October 20

Today's Reading

Jeremiah today reminds me of people I have known who are far more committed to some person, some cause or some country than many Christians are committed to Christ. It shames me sometimes. In the next chapter, we can see the the root of the evil among God's people went all the way to the king himself.

1 Timothy. Imagine a culture where no government agency existed to "take care" of those who couldn't care for themselves. Paul gave specific instructions on how the church should care for widows. The first responsibility fell to the family of the widow. After that, the church could help. We can learn much about many areas of behavior from this passage. What do you notice? Do you think we could be returning to such a system in the United States? Much of the world has no help from their government and must find other ways to care for the aged or the infirm.

Psalms. "20 I have found my servant David.
I have anointed him with my holy oil." This is not so much remembering King David as looking forward to the Son of David -- Jesus Christ.

Proverbs. "26 If the godly give in to the wicked,
it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring." This, sadly, reminds me of the churches and denominations that have thrown away whole passages of Scripture so that they can embrace unrepentant people and their sins.

What part of today's reading speaks the most to you?