60IN60 Day 58 - Tues Jun 28

It's Day 58 and we're in Psalm 144.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - I like the battle image.

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

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

60IN60 Day 57 - Mon Jun 27

It's Day 57 and we're in Psalm 143.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 3-6 - I like the honesty there.

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

If you have a question or comment on today's reading, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 56 - Sun Jun 26

It's Day 56 and we're in Psalm 142.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - He's there when we feel overwhelmed.

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 Jun 25

It's Day 55 and we're in Psalm 141.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - That's a great image - that our worship would be acceptable sacrifices in His eyes.

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 Jun 24

It's Day 54 and we're in Psalm 140.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 12 - God upholds the cause of the needy.  He's got His eye on the hurting and struggling.

Help:
- Verses 9-11 - A very honest prayer, although not a particularly merciful one.  

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 Jun 23

It's Day 53 and we're in Psalm 139.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - He is always with me.  A comfort when I'm struggling; a nuisance when I'm sinning.

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 Jun 22

It's Day 52 and we're in Psalm 138.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 8 - God is going to accomplish His purpose for my life.  The only one who can stand in the way of that is me.  I just need to obey.

Help:
- Verse 1 - "gods" - This obviously doesn't mean that there actually are other gods, but merely that there are things that people treat as "gods."

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 Jun 21

It's Day 51 and we're in 2 Peter 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - I'm looking forward to seeing the world redeemed and finally see things be the way they should be.

Help:
- Verse 4 - "fell asleep" - Another way to say "died."
- Verse 5 - Probably a reference to the rising of the land out of the sea.
- Verse 16 - An acknowledgement that some of Paul's writings are difficult to understand.

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 Jun 20

It's Day 50 and we're in 2 Peter 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - I like the first half of that verse - the Lord knows how to rescue us from temptation.  The question is: will I let Him help me?

Help:
- Verse 21 - The idea here is that the more we know the more responsible we are at the Final Judgment.  In that sense, to hear the truth and reject it actually puts you in a worse position than you were to start with.

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 Jun 19

It's Day 49 and we're in 2 Peter 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 8 - A great promise that if I am pursuing the characteristics that verses 5-7 mention then I will be fruitful.

Help:
- Verse 10 - The idea here is not that we can lose our salvation, but that the fruit and change in our life allow us to know that we have truly been saved and that God is working in our lives.  Many, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, believe they have God but the evidence points in the opposite direction.
- Verse 14 - A fancy way to say that he believed his death was near.

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 Jun 18

It's Day 48 and we're in Ruth 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 17 - Out of this desperate situation came a child honored to be the grandfather of the great king David.  You never know what God may do with your small 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 Jun 17

It's Day 47 and we're in Ruth 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me today.  Some days are like that.

Help:
- Verses 9-13 - This idea of "redeeming" seems odd to us because we live in a society where marrying for love is the only acceptable idea.  Throughout history, though, marrying for love was a minority idea.

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 Jun 16

It's Day 46 and we're in Ruth 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - God's kindness extends even to those who have accused Him of abandoning them.

Help:
- Verse 1 - According the Old Testament Law, it was expected that the closest relative would take Ruth as a wife.  Of course, today we only think of marriage as a "love" thing, but that's a rarity throughout the whole of human history.
- Verses 2-3, 15-16 - One of the provisions of the Old Testament Law was that those bringing in the harvest were to leave behind what they didn't get on the first run-through.  That was left was for the poor to harvest.
- Verse 22 - It was a dangerous place out there.

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 Jun 15

It's Day 45 and we're in Ruth 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 20-21 - This is a very honest evaluation of the way she sees her life.  Many feel like this.  (Whether it's justified or not is another issue.)

Help:
- Verses 13, 20, 21 - This is the way that she feels.  It's not necessarily an accurate understanding, but it reflects her feelings.
- Verse 15 - "her gods" - This is troubling - that she went back to her gods.  I don't really have a good way to deal with it except to see it as a tragedy.

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 Jun 14

It's Day 44 and we're in Romans 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3-4 - The last part of verse 3 and first of verse 4 really jumped out to me as something that I need to study at greater length.

Help:
- Verses 19-22 - Not only has sin impacted humanity, it has hurt creation itself.
- Verse 28 - Not saying that all things (even the bad) are good, but that God is working to redeem all things, even when bad things happen.
- Verse 29 - Predestination is a complex idea, but the short version is that God is His omniscience knows everything that's going to happen.  I believe that we have free will and are not just puppets.

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 Jun 13

It's Day 43 and we're in Romans 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - Part of the point of our lives: to bear fruit for God.

Help:
- Verses 7-13 - The fault is not in the Law, but what sin did through the Law.
- Verses 14-25 - We still struggle with sin because of the flesh.  He is setting it up to talk about the power of the Spirit in our lives.

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 Jun 12

It's Day 42 and we're in Romans 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing jumped out to me today, which is odd because this is such a rich chapter.

Help:
- Verse 1 - It's a misunderstanding of grace to think that we should just sin more so God can give more grace.  A proper understanding includes a hatred of sin and all that it's done to me.
- Verses 3-4 - Believing in Christ has caused us to spiritually participate in His death and resurrection.  He died for us and we are raised to spiritual life through Him.
- Verse 6 - Our old spiritual being was crucified with Christ and we have been raised to new spiritual life - a new creation in Christ!

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 Jun 11

It's Day 41 and we're in Romans 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - I don't think we sufficiently appreciate how great the idea is that we've been reconciled with God.

Help:
- Verse 3 - This is not to say that we love problems for the sake of having problems, but rather (as the verses that follow reveal) that we appreciate the positive side effects that our struggles can bring in terms of spiritual maturity.
- Verse 13 - Awareness of our guilt is necessary for judgment.
- Verse 20 - As the awareness of our guilt increased, so did the need for grace.

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 Jun 10

It's Day 40 and we're in Romans 4.

This chapter is rather complicated, but the main idea is that we are justified before God by our faith and not by works.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 21 - This is a good one to fall back on - what God has promised, He is able to perform.

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 Jun 9

It's Day 39 and we're in Romans 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - The rules don't get us closer to God - they just help us realize how far away from Him we are.

Help:
- Verse 8 - Some twist the truth to argue that if we are saved by grace then we should sin more so there will be more of a chance for grace.  It's a complete misunderstanding of the offer.
- Verses 20-23 - The Law helps us to understand how far away from God we are.  It can't save us.
- Verse 25 - "propitiation" - An old word referring to the idea of God's wrath toward sin being satisfied in the death of Christ.

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 Jun 8

It's Day 38 and we're in Romans 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - Good question.  Get more humble.
- Verse 8 - "selfishly ambitious" - Make sure that God is our first priority, not our own name.

Help:
- Verses 25-28 - The point is essentially that it's the inward obedience that matters.

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 Jun 7

It's Day 37 and we're in Romans 1.

Romans is the greatest explanation of the gospel.  The first 8 chapters lay out Paul's main case.  You can basically divide what he puts forward in four parts: 1. We have sinned and need to repent; 2. Jesus died for us to be able to be forgiven; 3. When we accept Christ into our lives, He gives us a new heart and makes us into a new creation; 4. We move forward to live victorious lives in the power of the Spirit within us.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 32 - It's not enough that people pursue the sin - we can reach a place where we actively celebrate things that are wrong.

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 Jun 6

It's Day 36 and we're in Mark 16.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - He has risen.  There is not any better news than that.

Help:
- Verse 9-20 - This is not Scripture.  It's not in the early manuscripts and should not be included.  (And that's good especially because of verse 18.)

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 Jun 5

It's Day 35 and we're in Mark 15.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 38 - This was the curtain that hid the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the Temple.  This means that through Jesus we are now permitted in the holiest of places: God's presence.  May we not take that for 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.

60IN60 Day 34 - Sat Jun 4

It's Day 34 and we're in Mark 14.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 65 - The self-restraint He showed here is amazing.

Help:
- Verse 7 - This is not justification for ignoring the poor.  It's simply a statement acknowledging that what Jesus was about to go through was an unusual situation and that this expensive gift was needed in that moment.
- Verses 51-52 - This is probably a reference to Mark, the author of this gospel.  In all the church Easter plays that I've seen in my life, I have never once seen this part of the story portrayed. ;-)

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 Jun 3

It's Day 33 and we're in Mark 13.

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 33, 35, 37 - Again and again He says to be alert.  Am I ready for what God is doing in the world, whether it's the great destruction described here or great revival?

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 Jun 2

It's Day 32 and we're in Mark 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 34 - Some questions Jesus applauds and lauds.  How great would it be to ask Him a question and have Him say something like that?
- Verse 40 - "greater condemnation" - That just really hit me hard this morning.  Not just are those without God going to be condemned, some are going to receive a "greater condemnation."  We need to do all we can to share the truth so that folks don't have to experience that.

Help:
- Verses 13-14 - The Pharisees and Herodians come together set the trap.  The Herodians were in league with Herod, so if Jesus says to not pay taxes, they can go to Herod and call Jesus a rebel worthy of death.  If Jesus says to pay the tax, then the Pharisees can tell the people that Jesus is just a patsy for the Roman government.  It's supposed to be an ironclad no-win situation for Jesus, except that He has the perfect answer.
- Verse 25 - We will know each other, but we will not be married in the same way we are on earth.  For some people that seems like really bad news; for others it seems like really good news. ;-)
- Verses 35-37 - This is a little Bible riddle that Jesus gives them.  David is speaking of someone coming after him, so David should be the one given the most respect.  Instead, though, David speaks of the one who comes after him as his "Lord."  Why?  The correct answer is that the one who came after him was God Incarnate.  This illustrates that the Pharisees didn't have quite as complete a grasp on the Bible as they thought they did.

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

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

60IN60 Day 31 - Wed Jun 1

It's Day 31 and we're in Mark 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:
- Verse 2 - "which no one has ever ridden" - Jesus was doing something that no one else had ever done, or ever could do, in heading to the cross for our sins.

Help:
- Verse 14 - Why does Jesus curse the fig tree?  It's not because He's having a bad day and lost His temper.  This passage is a "sandwich" - a story starts, then is interrupted by another story, and then the original story is concluded.  When that happens, the two stories are always intimately related.  Here Jesus curses a fig tree (verses 12-14), goes and clears out the compromised Temple (verses 15-19), and then the fig tree is dead (verses 20-21).  Jesus cursing the fig tree is symbolic of Him cursing the Temple system.  He is laying that aside for the new open door that will happen through His death on the cross.
- Verses 27-33 - The point of this is that the religious leaders wanted to hold onto their popularity among the people but also didn't want to acknowledge John as a prophet.  Jesus targeted their 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 30 - Tues May 31

It's Day 30 and we're in Mark 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 21 - "felt a love for him" - I love that line.  Jesus wasn't trying to beat him down with what He's about to ask the young man.  He wasn't trying to prove a point with the man's failure.  Jesus told him to leave everything behind because it was the path to life.

Help:
- Verses 2-12 - There are other passages that flesh out further details on divorce.  This passage emphasizes the main point, which is that marriage is sacred.
- Verse 18 - "Why do you call me good?" - Jesus was, of course, good because He never sinned.  I think He said this because the man came to Him thinking He was another teacher, albeit a "good" one.
- Verse 23 - Being rich makes it easy for us to love this world.  It's hard to have money and not have it rule you.
- Verses 24-25 - This goes along with the teaching Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount about the path to God being a narrow road.

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 May 30

It's Day 29 and we're in Mark 9.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 43-48 - The point of these verses is not to mutilate yourself, but to do whatever it takes to avoid hell.  Do I have that level of concern about hell and the destination of many of my friends?

Help:
- Verse 12 - The "Elijah" figure is John the Baptist.
- Verse 29 - That is, being "prayed up" and having been before the Lord in prayer and therefore being close enough to Him to manifest that kind of power.
- Verses 49-50 - This is obscure.  The verse 49 reference probably means that suffering and struggle will come our way.  Verse 50 probably means that we need to have the "flavor" of Christ defining our lives.

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 May 29

 It's Day 28 and we're in Jonah 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - Am I happier about the things I have than the people God desperately loves?

Help:
- Verse 1 - He was angry because Nineveh was an enemy of the Israelites.  He wanted justice, not mercy.

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 May 28

It's Day 27 and we're in Jonah 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - You never know who's ready to say, "Yes" to 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 26 - Fri May 27

It's Day 26 and we're in Jonah 2.

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 2 - God hears us when we cry out in our distress.

Help:
- Verses 1-10 - It has long been presumed by many that Jonah was alive in the belly of the fish, but it never actually says that.  Some of the wording (see verses 5-7 especially) lends itself toward the idea that Jonah died in the fish.  The miracle would then be that God raised Jonah back to 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 25 - Thurs May 26

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

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - Why did Jonah run away?  Because the Ninevites were enemies of Israel and he didn't want to go preach to them and give them the chance for mercy.  It's sobering to know that God loves everyone - even my enemies.

Help:
- Verse 2 - "come up before me" - That means that the accumulated weight of their sin had reached a place where it demanded action.  It wasn't that God wasn't paying attention before that or was unaware before that.
- Verse 5 - "asleep" - This could be because he's so exhausted because of the stress of the event or it could be that he is at peace about running away from God and finds sleep easy.
- Verse 7 - "lots" - God obviously doesn't always influence the outcome of such things, but in this situation, He spoke to the sailors through something they could understand.
- Verses 8-10 - They believed in provincial gods - gods that had a limited scope of power.  When they heard Jonah say that his God was the God of the sea, they knew why the storm had happened.

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 May 25

It's Day 24 and we're in Genesis 9.

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

Help:
- Verse 21 - And this was the good guy!
- Verses 24-27 - Two important things to remember: 1. All that Noah does isn't approved by God.  We see throughout Genesis example after example of the person of God doing things that are less righteous than you'd want to see.  This is an example.  What Noah does is immature and wrong.  2. This passage has been twisted down through the centuries by racist pastors to say that black people are cursed and deserve the slavery they were enduring at that point.  That's simply manipulating the text to make it say something that it absolutely does not say.

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 May 24

It's Day 23 and we're in Genesis 8.

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

Help:
- Verse 1 - "remembered" - This doesn't mean that God had forgotten about them like we might forget and leave the iron on when we leave the house.  It's Old Testament language for the fact that the time had come for God to act again.
- Verses 4-5 - My presumption is that the verse 5 references to the "tops of the mountains" means the tops of all the mountains, since there is a verse 4 reference to one mountain being revealed.  I take it mean that the water had receded sufficiently that all the mountains (and not just the tallest ones) were now visible.

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 May 23

It's Day 22 and we're in Genesis 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - I wonder if his sons and daughter-in-laws believed or if only Noah did?

Help:
- Verse 2 - The additional animals were for sacrifice.
- Verse 6 - The ages were much longer back then.  There comes a point in Genesis where the evil is sufficiently great that God shortens lifespans.  It sounds impossible, but it's been interesting in recent years to read about discoveries within human DNA that seem to point to the ability to lengthen or shorten human life simply by tweaking the DNA.

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 May 22

It's Day 21 and we're in Genesis 6.

Note that we skipped chapter 5.  It's mostly genealogical information.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me.  Genesis has been a struggle for me in that way.

Help:
- Verses 1-4 - The nature of the Nephilim is fairly obscure.  Some take it to be a reference to angels in human form; others take it to be a group of particularly strong and large people.

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 May 21

It's Day 20 and we're in Genesis 4.

Please note that tomorrow we will be jumping to Genesis 6, skipping chapter 5.  That's because chapter 5 is mostly genealogical information.

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

Help:
- Verses 4-5 - We are told in Hebrews 11:4 that the difference was not what was brought for the offering, but the heart of each one as they offered their offering.
- Verses 10-12 - Why no death penalty for him?  I don't know - we're not told.
- Verses 23-24 - The main point of this obscure poem seems to be that violence was increasing on the earth (if it use to be sevenfold vengeance, now it was seventy-seven).

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 May 20

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

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 16 - I think it's important to note that these things are part of the curse, not the way things originally were.

Help:
- Verse 1 - The presumption is that Satan was speaking through the serpent.  Passages like Revelation 12:9 and Revelation 20:2 lead toward that.
- Verse 9 - It's not that God didn't know where they were - He's simply calling them out.
- Verse 11 - They were in a state of innocence before the Fall.

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 May 19

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

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing jumped out to me today.  That's ok - there will be days like 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 17 - Wed May 18

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

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing jumped out to me today.  That's ok.  There are times like that.

Help:
- Verses 1-2 - Many believe that there is a time gap between verse 1 and verse 2.  That is, way back in the beginning God created everything.  Then, as we pick up the story of the creation of humanity, the earth was formless and void (verse 2).  That would allow for things like the dinosaurs.

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 May 17

It's Day 16 and we're in Philippians 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - I've certainly seen Him do that for me in recent weeks!

Help:
- Verse 4 - We don't have to rejoice for everything, but we are supposed to find reasons to be thankful and joyful even when we're struggling.
- Verses 6-7 - These are great verses to deal with worry.
- Verse 17 - Paul wasn't desperate for their financial gift, but he did want them to have the opportunity to give and have that generosity credited to them by 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 15 - Mon May 16

It's Day 15 and we're in Philippians 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 12 - I have not arrived yet where I need to be spiritually.  I need to continue to press on.

Help:
- Verse 2 - He is referring here to teachers who were trying to direct believers back to keeping the Jewish customs.

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 May 15

It's Day 14 and we're in Philippians 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - As a pastor, it does bring joy to see your flock living out the truth.

Help:
- Verse 17 - "poured out as a drink offering" - He means "even if I die in serving you."
- Verse 30 - "deficient in your service to me" - He wasn't criticizing them, but noting that Epaphroditus had been able to do tasks for Paul that the Philippians were not able to help him with.

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 May 14

It's Day 13 and we're in Philippians 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - He's continually working to finish what He's started.  He's not going to leave us stuck beside the road halfway home.

Help:
- Verses 12-14 - It's not that Paul is glad to be imprisoned, but he can see where God is moving in that.
- Verses 15-18 - Some have good motives for their preaching; some don't.  Paul focuses on the fact that Christ is being preached and rejoices in that.
- Verse 21 - Living meant more opportunities to make a difference for Christ; dying meant going to be with Jesus, where things would be even better than here on earth.
- Verse 29 - Suffering is part of the deal in becoming a Christian.

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 May 13

It's Day 12 and we're in Proverbs 4.

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:
- Verse 7 - Do I prize wisdom that heavily?  Do I want to be that insightful?

Help:
- Verses 1-3 - This is true, of course, only if you have a wise father.

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 May 12

It's Day 11 and we're in Proverbs 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - Our thoughts and conscience are not infallible.  God's truth is.

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 May 11

It's Day 10 and we're in Proverbs 2.

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:
- Verses 1-5 - Wisdom is accessible.  It's not something you're born with.  But you have to want it.

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 9 - Tues May 10

It's Day 9 and we're in Proverbs 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 23 - It's hard to hear those words that step on our toes, but we need them because they'll move us in the right direction.

Help:
- Verse 7 - This fear is not a cowering terror, but a respect for who God is and the power He has.

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 8 - Mon May 9

It's Day 8 and we're in Mark 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 36 - This is one of my life verses.

Help:
- Verses 23-25 - Why did the miracle come in phases?  We don't know.  It gives me comfort to know, though, that not all miracles happen the same way.  Sometimes it's instantaneous and sometimes it's in phases.
- Verses 26, 30 - Jesus regularly tells people to not spread the word of the miracles He's done.  Why?  Two reasons: 1. He was trying to maintain a timetable for when things would happen as far as His crucifixion and didn't want to get ahead of that. 2. He knew that the interest that brought people out to see the miracles was generally a shallow faith that would be unlikely to bloom.
- Verse 34 - "deny himself" - This means that we have to be willing to put aside our desires and obey Christ's commands, believing that will take us to somewhere better.
- Verse 34 - "take up his cross" - This means that there will be sacrifice involved in this walk of faith.
- Verse 35 - "save, lose" - This means that when we cling to our hopes and desires, we end up losing out.  When we lay those aside and run after Jesus' commands, we will find real 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 7 - Sun May 8

It's Day 7 and we're in Mark 7.

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

Help:
- Verse 27 - This sounds harsh.  Jesus was focusing His mission during His earthly life on ministering to the Jews.  He was trying to stay focused on that mission.  Her overwhelming faith, though, pushes Him to make an exception.
- Verse 33 - Why did Jesus do it this way?  We don't know.  I find comfort in Jesus doing miracles different ways at different times.  It reminds me that God doesn't work the same way in every 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 6 - Sat May 7

It's Day 6 and we're in Mark 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 31, 46 - Time alone with God was essential for Jesus and it is for us as well.  Further, just having some down time to decompress is essential too.

Help:
- Verses 2-3 - We sometimes think that Jesus being the Son of God must have been obvious to everyone who ever saw Him, but obviously those from His hometown didn't have an expectation that He was going to do something extraordinary like this.
- Verse 3 - "brothers" and "sisters" - These would be half-brothers and half-sisters.  They were born to Mary and Joseph after Jesus was born.  Catholics believe they were Joseph's children from a previous marriage.
- Verse 5 - People's faith or lack of faith made a difference in what Jesus could do for them.

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 5 - Fri May 6

It's Day 5 and we're in Mark 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 17 - The power of God sometimes creates fear rather than a desire to have more from God.

Help:
- Verse 10 - "out of the country" - That's another way to say that they didn't want to be sent into the abyss (Luke 8:31).
- Verse 39 - "asleep" - This doesn't mean that He thought the child was just taking a nap.  Saying someone is asleep when they are in fact dead is an idea that's used several places in the New Testament in emphasizing resurrection.  "They're not gone forever; I can bring them 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 4 - Thurs May 5

It's Day 4 and we're in Mark 4.

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

Help:
- Verse 12 - This sounds like Jesus is deliberately trying to keep them from the truth.  In fact, the idea that's trying to be conveyed is that they don't want to know the truth.  We see this in the longer version of this in Matthew 13:15.  We also see in later in Mark 4 in verses 21-22 when Jesus follows up the explanation of this parable by saying that there is no point to putting a light under a basket.  I think the point the verse is trying to make is: I'm teaching in parables and that allows those who want to understand to access it while those who don't want the truth are left outside.
- Verses 13-20 - Only the final "seed" is a true believer.  Fruitfulness is a defining characteristic of a true Christian.
- Verses 24-25 - Verse 25 sounds a little unfair at first but what He's saying is: the person who wants the truth is going to get even more while the person who doesn't want the truth will lose his grasp on even the little that he once had.

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.