December 1st One Year Bible Readings

Daniel 8:1-27 ~ 1 John 2:1-17 ~ Psalm 120:1-7 ~ Proverbs 28:25-26
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Daniel chapter 8 is quite a chapter!  I'm not 100% sure how to post up on this chapter - so I went over to bible.org to see what they had to say and I came across this paragraph over there - "Daniel chapter 8 is a preacher’s nightmare. Even noted scholars hesitate to be dogmatic in their interpretation of this chapter. Daniel himself has not the foggiest notion of the vision’s meaning, even after the angel Gabriel has interpreted the vision for him."   I think I better just link over to what bible.org has to say about this chapter today.  This is in the blog world what one would call a punt!  :)

The closing verse 27 of chapter 8 certainly stands out to me today: "Then I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for several days. Afterward I got up and performed my duties for the king, but I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it."  Do you think you'd be physically exhausted & sick if you saw a vision like Daniel saw in this chapter?

New Testament - First John chapter 2 is full of tons of wisdom today!  Verses 5 & 6 are so strong: "But those who obey God's word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did."   Do we realize that obeying God's Word, the Bible, demonstrates our love for God?  Do we live our lives as Jesus did?  Do we really love God?  Do we obey God's Word?

Verse 9 certainly gives us much to consider in our lives: "If anyone says, "I am living in the light," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness."  Are you living in the light?

Verses 15, 16 & 17 are worth looking at.  Bible commentaries suggest that the "world" in these verses is not the created world or people - but the world of sin, which is the dominion of Satan. "Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever."  Are we doing the will of God in our lives?  Do you want to live with God forever?  Do you continually pray to God to deliver you from lust & pride?

Psalms - Psalm 120 is the beginning of 15 Psalms known as "songs of ascent!"  This could mean the ascent of the stairs to the Temple in Jerusalem - or more likely the annual religious pilgrimages and the ascent to Mount Zion in Jerusalem.   Are you ready for the next 15 Psalms of Ascent?

Verse 1 in this Psalm should be encouraging to each of us: "I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer."  Do you have troubles in your life?  Have you brought them to God in prayer?  Will you?  Will you allow him to answer your prayer?

Proverbs - Proverbs 28:26 today teaches us: "Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe."  This is a good reminder to seek wisdom continually in our lives.  And not just to rely on our own senses.  Where can we find wisdom in our lives?  Do you believe reading the Bible each day will bring wisdom into your life?  Actually, let me go off on a slight tangent here, but I think it's related.  A while ago Dennis Prager had a call from a Christian guy on his radio show.  (Dennis is Jewish)  They were debating a subject and Dennis asked the caller where he gets his morals from - from his heart or from a religious text?  (obviously inferring the Bible)  The caller said he gets his morals from his heart.  Which sounds like a good answer on the surface... but look at this Proverb again - "trusting oneself is foolish." And remember Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"  This was a very powerful question I think Dennis asked the caller.  And Dennis challenged the caller on the answer of saying he got his morals from his heart.  Dennis' point was that our morals should come from the Bible - from God.  What do you think on this point?  Where do your morals come from?  I do think that obviously we want to incorporate God's morals into our hearts... but will our morals first come from our hearts or from the Bible?   I'm with Dennis.  I'm voting for the Bible as being the source of our morals.  And I'll go one step further - I'm voting for Jesus, who is the Bible made flesh.

YouTube - Today's readings in First John remind me of Addison Road's song "Hope Now:"

Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[Cherry Blossom]

The Vers and insight for today is " Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling- 1 John 2:10
1 John 2:5 " As truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining." John 14:17, - John 15:26

The truth will cause your mind and heart to see. It is the way to prepare for eternal life and a spiritual revelation will open infinite horizons.

As we worship with sincere prayer and give selfless charity, in faith, virtue and above all"love", we have a true communication with the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of the Truth- see John 14:16,17,- Mt.22:37-40,-By the way, the true light refers to Jesus Christ. - see John 1:4-9, -8:12,-9:5, 12:35,36,46 and this is indeed an on going event. Praise the Lord.
Be blessed!

[Michael]

Seeing that Daniel got sick after the vision struck me, too. Why was he sick? Could be a number of reasons. But how is it that even after Gabriel was there to help him understand the vision...Daniel still walked away from it without understanding the meaning of the vision.

Thank you again, Mike. As one who has ADD, it is hard sometimes to get my thoughts together. When I read on my own, I really don't stick to any type of Bible schedule, but your blog is helping me focus. I have a ways to go yet, but my prayer is that I'll be able to go forward with OYB. God gave you a ministry, and I am so glad He did.

Also because of my ADD, I find myself trusting in me more than in wisdom. Saturday is an example of that. Of course, ADD is not to be blamed for everything. I know that God's Word is where we all need to turn. The best things in life - Wisdom, hope, love - are hard to obtain, but as we follow Him, we can obtain them.