once again to have "the glory which I had with thee before the
world was." Then Jesus prayed for His disciples- "I pray for them: I pray not
for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."
 
 The special request that Jesus made for His disciples is- "that they may be
one, as we are." This part of Jesus prayer should be in our thoughts at all
times. Jesus wants us to be in unity with each other just as His Father and
He are in unity. We have a long way to go to fulfill Jesus' prayer request.
        
        Friday -- Read Matthew 28:16-20
           
 I once received a letter from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I
didn't actually receive a reply from Billy Graham himself but I received a
letter from a Baptist on his staff who said he knew Billy Graham's position on
Baptism. He told me first of all that Billy Graham felt as Paul the Apostle
wrote that "Christ did not sent me to baptize, but to preach the gospel" 1 Cor.
1:17. He then wrote that Billy Graham was only called by God to fullfill the
Great Commission and so he didn't worry about new converts being baptised.
 
 But note that a part of the Great Commission was also "baptising them in the
name of the father, Son and Holy Spirit." And Jesus didn't stop there. He also
said "teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you." (verse 20).
Making disciples, baptizing those disciples and TEACHING those disciples ALL 
that Jesus COMMANDED! Not only did the Great Commission include baptism, As
part of the Great Commission new disciples were also to be taught not to steal
or kill or break the Sabbath commandment.  

        Sabbath -- Read Acts 2:22-36
           
 It was easy for the Jewish people to believe that a Messiah was going to come
and deliver them from Roman bondage. What was difficult to believe was thst the
Messiah had to come first to die for the sins of the world before He came in
glory. Even though Peter understood by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the
Messiah he said suffering and dying was to be far from the Lord (Matt. 16:22).
 
 But now Peter understood and he could use David's Psalm to show that Jesus as
the Messiah was predicted to decend to hell although God the Father would not
leave His soul in hell. The resurrection was the fulfillment of the promise
that the Father would not "suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" (verse 31).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
  Week 68      Sunday -- Read Mark 5:21-34
           
 The book, "The Robe," is a fictional story about what hapened to Jesus' Robe
after the soldiers at the foot of the cross cast lots to determine who would
take possession of it. The robe eventually fell into the possession of a
blind man who when he buried his face in it was miraculously healed. This
story bothered me util I remembered the woman who believed she only had to
touch the hem of Jesus' garment to be healed.
 I was offered at one time a "prayer cloth" annointed by a televangelist. The
offer included a request for a "seed donation." We must remember that there is
nothing effical about cloth. Jesus pointed out that it was the women's faith
in Him and not His clothing that brought about her healing. 
        
        Monday -- Read Mark 5:35-43
           
 Jesus was known to have been able to do many miraculous healings. However, it
was too much to believe that Jesus could actually help someone who was already
dead. "Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?" Jesus
responded with love and nderstanding. He said, "Be not afraid, only believe."
 How often do we say that we trust in the Lord when everything is going good?
Do we make prayer our last resort in times of trouble? As Pastor Jim Galanaugh 
often says, "Before you go to the phone, go to the throne."

        Tuesday -- Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
           
 Is it true that the more education people have, the more worldly power they
have and the higher position they have, the less likely they will be open to
the gospel? Possibly so, but it need not be. There are believers and there are
non-believers in all places and positions in the world, high and low.
 The key is found in verse 29- No matter what our position in life, we need to
find our glory in the Lord and not in anything that we can accomplish or brag
about. We are saved by grace through faith in what Jesus did for us on Calvary
and "of ourselves" (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
        
        Wednesday -- Read Luke 24:13-27

 Last year at a choral presentation at the Denver Seventh Day Baptist Church, I
did a reading in the person of Cleopas. I pictured him as saying, "Just as
Moses delivered us from Egypt, wouldn't the messiah also deliver us from Roman
bondage? He died right there in front of our eyes- he didn't save himself and
he didn't save us from Rome. ...I had heard from some of his followers that it
was suppose to be this way and after three days he would return from the dead. 
I wish I could stay to find out if it is true, but I need to go to Emmaus...
 (4 days later) I am so thrilled! Jesus appeared to us on the road to Emmaus
and he explained everything. Our hearts just burned with excitement and joy as
he showed us how the scriptures applied to him. Let me say this- HOSANNAH! He
is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! HALLELUIAH! He was suppose to die for
us! MARANATHA! He is coming back in power and glory to estabish his kingdom!

        Thursday -- Read Luke 10:16-24
           
 Jesus often pointed out that anyone who rejected Him as the Nessiah was also
rejecting God. When Jesus sent out the seventy He gave them the same authority.
Accepting their message were the same as accepting Jesus but rejecting them was
also the rejection of Jesus. The same is true when we witness to others. We
must therefore be sure we share that message in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 Jesus also issued a caution to the seventy that we must also heed. Even if
we find our witness accompanied by miraculous powers we should not rejoice in
it. The reason for our rejoicing should be that our names are also "written in
heaven." Prophets and kings probably would have desired to see and hear those
things that we today see and hear as well!

        Friday -- Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
           
 I recently wrote an article on the topic of "out of body experiences" and I
included the experiences of Stephen and Paul in it. Some make the claim that
such experiences come when dying. One could even think that God gave Stephen
his vision to help him endure the pain of being stoned. But note the sequence.
Stephen had the vision at the end of his sermon before he was stoned. It was
only after Stephen shared his vision of "the Son of Man standing at the right
hand of God" that "they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him." I
believe the vision was God's verification that what Stephen said about Jesus
was true. And I also believe that it was to serve a special purpose in Paul's
memory (see Acts 8:1).
 Saul of Tarsus could be described as a very stubborn man. He had heard Stephen
and it still didn't change his view.  But on the road to Damascus he also had a
a vision of Jesus. I believe that what was said by Stephen came flooding back
to Saul and turned him to salvation. Nothing less than such a personal vision
from Jesus would have changed such a stubborn man into a strong Christian!

        Sabbath -- Read Ephesians 3:14-21

  Faith must come first. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that our faith is like a
mustard seed. We can compare the Christian life to that of a plant which begins
as a seed. Hope comes next- "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for..." 
(Hebrews 11:1). If we continue to use the analogy of a plant, we would need to
say that hope is the plant roots. In Colossians 1:27 Paul wrote "Christ in you
(is) the hope of glory." Colossians 2:6-7 says, "So then just as you received
Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him..." 
 Then the plant is expected to produce fruit. In today's scripture the Apostle
Paul wrote "(May Christ) dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that
you be rooted and established in love." In Galatians 5:22 Paul said, "the fruit
of the Spirit is love..." These three remain for us as Christians- to begin our
walk with faith in Christ, to grow in our hope by roots in Christ and then to
produce love as the product of our growth. When Jesus was asked what was the
greatest commandment in the law, he offered two based on love- love for God and
love for one's neighbor. On these two he said hung all the law and prophets.
The apostle John also gave a good summary in 1 John 4:8- "Whoever does not love
does not know God because God is love."
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 69      Sunday -- Read Mark 8:27-33
           
 When I worked at the Christian Pavillion at a World's Fair some years ago I
made available to visitors to the Pavillion a Bible quiz that contained the
following multiple choice question regarding what the Bible actually says. I
asked: Who did Jesus say would build his Church? I gave these choices: (A) The
Apostles and Elders. (B) Peter. (C) Jesus himself. (D) All who believe.
 
 The liturgical Protestants chose (A), the non-liturgical Protestants chose (D)
and Roman Catholics including a priest and some nuns chose (B). Take a look at
today's scripture again Matthew 16:18 and see what you think is the correct
answer based on what the scripture actually says. The answer is: (umop apisdn)
     
        Monday -- Read Mark 8:34--9:1
           
 Almost 42 years ago, on July 8th, 1956 five missionaries died in Equador when
they tried to witness to the Auca Indians. I will never forget what Jim Elliot
wrote in his journal 7 years before he died, "He is no fool who gives what he
cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose." He gave his life in Equador that
day but he gained eternal life in a glorious example of Jesus' words.

 It is also good to remember that Elisabeth Elliot met the Auca woman Dinuba
and went back with her to live with the Auca Indians and wrote about it in the
book, "The Auca, My Kinsmen." She won the very man who killed her husband, Jim
Elliot, to the Lord because he was impressed that the wife of the man he killed
would want to forgive him and win him to her Savior instead of hating him and
wanting revenge. Such is the Love of the Lord!
        
        Tuesday -- Read Mark 9:2-13
           
 We often speak of mountain top experiences in our spiritual lives. At the
Seventh Day Baptist Church camp, Camp Paul Hummel, mountain top experiences
are very literal as the camp sits high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
It is often a spiritual let-down to leave the camp and return to the mundane
routine of everyday live. The disciples however had a quite different reaction.

 They had reacted in fear to their mountain top experience but thought that
they needed to say or do something. Reading about it almost 2,000 years later 
keeps us from realizing why the discples would react in fear. We must realize
that seeing Jesus in such glorious splendor could have reminded then that when
God spoke to the children of Israel in Horeb, "they said unto Moses, Speak thou
with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus
20:19). 

        Wednesday -- Read Isaiah 43:10-21
           
 The Children of Israel were the first people whom God said were his witnesses.
They were the people to whom the Old Testament scriptures were given. They were
to share the spiritual truths they had received with the nations around them.
This passage from the Old Testament also brings to mind the Great Commission
given by Jesus to his disciples when they asked Him if He was about to "restore
again the kingdom to Israel." 
 
 Jesus said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which
the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth" (Acts 1:8). After Jesus' death and his resurrection all who believe
in Him, whether they are Jews or gentiles, become His witnesses. Truly God has
done "a new thing" and has made "a way in the wilderness" (verse 19).  
        
        Thursday -- Read Isaiah 19:18-25

 This passage of scripture is a glorious prophecy that other Nations beside        
the Children of Israel will turn to God in faith. It is repeated by Zechariah 
when he prophesied, "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east... And the LORD shall be king
over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. And
it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which
came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King,
the LORD of hosts..." (Zechariah 14:4-16).

 This finally began under the ministry of Paul as the apostle to the gentiles
(see Romans 11:13). It will culminate with all the glory of God at the second
coming of Christ and people from every nation bow before Him.  
        
        Friday -- Read Acts 15:6-11
          
 The Apostles had a difficult time believing that God actually would include
the gentiles even though it had been prophecied. First, God had to give Peter
a vision of unclean animals lowered on a sheet. Then He had to actually fill
some gentile converts with His Holy Spirit. 

 Even after all that the Jewish Christians felt that gentile converts should
first convert to Judaism before being accepted into the fellowship. Peter saw
in the end that such a requirement was "a yoke upon the neck" that even the
Jewish people have never been able to fulfill. Salvation, he realized, could 
only come to Jew and gentile alike "through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ"
(verse 10-11).

        Sabbath -- Read Psalm 9:1-13

 Many of the Psalms of David ask the Lord to punish his enmies. This Psalm is
not so different. David looks forward to his enemies being turned back and
falling and perishing at God's presence (verse 3). David also knew that God had
"rebuked the heathen" and "destroyed the wicked" (verse 5).
 
 But David also believed that God would judge the world in righteousness (verse
8). He knew God would also minister judgment to the people in uprightness and
be a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble (verse 9). "And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
(Acts 16:31). Whether Jew or gentile, a person only needs to call upon the name
of the Lord and put their trust in His righteousness (verse 11). 
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
 Week 70   Sunday -- Read Mark 11:1-11

 Two events connected with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem have
always intrigued me. The first is the attitude of the owner of the colt. On
the surface of this passage it would appear that Jesus was instructing his
disciples to actually steal a colt. However, the willingness of the colt's
owner to allow seeming strangers to take the colt means that both the owner
and Jesus have additional knowledge. That knowledge is Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King
cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon... 
a colt..." He knew "the Lord hath need of him."
 
 The other item that intrigued me was when Jesus was told to rebuke those who
cried "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Luke 19:38).
His reply was "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out" (Luke 19:40). I have come to believe this is a prophecy that when the
Jewish people reject Him as the Messiah, the gentiles would become the "lively
stones" referred to by Peter when he noted the Jewish people would "stumble at
the word" and be disobedient to their appointment and the gentiles, "Which in
time past were not a people, but are now the people of God" (see 1 Peter 2).

Monday -- Read Mark 11:12-19
           
 In yesterday's meditation we noted that Jesus may have prophecied the Jewish
people would reject Him as the Messiah and the gentiles would accept Him when
He said, "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out." This passage is also believed to be such a prophecy. The Fig tree is
a symbol of the Jewish people and its lack of fruit represents their rejection 
of Jesus as the Messiah.
 
 We have already noted that Peter said the Jewish people would be disobedient
to their appointment (see again 1 Peter 2). When Jesus cast the moneychangers
out of the temple He made a similar reference by quoting the Old Testament that
said the temple of God was to be "called of all nations the house of prayer"
(Isaiah 56:7). It is a sad irony that the moneychangers set up shop in that
part of the temple which was called the "court of the gentiles." (Rev. 11:2).

Tuesday -- Read Mark 11:20-33
           
 At first reading it would appear that Jesus is promising that anything we may
desire, when we pray for it, we will receive it. Since Jesus bases His messages
on Old Testament scriptures, we should note the similarity of what He has said
with this passage- "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee
the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4). If we truly delight in the Lord, then
the desire of our heart is to receive the filling of the Lord! It follows that
we will receive what we pray because He will fill us with His Holy Spirit! 
 
 I believe Jesus had all of Psalm 37 in mind and material desires are not what
He or David is referring to. Note these passages of what should be the desires
of the heart- "righteousness as the light" (verse 6), "the abundance of peace"
(verse 11), an "inheritance (that) shall be for ever" (verse 18), steps that
are "ordered by the LORD" (verse 23), "the law of his God in his heart" (verse
31), "salvation" and "strength in the time of trouble" (verse 39).

Wednesday -- Read Philippians 2:1-11

 The word, "mind" appears in today's scripture in four places. The first two
references are in  verse 2- "that ye be likeminded" and "of one mind." Some
may interpret this as an instruction for uniformity of belief. Closer reading
will reveal a deeper meaning than that. The key is the phrase "having the same
love." Love will beget unity which is greater than just uniformity. 
 
 Verse 3 continues with this emphasis. Unity comes not through uniformity, but
through love for others which will eliminate "strife" and "vainglory." Humility
is what brings "lowliness of mind" which helps us esteem others better than we
esteem ourselves. With love we learn to put the needs of others ahead of our
own needs. How can we accomplish this? Not in our own strength! Verse 5 gives 
the answer- "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

Thursday -- Read Isaiah 50:4-11

 Verse 6 has all the earmarks of a Messianic prophecy. "I gave my back to the
smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face
from shame and spitting." Jesus was whipped, His beard was pulled out and He
was spat upon. Luke pointed out that Jesus Himself said that He would endure
this type of suffering in fulfillment of prophecy- "(Jesus) said unto them,
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto
the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
And they shall scourge [him], and put him to death: and the third day he shall
rise again" (Luke 18:31-33).
 
 Verse 9 also brings to mind a New Testament passage- "Behold, the Lord GOD
will help me; who is he that shall condemn me?" Paul certainly has this Old
Testament passage in mind when he assured the Christians in Rome- "What shall
we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans  
8:31).

Friday -- Read Psalm 147:1-11

 Today's passage of scripture brings to our attention the majestic contrasts
that can be fould in the omnipotence and omniscience of God. The love that God
has for us causes Him to stoop down to heal the broken-hearted and bind up the
woundeds. This is the same God who "telleth the number of the stars; he calleth
them all by their names.
 
 Our great God who is "of great power" and infinite in understanding is also
willing to lift up the meek. He certainly deserves our thanksgiving and praise.
Note, too, that although God is omnipotent, He doesn't delight "in the strength
of the horse" or take pleasure "in the legs of a man." The LORD takes pleasure
in those who fear him and "hope in his mercy" (verse 11).

Sabbath -- Read Psalm 118:19-29

 Our passage today is another Messianic prophecy. The simple statement that
the "stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner"
may have been difficult to have seen as being Messianic if it had not been
quoted by Jesus in the New Testament. 
 
 Jesus preceeded the quotation with a parable about man who planted a vineyard
rented it out to husbandmen before going into a "far country." The servants of
the owner were "shamefully handled." They beat some and killing others and in
the end killed the son for the inheritance. Jesus asked, "What shall therefore
the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will
give the vineyard unto others." Instead of marvelling "they sought to lay hold
on him" (see Mark 12:1-12). This certainly is "the LORD'S doing" and it is
certainly marvellous in our twentieth century eyes.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

  Week 71   Sunday -- Read Mark 15:21-32
     
 It is interesting to see how misunderstandings persist. Jesus was reviled with
the words, "Ah, thou that destroyest the temple..." Even if the listeners had
misunderstood Jesus as to what He meant by the temple ("he spake of the temple
of his body." -John 2:21), Jesus never said that He would destroy the temple.
His actual words were, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it
up." (John 2:19).
 
 But even those who knew Jesus was able to perform miracles reviled him just as
much. "He saved others; himself he cannot save." They were even willing to call
Him Israel's Messiah and King in their derision. "Let Christ the King of Israel
descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." If they really meant
that they would have believed after the resurrection!

Monday -- Read Psalm 31:9-16
   
 Many of the Psalms of David are considered to be Messianic Psalms. This Psalm
is no exception. Jesus quoted verse 5- "Into thine hand I commit my spirit."
The phrase in verse 22, "I am cut off from before thine eyes" sounds very much
like the Messianic prophesy in Isaiah 53:8, "He was taken from prison and from
judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the
land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."
 
 The reference in verse 10 cannot be applied literally to Jesus- "my strength
faileth because of mine iniquity." Jesus had no iniquity because He was without
sin. The nearest we can apply this part of the Psalm to Jesus is to base it on
was the fact that He took out sin upon Himself and was made sin for us. Paul
wrote to the Church at Corinth, "For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2
Corinthians 5:21).

Tuesday -- Read Hebrews 10:11-25

 In the August, 1996 issue of the Fisherman's Net internet newsletter is an    
editorial entitled, "The Law of Love -Can Love be a Law?" The editorial points
out that when it comes to "enforcing" any law Paul made a strong proclamation
in Romans 5:20 that we are not under law but under grace. The New Testament is
truly the New Covenant spoken of by Jeremiah. The law in the New Covenant is
written on our hearts so that we obey not because we are ordered but because we
freely want to show our love by our willing obedience. Note how the author of
Hebrews quoted Jeremiah 31:31- "I will put my laws into their hearts, and in
their minds will I write them" (verse 16).
 
 When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He gave two that He
quoted from Old Testament and both "commanded" love. But love can never be made
a law or it would not be love! It must be that Jesus' answer anticipated the
New Covenant where the law is a willing desire found in one's heart! What could
be more "demanding" than a law? Love is more demanding than any rule of law!
This is why Paul wrote- "For the love of Christ constraineth us..." (see 2
Corinthians 5:14).

Wednesday -- Read Mark 15:33-47
   
 In the April, 1996 issue of the Fisherman's Net internet newsletter there is
an editorial entitled "Who is Ha Shem?" Ha Shem is the English transliteration
of the Hebrew which means literally: "The Name." It is in reference to God's
response to Moses' question, "What is your Name?" The answer He gave Moses was
"I AM who I AM! Tell them that I AM has sent you." The Hebrew phrase "I AM"
which begins with the Hebrew letter ALEPH is very similar to the Sacred Name
for God written in our English language as YHVH which begins with YODH and is
the Name for God which a Jewish person would never say aloud for fear he may
break the third commandment and profane the Lord's Name.
 
 It is interesting that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray He said, "Our
Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy NAME." Jesus didn't use God's Name,
He just said the Name was holy. What Jesus did was to address God as "Father."
In the scripture for today is the only recorded time that Jesus didn't address
God as "Father." Instead Jesus said "Eloi." When God the Father turned His back
on our sin which Jesus became at that moment, The Son became the forsaken one!

Thursday -- Read 1 Corinthians 15:21-28

 In the book, A TALE OF TWO TREES, is the reference to Eve's statement "But of
the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye
shall not eat of it, ...lest ye die" (Genesis 3:3). Since Adam and Eve knew of   
God's instruction, the difficult question is this: Since the instruction was
that Adam and Eve could eat from all of the other trees, one of which was the
Tree of Life, why did they choose to eat from the deadly tree at all? Whatever
the answer may be, the story behind the two trees is that of making choices and
through the millenia, mankind has made many choices and those choices have very
frequently have been the wrong choices which often cause death.
 
 But along with that bad news there is also good news- "For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive." When Jesus returns, He will reign,
and He will "put all enemies under his feet" and He will destroy death which is
described as "the last enemy." The purpose for all this is made clear in verse
28- "that God may be all in all."

Friday -- Read Mark 16:1-18

 The scripture tells us that Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and
Salome, had planned to anoint the body of Jesus with spices they had purchased.
It wasn't until very early in the morning on the first day of the week that the
two women came to the sepulchre where Jesus was buried. In their grief they
seemed to have forgotten until the last minute that a large stone was rolled in
front of the door of the sepulchre. What they may not have known was that there
also was a Roman seal placed on the entrance which they would not dare remove.
 
 The large stone was rolled away! The sepulchre was empty! An angel announced   
that Jesus was risen but it still wasn't enough. "And they went out quickly,
and fled from the sepulchre; ...neither said they any thing to any man; for
they were afraid." Only when Jesus Himself appeared to Mary Magdalene, did she
go and tell the disciples (verse 10). And even that was not enough for them.
"And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her,
believed not." Oh, how slow, how slow all of us are to believe! 

Sabbath -- Read John 20:11-18

 The Gospel of John gives a little more detail of the first appearance of Jesus
to Mary Magdalene. Her first reaction to the fact that Jesus' body was not in
the sepulchre was to conclude that the body was removed to another location.
She wept because she did not know where "they have laid him." When Jesus then
appeared to her she didn't know it was Him. She presumed that the One speaking
to her this time was just the caretaker who removed the body. This time Jesus
spoke her name, "Mary" and it was then she turned and said to Him, "Master."
 
 What a beautiful illustration of the story of the Good Shepherd- "and the
sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them
out. ...And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the
sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow,
but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. ...I am the
good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. ...(I) know my
sheep, and am known of mine. ...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me" (John 10: 3, 4, 5, 11, 14, 27).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
           
    Week 72      Ezekiel's Calling
 
        Sunday * Read Ezekiel 1:1-3, 28-2:7
  How would you react if God were to speak to you as He spoke to Ezekiel?
Would you be willing to share the Gospel with others if God told you that the
people to whom you were to witness probably would not listen to your message,
because they are impudent, stiff-necked, and rebellious?
  There are two reasons why both Ezekiel's and your reactions should be
positive. First, note that when God spoke to Ezekiel, at that same time, the
Holy Spirit entered Ezekiel. When God gives us a message to share with others,
we also must be open to the filling of the Holy Spirit.
  Second, note in verse 5 that God desires to let the people know that He has
sent a prophet to them, and therefore, the message is His message. Whether or
not they believe the message is their decision. It was Ezekiel's
responsibility, and it is our responsibility, to let those to whom we witness
know that the message we share is from God!
 
        Monday * Read Ezekiel 3:4-11
  At first reading, it would seem that God expected Ezekiel to give his message
in a calloused fashion. We would naturally expect a messenger, whose message is
constantly rejected, to become bitter in his actions. We are tempted to picture
Ezekiel butting foreheads with his listeners.
  But God always wants His messengers to speak with love and concern. God
didn't want Ezekiel to back down from delivering His message when he was faced
with strong opposition. We also must be firm and faithful (and loving) when
sharing the Gospel with others.
 
        Tuesday * Read Ezekiel 11:14-21
  Here is another very good reason for not getting discouraged when sharing the
Gospel message with others. Although many will reject the message, and many
will cause one to want to give up, God promised Ezekiel, and He promises us
that there will be some who will hear and respond to the message.
  In the Old Testament there was always a remnant of God's people who were
saved out of captivity and bondage. In our day, Jesus promised that the gates
of hell could not prevail against His Church. We need never be discouraged when
we remember that we are working for the winning side.
 
        Wednesday * Read Ezekiel 18:25-32
 How often had you heard someone claim that life isn't fair, or even complain
that God treats people unfairly? On occasion it is said in the context of a
righteous person suffering, or a person who "sowed wild oats" all his life
repenting on his deathbed.
  God very clearly points out that His purpose is not to enjoy punishing
sinners, but rather in finding oy in forgiving them. Forgiveness is available
to all equally, and for that reason, God's mercy is fair. If people have not
received God's forgiveness, it is not because God did not treat them equally.
It is simply because they haven't repented!
 
        Thursday * Read Ezekiel 36:22-32
  Some Bible scholars believe this passage of scripture has been fulfilled by
the establishment of the modern-day nation of Israel. If so, there is an
important part of this prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled by Israel as a
nation. God said that when He returns them to their own land, He would also
give them a new heart and a new spirit.
  It is clear from jeremiah and Hebrews that the new heart and new spirit come
with the new covenant. This passage of scripture in Ezekiel will be truly
fulfilled when the children of Israel open their hearts to jesus as their
Messiah and Savior (see Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8).
 
        Friday * Read Ezekiel 36:33-38
 It is interesting to note that God did not claim to accomplish all this 
because Israel deserved it.ln fact, He made it clear that He will do it in
spite of the fact that they didn't deserve it. His whole purpose was to show to
all--even the heathen-that He is the Lord!
  Before we say anything against the children of Israel, however, let us
remember that this is true of the salvation that He offers to us all. None of
us deserves to be saved. Not one of us merits salvation. We only receive it
because we have turned to Jesus, who gave His life on Calvary for us. We are
saved because God is the Lord!
 
        Sabbath * Read Psalm 51:10-13
  Even David in the Old Testament longed for the new heart and new spirit that
are a part of the new covenant. This is the reason that God described him as a
man after His own heart.
  On this Sabbath day, may we make this prayer of David's our prayer as well.
Let us ask God to clean our hearts of sin and renew our spirits so that we,
too, may experience the joy of God's salvation. The end result of enjoying
salvation is the desire to teach other transgressors the way of salvation.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

       Week 73: God's Charges Against a Corrupt Society
 
                  Sunday * Read Ezekiel 2:1-10
  We have already used the first seven verses of this chapter for our daily
meditation some weeks ago. We noted then that God pointed out to Ezekiel that he
would have a difficult time sharing his message with a people who were very
impudent, stiff-necked, and rebellious.
  In the last three verses, God helped Ezekiel to avoid the rebellious attitude
of the people. Ezekiel discovered that the message of mourning written in the
scroll, when fully understood, is a spiritually nourishing message (see 3:1-3
and compare this to John's experience in Revelation 10). The interpretation of
both Ezekiel's and John's scrolls given by most Bible scholars is that the
scrolls symbolize God's authority over the destiny of the world. Notice in
Revelation 5:9 that only the Lamb of God has the authority to loose the seals.
 
                  Monday * Read Ezekiel 4:1-13
  God not only required the prophet Ezekiel to deliver verbal messages to
Israel and Judah, He also required him to dramatically demonstrate the messages
with his own life. How could anyone doubt the message of the prophet when he
demonstrates the coming suffering and punishment by experiencing suffering
himself. Hosea gave a similar dramatic message when he married Gomer.
  Here is another message we can receive from the prophetic role of Jesus. His
suffering and death clearly demonstrate the truth of His message that sin must
by punished and we must turn to Him for forgiveness and salvation. His death
was exemplary, it was substitutionary, but it was also a vivid prophetic drama
that was in keeping with the spirit of these Old Testament prophets.
 
                  Tuesday * Read Ezekiel 36:25-31
  Here again, we meditate on the promise of the new heart and new spirit, which
we previously studied some weeks ago. Although we noted that the new heart and
new spirit comes through the new covenant of Jesus, we must never forget that
God had the new covenant planned from the beginning.
  In conjunction with today's scripture, read Deuteronomy 5:29. Even in the
midst of giving the law of the old covenant, God's desire for mankind was not
that they blindly and legalistically follow the law. His desire was that they
would have the type of heart in them that would love Him so much that they
would be obedient to Him as a result of their love. Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
Jesus, and Paul would all heartily concur.
 
                  Wednesday * Read Ezekiel 33:1-9
  In this scripture, we find another reason for delivering God's message to
people, even when they won't heed that message. God warned Ezekiel that, if he
didn't deliver the message, he would be responsible for the blood of the
Wicked.
  However, we should not just consider the negative aspect of this warning. We
aren't to share the message simply to transfer the responsibility of its
rejection from ourselves to the hearers. That attitude would be too much like
Jonah's attitude. It appeals he wanted to watch Nineveh's rejection of the
message and subsequent punishment. He seemed quite disappointed when they were
not punished, because they did repent.
  Perhaps the attitude of Moses and Paul is more in keeping with a true prophet
of the Lord. They both offered to be accursed themselves, if it would help
redeem their hearers (see Exodus 32:32 and Romans 9:3). 
 
                  Thursday * Read Ezekiel 3:4-15
 We have already used verses 4-11 for our meditation a few weeks earlier. Today
we add four additional verses. We have already noted that God expected Ezekiel
to be firm with the house of Israel because of their rebellious attitude.
  In verses 12-14, the Lord helped Ezekiel to be firm, by giving him a special 
vision. The vision is of the glory and majesty of God, and is similar to the
vision given to Isaiah in Isaiah 6. Although the initial reactions of the two
prophets differ--Isaiah felt unclean and humble, and Ezekiel felt bitter and
hot-spirited--both in the end felt the strong hand of the Lord sending them on
their respective missions.
  When we go out into the world to witness for Christ, we should also feel
bolstered by the knowledge that we, too, are sent by God.
 
                  Friday * Read Joel 2:12-19, 27-29
 The key verse in this passage is verse 13. When the children of Israel
declared a show of repentance, they would often tear their garments. The Lord's
message through the prophet Joel is that, too often, such outward actions had
not come from the people's hearts. True repentance comes from a broken,
contrite heart.
 In the last three verses of today's scripture, God promises that true
repentance will bring a wondrous result--God will give His Holy Spirit to His
repentant people· Does this promise sound familiar to you? It should. Peter
pointed out that this scripture was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came upon
Jesus' disciples on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:16-21).
 
                  Sabbath * Read Psalm 139:1-12
  David had a real grasp of the glorious knowledge that God does take care of
all the creatures that belong to Him. No matter what David did; no matter where
David went; no matter what David thought or said, God already knew, because God
knew David so intimately and thoroughly. This is a psalm that we should read
over and over again.
  We should also include verse 13 in our meditation for today. With all the
controversy in the world today concerning the personhood of the fetus, it will
be well to note that God watched over us even while we were still in our
mother's womb.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 74   Sunday -- Read Ezekiel 3:22-27

 Just prior to our scripture for today is a dire warning which God gave to
Ezekiel- "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel...
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not
warning... his blood will I require at thine hand" (verses 17-18). We should
also heed this message when we are tempted to avoid opportunities to witness.

 If we are afraid to witness, we need to claim the promise which God made to
Ezekiel, "But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth" (verse 27a). We
should not let the rejection of our message be a reason for keeping silent.
Remember that Ezekiel also had to witness to "a rebellious house" (verse 27b).
Note again verse 19: "Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his
wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou
hast delivered thy soul."

 Monday -- Read Ezekiel 8:1-13

 Twice in today's scripture is a reference to "the image of jealousy." (Verse
3 calls it "the seat of the image of jealousy" and verse 5 says "the image of
jealousy" is in "the entry of the gate of the altar." What could possibly have
caused such a strong image of jealousy? The Lord told Ezekiel it was brought
on by the "great abominations that the house of Israel committed" (verse 6).

 On many occasions God expressed feelings of jealousy because of the sinfulness
of His people. When the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments, He said, "Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God..." (Exodus 20:
4-5). In Exodus 34:14 God said that they "shalt worship no other god" because
His "name is Jealous."

 Tuesday -- Read Ezekiel 37:1-14

 Our scripture for today may bring to your mind an old African-American song
about "them bones, them bones, them dry bones." The song vividly described the
bones as coming together, getting up and walking around. What could possibly
be the meaning of this vision? God explained it in verse 11: "Son of man, these
bones are the whole house of Israel."

 Many feel that this prophecy is finding a final fulfillment in our day. When
GOD said "Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come
up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel" (verse 12) it
sounds very much like a prophecy of the present nation of Israel. However, the
promise that God said he "shall put my spirit in you and ye shall live" (verse
still needs to be fulfilled. Pray today for the salvation of Israel.

 Wednesday -- Read Ezekiel 37:15-23

 If this prophecy that the children of Israel are to be once again united with
the tribe of Judah and all made into one nation (verse 22), the decendents of
the lost tribes would have to be actually found. This, of course, is possible
for an omniscient God. But the more likely fulfillment of this prophecy is not
literal. The answer can be found in the New Testament.

 When James addressed his epistle to the Christians, he called them "the twelve
tribes which are scattered abroad" (James 1:1). John followed this example when
he wrote concerning the sealing of the saints: "And I heard the number of them
which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand
of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Revelation 7:4). Although this
could be a literal number, the reference is more likely to the same group who
are later described as "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" (verse 9).

 Thursday -- Read Ezekiel 37:24-28

 At first reading this scripture gives the appearance of a prophecy that is to
be fulfilled literally. However, one internal reference belies such a literal
interpretation- the reference to David. These references are messianic and can
only point to the decendant of David, Jesus.

 Note also that New Testament parallels are not to a physical kingdom. In this
Old Testament passage when God made the promise that "My tabernacle also shall
be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (verse 27)
it sounds quite literal and physical. The spirituality of the passage comes out
when compared to the New Testament: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away... And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:1-3). Maranatha!

 Friday -- Read Ezekiel 40:1-4

 Our scripture for today does not cover much of the total vision given to the
prophet Ezekiel. It came while the city of Jerusalem "was smitten" (verse 1).
Ezekiel had a vision of a man "whose appearance was like the appearance of
brass" and he had "a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed" (verse 3).
The rest of the chapter reveals what was measured.

 Again we have a parallel in the New Testament: "And there was given me a reed
like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of
God, and the altar, and them that worship therein" (Revelation 11:1). Note the
important addition, the worshippers are measured. The determination is made,
who are the people of God and who are not! Be sure today that you are one of
those who are "measured."

 Sabbath -- Read Ezekiel 43:1-9

 Again God makes the promise that He "will dwell in the midst of the children
of Israel for ever" (verse 7). And again in verse 9: "I will dwell in the
midst of them for ever." But the people have to fulfill a requirement as well:
"The house of Israel (must) no more defile" (verse 7).

 This is repeated in New Testament prophecies as well: "He that overcometh
shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son" (verse
7). But not the unbelieving, not even the liars (verse 8). Then who the ones
who are included? Verse 27 makes it clear. Although this verse still says
"there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, ...or maketh a
lie" it clearly promises access to "they which are written in the Lamb's book
of life."
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

      Week 75   Personal Responsibility
 
                  Sunday * Read Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-20
  This portion of scripture seems to be in contradiction with the commandment
that said that God would cause a father's sins to trouble his children even
after four generations. It also reminds us of the question put to Jesus
concerning the man that was born blind. Jesus was asked if it was his sins or
his father's sins that caused his blindness.
  There is no doubt that a person's sins cause suffering to others. Because of
Adam's sin every generation faces the punishment of death.
  The important point of today's passage, however, is that each person is
responsible for their own sins. Each person must also accept God's gift of
forgiveness and salvation himself.
 
                  Monday * Read Ezekiel 18:5-18
  This passage of scripture seems to be teaching a doctrine of salvation by
works. If a person doesn't do all the evil things in the list and if he does do
all that which is good, he shall live.
  First of all, we must realize that other passages point out that no one in
his own strength can do all that is good and right. Paul has clearly pointed
out that we have all sinned and fallen short of what God expects of us. Faith
and works will always be in dynamic tension with each other. Faith without
works is as dead as works without faith.
 
                  Tuesday * Read Ezekiel 18:21-29
  Here is the solution of the dilemma: Even though we are all wicked sinners,
we are given the opportunity to repent of our wickedness and turn to God for
His righteousness. We will be able to rejoice in the knowledge that God will
never mention our sins again.
  But there is another side to this coin: After we have repented and turned to
God for righteousness, we are warned not to turn again to iniquity. If we do,
God will also forget that we were made righteous. Could Ezekiel have been
hereby giving a warning concerning the unpardonable sin mentioned in the New
Testament? Could this be similar to Paul's warning that we should not grieve
the Holy Spirit?
 
                  Wednesday * Read Deuteronomy 30:15-20 
   We, too, are given a choice between life and death. Note that the first
choice in life is to love God. Only after we choose to love God can we begin to
walk in His ways and obey His commandments. We are not saved by obeying God's
laws. We obey God's laws because we are saved and because we love Him. The
converse is also true. We are not lost because we disobey God's laws. We
disobey God's laws because we are lost and because we have not loved God enough
to choose His ways. Faith and works are still in dynamic tension.
 
                  Thursday * Read Psalm 119:105-112
  We probably should read the whole Psalm today. But at least note verse 97
where the Psalmist used love and law in the same sentence. God's Word can only
become a lamp and a light when we love the Lord and want Him to guide our
lives.
  Note also verse 136. When we find the joy in following God's Word as the
light for the pathways of our lives, we also realize that others, who don't
love the Lord, don't find joy in obeying God's commandments. We are moved to
tears because we know what they are missing!
 
                  Friday * Read Matthew 6:21-27
  This is one of the most beautiful passages of the Sermon on the Mount.
Although we know that God loves us and we have life through Him, we are often

tempted to doubt that His Word is the best path for our lives. Especially when
things seem to go wrong, we begin to worry about such things as where our next
meal will come from.
  Jesus reminds us to realize that God takes care of all those who belong to
Him. He watches over the birds in the air. He gives clothing to the grass in
the field. We only need to remember that God values us even more than the
birds, the lilies, and the grass!
 
                  Sabbath * Read Psalm 139:1-12
  David had a real grasp of the glorious knowledge that God does take care of
all the creatures that belong to Him. No matter what David did; no matter where
David went; no matter what David thought or said, God already knew, because God
knew David so intimately and thoroughly. This is a psalm that we should read
over and over again.
  We should also include verse 13 in our meditation for today. With all the
controversy in the world today concerning the personhood of the fetus, it will
be well to note that God watched over us even while we were still in our
mother's womb.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
     Week 76: Renewal of God's People
 
                  Sunday * Read Ezekiel 34:11-16
 This scripture should be considered the Good Shepherd of the Old Testament.
Normally, when we think of the parable of the lost sheep, we think of Jesus'
parable of the shepherd who had 99 sheep, safely in the fold, and went into the
wilderness to find the one that was lost.
  If we were to think that Jesus had been inspired at all by the Old Testament,
when he told the parable of the lost sheep and when He called Himself the Good
Shepherd, we probably would have thought it was Psalm 23 that gave Him His
inspiration. However, in this passage, we find the Lord clearly claiming to be
the Shepherd who searches for His lost sheep. It seems more likely that it was
this passage that gave Jesus His inspiration.
 
                  Monday * Read Ezekiel 34:1-6
  There are good shepherds, and there are bad shepherds. According to verse 5,
bad shepherds are no shepherds at all. Here again, we can see parallels between
this Old Testament scripture and the words of Jesus.
  He also spoke about shepherds who weren't shepherds. True shepherds care for
their sheep. They feed them and bind up their wounds. False shepherds don't.
Jesus called them more than just false shepherds. He called them hirelings and
He called them thieves and robbers (see John 10).
 
                  Tuesday * Read Ezekiel 37:11-14
  Probably the most famous passage of Ezekiel is this vision of the valley of
dry bones. It certainly brings to mind the Negro spiritual that was inspired by
this passage. I doubt that the people of Israel liked being described as a pile
of dead bones. I wonder if Jesus had this passage of scripture in mind when He
described the Pharisees as whited sepulchers that were full of dead men's bones
(see Matt. 23:27).
  The application for us today in this scripture is that, without Christ, we
are as spiritually dead as this valley of dry bones. However, we also can
receive the Holy Spirit through salvation in Christ and be made spiritually
alive, just as these bones were brought back to life. What a graphic
illustration of salvation!
 
                   Wednesday * Read Romans 11:26-36
  Who can understand the mind of God? Salvation was first offered to the Jews.
After they rejected God's salvation, it was offered to the Gentiles.  Verse 25,
preceding our scripture for today, warns us not to be conceited in regard to
the Jewish blindness to Jesus.
  Verse 28, properly understood, will clear up any misconceptions we may have
concerning the Jews' relationship to God. Because the Gospel must be believed
by each individual for his own salvation, the Jews who haven't believed are at
enmity with God (just as are unbelieving Gentiles). But in regard to God's
election of the Jews as a nation, they are still the beloved of the Lord.
 
                  Thursday * Read Isaiah 59:1-4
  The story is told about an elderly couple riding together in a car. In the
car ahead of them was a young couple sitting very close together. The elderly
wife turned to her husband to inquire why they didn't sit close together like
that any more. Her husband's reply: "I haven't moved." If we don't find God's
loving arm around us, it isn't because His arm has shortened. If our
conversations with Him have ceased, it isn't because He has become deaf. We are
the ones who did the moving away. It is our sins that have caused the
separation.
 
                  Friday * Read Isaiah 62:1-4
  One of the most mysterious concepts in scripture is in regard to the true
name of God. When Moses was called to deliver the children of Israel from
Egypt, he wanted to be able to tell them who had sent him. God told him to say
that the "I AM" had sent him. There are Christians today who feel we should
only use the one name for God, which is usually given in the English language
as "Yahweh."
  Our scripture today says that God shall have a new name. In the book of
Revelation is a vision of Jesus' second coming on a white horse. He has a new
name that no man knows (see Rev. 19:12). Could it be that we will not know His
true name until that day when we shall be made perfect and can speak His name
with incorruptible lips?
 
                  Sabbath * Read Isaiah 61:1-7
 Jesus was invited to read the scripture when He attended Sabbath worship in
the synagogue in Nazareth. This is the passage of scripture in Isaiah that He
read. When He finished reading, He proclaimed this was a prophecy of Isaiah
that He was fulfilling at that very moment, while the people listened to Him.
  Just as the Old Testament Israelites rejected the messages of the Old
Testament prophets, the Jews of Nazareth rejected Jesus. They threw Him out of
the city and even sought to cast Him down over a cliff.
  Try to think of how you would react if you were living during Jesus' day, and
were reading this scripture then, instead of today. Would you have believed
that this scripture could have been fulfilled by a local carpenter from
Nazareth?
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
    Week 77: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
 
                  Sunday * Read Amos 5:8-15
   As the Israelites were preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses promised
many blessings for their obedience and many curses for their disobedience.
Among the curses was that other nations would eat the fruit of their land and
their labors (see Deut. 28:33). The prophet Amos also warned that oppression of
the poor would have similar results.
   What a contrast to the promise made later by Amos to the faithful remnant!
Their crops would mature so quickly that the sowers and the reapers would be
bumping into each other in the rich fields (see Amos 9:13).
 
                   Monday * Read Micah 6:1-8
   Here the prophet Micah reminded the people of what Balaam pointed out to
Balak, the king of Moab. When God blesses His people for their righteousness,
no one can remove that blessing. And when God brings punishment for
unrighteousness, nobody has the ability to stop it.
   Never forget the three things God expects of His people: they should be just
in their dealings; they should be merciful in their love; and they should be
humble before an almighty God. Such actions have more value than thousands of
sacrificial rams and uncountable offerings of oil that would fill ten thousand
rivers. Remember what Samuel told Saul: 'To obey is better than sacrifice, and
to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).
 
                  Tuesday * Read Isaiah 1:10-20
   Isaiah was not actually prophesying against Sodom and Gomorrah in this
passage. Read in verse 9 that God's people were being compared with Sodom and
Gomorrah.
   When people are sinful, there is only one type of prayer God will hear--a
prayer of repentance. Then, and only then, can lives that are scarlet from sin
be made as pure as snow and as white as wool.
 
                  Wednesday * Read Jeremiah 7:1-7
   Have you ever heard the saying, "Your actions speak so loud I can't hear
what you're saying"? The people of God in Jeremiah's day also thought their
words of worship would overcome their evil deeds. They would chant spiritually
sounding repetitious phrases, such as, "The temple of the Lord. The temple of
the Lord." God calls for loving action, not just empty phrases. Do you often
recite the Lord's Prayer? What does the statement "Forgive us our debts as we
forgive out debtors" mean to you? Don't let this become an empty phrase. Make
an effort to forgive others in the same way that you want God to forgive you.

                   Thursday * Read Matthew 6:1-13
   Today let us look closely at what Jesus said when He shared this prayer
with His disciples. He gave this prayer as an example because He didn't want
His followers to use "vain repetitions." Therefore, when you use this prayer,
don't just repeat the words. Be sure to meditate on what the words mean.
   Note, too, that Jesus was not condemning the act of praying in public. The
motive for public prayer should be so that two or more people can be in
agreement in what they pray (Matt. 18:19). The motivation Jesus condemned is
"to be seen of men" and "to be heard for their much speaking." Such prayers
need not be answered by God for "they have their reward."
 
                   Friday * Read Luke 18:9-17
   This Pharisee claimed in his prayer to have been doing good deeds. He was
not an extortioner. He was not unjust. He was not an adulterer. He sounded much
like the rich young ruler: "All these [commandments] have I kept" (Luke 18:21).
   He vied to claim two of Micah's guidelines: "do justly" and "love mercy"
(although his attitude toward the publican feel somewhat short of mercy).
However, he never came near to the third precept: "walk humbly with thy God."
Agatha Christie made this observation: "When you say, 'I am not as other men,'
you have lost the two most valuable qualities we have ever tried to attain:
humility and brotherhood."
 
                   Sabbath * Read Luke 18:18-28
 Jesus very likely anticipated the rich young ruler's claim to goodness, that
he had kept all the commandments from his youth up. The young man completely
missed the fact that Jesus had already said, "None is good, save one, that is,
God" (18:19). If no man can be described as good, then certainly the rich young
ruler couldn't have possibly kept all the commandments all of his life, On
another occasion, Jesus summed up all the law and the prophets in two
statements. We must love God and we must love our neighbor. Jesus showed the
rich young ruler what he lacked. He loved his riches more than he loved God or
his neighbors.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

      Week 78: Sunday * Read Amos 3:1-8
  When people make prayer requests concerning difficult problems, they often
blame those problems on Satan. They feel that Satan desires to hinder the good
work of Christians facing these difficult problems.
  Amos pointed out another possible source for these trials; God is sending
them to discipline His people because of their sins! When we have trials to
face, we had best make sure who is the source of those trials, and whether they
result from God's discipline of sinful actions rather than Satan's opposition
of good works.
 
                Monday * Read Isaiah 5:1-6
  This passage sounds very similar to the story of the garden of Eden in
Genesis. In that story, God also planted a garden to be fruitful and it, too,  
produced "wild grapes."
  The same question could be asked of that first garden: "What could have been
done more that had not been done?" The tongue-in-cheek answer would be to have
left man out of the garden. But of course, that answer ignores the fact that,
in both the garden of Eden and in Isaiah's vineyard, mankind is the fruit
thereof!
 
 
                Tuesday * Read Isaiah 5:7-12
  In case the children of Israel had missed the point of the story concerning
the vineyard, Isaiah said bluntly that they were the garden. Their selfishness
and greed were what made for wild grapes and required that the vineyard be 

destroyed as worthless.
 Wild grapes in a vineyard--that sounds very similar to our modern-day phrase,
"wild oats." If we feel that we need not turn to the Lord until after we have
sowed our wild oats, we would do well to heed this portion of scripture.
 
                Wednesday * Read Isaiah 5:13-25
 How can anyone convincingly call evil good and good evil? Or darkness light
and light darkness? Or bitter sweet and sweet bitter? It doesn't sound 
possible, much less logical.
  However, it wasn't too long ago that we first heard similar illogical
statements concerning the "new morality." People began using the phrase "new
morality" to excuse their selfish and immoral actions. Someone pointed out that
the "new morality" is nothing more than the "old immorality." Sin is still sin,
no matter what we label it. 
 
                Thursday * Read Romans 6:19-23
 Compare 6:20 from today's reading with 6:18. There are two types of
servanthood and two types of freedom. If you are a servant of sin, you are free
from being a servant of righteousness. And conversely, if you are a servant of
righteousness, you are free from being a servant of sin. As Jesus pointed out,
you can't serve two masters (see Matt. 6:24).
  There's an even more important contrast in 6:23. Working as a servant to sin
has its salary--death. But working as a servant of righteousness earns no
salary, for eternal life is a gift of God through Jesus Christ! 
 
                Friday * Read Matthew 21:33-43 
 Jesus took the story of Isaiah's vineyard and added a new dimension to it. He
dropped Isaiah's main point concerning the fruit that had turned wild and added
the concept of the husbandmen, the servants, and the son.
  This time, the Jewish authorities are the husbandmen instead of the fruit;
the servants are the prophets; and the son is Jesus Himself. Jesus used this
illustration to show that the wild disobedience of the Jews would result in the
worst sin of all: the rejection and death of the only-begotten Son of God. 
 
                Sabbath * Read Isaiah 1:12-20
  Today we come back to the opening theme of Isaiah's writing, clearly put
forth in 1:19-20: "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of
the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword."
This message doesn't only apply to the physical existence of the children of
Israel in the promised land of Canaan. It also has a personal and spiritual
application. Those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of Life will
partake of spiritual fruit eternally (see Rev. 2 1:27 to 22:2). The others will
be devoured by the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 15).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
    Week 79: Isaiah's Call
 
                  Sunday * Read 2 Chronicles 26:1-15
   The scripture passages for today and tomorrow are devoted to the reign of
King Uzziah. Many of his accomplishments are recorded in this chapter, which
shows why he was considered one of Judah's good kings.
  The greatest statement that can be made of Uzziah or, for that matter, of any
person is found in 26:4: "He did that which was right in the sight of the
Lord."  When we have lived our lives, wouldn't it be wonderful if such an
inscription could be carved on our headstone?
                
                Monday * Read 2 Chronicles 26:16-23
   Although Uzziah was considered a good king, he was known for an arrogant,
sinful action. He yielded in the one vulnerable area that righteous people
often have; he was proud of his righteousness.
  Although only priests were allowed to offer incense in the temple, Uzziah
wrongly felt that his righteousness qualified him as well. No matter how
righteous any of us are, we never have the right to say that we can put
ourselves above God's laws.
          
               Tuesday * Read Isaiah 6:1-5
  It seems logical to assume that, because King Uzziah was so highly respected,
his death caused the prophet Isaiah to go to the temple to seek the Lord. The
death of a person we know and love should always cause each of us to seek the
Lord in a deeper, more meaningful way.
  Isaiah's experience of seeing the Lord in all His royal splendor put any
feeling of personal righteousness in proper perspective. Do our times of
worship help us to realize that, without the forgiveness we receive through
Jesus, we are not worthy to come before God's throne either?
 
              Wednesday * Read Isaiah 6:6-13
  Here is another experience we can share with Isaiah when we worship God.
After we also confess that we are sinners, a people of unclean lips, and after
we also experience the forgiveness that comes with our confession, there is
another, greater experience waiting for us.
  We also should hear the voice of God, calling us to serve Him: "Whom shall I
send, and who will go for us?" Are we also willing, as Isaiah was willing, to
say, "Here am I; send me"?    
         
             Thursday * Read Amos 7:10-17
  When man's voice says something different from God's voice, which voice will
you heed?  When the voice of man has the weight of government behind it, will
that change your decision to follow God's voice?
  God called a farmer to be his prophet, and King Amaziah told Amos that he was
trespassing. Whose voice should Amos have heeded? Peter and John asked the
officials of their time, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken
unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts 4:19).
 
             Friday * Read Luke 9:57-62
  It seems hardhearted of the Lord to refuse this man's request to bid farewell
to his family before following Jesus as a disciple. There certainly must be
more to` the story than just that simple-sounding request. Jesus certainly can
look beyond the words and into the intentions of the heart. Let us look closer
to see if we can see what Jesus saw.
  The man had made a decision to follow Jesus; that is certain from Jesus'
reply. But then he had a change of heart. He decided not to be a disciple after
all. However, he didn't want to tell anyone he had changed his mind. Instead,
he offered a logical excuse for leaving (and then simply just wouldn't return).
Do we ever do something similar? Isn't Jesus right to call us to task for it? 
 
            Sabbath * Read Matthew 13:10-17
  Can you picture the situation? Jesus was standing on a ship and speaking to
the people on the shore. He told them a story about a sower of seeds. Can you
imagine some of the people's comments? "That was a nice story. When I get home,
I think I'11 tell it to my children." The more serious might have said, "Why
would the sower be so wasteful? Seed costs too much to be careless like that
and let it fall on bad ground. The man in the story should have been more
frugal."
  But the disciples knew better, They knew Jesus must have meant more than that
and so they asked Jesus why He spoke in parables. Jesus answered that He wanted
only those who had spiritual discernment to seek the real meaning in what He
said.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

      Week 80: Words of Hope
 
                  Sunday * Read Jeremiah 13:10-14
  Our lesson this week is entitled "Words of Hope." This passage of scripture
for today does not seem to offer much in the way of hope. Indeed, it seems full
Of words of despair:  "I will dash them. ... I will not pity, nor spare, nor
have mercy, but destroy them" (13:14).
  Perhaps we should include 13:15-16 in order to find hope. All God was seeking
to do was to bring His people back to Him in humility. It is not His people but
their sinful pride that He wants to destroy.
 
                 Monday * Read Isaiah 40:1-5
  The first words of today's passage bring to mind the sounds of the oratorio,
The Messiah. Can't you just hear the voice of the tenor soloist as he sings,
"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people"? What a beautiful way to begin a passage of
scripture!
  Verse 3 also brings to mind the fulfillment of that verse. Can you also
picture John the Baptist answering those who want to know who he was? "I am the
voice of one crying in the wilderness" (John 1:23). What words of hope these
are when we know what they prophesied!
 
                 Tuesday * Read Isaiah 40:6-11
  John quoted verses preceding this passage from Isaiah when asked who he was
(Is. 40:3-5; John 1:23; Luke 3:4-6). The verses following this passage continue
with questions and answers.
  Where can comfort be found when our grass is withering and our flowers are
fading? The people were not to think of themselves as grass as it withers.
Instead, they were to think of themselves as lambs that will be led to new,
fresh grass by their Shepherd, who is also their God.
 
                 Wednesday * Read Isaiah 40:12-17
  When we look at the world around us, it can be an overwhelming view. If we
hope in our own strength, we can easily feel depressed.
  Our hope, however, is in the Lord, and He is mightier than the world around
us. God reminds us that He knows the exact volume of water that exists on the
earth, just as God reminded Job, in his despair, of His control over nature
(see Job 38-39).
 
                 Thursday * Read Isaiah 40:18-26
  Perhaps one of the reasons the children of Israel had difficulty in placing
their trust in the Lord was their inability to perceive God as more than a
localized deity. Most people worshiped and trusted in a "god" that was a graven
image they had made themselves.
  The people needed to worship and trust in a God who was and is above all of
creation. He is so gigantic that Isaiah described His throne as being as large
as the earth's orbit around the sun: "the circle of the earth" (40:22). How
much greater can God be to us today, as we contemplate the size we know the
universe to be.
 
                Friday * Read Isaiah 40:27-31
  Just possibly, the children of Israel might have thought that, when the Lord
takes care of all His creation, He becomes too weary at times to care for them.
After all, didn't He rest for a day after creation ? They needed to be reminded
that their mighty God does not ever become faint or weary.
  What a beautiful promise of hope is found in the last verse! When we wait on
the Lord, our strength is renewed. We can compare that renewal of strength to
the image of an eagle soaring for hours on the thermals without using energy
and getting weary again. Let us soar on God's "thermals"!
 
                 Sabbath * Read John 10:7-18
  Jesus certainly remembered the Old Testament scriptures that encouraged the
people to picture themselves as lambs and God as the shepherd. Thus He called
Himself the good Shepherd. Jesus said He "giveth his life for the sheep."
  Note the contrast between a shepherd and a hired hand. The shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep; the hired hand abandons the sheep when the wolf comes.
Which of the two do you want to follow?
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

      Week 81: The New Covenant
 
                  Sunday * Read Jeremiah 30:1-11
 Jeremiah is generally thought of as the "weeping prophet." In our passage
today we can call him· the prophet of both sorrow and joy. The sorrow, of
course, stems from the captivity, which Jeremiah compares to a woman in the
pangs of childbirth. The joy comes from the deliverance, both on seeing the
newborn child and on seeing again the promised land.
  Verse 9 is an important verse of prophecy. It seems to say that King David
will again be raised up to be their king. This is not a statement regarding
reincarnation. It is a messianic prophecy of the coming of Jesus, who will
reign in the lineage of David.
 
                  Monday * Read Jeremiah 30:12-16
 We need to note two very important messages in this passage of scripture: "Thy
bruise is incurable" (30:12) and "There is none to plead thy cause" (30:13).
We, along with the children of Israel, must first realize that, in the Old
Testament as well as in the New Testament, "the wages of sin is death" (Rom.
6:23). There is no cure that we can effect ourselves to solve that problem.
  We also must realize that, since we "all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), no one else can plead for us, because they too are
sinners. The important word in today's passage is found in 30:16: "Therefore."
Tomorrow, we will find out why it is so important. 
 
                  Tuesday * Read Jeremiah 30:17-24
 The thought that began in 30:16 with the word "therefore" continues in this
passage. Because the sins are incurable and because there isn't anyone who can
help, "Therefore...I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy
wounds, saith the Lord" (30:16-17).
  Here again is a promise of the Messiah. God Himself, in the person of Jesus,
was promised as the One who will come to deliver us from our sins. Note the
similarity between 30:22 ("Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God") and
Revelation 2 1:3 ("Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
and be their God"). Certainly, 30:22 will be totally and completely fulfilled
in the new heaven and the new earth.
                
                    Wednesday * Read Jeremiah 31:1-6
 It is interesting to note that God has constantly condemned His people as
committing spiritual adultery by seeking after other gods. Yet, in this passage
of scripture, they are referred to as the "virgin of Israel." What a beautiful
description of the total forgiveness God promises!    
  The symbol of a bride's purity at her wedding is her white wedding dress.
God's bride, in the New Testament, also is announced to have this purity.  The
Bride of the Lamb will also wear white at her marriage supper (see Revelation
19:7-8).
               
                    Thursday * Read Jeremiah 31:7-14
 Note the reference to the blind and the lame in 31:8. Even the physically
handicapped will be included in the deliverance out of captivity. No one will
be left out when the people are restored to the promised land.
  Now note what the handicapped will do (31:9); they will walk and not stumble!
This is not just a prophecy of their physical deliverance. This again has its
highest fulfillment in the new heaven and the new earth. There the people of
God will "walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way" (31:9) because that
river is the "river of water of life ... proceeding out of the throne of God''
(Rev. 22:1).
                  
                    Friday * Read Jeremiah 31:15-20 
  If we were acquainted only with the Old Testament we would probably see 31:15
just in the context of the children of Israel lamenting over their captivity in
Babylon. There is no hope for future generations if all they could anticipate
is continuing in captivity.
  The gospel of Matthew brings out the fact that all of this scripture is
fulfilled by more than just the physical deliverance of the people. This verse
has its greatest fulfillment at the time of Jesus' birth (see Matt. 2:16-18).
  By comparing 31:17 with these verses in Matthew, we can conclude that those
children who were destroyed by Herod will "come again" to the true eternal
borders of the heavenly promised land. Rachel need only weep for their physical
death and can still rejoice in the promise of their eternal life. 
 
                  Sabbath * Read Jeremiah 31:23-34
 All of these prophecies we have studied this week culminate in the promise of
a new covenant. Yet, in actuality, this covenant that will write God's law in
their hearts isn't any different than what God wanted right from the first.
Note what God said when He made the covenant in Moses' time: "O that there were
such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments
always" (Deut. 5:29).
  What makes this a new covenant is the way that God is able to write His laws
in the people's hearts. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the
Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts. He is the One who gives us the ability
to obey the commandments of Cod (see Heb. 10:15-17; Eph. 3:16-17).
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
      Week 82: Judgment and Salvation
 
                 Sunday * Read Nahum 1:1-5.
  When Nahum wrote this prophecy against Nineveh he used many strong words to
describe God, such as jealous, avenging, and wrathful. God is described as a
whirlwind and a storm. Yet in the midst of all this is the description of God
as "slow to anger" (verse 3).
   Such contrast is valid when we realize that although God does get angry, He
is slow to anger and is long-suffering. Even describing God as jealous is not
without merit because such a description is based not on His anger, but on His
protective love. Paul concurred when he described himself as having a godly
jealousy toward the Church (2 Corinthians 11:2).
 
                  Monday * Read Nahum 1:6-11.
  When Jonah preached to Nineveh, their leader issued a proclamation of
repentance for the whole city (Jonah 3:6-7). In Nahum's time the leadership of
Nineveh was described as "one who plots evil against the Lord and counsels
wickedness" (verse 11, NIV). No wonder Nahum described God as both a caring
refuge (verse 7) and an overwhelming pursuer (verse 8).
  In Jonah's time, when Nineveh repented the people experienced a caring and
forgiving God, but this time, when they refused to repent, God's punishment was
overwhelming. God offers us the same choices. When we repent of our sin we will
receive forgiveness from a caring God, but if we refuse to repent, we will also
suffer the same overwhelming punishment.
 
                    Tuesday * Nahum 1:12-15.
  Assyria and its chief city, Nineveh, had wrought terrorism and oppression for
a century and gone "unscathed" (verse 12), while Judah had been afflicted by
her ungodly neighbor. Now the tables would be turned. Nineveh would be
destroyed while Judah would be blessed. God would judge the wickedness of
Assyria but would offer peace and blessing to His repentant people. That is
God's way now as it was then.
   Note the messianic prophecy in verse 15. Isaiah gave a similar prophecy:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news"
(Isaiah 52:7, NIV). In describing the Christians who were sent with the Gospel,
Paul quoted this passage of Scripture (Romans 10:14-15). 
                
                    Wednesday * Nahum 2.
   There are two quotations in today's scripture. In verse 8 the people of
Nineveh cried, "Stop! Stop!" when destruction came. It was a useless outcry.
When Jonah preached to them they did not protest, but instead they repented and
turned from evil (Jonah 3:9).
  The second quotation.is found in verse 13: " 'I am against you,' declares the
Lord Almighty." What a frightening condemnation to come from God! This also
contrasts to God's response to their repentance in Jonah's time: "When God saw
what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion"
(Jonah 3:10, NIV). True repentance always brings God's forgiveness.
 
                   Thursday * Read Nahum 3:1-7.
  Nineveh was condemned not only for her sinfulness, but because her bad
example caused the enslavement of other nations (verse 4). A similar
description was prophesied for the end time as well. The latter day Babylon is
called the "mother of prostitutes" who intoxicated other nations (see
Revelation 17:1-5).
  Nahum asked, "Who will mourn for her?  Where can I find anyone to comfort
you?" (verse 7, NIV). In contrast, John found some who mourned and wept for
Babylon: those who were unrepentant in their sins. However, none of them
received comfort (see Revelation 18).
 
                  Friday * Read Nahum 3:8-19.
  The ultimate judgment was passed on Nineveh: "Nothing can heal your wound;
your injury is fatal" (verse 19, NIV). They were beyond the hope of repentance.
What a terrible final condemnation!
   A striking comparison can again be made with the sinful people in the last
days described in Revelation. Even when the seven bowls of God's wrath were
poured out, those people also refused to repent (Revelation 16:9,11). Pray that
God's call to repentance will be heeded while there is still opportunity to do
so because "now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2
Corinthians 6:2, NIV).
 
                   Sabbath * Read Psalm 66:1-12.
  Two different words describe the people who witness the power of God:
"bowing" and "cringing." In verse 4 all the earth bows before God and sings
praises. The enemies of God in verse 3 (NIV) "cringe" before Him. That is a big
difference.
   Paul wrote, "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ... and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"
(Philippians 2: 10-11, NIV).
  In the times of which Revelation speaks there will be many who will "cringe"
in fear because of their wickedness. The time when every knee will bow in
reverence and worship will be in the New Jerusalem, because "nothing impure
will ever enter, ... but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book
of life" (Revelation 21:27, NIV). Beloved, is your name written there?
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 
 
      Week 83: A Question and An Answer
 
                  Sunday * Read Habakkuk 1:1-4.
  How often do God's people ask this question of Him: "How long?" This was one
of David's and the other psalm writers, many questions (see Psalm 13:1-2;
89:46, 94:3-4). It is also the question of the martyred saints of the last
days: "How long, O Lord, holy and true?" (Revelation 6:10).
  The question works both ways. God also asks it of His people: "How long wilt
thou refuse to humble thyself before me?" (Exodus 10:3; see Exodus 16:28, 1
Kings 18:21). Beloved, God also asks these questions of you. How will you
answer them?
 
                  Monday * Read Habakkuk 1:6-11.
  The Chaldeans were described as a "bitter and hasty nation" (verse 6). They
were also called "terrible" and "dreadful" (verse 7) and "violent" (verse 9).
Yet God claimed that He was the One who raised them up (verse 6). Therefore the
judgment they brought was God's judgment.
   This may be easier to understand when we read what Jesus said to Pilate:
"Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from
above" (John 19:11). When Lucifer brought turmoil to Job, even he first had to
get permission from God (Job 1:12, 2:6).
 
                Tuesday * Read Habakkuk 1:12-17.
   It is easier to accept the fact that God would use His people to punish the
wicked nations than to believe the opposite idea. Why would God use evil
nations to punish His chosen people? Habakkuk wondered how God, who was "too
pure to look on evil" and who could not "tolerate wrong" (verse 13), could use
the ungodly, wicked Babylonians as an instrument of judgment on Judah.
  The unanswered question remained: "Why weren't the evil nations themselves
being punished?" Then came the answer: they would be punished, not only for
their evil, but also for what they did to God's people (see Jeremiah 51:49).
Never gloat overthe punishment of sinners. Jesus reminded us that "except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).
 
                  Wednesday * Read Habakkuk 2:1-5.
  God gave an answer to the question, "How Long?" His answer is to be plainly
written on a tablet and carried by heralds. God has appointed a time. Even if
that appointed time seems to linger, it is not delayed.
  One reason it seems to us to linger is due to the patience of God. He is
"longsuffering" because he is "not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance " (2 Peter 3:9). But do not delay. Remember God said,
"my spirit will not always strive with man" (Genesis 6:3).
  
                   Thursday * Read Habakkuk 2:6-20.
   Here is a vivid description of the cry for justice. When the evil people
plunder the land, even the stones cry out to God. Jesus also claimed that the
stones wanted to worship the Lord as well. At His triumphal entry Jesus said,
"If these [people] should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry
out" (Luke 19:40).
   Jesus meant that literally because He also said that God could turn stones
into children of Abraham (Matthew 3:9). Actually, the "whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now" waiting for redemption (Romans 8
:22-23).
 
                  Friday * Read Habakkuk 3.
  We have read in Scripture of the mighty acts of God. It would be wonderful if
we could have seen them with our own eyes. We can say with Habakkuk, "Revive
thy work in our day" (verse 2).
   We, in our own day, have seen the mighty works of God. Even if such miracles
are not done for us, and even if our own natural blessings fail, we also need
to say With Habakkuk, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord" (verse 18). Remember
that faith is "the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
 
                 Sabbath * Read Psalm 25:1 -1 0.
   David as an individual felt the shame of being dominated by his enemies, and
he prayed for deliverance. Yet his strong faith led him to declare that hope in
God protected one from the feeling of shame. How can such opposite feelings
exist?
  Notice how Paul expressed it: "We are troubled on every side, yet not
distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken;
cast down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4: 8-9). We may feel a temporary
shame, but we will never feel the permanent shame of eternal punishment.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 84:     A Vision of God's Glory
 
                  Sunday * Read Isaiah 6:1-4
  Isaiah went into the temple to seek the Lord after his king, Uzziah, had
died. We often seek spiritual comfort from the Lord when someone close to us
dies. At these meaningful times in our lives, we face the reality that temporal
things have so little value, and we know that we need to seek the eternal
values.
  I thought of this scripture on previous similar occasions in our own lives-
just after President Kennedy was shot, when our seven astronauts ere killed
and after the Oklahoma City bombing. I could see clear parallels between the
reaction of Isaiah and ours. The news media seldom give a religious perspective
to their reports except when our nation publicly mourns its dead. At those times
there certainly are religious emphases in the news.
 
                  Monday * Read Psalm 93
  When we, as individuals or as a nation, turn to the Lord, He will not
disappoint us. Isaiah had an awesome vision of the Lord in the temple with the
seraphim and all the smoke. The psalmist in today's scripture also pictures God
in an awesome and majestic way.
  The vision of God's majesty, of course, is not all that we should perceive.
Our God is holy and righteous, but He is also loving and compassionate. He
purged Isaiah's sins when he confessed his uncleanness. Our awesome, holy God
will also lovingly and compassionately forgive us when we repent.
                  
                   Tuesday * Read Revelation 19:11-16
 John had a similar vision to Isaiah's of the second coming of Jesus. He, too,
appeared holy and awesome. With eyes of fire and a sharp sword, He is ready to
deal out the fierce wrath of God.
  But we who are His people need not fear. Note that this description includes
the fact that His clothing is dipped in blood. This is a reference to His blood
that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Although this scripture pictures
Jesus as a mighty soldier, note that, just preceding in verse 7, He is still
the sacrificial Lamb of God.
 
                  Wednesday * Read Psalm 8:1-9
  This is the psalm that truly contrasts the majesty of God with His loving
concern for His creation. When we consider the greater understanding that our
modern astronomers with their sophisticated telescopes have concerning the
vastness of the universe, we could say with deeper meaning, "What is man, that
thou are mindful of him?"
  How much deeper will our understanding be that God is mindful of us? How much
more meaningful to us is the fact that in this great and glorious universe He
has created, He has sent His Son to visit us and to die for our sins?
 
 
                  Thursday * Read Psalm 48:8-14
  This psalm is written as a praise to God because He has furnished His people
a city. Verses 12-13 especially emphasizes a desire to survey the city, to be
completely familiar with its defenses.
  The psalm brings to mind the description given to John in Revelation 21 of
the new Jerusalem which was also surveyed in that chapter. Many Bible scholars
interpret the measuring of God's Holy City to mean not only that God Himself
took personal care of every detail in its construction, but also that He
personally chose every individual who was to live within the city walls.
 
                  Friday * Read Revelation 7:9-12
  Prior to this passage, in verses 3-8, is a description of 144,000 servants of
God who are sealed. Our scripture today describes an unnumbered multitude who
are clothed in white robes. The verses after today's selection answer the
question of who these people are.  It clearly says that their robes were made
white by the blood of the Lamb.
  Some Bible scholars see two separate groups here: a sealed number of Jews,
and a redeemed number of Jews. Other Bible scholars see only one group
mentioned twice. They interpret the number 144,000 as 12 x 12 x 1,000--12 being
the apocalyptic number for the redeemed and 1,000 being a number beyond count
(hence the innumerable multitude). We certainly must agree that God only seals
with His Holy Spirit those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb (see
Eph. 1:13).
 
                  Sabbath * Read Colossians 1:19-28
 Paul called God's plan a mystery that has been hidden from understanding. The
mysterious plan that God is working out is that Christ will dwell in you. That
is your only hope in order to live with Him in glory. This is the completion of
what God planned from creation.
  When God made man, He did so in His image and in His likeness, but not with
His fullness. Only in Christ does the fullness of the Godhead dwell, and only
when Christ dwells in us is our creation completed (see Col. 2:9-10). What a
marvelous mystery this is!
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

      Week 85: Threatened Destruction of Humankind

                  Sunday * Read Zephaniah 1:1-6.
  In Noah's time God saw that the world was exceedingly wicked and vowed to
"destroy man ... from the face of the earth; both man, and beast" (Genesis
6:7). After the destruction by the flood, God promised Noah, "Neither will I
again smite any more everything living as I have done" (Genesis 8:21). But now
Zephaniah prophesied another destruction of all living creatures. How can this
be?
  The answer is in the phrase, "as I have done." Any future destruction would
not be again by flood (Genesis 9: 15). It will be by fire. As a matter of
contrast, the final destruction will result not in abundance of water but in
the disappearance of vast bodies of water (Revelation 21:1).

                  Monday * Read Zephaniah 1:7~13.
  When will this second total destruction come? The only answer given is in the
declaration, "The day of the LORD is near" (verse 7).
   Do any other scriptures give a clearer picture? Not really. Paul said, "the
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2), and
Peter concurred (2 Peter 3: 10). Jesus said the last day would be a day of
judgment (John 12:48). Christians would not need to be ashamed when that day
comes (2 Timothy 1:12). Rather than despair, we should "exhort" one another "as
we see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).

                  Tuesday * Read Zephaniah 1:14-18.
  Zephaniah also called "the day of the LORD" by other names including the name
"a day of wrath" (verse 15) and "the day of the Lord's wrath" (verse 18). This
description is shared by other Biblical writers (Romans 2:5, Revelation 6:17).
John even expanded on this name for that final day by describing the pouring
out of seven vials of God's wrath (Revelation 16).
  Should God's people be fearful? Remember what Paul wrote: "Being justified by
his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9). Paul also
promised that "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by
our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

                  Wednesday * Read Zephaniah 2:1-4.
  Zephaniah does not center his prophecy on the theme of wrath and punishment.
He offers the people the opportunity to "gather together" and "seek the LORD"
before "the day of the LORD's anger" comes. "Seek the LORD," and "seek
righteousness," and "seek meekness."
   Isaiah, too, counseled a gathering together and a seeking: "Come now, and
let us reason together" Isaiah 1:18). "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found"
(Isaiah 55:6). Amos prophesied that the day would soon come for a famine "of
hearing the words of the LORD." Rather than gathering together, the people will
"run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD and shall not find it" (Amos
8:11-12).

                  Thursday * Read Zephaniah 2:5-11.
  Last week we studied the reference to the stones crying out. The Moody
Institute of Science has produced an evangelistic movie entitled, "The Stones
Cry Out." It is an archeological study of Biblical places like Tyre and Sidon,
places where Moabites and Ammonites lived. The places were to be destroyed and
never again to be habitable. They would only be places where sheep would graze
and fishermen spread their nets. (Compare verse 6 with Ezekiel 26:1-5).
   The Moody film vividly shows the location of these places and how accurately
the prophecies have come true. What clear proof that the Bible is the Word of
God!

                  Friday * Read Zephaniah 2:12-15.
   The prediction of the utter destruction of these places is in vivid contrast
to their boasting: "I am and there is none beside me" (verse 15). Remember that
God Himself said that His name is "I AM" (Exodus 3:14). The description, "none
other," is also the description of God (Exodus 20:3).
   The first sin was the desire to be like God (Genesis 3:5). Solomon warned
that such "pride goeth before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18). Paul added that
the one who "thinketh he standeth" should "take heed lest he fall" (1
Corinthians 10: 12). Jesus also gave the warning against exalting oneself. He
added that those who humble themselves would be exalted (Luke 14:11).

                   Sabbath * Read Psalm 89:14-18.
  The people of God can have pride, but it should not be pride in their own
righteousness. They can "exult" in the Lord's righteousness (verse 16). Since
"all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), we can take pride
in the beautiful 'white robes' that will be given to us as part of the
righteousness of Christ.
  We can experience humility and pride at the same time, pride in what Jesus
has accomplished and humility in the fact that He did it for us. Paul wrote,
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

     Week 86: God Will Restore Israel
	
	       	  Sunday * Read Zephaniah 3:1-5.
  Zephaniah pronounced a "woe" on the officials and rulers of Jerusalem for
rejecting God. He condemned the prophets and priests of the city for their
unrighteousness. When the leadership becomes corrupt, there isn't much hope
for a city.
  That is why Jesus was so critical of the Pharisees. He pronounced His
share of "woes" on Jerusalem's leadership as well (see Matthew 23). Jesus
said, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required:
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Luke
12:48). 

 		  Monday * Read Zephaniah 3:6-10.
  There are two types of sinners in the world, those who accept correction
and those who despise it. The Lord lamented over the latter type: "In vain
have I smitten your children; they received no correction" (Jeremiah 2:30).

  John noted that the wicked of the last days, rather than be corrected,
"blasphemed the God of heaven ... and repented not of their deeds"
(Revelation 16: 1 1). In contrast, the true children of God accept God's
correction. "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Hebrews 12:5-6).

		  Tuesday * Read Zephaniah 3:11-14.
  In the part of the Sermon on the Mount that we call The Beatitudes, Jesus
said, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" Matthew 5:5).
When He said this, Jesus was quoting Psalm 37:11. Today's scripture says
that the meek shall inherit the city of Jerusalem. When will this happen?
  We are advised that it will take place when the remnant "do no wrong" and
"speak no lies." This will not happen in the present earth and in the present
Jerusalem. It will be fulfilled in the new heaven and the new earth and in
the new Jerusalem. It is there, John tells us, "There shall in no wise enter
into it anything that defileth, neither worketh abomination, or maketh a lie"
Revelation 21:27; see also 22:15).

	       	Wednesday * Read Zephaniah 3:15-20.
  'I will bring you home" (verse 20). What a beautiful promise to make to the
scattered people! This promise refers to more than a return to the land of
Palestine. Notice that the prophecy includes the promise to "never fear harm"
(verse 15). Those who did return to Palestine from exile ended up with much
to fear. Jewish people had to fear the Romans in Jesus' day, and even today,
they fear the Arabs.
   The real fulfillment will eliminate all fear. Take heart in Jesus' words:
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my
Father's house are many mansions. ... I go to prepare a place for you" (John
14: 1-2). That will be a real home!

       	       	Thursday * Read Isaiah 62:1-5.
  Have you ever been to a place that was described as "God-forsaken"? In the
western part of the United States there are several locations that have been
named, "the Badlands." In this scripture, sinful Jerusalem is named
"Desolate," and its people are called "forsaken."
  But new names are promised. The people will one day be called 'Hephzibah,"
which means 'delightful," and the city will be called "Beulah," meaning
"married." When will these name changes take place? When the Bridegroom
returns, when "the marriage of the Lamb is come; and his wife hath made
herself ready" (Revelation 19:7). That will be the real "Beulahland"!

		 Friday * Read Isaiah 12.
  When God's people receive their deliverance, they invariably want to sing
praises to the Lord. "Sing to the LORD." "Sing for joy." The Lord is not
only our strength and our salvation, He is also our song (verse 2).
   When the saints of the last days are delivered, they also will praise
God with a new song (Revelation 5). Every creature in heaven, on earth, and
even under the earth will sing: "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power,
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb for ever and
ever" (Revelation 5:13). Every creature! Beloved, do you have the song
memorized yet?

		 Sabbath * Read Ezekiel 34:11-16.
  David wrote in the most precious of all the Psalms, "The LORD is my
shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). In today's scripture God makes the beautiful
promise, "Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out"
(verse 11). The shepherd cares for all the needs of the sheep,but here the
emphasis is on the ones who wander away, or for other reasons are not with
the flock.
 Jesus surely thought of this scripture as well as Psalm 23 when He told
the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 1 8: 12). He said, "I am the good
shepherd" (John 10: 1 1). Aren't you happy today that you live under the
constant watchfulness and care of the Good Shepherd?
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 87	    Why  Judgment Comes To Humanity 

		  Sunday * Read Amos 1:1-2
  Amos was a shepherd when the Lord gave him a prophetic message to deliver
to Israel. Amos did not go through years of special formal training to
become a prophet of the Lord.
  As Christians, we also are given a message from the Lord to take to a
lost and dying world. He wants each of us to share the message of salvation
through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross with the people around us every
day. Sharing the Gospel with people we meet doesn't require special, formal
training either.

		  Monday * Read Amos 7:10-17
  Amaziah the priest advised Amos not to prophesy to Israel and he told King
Jeroboam that Amos was a part of a conspiracy. Amos responded by pointing
out that he was only a shepherd and that God called him to prophesy.
  We are also reminded that when it is God who tells us to bring a message
to people that we must not listen if others try to discourage us from
delivering such a message. As Peter said, "we ought to obey God rather than
men."

		  Tuesday * Read Amos 1:3-10
 The prophecies delivered by Amos were first delivered to the people who
were living around Israel. God's people would not be able to say when they
receive their prophecies, "What about the people around us? They are more
sinful than us."
  How often do we try to excuse our sins by saying, "Everybody does it!" or
"What about Mr. Jones; he does a lot worse things." James said if we offend
in one point, we are guilty of all.

		  Wednesday * Read Amos 1:11-2:3
  Note that each prophecy begins with, For three transgressions... and for
four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof...'' The point that can
be made here is that the sins have not been committed just once or twice by
these people to which Amos is speaking.
  God is long suffering and patient. He does not pounce on a sinner as soon
as he sins. The wickedness that the Lord is dealing with in these situations
are continuous and ingrained in the people.

		  Thursday * Read Amos 2:4-9
  Amos brought the prophetic messages a little closer to home. He now
addressed the nation of Judah, Israel's sisters to the south. The sins of
Judah were different than the previous peoples' sins. Judah was a nation
that knew the Lord and didn't just sin against other people, they sinned
against God and his commandments.
  We are reminded of the words of Jesus that it would be more tolerable in
the day of judgment for other people than for the people of God who ought
to know better.

		  Friday * Read Amos 2:10-16
  God reminded Israel that He has done great things for them. He has
delivered then from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. He gave them prophets
and Nazarites who would help them to know and follow His will. But they told
the prophets to be silent, and they caused the Nazarites to break their vows.
  It was bad enough for God's people to sin themselves. It is even worse for
them to cause others to stumble into sin.

		  Sabbath * Read Amos 6:11-14
  Because Israel thought it could brag about its national strength-"Have we
not taken to us horns (power) by our own strength"-God said He would raise
up a nation that would "afflict" them from Hemath on the North, to the
Jordan river on the South. If they could have only remembered that their
national strength came from God and repent of their arrogance.
  What a message to us and to our nation today. We also are too willing to
take the credit for living in a great and prosperous nation. We, too, need
to humble ourselves and express our gratitude to God for all the blessing
that He has bestowed on us and our nation.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

       Week 88		How The Body of Christ Grows

		  Sunday *  Read Ephesians 3:1-6 
  Paul seems to be saying that two incredible facts were not known in the
Old Testament times. The people did not know about God's grace and they did
not know God would make one body of all people--Jew and Gentile alike.
  These truths are found in Old Testament times. People then did receive
grace from God, and, Gentiles at times also experienced this grace. But it
was never clearly evident until Jesus Christ was revealed.

		  Monday * Read Ephesians 3:7-21
 Four very important truths are emphasized in this passage. First, Christ
Himself actually dwells in your heart. Second, with Christ in your heart,
you will comprehend all these spiritual truths, especially Christ's love
which otherwise surpasses understanding. Third, through all these
experiences you will come to know the fullness of God.
  We can be assured of all these incredible facts because of Paul's final
point: Christ is able to do extremely more than you can possibly ask or
think.

		  Tuesday * Read Ephesians 4:1-6
 Paul brings all of the "ones" together. One body, one Spirit, one hope,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all.
  Because of all these incredible truths Paul also reminds us to walk in
worthiness as well as in humility. We are given an awesome responsibility.

		  Wednesday * Read Ephesians 4:7-16
 In order for us to work toward the fulfillment of all this unity, God has
given each of us different abilities. Some are apostles, others are
evangelists, or pastors and teachers. We still have differences in our
unity.
  Our goal is a majestic one, however. Our fullness is to be on a par with
the fullness of Christ Himself!

		  Thursday * Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 
  Paul also emphasized to the Corinthians the differences of abilities that
are to be used in growth toward oneness in Christ that he referred to in
Ephesians. It is the same Spirit that gives the diversities of gifts.
  In this illustration the abilities are described as gifts of the Spirit.
Although we all must have faith, note that there is a special gift of faith.

		  Friday * Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
 Here again Paul used the illustration of one body. Although it is a unified
body, it is made up of many different parts working toward unity.
  Note especially the reference of how all the members feel the suffering
when one member is hurt. How much do we feel another person's pain?

		  Sabbath * Read Romans 12:3-8
  Again in Romans, Paul used the body containing many members as a lesson.
Just as he wrote to the Corinthians, we have different gifts to be used in
love.
 Another special point Paul made here is our attitude toward position. Even
if we think our gift is a greater one, we ourselves are not greater.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 89   	 The Lord's Constant Love
 
		   Sunday * Read Hosea 1:1-11
  Ministers have been known to use their families as sermon illustrations.
 However, it is doubtful that any minister has named any of his children to
 illustrate the sins of his members.
  Hosea named two of his children "No Mercy," and "Not My People" to
 illustrate that God would not have mercy on the sins of Israel. Note that
 the end result is that the people would again be called the sons of the
 living God and the scattered people would again become the gathered people.
 The merciless would again have mercy.

	       	  Monday * Read Hosea 2:1-9
  Throughout the Bible the people of God are compared to a wife. When they
 sin against God and worship other gods, their sin is spiritual adultery.
 Hosea used his wife as an illustration of Israel's relationship to God as
 a spiritual husband and wife.
  This is a forerunner of the New Testament illustration of the church and
 Jesus Christ. The Church is described as the bride of Christ. Our sins can
 also be described as spiritual adultery.

		  Tuesday * read Hosea 2:10-13
  This is a unique passage of scripture. God said because His people were
 sinful, He would cause their Sabbaths to cease. It is clear that rather
 than have them keep the letter of the law and break the spirit, God
 preferred that they didn't keep the letter at all.
  Could this be what has happened to Christianity at large? Is it because
 Christians didn't observe the Sabbath in a spirit of love that God has
 caused the majority of Christendom to not keep the seventh day as the
 Sabbath? May this make us cautious!

		  Wednesday * Read Hosea 2:14-21
  The names "lshi" and "Baali" mean "my husband" and "my master,"
 respectively. God did not want His people to think of Him as a tyrannical
 master who expects to be obeyed out of fear.
  The whole purpose of God is to develop a loving relationship with His
 people so that they will obey out of a mutual love as illustrated by the
 love and concern of a husband and wife.

		  Thursday * Read Hosea 3:1-5
 Hosea was told to seek his wife who had become an adulteress. He found
 that he must buy her back by paying a price for her.
  What an illustration of the gospel as well! Jesus also had to pay the
 price in order to redeem His bride, the Church.

		  Friday * Read Hosea 9:1-4
  Here again is the recurring thought: Because the people have sinned, it
 is necessary that they be removed from the Lord's land for a time. They
 must learn, to long for the Lord's land.
  It seems that some lessons must be learned the hard way. A desire for
 the Lord's blessings comes when those blessings are sorely missed.

		  Sabbath * Read Hosea 9:10-17
  The phrase, "wanders among the nations," has been an apt description of
 the Jewish people even in modern times. Through their wanderings they have
 developed a strong desire for a land that they can call their own.
  We can also be reminded of the chorus that proclaims that "This world is
 not our home, we're just a' passing through." We are all wandering
 "sojourners" whose spiritual nationality is heavenly.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

   Week 90	          What God Desires

		  Sunday * Read Amos 3:1-11
  Amos was told by the Lord to deliver a prophecy to Israel and he felt he
 could do nothing else. If we compare verse 3 with verse 8 we will get a
 different understanding of verse 3.
  When Amos asked, "Can two walk together except they be agreed," he was
 saying if God tells him to deliver a prophecy he must agree to deliver it
 or he himself will not be able to walk with the Lord. It is obvious that if
 any person disagrees with God, he will not be able to walk in fellowship
 with God.

		  Monday * Read Amos 4:1-5
  On surface reading it sounds as if Amos was telling Israel to come to
 Bethel and sin. He actually was saying that when they do come to Bethel
 they keep the letter of the law by offering their sacrifices but they
 continue to break the spirit of the law.
  It is too easy to feign righteousness by obeying the letter of the law.
 God still requires the sacrifice of a humble heart.

		  Tuesday * Read Amos 4:6-13
  In this passage God points out that He has sought to use the plagues of
 drought and pestilence as He did in Egypt to try to get the Israelites to
 turn to Him and repent. Usually we can expect the rain to fall on the just
 and the unjust alike.
  We cannot claim that every pestilence is a result of sin. But we can use
 every pestilence to remind us to turn to God for our needs.

		  Wednesday * Read Amos 5:6-13
 Amos reminded the people that the Lord is the omnipotent God. He alone
 should be the God that they should have been seeking.
  Even in our scientific day the Creator of Orion should inspire us to awe.
 The greater the universe is, the greater our God must be.

		  Thursday * Read Amos 5:14-15
  This prophecy is still not a message of doom. These are two verses of
 hope that are well worth memorizing. The message is a promise of life.
  The only requirement given is to seek righteousness and flee from
 unrighteousness. The Lord is still willing to be gracious to those who
 establish judgment in their gate.

		  Friday * Read Amos 5:21-27
  Amos again pointed out the worthlessness of keeping the letter of the
 law and breaking the spirit of the law. Even though God had commanded
 feasts, solemn assemblies and burnt offerings, He despised them when they
 were done in hypocrisy.
  As we are about to begin another Sabbath let us search our hearts so our
 Sabbath observance will not be in letter alone. May our righteousness
 through Christ run as a mighty stream on this new Sabbath day and then
 throughout our whole lives.

		  Sabbath * Read Amos 6:1-8
  The people of Israel believed that the judgment of God would take a long
 time to come upon them. They did not see the need for repenting until far
 in the future. Why expect life not to continue just as it always has. Why
 not continue to eat, drink and be merry!
  Even though Jesus has promised that He would come again, we too are
 tempted to believe that His second coming is still a long way off. We
 don't always live with the urgency of witnessing to a lost and dying
 world. Let us pledge to be more active witnesses for the Lord, "redeeming
 the time, because the days are evil.''
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 91 	Faith In The Midst Of Despair

		  Sunday * Read Habakkuk 1:1-5
  Once again we can contrast the attitude of Israel with Nineveh's. The
 people of Nineveh's heard Jonah's prophetic message and believed.
  The Lord says through Habakkuk that He will do a work. The people will
 not believe even though they are told about it ahead.

		  Monday * Read Habakkuk 2:1-4
  The appointment of time reminds us of the prediction of the second coming
 of Christ. It will happen at a specific appointed time and though it seem
 to "tarry" it will not tarry.
  Even though time will go by and the prophecy has not taken place it is
 not a lie. "Wait for it because it will surely come."

		  Tuesday * Read Habakkuk 2:9-17
  In the midst of these prophetic pronouncements of woe is a beautiful
 promise. Some day the earth will be filled with the glorious knowledge of
 God!
  In order to have such a perfect world, the wickedness must be purged The
 woes are required in order to have the blessings.

		  Wednesday * Read Habakkuk 3:1-4
  How does one describe the majesty of God? This passage sounds like the
 book of Revelation.
  Literal' horns coming out of someone's hands wouldn't normally sound
 majestic. Habakkuk was trying to say that God in his majesty has the power
 to govern the whole world. Throughout the scriptures horns are symbolic
 of the ability to rule over nations.

		  Thursday * Read Habakkuk 3:5-8
  When the Lord metes out punishment because of man's wickedness often the
 land also seems to suffer. Habakkuk asked if God is angry with the rivers
 and the sea.
  We are reminded of God's statement to Adam and Eve after they had sinner.
 He said the ground was cursed because of their sin.

		  Friday * Read Habakkuk 3:9-13
  The Lord reminded the people of many miracles He had already done. He
 pointed out that the people could continue to expect the Lord to do
 miraculous things.
  In the wilderness water flowed out of barren earth. At Sinai the mountains
 trembled. The Red sea and the Jordan river let the people pass by on dry
 land. Even the sun and the moon stood still for Joshua. These things can
 still happen.

		  Sabbath * Read Habakkuk 3:17-19
  Habakkuk ended his prophecy with a declaration of faith. Even though he
 had predicted a failure of the crops and the loss of a generation of the
 herds, he had faith in the Lord.
  Through all these troubles, he could still rejoice in the Lord. He knew
 that his salvation is in the Lord and he will still be able to walk in
 "high places."
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

    Week 92		Where There's Love, There's Hope

		  Sunday * Read Hosea 10:1-12
  Last week we learned that if you sowed the wind, you would reap the
 whirlwind. Today we meditate upon the second type of sowing and reaping
 that can be done. When righteousness is sowed then the Lord's mercy is the
 harvest that is reaped.
  This scripture could possibly have inspired Jesus to tell the parable of
 the sower. It was the good seed of the Gospel that the Lord wants us to
 sow in order to reap a good harvest. God doesn't want us to sow evil seed
 nor does He want us to be fallow ground.

		  Monday * Read Hosea 14:4-9
  What have we to do with false idols? We have heard and observed the true
 God! What greater declaration could be made?
  When the real is truly experienced, how can anyone be satisfied with
 anything less? When we have truly experienced Christ living in our hearts,
 how could anything less ever give us satisfaction?

		  Tuesday * Read Hosea 12:1-6
  Jacob is used as an example of one who truly sought the Lord. Hosea used
 him to remind Israel that they have been named after Jacob (Israel) and
 therefore they should also seek the Lord just as their namesake had done.
  Since we call ourselves Christian which means Christ-like, it behooves us
 to do like-wise. We should live lives patterned after our namesake, Christ.
 In His strength we can do it!

		  Wednesday * Read Hosea 13:1-6
  God is the God of Egypt. God is the God of the wilderness. God is the God
 anywhere the people find themselves. Unlike the false gods who supposedly
 controlled limited areas, God controls all of the created world.
  Do we live our lives as if there are areas that God isn't able to control?
 If so, let us confess our lack of faith in the Lord in these areas of doubt
 in our lives.

		  Thursday * Read Hosea 11:1-9
  In the middle of this passage describing what God did for Israel is the
 reference that He called His Son out of Egypt. We would normally expect
 that this refers to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery. We
 would not expect it to have meant more.
  Matthew, however, was inspired to point out that this is also a reference
 to Jesus' sojourn with Joseph and Mary in Egypt to flee Herod's wrath. Some
 meanings in scripture like this would never be discovered without the
 guidance of the Holy Spirit!

		  Friday * Read Hosea 14:1-3
  Hosea guided the people in exactly what to say in their prayer of
 repentance. "Take away our sin. Receive us. Our lips are the sacrifices
 you desire. You alone can save us. We cannot make a god with our hands.
 You offer mercy."
  Using prayers written by others are acceptable to God but only if we
 truly mean them for ourselves. Meaningless recitation is not a real prayer
 no matter how beautifully it was written. Do we really mean it when we
 recite the "Lord's prayer?"

		  Sabbath * Read Hosea 13:9-13
  Hosea made reference to the time that the people wanted a king to rule
 them and chose Saul instead of listening to the prophet Samuel. We are
 reminded that God told Samuel that in choosing Saul, the people were
 rejecting God as their ruler.
  In this passage God, through the prophet Hosea, again offers to be their
 King. Without the Lord as their King, they will only end up destroying
 themselves. There is no other king in which they will be able to find the
 help and deliverance they need.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 93 		Judgment, Repentance And Hope

		  Sunday * Read Joel 1:1-12
 The judgment of the Lord on Joel's generation was to be very devastating.
What, one type of pest left behind in their fields, another type of pest 
would eat, until their land was completely destroyed.
  Such judgment should never be allowed to be forgotten. Each generation 
should pass the message on to the next generation with hope that the lesson
will be constantly relearned.

		  Monday * Read Joel 1:13-20
  We find in this passage a similar call to repentance that the king of
Nineveh declared. Put on sackcloth. Hold a fast.
  Joel declared that the day of the Lord is at hand. They must call a
solemn assembly of the inhabitants of the land. If God hears and forgives
people who repent in foreign lands, He certainly will hear His own people
if they will but cry to Him.

		  Tuesday * Read Joel 2:1-11
  Joel's reference to the Day of the Lord causes us to realize that his 
prophecies are going beyond the present predicament in which the people 
find themselves. No wonder there will never be another day like it!
  The earth shall quake. The sun will darken. And the Lord Himself will 
lead the winning army. No one will be able to resist Him!

		  Wednesday * Read Joel 2:12-17
  With all this description of God's judgment, Joel could still picture God
as gracious and merciful. God has great kindness! He is slow to anger! You 
can repent!
  But it must be sincere. It is not enough to simply tear your garments.
God wants to see the true repentance that comes from people who have heart-
rending humility.

		  Thursday * Read Joel 2:28-32
  Joel predicted that before the final judgment of the terrible Day of the 
Lord, His people will have a wonderful experience. The Holy Spirit will be 
poured out and many will prophesy.
 God promises a far-reaching salvation as well. Anyone will be able to call
 upon the Lord for deliverance.

		  Friday * Read Joel 3:13-21
  God promises that He will dwell in His holy mountain. He will make 
Jerusalem so holy that strangers will never enter her gates.
 This prediction can only be fulfilled in the New Heaven and the New Earth
of Revelation. John also prophesied that nothing would enter the New
 Jerusalem that could defile it.

		  Sabbath * Read Acts 2:16-21
  Peter saw some of Joel's prophecy being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost
after Jesus was resurrected. Truly the part about the Holy Spirit being
poured out was fulfilled on that day.
  There is however much more to the prophecy that was not fulfilled in 
Peter's day. The complete fulfillment will happen only when the Lord Jesus 
returns and we live with Him eternally in His perfect City.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 94         God's Inclusive Love

		  Sunday * Read Jonah 1:1-16
 A good result came from Jonah's disobedience. The sailors made sacrifices 
and worshipped the Lord. Would the sailors have ever turned to the Lord if 
they had not met Jonah and heard his message?
  Of course this does not justify being disobedient to God. But it does 
show that God uses even our disobedience for good!

		Monday * Read Jonah 1:17-2:10
  Jonah quickly learned that he couldn't flee from God's presence. He may 
have thought at first that God wouldn't find him in Tarshish but now in a 
place Jonah describes as "the belly of hell" he cries unto the Lord and 
expects to be heard and delivered.
  Jonah certainly learned the same lesson that David learned in the 139th 
Psalm when he asked where he could flee from the presence of God. Certainly
not in the bed of hell or the uttermost parts of the sea.

		Tuesday * Read Jonah 3:1-5
 This time God used Jonah's obedience to bring more people to repentance
and salvation. What a contrast to Israel in the prophetic books we studied
earlier. The Ninevites didn't tell Jonah to go elsewhere!
  They certainly knew that they were living wickedly and that the
destruction of their city, even as large as it was, could happen. If God 
saw their wickedness, then hopefully He would see their humble repentance 
in sackcloth and with a fast.

		  Wednesday * Read Jonah 3:6-10
  Jonah didn't seem to mention that there was the option of the people 
repenting. The King wondered if this were a possibility and certainly 
decided it was worth trying.
  Of course, this is not only an option, it is what the Lord actually wants 
people to do. Jonah as a prophet of the Lord certainly should have known it 
and made the opportunity for repentance a clear part of his message.

		  Thursday * Read Jonah 4:1-5
  Aha! Jonah did know it! He admitted that God is gracious and merciful. He 
even admitted that this is the reason he didn't want to deliver the message!
He actually wanted Nineveh destroyed!
  Do we sometimes feel that some people get away with "enjoying" sin by 
repenting afterward and receiving forgiveness? If so, we need to learn the 
lesson of love and forgiveness Jonah was learning.
		  
		  Friday * Read Jonah 4:6-11
  The Lord showed Jonah his exceeding selfishness. Because the gourd was 
giving shade to Jonah, he felt compassion toward the gourd when it withered 
and no longer could give him shade.
  Jonah did not have any personal feelings toward the people of Nineveh 
because they had done nothing for him. If he had love for them he would 
have rejoiced in their repentance and deliverance.

		  Sabbath * Read Matthew 12:38-41
  Jesus told the Pharisees that Jonah's experience was the only sign He 
would give them. Nineveh repented when they heard the inadequate message 
that Jonah had delivered to them.
  Jesus was a far greater person than Jonah and He gave a clearer and a
greater message. The Pharisees would have no excuse if they chose to ignore
His message especially after His resurrection. Jonah was miraculously 
delivered from imminent death after 3 days. Jesus' resurrection from an 
actual death experience after 3 days is certainly a far greater sign that 
His message is truly from God.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 95    		The Lord's Complaint

		  Sunday * Read Micah 1:1-9
  Last week we noted that when judgment was proclaimed, it still can be 
averted by repentance. If the people turned from sin and looked to the Lord,
He would still deliver them.
  This portion of scripture contains the portentous message, "For her wound 
is incurable..." It would seem that the people are already beyond the 
ability to repent. Is this what it means to have committed the "unpardonable
sin?"

		  Monday * Read Micah 2:1-5
  It is a sad commentary on a people to say that they lay awake at night 
thinking up how they would spend the next day oppressing others. This was 
far removed from what God wanted His people to be.
  One of the two great commandments of Jesus was already given to these 
people in Leviticus 19:18, "Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself: I am 
the Lord."

		Tuesday * Read Micah 2:6-11
  Does the phrase, "You have stopped preaching and started meddling," sound
familiar? This is the normal response when the message gets too personal and
the sins named are too specific.
  The people of Israel were telling the prophet to stop prophesying. Rather 
than repent of their sins, they didn't want the prophet to remind them of 
their sins at all.

		  Wednesday * Read Micah 3:1-4
  'Micah made a special appeal to the leadership of Israel. Since the people 
didn't want to hear the prophecies, Micah reminded the Princes of Israel, "Is
it not for you to know judgment?"
  Although each individual person is responsible for his own sins, the 
leadership has a special responsibility. They themselves also should be 
calling the people to repentance. But instead, they are just as sinful 
(if not more so) as the common people.

		  Thursday * Read Micah 3:5-12
  Even Micah had trouble with false prophets. There were some who falsely 
told the people that there would not be a judgment coming from the Lord for
 their sins. They would have peace.
  Micah pointed out that God did not give these false prophets a message. 
In fact he challenged the people to try the prophets to see if anything 
they said came from the Lord. If tested they would have to "cover their 
lips" in shame.

		  Friday * Read Micah 6:1-8
  After all the glorious things the Lord had done for Israel, He asked, 
''...wherein have I wearied thee?'' Were the demands of the Lord too great 
a request for the people to live by?
  The requirements of the Lord are not evil but good. He only asks that His
people "do justly,...love mercy, and ...walk humbly with thy God." In 
gratitude for all that the Lord has done for His people, is this asking too
much of them?

		  Sabbath * Read Micah 6:9-16
  One of the reasons that the people were ignoring Micah's message is that 
they were used to giving and receiving unfair judgments. Amos contrasted the
judgments of God with the judgments of evil people with their "deceitful 
weights" and "wicked balances."
  It was "the Lord's voice (that) crieth unto the city." It was the "man of
wisdom" who would know Who it was that had appointed this rod of judgment. 
Micah appealed to what wisdom the people still had left. Remember that God 
was justified in making these judgments.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 96 		God Will Not Forsake His Own

		  Sunday * Read Zechariah 1:1-6
      The people returned from captivity. God was expecting them to rebuild
His temple but they didn't seem to have learned much during their captivity.
     God pleaded with them not to be like their fathers who ignored the 
previous prophets. Their fathers are now gone. The former prophets are dead.
But the statutes of the Lord are eternal and still need to be obeyed by this
new generation.

		  Monday * Read Zechariah 2:1-12
     Jerusalem is measured in this passage. The Holy City is also measured
in the book of Revelation. The "Man with the measuring line" is the Messiah.
     Jesus is the only one who will determine the citizenry of the New 
Jerusalem. Only through salvation in Him will anyone be able to receive 
eternal life.

		  Tuesday * Read Zechariah 3:1-5
     We have another parallel with the book of Revelation. Joshua is 
pictured as wearing filthy garments. His iniquity was then removed from him
and he was clothed with new garments.
     The book of Revelation speaks of the white robes of righteousness that
are received through the Lamb of God. Our iniquity is removed from us when 
we are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

		  Wednesday * Read Zechariah 6:1-8
     We have another parallel with Revelation. Zechariah has a vision of 
four different types of horses.
     Two differences are noted in Zechariah's horses. The fourth set of 
horses are grizzled and bay rather than pale. Also it is stated that these 
horses are the four spirits of the heavens who had been standing before the
Lord.

		  Thursday * Read Zechariah 6:9-13
     The reference to the branch brings to mind that Jesus said that He is 
the vine from which we as branches must grow. This branch is a reference to
the Messiah who is to build the temple.
     Note that if the Messiah is to build the temple, it is not a prophecy 
of any temple that has yet been built. Its fulfillment could be seen as 
Jesus building His Church as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

		  Friday * Read Zechariah 12:10-13:6
     At the beginning and ending of today's verses are two references to 
the suffering of the Messiah. One day the Jewish people will look upon 
their Messiah and realize that He was the one whom they had pierced.
     The Messiah will one day be asked where He had received the wounds 
in His hands. His answer: "In the house of my friends."

		  Sabbath * Read Zechariah 14:1-5
     When Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives, He left his disciples behind 
and ascended in a cloud. The disciples stood gazing long after He was gone. 
Angels appeared and told them that Jesus would return in like manner as He 
had left.
     According to the prophecy of this passage of scripture, the Messiah 
will return to stand on the same location from which he left. When the 
Messiah comes to fight the final battle, He will stand upon the same Mount 
of Olives.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BIBLE MEDITATIONS 

Week 97		The Harvest Of Unbelief

		  Sunday * Read Micah 2:12-13
  Once again in the midst of condemnation, the Lord included a promise. He 
will gather a remnant and it will be a large group.
  God also promised a "breaker" who will open the path for them. This is a 
promise of the Messiah who will be their King.

		  Monday * Read Micah 4:1-5
 The promise is expanded in this passage to reveal that the new government 
will be ruled by God Himself. It will also be a world-wide government. But 
it won't come to pass until the "last days." This is also the passage that 
makes that famous promise that world-wide peace will be so established that
men will retool their swords and spears into farming implements. Only the 
Lord can bring such a radical change in our world !

		  Tuesday * Read Micah 4:9-13
  It may seem incongruous to switch back and forth between a prophecy of 
judgment and a message of hope. In one sentence the Israelites were told 
they would be carried into Babylon and then told that their deliverance was 
in Babylon.
  This was obviously difficult to understand for them. This is why Micah 
reminded the people that they cannot understand the thoughts or the 
purposes of God.
  We have similar difficulties understanding God's purposes. We too need to 
be reminded that God's plan is based on God's love.

		  Wednesday * Read Micah 5:1-4
  This passage contains the most famous passage of scripture found in the 
book of Micah. Here is where the future Messianic ruler of Israel will be 
born--Bethlehem Ephratah.
  Even the Jewish leaders in the new Testament knew that their King would 
be born in Bethlehem and so they advised the wise men. They believed in 
the prophecy of Micah concerning Jesus!

		  Thursday * Read Micah 5:10-15
  Because God wanted His people to trust only in Him, He said He will take 
away their physical defenses. He didn't want them to claim that their 
horses, chariots and strongholds protected them.
  The graven images and pagan groves would also be destroyed. God didn't 
want the people to claim that false gods helped, also.

		  Friday * Read Micah 7:1-9
  Micah repented of his sins and the sins of the people. He admitted that 
there is no one to which he can turn for help.
  He gave a clear testimony that he was looking to the Lord for his 
salvation. Even when all is dark, he knew that God is light.

		  Sabbath * Read Micah 7:14-20
  Is there any other god like unto the Lord? He metes out the punishment 
that is needed but in mercy and not in eternal anger.
  His whole purpose is to subdue iniquity and destroy sin. He clearly hates 
sin but He also loves and seeks to redeem sinners.
  >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=> >=>
 

  Daily  Bible Meditations were  originally part of the Adult  Sabbath
  School Quarterly, The Helping Hand, a publication of the Seventh Day
  Baptist Board of Christian Education,  Alfred, NY.  This  electronic
  version uploaded by Shirley Stimson for the New Covenant Ministries.
  For information regarding other publications-  write the Seventh Day
  Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547.
  Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org
  ____________________________________________________________________
  |><>  .e0e. .e0e.                NEW COVENANT MINISTRIES        ><>|
  |><>  0HHHH~HHHH0                    Fisherman's Net            ><>|
  |><>  `HHoo ooHH'    "The time is coming, says the Lord: when I ><>|
  |><>    `HH HH'   will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 ><>|
  |><>      `V'      http://netministries.org/see/charmin/CM00050 ><>|
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This electronic material and links are made available as a ministry of
Fisherman's Net Publications: a division of New Covenant Ministries.
Midi file copyrighted 1997 by Conrod Technical Services and used by permission.

For additional information regarding other publications write:
Seventh Day Baptist Center P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547-1678 Mail:editor@seventhdaybaptist.org or sdbbce@educatingchristians.org 

  ______________________________________________________________________
 |                                                                      |
 |  .e0e. .e0e.    This electronic material produced by Fisherman's Net |
 |  0HHHH~HHHH0    Publications: a division of New Covenant Ministries. |
 |  `HHoo ooHH'          "The time is coming, says the Lord: when       |
 |    `HH HH'          I will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33  |
 |      `V'   For additional information regarding printed publications |
 |                write: Seventh Day Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road   |
 |                      P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547-1678.        |
 |                                                                      |
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This electronic material and links are made available as a ministry of
Fisherman's Net Publications: a division of New Covenant Ministries.
Midi file copyrighted © 1997 by Conrod Technical Services and used by
permission.

For additional information regarding printed publications write:
Seventh Day Baptist Center 3120 Kennedy Road P.O. Box 1678 Janesville, WI 53547-1678.



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