Day 172 Bible Readings - Zechariah 11:12-13 (NLT)

Zechariah 9-14, Psalm 17

Zechariah 11:12-13 (NLT)

“And I said to them, ‘If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.’ So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.”

In Zechariah 11:12-13, the prophet Zechariah acts out the symbolic role of a shepherd. One Bible commentary I read noted that Zechariah was representing the Lord’s leadership over Israel. Zechariah gives the people a choice to pay him wages according to what they think he is worth. The people responded by counting out thirty pieces of silver, which at the time was the price of a slave. Then the Lord told Zechariah to throw the pieces of silver to the potter, which was symbolic of Father-God’s authority over creation. One Bible commentary I read noted that throwing the silver to the potter in the Temple of the Lord symbolized a rejection of the value placed on the shepherd.

When I read these verses, I was reminded of the thirty pieces of silver that Judas accepted to betray Jesus Christ. Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the New Testament, as recorded in Matthew 26:14-16. In Matthew 27:3-7, Judas threw the money into the Temple, and the chief priests decided to use it to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. The second part of Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled through the actions of Judas and the temple priests.

When I read prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the life of Christ with such specific detail, it strengthens my belief that the Bible is divinely inspired. Knowing that these prophecies were recorded and studied for centuries before the birth of Christ further strengthens my faith. It also reminds me that prophecies in the Old and New Testaments that have not yet come to pass will be fulfilled in the Lord’s timing.  

These verses give me confidence that the guidance I have received from the Holy Spirit about the Lord’s plan for my life will come to pass. Since I already experience the blessings of peace in my life, they also strengthen my faith that the other promises and blessings the Lord has spoken about for His people will be fulfilled. As I continue to obey Him and seek to reflect His character, I trust that His promises are true.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the One whose plan for the world and your life will always come to pass—this may be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him in prayer. Tell Him you trust Him and desire to walk with Him. He is faithful, and He will meet you exactly where you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit–filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 171 Bible Readings - Zechariah 8:16-17 (NLT)

Zechariah 5-8, Psalm 16

Zechariah 8:16-17 (NLT)

“But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”

In Zechariah 8:16-17, the Lord speaks through the prophet Zechariah and says that He is determined to bless His people, but only on the condition that they fulfill their part of the Mosaic covenant. One Bible commentary I read noted that Father-God desired a community grounded in righteousness and justice. The people were to tell the truth and render sound judgments in their courts. They were also not to plot evil against one another or make oaths and promises they had no intention of keeping. The Lord tells Zechariah that He hates all sin and injustice.

These verses reveal the Lord’s character to believers. Father-God desires His people to reflect His holiness. The Lord has an aversion to sin and injustice. If we know the Lord’s character and understand what He hates, we can be motivated to avoid those things. The commands the Lord gives through Zechariah are practical and can be acted upon immediately.

These verses remind me of the second greatest commandment in the New Testament, when Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Speaking the truth fosters unity and trust between people and within a community. Rendering just verdicts in the courts also promotes unity because people believe they are being treated fairly. Not harboring evil intentions toward others and not making promises you cannot keep are also ways of treating your neighbors as yourself.

When I follow these commands, I know I am reflecting the Lord’s character to others, which I believe pleases Him and helps me grow in holiness.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the One who transforms our hearts so we can reflect His character to others—this may be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him in prayer. Tell Him you trust Him and desire to walk with Him. He is faithful, and He will meet you exactly where you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit–filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 170 Bible Readings - Zechariah 3:8-9 (NLT)

Zechariah 1-4, Psalm 15

Zechariah 3:8-9 (NLT)

“Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.”

In Zechariah 3:8-9, the Lord gives Jeshua a message through the prophet Zechariah. The Lord says that He will bring His servant called the Branch. Father-God then gives another picture of a stone having seven eyes. The Lord will engrave an inscription on it, and He will remove the sins of the land in a single day.

These verses remind believers that the prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ was given to many prophets in the Old Testament. The prophet Zechariah ministered after the people returned from their 70-year exile in Babylon. The prophecy of the Branch points to the birth of Jesus Christ. One Bible commentary I read noted that the phrases “My Servant” and “the Branch” are Messianic titles that symbolize new growth emerging from the line of David.

Another Bible commentary I read noted that the stone symbolizes the foundation or cornerstone, which is also associated with the Messiah in biblical prophecy. There is also a prophecy that the Lord will remove the sins of the land in a single day, which points to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His atonement for the sins of mankind.

I love how the Lord continually seeded the promise of a coming Messiah through the prophets in the Old Testament. The life of Jesus Christ was always part of Father-God’s plan of redemption for the world. The Lord revealed several aspects of Christ’s life and mission, including His atoning death on the cross, which accomplished the forgiveness of sins in a single day.

When I read these verses, I can see how the Lord always had a plan for the world long before the birth of Jesus Christ. Each story in the Old Testament feels like another step on the path leading to Christ. These verses strengthen my trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit because they remind me that the Lord's plans unfold according to His purpose and timing.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the One whose plan for your life you can trust—this may be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him in prayer. Tell Him you trust Him and desire to walk with Him. He is faithful, and He will meet you exactly where you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit–filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 169 Bible Readings for June 20 - Haggai 2:8-9 (NLT)

Haggai 1-2, Psalm 14

Haggai 2:8-9 (NLT)

“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

In Haggai 2:8-9, the Lord speaks through the prophet Haggai and tells the people that they do not need to be discouraged if they do not have the money to rebuild the Lord’s temple. The Lord says that He is sovereign over all material wealth, and He will provide the necessary resources when He wants His people to accomplish something. The people had been tasked with rebuilding the temple after their return from the Babylonian exile. Then the Lord tells them that the future temple will be greater than Solomon’s Temple. One Bible commentary I read noted that the reference to the future temple was another prophecy of Jesus Christ. Christ taught in the Second Temple and brought it greater glory through His presence. The peace mentioned in these verses was also brought by Jesus Christ, as believers find true peace through His presence.

These verses remind believers that when the Lord gives us a task to do, He will provide the resources needed to accomplish it because He is sovereign over all material wealth. The future peace that Haggai prophesied about was fulfilled through the birth of Jesus Christ. Christ embodied the presence of the Lord and brought peace to believers through His death and resurrection.

When I read these verses, I think about the peace that I feel as a follower of Jesus Christ. But Haggai also made me realize that this peace can apply to the work the Lord asks me to do. In the past, I felt fear when Father-God asked me to do something that I did not feel I had the resources to accomplish. When the Lord guided me to move to my current location, I focused on finding a job before I moved.

After searching for a job for six months with no success, I began to wonder if I had misunderstood the guidance the Lord gave me about moving. But the Holy Spirit told me to move anyway and trust that the Lord would provide for me. Right before I moved, I received a large raise, which enabled me to live without income in my new state. When I asked the Holy Spirit when I would get a job, the guidance I received was that I would find one in six months. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I applied for different types of jobs, and exactly six months later I received a job offer. That job ended up being the perfect job for me.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the One who never gives you something to do without first providing what you need to accomplish it—this may be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him in prayer. Tell Him you trust Him and desire to walk with Him. He is faithful, and He will meet you exactly where you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit–filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.