Day 360 Bible Readings – Revelation 18: 4-5 (ESV)

Nehemiah 5 & 6, Revelation 18: 1-17, Proverbs 30: 1-10

Revelation 18: 4-5 (ESV)

“Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

Verses 4 and 5 from Revelation 18 is the call to people of faith to separate from Babylon. Some Biblical scholars have said that Babylon is ruled by the anti-Christ and is a dwelling place of demons. But according to Biblical scholars Babylon is seductive as a woman, and many will be tempted to align with Babylon and its principles. Some Biblical scholars equate Babylon with a great commercial city, and we have seen in our modern times how the big cities seem to drive trends in our country for good or bad.

I think people who don’t live in big cities tend to see city people as more sophisticated than themselves, and when they see a trend emerge in a big city they want to adopt it. It doesn’t seem to matter if the trend makes sense for someone living in a big city and not for personal not living there, people glamorize the trend and want to emulate it. As people of faith, we need to review any trend that is happening in culture and see if it aligns with Biblical principles. If the trend goes against Biblical laws and principles, we need to reject it. We must always look to the Bible for how to live our life and not from cultural trends.

Day 359 Bible Readings for December 26 – Proverbs 29: 25 (ESV)

Nehemiah 3 & 4, Revelation 17, Proverbs 29: 19-27

Proverbs 29: 25 (ESV)

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Solomon tells us in verse 29 from Proverbs 29 that we should not be afraid of what other people will think of us and what they will say.  Many bad decisions have been made by people who are afraid of what others will think of them. We should instead trust in the Lord and we will be safe. Trusting in God will never lead us in the wrong direction or cause us to make bad decisions. Every time we have a decision to make, we need to pray and ask God for guidance. We cannot rely on what we think or fear what other people will say about us. Other people’s guidance are often based on their own fears, while God’s guidance is not based on fear. Our lives will also be safe if we trust in God.

Day 358 Bible Readings for December 25 – Nehemiah 1: 11 (ESV)

Nehemiah 1 & 2, Revelation 16, Proverbs 29: 10-18

Nehemiah 1: 11 (ESV)

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

In verse 11 from Nehemiah 1 we read the end of Nehemiah’s prayer to God, and I liked what he said. He asked God to not only listen to his prayer, but the prayers of others as well. Nehemiah also prayers for success in his prayers and the prayers of others as well, and to grant him mercy.

Nehemiah prayed not only for success but the success of others. Normally I think I pray just for myself and my success, but it makes sense to also ask God to grant the prayers of our friends and for their success as well. I also like how Nehemiah is very specific in his prayers, which tells God exactly what he wants. It’s a good way to pray and ensures that God will listen to your prayers.

Day 357 Bible Readings for December 24 – Ezra 10: 2-3 (ESV)

Ezra 10, Revelation 14: 14-20, Revelation 15, Proverbs 29: 1-9

Ezra 10: 2-3 (ESV)

“And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.”

In verses 2 and 3 from Ezra 10, Shecaniah tells us that it is against God’s law to be yoked to someone who is not of the faith. If you are yoked with someone not of the faith, you must give them up including the children from the relationship. Fortunately, we are not bound by the old covenant that Ezekiel and Shecaniah lived under in their life. Since we are under the new covenant with Jesus Christ, if we are yoked with someone not of the faith, we do not have to leave them. God will find a way to work with the situation in our life. Perhaps the person not of the faith will turn to God because of our belief in Christ. We need to trust in God in this matter of being yoked with an unbeliever.

I think it must be hard especially in times like Christmas, when one is yoked with an unbeliever. The person not of the faith may not have the same enthusiasm for the season that you do. But if we come to God yoked to an unbeliever, we need to stay with the person since they might be with us as part of God’s plan. In these types of situations, we need to trust in God fully that whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, that God has a plan for our lives.