60IN60 Day 32 - Thurs Apr 3

It's Day 32 and we're in Matthew 9.

One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It cuts through the clutter. We are surrounded by tons of information, but so much of it is essentially irrelevant to a meaningful life. The Bible speaks to the issues that matter. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - Which would I consider the greater miracle: the physical healing or the soul healing?  Which would I be more impressed by?

Help:
- Verse 3 - They thought He was blaspheming because only God had the right to forgive sins and they didn't think that Jesus was God.
- Verse 9 - He had met Matthew before.  This was not their first conversation.
- Verse 15 - Yeah, that means that we should be fasting regularly.
- Verses 16-17 - What's that mean?  That Jesus is doing a new thing.

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 31 - Wed Apr 2

It's Day 31 and we're in Matthew 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - It's hard to underestimate how prized faith is to Jesus.

Help:
- Verse 10 - The centurion shows faith by believing that if Jesus speaks the word it will happen.  He has confidence in Jesus' power, even sight unseen.
- Verses 18 - Why would He do that?  Most likely, given the previous two verses, is that most of the people were coming not to hear the truth but the see the miracles.  For Jesus, the miracles were primarily useful as signs that pointed people to the truth.
- Verses 21-22 - The presumption here is that the man's father was not yet passed yet, but that the man was asking for permission to wait until his father's death to begin to follow Jesus.
- Verse 34 - Why would they plead with Jesus to leave?  Apparently they prized their property (the pigs) more than the man's changed life and therefore decided having Jesus around was too risky.

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 Apr 1

It's Day 30 and we're in 1 Samuel 26.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 21 - Saul "repents" but is unwilling to change his behavior long-term.  Real repentance is less about the emotion and more about the changed behavior.

Help:
- Verses 9-11 - This is a clear explanation of why David has refused to kill Saul when presented with the opportunity.

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 29 - Mon Mar 31

It's Day 29 and we're in 1 Samuel 25.

One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It provides the answers to life's most pressing questions: "Why am I here?" "What value does my life have?" "What does God want out of me?" "What does a life well spent look like?" For all the time we spend daily on trivial things, it's essential that we spend some time on the big questions. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - It's hard to overestimate the value of a good wife.

Help:
- Verse 8 - It would have been customary back then to reward such behavior.  It's not a "shake-down."  Hospitality generally was much more important in that culture than it is in our's.

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 30

It's Day 28 and we're in 1 Samuel 24.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - This is a strange action.  I'm not totally sure what to do with it, but one thing it points me toward is that David had a very strong belief in trusting that God would fight for him and that he should trust His timing.

Help:
- Verses 6, 12 - Why didn't David kill Saul when he had the chance?  David apparently believed that only God should take the life of His anointed king.  Even though David knows he is God's chosen to be the next king of Israel, he also feels that the timing of the end of Saul's reign is up to God.
- Verse 8 - To do this David was either confident in God's protection (knowing that God has chosen him to eventually be the next king) or was desperate and tired of running from the law.
- Verses 16-21 - Saul repents, but we know that his future behavior will repeat the same mistakes.

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 29

It's Day 27 and we're in 1 Samuel 23.

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 5 - In the course of the victory, God also provided the resources they needed to eat.  God can kill two birds with one stone better than anyone.

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 28

It's Day 26 and we're in 1 Samuel 22.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - It's interesting that David gathered those from the edges of society.  Jesus did something similar.  Do we?

Help:
- Verse 17 - How evil is what Saul is asking them to do?  You know it's bad when his guards are willing to disobey 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.