One Year Bible Blog

October 31st readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Lamentations 4:1-5:22 ~ Hebrews 2:1-18
Psalm 103:1-22 ~ Proverbs 26:23

Lamentations Chapters 4 and 5 are tough chapters to read. We know why everything that we read in these chapters has come to pass, from our readings in the book of Jeremiah. I guess the thing personally that kind of jumped out at me today when reading this chapter were these thoughts. Have I personally ever experienced anything like what we read about in this chapter? The answer is no. The second thought or question that came to me, however, was this - Are there people in our world today that are experiencing similar things that we read about in this chapter? And I believe the answer is obviously yes. Not necessarily for the same "reasons" that Jerusalem was experiencing all of this - but the same experiences of starvation and lack of hope are indeed happening in our world.

Then.... the question becomes - is this fair? Is this right? Should we try to do something for people in our world that are experiencing starvation, lack of hope, and worse? What will we do? I know there are thousands of organizations that we could support to help those in need in our world. One that I have personal experience with is World Vision. If you have an extra dollar a day, you can sponsor a child and radically change that child's life - forever. Or, even if you have an extra dollar a month, World Vision can do incredible things. If anyone wants to post up other good relief orgs in the comments sections, please feel free. Thanks.

Hebrews chapter 2 starts strong with the first verse - "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." This is powerful. We must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we'll drift away from it. My thoughts here are that listening carefully in this sense also means listening often to the truth. Or reading often of the truth. Reading the Bible often. Say, every day? :) I think our human nature is such that we'll oftentimes hear something and it goes in one ear and out the other. We need repetition. We need a routine. We need the truth. So we don't drift away from it...

Verse 12 is beautiful - "I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters." Here Jesus calls those who believe in him his "brothers and sisters." What a great thing. To be brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. And in the gospels Jesus also calls those who believe in him his "friends." This is good stuff. Who better to be your brother and your friend than Jesus?

And verse 18 is a great reminder that "Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted." We all will go through temptations in this life. Don't feel bad if you are "tempted." Jesus himself was tempted by the devil in the gospels. The problem comes when we give into temptation and commit the sin. However, when in the midst of temptation, this verse reminds us to turn our minds to Jesus when we are being tempted - and he will help us. He has been there - he has been tempted. Another great tool to combat temptation is bringing Scripture to mind. In fact - this is exactly what Jesus did with the devil in the desert. Each temptation the devil threw at Jesus, Jesus combated with Scripture. What a holy sword Scripture is in the midst of temptation! To help us in the midst of temptation, memorizing Scripture regularly is a very wise practice. Do you memorize Scripture? Do you think it would help you in the midst of temptation?

Psalm 103 is a great Psalm today! Each verse is a powerful reminder of God's character and our relationship to God. Verse 8 definitely jumps out today - "The LORD is merciful and gracious. He is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love." So very true. If you're not sure about this, please please do read Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel". (there's a link to it on the left hand side of this blog, under Books)

Proverbs Chapter 26, verse 23 is so true - "Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot." Be watchful for the smooth words / smooth talker. Again, think of the devil tempting Jesus in the desert in the gospels... were there smooth words being said by the devil in those temptations?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 30th readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Lamentations 3:1-66 ~ Hebrews 1:1-14
Psalm 102:1-28 ~ Proverbs 26:21-22

Lamentations Chapter 3 today starts out quite sad & empty in verses 1-20. As I read through some of these verses, I thought to myself - "this reminds me of some days I have on occasion." :) Of course, the reason for this sadness and emptiness in these opening verses is God's discipline toward the people of Jerusalem at this time. They had sinned greatly and this discipline had come upon them. I think the thing to remember in seasons like this is that it is indeed a season. This too shall pass. If we repent & learn & grow and return to the Lord. Indeed, we see the transition in chapter 21:

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this.." I love this - "I still dare to hope" even in the midst of so much sadness & emptiness. In the midst of our tough seasons in life, can we still dare to hope? Should we still dare to hope? Will you still dare to hope?

Chapter 22 to 66 in today's readings are just phenomenal. I could write on and on about probably each of these verses. There is so much here for us. I'd encourage you to read these verses at least twice and meditate on them in your life. I'll jump through a few verses here that jump out.

Verse 23 - "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day." Do you experience God's mercies afresh each day? Do you believe that you can?

Verse 25 - "The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him." If you are not experiencing God now, will you wait for him? Will you seek him? (this reminds me of Jeremy Camp's tune on his worship album - "I'll wait for the Lord. My soul waits". Great tune and great reminder that we sometimes need to wait on the Lord).

Today we start the book of Hebrews! What a wonderful book.... I read somewhere that this book is a "letter of encouragement." I do pray this book will encourage you. There is so much in this one..

The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown for sure. For many centuries, it was thought to be Paul. However, around the time of the Reformation it was thought that this letter was not from Paul, because the writing style is so different from his other letters - and because in all of his other letters, he identifies himself as the writer of the letter. Some now think that either Barnabas or Apollos were two of the potential writers of this letter. It was likely written before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, because the temple is referred to as if it still exists in this letter. A good overview of the book of Hebrews is online here.

What I love about Hebrews is the multitudes of references back to Old Testament scriptures. As you read through Hebrews, I would encourage you to take now of how many OT scriptures this book is referring back to.

In today's chapter 1, the first 3 chapters set the stage incredibly well for this book - "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven." Wow... great stuff. We have indeed been reading recently about God speaking through Jeremiah in our One Year Bible readings. And here we are reminded that God is now speakig to us through Jesus. How do these 3 verses above speak to your heart?

The remaining verses in today's reading refer to a bunch of OT scriptures that tell us Jesus is God. He is not an angel, but is God's only Son who formed the earth and everything in it. One very cool thing about our One Year Bible readings today is that we get some verses here in Hebrews 1:10-12 that correlate with our readings in Psalm 102:25-27:
"Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Even they will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
You will roll them up like an old coat.
They will fade away like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will never grow old."
Very cool....

Psalm 102 is a great reminder to us on the importance to pray. To bring our troubles to the Lord.

Proverbs 26:22 is another great reminder that rumors can invade our hearts. We must remember - "guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Don't let rumors in there...

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 29th readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Lamentations 1:1-2:22 ~ Philemon 1:1-25
Psalm 101:1-8 ~ Proverbs 26:20

Today we start two new books in the One Year Bible! Lamentations & Philemon. Lamentations is a short 5 chapter book. It's essentially a post-script to the book of Jeremiah, and was likely written by the prophet Jeremiah. It is a book that surveys and laments Jerusalem and the temple after the destruction of both by the Babylonians in about 586 B.C. A good overview of Lamentations is at this link. I'd recommend reading this overview if you have a couple of minutes. It's worth it. Another good look at Lamentations is at this link - surf about 2/3rds the way down this page to get a good chapter by chapter overview of Lamentations - and to dive into info on the acrostics, etc.

Lamentations chapter 1 verse 1 sets the tone & stage for this book - "Jerusalem's streets, once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave." Why is this so? Read Jeremiah and you'll know... :) One thing to keep in mind when reading Lamentations - it provides a glimpse at the devastating affects of unchecked & unrepentant sin. Can our sin change our position in life from being a "queen" to a "slave"?

I think it is important to realize that God did provide so much grace and compassion toward Jerusalem and Judah in the book of Jeremiah before everything got to the devastating point that it is in the book of Lamentations. God send a prophet to warn Judah over and over and over again.... However, there was no repentance of sin and things got worse and worse - until it got to the point that God had not choice but to discipline Judah through Babylon's taking Judah captive. So - in our own lives, please don't stress that some sin will lead your life to what you see in Lamentations - however, unrepentant, unsorrowful, unchecked sin in our lives can lead to sorrowful things happening in our lives. And perhaps, by us hitting a rock bottom like Jerusalem clearly is in here in Lamentations, there will be an opportunity for discipline and ultimate redemption?

Today in Lamentations 1:14 we read: “"My sins have been bound into a yoke; by his hands they were woven together. They have come upon my neck and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand.” Do you believe that sin can become a “yoke” around your neck? Can sin sap your strength? Can sin hand you over to those you cannot withstand? How can you be freed from this yoke? Perhaps these words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 will give us some ideas - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” If there is a yoke of sin around our necks, can we allow Jesus to remove that yoke? Can we exchange the yoke of sin for the yoke of rest that Christ offers us?

Perhaps Lamentations chapter 2, verses 18 & 19, give us a hint at what we should do if we realize we've hit a rock bottom place in our lives due to unchecked sin - "Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day or night.
Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer." If you are at that place of rock bottom, or nearing it, will you cry to the Lord? Will you pour out your heart to the Lord letting him know that you need him - that you cannot do life without him? Will you pray?

Today we dive into Paul's letter to Philemon. Philemon is a very short book - we'll finish it today! :) A good overview of the book of Philemon is online here.

Verse 4 jumps out to me in Philemon today - "I always thank God when I pray for you, Philemon..." How often do we tell our family or friends that we thank God for them? How often do we tell them that we pray for them? How often do we actually do both of these things?

Psalm 101 is a great Psalm of David today! A portion of verse 2 jumps out at me today - "I will lead a life of integrity in my own home." This is powerful. How often do we have integrity outside of our home - but then Not display integrity within our own home? Think this is healthy? Should we strive for leading a life of integrity within our own home?

Proverbs 26:20 is another excellent reminder to not gossip - and when you stop, the gossip stops. Interesting how that works...

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 28th readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34 ~ Titus 3:1-15
Psalm 100:1-5 ~ Proverbs 26:18-19

We reach the end of the book of Jeremiah today! :( This has been a fascinating book for me to read this year. I definitely learned a lot more about prophets, the fall of Jerusalem and Babylon. I hope this has been a good learning experience for you as well.

Jeremiah chapter 51 closes out Jeremiah's prophecies, ending with his prophecies against Babylon. Tomorrow we start the book of Lamentations. And actually, we're getting a bit of a good set up for Lamentations in Chapter 52 of Jeremiah today. I think as you read the end of chapter 51, you might think - okay, this should be the end of this book, correct, as verse 64 in chapter 51 tells us - "This is the end of Jeremiah's messages." But... it looks like chapter 52 is in here to remind the readers of the fall of Jerusalem, and to segue way into the book of Lamentations.

Chapter 52 is sad to read - particularly when you think back to all of the work of the Israelites in Solomon's day in creating the temple. Also I think back to the work of others earlier in the Old Testament who built up the walls of Jerusalem. All of this destroyed and burned. I read somewhere that it's speculated that the Ark of the Covenant was probably destroyed in this time period, in the fire at the Temple. Or... maybe it wasn't.... hence we have Raiders of the Lost Ark!! :)

At the very end of chapter 52 we see a few verses giving hope for Israel's line to continue.

So, how has been reading the book of the prophet Jeremiah been for you? What have you learned from this book? How can you apply these learnings to your life today?

Today we also finish up Paul's letter to Titus. The first couple verses of chapter 3 are interesting to me - "Remind your people to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not speak evil of anyone, and they must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone." It looks like Paul is reminding the church at that time to submit to governmental authority - being obedient. And doing what is good. Obeying laws of the government seems to be implied here. This reminds me of Jesus saying in the Gospels - "give to Caesar what is Caesar's. And to God what is God." So, there does certainly seem to be a call to be good citizens of the world - as we strive to be good citizens of the kingdom of God simultaneously. Can these two go hand in hand? Or are there points where their may be a conflict between our obedience to God and obedience to the world's laws/governments?

Does our reading of Psalm 100 today speak to you? Do you feel joy while reading this song? I am currently reading “The Life You’ve Always Wanted" by John Ortberg – a great book by the way… and he has a great chapter on JOY being a spiritual discipline. It is amazing to realize that Joy is a gift from God we should be experiencing every day. I pray you are experiencing joy… think this Psalmist was?....

Proverbs 26 verses 18 & 19 are so true... please don't lie to your friends as a joke... bad idea...

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 27th readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 51:1-53 ~ Titus 2:1-15
Psalm 99:1-9 ~ Proverbs 26:17

Jeremiah Chapter 51 is diving into Babylon's destruction. So far in this blog, we've been basically just looking at Babylon the city & empire and Nebuchadnezzar from the historical perspective - though, certainly seeing where and how God has been interacting w/ Babylon. I think it might be a good point here to consider the spiritual connotations of Babylon. A great place to begin this conversation is in Revelation Chapters 17 & 18 where Babylon is discussed.

I won't dive into trying to interpret these two chapters of Revelation today... :) We have yet to get to Revelation later this year... But, these two chapters may give you some more insight into the spiritual meaning of the term Babylon. If you do want to read more about Babylon in context of these two Revelation chapters, check out this link for an interesting commentary. An interesting tidbit in this link, which answers my question from yesterday's post: "As you undoubtedly know, the city of ancient Babylon is in Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad on the Euphrates river."

It is interesting in the middle of Jeremiah 51 we have a few verses of a hymn of praise to God - verses 15 through 19. Again, in verse 18, idols are mentioned and can be assumed as one of the prime reasons of Babylon's destruction - "Idols are worthless; they are lies! The time is coming when they will all be destroyed." Do you believe that idols are worthless? Are they lies?

The other thing to note in this chapter is that earlier in Jeremiah we read about the coming destruction of Jerusalem - but always with the note of ultimate redemption. In this chapter with Babylon, and other chapters discussing Babylon, there is no redemption. The city will not be restored.

Titus chapter 2 today is jam packed with great wisdom from Paul... let these verses sink in. Verse 14 does jump out for me today - "He (Jesus) gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. "

Do you believe that Jesus gave his life to free you from every kind of sin? To cleanse you? And to make you his very own? Are you totally committed to doing what is right?

Psalm 99 is a great psalm of praise. I read that this Psalm mentions the word Lord 7 times. So, there's a learning tidbit for you. :) I like verse 6 - "Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name. They cried to the LORD for help, and he answered them." These were obviously some major characters in the Bible. Do you believe if you cry out to the Lord for help, he will answer you too?

Proverbs 26:17 just makes me chuckle. I don't know what it is about this Chapter of Proverbs, but the analogies are cracking me up. (I didn't post up the vomit one yesterday or a day or two ago... you'll have to look that one up, below). Today's verse tells us - "Yanking a dog's ears is as foolish as interfering in someone else's argument." When is the last time you yanked a dog's ears?? :) It is of course a true and effective proverb analogy....

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 26th readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 49:23-50:46 ~ Titus 1:1-16
Psalm 97:1-98:9 ~ Proverbs 26:13-16

Jeremiah chapter 49 today again is reminding me of the Lord of the Rings movies as I read it... :) Is this bad? I guess I default to thinking about a fictional movie when obviously these are some very real prophecies and things that were carried out due to the various lands' pride, idol worship, etc. So, yes, probably think of the LOTR movies imagery is probably not quite correct...

This chapter does close again with the promise of redemption in verse 39 - "But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam," says the LORD."

Jeremiah 50 does not bode well for Babylon... interesting, in that King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon have played a large role in sacking Jerusalem & Judah - for their discipline. And now the tide is coming back toward Babylon. Verse 39 jumps out at me today - "Soon this city of Babylon will be inhabited by ostriches and jackals. It will be a home for the wild animals of the desert. Never again will people live there; it will lie desolate forever." Can someone give me the low-down on where Babylon is? Iraq correct? If so this verse reminds me in part of the swamps of Iraq - quite desolate... Actually, I just found a map of Babylon online here - but would love it if anyone else can post up more details on modern day geography, etc.? Thanks..

Chapter 50 does bode well for Israel & Judah - verse 4 & 5 tell us: "Then the people of Israel and Judah will join together," says the LORD, "weeping and seeking the LORD their God. They will ask the way to Jerusalem and will start back home again. They will bind themselves to the LORD with an eternal covenant that will never again be broken."

How often do we weep and seek the Lord?

Today we begin reading Paul's letter to Titus. A good overview of Titus is online here.

The first two verses of this letter start strong... "This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began--and he cannot lie. "

Do you believe everything in these two verses? Does the truth give us the confidence of eternal life? Is it a promise of God's? Can God lie?

The next few verses are great instructions for whom should be elders in churches. A portion of verse 8 really jumps out at me - "He must enjoy having guests in his home." What a great verse... This really shows the importance of hospitality. Do we enjoy having guests in our home?

Psalms 97 & 98 are two more great Psalms of praise!

Proverbs 26:13 today jumps out - "The lazy person is full of excuses, saying, "I can't go outside because there might be a lion on the road! Yes, I'm sure there's a lion out there!"" I wonder if we can substitute the word "worried" or "anxious" in place of lazy in this Psalm? Are we afraid of lions out there? Can we rely on the one true "Lion" who will be with us wherever we go? (yes, think C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia here.... :)

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 25th readings

(click on the date above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 48:1-49:22 ~ 2 Timothy 4:1-22
Psalm 95:1-96:13 ~ Proverbs 26:9-12

Jeremiah chapter 48 is not a very happy chapter... at first glance it's tough to figure out what is going on here. Why is God so angry at Moab. I think verses 29 & 30 let us in on why - "We have heard of the pride of Moab, for it is very great. We know of her loftiness, her arrogance, and her haughty heart. I know about her insolence," says the LORD, "but her boasts are false; they accomplish nothing." Sounds like pride and boasting was a major factor here obviously. Along with idol worship as we see in verse 13 - "At last Moab will be ashamed of her idol Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed of her gold calf at Bethel"

I do think we see sadness from God in this judgment upon Moab in verse 31 - "Yes, I wail for Moab; my heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth." And ultimate redemption in the last verse, 47, of this chapter - "But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Moab," says the LORD."

This chapter may give us the opportunity to pause and reflect on if there are areas in our life where we are boasting? Boasting in prideful ways? Are we arrogant, lofty, displaying a haughty heart toward others?

Chapter 49 does not bring good tidings to the Ammonites or Edomites. Verse 16 again gives us a good look into why this judgment is coming upon Edom - "You are proud that you inspire fear in others. And you are proud because you live in a rock fortress and hide high in the mountains. But don't fool yourselves!" Pride. Again. Pride. Think Pride is something that has been a temptation of humans since our beginning? Think this temptation continues today?

Verse 6 does give the hope of redemption for the Ammonites - "But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites," says the LORD." We do not see this hope of redemption for Edom in the verses....

2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 3 & 4 I think give a good warning for each of us today - "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths." Do we do this? Do we "look for" / "shop around for" teachers that we really like? Teachers that may only tell us what we want to hear? That may not challenge us with truth? That may offer strange myths?

In the close of this 2nd letter to Timothy, we are reading some of Paul's final written words. They are amazing. It's great to see some clear human needs in these closing words in verse 13 - "When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers." It's also sad to see how he's been left pretty much alone and abandoned by many. Verse 22 are some beautiful closing words, and it's my prayer for each of you as well tonight in this blog - "May the Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all."

Psalm 95 verses 4 & 5 remind me of the new Chris Tomlin song "Indescribable" - "He owns the depths of the earth, and even the mightiest mountains are his. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too." Have you heard this song by Chris? Very joyful modern day Psalm! You can get it a snippet of the song's audio on his website by clicking here. Or, the lyrics are here. Great tune... And great Psalms of praise in 95 & 95 today!

Proverbs chapter 26, verse 12 again brings us to the pride issue we discussed earlier... "There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise." Do we realize where our Wisdom truly comes from?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 24th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7 ~ 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17
Psalm 94:1-23 ~ Proverbs 26:6-8

Jeremiah 44:28 jumps out at me in today's readings - ""Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt." This verse reminds me that God is continuing to preserve the line - the house of David. God will destroy most of the Israelites in Egypt for their unfaithfulness & idol worship, but he will preserve a remnant. Seems we see this over and over in the Bible - even Noah & the flood comes to mind, pre-David of course.

Jeremiah 45 is a short chapter. Baruch I believe is the person who has basically written this book of Jeremiah. He was Jeremiah's secretary and wrote down everything. However, apparently being secretary for a prophet is a high stress job too. Baruch is sounding a bit burdened in this chapter... To which God gives him words of comfort, along with a brief warning in verse 5 - "Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don't do it! "

Are we seeking great things for ourselves? Should we do it.... ? Whom should we be seeking great things for?

Jeremiah chapter 46 starts about 6 chapters of prophecies against various nations. Starting with Egypt in 46 and Philistine in 47 today. Reading some of the verses in these 2 chapters today remind me of the Lord of the Rings movies.... a nice reminder of how our modern culture influences our imaginations, eh... :)

2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 22 hits hard today - "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. " Notice that first word - Run. Flee. Go the other way. U-turn. Don't hang around. Run.

Do we run from things that stimulate lust in our lives? Do we really Run? Fast?

That same verse continues on with some encouraging words - "Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts." I like that - pursue faith. Pursue love. Pursue peace. And - enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts." I do pray you have some relationships like this in your life? They can provide you such great rest & rejuvenation. A small group in your church may be a great way to find these types of relationships if you don't have them currently. Community can be messy & tough & scary - but it's so worth it. Please pursue community with other believers. And please do continue to have relationships with others in your life too. Just sometimes those old relationships can tend to bring us down / pull us back to old habits. Pursue faith. Pursue love. Pursue peace.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 are just 5 powerful verses that deserve being re-read here in whole -
"You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that."

How are we doing personally on these areas above?

Okay, and then verses 16 and 17 just make One Year Bible bloggers like myself smile.... :) -
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do."

Do you believe these verses to be true? Do you believe that Scripture is inspired by God? And useful to teach us what is true? And make us realize what is wrong in our lives?

Psalm 94 verse 14 jumps out - "The LORD will not reject his people; he will not abandon his own special possession." I love this thought - that God will not reject us. He will not abandon us. We are his own special possession.

Proverbs 26 verse 8 today - "Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot." I think it's just fun to visualize tying a stone to a slingshot and how that might be a bad idea... :)

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 23rd readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 42:1-44:23 ~ 2 Timothy 2:1-21
Psalm 92:1-93 ~ Proverbs 26:3-5

The 3 Jeremiah chapters today are quite eventful. Interesting that the Israelites ask Jeremiah for a message from God - and that whatever they hear back they will do and obey. Not! :) Are we like this at times... ?

Jeremiah 42 gives a good set up to the days readings, with the closing 2 verses in this chapter from Jeremiah - "And today I have told you exactly what he said, but you will not obey the LORD your God any better now than you have in the past. So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going." Jeremiah delivered the message from God... but know that the message would go unheeded.

Jeremiah 43's verse 10 jumped out at me today - "I will surely bring my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, here to Egypt." Interesting that God calls Nebuchadnezzar his "servant". Would he have said this about the Israelites? Called them his servants?

Chapter 43 reminds me that when we are disobedient to God's will that our disobedience can affect not only ourselves, but others around us. Mind you, Egypt was not a house of the holy - but the Israelites disobedience is going to bring destruction to themselves and Egypt. They're carrying their disobedience and curse to others....

Chapter 44 is a great reminder of why it's a bad idea to pursue idols in our life instead of God. Verse 7 asks "Why are you destroying yourselves?" I love this verse. Why are we destroying ourselves? We bring upon self-abuse, self-destruction, when we pursue things that are not of God. Think about it. They may bring a quick temporary pleasure, but in the long run are they building us up or destroying us?

Why are we destroying ourselves?

2 Timothy 2, verse 9 has a great verse for us One Year Bible readers! :) "But the word of God cannot be chained. " Amen...

2 Tim 2 is a great chapter today... just jam packed with wisdom. Verse 4 jumps out - "And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. " How often do we become tied up in affairs of this life.... ? Every day? Every hour? More often than that... ? If we are constantly "distracted" by the affairs of this life, do we lose sight of Jesus? Do we distract ourselves enough that we can't serve Christ well?

Verse 21 is a great closing verse today - "If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work."

Will you keep yourself pure?

Psalm 92 & 93 are joyful Psalms today! Psalm 92 being a Psalm for the Sabbath, with a great opening verse - " It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High." Are you thanking God for something each day? Are you singing praises to God often?

Proverbs 26 today - I think we have a catch-22 here! Someone correct me if I'm wrong here in verses 4 & 5 - "
When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.
When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation."

So do we not answer their foolish arguments.... or do we? :) I can see the wisdom in both verses.... Help me out on this one!

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

October 22nd readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 39:1-41:18 ~ 2 Timothy 1:1-18
Psalm 90:1-91:16 ~ Proverbs 26:1-2

Okay, so I'll confess that sometimes I do these blog entries by going online, reading the daily readings online, and then just posting up what comes to mind. This works... but I don't think it's super beneficial for me personally. Tonight I had the good fortune of taking my time reading out of an actual Bible, reflecting on the readings, reading the One Year Bible Study guide, and reading the NIV Study Bible. Great stuff... I had about a good 30 minutes or so in the Word tonight...

Now, the ironic thing is that my post on today's readings will probably not be as good as my "quick read" posts.. :)

Jeremiah 39 brings the fall of Jerusalem. It was sad to read about king Zedekiah's fate. But, he was forewarned many times by Jeremiah of the coming destruction. Interesting that King Nebuchadnezzar sought out Jeremiah and told his soldiers to free Jeremiah - and give him the option of staying in Judah or coming to Babylon, where he would be taken care of. Almost seemed like Nebuchadnezzar feared God more than Zedekiah?

Actually, in Jeremiah 40:2, we do see that the Babylonians did have a good understanding of God's prophecies and they believe them - "The captain of the guard called for Jeremiah and said, "The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land, just as he said he would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. That is why it happened." Is it possible in our lives that sometimes others can see more clearly than we can how God is moving in our lives?

Jeremiah 40 continues on a pretty good note with Gedaliah being appointed governor of Judah by Babylon. Gedaliah seems to be a good sort, as he invites the people living in the country side to - "Settle in any town you wish, and live off the land. Harvest the grapes and summer fruits and olives, and store them away." (v. 10). However, things don't go well too long for Gedaliah, which is sad...

Ishmael enters the scene in 40 and into chapter 41, and ultimately murders Gedaliah. This definitely made me sad! I was happy about things finally seeming a bit peaceful in Judah, and prosperous to a degree. And then evil enters the scene once again... Have we seen this scenario play out over history?

Today we start Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy, which I believe is the last or one of the last letter's of Paul's in the Bible - in terms of chronology of Paul's life. This is a bit of a sad letter to read in some ways. Paul is literally in chains / in prison when he writes this letter in about 66 A.D.. Emperor Nero started a campaign against Christians a couple of years before and jails Paul during this time. You can clearly see Paul's admiration for Timothy in this letter. A good overview of the 2 Timothy is online at this link.

One sentence at the link above says, "In many respects, this epistle is his last will and testament." If 2 Timothy is Paul's last will & testament, think we should pay close attention to the words in this letter?

Today in Psalm 91:11-12 we read the words quoted by Satan to Jesus during the temptation in the desert: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” As you read this Psalm, do these words apply to Jesus only? Or to those who trust in the Lord as well? Do you believe that the Lord is guarding you in all your ways? Do you believe this is possible? (I hope your answer is yes… :) ) Do you recall Jesus’ response to Satan in Matthew 4:7: “It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” What do Jesus’ words to Satan tell you about these words in the Psalm? Can we believe these words, and also not put God to the test at the same time? As an example, maybe to just myself :), is driving over the speed limit putting God to the test?

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike