December 1st One Year Bible Readings

Daniel 8:1-27 + 1 John 2:1-17 + Psalm 120:1-7 + Proverbs 28:25-26
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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.

Worship Video: 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.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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Comments

[Ramona]

Daniel 8:1-27

Big horns, little horn, horns that fall off or are taken off, there are horns that grow fast and there are horns that uproot big horns. I don’t know which country or world power they represent and I’m not sure if I did know how that would help me deal with the “nuts” on my job and in my neighborhood. I’m an application kind of girl. I want to know how what I’m reading can be applied to my life, bottom line.

What I do know about horns when they are spoken of in the Bible is this: figuratively it represents power (1 Sam 2:10; 2 Sam 22:3; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 89:17). So, I’m see this in the 8th chapter, “Man’s power rises and falls. Even when one “horn” is strong and has trampled on all the others, that horn can be overthrown even by an upstart little horn. Man’s power comes and goes it will not stand forever no matter what it may look like and appear to us. God may even allow man’s power to prevail for a season but God’s Horn can never be destroyed. As I survey the world and its turmoil I know this, what is seen is temporary.

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1 John 2:1-17

The verses containing Johns intent for writing this letter really struck me,

I am writing to you, little children, that your sins have been forgiven because of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, that you have conquered the evil one. I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one. (1 John 2:12-14 NET.)

He writes to three groups of people, children, young people and the mature. Each of these groups or at different levels of understanding and acting on what they understand. Revelation and understanding of scripture is progressive and depends on our maturity. Math is math but what is taught in first grade is not the same as what is taught at the graduate level yet one and one is still two in both classes. This speaks to me of our constant need to read and study scripture. As we mature in our relationship with God our ability to handle revelation and our understanding deepens.

If we cease our systematic study of scripture because we have read it already, we will find ourselves uneducated and stunted in our growth. The Word of God is multilayered, multifaceted and should be studied from every perspective and aspect of our lives.

Regarding Mike’s comments on today’s Proverbs, well kind of using a circuitous route.

Some verses come to my mind that confirms and compliments Mike’s thoughts:

Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
(Psalms 119:11 AMP)

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
(Romans 12:2 AMP)

But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. (John 14:26 AMP)

There are more verse but these are the ones that jump out at me and the one’s I’ve thought about a lot when I think about taking a rest from reading daily God’s Word.

If I haven’t read or studied God’s Word then how can the Holy Spirit bring anything to my remembrance when I haven’t first encountered the Word and the thoughts that come upon reading the Word.

I think that some folks real question or concern is addressed to us who identify with Christ, yet don’t know what Christ said. I think I’ve used this before but for those who haven’t read my words, God and His Word are One as stated in the first chapter of the Book of John and the first verse,

IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Isa. 9:6.] (John 1:1 AMP)

The statement I am going to make is not to put anyone in a bind but to ask people to question and examine their words and actions.

If we say that we love God, yet don’t know His Word and Words, then do we really love God since He and His Word are One? Could we just be infatuated with Him and only loving Him from afar instead of developing a close intimate relationship with Him? Are we stalking God and His Christ and trying to force our type of love on Him instead of making ourselves pliable and malleable to His way of thinking, doing and being?

Grace and peace,
Ramona