September 15 Bible reading

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 15  Psalm 107:23-32  Galatians 2:1-10  Isaiah 36; 37

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

Psalm 107 repeatedly calls for praise to the God of faithful supernatural love. The Holy Spirit spoke to me through verses 7 and 30 with direction for our move to Baltimore. Our God still responds to people calling for help out of distress.

Paul refutes false teaching. He includes a description of his own submission to spiritual authority. The leaders of the church had identified people who were pretending to be Jesus followers. Peter, James, and John recognized Paul’s ministry, approved of the content of his teaching, and encouraged more ministry to the poor. It’s crucial for us to recognize this interaction now as people are trying to cut out Paul’s teaching from Scripture.

Sennacherib, the evil king of Assyria, laid siege to Jerusalem and with arrogant defiance mocked the Israelites’ trust in Yahweh. Israel’s king Hezekiah turned to the prophet Isaiah, asking for God’s help. Our God had observed this evil king and rescued His people with specific miracles.

September 14 Bible reading

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 14  Psalm 107:10-22  Galatians 1  Isaiah 33; 34; 35

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

Over and over, God proved His love to be way beyond the norm. With jaw-dropping miracles, God took action for His people. Psalm 107 refers to these specific stories and calls us to praise God.

False teachers mentioned Acts 15:1 had been following the apostles’ church planting travels. They sought selfish gain by earning recognition. They taught a mixture of Jesus’ teaching and Jewish customs added to Moses’ teaching. This resulted in the twisted idea that salvation came by faith and works, and that we are “perfected” by good works. Paul writes to teach our freedom by faith in Jesus and to refute this perversion.

A respect for God, a constant awareness of, a reverence for God will be life-giving enriching strength to you, if you choose it. Then you will see God as seen in Isaiah 33:5-6. Isaiah communicates God’s response to people of all nations. We clearly see God as alive, aware, able, and active. God has plans. God gives us a free will and will hold us accountable for our choices.

September 13 Bible reading

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 13  Proverbs 22:17-27  2 Corinthians 13  Isaiah 30:19-33; 31; 32

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

Learning from the Proverbs is beneficial. For best results, we should memorize them and recite them as we apply them. This practice will help us trust God. God will ruin those who bring ruin to the poor.

Paul prepares the Corinthian church for his upcoming 3^rd visit. He wants to help them mature and grow stronger. Paul asks that they would examine their own hearts, adhering to the words of Jesus and receiving help by recognizing spiritual authority. Encouraging each other, they can grow and experience joy. “Then the God of love and peace will be with you.”

While preparing to move to Baltimore, God spoke to me through a prophet who quoted Isaiah 30:21, predicting that God would guide me in this journey. This has certainly been proven true. Isaiah predicts God’s restoration of a repentant people. We read that people who look to evil natural rulers as their provider will be sorry they did so. In contrast, people who look for truth in God, and listen for His voice, will see peace and hear a calm in their homes.

September 12 Bible reading

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 12  Psalm 107:1-9  2 Corinthians 12:11-21  Isaiah 29; 30:1-18

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

We should thank God, out loud, for His goodness and unfailing love. God spoke to me through Psalm 107:7 with direction for urban church pioneering. These words reveal the heart of God toward hurting people and His plans for cities.

Paul defended himself and his team from false accusations made against them by deceitful teachers, trying to lure the Corinthian believers away from a life-changing focus on Jesus. There is a motive to help the Corinthian believers and strengthen their faith. There is also a concern that they might not have yet given up their old habits of sexual sin.

Through Isaiah, God calls out His awareness of their hypocrisy. They perform religious actions with the right words and yet their hearts are far from God. People who do not recognize God as Creator (and the implications of this truth) will one day recognize their foolishness. For a time, God will wait for people to return to Him so that He can show His love and compassion. Humble people will be filled with joy from the Lord.

September 11 Bible reading

Please join me today in prayer for God’s miracle grace & peace for those who lost loved ones on September 11th 2001. My own family and friends felt loss on that day. Recently my daughter asked me about my own thoughts and experiences from that day. A surprising flood of emotions came with the memories. Over the 6 years following 9/11, I spent 14 months in NYC and met many people who were grieving. I am reminded that Jesus was often “moved with compassion”. This means that he suffered with those who were suffering. Let us weep with those who weep. Let us offer a smile and maybe an encouraging word. The love of Jesus gives hope.

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 11  Psalm 106:40-48  2 Corinthians 12:1-10  Isaiah 27; 28

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

The Israelites spiritual idolatry brought an angry response from God and consequences. When they cried out to God, He remembered His covenant agreement with them and, by His unfailing love, He pulled back the punishment.

Paul refers to an indescribable vision that he had, of heaven. Hearing from God revelation of truth was not something Paul would brag about. Instead, He pointed to the power of God seen in the fact that anything good could come despite his human weakness. By God’s Word, Paul learned to see spiritual strength in natural weakness. He was happy to see difficulty in this life as leading him to strength.

Isaiah describes an apocalyptic scene of God’s final judgment and a restoration of His people in to worship. Drunkenness obscures their ability to hear from God. They are called to listen and to watch for the coming Messiah, a “precious cornerstone”. If they will believe, they will not need to be shaken.

 

September 10 Bible reading

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 10  Psalm 106:32-29  2 Corinthians 11:16-33  Isaiah 24; 25; 26

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

The Israelites failed to obey God completely. This allowed a temptation for them, that they could not resist, to cheat on God. Our God had created them, rescued them, and provided for them. And yet they had an affair with idol worship.

Paul is writing to protect the Corinthian believers from false teachers who seek to deceive them, turning their loyalty, for pay, to teach their own version of spiritual truth (that was self-serving). Paul recounts the ways that he has proven his pure motives and focus on Jesus, despite being persecuted for this faith.

Isaiah, the prophet, share the heartbreak of God at the required punishment for sin. This includes the negative results seen in our natural environment. The One True Living God will bring judgment on the evil spiritual and natural rulers of our earth. They will yet see a final punishment. Our praiseworthy God will be a refuge to the poor and distressed. A final feast will be available to people of all nations in their worship of God. We should worship our trustworthy God. Morning and night, our hearts highest desire should be to glorify the name of God.

September 9 Bible reading

Each day of the year I’ll post verses to read, with the purpose of reading through the whole Bible within a year.

Reading the Bible is helpful in taking next steps to follow Jesus. It may not be easy and yet it can be rewarding. Digging into Scripture alongside people you know is a life-giving way to pursue answers together. We discover the love that God has for us, expressed through Jesus.

Please read the verses below, prayerfully consider them, and then my comments may be helpful after those moments.

September 9  Proverbs 22:7-16  2 Corinthians 11:1-15  Isaiah 20; 21; 22; 23

Based on today’s reading, what is one thing God is saying to you?

God brings happiness and fulfillment to those who are generous to people who are poor. Many Bible verses refer to God’s thoughts about our attitude and actions toward those living in poverty. We do not see a directive for us to pass judgment on their character prior to determining whether or not we will be generous.

Paul is concerned that the Corinthians believers might become deceived by false teacher. They had interacted with people claiming to be Christian teachers who were not teaching the truth, that the apostles had received from Jesus and faithfully taught abroad. We must also be careful to focus on the pure teaching of Jesus as seen in Scripture. We should develop our ability to distinguish this from false teaching.

In dramatic fashion, God predicted punishment for the Israelites spiritual adultery (through Isaiah). God reveals His response to the motives, actions, and words of the Jews, Arabs, Africans, and other people groups from the region. Self-centered pride will see God’s consequences.