February 23

February 23
One Year Bible Readings:
Leviticus 14:1-57
Mark 6:30-56
Psalm 40:1-10
Proverbs 10:11-12
Supplemental Reading for The One Year Bible.
The following are excerpts from Mike’s One Year Bible Blog.

Mark:
Today we read in Mark Chapter 6 verse 46: “Afterward he (Jesus) went up into the hills by himself to pray.” What a beautiful verse for each of us to meditate upon! Jesus went by himself to pray to God. It is interesting to note that this took place just after Jesus fed the 5,000. Jesus had been working hard – he is God and yet he still felt the call to pray to the Father. I think this verse is such a great reminder that you and I need to follow Jesus’ example in this verse. And we’re so not God! :) So, think about how much more crucial it is for us to pray. Jesus knew that God was his source of strength. His comfort. His wisdom. And prayer was the one sure fire way for Jesus to really connect and spend time with God.
Q: How is your prayer life these days? Are you finding a good amount of time each day to be by yourself and pray? If not, how can you schedule this time into your calendar each day?

Proverbs:

Today we read in Proverbs chapter 10 verse 11: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.” WOW! I love this Proverb on so many levels. The idea of a “fountain of life” is such a great metaphor! Because I think what comes out of our mouth is so much like a fountain – and we are hopefully pouring forth Living Water for others. However, I imagine that there are times when our fountain is not quite so clean and we’re pouring forth something else. I think what I find so meaningful about this verse is that I have really been convicted of how important and impactful our words are to others. Our words can really build people up – or tear people down if we are not careful. I don’t know about you, but I know there are times in my life when I can be negative with what I say. Then, there are times when I can be very positive and I feel like the enthusiasm is contagious to others. And these are the times when perhaps my words seem to be a bit more like a fountain of life. I say all of this to just encourage you to reflect on the words that come from your mouth.
Q: Are your words typically a fountain of life to others? Are you cognizant of what you say and how you say it to others around you so that your words truly will become a fountain of life to others? Or are you sometimes careless with your words? Do you think our words matter?

Copyright © 2004-2012 One Year Bible Blog

No Comments