June 20

Luke 8:25 ESV
He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Luke 8:16-18 ESV
“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.  Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Psalms 128:2 ESV
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

1Chronicles 11:20-21 ESV
Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three. He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.

June 16

Psalms 125:3 ESV
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong.

June 13

Psalm 121 ESV

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?   My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.   The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

One of my favorite Psalms.

June 12

Luke 6:38 ESV
give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

Psalm120:2 ESV
Deliver me, O Lord , from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

June 5

Philippians 2:1-4 ESV
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

May 28

Psalms 119:67, 71 ESV

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.  It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

May 26

Ephesians 4:14-15 ESV
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

May 25

Psalms 119:43-47 ESV
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.  I will keep your law continually, forever and ever,  and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.  I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame,  for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.

1Kings 9:8-9 ESV
And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’”

May 19

Galatians 6:7-10 ESV

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

May 18

2 Samuel 22:10-14, 17, 20, 34, 37, 47 ESV

He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.  He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind.  He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.  Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth.   The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.   “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.   He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.   He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.   You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;  “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

May 16

2SA 19:33-37 ESV

And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” But Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.”

May 15

Galatians 4:1, 3, 8, 16 ESV
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Psalms 114:6-8 ESV
O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?   Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,  who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

2 Samuel 16:10-12 ESV
But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.”

May 4

2 Corinthians 11:5, 7-8 ESV

Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.

Psalms 106:7-8, 13-14 ESV

Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.  Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.  But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.  But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

1 Samuel 26:19 ESV

Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord , for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord , saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

1 Samuel 27:10-12 ESV

When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.” And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

April 25

2CO 5:7, 14, 16, 19 ESV

for we walk by faith, not by sight. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

April 24

1SA 11:6-7, 11-13 ESV

And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.  Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”

Verses from My Daily Reading

I thought it might be interesting to occasionally share these.

I'd like to see some of yours,  too.

MRK 10:32 ESV

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him,

2CO 2:17 ESV

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

PSA 97:3-5, 8-9, 11 ESV

Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.  His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.  The mountains melt like wax before the Lord , before the Lord of all the earth.  Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord .  For you, O Lord , are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.   Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Leviticus

Generally when we begin the plan I'll hear from folks about why they failed in the past. Last month's readings are often mentioned: Leviticus and then Numbers, starting this new month. I certainly understand why they can be game enders. Leviticus begins with a series of sacrifices described in detail, and while each sacrifice is slightly different they are mostly the same. Numbers begins with counting things, mostly people, but again while the numbers themselves slightly vary they format remains the same.

So I write today to encourage anyone who's found themselves stalled in this part of the Bible. You can do it! For some ideas on how to get unstuck:

First, both books do carry more variety than their beginnings convey to the reader.

Next, once you finish these two books, you'll find Deuteronomy which is a recap of the law and prepares the people for their entry into the promised land. I think you'll find it interesting as its focus is the relationship of the people with God.  After that the books of history begin, which make for good story and lots of excitement. So continue on and you will make it through.

Third, if need be, skip forward, skim passages until you find something that catches your eye and start there. At the end of  the year you can come back and fill in OR . . .

Just skip on and don't worry about it. There is still lots more to read.

Read the Bible, Get Motivated, and Win

You Bible is sponsoring a 21 day reading challenge.

If you've gotten behind this is the time to turn that around and get back on track.

And as a bonus, they will draw some names to win prizes from those who complete the challenge.

Wow! Is that in there?

I was struck several times this week by verses. Since I'm reading on an electronic device, I've been trying to capture those as notes so I can keep a record of them. Whether this is the first time you've read through the Bible in an organized fashion or you've done before, you are sure to come across those moments. Each time I do it, there are new ones.

I thought I'd share one from this week.

Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. [Genesis 32:1 (NASB)]

That's from when Jacob is returning to see his father and Esau after having been with Laban for twenty years. I was well aware of the later encounter of Jacob with the man who wrestles with him, but I had never noticed these angels who met him prior to that.

If you can easily capture these verses, I encourage you to do so (although I would discourage anything that makes you less likely to read).

Slow Start

This is my second post and I wanted to ask how everyone is doing and in particular ask if anyone has had trouble starting or keeping up.

Photo of a Florida Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri). Taken in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week's post drew one comment on that problem. I'd like to encourage all of you to take a look at those comments. If you have more ideas please post them. While I've done this before, I am not an expert and can use all the help I can get.

I'm of two minds about a slow start. First you might need to rethink your plan or at least put a back up time to read into effect, or think of a way to remind yourself daily to do your reading (if you use a electronic calendar either on your phone or computer that would be simple to do).

However, I would not rule out the fact that it is hard to establish a habit and you need to push through some of the slow start and continue on until doing your reading is routine.

I can't tell you which is the case, but I can encourage you to think and pray about both.