You are invited to join us on the One Year Bible daily journey through God's Word! We have over 15,000 people in 78 countries signed up for our free emails filled with commentary, artwork, worship videos and questions for reflection.
To sign up for the One Year Bible Blog daily emails, type your email in the text box below, click Subscribe, and then make sure you respond to the confirmation email that is sent to you. There is no cost to you for any of this and we keep your email private and you can unsubscribe anytime.
(NOTE: After your subscribe above, to make sure our emails get through to you, please add [email protected] to your address book and safe-senders list in your email software program. Also, please check your spam or junk-mail folder for the confirmation email that Feedblitz will send you, if you don't see it.)
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, New Testament in a Year Blog at this link and Old 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 - Today we read about the passing of the prophet Elisha! I am sad that our readings of Elijah and Elisha are now behind us. I don't know what it was about these 2 prophets, but I loved them. Sure, they were a bit rough and gruff at times, but also very tender. They'd send fire down from heaven to kill the prophets of Baal and bears from the trees to kill mockers, but then they'd care for widows. I'm wondering if in our lives today we should be a mix of rough & gruff at times, but also very tender? Should we be rough and gruff toward those that are modern day "prophets of Baal" and tender toward those who need God? I have to confess, I'm rarely rough and gruff toward anyone - well, okay, maybe myself! :) Let me know your thoughts in the Comments below if you think rough and gruff should be in our personality mix at all today? Before Elisha passes he does give one final prophecy to King Joash about beating the Arameans 3 times, just after 2 Kings 13 verses 16 & 17: "Then Elisha told the king of Israel to put his hand on the bow, and Elisha laid his own hands on the king's hands. Then he commanded, "Open that eastern window," and he opened it. Then he said, "Shoot!" So he did."
Then we read about Elisha's passing. Even once Elisha passes on, his bones still give life! I think this is simply because of the life-giving power of God whom Elisha represented during his life. It wasn't the bones themselves that gave life. It was God. Verses 20 & 21 tell us: "Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the body they were burying into the tomb of Elisha. But as soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!" Below is an image from a woodcut from the Nuremberg Bible, from the year 1483, of the recovery of the deadman who touched the bones of Elisha in today's readings:
In 2 Kings 14 today we read about King Amaziah of Judah. I'm not sure if you caught this - I barely did - but we read about the ancient city of Petra, which is located in modern day Jordan, in verse 7: "It was Amaziah who killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He also conquered Sela and changed its name to Joktheel, as it is called to this day." Sela/Joktheel is the same city as Petra. I'm curious if anyone reading this has visited the ruins of Petra in Jordan? Can you post up reviews in the Comments? Are they worth visiting? I have heard they are incredible! In fact, Bruce Feiler's book, Walking the Bible, has a wonderful chapter on Petra - I highly recommend this book! I hope to visit Petra someday. A map of where Petra is located in comparison to Amman, Jordan, and Jerusalem is below.
New Testament - Today in our readings in Acts, we are introduced to Apollos! Apollos loved God, but initially he didn't fully understand that Jesus gave believers the gift of the Holy Spirit. Apollos understood repentance of sins very well - that was the "baptism of John (The Baptist)" that he preached. Repent from sins and be baptized was Apollos' message, without a strong teaching of the gift of the Holy Spirit after belief in Christ. Well, Priscilla and Acquila more fully explained the Gospel and then Paul introduced the Holy Spirit to believers who were initially taught by Apollos before he learned the full Gospel. A good overview of "Who was Apollos?" is at gotquestions.org at this link. I love that they say at another commentary, "Apollos was teachable." Inferring that you and I should be teachable too when it comes to our faith! Are you teachable? Or do you know it all? :)
Psalms - I love Psalm 146 verse 9 today: "The LORD protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows." If God protects foreigners, orphans and widows, should we protect these folks in our communities as well? How in your life today are you caring for orphans and widows and foreigners? Below is Psalm 146 verses 5 through 10 in another language (can anyone identify this language? I'm sure one of our readers can...), but I think we'll get the point of this image with these 5 verses (re-read verses 5 through 10 again and reflect on this image for a moment):
Proverbs - Proverbs 18 verse 2 remind you of anyone you know? :) "Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions." I am sure each of us is probably thinking of someone else... but I think maybe each of us needs to reflect on this Proverb and ourselves as well... Do you literally listen twice as much as you talk? (hence two ears, once mouth) Do you truly listen to others to gain understanding of their point of view? Or are you quick to rush to air your own opinions? I know that personally I need to reflect on this one... Let us pray each of us has interest in understanding and not just in hearing ourselves talk talk talk! Let us listen!
Worship Video: Today's Psalm and reading about Paul's life in Acts recently reminds me of the Avalon song "Testify to Love:" (this is an AMAZING live version, by the way...)
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save." Psalm 146:3 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are not placing your hope or trust or worship in mere human beings, who cannot truly save you. Rather, pray that your allegiance is wholly to Jesus, as your LORD and savior.
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 - Eventful readings today in 2 Kings 11 for the coming of a 7 year old king of Judah, Joash! Below are 2 images for 2 Kings 11 verses 13 & 14: "When Athaliah heard all the noise made by the guards and the people, she hurried to the LORD's Temple to see what was happening. And she saw the newly crowned king standing in his place of authority by the pillar, as was the custom at times of coronation. The officers and trumpeters were surrounding him, and people from all over the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets."If God can work all things together for the good of the nation of Israel through a 7 year old boy turned King (Joash), do you trust God can work all things together for good in your life? (Roman 8:28) What is something recently in your life that seemed unlikely or small (like a 7 year old king) that God turned into a good in your life?
It is great to see that in 2 Kings 12 Joash is passionate for the repair of the Temple in Jerusalem. 2 Kings 12 verse today 9 tells us: "Then Jehoiada the priest bored a hole in the lid of a large chest and set it on the right-hand side of the altar at the entrance of the Temple of the LORD. The priests guarding the entrance put all of the people's contributions into the chest."
New Testament - Today's readings in Acts 18 are important in that Paul is beginning his work of building the church in Corinth through his ministry! We of course are very familiar now with Paul's letters of 1st and 2nd Corinthians - today we get a glimpse of how Paul's relationship with the city of Corinth began. Verses 9 through 11 let us clearly know that the Lord was very involved in Paul's ministry in Corinth: "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't be silent! For I am with you, and no one will harm you because many people here in this city belong to me." So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God." How are you involved in helping to build or support the church today? What are some ways that God has called you to love and serve your local church? How about the global church?
Per Tyndale's One Year Bible Companion today: "Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance. It had a reputation for great wickedness and immorality. A temple to Aphrodite - goddess of love and war - had been built on the large hill behind the city."
Psalms - I love the imagery today in Psalm 145 verse 9! "The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation." Do you believe that God is good to everyone? Do you feel God's compassion being showered upon you right this very moment?
Proverbs - Proverbs 18 verse 1 is a great reminder that God created us to be in community with others! "A recluse is self-indulgent, snarling at every sound principle of conduct." Are you in community with others? In what ways? Are there some ways that God might be calling you to go deeper into community with others? Are you part of a church community? Think God would want you to be part of a church community? Why or why not?
Worship Video: Today's Proverb reminded me of the importance of the message in the Point of Grace song "How You Live:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." Psalm 145:8 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you experience - consciously - God's grace and compassion and love each and every day of your life. Pray that you never experience God's full anger.
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 - Well... Jehu kills a lot of people in today's readings. I realize that the violence in the Old Testament can often bring up a lot of questions. Unfortunately, our human history is full of violence - from Cain and Abel until this very day. The Bible does record human history. There will come a day where there is a new heaven and a new earth, free from violence. That day has not come yet - but will with Jesus' Second Coming.
Most Biblical commentaries agree that Jehu was carrying out justice for the sins of the Kings of Israel and the worship of Baal. Jezebel's death was predicted by the prophet Elijah because of her sins. A brutal death that it was. I think one thing for us to keep in mind is that sin does bring death. As Paul teaches in Romans 6:23 - "The wages of sin is death." Jesus saves us from this deserved death when we come to him in faith and surrender our lives to him. But, let us not forget the severity and risk of sin and the risk of not being in relationship with Jesus. Without Jesus saving us, the wages of sin truly is eternal death.
2 Kings 10 verses 25-27 seem to demonstrate Jehu's initial apparent zeal for God - "Then Jehu's men went into the fortress of the temple of Baal. They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and destroyed it. They broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet. That is what it is used for to this day." But we soon learn in verse 31 - "But Jehu did not obey the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit." It is thus thought that Jehu's action of destroying the idols of Baal was more political than spiritual - as Baal worship was associated with the dynasty of Ahab, whereas the golden calves had a longer history in the northern kingdom of Israel and were valued by most people. And keeping the golden calves would keep people from Israel traveling to the southern kingdom of Judah to worship God in Jerusalem. Below is an image of a series of images from the life of Jehu:
Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Jehu Cleans House (Ahab's House)" is at this link and "Three 'Birds' With One Stone" is at this link.
New Testament - Great reading about Paul's travels and preaching in Acts 17 today!
I absolutely love the quote in verse 6 where the Jewish leaders of Thessalonica say: ""Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city," they shouted." Have you ever heard that the Kingdom of God is an "upside down" kingdom? That the values of the Kingdom of God are upside down compared to worldly values? Paul and Silas turned the world upside down. How are you turning the world upside down in your life today?
Today in Acts 17 verses 22 & 23 we read - “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Paul then went on to introduce to the Greeks our personal Creator, in contrast with their views of pantheistic Stoicism. Are there people in your life today that are perhaps like the Greeks Paul was speaking to? People who are religious but do not yet know our personal Creator? Are there people in your life who are seeking the Unknown God? Will you begin conversations with these people that God has placed in your life and let them know about the living God that you know and love? Will you let them know, as Paul let the Greeks know in verse 28 – “For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'”? The altar in the image below is located on Palatine Hill, Rome, where once stood the palaces of the Caesars. It dates from about 100 B.C. and has the inscription, ´To the unknown God.' This could have been a similar altar to the one that Paul was referring to in today's readings in Athens:
Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "The Evangelization of Thessalonica and Berea" is at this link and "The Apostle in Athens, Preaching to Philosophers" is at this link. Below is a painting from the year 1515 by the Italian artist Raphael titled "St. Paul preaching in Athens":
Psalms - Psalm 144 verses 3 & 4 are well known! "O LORD, what are mortals that you should notice us, mere humans that you should care for us? For we are like a breath of air; our days are like a passing shadow." If our days are like a passing shadow, how then should we be spending our days? What types of things should we be investing our time & money into? What should we be investing our very hearts and minds into? Are you wisely spending your passing days in godly ways?
Proverbs - Proverbs 17:27 is so true - "A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered." And with this I will quietly close out today's posting with few words. :)
Worship Video: Today's readings in Acts about Paul's preaching in Athens reminded me of the Switchfoot song "Meant to Live:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" Acts 17:28 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that in Jesus you live and move and have your being. Pray that you are a child of God, through your saving faith in Jesus.
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 - Second Kings 8 begins with a wonderful example of God's "perfect timing." It was no coincidence that the king was talking with Gehazi about the time Elisha brought a boy back to life when the woman from Shunem walked in with her son! God knew that the Shumanite woman was faithful and obedient to Him, so He orchestrated the timing so that she would get her house and land back - after God perfectly timed her to be out of the country for 7 years to avoid the famine! Have you ever had the experience of God's "perfect timing" in your life? My hunch is that you have - even if you haven't realized it. I have had some experiences where I have consciously realized that God's perfect timing was at work - and sometimes I've quickly said the prayer under my breath of "thank you God!" But, I also now can look back on my life and now see so many instances of God's perfect timing. Hindsight is 20/20. When is the last time you experienced God's perfect timing? Think it could have been today - even if you don't realize it right now?
Elisha's interaction with Hazael demonstrates Elisha was certainly a prophet of God's! Elisha was not condoning what Hazael is going to violently do, but he was just stating the facts of what was going to happen. Verses 11 & 12 are sad to read - "Elisha stared at Hazaelwith a fixed gaze until Hazael became uneasy. Then the man of God started weeping. "What's the matter, my lord?" Hazael asked him. Elisha replied, "I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn their fortified cities, kill their young men, dash their children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women!" Verse 13 is also sad because you will notice that Hazael doesn't get upset by the violent predictions in Elisha's proclamation, but only wonders how someone like him would pull of something like this... "Then Hazael replied, "How could a nobody like me ever accomplish such a great feat?"" Below is and image of Elisha and Hazael having this conversation:
I love Elisha's final instructions to the young prophet concerning his anointing of Jehu as King of Israel in 2 Kings 9 verse 3 - "Then open the door and run for your life!"" Not your typical instructions from a prophet, you wouldn't think - but if a prophet gives you instructions like these, you better follow them! :)
Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Looking Out for a Lovely Lady" is at this link, "What it Takes to Make a Prophet Weep" is at this link, and "Three Birds With One Stone" is at this link.
New Testament - Today in Acts 16 we will read about the earthquake that comes while Paul and Silas are imprisoned!
As a trembling jailer comes to Paul and Silas we will read this in verses 30 through 34 – “"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.” This is a wonderful look at how many of us become and grow as Christians! We first hear the Good News of how Jesus came to this earth fully human and fully God – how he lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins – and how he rose from the dead and will come again. Then, through God’s grace, we believe! We simply believe. From there we learn more about God from others and through studying his Word, the Bible – we can call this discipleship. Then comes a decision to be baptized – to publicly profess our faith in Jesus as our Savior. Then comes living a joyful life of community with others. Now – yes – this is a very abbreviated example of how one becomes and grows as a Christian. :) And our various denominations will probably put the order of how all this happens in various ways. But, can you see similarities in your own faith journey with the jailer’s conversion, baptism, and growth as a Christian? Do you remember first hearing the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection? Do you remember the day you first Believed? Do you remember learning more about the Word, the Bible? (hopefully you’ll remember this year’s One Year Bible journey! :) Do you remember being baptized (or maybe you’ll have photos or stories from your younger years)? Do you now joyfully live life in community with other Christians through your local church? If you haven’t yet experienced all of these things, will you pray to God asking him for the experiences He has planned for you? And, when others in your life come to you like the jailer, asking “What must I do to be saved?” are you prepared to give them the joyful answer?
Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "Paul in Philippi: From the Purveyor of Purple to the Purveyor of Pain" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 143 verse 8 stood out to me today - "Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer." I read somewhere before - I think it was Bruce Wilkinson's book "Secrets of the Vine" - that many great men and women of our Christian faith connect with God in the morning through prayer, reading the Bible, and other quiet time activities. Bruce even suggested that this is the preferential way to go - to start your day by spending time with God in the morning, rather than at night. Because he said this would then transform the rest of your day - in terms of being more conscientious of our relationship with God. This does make sense to me - and in fact, I have started reading the One Year Bible now in the mornings, and it is a beautiful way to start the day! I like what this Psalmist says - "Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning." And it reminds me that somehow, someway, it almost seems easier to me to connect with God in the morning. Actually - one other thing I used to do in the morning is read a page or two from Oswald Chambers "My Utmost For His Highest." And I am thankful that I did this in the morning for a season. How about you? Do you have some way that you connect with God in the morning? Are you able in some way to hear of God's unfailing love for you in the morning?
Proverbs - Proverbs 17:26 today is an interesting teaching: "It is wrong to fine the godly for being good or to punish nobles for being honest!" Why do you suppose this teaching is in the Bible? I'm thinking it is because unfortunately all too often the godly are fined or blamed or punished or ridiculed or this list could go on and on... Good becomes bad. And bad becomes good. Sound like any cultural times that you might know of? :) Let us pray these days that the godly are not punished for being good or being honest. Let us pray the godly are not punished for simply telling the Truth! And let each of us also always remember that when we undergo any sufferings for Jesus, there is Ultimate comfort & encouragement that does come our way...
Worship Video: Psalm 143:8 in today's readings reminds me of the song "Thank You" by 33 Miles:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on three verses of Scripture today: "The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household." Acts 16:29-31 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are telling other people in your life to "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." Pray that you life your life in such a Spirit-filled and loving way that people come to you periodically to ask, "What must I do to be saved?"
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 - 2 Kings 6 today opens up with a very interesting little story about the floating ax head! :) Apparently in those days the iron in an ax head was very costly - far too costly for prophets to have been able to afford. Hence, they had to borrow it. If the prophet who lost the ax head had not been able to recover it, he would have then had to have become an indentured servant for a period of time to the person he borrowed it from to pay back the cost. So, Elisha's recovery of the ax head I think demonstrates a simple moral of this opening story in today's readings: God cares for the welfare of those who love God. Whaddya think on this moral of the floating ax head story? Have you had experiences in your life where God has done some small things - or maybe even big things - that don't seem super spiritual at first glance, but simply saved you a lot of heartache/costs/time? I know I have... Praise God that He floats ax heads and even "floats" you and me too! God is indeed our great Life Preserver...
Today in 2 Kings 6 verse 27 we will read this verse that King Joram says to an Israelite during a time of a severe famine – “"If the LORD does not help you, where can I get help for you?” I think the thing to note in this verse is that the King realized he could not end the famine on his own, but that only God could end the famine. (I think the King may have actually been trying to blame God for the famine - and certainly Elisha he blames later in the chapter). I wonder about this in our lives today – do we try to help others and even try to help ourselves using our own power and without relying on God at all? And maybe sometimes even blame God for problems we see, like this King? Do we think we can end a “famine” or whatever problems we see at work, in our community, in our family, or in our world all on our own? Or should we be asking for God’s help in these areas of our lives? I’ve been thinking about this more and more lately – about how little I truly pray for others. I see areas of my life, my family, my community, my work, my church, my favorite charities, our world, that need some help. Need some changing. Need some love. And sometimes I think that I can institute these changes all on my own! Which is foolish. Instead, I should be praying for God’s providence and work in these areas of my life where I see a “famine.” Yes, I do think that God will oftentimes answer our prayers by encouraging us to “do something” to work on a change. But, we’d be wise to prayerfully approach all areas of our life and to pay attention to where God is asking us to “do something” – and to pay attention to where God is flat-out doing the work! Are there any “famine” areas in your life? In your personal relationship with God or others? In your work, church, community? Are there “famine” areas you see in our world? Will you today begin praying to God about these “famines” in the knowledge that famines can truly only end if God is involved in the work? Will you allow God to get involved in the famine areas of your life? Will you pray more consistently than ever before for the famine areas you see in your life?
In 2 Kings 7 today we read about God scaring off the Aramean army! Below is an image from a 15th century Dutch Bible for 2 Kings 7 verse 8 - "When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it."
And below is an image from the same 15 century Dutch Bible for verse 17: "The king appointed his officer to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled to death as the people rushed out. So everything happened exactly as the man of God had predicted when the king came to his house."
Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Saved from the Syrians: The War that Never Happened" is at this link and "Feast or Famine" is at this link.
New Testament - In Acts 15 today we read about Paul not wanting to bring along John Mark on the next missionary journey. Good news is that Paul and Mark were eventually reunited in missionary efforts. Some speculate that it was because Barnabas went with Mark at this juncture, Barnabas' patient encouragement helped Mark's eventual effective ministry. In fact, John Mark is the very same Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark! How's that for encouragement changing the world?? Is there anyone in your life today who you think could be a great worker for God's kingdom with some encouragement? Will you be like Barnabas was for John Mark and work with and encourage that person? Below is an image of Barnabas the encourager:
Today in Acts 16 we read about Paul's 2nd missionary journey, which took place around AD 49-52. - (map courtesy of ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPhillips.htm)
Great readings about the conversion of Lydia of Philippi today! She was a business woman and a Gentile (like Cornelius) who loved God. And the Lord opened her heart and she believed! Praise God for his continual ministry of opening people's hearts to the Gospel. Has your heart been opened like Lydia's was opened?
Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "When Division Becomes Multiplication" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 142 is a prayer of David's when he was fleeing Saul and was hiding in a cave. David is praying for deliverance to God from his enemies. I thought verse 3 was powerful - "For I am overwhelmed, and you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me." Have you ever felt this way? Overwhelmed? And traps every which way you look? And you have no idea which way to go? At a time like this, will you cry out to God as David did in this Psalm? Will you "pour out your complaints before him and tell him all your troubles"? (v. 2) Do you believe that God knows which way you should turn? Will you allow God to ""be your place of refuge"? In times like these, will you allow God to be "all you really want in life"? (v. 5) Some say that David wrote Psalm 142 while in a cave in Adullam.
Proverbs - Today in Proverbs chapter 17 verse 24 we will read – “A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” This is a powerful little Proverb. I have been thinking about this quite a bit in recent weeks. I have found that sometimes the world can be so tempting – or maybe distracting is another way to say it. I have found that I have lately had a lot of opportunities to go out and do “fun stuff.” Perhaps you could say I’ve been offered opportunities to “wander to the ends of the earth.” And it’s been tempting. But, I have realized that if I schedule myself 24 x 7, I don’t spend much time thinking about God at all. Reading the Bible? Maybe I can skip it for today. . . And praying for others?? Forget about it. I’m just afraid that we can spend our lives being so distracted that we will lose sight of wisdom. We absolutely need to keep wisdom in view each and every day. That is why I love the One Year Bible format in so many ways – it provides each of us with at least 15 minutes of wisdom in our lives each day! How about you? How are your days being spent currently? Are you feeling distracted? Are you keeping wisdom in view each and every day? Do you see the wisdom in spending quality time with God each and every day? Do you see the wisdom in not taking any “spiritual vacations”? (Spiritual vacations are a very bad idea. . . even when you go on a regular vacation, please bring God with you!) Like this Proverb teaches us today, let us keep wisdom in view and not let our eyes foolishly wander to the ends of the earth!
Worship Video: Today's Psalm reminds me of the Nicole C. Mullen song "Call on Jesus:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth." Proverbs 17:24 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are discerning and learning wisdom daily from the Word of God. Pray that your eyes and your heart is not foolishly wandering to the ends of the earth.
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!
