September 27th One Year Bible Readings

Isaiah 51:1-53:12 ~ Ephesians 5:1-33 ~ Psalm 69:19-36 ~ Proverbs 24:7
~ 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 - Isaiah chapter 53 is one of the most powerful chapters of the Bible - and one of the saddest to really meditate upon.  Isaiah chapter 53 is all about Jesus!  This is a powerful chapter to read...  I'm sure you likely caught that this chapter was about Jesus when you first read it, but if not, please re-read the chapter again and do you see how Isaiah is prophesying Jesus' passion and death?  It is astounding to realize these words of Isaiah's were written in 8th century B.C.  Verse 5 tells us: "But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!"  Do you believe that the words of Isaiah's in chapter 53 today are about Jesus?  Do you believe that Jesus was wounded and crushed for your sins?  Was he beaten that you might have peace?  Are you healed because Jesus was whipped and then murdered on a cross?

Verse 7: "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth."

Verse 8: "From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment?"

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah chapter 52 and 53 titled "The Triumph of the Suffering Servant" is at this link.  Below is a great image for Isaiah 53:6 from today's readings:

New Testament - Ephesians chapter 5 is such an incredible chapter!  I know I won't do it justice in this blog posting.  There is so much I could dive into in nearly every verse.  Actually, I will share this with you.  I met with my Pastor a couple of days ago.  And he shared with me that he is currently memorizing the entire book of Ephesians!  I had shared with him that I'm just starting to memorize Scripture verses - and to invite you along with me on this journey at the bottom of each daily blog posting. Well, you know how Pastors are - they're always a step ahead!  And my Pastor is memorizing the entire book of Ephesians...  wow.  He shared with me that as he's memorizing Ephesians he is amazed how some of the words and meanings of words of Scripture are coming alive to him in new ways!  I believe it.  I'm curious if anyone reading this today has ever memorized an entire book of the Bible?  Or even a chapter?  Please post up in the comments below if you have?  I have actually downloaded 1 Corinthians 13 onto my Blackberry and I am hoping to memorize that chapter soon!  Okay, back to Ephesians chapter 5.  You know how I enjoy posting up YouTube videos these days, so I of course loved reading verses 19 & 20, which you'll see in this image below!  :)

Ephesians 5:1-2 touches on a theme I've been thinking a lot about lately - living a life of love! - "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (NIV)  Have you ever meditated on what it means to live a life of love?  I have occasionally.  But I'm starting to camp out on this thought a lot more these days.  I think it's in large part due to the impact 1 Corinthians 13 has had on me this past year.  And it certainly fits in well with Jesus saying the 2 most important commandments are to love God and love people.  But perhaps most significantly, I've been trying to live out this thought of "living a life of love" in real life a bit more these days.  I definitely don't have it all figured out by a long shot!  But I think living a life of love is something we should all seek.  Not strive for.  But seek.  Or maybe "receive" is the better word.  I think we can receive from Jesus the ability to live a life of love.  I don't think we can get there on our own power.  So, there's a lot more I could write about what I've been thinking about in regards to living a life of love.  But let me at this point just encourage you to think about this concept.  Living a life of love.  Do you want to live a life of love?  Think you can do this on your own?  Or will you invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit into this process each and every day?  How does 1 Corinthians 13 speak to you these days?

Ephesians chapter 5 verse 17 really stood out to me today: "Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do."  I am wondering how often each of acts thoughtlessly?  I am afraid in my case it is far too often.  I can sometimes sleep-walk through my day - or even days - or even weeks...  and miss the point of life completely when doing so!  Paul teaches us here to try to understand what the Lord wants us to do.  Why would we want to try to understand this?  I think in large part so we no longer act thoughtlessly!  I'm afraid we are far too often a thoughtless people in how we live our lives & how we waste so much time in our very short lives this side of heaven...  How about you?  Are you acting thoughtlessly at all these days?  Will you seek to understand what God wants you to do?   And then will you go do it and leave your thoughtless ways behind?

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Ephesians titled "The Meaning of Christian Marriage" is at this link.  Below is a nice image for Ephesians 5:21 from today's readings:

Psalms - I love Psalm 69 verse 33 today - "For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones; he does not despise his people who are oppressed."  God hears the cries of his needy ones.  Perhaps the question is then, do we hear the cries of God's needy ones?  Do we hear the cries of those starving today? Sick from lack of clean water?  Suffering from HIV / AIDS?  Spiritually poor?  Needing a friend?  How is the soil of our hearts if we are not hearing these cries?  Should we be hearing these cries?  And if we do hear them, what then should we do?   Remember Jesus' words in Matthew chapter 25 verses 34-36:  "‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’"   

Proverbs - Proverbs 24 verse 7 is actually a bit convicting for me - "Wisdom is too much for a fool."  I'm not sure if you've ever experienced this, but there have been times when I honestly have not been able to read or digest the Bible.  I mean, there are times when I can kind of work my way through reading the Bible, but nothing is sticking.  And obviously the Bible is wisdom...  I then wonder if at times I am a fool?  I don't think I'm a chronic fool...  :)  But, truly, sometimes I do dumb stuff or live in a dumb season and in retrospect I was acting like a fool in those seasons. And in those foolish seasons wisdom was too much for me...  I do ultimately think Jesus / God / the Bible / wisdom brought me out of those foolish seasons.  But let us pray that we don't enter into seasons of life where we are acting like a fool, and where wisdom is too much for us.  Being a fool is no way to live this beautiful life God has called us to!

Worship God:  I'm sure many of you have heard on K-LOVE "By His Wounds" by Mac Powell, Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman and Brian Littrell. This song is based on Isaiah 53 verse 5 from today's readings. It is a beautiful song about our beautiful Savior Jesus. Here's a live version of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWnSX3X7wbw

By His wounds, have you been healed?  Click here to be healed!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." Ephesians 5:3 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that there is not even a hint of sexual immorality in your life today. Pray that there is not even a hint of any kind of impurity nor of greed in your life today. Pray that you are living as one of God's holy people, through your saving faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

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

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
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!

Comments

[Ramona]

Isaiah 51:1-53:12

The verses that have spoken to me today are in the 51st chapter, “WOW”!

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. (Isaiah 51:7-8 KJV)

I have noticed for the first time that throughout Isaiah, God speaks in the present about things that had yet to come to past in the element of time. Of course God is eternal and to Him everything is in The Now, the Right Now. God calls thins that, “Be Not” in our human experience “As though they were,” (Romans 4:17) because in eternantiy they have already happened. [And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8 KJV)]

God in verses 7 and 8 is still giving us the information to intelligently decide between choosing life or death; blessings or curses. This was the option given to the people by Moses (Deut. 30:19 & Joshua 24:15-22).
[I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
(Deuteronomy 30:19 KJVR)]

For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Choose righteousness and not the righteousness of self-righteousness that comes with doing the works of the flesh, but the Righteousness that comes from God, God’s Right Way of Doing and Being.

Mike your question regarding the New Testament reading, >>”Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." I am wondering how often each of acts thoughtlessly?>> and, >> "For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones; he does not despise his people who are oppressed." God hears the cries of his needy ones. Perhaps the question is then, do we hear the cries of God's needy ones?>> are both one and the same in action. If we are not acting thoughtlessly and getting our instruction from God, then we will hear the cry of the needy.

Where we error is in thinking that because God is leading us to do something specific with a group of people that means God is leading everyone else to do that same thing and we get caught up in trying, through guilt and any other means of manipulation, to bring everyone else along. We forget that the Body of Christ is like our own body, as per Paul; each one has a purpose and a call and when we work as one part of the many and do what we have been called and purposed to do, even if it is not what the most vocal and persuasive of person is doing, than the job will get done. In fact, there would be no need to put a call out for help because the job would be done by everyone sticking to their purpose and call.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Heidi MV]

I found these two verses interesting: " In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—" Ephesians 5:28-29.
Though not applicable for me right now but I like how the Bible says that Christ "feeds" the church just how husbands should "feed and care" for his body and his wife.

[Karen MV]

sIsaiah 53 is one of my cherished passages in the bible. It describes the love of God in the very nature of His son who came to "be pierced for our transgression" and to "bear our iniquities". God reminded us that He did this on purpose so "to make many accounted righteous". May our devotion and service to Him be borne out of gratitude of having received His love.

[Angela MV]

Ephesians 5:8 was the verse that stood out the most to me. It says "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." This was a powerful message to me because it was God who saved us and brought us into the light. Without him, we'd still be in darkness, doing deceitful things and never knowing him. But with Christ, now we might become children of God and receive his grace and mercy. I am so thankful to God, for bringing us into the light while we were still darkness. Like Romans 5:8 also says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

[Shinya MV]

The idea is very simple- we are to make God our example and model. We shouldn't content ourselves by comparing ourselves to men. We also should set Jesus as our example. As he loved us and gave himself for us, we are to also to display the self-giving love. Jesus' sacrifice for us was pleasing to the Father, therefore, we can also offer a pleasing sacrifice when we give love to each other. The people mentioned in Ephesians 5:3 have no inheritance in the kingdom of God. Paul condemns those who practice uncleanness. Paul also says that all sins done in secret will be exposed and will be made manifest by God's searching light. We should walk carefully and wisely, not foolishly.

[Jodie MV]

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”(Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-17) God reminded me these verses yesterday from radio; again today in reading. Lord, teach me how to live my life according to your will and make the most of every opportunity you give me.

[Richie MV]

God is trying to lead us to where he promised and turning us away from temptations. Also, Christ is both the head of the church and part of the church itself.

[Jessica MV]

Wow! I love today's scriptures, especially the verses in Ephesians. Ephesians 5:1-2 really stood out to me. The verses both apply to and relate closely to my life.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

We should be living our lives with God. He has given me the ability to care for others, and thus I should spread my love towards those around me. I need to help and lead them, just as Christ is helping and leading me.

[Jessie MV]

I love reading Ephesians! The first half of Ephesians 5 captures a lot about the Christian lifestyle. When I read the first few verses, I was reminded of the Torah and its instructions about sacrifices ceremonial purity. But now, as said in Ephesians, Jesus is our sacrifice and we are to be pure in heart. It's not so much about customs, but about our hearts. It even says to make music from our hearts! So I pray that God will help me to live in the Light and live as one loved like Paul said.

[Jack mv]

I love David's closeness to God and honestly displayed his bitterness to Him like a friend. Here is a glimpse of what he went through when hunted down by Saul: "Charge them with crime upon crime;do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. 29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—may your salvation, God, protect me."
David had a heart for God. The Psalms he wrote are my favorites. They just sooth my soul.

[Ryan MV]

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, I feel that his verse can be used in many situations especially in our daily choices