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We are following a One Year Bible plan with 15-minute daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs.Your options for joining us include: 1. Subscribe to our daily readings emails above. 2. Read online using our daily links to Bible Gateway. 3. Listen online using the links at the top of each daily blog post (the daily readings by Tom Dooley are terrific!). 4. Read from your own Bible using your preferred translation. You can print out a listing of our entire year's readings in PDF format at this link. 5. Purchase a One Year Bible which organizes our daily readings. 6. Email me with any questions at [email protected]
Please note that we are not following a Chronological Bible plan on this blog - however, you can find my Chronological Bible Blog at this link and New Testament in a Year Blog at this link.
God bless! Mike
p.s. Keep scrolling down to see our latest daily readings blog post and email content below this welcome post. ⬇️
Old Testament - Daniel chapter 9 today has an amazing prayer from Daniel! Confess your sins, be humble, praise God and petition for others. What a prayer. If you liked Daniel's prayer in today's readings as much as I did, here are two more that I think you'll appreciate - one from Ezra at this link - and one from Nehemiah at this link. (okay, this is completely a geeky Bible thing here - but I just noticed that all 3 of these amazing prayers are in chapter 9 of their respective books! :) So, if you are forgetting how to pray and feel like you need some inspiration, just remember: Daniel 9, Ezra 9, and Nehemiah 9!)
I'll just highlight the opening verses of Daniel's prayer in verses 4 & 5: ""O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations." What a great way to open in prayer - praise God and then confess your sins. Do you believe that God is indeed a great and awesome God? That God always fulfills his promises of unfailing love to those who love him and keep his commands? Have we sinned? Have we rebelled? Have we scorned God's commands?
The remainder of chapter 9 and into chapter 10 are fascinating as Daniel interacts with angels, including Gabriel - and we hear about Michael the Archangel and his work. If you are interested in learning more about "angelology" - yes, a real word apparently - check out this link on angelology at bible.org.
Chapter 10 verses 12 & 13 are worth considering: ""Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way." This is encouraging to me that our prayers are heard in heaven. What is maybe discouraging is that our answers or help needed for our prayers can be blocked by fallen angels / demons, as we see in these verses. The spirit prince of Persia being a demon of some sort blocking the angel from getting to Daniel to answer his prayer. A good book that I would recommend to dive more into what this spiritual realm and the spiritual battles between angels might be like is "This Present Darkness" by Frank Peretti. It is a powerful read.
New Testament - First John 2 verse 27 stood out to me today: "But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie. So continue in what he has taught you, and continue to live in Christ." After we come to believe in Christ as Savior of the World - through his life, death on the cross for our sins, and resurrection - we are then blessed with the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. And indeed the Holy Spirit will come to live within us. Do you believe that the Holy Spirit within you can teach you all things? Teach you what is true? Will you continue in what the Holy Spirit has taught you? Will you live in Christ?
First John 3 verse 1 is encouraging: "See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!" Do you know that our heavenly Father loves you? Do you know that you are a child of God?
Psalms - Psalm 121 is the second in this series of 15 Psalms of ascent that were likely written for religious festivals when people were making their pilgrimages to Israel. I love verses 3 & 4 today - "He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps." How about that! God does not sleep! This reminds me of other parts of the Bible where it talks about God being pure light and having no shadows. God is also so perfect that he does not sleep! I like that... Allows me to sleep better at night. I'll no longer need to count sheep now! :)
And the closing verse 8... wow... "The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever." Do you believe this is true? Do you believe that God watches over you - always?
Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 27 certainly stands on its own and is worth reflecting upon.... "Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty." Are your eyes open?
Worship Video: Today's readings in Psalm 121 remind me of Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses." Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you give to the poor generously and regularly. Pray that you will lack nothing. Pray that you never close your eyes to the poor. Pray that you never receive many curses.
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
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
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.
Worship Video: Today's readings in First John remind me of Addison Road's song "Hope Now:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:"For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:16-17 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you never give into the world's temptations: lust of the flesh & eyes or the pride of life. Pray that you are doing the will of God. Pray that you will live forever with the Father.
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
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - Okay, so Daniel chapter 7 with the vision of 4 beasts is not exactly an easy one for me to interpret here in a daily blog! :) But I'll give it a bit of a go. Actually, if you're looking for in-depth commentary on this chapter, please check out this link on bible.org, titled "Daniel's Disturbing Dream."
Overall, this is a very powerful chapter to read... I definitely was feeling drawn into this chapter and the description of the beasts. Basically here in chapter 7 we're seeing a parallel with the vision of these 4 beasts in this vision of Daniel's with the dream Nebuchadnezzar had of the statue in chapter 2 of Daniel. The lion with the eagle wings represents Babylonia, just as the head of gold in ch. 2 did. The bear represents Medo-Persia, as the silver did in ch. 2. The leopard represents Greece, as did the bronze/brass in ch. 2. And the terrifying and frightening beast represents the Roman empire, as the feet of clay & iron did in ch. 2. Roughly speaking of course... :) Maybe this image below will better explain things:
The best verses in this chapter are in my mind verse 13 & 14 where we get a Messianic vision of Jesus! "As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal--it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed." Wow... very powerful stuff.. Do you believe that Jesus has been given authority, honor and royal power over all the world? Do you believe that his rule is eternal and his kingdom will never be destroyed? Do you know in your heart that Jesus is your eternal King?
Verse 8 & 20 are intriguing to me when they talk about: "This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly." The thing that jumped out at me was the mouth that was boasting arrogantly. How did this read to you when you came across it? As a good or bad thing to have a mouth that boasts arrogantly? Again, this reminds me of the sin of pride that we have been seeing over and over again here in the book of Daniel with the Babylonian kings & Darius the Mede. Essentially some commentaries suggest this little horn that boasts arrogantly represents the antichrist...
New Testament - We start First John today! First John was written by one of Jesus' 12 disciples, John son of Zebedee - who also wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation. First John was written between 85 and 95 A.D. when John was in Ephesus (in modern day Turkey) late in his life. The purpose of this letter was in large part to dispel Gnosticism, which was a twisting of Christianity - it basically meant salvation through knowledge (gnosis is Greek for knowledge).
~ First John ~ Author: John the apostle Place: Uncertain, probably Ephesus Date: A.D. 85-95 Content: This very personal letter was written by the apostle John in his old age to believers who were very dear to him. He addresses them as his little children and gives them practical instructions for Christian living. He begins by stressing Jesus’ incarnation and builds his commands upon the truth that those who know Jesus know the Father as well. Those who do not know Jesus do not know the Father, nor do they know the love of the Father. Christians, however, have experienced the love of God in their lives, for God is love, and have no need to fear either in this life or in the life to come. Theme: John stresses the basic truths of the Christian faith in this letter in order to comfort and encourage his children in the faith. The themes of love, forgiveness, fellowship, victory over sin, assurance, purity, and eternal life are woven together in a marvelous document that shines with the light of God in the darkness of the world. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 33) A great overview of First John by Daniel Wallace is at this link.
First John starts out strong right out of the gates in verse 1 and is very similar to the beginning of the Gospel of John: "The one who existed from the beginning is the one we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, the Word of life." Do you believe that Jesus Christ has existed from the very beginning of time with God the Father? Do you believe that Jesus is the Word of life?
And verse 5 is a message to us from Jesus via John: "This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all." I love this. A month or so ago in this blog I reflected on God being a God of no shadows. All light. I love that thought. Do you believe God is light? And that there is no darkness, no shadows, in Him at all?
And in verses 8 & 9 we read: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Do you claim to be without sin? Do you confess your sins regularly and ask for forgiveness from God? Do you believe that God is faithful and just and will forgive you? And not just forgive you but purify you from your confessed sins? And heal you from your confessed sins? Let us not deceive ourselves any longer. Let us allow the Truth to fully live in our hearts. Let us confess our sins, be forgiven, and be purified from all unrighteousness. Are you with me on this?
Psalms - We finish Psalm 119 today... :( I am sad. I loved reading through this Psalm again! For some reason it meant so much to me these past few days. I pray this Psalm has been good for you as well this go round. I think the last 3 verses of this Psalm are worth us camping out on here for a moment. In verses 174, 175 & 176 the author of Psalm 119 closes out the Psalm with what I think is a prayer and a confession all in one - "O LORD, I have longed for your salvation, and your law is my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands." Wow... not a bad prayer and confession, eh? Is God's Word your delight? Do you wish to live so you can praise God? Does His Word sustain you?
Proverbs - Today in Proverbs 28 verse 23 we read: “In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.” How does this Proverb speak to you? I find it to be a great reminder to simply be sincere with people. Just be sincere. Be frank. Don’t flatter. Don’t lie. Do you appreciate sincerity in others? Do you like it when people flatter you rather than speak frankly to you? Do you ever flatter others? How often are you frank with others? Are you a sincere person? Do you want to be sincere? Was Jesus a sincere person?
Worship Video: Today's Psalm readings remind me of Natalie Grant's song "I'm in better hands now:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth." 1 John 1:5-6 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are walking in the Light of God today and forevermore. Pray that you never return to walking in the darkness. Pray that you are living out the truth by walking in the Light!
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
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
We are definitely in the midst of some amazing readings today! The book of Daniel is continuing to challenge and inspire me - as certainly 2 Peter is. And Psalm 119 I seem to be appreciating more than ever. I hope you are having a similar experience!
Old Testament - Daniel chapter 6 today is probably more famous than chapter 5's writing on the wall! Today Daniel goes into the lion's den... Several things, as always, are going on in this chapter. One big note is that Daniel is about 80 years old at the time of this chapter. He's not a young man. And yet he is running laps around the other kingdom administrators with his work - and for this he is honored more and more by the king. And others are getting jealous of this old man Daniel. They realize the only way to trip him up is on his religion. And - by appealing to the king's pride with a law that makes people worship the king only. Interesting thing that pride... seems an easy sin for us humans to fall into..? Well, then the old man Daniel gets tossed into the pit of lions - and comes out alive through the grace of God. And the king realizes he was duped by the admins and tosses them & their families into the pit of lions. But enough of my Cliff Notes here... let's check out a few verses... (below is a painting of "Daniel in the Lion's Den" by Peter Paul Rubens, circa 1615)
Verse 4 makes me reflect on my life and the way I live it: "Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible." How are we in handling our affairs? Our job, our tempers, our finances, our time? Are we faithful in all of these areas? Honest? Always responsible?
Verse 10 helps us look at how we should act when challenging circumstances come into our lives: "But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God." Daniel continued to worship God as he always had in the midst of bad news of the new law. He didn't blink. He didn't flinch. He didn't take a break from God. He kept worshiping. How do we act when bad news comes into our lives? Do we sulk? Do we decide to avoid God for a while? Or do we continue to worship God as we have always - giving thanks to God? Even in the midst of severe challenges, will we still give thanks to God for who He is?
Verse 20 is a wonderful verse from the mouth of the remorseful King Darius: “When he got there, he called out in anguish, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?”” First of all - I love the term “the living God”. Do you believe that God is indeed a living God? Not a stoic God who just sets up the universe and then lets it run on its own - but a God who is in the midst of every single one of our experiences - good and bad? A living God? A God who is with us on the mountain tops - and in the lion's den? Do you believe God is indeed a living God? Do you worship the living God continually? Like Daniel, are you a servant of the Living God? Do you want to be a servant of the Living God? The Living God that will send His angels to protect you from even lions in their den?
New Testament - Today we finish the letter of Second Peter! Again, I have been so blessed reading through this letter this year. It's always a good thing to read a letter from a guy that Jesus said this about in Matthew 16:18 - "And I tell you that you are Peter [which means rock], and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [or hell] will not overcome it." Do you believe that the gates of hell will not overcome the church of Jesus Christ? (church - that's us. You and me and him and her. The body of Christ. Not the buildings...)
Verse 3 is a reminder to us all: "First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire." Keep in mind that we live in the last days - everything post-Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven is last days. So, in the time of Peter and the early church there were scoffers who laughed at the truth and did every evil thing they desire. Is this still happening today? (I couldn't resist this Matrix picture below of a scoffer... :)
Verse 9 is helpful in knowing why Jesus has not yet returned: "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent." He is giving more time for everyone to repent! Will we repent?
Verses 15 & 16 are very interesting. They are basically Peter giving praise to Paul's writing: "This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him-- Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of Scripture." Have you ever found Paul's writing hard to understand? I know many of my friend's have. And I have too on occasion. But, there is so much going on in Paul's letters that need to be looked at contextually and in depth. Overall, Paul's letter's have been such a blessing to me personally, and I look forward to reading them and studying them again next year with you! :) Below is "The Apostle Paul" by Rembrandt, circa 1657:
Peter closes the letter today with the beautiful verse 18: "But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen." I don't know that I can add any more to this than simply another "Amen."
Psalms - Psalm 119 is continuing with its amazing verses about God's holy Word, the Bible, and how it can transform our lives. Verse 138 is just one more small example from this incredible Psalm - "Your decrees are perfect; they are entirely worthy of our trust." Do you believe that God's Word, the Bible, is perfect? Is it entirely worthy of our trust? Would you consider the Bible to be a perfect book of counsel for your life?
I love verse 130, which I used to have at the top of this blog in the NIV translation: "The unfolding of your words gives light..." Do you believe this is true? Does reading God's Word, the Bible, bring light into your life? If you did not read God's Word would you be in darkness?
Proverbs - Proverbs 28:21 tells us: "Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for something as small as a piece of bread." This is a great reminder to not sell-out or sin for anything - no matter how seemingly "small"! Oftentimes I do think it is the tiny things in life that really trip us up and lead us down the wrong path. Is there any area of your life where you are selling-out or sinning? Even in what might seem to be a "small" area of your life...? This Proverb reminds me of Jesus' words in the parable of the talents from Matthew chapter 25 verse 23: ""His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" Do you want to hear these words from Jesus at the end of your life? Let us be faithful then in the few things - the small things. For in the future we will inherit our Master's happiness in many things!
Worship Video: Today's Psalm reminds me of MercyMe's song, "Beautiful:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray in thanksgiving that the Lord is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but wanting all to come to repentance. Pray for all to come to repentance.
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
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - Daniel chapter 5 is the famous "the writing is on the wall" chapter! It is not a good sign to see writing appear on the wall in this way... This chapter is of huge importance to the Babylonian dynasty - because this chapter is the very last day of Babylon the empire. The next day everything goes to the Persians & Medes and Cyrus will be taking over the roost. Daniel chapter 5 verse 1 starts us out today with: "A number of years later.." This chapter takes place in 539 B.C., whereas chapter 4 with Nebuchadnezzar took place before his death in 562 B.C. So, at least 23 years have past between chapter 4 & 5 - and several leaders of Babylon have passed by, leaving Belshazzar, who has 1 day more...
Verses 1 through 4 in the chapter unfortunately describe an orgy taking place, utilizing gold and silver cups taken from the Temple in Jerusalem decades earlier by Nebuchadnezzar. Unwisely, Belshazzar and the crew toast false idols with these sacred cups of God - at which point immediately the hand begins writing on the wall, and verse 6 tells us this about Belshazzar - "Such terror gripped him that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way beneath him." Think he had reason to be scared like this? Why?
As Daniel is called in to interpret the writing, verse 17 stands out as Daniel tells Belshazzar: "Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means." Daniel is obviously quite bold and dismissive of Belshazzar here - he does not defer to Belshazzar being the king, and the seemingly right thing to do would be to immediately say you'd appreciate the gifts. Daniel simply says - keep 'em! (though, later he's still bestowed with them) Bold... A righteous boldness, yes? Plus, you've got to think that Daniel's seen a lot in Babylon in his time and he's ready to cut to the chase and just interpret the writing. He doesn't need earthly gifts or honor... What about us in our lives today? Do we seek earthly gifts and honor for ourselves? Should we? Can we learn from Daniel's boldness and focus on what truly matters in this life? (note that an older Daniel is in the middle of this image below from the 1816 John Brown Bible, with a strange looking Belshazzar sitting to the right)
Before interpreting the dream Daniel gives Belshazzar an old fashioned lecture which culminates in verse 22 as he speaks of Nebuchadnezzar being humbled by God: ""You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself." Basically, Daniel is saying - you should have known better. You knew better. You saw Nebuchadnezzar's mistakes. You did not learn. Are we like this sometimes in our lives today? Shouldn't we know better...? Below is an artist's take on Belshazzar's final feast -
Verse 27 is worth reflecting upon! "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." (NIV). Very interesting to think about a godly scale. A scale that maybe looks at how we invest our time, money, love, life, worship? Are we investing in things that are eternal? Obviously, through the opening verses Belshazzar was simply investing his life into himself, his lusts and his desires. And hence, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN was written on the wall... Pretty amazing to think that the great kingdom of Babylon went down like this in one chapter... God clearly is a kingdom-maker and a kingdom-taker!
New Testament - Second Peter chapter 2 is a strong one that looks at the danger of false teachers - both in the Old Testament times through false prophets and also in the early church during the 1st century. I have to confess that as I read this chapter I think of some current books and movies and teachers in our modern world that I am afraid apply to the warnings of this chapter. Do you believe that there are false teachers also in our world today? Teachers that distort the Gospel message? Teachers that steer people away from Truth and into Darkness? Teachers that are in it for the money?
Verses 2 & 3 warn us that: "Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money." Commentaries suggest that at the time Peter wrote this letter the shameful immorality was primarily sexual sin. The false teachers were allowing / encouraging people to basically do what they want sexually. They taught that there is no theological or spiritual or personal damage that will come with sexual do-whatever-you-wantness... (okay, that's not in the Bible - I made that up). Do we see this type of teaching today? Is this type of teaching true? Is it false? Is it shameful? Do you believe that sex can be damaging to you outside of the proper context of marriage? Verse 19 warns again: "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you." What controls you? Is it purely love for God and his ways, which is great. Or is it something else...? Something that is dangerous and leads down a slippery slope... ? Will you instead pursue God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the True Freedom that only They can give you? Please please be watchful of wolves in sheep's clothing. The Enemy comes in sheep's clothing to lie, steal, and kill. The lies may be attractive on the surface, but the core of the lie is deadly to you. Please cling to Jesus and God's Word, the Holy Bible, above all else.
Psalms - Psalm 119 verse 114 is beautiful a beautiful reflection on our relationship with God and his Word, the Bible - "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope." This ties in so well with the reflections on false teachers above. The Bible is clearly a refuge and shield from false teaching! Is God's Word your only source of hope? And remember, Jesus is the very Word made flesh, so Jesus would clearly be your only source of hope too, if the Word truly is. Let us take refuge in God's Word each day of our lives!
Verse 127 today is powerful - "Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold." I think this is something each of us needs to ask ourselves. Do we love God's commands - his Word - the Bible - more than we love any and all material possessions? Do we value the Bible above all the money this world could ever offer us? This is an important decision to make... I pray we realize the eternal worth of God's commands compared to the passing and transitory nature of "even the finest gold." Let us always remember the great peril of ignoring God's Word and instead chasing after the world's "fool's gold..."
Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 19 tells us: "Hard workers have plenty of food; playing around brings poverty." This is a great reminder to not "chase after fantasies" or "chase the wind", but to simply work hard for our employers and earn an honest wage each day! Verse 20 reminds us to be trustworthy in our work: "The trustworthy will get a rich reward. But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble." How is your work ethic these days? Are you working hard for your employer? Are you trustworthy on the job? Do you think that God pays attention to these things in your life? Let us not be lazy on the job!
Worship Video: Today's readings remind me of Rebecca St. James’ song "Kingdom Come:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves." 2 Peter 2:1 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are not deceived by a false teacher. Pray that you will never fall prey to destructive heresies. Pray that you will never deny the Lord.
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
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
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