60IN60 Day 57 - Mon Jun 30

It's Day 57 and we're in Revelation 16.

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 9, 11 - Even facing great wrath, they refuse to repent. We all have moments when we dig in our heels and refuse to give in to God.

Help:
- Verse 1 - The bowl is a symbolic way to describe the judgment God is bringing.
- Verses 1-12 - These are end times judgments coming against an unbelieving and defiant world.
- Verse 13 - "frogs" - Again, presumably symbolic.
- Verse 20 - The earthquake will be so great that mountain ranges will be flattened. Wow.

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 Jun 29

It's Day 56 and we're in Revelation 15.

We're back in Revelation and with it comes a lot of strange imagery. Just remember that John is trying to describe images that are almost beyond imagination as well as the fact that there's a lot of symbolism here.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - It speaks of the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb - what's the song of my life? What are the lyrics that describe what God has done for me and what I'm doing for Him?

Help:
- Verse 7 - "bowls of wrath" - The symbolism used to describe the disasters that God brings during this time on the evil world.

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 28

It's Day 55 and we're in Ezekiel 37.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 27 - What an offer: to live in God's presence.

Help:
- Verses 12-14 - This is not a reference to the resurrection of the old, but to the reinstatement of the new.

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 27

It's Day 54 and we're in Ezekiel 34.

A tool for your reading that can be useful is a study Bible. A study Bible is just a Bible that has notes in it to help explain some of the harder passages. If you don't have one and would like me to recommend one, just let me know. I'd be happy to suggest a few good ones. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - This really jumped out to me as a great description (in the negative) of what a pastor should be doing. I'm going to have to do more digging and thinking on this verse.

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 26

It's Day 53 and we're in Ezekiel 13.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - Sometimes people claim God is speaking through them when they're actually just making things up. We need to evaluate carefully messages that are purported to be from God.

Help:
- Verse 4 - That is, animals that scavenge among ruins, feasting on dead bodies.
- Verses 10-15 - The wall analogy is basically that rather than building a solid (spiritual) wall with their teaching, they are building a weak wall that has plaster to look good.
- Verse 18, 20 - Probably references to human sacrifice, which (sadly) happened at some points in Israel's history.

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 25

It's Day 52 and we're in Ezekiel 2.

Father, what do You want to teach us today through Your Word? 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 7 - Our job is to convey the message. Whether they listen or not is their responsibility.

Help:
- Verse 6 - "scorpions" - The idea here is something like "If you're traveling somewhere to deliver My message and you encounter scorpions, don't be afraid."
- Verses 8-10 - "scroll" - Presumably because this was a vision/dream, this is merely symbolic. It is possible that Ezekiel actually eats something.

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 24

It's Day 51 and we're in Proverbs 31.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - A great wife is indeed a valuable find. (I know from personal experience.) This chapter focuses on some of the attributes of a godly wife. One thing that I think is worth noting is that while the chapter does mention the importance of what she does in the home, it also mentions her in the marketplace (see, for instance, v. 16). It doesn't square with the "1950s housewife" image that too many presume is a perfect incarnation of the Bible's view of women.

Help:
- Verse 3 - Most likely this is a reference to a king having a harem.

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 23

It's Day 50 and we're in Psalm 77.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 7-8 - It's comforting to me to know that the Bible shows us that it's ok to bring our questions to God.

Help:
- Verse 3 - The writer was going through a hard time when he didn't understand why God was allowing the problems that he was going through. When he thought of God, it made him more disheartened.
- Verse 10 - This is the way the writer feels. It is not what has actually 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 49 - Sun Jun 22

It's Day 49 and we're in Psalm 76.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - He is "resplendent" - amazingly majestic to behold.

Help:
- Verses 5-6 - This is referring to the death of an enemy army.
- Verse 10 - When we have a justified anger, we rejoice to see God's wrath bring justice.
- Verse 12 - That means God has the right to end the lives of princes.

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 21

It's Day 48 and we're in Acts 28.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 22 - "spoken against everywhere" - This is not to say that the witness of the early Christians was bad. In truth, they were known for their compassion and love. But when you introduce tell people about Jesus and some convert, there are inevitably going to be others in that town (the other religions, the merchants who financially benefit from those faiths, etc) who are going to be unhappy about it. Our job is ultimately to share the truth, even if it results in some unrest.

Help:
- Verses 26-27 - This passage is not saying that God was intentionally trying to keep them in the dark. Rather, it's acknowledging that their unwillingness to hear what God had to say was going to keep them from understanding God's will.

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 20

It's Day 47 and we're in Acts 27.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 23 - We have security about our future when we know we have a word from God about something.

Help:
- Verse 1 - "we" - Luke, the author of Acts, has again joined their group.
- Verse 9 - "fast" - A reference to the Jewish Day of Atonement.

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 19

It's Day 46 and we're in Acts 26.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 32 - I wonder if things playing out this way had to do with God's will or Paul's stubbornness?

Help:
- Verse 14 - "kick against the goads" - That is to say that Paul was trying to fight God and God was going to keep after him.

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

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

60IN60 Day 45 - Wed Jun 18

It's Day 45 and we're in Acts 25.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really 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 44 - Tues Jun 17

It's Day 44 and we're in Acts 24.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 27 - "two years" - Sometimes we presume that God immediately opened doors for the apostles and made things move forward quickly and smoothly. In truth, they faced the same kind of frustrating delays that we do.

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 16

It's Day 43 and we're in Acts 23.

We're picking up in Acts where Paul is in Jerusalem and encountering violent opposition.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - God often gives just enough light for the next step. He doesn't tell us everything that is coming up, but enough to encourage 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 42 - Sun Jun 15

It's Day 42 and we're in Jude 1.

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

Help:
- Verse 7 - "strange flesh" - Another way to say homosexuality.
- Verse 8 - "dreamers" - They are making up the truth that they want to be true, rather than receiving instruction from God.
- Verse 11 - "profit" - Often money is a significant issue in pushing new "truth."
- Verse 12 - "hidden reefs" - That is, a hidden danger; "love feasts" - Another name for communion.
- Verse 23 - "garment polluted by the flesh" - Love them and pray for their redemption, but do not love what they do or even the things associated with them.
- Verse 24 - God has given us the capacity to live victoriously.

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 14

It's Day 41 and we're in 3 John 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 4 - I can say as a pastor that there is a ton of truth in that verse.

Help:
- Verses 5-6 - Missionaries were there and the church had supported them.
- Verse 11 - Not salvation by works, but a reminder that salvation causes 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 40 - Fri Jun 13

It's Day 40 and we're in 2 John 1.

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 6 - Another straightforward verse on the fact that real faith is obedient faith.

Help:
- Verse 1 - "chosen lady and her children" - Two possibilities: (1) The letter is addressed to a Christian woman and her children; (2) It's addressed to a woman who was the leader of a church and "her children" refers to the people within the church she's brought to the Lord.
- Verse 7 - "antichrist" - This does mean that they are THE Anti-Christ, but that they have the spirit of Anti-Christ in what they're doing.
- Verse 9 - The teachers Paul is warning about had added to the instruction the apostles had given them, altering the truth of the gospel into something different.
- Verse 11 - We should not support those who teach what is Biblically 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 39 - Thurs Jun 12

It's Day 39 and we're in Philemon 1.

Philemon is a book about a situation where Paul had seen a run-away slave come to Christ. Paul desires for that slave (Onesimus) to continue to help him in his ministry, but he sends Onesimus back to his owner to get permission for that to happen. Slavery in Paul's day was not quite the same as what we saw in the South in early American history, but was more of an indentured servitude. Still, Paul here calls Philemon (the owner) to treat as Onesimus as a brother in Christ rather than a slave and that's was a radical thing for that culture (and one that more Christians in early American history should have heeded).

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - I find it amusing how Paul twists the screws a little in this verse.

Help:
- Verse 10 - "son" - That means Onesimus was his spiritual child, meaning that Paul had been the one to lead him to faith.
- Verse 16 - This is a radical verse. Can you imagine how much different the first 100 years of American history would have been in the Christians of that era had heeded its words?

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 11

It's Day 38 and we're in 2 Kings 23.

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:
- Verse 22 - They had gone for years and years without doing something as central to their faith as the Passover. It's easy for us to lose even big pieces of our faith along the way if we aren't regularly relying on the Word.

Help:
- Verse 6 - I presume the point of this was to dishonor the items burned and not the graves of the people.
- Verse 14 - The bones would defile the articles and make them unfit for cultic purposes in the future.
- Verses 25-26 - The king did what was right, but the people were not willing to also repent and change, so judgment fell. It's not enough to have a good leader if people are unwilling to follow.

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 10

It's Day 37 and we're in 2 Kings 22.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - Tearing the robes was an outward way in that day to show extreme grief. The king realizes in hearing the Word just how far away from God's will the nation is and he tears his robe in distress. Am I that bothered by where I'm falling short of God's will or have I become desensitized to it? Also, it raises the question: what are the ways that I'm sinning that I may not even be aware of because I'm unaware of God's will?

Help:
- Verse 20 - Presumably God does this because He knows the nation as a whole is not going to repent of their sin, but He wants to reward the king for his efforts.

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 9

It's Day 36 and we're in 2 Kings 21.

These chapters tell of one of the good kings. There is a lot of Old Testament that tells of the bad kings because there were so many. Here is the story of Josiah, one of the good ones, but today's reading sets up the story by talking about some bad kings.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing jumped out to me today. There will be days like that.

Help:
- Verses 1-9 - It's not just that they weren't serving the Lord - it's that they were actively pursuing evil.

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 8

It's Day 35 and we're in Matthew 28.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19-20 - This is our responsibility: to spread the word by spreading the 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.

60IN60 Day 34 - Sat Jun 7

It's Day 34 and we're in Matthew 27.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - It's sad to me that the religious leaders were so careful to not violate their rules while they were in the process of betraying the Savior. We can miss the big picture so easily.

Help:
- Verses 12, 14 - "no reply" - Why? Because I think the case against Him was so shallow and weak that He could have easily refuted their arguments.
- Verse 52 - This is an incredible detail not to be overlooked: the miracles that accompanied Jesus' 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 Jun 6

It's Day 33 and we're in Matthew 26.

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 15 - Judas betrays for money. How many Americans essentially do the same thing, betraying a life of faithfully following Jesus in order to have a certain lifestyle?

Help:
- Verse 11 - This is not Jesus saying, "Don't care for the poor." He's simply noting that the moment was an unusual one that fully justified the expensive sacrifice.
- Verse 17 - The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also known as the Passover.

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 5

It's Day 32 and we're in Matthew 25.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 20-21 - These are words that I want to hear - that I have been faithful and fruitful for my King.

Help:
- Verses 1-13 - This parable is about salvation. The lesson is that there are not endless second chances to get right with God. When Jesus shows up, you need to be ready.
- Verse 29 - This sounds unfair, but all it's basically saying is: at the judgment, those who have been faithful in service will be rewarded and have more, while those who have been negligent in their service will have what little they have justly taken away from them.
- Verse 30 - This is a reference to hell.

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 Jun 4

It's Day 31 and we're in Matthew 24.

An encouragement as you read today: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8). 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 45-47 - Those who are faithful in the jobs they're given now will be given greater authority in the Kingdom to come ("in charge of all his possessions").

Help:
- Verses 1-51 - The context of this passage is talking about "end of time" things.
- Verse 29 - "stars" - As I mentioned the other day, the definition of "stars" here is not the modern one, but merely things from the heavens.
- Verse 34 - "generation" - The word "generation" can also be translated "race" and he was basically saying, "Humanity will not end before these events have taken 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 30 - Tues Jun 3

It's Day 30 and we're in Matthew 23.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 12 - We have to humble ourselves in obedience and believe that He will use us powerfully once we're more mature in Christ.

Help:
- Verse 4 - This means that they were laying out teachings that were impossible for people to live out, making trying to follow God seem like a "heavy load."
- Verse 9 - My presumption here is that this has more to do with calling someone like a pastor your "father," since the whole chapter is about religious pride and hypocrisy. I don't think that it pertains to your Dad.
- Verse 13 - How were they doing this? Because they were sharing false teachings, when people would come to them to try to find the way to God, the instruction they were giving those people was actually keeping them away from God rather than opening the door to an abundant life in God.
- Verse 23 - They would tithe the spices they grew in their garden.
- Verse 25 - Jesus is using the analogy here of cleaning a cup. Like cleaning the outside of a cup but failing to clean the inside, the Pharisees were focusing on externals and ignoring what was on the inside.
- Verses 29-31 - Basically saying, you're condemning the Israelite leaders of old who condemned God's true prophets, but you're their descendants both in lineage and action.

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 Jun 2

It's Day 29 and we're in Matthew 22.

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:
- Verses 24-28 - They had their little ironclad theological puzzle, yet they didn't understand the larger truths that rendered their point moot. We can get too full of ourselves and all our theological knowledge. A little humility is much needed.

Help:
- Verses 1-14 - The overall analogy is about salvation.
- Verses 5-6 - They weren't just apathetic toward what the king wanted - they were in active, murderous opposition.
- Verses 11-12 - We have to be "dressed" in the righteousness that comes from Christ.
- Verse 17 - This was intended as a trap for Jesus. Two groups had come to Jesus (see verses 15-16). If Jesus said, "Don't pay the tax," the Herodians (who were in sympathy with King Herod) would have taken news of that to Herod and they could have arrested Jesus as inciting rebellion against the king. If Jesus said, "Pay the tax," the Pharisees (who were in opposition to the Roman government) would have gone to the people and said, "Jesus is just a patsy for the hated Romans!"
- Verse 24 - This way of doing things was how things were handled in the Old Testament times. Marriage back then was rarely for love. We consider marriage for love to be the only option, but that's been the minority opinion throughout history.
- Verses 42-46 - This is a puzzle Jesus gives to them. The gist: David calls the promised Christ "Lord"; but David was older (i.e. lived before) than the promised Christ, so the Christ should have called David "Lord" (out of respect toward an elder); why doesn't David do that? It's because the Christ wasn't just an ordinary descendant - it was the Son of God. The puzzle revealed that the Pharisees didn't understand all the Old Testament prophecies about who the Christ would 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.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "The current people of Israel....are they part of the Old Testament teaching or New Testament teaching?  The 144,000 seems to be a small amount of people from the tribes that will enter heaven.  Am I looking at this with the wrong lens?" - Good questions. Those are big questions but I'll try to give short answers. Question 1: is the current nation of Israel part of the OT or NT teaching? When Israel became a nation again in 1948 many Christians looked at it as a huge prophetic sign. But none of the big prophetic events have happened since then (many, for instance, thought big things would happen in 1988 - 40 years after the reconstitution of Israel). It could be that they are still to come. It could also be that the nation of Israel created then was a modern nation made up of both believers and non-believers and so it may be that it is not a fulfillment of prophetic promises the way many had hoped. It could be, though, that the current nation of Israel develops into that. Question 2: 144,000 seems a small number to enter in. It needs to be remembered that this is not the number of all the Jewish people who will enter in. This is the number entering in during this particular stage of the prophetic timeline. So it's not saying that is the total number of Jewish believers in all times - just at that point.

60IN60 Day 28 - Sun Jun 1

It's Day 28 and we're in Proverbs 27.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 15 - Very thankful that I don't have that problem, but I've seen it time and again in others' 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.