June 30th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Kings 17:1-18:12 ~ Acts 20:1-38
Psalm 148:1-14 ~ Proverbs 18:6-7

HALF-WAY - Big news! We cross the halfway threshold in our One Year Bible readings today! Whoo-hoo! Yep, June 30th marks the end of our first 6 months of readings and July 1st marks the beginning of our last 6 months of readings. Congratulations!

If by chance you’ve stopped reading the One Year Bible at some point this past six months, how about starting back up with us again as we embark on our final six months? We’d love to have you on the journey with us once again!

Old Testament - 2 Kings 17 is a sad chapter today!  Israel is invaded by Assyria and its people are exiled!  It is sad because the Israelites could have avoided this strife - but the chose to follow in the sins of Jeroboam and worship other gods.  After much patience and many second chances by the true and living God, Israel was allowed to be invaded & exiled for their disobedience.  Sad stuff.  You can learn more of the history of how this all transpired at this link.  An overview map of the Assyrian empire is below -

In 2 Kings 17 verse 41 we will read this about the foreigners in Israel – “Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols.” If the foreigners both worshiped God AND served idols at the same time back then, do you suppose that we can fall into this same trap today? What would some examples be today of both worshiping God and serving idols at the same time? Are there any areas of your life where you might be serving idols? Will you allow those idols to be turned over to God for his healing and transformation of you? Will you worship God only? Will you leave the idols behind? Why would this be important to leave the idols behind?  What is the risk of not leaving the idols behind?  Or, should I say, what is the danger of not leaving the idols behind...

Verse 15 stands out and follows along in this paragraph & photo above - "They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves." How true is that?  Maybe another way to look at it - you are what you worship!  If we worship worthless idols, we become worthless ourselves.  If we worship the true living God, we become more like his son Jesus.  Would you rather be worthless or becoming like Jesus in this lifetime?  And how about after this lifetime?   

In 2 Kings 18 we are introduced to King Hezekiah of Judah!  Check out verses 5 through 7 for an overview of who Hezekiah was - "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was never another king like him in the land of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did."

New Testament - Acts 20 verse 7 is a great look at an early church service!  "On the first day of the week, we gathered to observe the Lord's Supper.  Paul was preaching; and since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight."  Paul preached until midnight?  That had to have been one great sermon I am sure!

Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "Paul's Parting Words" is at this link.

Psalms - Today we read Psalm 148, which is a call for all creation to praise God!  We will read this in verse 5 - "Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being."  Do you agree with this verse?  That you came into being because the Lord commanded it?  Do you give thanks to God frequently?  And joyfully?  Even in the midst of maybe some challenging times in life, can you still give praise to your Creator?

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

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

II Kings 17:1-18:12

Mike you ask the question, “If the foreigners both worshiped God AND served idols at the same time back then, do you suppose that we can fall into this same trap today?” Sadly the answer is yes and we can fall into that trap and not even know we are in it. Many of us scope-our-horror (horoscopes) while reading the bible and confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We idolize the god of Chance as we stand on line to purchase lottery tickets, or head to Atlantic City or Vegas to try our luck. We network in groups with people we don’t like to advance careers we hate by celebrating the god of Business Contacts. We join others in-group worship raising our voices to the gods of group think, Might-Makes-Right and There-Are-More-of-Us-Then-You. We don’t trust God to do what He said He will do.

In truth anything we place above God as our source, provider and protector, to name just a few, is idolatry. We even can idolize God’s laws and commandments instead of looking to the God who gave us the directives.

Acts 20:1-38

Paul had singleness of purpose. He knew what he was called to do, he knew where he was suppose to do it and he was willing to pay whatever the price to accomplish his assignment. The only way one could imitate what Paul did is to know only one thing, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2) and what that means. We must not only believe by faith but also somehow translate that faith into a dedicated conviction to stay the course despite hardships and yes, maybe even death.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

20 22 "And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus--the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love.

Psalm 148:1-14
The best prescription for depression, sadness and just feeling lousy is giving God Praise. Doing this takes your mind off the situation and gives you a godly perspective of what you are going through.

Proverbs 18:6-7

Ah, the running off at the mouth has consequences, for the fool the penalty is squabbling and violence perpetrated upon them. In other words, keep the Mouth Shut!

Grace and peace,
Ramona