One Year Bible Blog

October 21st readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 37:1-38:28 ~ 1 Timothy 6:1-21
Psalm 89:38-52 ~ Proverbs 25:28

Interesting dynamics in Jeremiah 37 & 38 today... Jeremiah is going from dungeon to prison to cistern to prison to king's confidant. Being a prophet is quite a life...

I continue to admire Jeremiah's boldness in speaking the truth in these chapters. 37:17 jumps out - "Later King Zedekiah secretly requested that Jeremiah come to the palace, where the king asked him, "Do you have any messages from the Lord?" "Yes, I do!" said Jeremiah. "You will be defeated by the king of Babylon." Jeremiah goes right to the truth... no beating around the bush! And then 3 verses later he asks Zedekiah - "Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don't send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there." He speaks a harsh truth to Zedekiah and then asks for a favor. I like that....

Do we speak the truth in our lives? Even if we know we'll need to ask for a favor of someone later, will we still speak the truth?

Jeremiah 38 has a fascinating conversation between Zedekiah and Jeremiah. Zedekiah seems to know that doom is coming his way and he's looking for an out. Jeremiah delivers him the only out he'll have, and Zedekiah seems to take it to heart. Realizing that what Jeremiah just told him cannot be shared with others.

1 Timothy 6 is full of great wisdom! Verse 7: "Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth." Are we seeking true religion? What is true religion? I think Paul gives some great hints to us in verses 11-14:
"Run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. And I command you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, hat you obey his commands with all purity."

Verse 10 is powerful for me today - "For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." It's interesting - the "love of money" is the root of all kinds of evil. Not money in and of itself - that's not the root of evil. But the love of money.... great distinction and great truth.

Do we love money? If so, should we be worried about this.... ? If so, might we wander from the faith and pierce ourselves with sorrows?

Today in Proverbs 25:28 we read: “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Does this Proverb remind you of our recent readings in Jeremiah? Are there parallels to the captivity of the Israelites and this Proverb? How does this Proverb speak to you personally? Are your walls in need of some repair? Will you allow Christ to repair them? Will you allow Christ to restore self-control in those areas of your life that are lacking in self-control?

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

Grace,
Mike

October 20th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 35:1-36:32 ~ 1 Timothy 5:1-25
Psalm 89:14-37 ~ Proverbs 25:25-27

Jeremiah 35 today is a nice example of obedience, from the Recabites. Interestingly, the Recabites are being obedient to a human's word. This stands in stark contrast to the Israelites dis-obedience to God's Word... Do we do this sometimes in our lives? Obey human words and disobey God's?

Jeremiah 36 is cool. The writing down of God's words to Jeremiah on a scroll. Unfortunately, that first scroll gets burned. Pretty crazy to think about King Jehoiakim listening to God's words in the scroll and then burning it as he listens...

1 Timothy 5:8 is a powerful verse today: "But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those living in the same household, have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than unbelievers." This is a great reminder to care for our parents as they get older. I have seen some family members and friends do this for their parents - and uncles and other relatives - and it is such a blessing to see. This reminds me of the commandment of "Honor thy father & mother." What a blessed way to honor your father and mother by caring for them when they are older...

I love Psalm 89:15 today: "Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord." Do you hear the joyful call to worship in your life? Will you walk in the light of God's presence?

Proverbs 25:6 today is strong: "If the godly compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring." Is there are area in your life where you might be compromising? Will you return to the pure spring water of life?

Proverbs 25:7 too - "Just as it is not good to eat too much honey, it is not good for people to think about all the honors they deserve." Do we sometimes focus too much on honors and recognition? Can this cloud our sight of God? Is it better to be humble?

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

Grace,
Mike

October 19th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 33:1-34:22 ~ 1 Timothy 4:1-16
Psalm 89:1-13 ~ Proverbs 25:23-24

Okay - this is a very exciting day of readings for me today! We get the infamous Jeremiah 33:3 verse - "'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'" Why is this verse infamous? Because it was on the cover of U2's last album, "All that you can't leave behind." :) Seriously. If you have this CD, check out the cover photo, and you'll see the fellas in the band standing beneath a sign in the airport that has been altered to read J33-3. Bono has said that J33-3 is God's phone number. :) (yes, I'm a U2 fanatic... so was quite happy to come across this verse today... )

Back to our regularly scheduled blog... Jeremiah 33 is a great chapter today. A lot of powerful verses. Verse 15 & 16 are great Messianic verse, harkening back to Jeremiah 23:6 (The Lord our righteousness) - "" 'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.'"

Verse 22 is a great verse echoing the covenant promises to Abraham - "I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.' "

Verse 18 threw me for a loop initially, trying to figure out how this could still be - "nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.' " I wondered - where are the Levites today? Fortunately, I read a commentary that set me straight - Jesus is fulfilling this ministry for us today. Jesus is our Levitical priest standing before God. Beautiful, eh?

Jeremiah chapter 34 is interesting with the Freedom for the slaves - and then the reversal of that decision. Could this story remind us of our lives at times? Do we sometimes promise God that we'll do something he wants us to do? Maybe even start to do it? And then change our minds?

Today in This week in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read: “Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” How are you doing on training yourself to be godly? Do you believe this is something you can train yourself in? Are you practicing spiritual disciplines on a regular basis? Spiritual disciplines might include: prayer, journaling, quiet time, fasting, retreats, Sabbaths, reading the Bible :) , to name a few. If you’d like to learn more about Spiritual Disciplines, you might want to pick up Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline.” Or, check out this website link for some more ideas on spiritual disciplines you might want to practice regularly.

Today we start Psalm 89, which is a long Psalm and will take us through the next few days. Today's verses are quite happy... it's a great read! I'll go into more of where this Psalm is heading / takes it's turn in tomorrow's blog.

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

Grace,
Mike

October 18th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 31:27-32:44 ~ 1 Timothy 3:1-16
Psalm 88:1-18 ~ Proverbs 25:20-22

Jeremiah chapter 31 today is encouraging reading! Seems we've rounded the corner from the coming destruction / captivity prophecies from Jeremiah, and we're God is now speaking about rebuilding Jerusalem. I think we get a good Messianic glimpse here in verse 31: ""The day will come," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. " The new covenant! Sounds good... :)

Today in Jeremiah 31:33 we read: “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” This verse reminds me of the importance, I believe, in memorizing scripture – not just reading scripture, but memorizing it and writing it upon our hearts. I have been amazed just this weekend on Proverbs 3:5-6 coming to my mind and heart at some very needed and specific times. (if you can only memorize 2 scripture verses, please check out these Proverbs verses) Do you memorize scripture? Do you not just memorize it, but internalize it to your heart? Do you see the value in memorizing scripture and writing it on your heart?

Jeremiah Chapter 32 is intriguing. God asks Jeremiah to buy land - even though all of the land of Jerusalem will soon fall under captivity. Jeremiah is - once again - obedient. God goes on in this chapter to indeed confirm that Jerusalem will fall - but that God will eventually restore the Israelites back to Jerusalem and buying and selling of land will occur again. Interesting chapter. I guess the call to Jeremiah to buy land was to set the stage for reminding the Israelites that they will soon lose this ability, but it will come back to them again eventually? Any Biblical scholars, feel free to jump in on this one...

1 Timothy 3 gives some great rules & regs for leaders in a church. It all makes a lot of sense. I would encourage anyone who has interest in leading in your church - or if you are currently leading in your church - to prayerfully read through these. How are you doing on these? Are there some areas in your life discussed here that need redeeming?

Verse 16 today beautifully demonstrates Jesus' divinity and his humanity:
"Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ appeared in the flesh
and was shown to be righteous by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
and was announced to the nations.
He was believed on in the world
and was taken up into heaven."
Do you believe in everything written above?

Psalm 88 is a bit of a tough one to read today... I am sure there are probably times in our lives where we may feel like this psalmist did. I pray that the emotions in this Psalm are not how you feel the majority of the time. This is the beauty of the Psalms again - our opportunity to "talk back" / appeal to God. So, this Psalm may provide some comfort during a dark day - knowing that another human felt the same way, and wrote about it, and it's in the Bible. Hopefully you can soon move back to happier Psalms, such as 23... :)

Wow. I put down that last little smiley face and I get this in Proverbs 25:20 today - "Singing cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing someone's jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound." Okay, okay, don't read Psalm 23 if you're in a bad place... Stick with 88.....

:)

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

Grace,
Mike

October 17th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 30:1-31:26 ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-15
Psalm 87:1-7 ~ Proverbs 25:18-19

Okay, so on occasion, you have to admit there are some funny verses in the Bible that just jump out at you. I think we've got one today in Jeremiah 30:6 from God - "Now let me ask you a question: Do men give birth to babies? Then why do they stand there, ashen-faced, hands pressed against their sides like women about to give birth?" A bit of a funny analogy, no? :)

Wow. These two chapters in Jeremiah today are about the most hopeful I think we've read yet in the book of Jeremiah. These chapters give so much joy to my heart to read them as the promises of deliverance and hope of restoration are given by God.

Jeremiah 31:18 gives a great example of the true relationship we can have with God - "I have heard Israel saying, `You disciplined me severely, but I deserved it. I was like a calf that needed to be trained for the yoke and plow. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the Lord my God." Israel was finally beginning to repent and return to God. I know the word "discipline" can maybe be a tough one for us - we've probably all experienced some unjust discipline. I pray that you can see that God's discipline for us is ultimately very loving - training us, turning us, restoring us. If you feel that God is disciplining you in your life now, will you let him? So that he can train you, turn you, restore you?

I love the last verse in Jeremiah's readings today! 31:26 - "At this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very sweet." Very sweet readings in Jeremiah today indeed!

1 Timothy 2 starts of with yet another reminder to pray for others... I love and need this type of reminder... often! "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. " This is powerful. Pray for all people. Make requests for them. Plead God's mercy upon them. Give thanks. Pray for those leading our government. I think these verses are very appropriate during this time of national elections coming up. Pray for both candidates. Pray for all candidates. Make requests for them. Plead God's mercy upon them. Give thanks.

The other thing these opening two verses remind me of is to "Pray the News." I think often times we read about all of the bad news in the world and maybe feel a bit helpless / hopeless in the midst of it all. However, I strongly believe that God has blessed us with the ability to "Pray the News." Pray for the hurricane victims, the people starving and dying in other parts of the world, the person who was in a car crash in your town, etc. etc. Pray for them. Make requests for them. Plead God's mercy upon them. Give thanks.

Will you join me in "Praying the News" each day?

Proverbs 25:18 today reminds me of the danger of rumors... please be so careful not to spread rumors... they indeed can indeed be "as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow." I am reminded of the words of some song way back in the 80's (can anyone remember this artist??) "Look at all these rumors, surrounding me every day. I just need some time. Some time to get away. From all these rumors. Can't take it no more. Stop spreading these rumors around. Stop spreading the lies!" A modern day proverb? :)

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

Grace,
Mike

October 16th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 28:1-29:32 ~ 1 Timothy 1:1-20
Psalm 86:1-17~ Proverbs 25:17

Jeremiah 28 has a good lesson for us I think in Hananiah. I think we need to be careful when we use words like, "God says", or "this is God's will", or "I know God will do x, y, and z." Hananiah was using words like this... and he may have really thought this to be true... but he was wrong big-time. And paid a big price. I'm thinking in our lives it might be better to say, "God-willing, this hopefully will happen..." or "I believe God is leading me this way. I pray I'm right" - and then be prepared to adjust if we realize it wasn't quite the right way. I'm sure most of us are seeking God's will for our lives. We maybe should be cautious on making declarative statements on precisely what God's will is for our lives?

Jeremiah 29:8-9 today tells us - "The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says, "Do not let the prophets and mediums who are there in Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams because they prophesy lies in my name. I have not sent them," says the Lord." My thought on this verse is that often times I think that we too are tricked by lies that the world is often selling us. "Money, Power, Status, Sex-Appeal, etc. etc. are things to be strived for above all else" are the type of things that I think we often hear. But, are these True? Or are they tricks - are they lies? Will you find emptiness or happiness in what the world is selling you? Where can you find true happiness and peace? I think these questions are answered for us today in verses 11-13: "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me."

Are you looking for God in earnest?

Today we begin reading Paul's first letter to Timothy. A good introduction to the letter is online here.

In 1 Timothy 1:19 today we read a verse with such impact - "Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked." I pray that we are clinging tightly to Christ with our consciences clear....

Psalm 86 is a beautiful Psalm today! A great prayer. One of many verses today that jumped out at me was verse 11 - "Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
that I may honor you."
Great verse - Grant me purity of heart that I may honor you...

Proverbs 25:17 is another great one - kind of reminds me of "fish and friends go bad after 3 days". :)

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

Grace,
Mike

October 15th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 26 & 27 ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
Psalm 85:1-13 ~ Proverbs 25:16

Well, today in Jeremiah 26 we are reminded again how tough it is to be a prophet - they want to kill him! Interesting series of events with the courts and priests. It reminds me of some ways of Christ and his last hours. Except that Jeremiah of course gets reprieved. However, at the end of the chapter we hear about the prophet Uriah and he was not so fortunate. He was chased into Egypt (interesting escape into Egypt parallel w/ Christ's early life?), captured and killed.

The lesson for us in this chapter 26 may be this - when we are confronted with a call to repent from sins, do we? Or do we rage back and accuse the accuser of sins? Do we repent or do we deny?

Jeremiah Chapter 27 seems to be a chapter of "obedience" to me. Jeremiah is called once again to be obedient to preach - and to wear an ox yoke this time. And the people of Judah are called to be obedient to the Babylonian conquest. Let it happen. Be exiled. And eventually you will return. Fight this call to obedience - and you will die.

I know obedience is not a very popular term in our culture today. But, I do think it is still so relevant to our relationship with God. In what area of your life is God calling you to be obedient? Will you be obedient?

2 Thessalonians 3 is a nice closing chapter to this 2nd letter of Paul's. The first few verses remind us of the need to pray. Pray for those doing the Lord's work. How are you doing in praying for your pastors, your church, other ministries you support?

Paul then goes into an exhortation for proper living. These verses remind me of the importance of work in our lives. We are not called to be chillin' aesthetics - but called to work. Paul worked hard during his time of ministry. He was at times a "tentmaker" - making a living during the day and preaching and conducting ministry in the evenings and weekends. How are you doing with work these days? Are you giving your all / your 100% for the hours you are at work? No matter where you are working - are you working as if you were working for God?

Psalm 85 is a nice Psalm of restoration of Israel. Verse 6 jumps out at me today - "Won't you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?" I have been digging the word "revive" lately. Mostly because of Jeremy Camp's song "Revive Me" on his latest CD! :) (it is a wonderful CD by the way) I like that thought - revive me. Revive us. Do you need to be revived? Will you allow God to do it?

Great proverb today! "Do you like honey? Don't eat too much of it, or it will make you sick!" I love it. Do you like Ben & Jerry's? Don't eat too much of it - or it will make you sick! :)

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

Grace,
Mike

October 14th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 23:21-25:38 ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Psalm 84:1-12 ~ Proverbs 25:15

The Jeremiah readings are a bit tough today - as we get into chapter 25 and "The Cup of the Lord's Anger." Again, imagine having to be Jeremiah here, going throughout the land with this cup. It is certainly obedience that Jeremiah is demonstrating.

Jeremiah 23 continues on from yesterday's readings with the problems of false prophets. Verses 21 & 22 really jumped out at me here - "I have not sent these prophets, yet they claim to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they prophesy. If they had listened to me, they would have spoken my words and turned my people from their evil ways."

I think the key word in these verses above is "listen". The false prophets problems all started because they were not listening to God. How well do we listen to God today? Think we should slow down our lives a bit and create some time and space to listen? When we pray - are we speaking or listening more?

Verse 29 is a great one - "Does not my word burn like fire?" asks the Lord. "Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces?" In your life - does God's word burn like fire?

Jeremiah Chapter 24 and the good and bad figs is interesting. It's interesting in that the captives that end up in Babylon are the good figs - and those that stay behind in Judah & Jerusalem are the bad. You might think the opposite would be true. But, it seems that the 70 years of captivity coming up in Babylon will be a "refining" process for those Israelites, and will bring them back closer to God, before returning to the land.

Jeremiah Chapter 25 is the bit of a tough read that I alluded to earlier today. I would certainly like to study more of the theology on the "cup of the Lord's anger." I don't fully get it at first read. The best I can tell is that the land was so full of sin & rejection of God, that the cup of anger and the coming judgment was the only option for God. My hunch is that God showed graciousness time and time and time again - and was ignored, or things got worse. So, keep in mind that God didn't just go ballistic here in Chapter 25 - it was a long time coming and I think a lot of grace & mercy & compassion was shown - but eventually this had to happen?

2 Thessalonians 2 is a good look at the 2nd coming of Jesus. Verse 7 is interesting - "For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way." Seems that this is alluding to sin and the temptation to sin that pursues us all. The lawlessness is at work - secretly - and will remain secret until it comes out in the open in the form of the anti-christ? Again, I'm not big into end times stuff. But, clearly, there will come the day of Jesus' return. And the Bible is preparing believers for what to expect and to know that God is bigger than whatever evil comes in those days.

Psalm 84 is a beautiful Psalm today! Is there a more graceful, beautiful, peaceful Psalm out there? Probably so. But I am loving this Psalm today. Verse 2 alone is unbelievably beautiful -
" I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the LORD.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God."

I know there is a song we often sing in our churches - "Better is One Day" - that comes from this Psalm. Recognize the opening verse - "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty." and later - "Better is one day in your courts, than thousands else where."

Spend some time enjoying this Psalm today!

"For the Lord God is our light and protector." Psalm 84:11

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

Grace,
Mike

October 13th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 22:1-23:20 ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Psalm 83:1-18 ~ Proverbs 25:11-14

Allright, this is probably an inappropriate comment - but nobody can talk smack like God can talk smack! :) Man, he is unleashing in these two chapters in Jeremiah... there is no rebuttal to his words.

Some verses that jumped out at me today in Jeremiah 22:15-16 - "But a beautiful palace does not make a great king! Why did your father, Josiah, reign so long? Because he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He made sure that justice and help were given to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn't that what it means to know me?"

"Isn't that what it means to know me?" Justice and help were given to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. I gotta say, I'm probably going hone in on most every call to serve the poor in the Bible. Mostly because I'm not doing it well - and the call is so clear. So often.

"Isn't that what it means to know me?"

Jeremiah 23:1-8 gives us a great Messianic foreshadowing of Jesus. Verses 5 & 6: "For the time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will place a righteous Branch on King David's throne. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this is his name: `The Lord Is Our Righteousness.' In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety."

Great stuff... a righteous branch on King David's throne.... rules with wisdom... will do what is just and right throughout the land... Jesus?

The remaining verses in Jeremiah 23 go after false prophets. I know in reading Jeremiah I've been pondering how tough it would be to be Jeremiah, a prophet with some tough messages. Looks like being a false prophet is truly the bad way to live. If you're gonna be a prophet, make sure you're prophesying the truth... :)

We start the 2nd letter of Paul to the Thessalonians today. Check out a good commentary on this letter here.

The encouragement during times of persecution is powerful in these verses. Verse 5: "But God will use this persecution to show his justice. For he will make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.." If there is persecution in your life, I hope these verses are encouraging to you. It reminds me of the old adage - "it builds character!" I know this is tough to realize in the midst of persecution - that God is working in the midst of it.

The 1st verse of Psalm 83 jumps out today - "O God, don't sit idly by, silent and inactive!" Ever feel this way about God? "what are you doing?" "where are you?" I think this is the beauty of the Psalms. We get to express some frustrations toward God. The Psalms are the other side of the conversation with God - we get to talk back to him a bit. But, don't go too far... you'll recall in our Jeremiah readings today that nobody can talk smack like God can talk smack! :)

The 4 verses in Proverbs today are all spot on. How about the last one today, "A person who doesn't give a promised gift is like clouds and wind that don't bring rain." Don't be that guy! :)

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

Grace,
Mike

October 12th readings

(click on the link above for today's readings)
Jeremiah 19:1-21:14 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28
Psalm 82:1-8 ~ Proverbs 25:9-10

I read Jeremiah 19 today and am reminded again of how tough it can be to be a prophet! Wow. Can you imagine receiving these words from God to deliver to a nation? It's tough duty - getting to the point of Jeremiah being whipped and put in stocks in chapter 20, verse 2.

Jeremiah does get to complaining about his lifestyle as a prophet in chapter 20:7-18. In verse 9 he busts out with, "And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones!" I like this - "his word burns in my heart like a fire." Does God's word burn in your heart like a fire? Should it? Could it?

In Jeremiah 21 we're getting close to the point of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. as King Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon are getting close. The prophecies Jeremiah has been preaching in the past 20 chapters are coming to fruition. A very sad verse that encapsulates all of this is 21:10, "For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the Lord. It will be captured by the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.'"

Sad stuff, eh? Remember though in readings in the past few days that God does intend to bring the Israelites back to Jerusalem eventually. There is hope...

Today we wrap up Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. A lot of good letter-closing advice in these verses. To make sure this advice gets heard Paul commands in verse 27, "I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters." Think this letter got read to everyone? :)

There are a lot of great verses in today's Thessalonians readings. A few that jump out for me include -

"Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord's work. They work hard among you and warn you against all that is wrong. Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because of their work. " This reminds me that October is Clergy Appreciation Month! I don't know who started this trend, but I like it. Hopefully this month you can get a chance to write a letter of encouragement to your pastor or clergy?

Verse 16 - "Always be joyful." How's joy doing in your life these days?

Verse 17- "Keep on praying. " And prayer?

Verse 11 - "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." I like this. It reminds me that we have the opportunity to encourage people that we come in contact with each day. Spread some love. How are you doing on being encouraging to others each day? How are you doing on committing "random acts of kindness"?

I'll close this posting with Paul's closing of his first letter to the Thessalonians - "And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you."

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

Grace,
Mike