ALL – Psalm 147:1-20
ALL – Proverbs 18:4-5
OT – 2 Kings 15:1-16:20
NT – Acts 19:13-41
Interesting passage for the day: At this their anger boiled and they began shouting, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” – Acts 19:28, The Living Bible
Thought: People like to blame the world’s wars on religion. They push their blame a bit too far, but the charge is not without evidence. Passions get aroused by religion. And why not? If (since) there is a Creator God who oversees the entire universe and sent His Son to redeem sinful humanity, as I believe there is, He deserves the adoration of the world. People who believe in other gods likewise want their gods to be honored. And when a person’s god begins to be ignored, it is natural to try to draw attention back to the honor of the deity that person believes in. I am not advocating the harmful and violent methods that people have used throughout history to promote their gods—false gods don’t deserve such allegiance, and the true God who gives and takes every person’s life in His time doesn’t need our violence to achieve His goals. But I am trying to make a point: My God deserves my feelings. My God calls me to be reasonable, but not to such a point that I don’t care whether people love, respect and adore Him or not. I am to be His faithful witness, no matter what responses I get from those who deny my God’s authority and care for them. And the people I speak to are right (even if they respond wrongly) to take God seriously enough to respond not just with their heads, but with their hearts. God matters. Love Him or hate Him, but don’t think of Him with apathy.
Question: Do you love God? Do you care about God? Or do you just like to think of yourself as someone who loves God? What convinces you that you love God as you should?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wonder of Wonders
ALL – Psalm 146:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 18:2-3
OT – 2 Kings 13:1-14:29
NT – Acts 18:22-19:12
Interesting passage for the day: And God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles... – Acts 19:11, The Living Bible
Thought: I’ve been thinking more about miracles lately. And you know what I think? I think that part of the reason that we don’t see more miracles here in America is because for us they would often be either a convenience or an entertainment. Think about it. *Cough, cough.* “I have a cold. But I really don’t want to go to the doctor. How about a miracle?” Or perhaps… *Yawn.* “That was an awesome concert. But they’re getting to be pretty much the same. Different singers, different styles, but eventually, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. But hey, wouldn’t it be cool if miracles really happened?” God is not a convenience. He’s our need. God is not our entertainment—He’s not our court jester. He’s our King. God gives power for miracles, but not to those of us who are just looking for fun or for an easier, more convenient life. God gives power for miracles to those whose lives are in His hands, who are willing to die for Him, who are willing to wait until Jesus’ return to see His blessings, and yet who yearn for more life to introduce more people to the King of kings. God gives miracles to people who are not desperate just for miracles, but for His Son Jesus Christ.
Question: Have you ever seen a miracle? A real miracle, not just a normal-thing-that-happens-everyday-but-is-miraculous? How did it fit with my thoughts?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 18:2-3
OT – 2 Kings 13:1-14:29
NT – Acts 18:22-19:12
Interesting passage for the day: And God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles... – Acts 19:11, The Living Bible
Thought: I’ve been thinking more about miracles lately. And you know what I think? I think that part of the reason that we don’t see more miracles here in America is because for us they would often be either a convenience or an entertainment. Think about it. *Cough, cough.* “I have a cold. But I really don’t want to go to the doctor. How about a miracle?” Or perhaps… *Yawn.* “That was an awesome concert. But they’re getting to be pretty much the same. Different singers, different styles, but eventually, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. But hey, wouldn’t it be cool if miracles really happened?” God is not a convenience. He’s our need. God is not our entertainment—He’s not our court jester. He’s our King. God gives power for miracles, but not to those of us who are just looking for fun or for an easier, more convenient life. God gives power for miracles to those whose lives are in His hands, who are willing to die for Him, who are willing to wait until Jesus’ return to see His blessings, and yet who yearn for more life to introduce more people to the King of kings. God gives miracles to people who are not desperate just for miracles, but for His Son Jesus Christ.
Question: Have you ever seen a miracle? A real miracle, not just a normal-thing-that-happens-everyday-but-is-miraculous? How did it fit with my thoughts?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Learn What You Need
ALL – Psalm 130:1-8
ALL – Proverbs 17:2-3
OT – 1 Kings 9:1-10:29
NT – Acts 8:14-40
Interesting passage for the day: As soon as they (Peter and John) arrived, they began praying for these new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come upon any of them. For they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. – Acts 8:15-16, The Living Bible
Thought: One important reason that Peter and John came to Samaria was so that Jewish believers were participants in the Holy Spirit’s coming upon the Samarian believers, keeping the church united. But what if there’s another reason? What if the Samarian believers were only baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus (rather than the names of the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) because the Lord Jesus is the only member of the Trinity they had been taught to trust in? Perhaps they had been taught the good news that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the son of man who died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins, but what if they hadn’t been taught that Jesus pours out His Holy Spirit on His people? What if part of Peter and John’s trip was to complete the good news by sharing how Jesus provides the Holy Spirit so that we can not only be forgiven for our sins, but can live in righteousness even now? If that’s the case (and I’m not saying it is, but it could be), then it could be that sometimes believers who have access to God’s blessings in reality don’t receive His blessings because they don’t know to ask God for them. We need to learn (and teach) the whole truth of the Bible so that we may ask the Father for all the help He’s willing to give us as we serve Him in this world.
Question: Have you stopped trying to learn more about God, leaving that for the “more spiritual” people you know? What ways do you struggle that you might not have to struggle if you found out what God offers you and asked Him for it?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 17:2-3
OT – 1 Kings 9:1-10:29
NT – Acts 8:14-40
Interesting passage for the day: As soon as they (Peter and John) arrived, they began praying for these new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come upon any of them. For they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. – Acts 8:15-16, The Living Bible
Thought: One important reason that Peter and John came to Samaria was so that Jewish believers were participants in the Holy Spirit’s coming upon the Samarian believers, keeping the church united. But what if there’s another reason? What if the Samarian believers were only baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus (rather than the names of the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) because the Lord Jesus is the only member of the Trinity they had been taught to trust in? Perhaps they had been taught the good news that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the son of man who died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins, but what if they hadn’t been taught that Jesus pours out His Holy Spirit on His people? What if part of Peter and John’s trip was to complete the good news by sharing how Jesus provides the Holy Spirit so that we can not only be forgiven for our sins, but can live in righteousness even now? If that’s the case (and I’m not saying it is, but it could be), then it could be that sometimes believers who have access to God’s blessings in reality don’t receive His blessings because they don’t know to ask God for them. We need to learn (and teach) the whole truth of the Bible so that we may ask the Father for all the help He’s willing to give us as we serve Him in this world.
Question: Have you stopped trying to learn more about God, leaving that for the “more spiritual” people you know? What ways do you struggle that you might not have to struggle if you found out what God offers you and asked Him for it?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Get Off My Back
ALL – Psalm 128:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 16:31-33
OT – 1 Kings 7:1-51
NT – Acts 7:30-50
Interesting passage for the day: And so God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected by demanding, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior. – Acts 7:35, The Living Bible
Thought: We don’t like authority, even authority that’s put in charge of us for our own good. And we have a really hard time, for some reason, discerning between men who just want to run our lives and men appointed by God to care for and lead us. We give them all the same response: “What gives you the right…?” The Israelites responded this way to Moses. People are still talking back to Jesus this way. Children say this to their parents. Adults say it to policemen. No one wants to submit.
Question: Whose authority are you rejecting? Are you rejecting their authority for God-given reasons, or just because you came up with things you don’t like about having them in charge? How can you show proper respect to authorities?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 16:31-33
OT – 1 Kings 7:1-51
NT – Acts 7:30-50
Interesting passage for the day: And so God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected by demanding, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior. – Acts 7:35, The Living Bible
Thought: We don’t like authority, even authority that’s put in charge of us for our own good. And we have a really hard time, for some reason, discerning between men who just want to run our lives and men appointed by God to care for and lead us. We give them all the same response: “What gives you the right…?” The Israelites responded this way to Moses. People are still talking back to Jesus this way. Children say this to their parents. Adults say it to policemen. No one wants to submit.
Question: Whose authority are you rejecting? Are you rejecting their authority for God-given reasons, or just because you came up with things you don’t like about having them in charge? How can you show proper respect to authorities?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Baptized for Life
ALL – Psalm 122:1-9
ALL – Proverbs 16:19-20
OT – 2 Samuel 22:21-23:23
NT – Acts 2:1-47
Interesting passage for the day: And those who believed Peter were baptized—about 3,000 in all! – Acts 2:41, The Living Bible
Thought: Baptism is a public statement that we belong to a certain way of living, thinking, etc. When these people were baptized after believing Peter’s message, their baptism publicly declared that they belonged to Jesus—the no-longer-dead Messiah, God’s anointed King.
Question: What did your baptism mean to you? Are you living the way you said you would live?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 16:19-20
OT – 2 Samuel 22:21-23:23
NT – Acts 2:1-47
Interesting passage for the day: And those who believed Peter were baptized—about 3,000 in all! – Acts 2:41, The Living Bible
Thought: Baptism is a public statement that we belong to a certain way of living, thinking, etc. When these people were baptized after believing Peter’s message, their baptism publicly declared that they belonged to Jesus—the no-longer-dead Messiah, God’s anointed King.
Question: What did your baptism mean to you? Are you living the way you said you would live?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
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