60IN60 Day 58 - Tues Aug 31

It’s Day 58 and we’re in 1 Corinthians 11.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 1 – Can I honestly encourage people to follow my example?

Help:

- Verses 2-7, 14-16 – Some people believe these instructions are binding on us today. Others, including myself, believe these are instructions that had to do with the culture in Paul’s day and are not binding on us today.

- Verse 10 – “because of the angels” – This is obscure and its meaning is not clear.
- Verses 27, 29, 31 –These are reminders to us that partaking in communion is a serious thing 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 57 - Mon Aug 30

It's Day 57 and we're in 1 Corinthians 10.

Remember that your daily reading in the Bible isn't about gaining information - it's about changing your life to be more like Christ. That means that you need to take action on what God speaks to you about. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 31 - That's a good question for making hard decisions: will be pursuing this bring glory to God?

Help:
- Verse 2 - That simply means that the struggles they went through made them the Israelites they were.
- Verses 6-10 - These are all historical events from Israel's journey and they serve as "bad example" warnings.
- Verse 23 - We have great freedom in Christ rather than a pre-cut list of acceptable behaviors.  But I need to not misuse that freedom to pursue sin.
- Verses 25-28 - There was meat sacrificed to idols back then and Paul is giving guidelines for how to handle situations involving that food.

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 Aug 29

It's Day 56 and we're in 1 Corinthians 9.

Where God Spoke To Me: 
- Verse 24 - This isn't a lazy river; it's a foot race.  Run like you plan to win.

Help:
- Verse 1 - There were some in Corinth who were questioning whether Paul was a real apostle.  They were doing so because they disagreed with his leadership.
- Verses 2-15 - The basic argument Paul is making is this: Christian workers have the right to be paid for their labor, although I chose not to exercise that right and worked for free.  (Paul worked as a tentmaker to support himself while planting churches.)
- Verses 19-22 - There are parts of the gospel that are unchanging (example: Jesus is the Son of God); there are parts of the gospel that can be adapted according to the situation and culture (example: the type of music sung in church services).  Paul is saying that he's going to do all he can to make the gospel accessible by removing those unnecessary barriers (relating to that second category) that might keep someone from hearing and accepting 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 55 - Sat Aug 28

It's Day 55 and we're in 1 Corinthians 8.

Where God Spoke To Me: 
- Verse 13 - I can't just think about the impact of my actions on me, but on those around me who are new in the faith.

Help:
- Verse 1 - This is obviously not a big issue today, but it was back then.
- Verses 2-3 - This is simply a call to humility and realizing that we're not as smart as we often think we are.
- Verse 5 - When he says there are many gods, he saying that there are many things that people treat as gods and that people call gods.  Obviously, there is really only one actual God.
- Verses 7-8 - The mature person realized that when food was sacrificed to idols that the idol wasn't real so it really didn't make any change in the food.  Some, though, newly out of paganism, still thought something was going on in that moment of sacrificing the meat to idols.

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 Aug 27

It's Day 54 and we're in Psalm 40.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? "All Scripture is. . . profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Reading the Bible will make your day more "profitable." 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - If I stop to think, I have an amazing list of works that He's done for me.

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 Aug 26

It's Day 53 and we're in Psalm 38.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing jumped out to me 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 52 - Wed Aug 25

It's Day 52 and we're in Proverbs 22.

You are not reading the Bible to gain trivia knowledge. You're reading the Bible for life change. Father, change our hearts to look more like Your's.  

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - We can't let the pride of what we own obscure the reality that we're all the same inside.

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 Aug 24

It's Day 51 and we're in Proverbs 21.

Remember as we read through Proverbs that a proverb is a general truth - the way things normally are.  That means that what's being said may not be always happen.  For instance, the proverbs about "train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" doesn't mean that every single child raised in a Christian home will come back to the Lord - it just means that's what generally happens.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - It's not enough to have good actions.  I need to have good motives as well.

Help:
- Verse 14 - I don't think we should presume that the writer here is condoning bribery, but rather that he's simply describing the way the world often works.

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 50 - Mon Aug 23

It's Day 50 and we're in Hosea 14.

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 5 - "like dew" - I like that image of refreshment.

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 Aug 22

It's Day 49 and we're in Hosea 3.

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

Help:

- Verse 1 - "raisin cakes" - Why is this mentioned? They were a part of the Baal worship that they were doing.
- Verse 2 - Apparently Hosea's wife had ended up in sexual slavery, so he is instructed to buy her 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.

60IN60 Day 48 - Sat Aug 21

It's Day 48 and we're in Hosea 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 1-23 - God cannot abide their sin and just wink at it, yet He so passionately desires for them to come back to Him in love and faithfulness.

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 47 - Fri Aug 20

It's Day 47 and we're in Hosea 1.

A scary thought: the Bible is "able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). That can be frightening, but know that God loves you the way you are, but too much to leave you that way. 

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

Help:

- Verse 2 - What's going on here? God is asking a prophet to go marry a prostitute? It's an object lesson for Israel. Israel was committing spiritual adultery by breaking their covenant with God and running after all these other gods. God is trying to show them that He takes their commitment as seriously as a marriage commitment and wants them to take it seriously also.

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 Aug 19

It's Day 46 and we're in Titus 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 – We can spend so much time on pointless arguments. We need to avoid those and stay focused on what’s fruitful.

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:

- "Hi Pastor Jim, I have a question from day 42. This question may not matter much, but I just wanted to try and clear up confusion if it does matter. You spoke of  'the Book of Jashar' on this day, and said 'This is a book that didn't make it into the Bible but is a historic document.' I have heard my grandmother talk of other books that didn’t make it into the Bible, but she would still read or listen to them. So what ultimately made them not make the Bible? And should we still read them and listen to what they say? I just wasn’t sure since it didn’t make it to the Bible if it was accurate and Holy if that makes sense?" - Great question!  There are obviously a lot of ancient documents that didn't make it into the Bible, like the Book of Jashar.  (The Bible references a few more in other places.)  Sometimes, though, those books are helpful as references to what the Bible does say.  If we choose to read them, it's important to remember that (unlike the Bible) they may be a mix of true and inaccurate statements since they're just ordinary books.  Now, on the more important question you asked: why did some books make the Bible?  Maybe the easiest way to explain this is to focus my answer on the New Testament.  In the decades after Jesus' Ascension, there were a lot of books written about Him.  Some made it into the Bible; some didn't.  The ones that did make it in were the ones inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Discerning which ones those were happened through the collective witness and experience of the early church.  They asked important questions: was this written by one of the apostles or a key church leader?; does this document contain obvious falsehoods?; have we experienced the Holy Spirit moving through this document?  They came to a consensus on which books were of divine origin (written with the guidance of the Holy Spirit) and which books were ordinary documents.  So you could say that God's Spirit working through God's people confirmed God's Word.

60IN60 Day 45 - Wed Aug 18

It's Day 45 and we're in Titus 2.

Sometimes we only want to hear words of comfort from God, but we're reminded in Hebrews 4:12 that the Bible is "sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit." It's great when we get an encouraging word, but we need to be convicted too. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 2, 5, 6, 12 – “sensible” – In the NASB, the word “sensible” comes up multiple times in this chapter. We need to be sensible in how we handle our lives.

Help:

- Verses 9-10 – Other verses in the New Testament instruct slaves to get their freedom if they can.These verses concentrate on how they should handle life in their current situation.

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 44 - Tues Aug 17

It's Day 44 and we're in Titus 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 16 – My actions need to reflect what I say my beliefs are.

Help:

- Verses 5, 7 – “Elders” and “overseers” are other terms for what we would call a pastor.

- Verse 10 – “circumcision group” – Those who argued (wrongly) that to be a true Christian you needed to follow the Jewish custom of circumcision.

- Verse 15 – “To the pure, all things are pure” – Rather than having a long list of legalistic rules, we are as Christians to simply listen to the Spirit as He guides 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 43 - Mon Aug 16

It's Day 43 and we're in Joshua 11.

Is the Bible an old dusty book? Nope - ". . . the Word of God is living and active . . ." (Hebrews 4:12). Dig into today expecting it to speak to you. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 18-19 - We all remember the miraculous intervention by God at Jericho, but the majority of the conquest of the land happened by long, hard battles.

Help:
- Verse 20 - I presume that the sinfulness of the people in the land is what led God to do this. I don't think He's just be arbitrary in His actions.

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 42 - Sun Aug 15

It's Day 42 and we're in Joshua 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Nothing really jumped out to me in this chapter.

Help:
- Verses 12-13 - This is a miraculous intervention by God.
- Verse 13 - "the Book of Jashar"- This is a book that didn't make it into the Bible but is a historic document.
- Verses 28, 35, 40 - Israel doesn't just kill the men who meet them in battle, but they kill everyone in the city: men, women, teens, children, babies. There are some explanations that are often given: the guilt of these people was great; it was necessary for all the people to be gone for Israel to succeed in this land; this was Israel's God-granted land; they chose to fight rather than to flee. All of them get at part of the issue, but in the end I still struggle with such wholesale slaughter in the name of God. It's one of the Biblical issues to which I have not yet found an explanation that fully satisfies me.

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 Aug 14

It's Day 41 and we're in Joshua 9.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 14 - We get in trouble when we don't ask 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.

60IN60 Day 40 - Fri Aug 13

It's Day 40 and we're in Joshua 8.

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:
- Nothing really jumped out to me in this chapter.

Help:
- Verse 25 - This is an issue in several of the upcoming chapters. Israel doesn't just kill the men who meet them in battle, but they kill everyone in the city: men, women, teens, children, babies. There are some explanations that are often given: the guilt of these people was great; it was necessary for all the people to be gone for Israel to succeed in this land; this was Israel's God-granted land; they chose to fight rather than to flee. All of them get at part of the issue, but in the end I still struggle with such wholesale slaughter in the name of God. It's one of the Biblical issues to which I have not yet found an explanation that fully satisfies me.

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 39 - Thurs Aug 12

It's Day 39 and we're in Joshua 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - Our first instinct when things don't go well is to blame God. Usually, as is true here, the problem lies with us.

Help:
- Verse 1 - We read in Joshua 6:17-19 that the Lord specifically told them not to take any of this stuff.
- Verse 24 - This is a hard verse for me. I understand the guilt of the people who hid the treasure, but why their whole families had to die leaves me speechless. I do not have a good answer to 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 38 - Wed Aug 11

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

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? "All Scripture is inspired by God . . ." (2 Timothy 3:16). So reading the Bible helps me know how God sees things. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - That's pretty good news!

Help:
- Verses 9-20 - The earliest and best manuscripts don't have these verses, so they are probably a later addition. That's good because I really don't want to have to explain verse 18 as authentic.

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 37 - Tues Aug 10

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

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 8 - This must have seemed like an answer to prayer to Pilate. He wants to release Jesus but is afraid of the religious leaders. What's he going to do? Then the crowd asks for a prisoner to them because of the Feast. I wonder if he thought, "A way out! I can declare Jesus guilty to satisfy the religious leaders but then release him so I won't be guilty of killing an innocent man." Just a reminder that not every "open door" is from 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.

60IN60 Day 36 - Mon Aug 9

It's Day 36 and we're in Mark 14.

One thing that can impede God speaking to you is the presence of unconfessed sin in your life. Are you coming to the Word today with a clean heart or are you holding things back from God? 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 72 - We need to watch ourselves that we don't become overconfident in our faith.  We are dependent on God for being able to stand strong.

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 Aug 8

It's Day 35 and we're in Mark 13.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 24-25 - It's frightening to consider how difficult those days will be.

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 Aug 7

It's Day 34 and we're in Mark 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - When we have violently rejected God, there comes a moment of terrible judgment.  The anger of God is justified and it is a horrible thing to consider.

Help:
- Verse 14 - These two groups (v. 13) are trying to trap Jesus.  If He says to pay the taxes, the Pharisees will tell the people that Jesus is a patsy for the hated Roman occupation.  If He says not to pay the taxes, the Herodians will tell Rome that Jesus is preaching rebellion.
- Verses 35-37 - This is a little Bible puzzle Jesus gives them to show their limited knowledge.  The point He is making is that David came before the Christ, yet David (who should have been honored by his ancestor the Christ) calls his descendent by the honor of the title "Lord."  The key to solving the puzzle is knowing that Jesus was physically by His birth the ancestor of David but by His preexistence was superior to David, which means He's worthy of the title "Lord."

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 Aug 6

It's Day 33 and we're in Mark 11.

One thing that's important as we read daily: being eager to hear Him speak to you. Go into your reading expectant that God desires to share something with you. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 23 - What mountain do I need to see God toss aside for me?

Help:
- Verses 12-21 - Jesus doesn't curse the fig tree because He's in a bad mood.  The fig tree is symbolic of the Temple - without fruit.  He curses it as a sign that He is cursing the Temple system.

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 32 - Thurs Aug 5

It is Day 32 and we're in Mark 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 21 - Jesus doesn't challenge him because he wants to see him fail.  He loves him and his heart for God, but wants him to give all he has.

Help:
- Verse 18 - It's not that Jesus isn't good.  The man is not speaking to Jesus presuming He is God, so Jesus is telling him that only God is truly good.  No human teacher is on his own.
- Verses 23-24 - The presumption was that riches were a blessing from God and a sign of God's favor, so it shocks the disciples to hear Jesus say that the rich would have great trouble entering the Kingdom.
- Verses 25-27 - This is not saying that it's impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom, only that it is very difficult.
- Verse 30 - This is not a get-rich-quick scheme.  The "hundred-fold" we receive is not usually financial, but things that are deeper and more meaningful.

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 Aug 4

It's Day 31 and we're in Mark 9.

If you want to read the chapter online, click here.

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

60IN60 Day 30 - Tues Aug 3

It is Day 30 and we're in Job 42.

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 Aug 2

It's Day 29 and we're in Job 38.

We've skipped a bunch of chapters in Job where his friends try to explain what happened to him.  Now, after all that talk, God shows up to speak for Himself.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 12 - I like the way He puts this.

Help:
- Verses 1-41 - God response to Job's complaint centers on talking about the wonders and powers He displayed in the physical creation.  Philip Yancey summarized God's argument here well: "Until you can tell me how to run the physical universe, don't tell me how to run the moral universe."

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 Aug 1

It's Day 28 and we're in Job 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 1-26 - I appreciate the honesty of his feelings.  His words strike me as an authentic example of the way that most of us would feel after having gone through such tragedy.  I'm thankful the Bible is honest about how we feel when we go through such things.

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.