Proverbs 31

The Words of Lemuel

¹ The words of King Lemuel,
    an oracle that his mother taught him:

² What [should I say], my son?
    What, son of my womb? 
    What, son of my vows?

³ Don't spend your energy on women
    or your efforts on those who destroy kings.

⁴ It is not for kings, Lemuel,
    it is not for kings to drink wine 
    or for rulers [to desire] beer.

⁵ Otherwise, they will drink,
    forget what is decreed, 
    and pervert justice for all the oppressed.

⁶ Give beer to one who is dying,
    and wine to one whose life is bitter.

⁷ Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty
    and remember his trouble no more.

⁸ Speak up for those who have no voice,
    for the justice of all who are dispossessed.

⁹ Speak up, judge righteously, 
    and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

   

In Praise of a Capable Wife

¹⁰ Who can find a capable wife?
    She is far more precious than jewels.

¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
    and he will not lack anything good.

¹² She rewards him with good, not evil,
    all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with willing hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from far away.

¹⁵ She rises while it is still night 
    and provides food for her household
    and portions for her servants.

¹⁶ She evaluates a field and buys it;
    she plants a vineyard with her earnings.

¹⁷ She draws on her strength
    and reveals that her arms are strong.

¹⁸ She sees that her profits are good,
    and her lamp never goes out at night.

¹⁹ She extends her hands to the spinning staff,
    and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰ Her hands reach out to the poor,
    and she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
    for all in her household are doubly clothed.

²² She makes her own bed coverings; 
    her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is known at the city gates,
    where he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes and sells linen garments;
    she delivers belts to the merchants.

²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing, 
    and she can laugh at the time to come.

²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and loving instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the activities of her household 
    and is never idle,

²⁸ Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
    Her husband also praises her:

²⁹ "Many women are capable,
    but you surpass them all!

³⁰ Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, 
    but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward of her labor, 
    and let her works praise her at the city gates.

*****

I want to be THAT woman! Really, that's all I can say.

Genesis 1

The Creation

 

   ¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

    ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. ³Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light "day," and He called the darkness "night." Evening came, and then morning: the first day.

    ⁶ Then God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water." ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse "sky."  Evening came, and then morning: the second day.

    ⁹ Then God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land "earth," and He called the gathering of the water "seas." And God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, "Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds." And it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³Evening came, and then morning: the third day.

    ¹⁴ Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years. ¹⁵ They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth." And it was so. ¹⁶God made the two great lights—the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night—as well as the stars. ¹⁷ God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, ¹⁸ to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ Evening came, and then morning: the fourth day.

Psalm 5

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.

 ¹ Listen to my words, LORD;
    consider my sighing.   
² Pay attention to the sound of my cry, 
    my King and my God, 
    for I pray to You.
³ At daybreak, LORD, You hear my voice;
    at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.
⁴ For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil cannot lodge with You.
⁵ The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; 
    You hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who tell lies; 
    the LORD abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.
⁷ But I enter Your house
    by the abundance of Your faithful love; 
    I bow down toward Your holy temple
    in reverential awe of You.
⁸ LORD, lead me in Your righteousness, 
    because of my adversaries;
    make Your way straight before me.
⁹ For there is nothing reliable in what they say;
    destruction is within them;
    their throat is an open grave;
    they flatter with their tongues.
¹⁰ Punish them, God;
    let them fall by their own schemes. 
    Drive them out because of their many crimes,
    for they rebel against You.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; 
    let them shout for joy forever.
    May You shelter them, 
    and may those who love Your name boast about You.
¹² For You, LORD, bless the righteous one;
    You surround him with favor like a shield.

*****

Oh, the sighing I am doing this week. Each morning has been a struggle to make myself go to work, and because of the way things are going at work, I certainly need to ask God to guide my path. 

Psalms 2 - 4

Psalm 2

Coronation of the Son

¹ Why do the nations rebel

    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth take their stand 
    and the rulers conspire together
    against the LORD and His Anointed One:
³ "Let us tear off their chains
    and free ourselves from their restraints."
⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord ridicules them.
⁵ Then He speaks to them in His anger
    and terrifies them in His wrath:
⁶ "I have consecrated My King
    on Zion, My holy mountain."
⁷ I will declare the LORD's decree:
    He said to Me, "You are My Son;
    today I have become Your Father.
⁸ Ask of Me,
    and I will make the nations Your inheritance
    and the ends of the earth Your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
    You will shatter them like pottery."
¹⁰ So now, kings, be wise;
    receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the LORD with reverential awe,
    and rejoice with trembling.
¹² Pay homage to the Son, or He will be angry,
    and you will perish in your rebellion,
    for His anger may ignite at any moment. 
    All those who take refuge in Him are happy.

Psalms 1

The Two Ways

 ¹ How happy is the man
    who does not follow the advice of the wicked,
    or take the path of sinners,
    or join a group of mockers!
² Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instruction,
    and he meditates on it day and night.
³ He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
    that bears its fruit in season
    and whose leaf does not wither. 
    Whatever he does prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not like this;
    instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, 
    and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, 
    but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.       Psalms 1

Hmmm. You think God is trying to remind me that spending time with Him and His word is a good idea? How appropriate that my renewed effort to spend time with God begins with this chapter. What a way for Him to reaffirm what He has been speaking to my heart these last few days. My own life/attitude has not been bearing fruit lately, instead I have been a withered tree not taking advantage of the life giving water He provides. I pray that God will remind me of these verses whenever I start to forget how important time with Him is.

Fessing up

Lately I have been extremely lax in spending time studying the bible. I could blame the increased work load this time of year brings at my job, or I could blame the physical effects (spondylitis/arthritis flare up) the extra work stress has triggered. But the truth is that I haven't made spending time with God a priority.

This lack of time spent with God and studying His word has been showing itself in how I have been dealing with the stress in my life. I have been short with people, crabby, and have generally had a bad attitude about things. I must put a stop to this downward spiral and spending time in God's word is the best way I know. In order to help me stay accountable, I will be posting a chapter or two from the bible each day. I will also be posting any comments or thoughts that I may have regarding each day's reading.

Please feel free to comment your own thoughts on the verses as well. I'm always interested in hearing/seeing how God's word speaks to others.