Friday – Prophets
Reading – Jeremiah 1-3
Highlight Verse:
““My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah 3:22 NLT
Why do people return to the Lord?
The only true God.
The Creator of the Universe.
He’s the Real Deal.
There is no other God.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Thursday – Letters
Reading – 1 Corinthians 13-14
Highlight Verse:
“Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.”
1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT
Today, 14:1 jumped out as a good balance between the gifts of the Spirit and the love chapter.
I have seen people so adamant about the constant practice of the gifts of the Spirit that they drive people away from them.
I’ve seen some who are so focused on love that they ignore the working of the Holy Spirit and even repentance.
In this one verse, we find both love and power. They can coexist. Especially in prophecy.
In the past, I have been confronted with “prophecy” that was rooted in gossip. It was not helpful. I dare say that it contributed to my ex-wife’s slide away from Christ and away from her commitment to our marriage.
I have also seen prophecy that was empowered by the Holy Spirit and rooted in God’s love.
I should be clear that the gift of prophecy as I understand it, does not necessarily involve predicting the future. In my experience, it rarely does.
What it does involve is Holy Spirit prompted exhortation or advice that, when not messed up by the “prophet”, is exactly what the hearer needs to hear.
The Spirit will normally confirm the word of prophecy to the hearer and the speaker.
I could go on but I’ve already passed my self-imposed word limit.
What do you think prophecy should look like?
How do you think prophecy and love can coexist?
Wednesday – History
Reading – 1 Samuel 5-6
Highlight Verse:
““Now build a new cart, and find two cows that have just given birth to calves. Make sure the cows have never been yoked to a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but shut their calves away from them in a pen.”
1 Samuel 6:7 NLT
When I first read this, I had to ask – why on earth would they pick cows that had just given birth.”
The answer is simple.
Mama cows have a very strong instinct to protect and provide for their calves. Pile that onto all the other things and the cattle should have never taken the ark home.
But they went straight to where they belonged.
I am not one who would recommend piling on the impossibilities. In fact, if I’m doing that, I’m probably trying to get out of something.
Have you ever tried piling on impossibilities just so you can be sure that you are in God’s will?
If so, did you have other motives to try to get out of doing the thing?
Tuesday – Pentateuch
Reading – Genesis 38
Highlight Verse:
“Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.”
Genesis 38:14 NLT
Yep. But this week, we get interrupted by Judah while he is living among the Canaanites.
You might say that this is one of those chapters that is so messed up that the Bible must be true.
You wouldn’t be wrong.
Think about today’s verse.
If Tamar knows that dressing up as a prostitute is going to help her get pregnant by Judah, then this is not Judah’s first rodeo in the red light district.
The fact that she has to stoop to this level shows that he refused any previous attempt at fulfilling his promise to marry her to his youngest son.
Meanwhile, back in Egypt, Joseph is enduring prison so that he save the Israelites.
Do you relate more to Judah or Tamar in this chapter? Why?
Like Judah, is there any promise you’ve made but haven’t followed through? Why?
Monday – Gospels
Reading – Mark 6
Highlight Verse:
“Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.”
Mark 6:31 NLT
It’s been quite the week. With everything going on, I’m wiped out. Though it’s mostly been good, my energy is zapped.
I’m sure Jesus and the disciples felt the same. They saw the need to give their bodies and minds a rest. If you read on in that chapter, you find that their plans were thwarted by the crowds, but they got what rest they could.
While it’s not always possible to take a day of rest on that day (especially if you are in ministry) the principle holds true that you should rest once a week.
Now that ministry is over for the day, I am grabbing that rest while I can. That includes getting this done early so I can rest the for the evening.
Do you find time to take a break from responsibilities and people?
What does that look like for you?
Sunday – Poetry
Reading – Psalms 69-71
Highlight Verse:
“O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.”
Psalms 69:5 NLT
This is David, the man after God’s own heart writing this.
I know full well that God can see my every sin. Still I find myself sinning anyway. Might as well keep it all in the open.
That brings us to the question, “What is sin?”
I know there are several definitions from breaking the commandments to breaking rules that churches have made.
I have a very simple definition with far reaching connotations.
That might be breaking a commandment. It might be doing so much church work that you neglect your relationship with Him or with your family. Sometimes it’s ignoring that little prod from the Holy Spirit to go talk to someone.
Needless to say, we all sin. The question is, what do we do with it. Are we moving forward, learning as we go? More importantly, are we accepting Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin, repenting, and moving forward?
Are there sins that you didn’t realize were sins in your life?
Are you dealing with them through the grace of God?
Saturday – Open Topic
Reading – Luke 1: 1-4
“Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.”
Luke 1:1-4 NLT
I just spent the better part of a week at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. There I met doctors, teachers, police officers, students, retirees, and yes, even writers. We were all there to improve our writing skills, and connect with agents, publishers, and each other.
Like Luke, we all want to improve our ability to make the Good News of Jesus understandable to our readers. Some accomplish that through writing devotionals. Some write encouraging and informative non-fiction books. Some, like me, connect to our readers like Jesus did with parables by writing fiction.
Some, like me, have heads bulging with stories clambering to get out.
If you have a story to tell, I urge you to share it, either by writing it or by sharing it with a co-writer. And if you are a writer I urge you to get training to become the best writer possible.
What story(ies) do you have that are begging to be written?
What is keeping you from writing them?
Friday – Prophets
Reading – Isaiah 64-66
Highlight Verse:
“This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place?”
Isaiah 66:1 NLT
Isaiah had just written of the fall of Jerusalem and the rise of a new Jerusalem. While the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt after this time, I believe that Isaiah alludes to the ultimate problem – Mankind cannot repair the breach between God and man.
Isaiah already prophesied 27 or 28 times (depending on how you count them) about Jesus. He knew the Messiah was coming. He would provide the answer to problem of sin.
He alone was without sin.
Are you struggling to live a life good enough to we worthy of Heaven?
Are you willing to give up on that struggle and trust the sacrifice the Jesus made?
Thursday – Letters
Reading – 1 Corinthians 11-12
Highlight Verse:
“Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.”
1 Corinthians 11:6 NLT
Oh how I was tempted to take a verse from chapter 12. There’s so much good stuff to draw on there.
You and I both know that chapter 11 raises more questions. So here we go.
When I was in Bible college, I took part in a ministry that visited a local nursing home every week. Keep in mind that this was 25 years ago. The instructors warned us that whoever was giving the message had better dress the part. People from that generation would not listen if the preacher was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.
In chapter 11, Paul is speaking in no uncertain terms to a culture that was very different than ours. The guidelines he was insisting on would have made sense to the Corinthian church members of that time. They were not matters of morality but of cultural relevance.
Likewise, we should remain culturally relevant to those we are trying to reach with the Good News of Jesus.
Do you wish for the days of more strict dress and grooming standards?
Would you be willing to study and understand the culture you are trying to reach with the Gospel?
Wednesday – History
Reading – 1 Samuel 3-4
Highlight Verse:
“As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.”
1 Samuel 3:19 NLT
I wish that could be said about me!
Hopefully I will prove reliable for the rest of my life and ministry.
1 – He was open to hearing from God.
2 – He got to know God’s voice.
3 – He was honest and open about what God said.
We can follow Samuel’s example.
1 – We should go into Bible study and prayer with an open mind and heart to the truth that God wants to bring to us.
2 – Our open mind should be tempered by how well we know the Lord’s voice. We know His voice by learning His Word. Scripture should be taken in the context of the whole Bible.
3 – We should be open about sharing the Word of God, not shoving it in people’s faces but living in such a way that they would want to hear about it from us the way people would come to Samuel for the Word.
Would you like to be successful in sharing God’s Word like Samuel?
Are you willing to take the time to get to know God’s voice in His Word?
Walk in the Light 