Malachi 3:1-4:6 ~ Revelation 22:1-21 ~ Psalm 150:1-6 ~ Proverbs 31:25-31
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Happy New Year! Congratulations to everyone who completed the One Year Bible journey in 2021 today! It has been awesome to go through the journey this year with each of you. It is quite a blessing to realize that you've read through God's Word this past year! It has been a huge blessing for me. God has continued to transform me this past year through this journey. Reading through the Bible in a year will change us. For the better! :) For those of you wrapping up the One Year Bible today in 2021, I'd like to ask you to post up your reflections on this experience in the Comments section below. The reason for this request is because we have hundreds of new folks signing up to take the One Year Bible journey in 2022. What advice would you give them? Any encouragement? What has reading the Bible on a daily basis meant to you over the past year? Has this experience changed you in any way? Thanks for sharing! I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry! If this blog has been a blessing to you in 2021, please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - Today we finish the book of the prophet Malachi, and it is an awesome 2 chapters we read today! The first half of Malachi chapter 3 verse 1 is prophesying 400 years in advance of the coming of John the Baptist, who will prepare people's hearts for Jesus by preaching repentance of sins: ""Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me." This is a great thing to reflect on as we close out one year and begin anew. Do we need a messenger from God to encourage us to repent from our sins? Will we listen to that messenger and make way for the coming of Jesus into our hearts and lives? The second half of verse 1 then prophesies that Jesus is indeed coming to usher in the new covenant, or the new testament: "The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the LORD Almighty." The Good News for us today is that Jesus has come already for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus is coming again in glory!
To order prints visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.
Verse 2 tells us this about Jesus: "For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes." Will you allow Jesus to refine you through his holy fire? And make you pure through his holy soap? (Okay, I realize this is a bit cheesy wording here - has anyone ever called Jesus holy soap before?? :) Actually, would you believe it - I found an image of "Jesus soap" online, as you'll see below! How this all ties into our Malachi readings today I've lost track of... I apologize for my end-of-year giddiness... :)
Verses 6 & 7 are so powerful for us to reflect upon: ""I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty." As I reflect back upon our One Year Bible readings this year, it is so true that God does not change. He has shown so much compassion over and over again to the Israelites in the Old Testament. And he continues to show so much compassion to us today over and over again. In light of God's holy and unchanging love and compassion for us, will we return to Him? As you look back on our One Year Bible readings this year, do you agree with God's statement here that He does not change? Do you believe that all the way from the Old Testament's Genesis to the New Testament's Revelation God does not change?
Verse 10 is one of my favorites and one of the most challenging in the Bible: "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!" This verse has and will continue to be interpreted so many ways. Check out the NIV translation of Malachi 3:10 (slightly different than the NLT version above) - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." It is very rare in the Bible that God says "test me" and follows it up with an incredible promise of a blessing. This next year, will you test God with a tithe? In this new year, will you trust God with your tithe?
Chapter 4 verse 2 makes me smile with the metaphor of us being compared to a calf frolicking in a field: "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture." Do you want to be set free? Truly free from your burdens and doing things that you do not want to do? Will you entrust your life to the Sun (Son?) of Righteousness, Jesus? And then - are you looking forward to leaping with joy like a calf let out to pasture?? :) I love this metaphor... it will stick with me.
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Malachi titled "God's Justice and Faithfulness" is at this link and "Preparing for the Day of the Lord" is at this link.
New Testament - Today we finish the book of Revelation with a glorious chapter describing the New Jerusalem in heaven, and with a clear reminder that Jesus is coming again! Below is artist Pat Marvenko Smith's look "Through the Gate of the Eternal City" from Revelation 22:1-6 in today's readings:
To order prints visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.
Chapter 22 verses 1 & 2 are so beautiful: "And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations." This river combines the elements of the river in the Garden of Eden - see Genesis 2:8-14 - and the river flowing from the temple in Ezekiel's vision - see Ezekiel 47:1-12. I love this idea of this "river of life". There are so many beautiful allusions to God and grace being like water or a river in the Bible - particularly in the Psalms. A river that heals us. I love this. There is a great song by Steven Curtis Chapman about diving into the river. I think it's called "Dive" on his Speechless CD. This song of his reminds me so much of these verses. One of his lyrics goes something like: "The River's deep, the river's wide, the river's water is ALIVE! So sink or swim, I'm diving in!" Do you want to dive into this holy river of God? Do you want to be healed and purified by it's waters? Will you dive in?
Verse 8 is powerful for us to reflect upon, where we see an angel speaking to John after he fell to worship the angel: ""No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!"" My thought here is that do we sometimes worship other people in our life? And does this worship of other people ultimately take away from our worship of God? Meaning, I think it might sometimes be tempting for us to "worship" our pastors or ministers or spiritual mentors. But, should we do this? I think we would do well to remember that these people in our life are simply servants of God, like this angel. They are not God. We are called to give our hearts and minds and souls and worship to God and God only.
Verse 20 (almost) closes out the book of Revelation with these words: “Come, Lord Jesus!” Are these three words a prayer of your heart? Should they be? It’s only recently that I started praying these words from my heart, and it is an amazing thing to truly pray and truly desire. Come Lord Jesus!
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Revelation chapter 22 titled "The Epilogue" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 150 is a wonderful end to the Psalter filled with a call to Praise God with all that we are! Give it up for God and God only!
Proverbs - Proverbs 31:25-31 are a continued great look at what a godly woman does. I really like verse 30 which seems so opposite of what our culture is often selling us today: "Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised." I think this holds so true for women and men - our beauty or good looks or outer appearances do not last. They are not eternal. What matters is what's inside - our relationship with and love of God and other people. So, I think this is a great reminder for us to focus on what's inside - which is what's eternal. And yes, our culture will continue to try to sell us on the latest fads to look better on the outside. Will you refuse to buy into that which will not last? Do you realize that holiness is beautiful? This picture below comes from Memphis, Tennessee:
Worship Video: Today's readings in Revelation reminded me of the Steven Curtis Chapman song "Dive." However, rather than share that song with you in the video below, our readings in Revelation chapter 22 also reminded me of his powerful song about his daughter called "Heaven is the Face." Here's a great live version of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nT88tmF5O8
Can you imagine meeting Jesus in heaven? Click here and make your imagination real!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let those who hear say, "Come!" Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17 (TNIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are thirsty for Jesus today and every day! Pray that you are daily responding to Jesus' call to you to "Come!" Pray that you will follow Jesus and take the free gift of the water of Life He offers you, today and forevermore.
Comments From You and Question of the Day: For those of you wrapping up the One Year Bible today in 2021, I'd like to ask you to post up your reflections on this experience in the Comments section below. The reason for this request is because we have hundreds of new folks signing up to take the One Year Bible journey in 2022. What advice would you give them? Any encouragement? What has reading the Bible on a daily basis meant to you over the past year? Has this experience changed you in any way? Thanks for sharing! Also, for everyone, 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!
It is with a sense of great accomplishment and gratefulness that I comment today. A year ago I started reading the One Year Bible blog without much hope of finishing, because of the times I'd failed before. Although I skipped out most of Ezekiel because I got really behind at one stage, I got through the rest. YAY!
Knowing that there was a community of readers doing this with me, and being able to interact with you all through comments was a key ingredient for me. Thank you to all who posted.
Mike, thank you so much. Your commitment to this blog is admirable, and your humility is inspiring. I think you must be one of Jesus' heros when I see how many lives you are touching daily through your obedience to Him.
Having read the whole Bible now, I have a much better idea of God as the beginning and the end, God working through history, God unravelling His love-plan and God reaching out to us. I have a much better understanding of Israel and the Jewish nation, and how they are a precious part of the fact that I am a Christian today. Praise You, Lord for drawing near to us. Praise You for The Message.
Posted by: Caryn | December 30, 2021 at 11:01 PM
It has been such a blessing this past year to have this blog to keep me motivated and focused. Many days I have read thru the daily verses then, when I read your blog Mike, I would realize I did not really read it, just skimmed over it, and your comments have caused me to go back and re-read noticing things you pointed out. The first time for me at 67 I have read the entire bible. Thank you!!
Posted by: Jasanna | December 31, 2021 at 06:54 AM
This time last year Pastor Jack Hibbs suggested reading through the One Year Bible. Instead of using a book, my wife and I found the One Year Bible Online. We’ve both read the entire Bible before, but this format was especially useful. We started the year listening to the melodic voice of Tom Dooley read each day while locked down. Then as life became busier, being a fast reader I turned to reading the daily instead. At one point we fell behind, like a few weeks behind. A pastor friend with good intentions told me to just pick up with today’s reading, fearing I would become defeated and give up. Instead, God gave us the time and wisdom to catch up. So I can say that today, we both complete reading the entire Bible this year. A huge blessing, and being an analytic, using my iPad it has been so simple to drill down into other translations and commentaries. This was especially helpful when we got into the minor prophets recently. Reading Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s notes and outlines helped me see each prophet in context. Today is actually the first day I looked at this blog, wanting to spread the word as suggested in the notes for today’s reading. I will plan to look here regularly in 2022.
We are starting the entire Bible again tomorrow, just using a different translation. I encourage anyone who starts to persevere. It has been tremendous for our spiritual growth. The Word of God is alive and accessible for those with eyes to see and ears to hear! God bless.
Posted by: Eric | December 31, 2021 at 07:52 AM
My Small View.
A few years ago I did this blog and found it enriched my life. Again this year it helped me in my relationship with Father, Jesus and the Spirit. Typically I would read something and realize those words came true and were meant for me that day. Mike’s comments, his links and especially people that would comment would really help in understanding the deeper meaning that God was wanting me to have. People you don’t know how important it is to “comment” because it’s your testimony and we are at war with evil that is trying very hard to destroy that! I hope you realize that it’s not a law or obligation but a right and freedom we have received through Jesus. Kelly Hayes says, “There is no shame in admitting that you were previously speaking from a less informed place.”
This book, The Bible is soooooooo good. It is for all ages and all times. It is such a blessing that reading one word to a whole chapter can be life changing. This year I picked up a word thanks to Ramona that I apply to everything now. The word blessing. It means to be happy, fortunate and envied. (James 1:25). That is Kingdom living. The book of Revelation was cool too. I remember a group of 5 men sitting around one evening 5 years ago and reading the entire thing. 3 guys fell asleep, another guy and myself finished by singing and praying. That came to mind finishing Revelation today.
Here are a few notes, I scribbled in my Bible:
Purpose: Go to the Bible for your protection, correction and direction.
God: The WORD is God’s revelation of his heart, values, will, mission, eternal Kingdom, agenda. Reading it will give you appreciation of who He is and who’s you truly are.
Remember: Too often we try to use God to change our circumstances, when God is trying to use our circumstances to change us. Nicky Gumble
Mark Twain: “Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
Mahatma Gandhi: “I will say to the Hindus that your lives will be incomplete unless you reverently study the teachings of Jesus.”
Goal: In humility one is touched with the conviction that every good thing comes from God. St. Teresa of Avila.
Prayer: If we need inspiration or forgot how to pray, remember the “9”s: Daniel 9, Ezra 9
Nehemiah 9.
BLESSINGS.
Posted by: Robert Bieberdorf | December 31, 2021 at 09:57 AM