Day 4 Bible Readings – Matthew 4: 1-3 (ESV)

Genesis 7 & 8, Matthew 4: 1-22, Psalm 4

Matthew 4: 1-3 (ESV)

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

In verses 1-3 from Matthew 4, a tempter came to Jesus after his 40-day fast and asked him to use his gifts to appease his hunger. Bible commentator Charles Spurgeon noted that temptations will always come to us until we die. Jesus had done a fast with encouragement from the Holy Spirit, so he was following his father-God’s plan for his life which was to be tempted. But the tempter still came to him. If Jesus was tempted, then we must expect that we will also be tempted even when we are in our most devout frame mind. I think it is mistake that just because we consider ourselves a person of faith with a devout relationship with God, that we would never be tempted. I think devout people of faith should probably expect to be experience more temptation, because Satan will try anything to shake their faith in God. I can imagine a tempter saying to me, “if you are so devoted to God, why did this bad thing happen to you? God has abandoned you. Use your own brain to get out of this situation.” We must always be vigilant and rely on God to help us when the tempter comes into our life.

Day 3 Bible Readings – Genesis 5: 5-6 (ESV)

Genesis 5 & 6, Matthew 3, Psalm 3

Genesis 5: 5-6 (ESV)

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”

In verses 5 through 6 in Genesis 5 we find out that from the beginning, God knows what our intentions are and thoughts that are in our hearts. We also find out that because God loves us so much, like a good father, God grieves in his heart when his children misbehave. I sometimes used to think that God was not always aware of what I did, what I thought, and what was in my heart. And I justified my reasoning by telling myself, that if God knew what was really in my heart, he would have answered my prayers. This justification is obviously wrong because God could have a million different reasons why he hasn’t answered my prayers. As humans we cannot know what God sees and knows because God sees and knows everything. Perhaps God didn’t answer my prayers because he saw into the future what would happen, and it wasn’t good for me or in the plan he had for my life. Whatever the reason we have to trust that God knows what is always good for us and we cannot assume that he doesn’t even know we exist, and we can do whatever we want. God does know us inside and out. God also loves us so much that he grieves for us when we do wrong or disobey him, because he knows what harm we will cause ourselves and others. And God doesn’t want us to harm ourselves, he only wants the very best for us.

Day 2 Bible Readings – Genesis 3: 4-5 (ESV)

Genesis 3 & 4, Matthew 2, Psalm 2

Genesis 3: 4-5 (ESV)

“But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Verses 4 and 5 from Genesis 3 stood out to me today. The serpent said to Eve that if you eat of the apple, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”. I know that whenever I felt I knew better than God, I decided not to listen to what the Holy Spirit was trying to whisper to me. I became like God, thinking I knew good and evil and the plan for my life. And every time I had this attitude and did not listen to God, the decisions I made turned out to be bad ones. It took a long time for me to listen more to God than to my own mind. It is still a struggle to not want to follow my own mind and only follow the mind of God. But it makes sense because I am a descendant of Eve, and I inherited her sin of eating an apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Even though Eve and Adam sinned, God still loved them. After speaking to them, God made clothing for Adam and Eve and clothed them. I love that God still had mercy for his creations and made proper clothes for them. I count on God’s mercy when I sometimes I disobey him. No matter how much trouble I get myself in, God will always show mercy to me and clothe me in his love.

Day 1 2025 Bible Readings – Psalm 1: 1-3

Genesis 1 & 2, Matthew 1, Psalm 1

Psalm 1: 1-3

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”

This is my 4^th year of reading the Bible in a year, and I can honestly say I feel blessed by God as is described in verses 1 through 3 from Psalm 1. Reading the bible daily has strengthened my relationship with God, and that was and still is my yearly goal. I’m not sure I have true delight in the law of the Lord, which is something I constantly try to improve on in my life. Reading the Bible every day has also made my faith like a tree, growing deep roots in my life. The daily dwelling in God’s word has nourished me, and the fruit that comes from it is the recognition of the many blessings and miracles God has given me and continues to bestow on me in my life. If truth be told, my leaves of faith still wither around the edges now and again as I go through the daily trials and burdens of my life. But I am thankful my leaves of faith do not fall off, but miraculously regrow and become strong again. I owe this renewal to my daily Bible readings, so I am proud once again to dwell daily in God’s word and I look forward to seeing what verses will cause me to ponder more deeply God’s love for me.