One Year Bible Blog

December 4th One Year Bible Readings

Daniel 11:36-12:13 ~ 1 John 4:1-21 ~ Psalm 123:1-4 ~ Proverbs 29:2-4
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on One Year Bible Online Audio,ESVBible.org: OT, NT, Psalms, Proverbs or DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~

Old Testament - Today we finish the book of Daniel!  What an amazing read this book has been for me this year.  I have been blessed by it.  I hope you have too.  It is always interesting to dive into prophecies and angels and such.  I have to admit that I don't think about these types of things too often in my day to day life.  However, I know they are real.  And as I read the book of Daniel I am reminded of God's amazing story and where it is ultimately leading.  Below is an image of Satan being bound by Michael the archangel, from the John Brown Bible circa 1816:

In Daniel chapter 11 verse 36 onwards we are looking at verses prophesying about the anti-christ and end times.  The verses just prior to 36, in yesterday's readings, referred to Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C., but we are looking at the future here in today's verses in chapter 11.  To get some more context on these verses today, check out 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 13:5-8.  A portion of verse 36 does stand out to me today: "For what has been determined will surely take place." Do you believe these prophecies in Daniel have been determined?  Do you believe they will surely take place?

Daniel chapter 12 is called "The Time of the End" or "The End Times" in many Bible descriptors.  However, over at bible.org Bob Deffinbaugh calls this chapter "The Hope of Heaven".  I like that!  Here's an excerpt from Bob's essay: "Daniel 12 is the crowning chapter of this prophecy, as well as its conclusion. It takes the believer to the high-water mark of Christian hope—the assurance of the resurrection of the dead. Let us listen and learn, and gain hope and comfort."  Check out Mr. Deffinbaugh's full essay on Daniel chapter 12 at this link.

 

Verse 2 stands out in Daniel chapter 12: "Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." This is one of the first clear mentions of a resurrection in the Old Testament.  The phrase "everlasting life" appears only here in the Old Testament!  Pretty fascinating.  Seems like this chapter is in some ways bridging Old Testament / Old Covenant theology to New Testament / New Covenant.  Do you believe that after death some will rise to everlasting life?  And some to everlasting contempt?  Below is the famous fresco titled "The Last Judgment" by Michelangelo, which is at the Sistine Chapel in Rome:

New Testament - First John chapter 4 verse 1 starts us off with quite a warning today: "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world."  The interesting thing about this verse for me today is the implication to "see if the spirit they have comes from God."  Meaning, that the spirit some have come from the opposite of God - the devil.  A bit scary to think about this and realize this.  But, it's true.  There is good and evil in the world, and good and evil spirits influencing people.  It's better if we realize this.  It is a fallen world.  Do you believe this verse to be true?  Do you believe there is both good - and evil - in the world?  Do you believe there are many false prophets in the world?

Verses 7 through 21 are incredible verses on LOVE! A fun Bible fact for you here - the word love appears 43 times in First John overall - and 32 times in the short section of 4:7 through 5:3.  We're in the Christian love section here! :)  Certainly verses 9 & 10 here are well worth each of us reflecting upon: "God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."  Do you believe these verses to be true?  Do these verses maybe remind you of a similar verse John wrote in his Gospel?  John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  It is awesome that we have these verses to reflect upon - along with Daniel chapter 12 verse 2 above.   See any ties between these verses from the Old & New Testaments regarding eternal life?

Psalms - Psalm 123 is a short one, but a great one.  I love the beginning of verse 2 and 3 -  "We look to the LORD our God for his mercy....Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy..."  Do we look to the Lord for his mercy?  What would God's mercy to us look like?  Why would we need God's mercy?  Do we pray to the Lord this simple prayer - "Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy"?

Proverbs - Proverbs 29 verse 3 teaches us today: "The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted."  This Proverb reminds me of how things played out for the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke where he ended up feeding pigs after wasting his father's wealth.  Fortunately, we have a graceful God who can redeem situations like this, if we will repent.  Let us choose wisdom always.  Let us love wisdom always.  And let us bring joy to our heavenly Father!

YouTube - Today's readings in First John remind me of the Third Day song "You Are Mine:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o-JPkq5rvE

Are you His?  Click here and hear Jesus say "You Are Mine!"

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." 1 John 4:20-21 (NIV)

Prayer Point: Pray that you love God. Pray that you do not hate your brother or sister. Pray that you love your brother and sister.

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.p.s. Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

December 3rd One Year Bible Readings

Daniel 11:2-35 ~ 1 John 3:7-24 ~ Psalm 122:1-9 ~ Proverbs 29:1
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on One Year Bible Online Audio,ESVBible.org: OT, NT, Psalms, Proverbs or DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~

Old Testament - Daniel chapter 11 today is phenomenal when you realize that these prophecies were made in 537 B.C. and covered events for about 300 or so more years following that date.  Essentially, we are getting a history lesson in this chapter - in advance of the history unfolding!  This chapter really made me realize how "in control" God really is of everything.  Which is actually very comforting for me, and hopefully is for you.  I look at it this way - if God knows what is going to be transpiring hundreds of years in advance - if not thousands and millions of years in advance - why are we worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow?  :)  Or why are we fretting over what happened yesterday?  A quote I heard many years ago and occasionally bubbles back up into my mind is this: "Let go.  And Let God."  Let go, and let God.  Meaning - let go of your worries and fears about yesterday or tomorrow and let God take the reins.  He's got the reins anyway... so why fret & fuss over our worries and fears?  Somehow the sweep of this prophecy seemed to make me realize that we often worry too much about really insignificant stuff...

There is a lot going on in this chapter - I'll point out a couple of highlights.  Verse 3 & 4 discuss Alexander the Great (336 - 323 B.C.): "Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule a vast kingdom and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts." Many of the remaining verses then dive into kings of the line of Ptolemy in the south kingdom, or Egypt , and kings of the line of Seleucus/Anttiochus in the north kingdom, or Syria.  Verse 31 covers 168 B.C. when an altar to the pagan god Zeus Olympius is set up in the Temple in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes: "His army will take over the Temple fortress, polluting the sanctuary, putting a stop to the daily sacrifices, and setting up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration." Tell you what - there is so much going on in this chapter, I recommend jumping over to bible.org at this link to read up more on what's happening.  It really is fascinating stuff.  Below is a coin from 175 to 164 B.C. with Antiochus Epiphanes image upon it:

New Testament - First John chapter 3 verse 9 is powerful in today's readings! "Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God."  Keep in mind that this does not mean that as a Christian you won't stop sinning completely and be perfect.  However, you will be in the process of being sanctified and your life will be shown as someone who is compelled to do what is right, because God is in you, versus having a life that shows you are compelled to sin, if you were without God.  But, this verse is still great for believers to reflect upon - we do not want to sin anymore and we're in the process of sinning less and less through sanctification - until the day we are in heaven with Christ when indeed we will never sin again.  Do you realize this is your eternal purpose?

Today in First John chapter 3 verse 16 we read: "We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters."  This is a powerful verse for us to reflect on. Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  He gave up his life so that we may have eternal life with the Father through faith in him.  Jesus’ giving up his life for you and me is real love.  How might we be able to show real love toward others?  How might we be able to give up our lives for others?  Not necessarily are we being called to death on a cross - but how about a figurative death in our lives on how we invest our time, energy, & passions?  Is it possible that our indulgence in luxury goods and how we waste precious time could cost the very lives of someone else in need somewhere in the world?  Can we give up our "life", our luxury goods, and our wasting of time so that we can show real love for others?  Will we? Will we follow Jesus in the giving up of our own life for the sake of others?

Psalms - Psalm 122 is the third in this series of Psalms of pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  This is a joyful Psalm today!  Today in Psalm 122 verse 1 we read – “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”” Have you ever had this experience? Have you ever rejoiced when someone invited you to attend church? Have you ever given this experience to others? Have you said to others in your life, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”? Do you make it a regular habit to invite people to church? Does church bring joy to you? Do you think it might then also bring joy to others? Others who are waiting for you to simply invite them? Will you? Will you rejoice with those around you through the simple & graceful act of an invitation?  Are you yourself part of a church community? Are you attending church on a regular basis? Do you believe that being in community with other Christians each week will help grow your relationship with God? If you are not part of a church community, will you seek one out this upcoming week?

And verse 6 is so true then as we've been reading in Daniel & Ezekiel recently - and still true now - "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Will you join me in praying for the peace of Jerusalem?

Proverbs - Proverbs 29 verse 1 teaches us today:  "Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken beyond repair."  This Proverb has a very tangible example of stubbornness in the Old Testament through Eli's sons who died in 1 Samuel 2 verse 25 - "If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His (Eli) sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death."  Let us accept godly criticism, correction, teaching & discipline in our lives.  Let us be broken before the Lord, so that we will never be broken beyond repair!

YouTube - Today's readings in First John remind me of Mercy Me's song "Homesick:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvhrPMJe8LE

Are you Homesick?  Click here for your eternal Home!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. " 1 John 3:9-10 (NIV)

Prayer Point: Pray that you are born of God. Pray that you cannot go on sinning. Pray that you love your brothers and sisters.

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.p.s. Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

December 2nd One Year Bible Readings

Daniel 9:1-11:1 ~ 1 John 2:18-3:6 ~ Psalm 121:1-8 ~ Proverbs 28:27-28
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on One Year Bible Online Audio, ESVBible.org: OT, NT, Psalms, Proverbs or DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~

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?

YouTube - Today's readings in Psalm 121 remind me of Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Cinderella:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrWMBC6yoME

Will you dance with Cinderella?  Click here to truly Dance!

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.p.s. Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

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 ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on One Year Bible Online Audio, ESVBible.org: OT, NT, Psalms, Proverbs or DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~

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:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPCYpwJee7w

Do you have hope right now?  Click here for your true Hope!

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.p.s. Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

November 30th One Year Bible Readings

Daniel 7:1-28 ~ 1 John 1:1-10 ~ Psalm 119:153-176 ~ Proverbs 28:23-24
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on One Year Bible Online Audio, ESVBible.org: OT, NT, Psalms, Proverbs or DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~

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?

YouTube - Today's Psalm readings remind me of Natalie Grant's song "I'm in better hands now:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exD37ONGUyA

Are you in better Hands now?  Click here for the best Hands that could ever hold you!

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.p.s. Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!