Man's way leads to death

Proverbs

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  Our judgment is fallen due to original sin, so regardless of what we do, if God isn’t in our plans, we won’t get too far.  The moral of this verse seems to be, make sure you consult God first!
This is in line with yesterday's post about committing your plans to God.  If you haven't done that already, make sure you do!

The dead son

Luke
Have you ever seen a dead person raised to life?  I certainly haven't!  But imagine what it would have been like for the people in Nain watching Jesus raise this man to life.  And the joy of the mother, who was a widow and had no other sons.  Her last hope was being carried out in a casket in front of her.  Jesus then came along and raised him to life!  The crowds were in awe and praised God (see Luke 7:11-17 for this story).
I guess my point here is that if Jesus cared enough about this woman that he raised her son to life, I think we can trust him in work in our lives too.

Colossians
Paul had such a powerful ministry, even when he was under house arrest.  He wrote many letters, not just to the Colossians, and his letters have had a last effect on the world, far beyond his time.  Granted, Paul did a lot of stuff before he was in prison, but still, you don't have to go too far to extend God's kingdom here on earth.

Righteousness through faith

Philippians
 I have copied below a passage from today's reading in Philippians.  It is a powerful passage because of the strength of the language Paul uses to describe worldly accoutrements versus heavenly treasures.  It really puts life into perspective, for me.  Consider the verses below and just see what you can learn from them. 

Phil 3:7-11: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.


*I included verses 10 and 11 even though they are in tomorrow's reading simply because you can't stop at verse 9!

The bronze snake

Key verse
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Numbers
The story about the bronze snake in Numbers 21 almost seems a bit idolatrous.  At least, the snake could lead to idolatry, in that the Israelites would look at the snake alone for healing, rather than having the bronze snake be a symbol of God's healing touch.  In fact, years later, Hezekiah ended up destroying this bronze snake that Israel had kept all along, because it had become a god to them, and they were burning incense to it (see 2 Kings 18).
When God provides an avenue for us to worship him or call on him, or a tool to use in developing our relationship with him, we need to avoid idolizing that tool as a god, and instead remember that it is only a means to God.