October 7

Today's Reading

Jeremiah described a time when people had thought their nation secure. They lived lives of plenty; they had few worries. But their hearts were far from God and the day was coming when judgment would take hold and the land would be ravaged by enemies. Cathy and I recently re-watched a television mini-series called "The Blue and the Gray." It showed a good picture of our nation before and during the Civil War. Before the war, people were itching to fight, but each side thought that they would win easily and end up relatively untouched by the conflict. How wrong they were! Before it was over, the entire nation was in mourning over the devastating bloodshed. Could we be living in a time of "peace and safety" and our world is about to come apart?

Colossians: we are under grace and it isn't necessary for us to keep the Law in order to belong to God. That doesn't mean, though, that God is suddenly soft on sin. Sin destroys and God hates it. We may struggle with temptations, but we are not to simply give in to them.

Psalms: God's mercy and grace exceed all our human frailties. Amen!

Proverbs: this verse has always challenged me. If I don't get my work done, I won't have any income with which to "build my house." It's tempting to get it backwards.

What has spoken to you today?