60IN60 Day 31 - Wed Mar 31

It's Day 31 and we're in Matthew 23.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 23 - I think Baptists are guilty of this too often: missing the larger issues of justice.

Help:
- Verses 6-10 - We need to be careful that we're not getting full egos off the praise of people.
- Verse 13 - The second half of the verse refers to people with genuine spiritual interest who would come to the Pharisees because they were "the religious experts."  The Pharisees' answer would point those people in the wrong direction.
- Verses 30-32 - They were both trying to claim that it was their "fathers" who made up Israel while trying to deny the ancient disobedience those old Israelites did that made God mad.
- Verses 34-35 - Because the Pharisees of Jesus' day had a vantage point to see so much and therefore have so many warnings about disobedience, it makes their guilt greater.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 30 - Tues Mar 30

It's Day 30 and we're in Matthew 22.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - Tough verse, but worthy of pondering as to why God would do that.

Help:
- Verse 7 - Verse 6 is a big help in understanding verse 7.  These people had murdered innocents.
- Verse 10 - The point here is that the invitation was widely given, but verse 12 has more to say.
- Verse 12-13 - Some were invited, but didn't make the change needed to come to the wedding.  The analogy would be those who hear the gospel invitation, but never change their lives.  Verse 13 is descriptive of hell.
- Verse 14 - God throws open the opportunity to all, but we must come having received what Christ has done for us.
- Verses 15-16 - The Pharisees and Herodians were natural enemies.  If Jesus said to pay the taxes, the Herodians would turn Him into the Romans as an enemy of the state, preaching rebellion.  If Jesus said to pay the taxes, the Pharisees would tell the people that Jesus was just a patsy for the oppressive Roman rule.  It was designed to be a no-win situation.
- Verse 24 - This was the tradition back then.  I know today that we marry for love and this seems strange to us, but it was the custom.  (And our marrying-for-love system hasn't exactly produced perfect results either.)
- Verse 30 - We will not be married to other humans in the Kingdom to come.
- Verses 41-45 - This is a little puzzle.  David is speaking of the Messiah, who will come after him.  Because David is the older, he should receive the higher honor.  Yet he refers to this Messiah as "Lord."  Why?  The answer is that the Messiah was not just going to be another human, but God incarnate.  That made the Messiah worthy of such an honor.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Comments and Questions:

- "My three year old daughter, Julia has been asking lately "when can I pray?"  So I showed her this verse just last night.  Three words but so powerful.  We can and should be going to God constantly regardless of the situation.  What a blessing it is go share the Bible with children."

60IN60 Day 29 - Mon Mar 29

It's Day 29 and we're in 1 Thessalonians 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 17 - I want to reach a place where I'm constantly inviting God into moment-by-moment life.

Help:
- Verse 16, 18 - This is not to say that we have to be thankful for everything, but we do need to find reasons to be thankful in everything. 
- Verse 26 - This is a cultural thing from Paul's time and not a binding commandment on us today.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 28 - Sun Mar 28

It's Day 28 and we're in 1 Thessalonians 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - God wants the sin gone from our lives.  We don't have to wonder about that - we know it's His will.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 27 - Sat Mar 27

It's Day 27 and we're in 1 Thessalonians 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - As a pastor, I get this.  The joy of seeing those in your church family grow is a big deal.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 26 - Fri Mar 26

It's Day 26 and we're in 1 Thessalonians 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - As a pastor, I get this.  You so want to see your congregation grow spiritually.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs Mar 25

It's Day 25 and we're in 1 Thessalonians 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - I want to see that power.

Help:
- Verse 6 - Not that Paul was perfect, but he was trying to authentically model a true spiritual life.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 24 - Wed Mar 24

It's Day 24 and we're in Psalm 28.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - I like the thought that thinking of what He's done for us fills us with joy.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 23 - Tues Mar 23

It's Day 23 and we're in Psalm 26.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - It's essential to come before God regularly and ask Him to reveal where we've still got work to do.  He wants to see us make progress.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 22 - Mon Mar 22

It's Day 22 and we're in Psalm 25.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - Sometimes we're out on a limb for Him, trusting that He's going to come through.  He will not let us down.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 21 - Sun Mar 21

It's Day 21 and we're in Psalm 24.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1 - All that was created was created by Him.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 20 - Sat Mar 20

It's Day 20 and we're in Acts 4. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 14 - The hard-headness is amazing.  They have no reply and know something amazing has happened (verses 15-18), but yet they are so tied to their position and their power that they won't consider changing.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 19 - Fri Mar 19

It's Day 19 and we're in Acts 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - That's a nice phrase: "times of refreshing."

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 18 - Thurs Mar 18

It's Day 18 and we're in Acts 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 43 - I'd like to see more of that "awe" today.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "Acts 1. Reading today in last half of  verse 25 Peter is saying 'Show us which of these 2 you have chosen for us to take over this "apostolic ministry"'.  Is Peter referring to the 11 apostles  continuing the ministry of Jesus?   I googled apostolic ministry (probably not the best place to do so but they referred to the 5 fold ministries in Ephesians 4:11-13.    Then it went on talking about the apostolic ministry in today's times. Just read the March 14th Sunday School lesson on King Solomon and it was great, so much was brought out that I never thought about.  I mostly thought his downfall was not obeying God's commands and his marrying women who did not follow God.  My eyes were opened how King Solomon relates to me and my Christian life." - In Acts 1 the disciples are replacing Judas, who had killed himself.  In talking about "apostolic ministry" in that context, we are talking about the ministry of the 12 (or 11) apostles.  One interesting thing about that Acts 1 passage is that the apostles decide to replace Judas, but then both of their replacement candidates are never heard of again in the Bible, while Acts highlights Paul throughout.  It makes me wonder if the apostles jumped ahead of what God had planned, since the Bible doesn't say that they asked God about making that choice.

60IN60 Day 17 - Wed Mar 17

It's Day 17 and we're in Acts 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - I don't remember noticing this verse before.  This has a lot to say to preachers who spend endless time speculating on end times possibilities.

Help:
- Verse 11 - The latter half of the verse is a reference to the Second Coming.
- Verses 15-26 - I think this is a mistake by Peter.  He was not told to fill that twelfth spot.  I think God had Paul in mind as being Judas' replacement and Peter did something he wasn't asked to do.  If so, that means the first major decision by a Christian after Jesus left was a mistake.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 16 - Tues Mar 16

It's Day 16 and we're in Genesis 45.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - Forgiving is hard.

Help:
- Verse 2 - This is not playacting.  This is the genuine struggle of Joseph moving from resentment to forgiveness.
- Verse 3 - Why does Joseph ask if his father is still alive?  He knows that he is from previous conversations with his brothers.  This moment simply shows Joseph's heart for wanting to see his father again.
- Verses 4-8 - His brothers do bear guilt for their sinful treatment of Joseph, but Joseph is here acknowledging that he can now see where God was working within what seemed at the time to be terrible.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 15 - Mon Mar 15

It's Day 15 and we're in Genesis 44.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1-2 - In many ways Joseph has the best character of any of the Old Testament figures, yet here it shows him struggling with forgiveness.  We've all been there.

Help:
- Verse 1 - Why does Joseph do this?  I think at this point he still has bitterness and resentment toward his brothers and wants to make them squirm.  It's not until later in this chapter when Judah offers to sacrifice himself that Joseph's love for his brothers breaks through (which shows up early in chapter 45).

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 14 - Sun Mar 14

It's Day 14 and we're in Genesis 43.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me.

Help:
- Verse 23 - The steward thought this was true, but 42:25 tells us otherwise.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 13 - Sat Mar 13

It's Day 13 and we're in Genesis 42.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 24 - He is moved by their sorrow, but not enough to forgive.

Help:
- Verse 4 - Yes, Jacob is showing favoritism again and that is bad parenting.  The Bible describes what Jacob does but that doesn't mean it endorses it.
- Verses 7-17 - I think this comes from Joseph's resentment over how he was treated.  Some think Joseph is more mature than that and this is just a little drama, but I think Joseph still had hard feelings.
- Verse 28 - They were concerned they'd be accused of stealing.
- Verse 37 - Offering two sons as a bounty had to do with the honor system they had back then.
- Verse 38 - Yes, Jacob is playing favorites.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 12 - Fri Mar 12

It's Day 12 and we're in Genesis 41.

Sometimes things get busy and you miss a day or two.  Don’t get discouraged and quit.  Just lay aside those readings you missed and jump in with today’s reading. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 1, 40 - The timing of the famine determined when Joseph got out of jail.  It was a longer wait than he'd have liked, but as verse 57 indicates many lives were saved by what Joseph went through.

Help:
- Verse 38 - Pharaoh gave Joseph too much credit in presuming that the divine spirit dwelt within him.  He did have help from God, but he wasn't part divine.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 11 - Thurs Mar 11

It's Day 11 and we're in Genesis 40.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 14-15 - Sometimes what looks like it's obviously going to be the open door fails to materialize.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 10 - Wed Mar 10

It's Day 10 and we're in Genesis 39.

One problem that regularly bothers me as I read is a wandering mind. A word in the text will make me think of something that I have to do that day and my mind is off to the races, leaving the Bible behind. I've found it helpful to have something near me that I can make a note on when that happens so I can write down that thing I need to do later and get back to concentrating on the reading in front of me.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 21 - It's an interesting comment here.  Within the larger bad thing, God showed kindness to Joseph in a smaller way.  Of course, we'd usually just avoid that struggle altogether.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "Matthew 19 - Jesus tells his disciples that they will sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.  That seems like a pretty great reward.  Then Jesus says (in verses 29)  'And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.' I've never noticed this before.  What is He talking about?  A hundred times of what?  And who is Jesus talking about, all saved people?  or just those who have 'left everything'?" - First of all, yes, you're right - sitting on one of the twelve thrones is a pretty great reward.  Now to your questions.  We know that Jesus said that some of our relationships might get strained or severed because of our commitment to Christ (Luke 12:53).  Here Jesus is envisioning the abundant family that we will gain when we enter into the family of the Kingdom (my new "brothers," etc.).  This is, in a real, spiritual, and eternal sense, my new family (see Matthew 12:49).  So I might lose my blood brother because of my commitment to Christ, but I will gain another 100 "brothers in Christ" in my local church family.  But what about Jesus mentioning "houses" and "fields" in that sentence?  I think that envisions the way that Jesus intended for the church to be generous and giving toward each other so that we would take care of each other's material needs.  See Acts 4:32-35 for the most beautiful expression of that.  In the church in America, we have almost no vision of this Biblical calling.  We believe that what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours instead of believing that everything we have belongs to God and we should be eager to share each other's burdens.  If we were that way, going back to the passage, I might start with one home, but through Christ I would then have a hundred brothers and sisters in my church family who would gladly take me in if I was in a time of need.

60IN60 Day 9 - Tues Mar 9

It's Day 9 and we're in Genesis 38.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 24-25 - He was so indignant over her sin even when he had secretly committed that same sin.  What are the sins I publicly condemn while privately accommodating?

Help:
- Verses 7, 10 - This is not something that usually happens, but it does sometimes.
- Verses 14-18 - Yes, this is Jerry Springer stuff.  The Bible describes what this family does and that doesn't mean that God approves of what they do.  Pretty sick stuff.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "The first five verses talk about little children. I always thought this was referring to children, literally. Then verse six refers to 'little ones' as those who believe in Jesus. So are these verses talking about Christians ?  new believers as children in.Christ ?  or literal children? 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (NIV)" - I think the immediate context is literal children.  In v. 2 He calls a child to stand among them and makes these points.  I think v. 6 is referring to literal children who believe in Him.  Having said that, I think there are similar truths that apply to new believers (even if they are adults) and our responsibility to not trip them up.  But the immediate context here is literal children.

60IN60 Day 8 - Mon Mar 8

It's Day 8 and we're in Genesis 37.

We're going to be reading the Joseph stories out of Genesis.  In many ways, he's the most impressive character in Genesis, although he does give into resentment in meeting his brothers in Egypt.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 34 - Did the brothers think about the consequence to their Dad before they did it, or were they just focused on their own feelings?

Help:
- Verse 3 - "Israel" is Jacob.
- Verse 3 - Yes, this is bad parenting.  Genesis tells what they did, but that doesn't mean what they did was always right.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 7 - Sun Mar 7

It's Day 7 and we're in Matthew 21.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - A defining characteristic of the church should be our prayer.
- Verse 43 - He wants fruit from us.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you  have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 6 - Sat Mar 6

It's Day 6 and we're in Matthew 20.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 34 - How often am I "moved with compassion"?

Help:
- Verses 1-16 - Two possible interpretations: a. This refers to the opening door for the Gentiles to come into the Kingdom after it'd been just the Jews for so long; b. It refers to those who are saved late in life and have little time to serve God.
- Verses 22-23 - They would die for the Kingdom, but that authority had already been granted.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Comments and Questions:

- "Is the world to come in the last verse referring to the millennia reign?" (Matthew 19) - Yes, it most likely refers to the Millennium, but there are some who think it refers to the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21-22.

60IN60 Day 5 - Fri Mar 5

It's Day 5 and we're in Matthew 19.

As you read, listen for where God wants to speak to you. What jumps out to you? What speaks to situations you're dealing with right now? 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 21 - What's holding you back?  What's holding me back?  For this guy it was his possessions, but it might be something else for us.

Help:
- Verses 1-9 - This is not all the teaching on divorce that Jesus did.
- Verse 12 - This means that some are born without the "equipment" to have sex; some (not so much today, but it happened back then) were made eunuchs by people (like the man who would oversee the king's harem); some choose not to have sex because they feel God is calling them to a single life (this would not involve a physical change like the other two options).
- Verse 17 - This presumably was because the man looked at Jesus as a human teacher.
- Verses 23-26 - This is not saying it's impossible for rich people to be saved, but it is harder.  Why?  They tend to love the things of this world and put their trust in their wealth.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 4 - Thurs Mar 4

It's Day 4 and we're in Matthew 18.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 34-35 - These are verses to think about slowly.  If God really feels this way, that's different than most of us think of Him.

Help:
- Verse 10 - This is one of the two New Testament verses that hint at the idea of guardian angels.
- Verses 15-18 - This is the idea of "church discipline."  It's how we are to treat serious sin within the church.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 3 - Wed Mar 3

It's Day 3 and we're in Matthew 17.

If you've got questions about your reading, I love answering those. Feel free to email me. Unless it's something personal, I'll usually anonymously share the question (and answer) in the following day's email so everyone can benefit from it. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - How little faith we must have, since we see so little of His power.

Help:
- Verse 4-5 - Peter's mistake was that he should have realized the point of the vision was how great Jesus was, not that all three were equally impressive.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 2 - Tues Mar 2

It's Day 2 and we're in Matthew 16.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 26 - One of my life verses.

Help:
- Verse 4 - The "sign of Jonah" refers to the fact that Jesus was going to be three days to the resurrection, like Jonah was three days in the fish.
- Verses 6, 11-12 - The "leaven" was their hypocrisy.
- Verse 18 - Catholics believe the "this rock" is Peter; Protestants believe it is his confession of Christ.
- Verse 20 - This was largely a timing issue.  He had a timetable in mind.
- Verse 24 - As disciples, we need to be willing to make sacrifices for Him.
- Verse 25 - This means that rather than doing what I want to do, I instead obey the teaching of Christ, believing that obedience to Him will lead to true life.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 1 - Mon Mar 1

It's Day 1 and we're in Matthew 15.

There is a little overlap between the two "60IN60" cycles, so we are starting another 60 days because of the way the calendar fell.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - This is a challenging verse for me, because the penalty seems too severe.  This is a part of the Word that I will have to keep wrestling with.

Help:
- Verses 21-28 - It seems harsh that Jesus declines her request.  His mission at this point is exclusively to the lost sheep of Israel.  In other words, He's come to try to win back God's people to God.  Of course, we know that they will reject Him.  But before they do that, He focuses His attention on them.  You can't say yes to everything.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.