60IN60 Day 60 - Thurs Jun 30

It's Day 60 and we're in Psalm 146.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - This seem timely for this day and 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 59 - Wed Jun 29

It's Day 59 and we're in Psalm 145.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - The greatness of God is beyond our comprehension.

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 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.