60IN60 Day 27 - Sat Oct 3

It's Day 27 and we're in Luke 13.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 34 - Many times these days Christians complain (justifiably) about the moral state of America.  I wonder if our attitude should be more like this verse - pained longing, rather than our usual righteous finger-pointing.

Help:
- Verse 24 - This is not saying there are many who want to enter the Kingdom and have done everything they should have but God will not let them in.  Rather, it's saying there are many who will presume that they're ok with God only to have God confront them with the fact that they haven't done what God said was necessary to enter the Kingdom.  See Matthew 7:13-14 for a similar passage.  Those Matthew verses are then followed by a lot of talk about how essential it is to actually obey the teaching of Christ.  I think a similar idea is at play here: there are a lot of people who claim to love God, but who are not obeying the teaching of Christ in their lives.  They will "seek to enter" when they get to heaven, but "will not be able" because they didn't do what Jesus said to do.

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 Oct 2

It's Day 26 and we're in Luke 12.

An encouragement as you read today: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8). 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 31 - I love this verse (and its parallel in Matthew 6:33).  Put God first, seek His Kingdom, and He'll take care of all this other 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.

60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs Oct 1

It's Day 25 and we're in Luke 11.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1 - For all of us who aren't particularly good at prayer or find prayer difficult, it's encouraging to know that the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray and He didn't rebuke them for that.

Help:
- Verses 49-51 - This is tough to understand, but I take it to say something like, "You all are in an advantaged position - you have all the history of Israel to look back on and learn from.  Yet, rather than learning, you're every bit the hypocrites that your forefathers were.  Therefore the guilt just continues to pour out on you."
- Verse 52 - What is the "key to knowledge"?  He doesn't say here.  One obvious explanation would be that the key is Jesus.  Another possibility, given the Pharisees' habits, was that the key is avoiding hypocrisy.

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 Sept 30

It's Day 24 and we're in Luke 10.

An encouragement as you read the Bible today: in Acts 17:11, it tells of some Christians in Berea who "received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether [what we taught was Biblical]." Let's be like them. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 41-42 - How many of us need to heed this?  There are so many things to get done in a day, but "only one thing is needed."

Help:
- Verses 4-11 - These are instructions for the disciples when Jesus sent them out.  These are not instructions for all disciples at all times.
- Verse 18 - I take this to mean that Satan was accusing the disciples before God for their unworthiness for the mission that Jesus had sent them on, but the power of God overwhelmed their inadequacies.  Angry, Satan came back down to earth ("fall from heaven like lightning").
- Verse 19 - This is, like verses 4-11, only true for the disciples at that time and not all disciples for all time.

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 Sept 29

It's Day 23 and we're in Luke 9.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1 - "He. . . gave them power" - God desires to give us power that we might be able to make a difference in the world.

Help:
- Verse 18 - That's oddly phrased.  I think it means, "Jesus went away with His disciples to get some time praying alone.  While on that retreat, the disciples asked. . ."
- Verse 23 - What does that mean?  It means that put aside our desires and pursue where He's leading us.  "Taking up your cross" means being willing to make sacrifices for the Kingdom.
- Verse 24 - What does this mean?  It means that we need to pursue what God is calling us to do, even when it causes us to have to make sacrifices we'd rather not make.  We do this presuming that His leading will take us to real life.
- Verse 59 - The best explanation of this I've read is that the phrase used by the man was one that meant that that his father was not yet dead but that he wanted to wait until that had happened and was taken care of.

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:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: "Ecclesiastes certainly isn't my favorite books but it does hammer home the one essential truth: when we attach ourselves to things of impermanence (even high- minded pursuits) without godliness there's no rest, there's never closure.  As St Augustine wrote, 'Our hearts are not at rest until we find our rest in you.'"

60IN60 Day 22 - Mon Sept 28

It's Day 22 and we're in Ecclesiastes 3.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? We have the Word so that as believers we can be "equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). Read the Word so you're ready for what life throws at you. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - He has "set eternity in their hearts."  There is something within each of us that longs for life beyond this life.  I think it's there because there is life beyond this life.

Help:
- Verse 1-22 - Remember that Ecclesiastes is written from the perspective of someone trying to make sense of life without a vibrant relationship with God in their life.  Understanding that helps passages like verses 17-22 to make more sense - those are not the words of someone who deeply understands God.

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:

- "Did Solomon write the book of Ecclesiastes?" - Although the text does not explicitly name him, there is every reason to believe he did. He fits all the identifying remarks made within the book. 

60IN60 Day 21 - Sun Sept 27

It's Day 21 and we're in Ecclesiastes 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - Without the hope of eternal life, there is a bitterness in knowing our only legacy is left to those who may mistreat it.

Help:
- Verse 1-26 - It's essential to understand the purpose of Ecclesiastes.  It is a wise man who is not following God describing how the world seems to him.  What is why it references all these wonderful things of life that the writer (almost certainly Solomon) ultimately finds "vanity" (i.e. meaningless).  The point of Ecclesiastes is this: no matter how much of the wonders and glory of this earth you experience, if you don't have God in your life, you will ultimately find it meaningless.  Ecclesiastes is my favorite Old Testament book because it speaks so clearly to 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.