60IN60 Next Round

We start a new round of 60IN60 on Monday.

You can get the new readings several ways:

1. It's available on the church website.  Click here for a one-page PDF.

2. Sheets are available in the hallway at MBC.

3. You can email me at butcher@ymail.com and I'll email you a one-page PDF.

4. It's listed below.


* * * * *

1: Mark 1 (Monday, November 3)

2: Mark 2

3: Mark 3

4: Mark 4

5: Mark 5

6: Mark 6

7: Mark 7

 

8: Mark 8 (Monday, November 10)

9: Psalm 34

10: Psalm 35

11: Psalm 36

12: Psalm 37

13: Joshua 1

14: Joshua 2

15: Joshua 3 (Monday, November 17)

16: Joshua 4

17: Joshua 5

18: Joshua 6

19: 1 Corinthians 1

20: 1 Corinthians 2

21: 1 Corinthians 3

22: 1 Corinthians 4 (Monday, November 24)

23: 1 Corinthians 5

24: 1 Corinthians 6

25: 1 Corinthians 7

26: Job 1

27: Job 2

28: Job 3

29: Job 38 (Monday, December 1)

30: Job 42

31: Mark 9

32: Mark 10

33: Mark 11

34: Mark 12

35: Mark 13

36: Mark 14 (Monday, December 8)

37: Mark 15

38: Mark 16

39: Joshua 7

40: Joshua 8

41: Joshua 9

42: Joshua 10

43: Joshua 11 (Monday, December 15)

44: Titus 1

45: Titus 2

46: Titus 3

47: Hosea 1

48: Hosea 2

49: Hosea 3

50: Hosea 14 (Monday, December 22)

51: Proverbs 21

52: Proverbs 22

53: Psalm 38

54: Psalm 40

55: 1 Corinthians 8

56: 1 Corinthians 9

57: 1 Corinthians 10 (Monday, December 29)

58: 1 Corinthians 11

59: 1 Corinthians 12

60: 1 Corinthians 13

60IN60 Day 60 - Thurs Oct 30

It's Day 60 and we're in Acts 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1 - This persecution at the time must have seemed a horrible thing, yet used it to force the believers to spread out all over the region and share the gospel.

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 59 - Wed Oct 29

It's Day 59 and we're in Acts 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 54 - The Word doesn't always bring out pleasant responses.  It depends on where your heart is.

Help:
- Verse 60 - "fell asleep" - This is used in different places in the New Testament as a euphamism for death.

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 58 - Tues Oct 28

It's Day 58 and we're in Acts 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - These two things form the core of what a pastor should spend his time doing.

Help:
- Verse 7 - Sometimes we talk like all the religious leaders rejected the claims of Christ.  That's not true - many became believers.

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 57 - Mon Oct 27

It's Day 57 and we're in Acts 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 17 - You'd like to think we work from higher motives, but even in the things of God it often comes down to things as petty as jealousy.

Help:
- Verse 5 - This is shocking.  I think it speaks to the purity of the early church and how much God wanted to maintain that.

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 56 - Sun Oct 26

It's Day 56 and we're in Exodus 34.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Nothing really jumped out to me today.

 

Help:

- Verse 7 - We talked about this "third and fourth generations" issue back at Exodus 20.  The best explanation I've come up with is that this is a statement of the way life works: when parents are disobedient, their children learn that and the influence can filter down generation after generation.

- Verse 14 - "a jealous God" - Not a petty jealousy, but it means that God expects us to keep our commitment to Him, the same way a wife should expect her husband to keep his marital promises to her.

- Verse 26 - "young goat" - An obscure point, but some of what God shares is for this particular rural nation at this particular time in history.

- Verse 28 - "he did not eat. . . or drink" - That would make this, like Jesus' 40 days, a supernatural event.

 

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 55 - Sat Oct 25

It's Day 55 and we're in Exodus 33.

 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 13 - Nice phrase: finding "favor in Your sight."

 

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 54 - Fri Oct 24

It's Day 54 and we're in Exodus 32.

We finished at Exodus 20 a while back with the Ten Commandments.  Now we finish up the story with the pathetic actions of Israel in response.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - It's amazing how quickly they got off track.  Why did that happen so quickly?  Two things are key: 1. Israel, as seen by their whining in previous chapters, didn't have their hearts into following God, so they were eager to turn aside; 2. Aaron was not a mature leader (see verses 22-24).

Help:
- Verses 27-29 - This seems harsh, but apparently that severe a response was necessary to wake the people up to how bad what they were doing was.

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 53 - Thurs Oct 23

It's Day 53 and we're in John 21.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 21-23 - Just a reminder to me that sometimes we read things into passages that are not intended.

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 Thoughts:
- "I depend on this schedule of scripture to keep me in the Word. My personality is to see the whole Bible with no place to start. Your guide helps me have a focus and I am thoroughly enjoying these readings."

60IN60 Day 52 - Wed Oct 22

It's Day 52 and we're in John 20.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - Even after all He'd said to them, they didn't get it.  I wonder what the parts of the Kingdom are that He's spoken clearly about and yet I have not fully grasped.

Help:
- Verse 17 - It would seem that Jesus ascended right after His resurrection, then returned to earth for 40 more days before the ascension we read about in Acts.
- Verse 23 - This is an amazing power that He has given 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 51 - Tues Oct 21

It's Day 51 and we're in John 19.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 30 - He didn't say "I am finished," as though it overwhelmed Him.  He said, "It is finished," meaning that His mission was accomplished.

Help:
- Verse 11 - Among those responsible in this travesty of justice, Pilate bore the lesser share.
- Verse 12 - Pilate was an embattled leader by this point in his career and could not chance another uprising without potentially losing his throne.  So when the people said that refusing to do this made him "no friend of Caesar," they were hitting him where it hurt: the potential loss of his power.

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

If you have questions or comments, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 50 - Mon Oct 20

It's Day 50 and we're in John 18.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 37 - "for this reason I've come into the world, to testify to the truth" - And now we need to listen.

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 49 - Sun Oct 19

It's Day 49 and we're in John 17.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 2 - "eternal life" - I don't think we appreciate what an incredible offer this is. Eternal 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 48 - Sat Oct 18

It's Day 48 and we're in John 16.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 24 - One of the reasons He's so eager to answer our prayers: it brings us joy to see Him answer.

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.

Questions You Have:
- "I have never lead anyone to Christ. I'm as unfruitful as anyone could be. If I understand the passage correctly, making disciples for Christ is the gauge by which one's fruitfulness is measured. Have I already been cut off? Am I fooled into thinking I am in His will? My children are as far from God as anyone could be and the turn-around in my life has had no effect on them at all. As it is said, 'the proofs in the pudding'. Right now my pudding stinks." - First of all, I think it is a good thing for us to assess our lives regularly to see if we're living out what we say we believe. On the question of a fruitful life, some things to remember: 1. There is internal fruit and external fruit. Internal is my life experiencing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23-24) and looking more like the life of Christ (more love, more joy, more peace, etc.). External fruit is being a part of seeing someone saved. This is not just praying the sinner's prayer with them, but also being those who help move them closer to God. We need to see both kinds of fruit. 2. Obviously, it's a great thing to be able to lead someone to Christ, but the more common every day experience is pointing people toward Christ with our actions and words. For example, it might be that a wife lives out a faithful, loving Christian life in front of her unsaved husband and one morning he comes forward at an altar call and gets saved. The wife had the greater impact, although the pastor got to bring the harvest. So ask: am I regularly pointing people to Christ? 3. There is no greater thrill than having the privilege of leading someone to Christ. I would pray for God to open up doors in your life where you can get to do that.
- "I think a lot of us wonder how we can tell if we're bearing fruit. It is pretty obvious if we actually lead someone to Christ, but we don't always know whether or not we played a role in that since we may only plant a seed. For that matter, how do we know for sure if we're even planting seeds?" - I'm actually in the midst of preaching a long sermon series about fruitfulness.  Check out the sermons page on the church website for the messages.

60IN60 Day 47 - Fri Oct 17

It's Day 47 and we're in John 15.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 1-11 - This is one of my favorite passages because it speaks to how God desires bring about great fruitfulness through our lives. The main point: to be fruitful for God, the key is not to work harder, but to get closer (to God).

Help:
- Verse 22 - There is a responsibility that comes with increased knowledge.

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 46 - Thurs Oct 16

It's Day 46 and we're in 2 Timothy 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - Paul and Mark had a huge disagreement years before this, so Paul's request in this verse is a sign of reconciliation.

Help:
- Verse 6 - Just a colorful way of saying that he recognizes that the end of his life is approaching quickly.

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 45 - Wed Oct 15

It's Day 45 and we're in 2 Timothy 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" - Lots of that all around 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.

Your Questions:
- "What's up in Exodus 20:25 with admonish to use stones that haven't been hewn?" - It's obscure, but it might be out of concern that they would carve the stones into idol images.

60IN60 Day 44 - Tues Oct 14

It's Day 44 and we're in 2 Timothy 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - We need to strive spiritually, not sit around lazily.

Help:
- Verses 11-13 - What's each statement mean? a. "died with Him" - Part of salvation is that we in our belief participate in His spiritual death, so we "die" spiritually and are raised to newness of life; b. "deny Him" - This would be unbelievers, not believers; c. "faithless" - If we drift away from Jesus, He will draw us back.

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:
- "Re: comments about sins down through the generations; I lived an unholy life as an example to my two children. They are adults now and neither one is saved. One is ,some might say, hopelessly addicted to meth, the other is an avowed atheist who hates all things Christian. Am I the one Christ talks about when He said it would be better for a millstone to be hung around my neck and I be thrown into the abyss than for one of these little ones to be offended. Because of my life style and the choices I made during their formative years, they have two strikes against them starting out. Since I've been born again, I have tried to just love them, pray for them and be the best example possible. But it all seems to be in vain. Please pray for them and for me." - The two biggest thoughts that come to my mind: 1. Your own life is an example of the redeeming power of God's love, so hopefully that positive example will at some point get through to them; 2. Jesus said that those that appear to be the furthest from God are often those who are most open to His grace, so don't give up hope.  As for the millstone concern, that part of your life obviously is something that would have been not to have happened, but I think the specific context of Jesus' comments has more to do with those who actively work against their faith in Jesus, rather than just a life that is generally not on track.

60IN60 Day 43 - Mon Oct 13

It's Day 43 and we're in 2 Timothy 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - "power and love and discipline" - That's what the Christian life should look like.

Help:

- Verse 6 - Some spiritual gifts are given at the moment of salvation. Others can happen at special times, such as the laying on of hands.
- Verse 10 - "abolished death" - He has abolished spiritual death.

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

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

Where God Spoke To You:
- Exodus 17:12 - "What a great story. I don't recall ever reading that. Great lesson in teamwork and supporting our brothers/sisters for the Call."

60IN60 Day 42 - Sun Oct 12

It's Day 42 and we're in Exodus 20.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - So many times we want to have someone else do our talking to God for us, rather than have that personal relationship ourselves.

Help:
- Verses 5-6 - The idea that the fathers' sin brings iniquity down three or four generations is hard to understand. The best way that I've come up with to grasp the idea is to think of it like this: I think of the statement less as God punishing and more as a statement of the way life works. When I live my life for something other than God, my kids are going to pick up on that and, very likely, are going to live lives that reflect what I've taught them. Therefore, my sinful life is going to reverberate down through multiple generations. Maybe not a perfect explanation, but the best one I've come up with so far.

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 41 - Sat Oct 11

It's Day 41 and we're in Exodus 19.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - When God shows up, you know it.

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

If you have questions or comments about the chapter, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Where God Spoke To You:
- "I need to be aware when God send a message via someone for my good. Jethro was this person for Moses. Moses was working hard to keep up with his role and Jethro gave him some practical advice that would be for his good and longevity. Who was Jethro in the big sceme of the events? He was the practical voice of reason; the wise father-in-law who loved Moses. God has people in our lives for a reason and we certainly need Jethro's."

60IN60 Day 40 - Fri Oct 10

It's Day 40 and we're in Exodus 18.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 15-16 - He was acting like every request was his responsibility. . . and it was too much for him to handle.

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.

Questions You Have:
- "I have a question about the use of 'forever' in Exodus. I know some churches, esp the one I used to attend where the pastor grew up Jewish, have Passover and Rosh Hashana services to which they encourage believers to invite their Jewish friends. I'm wondering if there is anything specific in the NT addressing God's use of 'forever' regarding celebrating Passover. I realize He put a lot of emphasis on it being for the 'circumcised,' but obviously He knew both Jesus would be dying for us eventually, and that other cultures would start circumcising their babies in the future. It almost seems like we should all still be celebrating Passover. I also realized Jesus is the lamb and His blood is the blood on the doors, but again...it's the word 'forever' on which I'm stuck. Thoughts?" - There is no command in the New Testament for Christians to continue to celebrate the Jewish traditions. There was a debate in the early church (that's recorded in Acts) about how "Jewish" the Christians needed to be and the decision was that they didn't need to keep all the traditions. I would argue that communion is for us a continuation of the ideas put forward in the Passover - being rescued from death by the blood.

60IN60 Day 39 - Thurs Oct 9

It's Day 39 and we're in Exodus 17.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - Hey, didn't He just take care of your need? Quit whining!

Help:
- Verse 11 - The point of this is, of course, not that there was anything intrisically important in Moses holding up his hands, but that Israel would clearly understand that the victory was not because of their military prowess, but because of God's might.

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:
- "My pastor was born and raised Jewish and accepted Christ in college. He has a Passover service every year and encourages us to bring our Jewish friends, but also tells us to be very open with them that they are coming to a church and the service will discuss Jesus and how the Passover relates to Jesus being the Lamb of God. He stresses that we should not allow our friends to feel ambushed when they attend. I went once. It was very educational."

60IN60 Day 38 - Wed Oct 8

It's Day 38 and we're in Exodus 16.

If you come across something in your reading that doesn't make sense at first, be quick to re-read and to ask questions. If I can help answer anything, drop me an email.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 3-4 - More whining instead of asking God to supply. Why are we so quick to blame God instead of asking Him to take care of our problems?

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

If you have questions or comments, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Questions You Have:
- "This is definitely the chapter where the Jewish passover is laid out. If in chapter 14 the Jews are being directed to commorate this day as a celebration for generations, why as Christians do we not also adhere to this directive? In the past I have attended christianized Seder suppers on the Thursday before Easter commorating the Last Supper and tying the sympbolism of the Passover meal with the crucifixion. Why is this is not a common practice in most churches?" - I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating it and I have myself participated in Passover meals occassionally. The Passover meal celebrates the blood protecting them and saving them from death. I would argue that we have the higher fulfillment of the original Passover as we look at Jesus' death. As we celebrate communion, we participate in a meal that reminds us that the blood protects us and saves us from death - but it's the blood of Jesus.

60IN60 Day 37 - Tues Oct 7

It's Day 37 and we're in Exodus 15.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 24 - It's amazing how quickly we forget the miracles and answered prayers and come complaining instead of coming anticipating His provision.

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 36 - Mon Oct 6

It’s Day 34 and we’re in Exodus 14.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 11 - When things get hard, we are so quick to romanticize the way things used to be. We cry out for deliverance, then long for our chains again when the walk of faith gets hard.

Help:

- Verses 21 - As you can read from the text, it didn't exactly happen the way it was portrayed in the old Charlton Heston movies. First of all, it was incredibly windy in the walk. Second, the path had to be really wide, rather than a narrow path, because there were hundreds of thousands of Israelites that had to make it through.

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 35 - Sun Oct 5

It’s Day 33 and we’re in Exodus 13.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 17 - He knows we're fickle and sometimes chooses the long way around just to keep from getting so discouraged that we give up.

Help:

- Verses 1-16 - Why this long discussion of the firstborn? I think the underlying principle is that we need to give the first portion to God. For instance, although it's partially just symbolic, the first check I write after every payday is my gift to the church. It's a reminder that what I give God comes first, not after everything else is taken care of.
- Verse 13 - Basically this means: donkeys are sufficiently important to your agriculture that I don't want you do sacrifice them; instead sacrifice a lamb in their place.

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 34 - Sat Oct 4

It’s Day 32 and we’re in Exodus 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 13 - The blood covers us, protecting us from death.

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 33 - Fri Oct 3

It’s Day 31 and we’re in Exodus 11.

When we were in Exodus earlier in the 60 days, we finished up in chapter 7. We've skipped through some of the plagues and are picking up with the last plague.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 3 - It's amazing what doors can open up when you have the favor of the Lord with you.

Help:

- Verse 10 - As I've mentioned before, I think this hardening is a partnership of the Lord moving Pharaoh's heart in that direction and Pharaoh being inclined himself to go in that direction.

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.

Questions You Have:
- Chapter 14 - "Please explain (or address) versus 30 and 31" - Jesus is just saying that the time for His crucifixion is coming. Satan has no control over Him, but Jesus intends to do exactly what the Father has called Him to do.

60IN60 Day 32 - Thurs Oct 2

It’s Day 30 and we’re in John 14.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 12 - I want to see those "greater things."

Help:

- Verse 9 - If you've seen Jesus, you've seen the character and love of the Father.
- Verses 21, 23 - This is the standard: that we obey.

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 Oct 1

It’s Day 29 and we’re in John 13.

If you struggle with the feeling that you need to hurry through the reading, it can be helpful to lay aside a certain length of time for the reading. "I'm going to spend the next ten minutes reading the Bible. If I get done early, I'll go back and re-read it. If I don't get it done, that's fine. Now I can relax and not try to hurry through so I can get on with the other things I need to get done today. I'm going to be here for ten minutes."

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 2 - He'd been prompted, but it was still his choice. And he chose in the wrong direction.

Help:

- Verse 1 - The "full extent of His love" was not the washing of their feet, but the willingness to go to the cross.
- Verses 8-9 - First Peter refuses (v. 8), then Peter draws the wrong lesson (v. 9). What he should have done is simply receive Jesus' word.

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.