Day 352 Bible Readings – Proverbs 27: 7 (ESV)

Ezra 3, Revelation 9: 13-21, Revelation 10, Proverbs 27: 5-14

Proverbs 27: 7 (ESV)

“One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.”

When I read verse 7 from Provers 27, I was so touched. Solomon tells us when you are full, something as sweet as a honeycomb is not desired. Bible commentators have said that this verse means that when your life is satisfying, you will find it easy to reject things that others would consider rewarding. I have been at this place in my life, but I always knew that something was missing. Even when my life was rich and abundant, it just wasn’t enough.

Solomon then tells us when your life is not abundant and you are hungry, you will find everything very sweet. I’ve been in this place as well. I remember when I used to take night classes, and I used to bring my dinner to eat on campus because I didn’t have enough money to eat in the cafeteria. Eating out even if the meal was under $10 was such a big deal.  

Having had an abundant life and a life of not having enough money to even eat out, I used to think that if I just had enough money I would be satisfied. But when I had a lot of money and was able to eat out and did not think anything of spending over $150 on a dinner, the abundant life was not satisfying. The only thing that I have found truly satisfying is having a relationship with God in my life. God is the only thing in my life that seems to satisfy the hunger in me.

Day 351 Bible Readings – Proverbs 27: 4 (ESV)

Ezra 1 & 2, Revelation 8, Revelation 9: 1-12, Proverbs 26: 23-28, Proverbs 27: 1-4

Proverbs 27: 4 (ESV)

“Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?”

Verse 4 from Proverbs 27 is a truth that resonates as truth, but Solomon reminds us in case people have forgotten it. Wrath is indeed cruel, and anger can be overwhelming when expressed, but they tend to be short lived. Jealousy on the other hand can be long lasting, and therefore may lead to more cruel and overwhelming actions for those who are envious. We can see the results of envy in Matthew 27: 18 “For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.” Matthew speculated that it was envy that led the Sanhedrin to plot to kill Jesus Christ. 

While anger is often caused by something someone has done, jealousy on the other hand seems to sometimes be unreasonable and caused by someone becoming upset by the good fortune of another person. Jealousy also seems to be more hidden as it is not something another person would openly confess to in public, unlike wrath and anger which is often expressed publicly and not hidden well.

Day 350 Bible Readings – Malachi 3: 10-12 (ESV)

Malachi 3 & 4, Revelation 7, Proverbs 26: 13-22

Malachi 3: 10-12 (ESV)

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.  Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.”

In verses 10 through 12 from Malachi 12, we read of God telling us that we can test him regarding the promise of tithing. Malachi tells us that God promises that he will pour down blessings on us until there is no need. God will also make sure our property is not destroyed, and everything we have will be fruitful. God says we will be so blessed that we will be recognized by others as being blessed by God.

Tithing is such an interesting topic for people of faith, especially if money and time are not abundant in one’s life. We can tithe our money and our time to God, but for some to give away both is a hardship. I know for myself that I never felt more abundant in my life than when I was tithing both money and time to God. Was it hard to tithe sometimes? Absolutely! Did God fulfill his promises to me when I was tithing? Yes, and in ways I wasn’t expecting which I cannot even put a price on at this time. All I know is that when I surrendered to tithe 10% to God, I had to redefine my definitions of wealth and abundance. I think if one fears tithing, you have to know that God will help you to do it. You are not left on your own to figure it out. God promised that he will be with us in everything, and that includes figuring out to tithe 10% to him. I know I couldn’t have done it without the Holy Spirit advising me on how to do it.

Day 349 Bible Readings for December 16 – Revelation 6: 12-13 (ESV)

Malachi 1 & 2, Revelation 6, Proverbs 26: 1-12

Revelation 6: 12-13 (ESV)

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.”

I love the description of what happens when the sixth seal is open from verses 12 and 13 in Revelation 6. The sixth seal talks about there being a great earthquake, and the sun becoming black. Then the full moon becomes like blood and stars of the sky fall to earth, and there is a great gale. The sixth seal talks about natural disasters and whenever there is a cluster of natural disasters, people start talking about the Book of Revelation and they look for evidence of the seals being broken in Revelation 6.

There have been many movies about what the breaking of the seals might look like if it ever happened. One movie depicted the disasters happening all at once, and that is sort of how I picture what the breaking of the sixth seal would look like if it ever happened. If a multitude of disasters were happening at the same time, there would no doubt that something momentous was happening in the world and people of faith would recognize it as part of the sixth seal breaking.

I don’t think the sixth seal has been broken but when it does, the people who follow God’s words will know what it may mean.

Day 348 Bible Readings for December 15 – Revelation 5: 5-6 (ESV)

Esther 9 & 10, Revelation 5: Proverbs 25: 21-28

Revelation 5: 5-6 (ESV)

“And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

In verses 5 and 6 from Revelation, we see the elder responding to John when he weeps that no one is able to able to look or open up the scrolls. The elder tells John that the Lion of the tribe of Judah can open up the scroll and its seven seals. Many Bible commentators have said that this Lion of the tribe of Judah is Jesus Christ, since the next thing John sees is a slain lamb. I love that it is only Christ who can open the scrolls with seven seals. We don’t really what is written in the scroll with the seven seals, only that only Christ is the only person who can open the scroll and break the seven seals. Because Christ is the only person who can open the scroll, we can see this detail as further evidence that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God.

It must have been such an unusual and frightening sight for John to see a slain lamb with seven horns and seven eyes. Did John know immediately that the lamb represented Jesus Christ? John had known Jesus Christ when he had been alive, so seeing a slain lamb must have been a shock for him or at least bring back to him the traumatic memories of Christ dying on the cross. John’s traumatic memories were I hope made better when he heard Christ being sung to and worshipped by the angels and the living creatures around the throne.

Day 347 Bible Readings for December 14 – Proverbs 25: 16-17 (ESV)

Esther 6-8, Revelations 4, Proverbs 25: 11-20

Proverbs 25: 16-17 (ESV)

“If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.”

Verses 16 and 17 from Proverbs 25 give more good advice on how to live life from Solomon. Solomon tells us that if you find honey or something sweet, you should only have enough for yourself. If you have your fill or if you overindulge, it will make you sick. You will also lose whatever you thought was good about the thing you thought you loved.

I also like the advice to not to spend too much time in your neighbor’s house. I believe this advice is about not abusing the hospitality of others including your neighbors. Solomon advises us to have discretion with our friends as every relationship needs space to thrive and last a long time.

Day 346 Bible Readings – Proverbs 25: 2-3 (ESV)

Esther 3-5, Revelation 3: 7-22, Proverbs 25: 1-10

Proverbs 25: 2-3 (ESV)

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.”

In verses 2 and 3 from Proverbs 25, Solomon tells us that there are many mysteries in the world which can be solved but God has concealed even greater mysteries. Great men such as kings want to solve God’s mysteries, and they spend a lifetime doing it. But Solomon tells us what cannot searched is what is in people’s hearts including the heart of a king. Only God can know what is in the heart of a person.

I think what these verses mean is that we need to turn to God for discernment when we are trying to determine what is in the heart of other people. No matter how great a person is, even if they are a king, we all need God’s help to make decisions especially concerning other people. Only God can see what is in someone’s heart, and what their motivations are for their actions. So if we rely on God for help when judging other people or making decisions involving other people, we have a better chance of making a better decision than if we had done it on our own. Only God can judge, and if we need to judge, then we need to rely on God for advice on how to judge other people.

Day 345 Bible Readings - Proverbs 24: 33-34 (ESV)

Esther 1 & 2, Revelation 2: 18-29, Revelation 3: 1-6, Proverbs 24: 23-34

Proverbs 24: 33-34 (ESV)

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

In verses 33 and 34 from Proverbs 24, the Wise men tell us what the effects are of being lazy. In the prior two verses, the Wise men see the property of a lazy person and notice that the property is not well kept. The vineyard is overgrown with thorns, the ground is covered with nettles, and the stone wall is broken. The Wise men tell us if you just sleep a little too much, maybe take too many naps, and you do not work as hard as you should, then poverty will rob you of your wealth.

I used to think that it was worse that if you were totally lazy and didn’t do anything, you would be poor. But according to the Wise men, even a little bit of laziness and carelessness will lead you to poverty as well. I don’t think that the Wise men are saying you can’t take breaks and have vacations, but you have to continue to work hard or your property will be not well maintained and your laziness will rob you of everything you’ve worked hard for in your life.

Day 344 Bible Readings – Proverbs 24: 19-20 (ESV)

Zechariah 12-14, Revelation 2: 1-17, Proverbs 24: 15-22

Proverbs 24: 19-20 (ESV)

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

Verses 19 and 20 from Proverbs 24 remind us not to pay attention to people who do evil or are wicked. I know for myself that I tend to pay attention to people who seem to be evil or wicked, because I want to be there to see them fail. I want to see for myself God’s justice on these types of people. But Solomon tells us that we can’t worry about evildoers or the wicked getting punished. Solomon tells us that God’s punishment will come for them, as the evildoer and the wicked have no future. We cannot spend our lives wanting these people to get punished. God has his own timing, and the ways of the God are truly inscrutable. We have to trust that God will keep his promises and punish these people. But even if we were to watch these types of people, I’m not sure we would even know when they are being punished because God can punish them in his own way and in a way that we do not understand. We can never truly see into another person’s life and heart, only God can do that. But as we trust in God to punish those who do not follow his laws, we can also trust that will take care of the people that do dwell and follow his laws. We need to worry more about our behavior and relationship with God, and not with anyone else’s relationship or behavior.

Day 343 Bible Readings – Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

Zechariah 9-11, Revelation 1, Proverbs 24: 1-14

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

I love verse 9 from Zechariah 9 because it is another prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. According to Bible commentaries, only royalty rode on donkeys. Christ was a king and a messiah when he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. I find it so interesting that there are many prophecies of the coming of Jesus Christ in the book of the Old Testament.

People in the time of Jesus knew the words of the Old Testament. It makes me wonder if they connected the prophecies of a messiah coming to them when they saw the things in life of Jesus that were reflected in these prophecies. In the two new “Dune” movies, they depicted how people connected the prophecies of their messiah to Paul Atreides by the things that Paul was doing in their lives. Did people in the time of Jesus connect their prophecies in the Old Testament of the coming of a messiah was wondrously as they did the Dune movies? I often ask myself if I had lived in the time of Jesus, would I have been able to connect the Old Testament prophecies to the life of Jesus. If I lived at that time, how would I have responded to the healing miracles of Jesus. Would I have become a believer and follower of Jesus? Or would I have been a sceptic? I like to think I would have become a follower, but I’ll never know.

Day 342 Bible Readings for December 9 – Zechariah 5: 1-4 (ESV)

Zechariah 5-8, Jude 1, Proverbs 23: 29-35

Zechariah 5: 1-4 (ESV)

“Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits. ”Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

In verses 1 through 4 from Zechariah 5, the prophet Zechariah has a vision of flying scroll. I love this image of the flying scroll which sounds like it has the 10 commandments written on it. The scroll has the names of the people who have violated the commandments of Thou shall not steal and Thou shall not swear false witness against thy neighbor. The scroll will then fly around and enter the sinners’ houses and burn them down, including the timber and stones.

Zechariah’s vision reminds that God keeps tracks of who violates these commandments and will send punishment to these people and judge them according to their crimes. The punishment that God sends will be appropriate to the commandment broken. If you steal and bear false witness against your neighbor, you will lose everything you possess since your sin deprived others of their possessions. In modern parlance, some would call this scenario “karma.”

Day 341 Bible Readings for December 8 – 3 John 1: 2 (ESV)

Zechariah 1-4, 3 John 1, Proverbs 23: 19-28

3 John 1: 2 (ESV)

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

Verse 2 from 3 John 1 reminds us that God always wants the best for us. God wants us to have good health and wealth, which is reflected in our soul. Pastor David Guzik wrote the following in his bible commentary on this verse, “Of course, we should always remember that God wants our best and plans only good for us. Often present material prosperity and physical health are part of that good He has for us – and this prosperity and health are absolutely promised as the ultimate destiny of all believers.’

I love and absolutely believe that prosperity and health are the promised destiny for all those who believe in God. But when we don’t have good health and prosperity, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us. It simply means that God may be trying to teach us lessons on health, prosperity, and his plan for our life. God does want the best for us, always.

Day 340 Bible Readings for December 7 – Haggai 1: 5-6 (ESV)

Haggai 1 & 2, 2 John 1, Proverbs 23: 10-38

Haggai 1: 5-6 (ESV)

“Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.”

Verses 5 and 6 from Haggai 1 tells us what happens to us when we focus on the wrong priorities and not on the work God has chosen for us. Haggai the prophet tells us we can so much, but harvest little. We can eat, but never feel full or have enough. We can drink but we will never our fill. We can clothe ourselves, but never feel warm. Finally we can earn money but it will seem as if we can’t  hold on to it and if will feel like we are putting our money in a bag with holes.

God created us and has a plan for our lives.  If we follow God’s plan for our lives, then our life will seem satisfying and full of abundance. However, if lose our focus on God’s will for our lives, it will feel like we are running in place and never getting anywhere. I know I’ve done this in my life when I was not focused on God. Nothing ever seemed to satisfy me when my focus wasn’t on trying to discern God’s will for my life and following what I had heard. I had a great paying job, lots of money, lots of material things, and lots of responsibilities and prestige at work. But I never felt satisfied ever. I was always hungry for more, and it was so frustrating at times. I never ever had the feeling that I had enough of anything, even though I was surrounded by an abundance of many things. It wasn’t until I turned my focus back to God that I found more satisfaction with my life and that forgotten feeling of abundance again.

Day 339 Bible Readings – 1 John 5: 14-15 (ESV)

Daniel 12, 1 John 5: 1-21, Proverbs 22: 28-29, Proverbs: 23: 1-9

1 John 5: 14-15 (ESV)

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

In verses 14 and 15 from 1 John 5, John tells us that we can ask anything of God because of our belief in Jesus Christ. We just need to ask anything of God in prayer and ask according to his will. We also need to have confidence that God will hear us, and our prayers will be answered if they are part of God’s will. Many folks who have commented on these Bible verses say that we need to pray to God about everything in our life because God cares about everything in our life.

I think that what is interesting in these verses is we need to ask for things that are part of God’s will, so we need to discern what is God’s will. If we think about and try to discern what God’s will is for our life, then our prayers for what we want will be quite different. I always try to add to my prayer request to let me know if this is God’s will, and if not, for God and the Holy Spirit to help me discern his will for my life. But it is probably a better idea to try and discern God’s will before praying for something, so you have a better chance of your prayers being answered.

Day 338 Bible Readings – 1 John 4: 18-19 (ESV)

Daniel 11, 1 John 4: 7-21, Proverbs 22: 17-27

1 John 4: 18-19 (ESV)

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.”

In verses 18 and 19 from 1 John 4, John tells us about the transformative love of Jesus Christ. Christ died for us – his is a perfect love for humanity, for us. Because Jesus loves us with a perfect love, we will not have fear in our life. God loves us so much that we need not feel the fear of punishment of our sin, because Christ died for our sins.

I think it’s hard sometimes to not fear God. We want to please God so much and when we fail, we think God will punish us. But God isn’t like our human parents. God’s love for us is perfect. God never wants us to be afraid of him because he wants us be happy.

Day 337 Bible Readings – I John 4: 1 (ESV)

Daniel 9 & 10, 1 John 4: 1-6, Proverbs 22: 7-16

I John 4: 1 (ESV)

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Verse 1 from 1 John 4 is good advice that we cannot believe or assume that every spiritual experience or demonstration of spiritual power is from God. This scenario is one of the few times we can test the Holy Spirit to ascertain whether the spirit is from God.

I love listening to prophetic voices. I find the phenomenon of prophecy so interesting, but I don’t think we can assume that all prophecies are from God. We need to observe and question whether the prophecies are in line with Biblical teachings. If the prophecy is not in line in what is being said in the Bible, we need to step back and pray for discernment. I think it also helps if we cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit daily, so we can ask the Holy Spirit what they think of the prophecy and the prophetic voice who is speaking it. I think if the prophecy feels just a little bit off, we need to step away and pray for discernment. God is the only one who can judge, so we need to pray and ask God to help us determine if the prophecy is even worth paying attention to and acted upon.

Day 336 Bible Readings – Proverbs 22: 6 (ESV)

Daniel 8, 1 John 3: 11-24, Proverbs 21: 27-31, Proverbs 22: 1-6

Proverbs 22: 6 (ESV)

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Verse 6 from Proverbs 22 reminds me to be grateful to my mom. She loved Christ and tried to instill in me a love of Christ from a very young age. I grew up going to church and watching her pray and trying to be a good person of faith. She didn’t always succeed, but she tried. That early teaching to love God came back to me as I grew older. I don’t think that feeling of loving God ever left me fully, but it took a back seat for many years of my life. And when the timing was right, those early memories of loving God came back and reminded me that God was always there for me in m life.

I thank my mom and all moms for never hiding their love of Christ from their children. Your love of God will influence your children for the rest of their lives.

Day 335 Bible Readings – Proverbs 21: 17 (ESV)

Daniel 7, 1 John 3: 1-10, Proverbs 21: 17-26

Proverbs 21: 17 (ESV)

“Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.”

Verse 17 from Proverbs 21 is another simple piece of advice that needs to be repeated often. Solomon tells us that if you love pleasure too much, you will be a poor man. Similarly, if you love oil and wine too much you will not have wealth. To be successful in life and have wealth requires self-discipline and self-denial. You cannot always be in the pursuit of pleasure. Many would consider wine and oil to be items of luxury. It’s not that you can’t have luxury in life, but you can’t love them so much that you spend all of your money on them.

Verse 17 can also be applied to food. If you find too much pleasure in food, you will gain weight and not be a healthy and thin person. If you spend all your time drinking too much wine and eating luxurious foods, you will gain weight and not be healthy.

Day 334 Bible Readings – 1 John 2: 15-17 (ESV)

Daniel 5: 17-31, Daniel 6: 1-28, 1 John 1-2, Proverbs 21: 1-16

1 John 2: 15-17 (ESV)

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

In verses 15 through 17 from 1 John 2, John writes to people of faith to not love the things of the world. John tells us that whatever is in the world is from the world and does not last. The only thing that does last is God and the love he has for us, and the promise that we will be with him at the end of our days.

John’s advice seems so simple, but it can be hard to remember in our daily life because we live in the world and are influenced by it on a constant basis. I think that the times we live in make it especially hard for people of faith to live in the world. There are many things that are shown in movies and television shows that are not in keeping with the God’s laws in the Bible. We also see these things in print, in commercials, on the radio, on billboards, etc. It seems at times the whole world is against God or as some would say “anti-God”.

In my life the only thing that brings me peace of mind and contentment is the love of God and the reading of his words and promises in the Bible. The world has changed so much since the Bible, but the Bible has not changed. It has withstood the changes that go on in the world. The same is true for the love of God. God has not changed and there are centuries of stories proving that God always keeps his promises to his people. The world changes but God never does.

Day 333 Bible Readings – 2 Peter 3: 8-9 (ESV)

Daniel 4: 19-37, Daniel 5: 1-16, 2 Peter 3, Proverbs 20: 25-30

2 Peter 3: 8-9 (ESV)

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

In verses 8 and 9 from 2 Peter 3, Peter writes about the difference between us and God regarding time. As humans we do not have the same view of time that God does. We do not live forever and have a very short time here on earth. We cannot wait forever for God’s justice because we want to see God’s justice done during our very short time here on earth.

We have to remember always that God has a pan, and God’s actions have to harmonize with the plan. Waiting for prayers to be answered is one of the hardest parts of my faith journey. Doubt fills my mind if God even cares for me. I start to question everything I’ve done in my life and beat myself up for not being better. I have to constantly remind myself that God loves me, and everything I have in my life is a gift from God. Some days I am just grateful to God that I have another day to live and breathe. Peter is right when he wrote that God is patient with all of us, and will not come back until all are saved. Until then we have to keep focused on God and his words, because dwelling in God’s words give us patience and reminds us of God’s love and how he always fulfills his promises.

Day 332 Bible Readings for November 29 - Proverbs 20: 15, 22 (ESV)

Daniel 3: 13-30, Daniel 4: 1-18, 2 Peter 2, Proverbs 20: 15-24

Proverbs 20: 15, 22 (ESV)

“There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel…Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”

Verses 15 and 22 from Proverbs 20 stood out for me in Day 332 Bible readings. I love jewelry and I have spent a lot of money on it, but I think Solomon is right. Knowledge is like a jewel and more precious. I have been fortunate in life in that I was able to spend money both on knowledge and on jewelry, but money spent on knowledge was definitely worth more than money spent on jewelry.

Solomon repeats what is mentioned so many times in the Bible. Only God can judge people. It might take awhile to see God’s judgement on people, but it does come eventually but not necessarily in the way we want. God has his own timing and his own way of judging people, and from personal experience it will always satisfy you.

Day 331 Bible Readings for November 28 – 1 Peter 2: 17-18 (ESV)

Daniel 2: 24-49, Daniel 3: 1-12, 2 Peter 1, Proverbs 20: 1-14

2 Peter 1: 17-18 (ESV)

“For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

When I read 2 Peter 1 verses 17 and 18, I thought about what an amazing thing Peter could be grateful for every year if he celebrated Thanksgiving. Peter heard God’s voice booming out from the heavens that Jesus Christ was God’s beloved son. This scene of God’s voice booming from the sky has been depicted in so many movies, and even parodied in a couple of Monty Python movies. I love the image of it and the sheer wonder of physically hearing God’s voice booming out from the sky. The gospels and now Peter’s letter does not give us the finer details of how God’s voice sounded when they heard it. They leave it our imagination.

I’ve always wondered what the disciples thought and how frightening it must have been for them to hear the voice of God booming from the sky. They also never describe the look on Jesus’ face when he heard the voice. Did he have a proud smile on his face as if thinking “that is my beloved father God”? I like to think that the disciples must have been so grateful to have such an undeniable physical confirmation that Jesus Christ was indeed the son of God. They would have given thanks every Thanksgiving that they were able to hear the voice of God. What miracle of God in your life are you grateful this Thanksgiving season?

Day 330 Bible Readings – 1 Peter 5: 6-7 (ESV)

Daniel 1, Daniel 2: 1-23, 1 Peter 5, Proverbs 19: 23-29

1 Peter 5: 6-7 (ESV)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

In verses 6 and 7 Peter tells us that we need to have a humble attitude towards God and accept whatever place he has for us in his plan, even if he has us in a humble place. God knows when it will be right time to exalt us. We need to cast all our cares and worries to him, because God loves and cares for us.

I know that following God’s plan is humbling, because it has often gone against what I want to do with my life. I like to think that I know what is best for my life, but I’ve learned over the years that God knows way better than me what is best for my life. That learning hasn’t been easy for me but I’ve trusted God since I was a child and I’ve relied on my memories of God answering my prayers in ways I could never have imagined, to get through my doubts about God’s plan for my life. And God has never failed me. Frustrated me yes with his timing, but God has always come through for me.

Day 329 Bible Readings – Proverbs 19: 21 (ESV)

Ezekiel 47-48, 1 Peter 4, Proverbs 19: 13-22

Proverbs 19: 21 (ESV)

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Verse 21 from Proverbs 19 gave me a chuckle because it so true. You can make up plan after plan in your mind, but the only plan that will work in the end is God’s plan. I have this wisdom so true in my own life. I had so plans for myself in high school and college, most of which never came true. In high school I wanted to be a lawyer with a CPA, so I could come back home and open up my own practice. Then in college I decided I wanted to be a language interpreter at the United Nations, so I took a language course. But two years after that I changed my mind after I heard a college alumni speak and disparage the U.N. Then I thought I wanted to work in advertising, so I changed my major. I remember going to some seminar before I left college, and we had to write down where we wanted to see ourselves in 20 years. I wrote down that I would have be living in New York City off Central Park West. Later when I did end up spending time in New York City, I decided I couldn’t live there because it was too crowded, and I didn’t think I could deal with riding the subway every day.

But if I study my life deeply, I am pretty sure that I was following God’s plan and not my own at least in the big things in life like career and where to live. If you asked me in college whether I would be reading the Bible every day and writing down my thoughts on what I’d read in a blog, I would have laughed. Reading the Bible every day was not on my bucket list. I mean it’s not like I didn’t want to read the Bible, because I did want to read it once from cover to cover. But only because my college theatre arts professor yelled at our whole class that we were missing all the references and homages in great literature because we were all Bible illiterate. But reading the Bible every day – NEVER! Yet here I am reading it every day and loving every minute of it, because I know I am fulfilling God’s purpose for my life.

Day 328 Bible Readings – 1 Peter 3: 8-9 (ESV)

Ezekiel 45-46, 1 Peter 3, Proverbs 19: 1-12

1 Peter 3: 8-9 (ESV)

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

Verses 8 and 9 from 1 Peter 3 shows Peter telling the Church in modern-day Turkey to have unity as people of faith. I think these verses are so relevant for today as there seems to be so much divisiveness in the world. We need to have unity as people of faith. We are all different and we have many different beliefs and customs, but we need to choose unity as people of faith as our beliefs in God and Jesus is what united us. We cannot harm others when others wrong us. Peter tells us we need to bless them instead.

I love how Peter writes that as a person of faith you are called to always bless people, even the ones who do you harm. I find myself blessing people who won’t agree with me or whose politics I don’t agree with or do not understand. I bless them and I ask God to show and school me why I am not more neutral in my feelings towards those who don’t agree with me. I don’t have want to not like people who don’t agree with me, and I want God to show me how to love everyone more even those who seem like my enemies. I don’t know if I will ever have the loving heart of Jesus Christ, but I want to try. Jesus loved everyone, even those who despised and hated him. Christ is the example I want to follow on how to treat everyone in my life.

Day 327 Bible Readings – 1 Peter 2: 9-10 (ESV)

Ezekiel 43-44, 1 Peter 2 Proverbs 18: 17-24

1 Peter 2: 9-10 (ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Verses 9 and 10 from 1 Peter 1 tells people of faith that if you believe in Jesus Christ, you are part of the chosen race and part of the royal priesthood. We are God’s people who can tell the world about Jesus Christ who made us a part of God’s family. Peter tells before we believed in Jesus Christ, we were not a people. But belief in Jesus Christ has made us God’s people who can receive mercy, instead of a people who had not received mercy.

I love that because I belief in Jesus Christ, I have become part of the Chosen people, and God’s possession. I am part of the flock belonging to God, and when I am lost I know God will look for me and save me and rejoice that I am found and saved.

Day 326 Bible Readings – 1 Peter 1: 6-7 (ESV)

Ezekiel 41-42, 1 Peter 1, Proverbs 16: 7-16

1 Peter 1: 6-7 (ESV)

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

In verses 6 and 7 from 1 Peter 1, Peter tells the church in modern day Turkey that the purpose of trials in life is that God is testing the enduring quality of our faith. God doesn’t test us to know what kind of faith we have because he already knows these things. God tests our faith to show us what kind of faith we have and the strength of it. Without these tests, we would not know the quality of our faith and always be in doubt of it. But once you are tested, you will have visible proof in your own memory that your faith is strong and long lasting. These are memories you can hold onto when doubt enters your life. Knowing what kind of faith we have, will give us the strength to push away our doubts of Jesus Christ. 

Day 325 Bible Readings – James 5: 15-16 (ESV)

Ezekiel 40, James 5, Proverbs 17: 25-28, Proverbs 18: 1-6

James 5: 15-16 (ESV)

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Verses 15 and 16 from James 5 tells us about the power of prayer. If you pray, God will heal you. If you repent and pray to be forgiven, God will forgive you. James also tells people of faith that they need to pray for one another for healing, because a righteous person who prays has great power.

I’ve seen so many examples in my life and in the life of friends, where God has answered our prayers. Sometimes the prayer is answered right away, and sometimes it takes a long time. But God will answer our prayers at exactly the right time for his plan in our lives.

Day 324 Bible Readings – James 4: 11-12 (ESV)

Ezekiel 38-39, James 4, Proverbs 17: 15-24

James 4: 11-12 (ESV)

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

Verses 11 and 12 from James 4 tells us people of faith should not speak evil or judge other people. If you speak evil of other people, you are disobeying one of the Ten Commandments. And you cannot judge other people because there is only judge – God. God is our judge and lawgiver. God is the only who can judge people or in his mercy and grace, save them. If we judge other people, we are taking God’s place. God is the only one who knows a person’s heart and can judge if other people truly did wrong.

Not speaking evil or judging other people is hard for me. I have a hard time holding my tongue or giving evil looks to people who are doing wrong. I’m one of those people in a line who make a fuss when other people cut in the line. It’s one of my pet peeves. But every time I do it, I know it’s wrong because I know I’m not supposed to judge other people. I have no idea what their situation is in life. Maybe they don’t even know it’s wrong to cut in line. Who am I to judge? Only God can judge. So these are good recommendations from James for us to live by.

Day 323 Bible Readings – Ezekiel 37: 5-6 (ESV)

Ezekiel 36-37, James 3, Proverbs 17: 5-14

Ezekiel 37: 5-6 (ESV)

“Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Verses 5 and 6 from Ezekiel 37 is the story of God taking Ezekiel to the valley of the dry bones. I love this story in Ezekiel because it shows the power of God. God tells us he can take dry bones and turn them into people. I love to imagine Ezekiel looking at the valley of the dry bones, and God telling him of his power to give life to the bones. I would have loved to see Ezekiel’s face when God gave him the power to reanimate the bones and make them into people.

It must have been such an amazing vision for Ezekiel to have because it calls back to Genesis on how God created Adam and Eve. The story of the dry bones will also remind Bible readers of Revelations because you can start to visualize God coming back and raising people from the dead. I think this is why these verses from Ezekiel resonate so much with me, because I am reminded both of Genesis and Revelations.

Day 322 Bible Readings – Proverbs 16: 31 (ESV)

Ezekiel 33: 21-33, Ezekiel 34-35, James 2, Proverbs 16: 28-33, Proverbs 17: 1-4

Proverbs 16: 31 (ESV)

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

I love verse 31 from Proverbs 16 only because I decided to stop coloring my hair and let my gray hair come out. In our modern world, having gray hair for a man or a woman is considered taboo. We are so afraid of letting people know our age, especially in our hair. Many bible commentaries report that in the time of Christ, having gray hair was seen as symbol of wisdom and experience. I also think aging was a bigger deal in time of Christ because people did not live very long lives, so if you had gray hair it meant you lived a long life and you survived by your skill or wealth.

But Solomon adds a caveat to this statement about gray hair. If you have gray hair and have lived a long life, it is because you have followed God’s law and have been favored with good health. So just having gray hair doesn’t mean a person has a crown of glory. You only receive the crown of glory when you follow God’s laws and plan for your life.

My decision to let my hair go gray came from the Holy Spirit. I believe I was encouraged to let my hair go gray because Holy Spirit is teaching me lessons about vanity. I think the lesson is my beauty comes from what is inside me and not from what I look like to the world. And what is inside me is my love for God, and I need to reflect to the world how I am trying to develop a Christ-like nature. It’s a tall order, but with the help of the Holy Spirit I know I will improve in this area of my life.

Day 321 Bible Readings – James 1: 2-4 (ESV)

Ezekiel 32, Ezekiel 33: 1-32, James 1, Proverbs 6: 18-27

James 1: 2-4 (ESV)

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

In verses 2 through 4 from James 1, James tells us that when we have trials in our life we need to glad because it means God is testing our faith. James tells us that when we pass the tests that God gives to us, it means that our faith will become stronger and more steadfast. James also tells us that the constant testing of our faith by God means that our faith becomes perfect and complete, and that we will lack in nothing.

When I first read these verses, I first thought to myself why is God testing me? Doesn’t he already know my mind and the depth of my faith? Yes God does know us inside and out, but I don’t think that is why he tests us. I think God tests us because we don’t know ourselves as well as we think we do. As humans we seem to only know what we truly believe in and what we feel when we are tested. We seem to only know how strong our faith is when we face trials and test that tempt us doubt our faith and doubt God. I know that is the way with me.

I used to always think of myself as “Doubting Thomas”. I was the one who constantly needed proof of God’s love for me and his existence. I was the one person who would need physical proof that God rose from the dead; I would not believe it by faith alone. But I no longer think of myself as “Doubting Thomas”. I’ve had enough trials and tests of faith in my life to know that some of the doubt has gone away, although it hasn’t been erased completely. So I know from experience that the trials of God do work. Does it mean I like it when God sends test my way? No, but I understand why he sends them now. I know that God wants me to have self-confidence in my own level of faith, and that can only happen when I am going through a trial and I pass and have memories to look back on when the doubts rise again.

Day 320 Bible Readings for November 17 – Hebrews 13: 5-6 (ESV)

Ezekiel 30-31, Hebrews 13, Proverbs 16: 8-17

Hebrews 13: 5-6 (ESV)

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Verses 5 and 6 from Hebrews 13 is advice from the writer of Hebrews about how to view money. We need to be content with what we have and keep our life free from the love on money. I don’t think this means we cannot make money, but we cannot worship money like a God. The money we have needs to be seen as part of God’s plan, and everyone has a part to play in his plan. We need to always keep in the mind that God is who we worship, because God will never leave or forsake us. When we have strong faith in God and his plan for us, we can confidently say that God is our only helper. We do not have to fear not having money, nor do we need to listen to the advice of others. God is the only advisor we need to have, and he will never us or forsake but always keep us in abundance.

I think it’s hard sometimes to not pay attention to what God is telling us about money and abundance, because it can sometimes seem so contrary to what the world says about these two topics. But if we have faith in God’s plan, then paying attention to God’s advice on money and abundance is needed. God is the only one who knows what we need and what will make us happy. I don’t think we can even trust what our heart tells us because our nature is so easily turned to sin. God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves, so we need to follow his plan for our lives.

Day 319 Bible Readings for November 16 – Hebrews 12: 28-29 (ESV)

Ezekiel 28 & 29, Hebrews 12: 14-29, Proverbs 15: 31-33, Proverbs 16: 1-7

Hebrews 12: 28-29 (ESV)

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

In verses 28 and 29 from Hebrews 12 the writer of Hebrews tells us that we need to be grateful that we have faith in the kingdom of God that is unshakeable. We live in an unstable world, but the kingdom of God is stable and will last forever. As people of faith we need to offer God gratitude and our reverence for his mercy. We also need to be in awe of all the things that God has done and will do in our world. We also need to be awe of God’s ability to consume sin like a fire in the world. God will burn the judgements of our sins because of our faith in his son Jesus Christ. But for those without faith, God will seem like a consuming fire when his judgement comes upon them.

What I like about these verses is I know my faith in Jesus Christ is like a rock in what can sometimes feel like a chaotic and unstable world. God's love for me is unchanging, and stable like his kingdom. When it sometimes feels like everything is crumbling around me, I know I can look back at how God has been faithful in my life. These memories and my faith give me a rock to cling to so I can feel stable in the churning waters of my life. 

Day 318 Bible Readings – Hebrews 12: 1-2 (ESV)

Ezekiel 26-27, Hebrews 12: 1-13, Proverbs 15: 21-30

Hebrews 12: 1-2 (ESV)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Verses 1 and 2 from Hebrews 12 reminds us that we can endure because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We do not have to hold unto our sin because we are surrounded by people of faith who have gone before us. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can endure the plan that God has laid before us, if we look to Jesus the founder of our faith. Christ endured death on the cross for us, and is now seated next to God his father.

I love this advice. I think sometimes to have faith in God is such a hard thing. If we look to Jesus Christ and all the suffering he endured to fulfill his father’s plan on earth, we can endure anything. Christ is example that we need to keep always before us. We will never have the purity of Christ in our actions, but he set the standard for obedience to God and what he was willing to go through to see his father’s plan fulfilled on earth. If Christ was willing to suffer death on the cross for us and to fulfill God’s plan on earth, how can we not try to everything we can to fulfill God’s plan for us and humanity

Day 317 Bible Readings – Proverbs 15: 15 (ESV)

Ezekiel 24-25, Hebrews 11: 17-40, Proverbs 15: 11-20

Proverbs 15: 15 (ESV)

“All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”

Verse 15 from Proverbs 15 is great advice from the wisdom of Solomon. If you think your life is afflicted, you will feel that there is no joy in your life. But if you have a positive feeling in your heart and are cheerful, life will seem like a continual feast to you. The other way that this advice has been expressed is you either see the glass as half empty or half full.

I’ve heard some people of faith say that God wants us to always be cheerful and to always look on the bright side. This kind of attitude shows how much trust and faith that you have in God, and that you feel that whatever happens to you is a positive thing. But if you feel that your life is a mess, it may show that you have little faith in God because you don’t see how his plan is working in your life.

I think having a cheerful heart might have something to do with faith in God, because if you have total faith in God you will see everything that happens to you as part of God’s plan and will always see it in a positive way. If you have little to no faith in God, you will see everything that happens to you as bad sign or proof that God doesn’t love or care about you. But to have a positive attitude or cheerful heart is a choice based on your faith in God.

Day 316 Bible Readings – Hebrews 11: 1-3 (ESV)

Ezekiel 22: 23-31, Ezekiel 23, Hebrews 11: 1-16, Proverbs 15: 1-10

Hebrews 11: 1-3 (ESV)

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

Verses 1 through 3 from Hebrews 11 gives us a great definition of faith. When you have faith you assure yourself that even though you don’t have the physical experience of something you want, you know without a doubt that whatever you are praying for will manifest itself into the physical world. Then the writer of Hebrews 11 compared faith to how God created the world. God spoke the world into existence. God had the faith to just say something existed and it came to be. God didn’t have to see the world to create it.

I love this definition of faith; that you can just speak into existence something that doesn’t exist and you know without a doubt that it will happen. But I know faith hasn’t been this simple in my life. Sometimes I’ve had to wait for a very, very long time for my prayers to come true. And my prayers were often answered in ways I wasn’t expecting; sometimes it was better and sometimes it wasn’t. But I never gave up my faith, even though I was sorely tempted to at the time. I think having faith is often the easy part of the journey. It’s the waiting period that is the hard part. I have so much evidence in my life that God has almost always answered my prayers, but this knowledge doesn’t make the waiting time any easier. I sometimes think the waiting time is when God is testing me to find out, do I really want what I am praying for? And sometimes the waiting has made me change my mind on what I thought I wanted. But when God did answer my prayers, I was always so amazed because the experience was always better than I thought it would be. These are the true miracles in my life that I hold onto when I am in a waiting period, waiting for my prayers to be answered.

Day 315 Bible Readings – Hebrews 10: 23-25 (ESV)

Ezekiel 20: 45-49, Ezekiel 21, Ezekiel 22: 1-22, Hebrews 10: 19-39, Proverbs 14: 25-35

Hebrews 10: 23-25 (ESV)

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

In verses 23 through 25, the writer of Hebrews 10 tells us that because of the death of Christ, we need to hold fast to the new covenant given to us by Christ and the promise of his faithfulness. The writer of Hebrews 10 also tells us to seek the community of faith so we can encourage each other with love and to do good works. We must also remember to meet together as a community in worship. When we meet together in worship, we can encourage and love another as people who have the same faith. The writer also tells us that we need to always keep in the mind that we do not know when Christ will return to earth, so we need to always live our lives as if that day is near. I believe the writer might also mean that since we do not know when we will leave this earth, we need to treat every day as if it’s our last day and worship Christ because we might be seeing him sooner rather than later.

I think these verses are great advice for any person with faith in Christ on how to live in the world. If we live every day thinking we might meet God the next day, then we will live very different lives.

Day 314 Bible Readings – Proverbs 14: 23 (ESV)

Ezekiel 19, Ezekiel 20: 1-44, Hebrews 10: 1-18, Proverbs 14: 15-24

Proverbs 14: 23 (ESV)

“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

Verse 23 from Proverbs 14 stood out to me today. It might not seem like it sometimes, but I do believe that in all hard work there is some kind of profit. Most of the time that profit is financial, but sometimes there are rewards as well. I’ve always liked jobs where I was so busy that the day just flew by, and by the you know it was time to go home. Some people have said that hard work also builds character because you can see just what you are made of if you are made to work hard. There is also at times a sense of satisfaction when you work hard, and you see your work come to life. Even if it’s just planning an event which takes a lot of hard work, to see all of your plans come out exactly as you wanted is such an amazing experience. By the same token if you just talk about doing something and never do it, then there will not be a financial reward or satisfaction. You never get to see the dream you had in your heard work out and take shape in real life. You never get to see your idea become a reality and think, wow I thought that up. Or  I built that thing or I planned this amazing event and it worked and made everyone happy.

Day 313 Bible Readings – Ezekiel 18: 21-22 (ESV)

Ezekiel 17-18, Hebrews 9: 16-28, Proverbs 14: 5-14

Ezekiel 18: 21-22 (ESV)

““But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live.”

Verses 21 and 22 from Ezekiel 18 reminds us that if you repent for your sins and decide to follow all of God’s laws, God will forgive you and you will not die. God will forget all the wrong you did, and only remember what you did after you repented for your sins. Even though these verses were written in the Old Testament by the prophet Ezekiel, they are telling us how the new covenant of Jesus Christ will work. These verses also tell us we determine our own fates by our actions. Even if have committed wrong, we can always repent and ask God for forgiveness. We can also decide to change our life and behavior to follow all of God’s rules and do what God considers just and right. God loves us so much that he will forgive us for our past bad behavior. God will give us full restoration when we repent and ask him for forgiveness, and show him by our actions that we have changed.

Day 312 Bible Readings – Hebrews 9: 13-15 (ESV)

Ezekiel 16, Hebrews 9: 1-15, Proverbs 13: 20-25, Proverbs 14: 1-4

Hebrews 9: 13-15 (ESV)

“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

Verses 13 through 15 from Hebrews 9 gives us a comparison of the blood and sacrifice of animals that were part of the Old Covenant to the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ with his death on the cross. The blood of animals were used in the temple as part of the Old Covenant for the purification of the flesh. The blood of Christ purifies our whole life so we can serve God. Jesus Christ offers us a new covenant so people who have faith in him will receive the benefits of the Old Covenant. Belief in Christ also and redeems us from any sins committed under the original first Covenant.

 I like how the writer of Hebrews compared the death of Christ to sacrificial rites of animal that were part of the Old Covenant. The death of Christ freed us from having to sacrifice animals to redeem ourselves. Many say the death of Jesus Christ is an upfront sacrifice that cleanses and redeems all people from sin for now and for all time. The people who followed the Old Covenant had to constantly offer sacrifice to atone for their sins. The death of Christ freed us from having to offer sacrifices, and gave us instead a loving father who wants us repent for our sins and who will always take us back with loving arms.

Day 311 Bible Readings – Proverbs 13: 11-12 (ESV)

Ezekiel 13-15, Hebrews 8, Proverbs 13: 10-19

Proverbs 13: 11-12 (ESV)

“Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

I like verses 11 and 12 from Proverbs 13. Solomon tells us that if you gain wealth too easily or by dishonest it will dwindle. Some would call this kind of wealth “easy money.” The bible commentarians have said that this kind of wealth will not last because it was not gained by providence or the blessing of God. Instead, Solomon tells us that wealth gained over time will increase. Wealth that is gained by hard work and good habits. This type of wealth has God’s blessings and providence. There are many tv shows that talk about people who have gained money by winning the lottery, and then how they lost or ended up being poor again in few years. I also think that if you have to work hard for your money, you appreciate it more and spend it more wisely.

Solomon then talks about how when you hope for something, pray for something, and it doesn’t come it makes your heart sick. People can only take frustration for so long before they give up in despair and depression. But when your hope, your prayers are fulfilled it sustain you for a long time because you have a permanent reminder of the goodness of God in your life. I think the only way to keep your heart from getting sick when your prayers are not fulfilled for a long time, is to keep your focus on God. You need to read the Bible and dwell in God’s words. You need to remember all the times God did answer your prayers, and remind yourself that God is always faithful and keeps his promised to those who are faithful to him.

Day 310 Bible Readings – Hebrews 7: 23-25 (ESV)

Ezekiel 10-12, Hebrews 7: 11-28, Proverbs 13: 1-9

Hebrews 7: 23-25 (ESV)

“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Verses 23 through 25 from Hebrews 7 shows another reason why Jesus Christ is superior to any priest on earth. Since Christ was resurrected he holds the office priesthood forever. Christ is able to save all those who faith in him. Pastor Guzik has commented on these verses that the salvation that Christ “gives is also unchanging, permanent, and secure.” Others have also interpreted the word “utmost” to mean that Christ can save us in the most comprehensive sense. Christ also lives to pray for us, and he never gives up on us. Even if we have given up on ourselves, Christ will never give up on us. I know that I have hit rock bottom at times in my life and was ready to give up on everything, but then Christ came to me and told me to not give up. Christ is the only person who was ever able to bring me back from the brink of the deep hole of hopelessness and depression. I’m still not sure why Christ saved me because I was never an obedient follower, but as long as he had faith in me, I felt like I could never give up on life.

Day 309 Bible Readings – Proverbs 12: 18-19 (ESV)

Ezekiel 7-9, Hebrews 6: 13-20, Hebrews 7: 1-10, Proverbs 12: 18-28

Proverbs 12: 18-19 (ESV)

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”

In verses 18 and 19, Solomon tells us how a wise person needs to communicate to people. When a wise person speaks to someone, their words need to bring healing. A wise person’s words shouldn’t speak words that hurt and can feel like sword thrusts. Solomon then tells us God loves a wise person who loves and speaks the truth. God will ensure that their words of truth will last forever. But if you lie, your words will not last especially compared to the words of truth. I like this advice because words can hurt people, and who wants to do that? Isn’t it better to always speak words that bring health and healing. I also like the concept of always telling the truth because the truth is beautiful and it does last forever. Who doesn’t want their words forever remembered?

Day 308 Bible Readings – Proverbs 12: 15-16 (ESV)

Ezekiel 4-6, Hebrews 5: 11-14, Hebrews 6: 1-12, Proverbs 12: 8-17

Proverbs 12: 15-16 (ESV)

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.”

In verses 15 and 16 from Proverbs 12, Solomon tells us how a wise man needs to behave. If you are a fool then you will always think you are right, while a wise man is more cautious and always listens to advice. I can see myself as the fool when I was younger when I thought I was right about everything. But as I grew older, I learned through some hard lessons that I wasn’t always right about everything, and I needed to always listen to the advice of people that I trusted.

Solomon also says that when a fool is frustrated, he will let you know. A wise person will keep their emotions to themselves and ignore insults. It’s always good advice to keep your emotions to yourself and not let others know what you think, in case they hold it or use it against you. This is advice that has been carried down over the years and continues to this day with every person who considers themselves a success guru. This is a lesson I am still struggling with, but I am getting better at not getting so frustrated when things don’t go my way. With coaching from the Holy Spirit, I know I will continue to improve in becoming a wise person.

Day 307 Bible Readings – Proverbs 12: 1 (ESV)

Ezekiel 1-3, Hebrews 4;14-16, Hebrews 5: 1-10, Proverbs 11: 29-31, Proverbs 12: 1-7

Proverbs 12: 1 (ESV)

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

Verse 1 from Proverbs 12 shows Wisdom telling us to keep learning, and to make learning a discipline that we do daily. If we love the discipline of learning, then this means we love knowledge. But then Wisdom also us that sometimes we may get it wrong and, we must therefore love correction. How can you improve in any area of your life if you are not willing to be corrected?

I think this verse applies to every day practical things, but also to our relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We must be willing to constantly seek the knowledge of God and his plans for our life. We must read the Bible daily and learn to accept God’s correction in our life. How would we know we are being obedient to God, if he does not sometimes need to correct us? When I get corrected by the Holy Spirit, my first reaction is the feeling of anger. The little child in me rises and says “I can do anything I want, and no one is going to tell me what to do.” But after a minute, I calm down and realize what a good father-God I have. God cares about me so much that the watches my every move, and if I do something not in keeping with God’s plan for my life, he steps in and corrects me using the Holy Spirit. His swift intervention into my life always keeps me on track and makes my life path smooth. No life is ever trouble free; God did not make that promise to his followers. But with God guiding us, we can always expect that God will do his best to smooth out the path for us as much as possible.

Day 306 Bible Readings – Joel 2: 25 (ESV)

Joel 2: 18-32, Joel 3, Hebrews 4: 1-13, Proverbs 11: 19-28

Joel 2: 25 (ESV)

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”

I love verse 25 from Joel 2. Joel tells us that God promises restoration after he has punished us. God will restore everything to us that was taken from us even though it might seem we have lost everything. God’s promises tell us that he is not an unkind an unjust God. God will punish us when we fall away from him, but when we repent, he will welcome us back and he will restore everything that we lost. I think God’s restoration also applies when we lose everything due to other circumstances. God is a kind and good father. He will never hold back his love from us. He will take care of us and restore to us everything that life has taken from us.

Day 305 Bible Readings - Joel 2: 12-13 (ESV)

Joel 1, Joel 2: 1-17, Hebrews 3, Proverbs 11: 9-18

Joel 2: 12-13 (ESV)

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

Verses 12 and 13 from Joel 2 shows Joel telling the southern Kingdom of Judah to repent because we have a gracious God. Joel doesn’t say repent and return to God because if you do not, he will punish you. Instead, Joes tell us God will be merciful and heal us because he is slow to anger and loves us. These verses remind me of the parable of the Prodigal son. When the son returned, the father celebrated his return. God will treat us in the same way. When we realize what we’ve done wrong and repented with action, God will celebrate our return and love us. God may also relent over his judgement over us. Joel reminds us not be afraid of acknowledging when we’ve done wrong and coming back to God. God loves as a father loves a child, and he will celebrate the return of his prodigal child.

Day 304 Bible Readings – Obadiah 1: 15 (ESV)

Obadiah 1, Hebrews 2, Proverbs 10: 31-32, Proverbs 11: 1-8

Obadiah 1: 15 (ESV)

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.”

When I read verse 15 from Obadiah 1, I was reminded of Jesus’ words from the sermon on the mount – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7: 12 (ESV)) Jesus studied the Old Testament and knew it well. I love that the teachings of Christ reflected what he learned from the Old Testament, so when we read the Old Testament we are constantly reminded of what Jesus said in his teachings. Christ unified the Old and New Testament in his teachings and reflected what he tried to do in his life before he was crucified. We can read about the power of God in the Old and New Testament from prophets like Obadiah and in teachings of Christ.

Day 303 Bible Readings – Proverbs 10: 22 (ESV)

Lamentations 3: 40-66, Lamentations 4-5, Hebrews 1, Proverbs 10: 21-30

Proverbs 10: 22 (ESV)

“The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”

I like verse 22 from Proverbs 10. Solomon tells us when you have the blessing of the Lord and it brings you wealth, no sorrow comes with it. I think this happens because it means you have discerned the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and you have followed God’s plan for you and your life. The Bible tells us that God wants the people who have faith in him to have a life of abundance, and when you follow his guidance abundance will come to you. I know for myself that it is so hard to sometimes follow God’s guidance because it seems so contrary to what I thought was right for my life. But God had a plan and when I followed what he wanted even though I was full of skepticism, my life turned out better and I became more abundant. And when I didn’t, my life went sideways. So now I try to follow God’s advice, even though it’s not always easy and sometimes I am kicking and screaming and gritting my teeth as I do what God asks me to do. But I know if I don’t, then I will have sorrow in my life.

Day 302 Bible Readings – Lamentations 3: 26-29 (ESV)

Lamentations 2: 7-27, Lamentations 3: 1-39, Philemon 1, Proverbs 10: 11-20

Lamentations 3: 26-29 (ESV)

“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope;”

Verses 26 through 29 from Lamentations 3 appealed to me when I read through the commentaries for these verses. The prophet Jeremiah found hope in remembering the faithfulness of God even in a season of trouble and affliction. Even when you are in despair, Jeremiah says you can sit quietly and find hope in the faithfulness of God. Pastor David Guzik in his commentary wrote, “Under adversity, it is best to not try and figure everything out right away. These are good times for reflection (sit alone) and listening rather than speaking. In this patient seeking of God, there is reason for hope.”

I know for myself I hate waiting, even for God. I want everything done right away, and when I have to wait I always think that I did something wrong which caused the delay. But I am learning that God is waiting to see what my response is to a season of trouble. Do I turn to God or away from him? Can I wait patiently for God and try to discern what his plan is for my next steps? Or do I give up and want to do things my own way because God hasn’t answered me? I know God is teaching me to live in the present during such times; to take everything one day at a time so I can discern his plan for my life. The waiting is hard, but I know God is patient with me and I am learning to reflect on all the good things God has done for in the past to keep my home on his faithfulness.

Day 301 Bible Reading – Titus 3: 9 (ESV)

Lamentations 1, Lamentations 2: 1-6, Titus 3, Proverbs 10: 1-10

Titus 3: 9 (ESV)

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”

Verse 9 from Paul’s letter to Titus (Titus 3) really stood out to me today. Paul tells Titus and the Church on Crete to not argue about things that don’t matter, which he says are “foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law.” Paul even reminds us that they are “unprofitable and worthless.”  I do like to argue sometimes, but I try not to argue about things that don’t really matter. A mentor at work once told me, “Pick your battles wisely because you will exhaust yourself fighting every battle.” It takes a lot of energy to argue and sometimes arguments cause bad feelings in people, even if it’s a friendly argument. I’ve had the experience where I’ve said something in the heat of an argument, and once it was out of my mouth it was difficult to undo the hurt that my words caused. I now try to only argue or fight for something that I am very passionate about, and with someone whom I know will listen to me. I don’t argue with people whom I know are not open to changing their mind. I also try to take the attitude that if I lose the fight and cannot get my way, I won’t hold it against the other person. I think we need to have the attitude that we are okay to disagree about things, and not break friendships over it. I want all my energy devoted to God, reading his word, and doing good works. I don’t want my energy to go to meaningless arguments with people. Peace in my life is so much important than having a life of contention.

Day 300 Bible Readings – Titus 2: 7-8 (ESV)

Habakkuk 1-2, Habakkuk 3: 1-19, Titus 2, Proverbs 9: 13-18

Titus 2: 7-8 (ESV)

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

In verses 7 and 8 in Titus 2, Paul tells Titus and the Christians in Crete how to be a good example to people of faith. Paul says to be a model and an example to people of good works. You need to show you are living like Christ and obeying the law, and not just talk about it. Paul also tells Titus that needed to have a good understanding of God’s words, so whatever you say cannot be questioned. Anyone who questions you will be ashamed because they will have nothing bad to say about you.

Paul’s advice to Titus also applies to people of faith as well. We need to be example of someone who follows Christ by our actions. We might not teach but we need to make sure that if we want to talk about God to other people, we need to have a good understanding of God’s words. We each have our own interpretation of God’s words according to our level of maturity, but as long as our logic is sound our critics will have nothing bad to say about us. God doesn’t want our perfection, but he does want our love for him and our love for his words.

Day 299 Bible Readings – Proverbs 9: 11-12 (ESV)

Jeremiah 52, Titus 1, Proverbs 9: 1-12

Proverbs 9: 11-12 (ESV)

“For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.”

In verses 11 and 12 from Proverbs 9, Solomon talks about the benefits of having wisdom which is provided by God. Solomon says if have wisdom, you will live longer. Who doesn’t want that? Solomon also says if you are wise, be wise for the benefit of yourself. Conversely if you ignore wisdom and scoff at it, you will also bear the consequences of ignoring wisdom.

I love these verses. I do believe that if you follow the wisdom of God, you will live a longer life because God’s advice will help you to avoid the pitfalls of life. I don’t think that God is saying you won’t have trials and tribulations in life, because you will. You cannot escape the trials of life. But if you follow the wisdom of God, you will learn to avoid the things in life that could harm you. I also like what Solomon said about wanting wisdom for yourself. Yes, others may benefit, but you are the main person who will benefit from wisdom. And if you scoff at wisdom and don’t follow it, you are the only one who will suffer the consequences of your actions. Don’t follow wisdom for anyone’s benefit but your own. And if you decide not to follow wisdom thinking you will get back at someone or harm them, you are wrong. The only person you are hurting is yourself.

Day 298 Bible Readings – Jeremiah 51: 20-23 (ESV)

Jeremiah 51: 15-64, 2 Timothy 4, Proverbs 8: 32-36

Jeremiah 51: 20-23 (ESV)

“You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms; with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer; with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman; with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.”

In verses 20 through 23 from Jeremiah 51, the prophet Jeremiah talks about the power of God and his ability to use us in his plan for the world. If you doubt the power of God and how he uses people in his plan, these verses remind from Jeremiah remind us of God’s power. Jeremiah also reminds us that God can use anyone in his plan. These verses also remind us that God can anyone to not only destroy nations and kingdoms, but ordinary people as well. In these verses, Jeremiah says that God can use individuals for judgement against his enemies, but God can also use us in other ways as well. We just need to remember that when we hear the God or the Holy Spirit telling us what to do, we need to listen and make sure we have discernment with what we are hearing. And when our discernment is clear, we need to obey what we are being told even though it might not make sense to us at the time. God has a plan and can see the big picture that we cannot, so we need to have trust in God fully that what he is telling us is part of his plan.

Day 297 Bible Readings – 2 Timothy 3: 12-13 (ESV)

Jeremiah 50: 11-46, Jeremiah 51: 1-14, 2 Timothy 3, Proverbs 8: 22-31

2 Timothy 3: 12-13 (ESV)

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Verses 12 and 13 from 2 Timothy 3 shows Paul telling Timothy about what could happen in perilous times. Paul was very prophetic, and he could be talking about what is going on in our world today. People who believe in God and/or profess to believe in God are still getting persecuted. Christians in the United States are getting cancelled and/or ridiculed in the media and social media. Hollywood has often portrayed people of faith in movies as horrible and prejudiced people. Paul also wrote how evil people will go from bad to worse. We are seeing more crime being reported and levels of human trafficking not seen in a long time It’s a wonder that some people think we are in the end times. Are we in the end times? I don’t know. But the signs are definitely there that Paul told Timothy to be aware of so he could be on his guard. We need to also be on our guard as well. We may not be in end times, but the signs are certainly there.

Day 296 Bible Readings – 2 Timothy 2: 22-23 (ESV)

Jeremiah 49: 7-39, Jeremiah 50: 1-10, 2 Timothy 2, Proverbs 8: 12-21

2 Timothy 2: 22-23 (ESV)

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.”

Paul gives great advice to Timothy in verses 22 and 23 from 2 Timothy 2 on how to cleanse himself. Paul first tells Timothy to cleanse himself of bad things such youthful passions. I’ve discovered this is such great advice because I have lately become aware of how childish I am about eating. I eat like a child, meaning I eat what I want when I want. I eat with the passion of a child instead of the thoughtfulness of an adult, whose body is growing older and has different needs. But then Paul says you cannot just give up bad things because it creates a vacuum in in your life. You must fill that vacuum with the pursuit of good things like righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Then Paul also says you need to make you apply these pursuits to your relationships with people, and make sure your relationship is right with people. Paul then says we also need to put aside anything that creates quarrels with others. This makes so much sense if we want a peaceful life – why live a life full of unnecessary contention with others? We must rid ourselves of anything that could distract us from our relationship with God and his plan for us.

Day 295 Bible Readings – 2 Timothy 1: 6-7 (ESV)

Jeremiah 28, Jeremiah 49: 1-6, 2 Timothy 1, Proverbs 8: 1-11

2 Timothy 1: 6-7 (ESV)

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

In verses 6 and 7 from 2 Timothy 1, Paul reminds Timothy in his second letter to continue to focus on the gifts that God gave him, and to not be timid. Paul tells Timothy that God gave us spirit of power, love, and self-control. God did not give us a spirit of fear. Paul’s advice applies to anyone, and not just to those who are working for a church We must not be afraid of the gifts that God gave us. But from my own experience, fear does seem to come when you realize you have spiritual gifts from God. These fears are not from God or from the spiritual gift but may come from personality or some other weakness. To combat these fears we need to remember that God gave anyone with spiritual gifs, the gifts of power, love, and the ability to control ourselves. If we can remember these gifts, then fear will never us hold us back from using our spiritual gifts.

Day 294 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 6: 17-19 (ESV)

Jeremiah 46-47, 1 Timothy 6, Proverbs 7: 21-27

1 Timothy 6: 17-19 (ESV)

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

In verses 17 through 19 from 1 Timothy 6, Paul gives advice to Timothy on what to say to people who are rich. These recommendations were ages ago but are still good advice in our modern world. Paul says there is nothing wrong with having money, but you cannot be haughty with it or think you are better than everyone else. We must always set our hopes on God because money is full of uncertainty and can be lost. If you have money to spare, you need to use your money to do good work, to be generous, and to share your money with others who are less fortunate and might have desperate need of money. Paul warned earlier that if you love money to point of hording it and cherish it above the word of God, you will wander from the faith. If you have money to spare, you need to always put God first and use it to bring people to God. It must be such an incredible feeling to look back at your life and to review and count how many people discovered and/or rediscovered their faith in God through your actions, and that you were instrumental in giving to them the gift of eternal life with God.

Day 293 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 5: 24-25 (ESV)

Jeremiah 43-45, 1 Timothy 5, Proverbs 7: 6-20

1 Timothy 5: 24-25 (ESV)

“The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.”

I like verses 24 and 25 from 1 Timothy 5. Paul was advising Timothy on how to choose leaders for the church. Paul says some people are obviously not good, but a person’s true character cannot always be known. Paul then relates a person’s character to good works. Some good works are obvious, but even the good works you cannot see will eventually come to light. Paul advises Timothy to be cautious in appointing leaders, but to take it slow and wait on discernment from God and the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s advice is sound on choosing anything in life. We need to always be cautious and wait on discernment from God and the Holy Spirit. A friend says we need to always ask God everything about everything in our life. We might be caught up in the excitement of something that seems good for us but if we were to reflect on it further, we will realize that the thing we were excited about might not be a good thing after all. There have been friends in my life, whom I really liked at first, but who in the long run turned out to be complete nightmares. It always made me wonder if there was a red flag I ignored about the person, or if they changed somehow over the years. Now I am more cautious, and I pray to God about continuing friendship with any new person.

Day 292 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 4: 1-4 (ESV)

Jeremiah 40: 7-16, Jeremiah 41-42, 1 Timothy 4, Proverbs 7: 1-5

1 Timothy 4: 1-4 (ESV)

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

Verses 1 through 4 from 1 Timothy 4 shows Paul telling Timothy what to careful of in the end times. I find this advice from Paul very prophetic for what seems to be going on today in some churches. Many churches seem to have strayed away from what is written in the Bible and are adapting their churches to fit in with modern culture. Paul warned back in his time that this strategy was wrong. As followers of Jesus Christ, the Bible needs to be the guidance for how we live our lives. We cannot take what was written in the Bible out of context, and use it justify things that are expressly forbidden in the Bible.

I believe that is why as a believer in Jesus Christ, you must always read the Bible on your own. Your pastor should never be the final and last word on what is written in the Bible. Each believer must have a relationship with Jesus Christ and his word first, and then a relationship with a church and its pastor. The pastors at my church harp on this point constantly. They say they are hear to guide us in their interpretation of the words of Bible, and we can either agree or disagree with what they are saying. But they always emphasize that each member of the church needs to have their own relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit and the Bible first, with everything else being second. It can be hard to leave a church and the community you formed there, but if your church is straying away from the teachings of God, then you need to find a church that resonates more with what you believe. A good church will reinforce your belief in God, not take away from it.

Day 291 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 3: 16 (ESV)

Jeremiah 38-39, Jeremiah 40: 1-6, 1 Timothy 3, Proverbs 6: 30-35

1 Timothy 3: 16 (ESV)

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

Verse 16 from 1 Timothy shows Paul’s version of a foundation of our belief in Jesus Christ. Christ was born on earth or manifested in the flesh. Christ is part of the Holy Spirit and was seen by angels. Christ was spread to all people who believed in him through Paul, and when he died was resurrected to be with God his father. To be someone who is called a “Christian”, one must believe in these foundational truths about the life of Christ. Out of all of these, resurrection after death seems to be hardest part of the foundational truth to believe. I’ve run into many people at different churches who have confessed to me in secret that they love Christ and his teachings, but they’re not so sure about the resurrection. And I’m like what? Without the resurrection, what is the point of the faith in Jesus Christ? If you cannot believe that Christ was resurrected after death, then how can you believe that he died for our sins and that you will be absolved of your sins through belief in Jesus Christ? How can you believe that Christ came back and spoke to his disciples after his death, which is most of the Book of Acts? The resurrection of Christ is most important foundational truth of Christ’ s life for me. I wouldn’t be a follower of Christ without my belief in his resurrection and the Trinity of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Day 290 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 2: 8-10 (ESV)

Jeremiah 35-37, 1 Timothy 2, Proverbs 6: 20-29

1 Timothy 2: 8-10 (ESV)

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”

Verses 8 through 10 from 1 Timothy 2 shows Paul explaining to his protégé Timothy who is at the Church in Ephesus, what are the roles of men and women in church. Paul says men need to pray and lift their hands, not in anger or because they are quarreling. Paul says women must dress with modesty and self-control, and not as they say in our current day “dress to impress”. Paul tells us that only “good works” is what impresses God, and we need to only be impressed by someone “good works” and not anything else. Some might be offended by the comments on how women need to dress, but I think it makes sense. In every church I’ve attended, there have always been women who treat dressing up in church as a fashion show. I’ve also seen where dressing up for church becomes a competitive thing for many women, especially for Easter and Christmas. And of course, there are always women in any church who dress so they can attract a man and sometimes they bare a little too much of their body parts to stand out. I scolded a guy friend of mine once for staring at scantily clad woman, and he told me as a man he couldn’t stop his hormones from getting excited. I don’t blame these women for trying to attract a partner in church, because if you’re a churchgoer you want to marry a churchgoer so you can worship God together as a couple.

I think what Paul told Timothy makes sense to create an environment in church that is conducive for worship and prayer to God. If men are arguing in church against God in their prayers and women are dressing to compete against one another or to attract a partner, they all become a distraction for the group of people who have gathered to worship and pray to God. Paul wanted to make sure that when people are gathered for church, they are focused on God and his word and nothing else. When we are focused on God, we will hear and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit may be trying to tell us to deepen our relationship with God.