Wednesday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25, Oct 29

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Meditation
Wednesday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25 followed the theme of obedience to the Law of God. The Psalmist celebrated his obedience to the Law of God. The Old Testament lesson in Deuteronomy reiterated the ‘obey the Ten Commandments’ as God had given them. To insure the laws registered in their memory, God commanded them to erect standing stones and covering them with plaster, so that the law could be inscribed on the stones for all to see. Their altars also had particular design directives. They were not to use ‘cut stones’ like the pagans used, but they were to select natural stones from the surrounding land for the altars for God.
Obedience to God’s laws was paramount.
The New Testament Gospel shared the story of the rich young man, who came to Jesus and asked the basic question, “Good Teacher, What must I do to have eternal life?”
Jesus raised the issue of ‘goodness.’ No one could be ‘good’ except God. Everyone was a sinner, so he said the impossible, “Obey the law of God.” Jesus had just said that no one could be good except God. Sort of like asking the question, “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?” The response Jesus gave indicated the inability of anyone to fulfill the law perfectly.
The young man pressed Jesus, having completely missed his point, “Which laws?” as if he could accomplish the task Jesus just said was impossible for anyone but God.
Jesus listed the commandments except for the first one, Love the Lord your God and the young man glibly declared he kept them all. So Jesus said,
“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
The young man left because he was very wealthy. He could lie about being good, but he couldn’t lie about being wealthy and wanting his wealth.
One can lie to God, but God will press the issue until the reality becomes clear. The ultimate question, “Am I ready to be obedient to God’s law?” It will involve sacrifice. It will involve changed behavior. It will require some effort. But the results will be similar to what the Children of Israel would receive—their Promised Land.
Thanks be to God.





Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen


Ordinary 30, Proper 25
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 119:41-48;Deuteronomy 26:16—27:7;Matthew 19:16-22&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)



Wednesday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25
Psalm 119:41-48
Deuteronomy 26:16-27:7
Matthew 19:16-22

Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating

Psalm 90:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
90 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Single Bible Study chapter to study


Matthew 19:16-22
King James Version (KJV)
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.


OBSERVE:

Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.

2.

3.

INTERPRETATION:

What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?




APPLY:

Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.


Prayer of Encouragement

Almighty God, help us to understand your words. We ask forgiveness for the times we don’t get it because we are too caught up in what we want to hear your words. Help us to be obedient to your Law. In Jesus name, Amen








Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25 praises God for his law, which can guide us to all the right things. Our obedience to the law of God produces great things. The Children of Israel rested at the Jordan River and God told them to build standing stones and altars from the stones around them, (not cut stones like the pagans used) and plaster them so they can be inscribed with the law of God.
There could be no excuse for them not to know. It would be visual evidence.
The rich young man that approached Jesus refused to alter his prejudged idea of how to live. He had no excuse, because he knew the law, but he refused to ‘hear’ what Jesus was saying, and finally had to turn away because he couldn’t comply.
Our choice is the same. We can choose to obey the law—hear what Jesus has to say or ignore it and turn away. But the command is: Choose God. Choose good.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*

*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.