DId God Really Say…

May 11, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 25, Proverbs 6, Romans 6

Most people refer to God as a God of love and they would be correct.  God does love us more than we can even comprehend. But in Proverbs 6 we find seven things that Scripture says the Lord hates. It’s not the people that God hates, it is their actions and their thoughts and schemes.

      There are six things the LORD hates,

      seven that are detestable to him:

      ¹⁷ haughty eyes,

    a lying tongue,

    hands that shed innocent blood,

  ¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes,

    feet that are quick to rush into evil,

  ¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies

    and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16-19

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

May 8, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 22, Proverbs 3, Romans 3

What is something that you feel obligated to do? It might be something that you do not have to do but maybe you feel compelled to do it anyway. Do you look out for an elderly neighbor? Would you stand up for someone who needs your help? Would you lend a stranger a hand who needed help?

In Proverbs 3 we are told, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”— when you now have it with you” vv. 27-28. We see a principle in these two verses that we have an obligation to help others when we can and have the power to do it. We have a responsibility to abstain from evil, but these verses also teach us that we have a responsibility to do good just as much.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

May 7, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 21, Proverbs 2, Romans 2

What are some things that you collect or save for various reasons? Maybe it’s a physical item or maybe you are gathering up knowledge or experience in some area of life. Maybe you are saving up for a rainy day some resource. Above all else we should seek to store up wisdom so that when we need it, it will be there for us to use. Solomon encourages us to save up wisdom.

“My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

² turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding,

³ and if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

⁴ and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God” – Proverbs 2:1-5

What else do you see in these chapters? What repeated words, phrases, or themes do you notice?
Add your thoughts below.

May 2, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 16, Psalm 147, Acts 25

Our world is big, and we are approaching the 8 billion mark of people on the planet. In the metro Atlanta county that I live in there are almost a million people who live in the county. If you ask Siri or Alexa, they will tell you that there around 200 billion trillion stars in the universe give or take couple. That’s a 2 x 10²³ power. That makes the one million or even the 8 billion seem a little smaller. Then in Psalm 147 you read this: “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. ⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” vv. 4-5. If God knows where the stars are and what each of their names are shouldn’t that encourage us? After all, we are his crowning creation. It was humanity that was called “very good” when everything else was just “good.” The next time we start to feel like no one sees us or that no one knows what we are going through, remember that God does. God sees us and knows us by name too. What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.