Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 31 July 2019

Well, we're at the last day of July, and we're in the last quarter of that day as I put this down.  I for one am sorry to see the end of the months with short names, the only part of the year that I like.  But it is what is.  Worse things have happened, right?

And it's been an "interesting" day.
We got the call this morning from that pastor at the Nazarene church that was the base for the funeral we attended yesterday.  Yes, they found the diaper bag (for the great-nephew we had taken)  that we ( I ) had foolishly left behind.  So ....  we got in car, made the 60-some mile round trip and retrieved The Goods.  All is better now, I guess.
Then, after dropping Wife at home, I "got" to trek Across The Line into Pennsyltucky to visit the pharmacy there and pick one of her prescriptions, one to make up for the missing thyroid gland.  And, yes, I "blessed" the wonderful folks at PENNDOT who make it possible to view the area by orchestrating my stopping at Every Single Traffic Light.  A great talent, certainly.
Then home.  Got a nice friendly call from pastor at our church, offering a lift to retrieve the diaper bag,  A kind and generous offer, much appreciated, but not needed.
Then, after lunch (quite late) I saw someone walking up to our door.  Tech from the gas company, here to shut off  our gas for non-payment.  Except that we had paid it.  As he privately told me, normally he'd just turn the valve and leave in order to avoid confrontations, but he remembered me from a year or so back when the gas lines up and down our road were freezing from a water intrusion, and he remembered that I was nice to them, so he was confident I wouldn't throw things.  Anyway, we called their office, with him beside us, and gave them the receipt number, which they looked up and verified in one of those "Oh, yeah!  Ooooops! " things, so all is ok.  But it could have been a problem.  So, not too bad.
Wife is taking a long nap in the afternoon, the crystals or whatever in the bladder, etc. have her in a lot of pain, so she hasn't been sleeping well.  If she has enough relief right now to sleep, I'll let her, surely.  Sleep is a blessing.


Now, not one but two "songs of the day" and both are appropriate.

First up is "The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength".  It means something to me, one of those matters I've been mulling over for the last few weeks.

Joy.

Seems to be a missing element in many churches and in the lives of many believers.  I'm naturally a rather dolorous person.  DNA at work, probably.  But when we see all that the Lord has done, and is doing in our lives and in other lives all around, wonderful love at work, shouldn't we be filled with joy at His involvements?  Yes, and we should be amazed too..   But too often, that joy and gratitude is missing.  I'm guilty, surely, and am not alone in that.  Look up Nehemiah 8:10 and Psalm 28:7

Chorus The joy of the Lord The joy of the Lord The joy of the Lord is my strength! Verse 1 The joy of the Lord will be my strength I will not falter I will not faint He is my Shepherd I am not afraid The joy of the Lord is my strength Verse 2 The joy of the Lord will be my strength He will uphold me all of my days I am surrounded by mercy and grace And the joy of the Lord is my strength Verse 3 The joy of the Lord will be my strength And I will not waver walking by faith He will be strong to deliver me safe The joy of the Lord is my strength!


and then,
Day By Day, With Each Passing Moment.
I just love this.
It was written just after the author's father fell from a boat and drowned.  It remind us that the Lord carries us through the storms, not around them (as we all would prefer).

Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure, Gives unto each day what He deems best, Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest. Every day the Lord Himself is near me, With a special mercy for each hour; All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r. The protection of His child and treasure Is a charge that on Himself He laid; “As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,“ This the pledge to me He made. Help me then, in every tribulation, So to trust Thy promises, O Lord, That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation, Offered me within Thy holy Word. Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, E’er to take, as from a father’s hand, One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, Till with Christ the Lord I stand.


Can any of us argue with that?

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Nehemiah 5

1And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

2For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.

3Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.

4There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

6And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

7Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.

8And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.

9Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?

10I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

11Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

12Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.

13Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

14Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

15But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

16Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.

17Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.

18Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

19Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Nehemiah 6

1Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)

2That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

3And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

4Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

5Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

6Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.

7And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

8Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

9For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

10Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

11And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

12And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

15So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

16And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

17Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.

18For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

19Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

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Psalm 131

A Song of degrees of David.

1 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

2Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.

3Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.

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2nd Corinthians 3

1Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

2Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

4And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

8How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

11For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

12Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

13And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.

15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.

16Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.