Day 62 Bible Readings – Psalm 37: 23-24 (ESV)

Leviticus 9 & 10, Mark 11: 27-33, Psalm 37: 21-31

Psalm 37: 23-24 (ESV)

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Verses 23 and 24 from Psalm 37 tell us that a person of faith has his life planned by God, and God is happy with his follower. Just because God has a plan for our life and we follow it, it doesn’t mean that our life will be without trouble and failure. God does not promise his followers a life that is trouble free, because our sinful nature will inevitably lead us to sometimes fail and fall. But since God is always holding our hand, we will never fall headlong into failure. God will always be there to comfort, guide, and council us through our troubles. My life has never been trouble free, but since God has always been with me, my falls and failures have not in hindsight been as bad as they should have probably been. I can honestly say I’ve lead a charmed life because God has turned every fall and failure into times of profound insights and lessons, and jumping off points to develop a closer relationship with him.

Day 61 Bible Readings – Mark 11: 13-14 (ESV)

Leviticus 7 & 8, Mark 11: 1-26, Psalm 37: 10-20

Mark 11: 13-14 (ESV)

“And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.”

In verses 13 and 14 from Mark 11, we see Jesus cursing a fig tree because it had leaves but no fruit. Jesus cursed the fig tree to have never have fruit and his disciples heard the curse. In my study Bible the fig tree is often seen as a symbol of Israel, so the curse on the fig tree can been seen as symbolic of divine judgement on Israel for appearing righteous but lacking spiritual fruit. Jesus may also have wanted to show his disciples an example of God’s punishment for spiritual barrenness. God expects that those who believe in him have faith that results in action, and not just the appearance of having faith. We need to always ask ourselves if our faith and belief in Jesus Christ can be seen in our actions. Are we reading God’s words every day and dwelling with him? Are we asking God for help in our lives? Do our actions and words show us to be people of faith? Are we behaving like Jesus when we are with other people? Christ is saying to us that our faith in him must be reflected our inward and outward life, and if it is not, we will be judged by him. When I read these words, I always ask myself if I am following the two greatest commandments that Christ said we must follow – am I loving God and am I loving my neighbor as I love myself?

Day 60 Bible Readings – Psalm 37: 7-9 (ESV)

Leviticus 5 & 6, Mark 10: 32-52, Psalm 37: 1-9

Psalm 37: 7-9 (ESV)

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.”

I think verses 7 through 9 from Psalm 37 is good advice for all the chaos and confusion that seems to be happening politically today. If we believe that God is fully in charge of our world, then we have to believe that everything that happens is a part of God’s plan. Many Americans have seen things happening for years occurring in our nation that are not Biblically based. We have been praying for circumstances to change, yet it seems like the non-Biblically based things are increasing. These verses from Psalm 37 tells us that feeling anger, wrath, and worry will lead to evil, since it causes us to doubt God and his plan for the world. We need to fully trust that God will bring his justice to the world, and that the evildoers will be cut off and Biblically-based things will come back to our nation. But I know that patience is hard because at times it does seem like the evildoers are winning, and people of faith are losing. If we do lose faith in God, we need to pray for him to strengthen our faith. We know that we cannot rely on ourselves to be faithful, and we need to ask God to help us. With God, even getting over the despair that the other side is winning is possible.

Day 59 Bible Readings for March 1 - Mark 10: 26-27 (ESV)

Leviticus 3 & 4, Mark 10: 1-31, Psalm 36: 1-12

Mark 10: 26-27 (ESV)

“And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

In verses 26 and 27 from Mark 10, we read how Jesus responded to his disciples when he told it is very difficult for people with money to go to heaven. Jesus said to them if you rely on yourself, then it is impossible, But if you ask for God’s help, all things are possible. I love how Jesus responded to his disciples on what seemed like an impossible task to them. Jesus was trying to tell them that if you have faith and trust in God, then God can perform miracles in their lives. God loves everyone whether they have money or not. God can work miracles even with what seemed like to the disciples the most difficult of problems, giving up everything for God. As I grow in my faith, I find myself asking for God’s help for everything in my life. I used to think God was only interested in the big problems in my life, but as my relationship with God grows, God has become my best friend and wants to be consulted on every decision in my life – small and large. God loves me and I can rely on the Holy Spirit to advise me on everything in my life.