It's Day 48 and we're in Luke 24.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 49 - A good principle to remember: don't move till you receive power from on high.
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.
It's Day 47 and we're in Luke 23.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 39 - "Save Yourself and us!" - He couldn't do both, and He chose to save 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.
It's Day 46 and we're in Luke 22.
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 35 - I needed the reminder today that He won't allow me to lack what I need.
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.
It's Day 45 and we're in Luke 21.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 10-24 - These are frightening and upsetting ideas that we'd rather ignore, but Christ says they are a part of the future. We've got to squarely face them. . . and be ready.
Help:
- Verse 18 - Verse 18 is a word of comfort, but you have read it in the context of verse 16. This is not a promise that no trouble will come, but that we are eternally protected 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.
It's Day 44 and we're in Luke 20.
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:
- Verses 46-47 - God help me to live a life of spiritual honesty and not settle for a façade of spirituality the way the Pharisees did.
Help:
- Verses 41-44 - This can be a difficult passage to understand. The gist of it is this: The Christ was to come after David. Given that the ancestors generally received greater honor, the Christ should have honored David (his ancestor) by calling him "Lord." Instead, the Bible records that David calls the Christ "Lord." Why? The correct answer (and one that His enemies would not want to acknowledge) is that the Christ was born after David, but was greater than him because He was God Incarnate.
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.
It's Day 43 and we're in Luke 19.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 16 - It's enormously encouraging to know that God wants us to live productive, fruitful lives - lives that produce ten-fold, a hundred-fold. It's also enormously challenging to know that God expects great things from our lives through the power of the Spirit.
Help:
- Verses 8-9 - It seems odd that Jesus claims salvation for Zac here even though he hasn't made a traditional "confession of faith." I think that what Zac does is an indication of the internal change of heart that has happened. At the end of the day, it's not saying a particular set of words that gets us right with God - it's grabbing onto Jesus and wanting Him in our hearts to change our lives 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.
Your Questions and Comments:
- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. Acts 12. "Why don't we pray like this for people? Because we are comfortable and not in chains."
- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. Acts 12. "Interesting that God allows James to be slaughtered but miraculously saves Peter. From a human perspective it seems so arbitrary and unfair."
It's Day 42 and we're in Luke 18.
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:
- Verses 29-30 - I really needed these this morning to deal with a problem I'm facing. God supplied the promise I needed at the right moment.
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.
It's Day 41 and we're in Luke 17.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - This is a cry we all need to be making regularly.
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.
It's Day 40 and we're in Acts 12.
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 12 - Why don't we pray like this for people?
Help:
- Verse 15 - This is the only passage that seems to hint at the idea of guardian angels.
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.
It's Day 39 and we're in Acts 11.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - Sometimes God's message to us surprises and we have that moment when all our objections melt away in the awareness that this must be 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.
Your Comments and Questions:
- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: "Reading verse 43, I was struck by the simplicity of the gospel as shared by Peter. I also noted that Peter made clear to Cornelius that he was '. . . just a man' and not worthy of worship. One must wonder how the papacy has morphed from the unadorned faith and life of the fisherman Simon Peter."
- Acts 10:9-16. "I was taught that this passage is referring to literal food, that all food has been made acceptable for us to consume today (although some faiths still observe restrictions, i.e. not eating pork). Does this passage, instead of literal food, refer to the Gentiles no longer being 'unclean' as compared to Jews?" - It means both. The specific vision that Peter gets from God opens up the dietary restrictions from the Old Testament Law. The key principle, stated by the voice, is 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean' (v. 15). Immediately after this vision the story of Cornelius continues (vv. 19-48). When the Holy Spirit is given to the Gentile believers (vv. 44-45), Peter realizes that God has opened salvation to Gentiles. This is a complete surprise to him and the other Jewish believers. But the same stated principle was in play: 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' God had declared Gentiles clean through Jesus.
It's Day 38 and we're in Acts 10.
One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It helps you avoid nonsense. There are so many different ideas out there today about God. It's important that we base our image of God on who He said He is, not what other people wish He was.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 35 - "is welcome to Him" - I like the inviting way that puts it. He's eager to receive us.
Help:
- Verse 1-48 - This chapter is a milestone in the church. Up to this point, the presumption among Jesus' followers was that the salvation Jesus brought was only offered to Jews. This chapter details God opening up salvation to Gentiles (i.e. you and 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.
It's Day 37 and we're in Acts 9.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 22 - All of Paul's learning in the Old Testament, even long before he had any idea that he would become a Christian, was all used by God to further His Kingdom. God is preparing things even when we don't realize 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.
It's Day 36 and we're in 2 Kings 5.
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 11 - Sometimes we don't just want God to move - we want Him to do things the way that we want Him to do it. Of course, He has the right to do it however He wants.
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:
- 2 Kings 4:1-7. "I heard in a sermon once that 'Christians will be surprised to know of all the things that God wanted to give us that we didn't receive because we simply didn't ask.' Is supported by James 4:2? Even if this statement isn't scriptural, I think of children (even adult children) who could obtain so much from older-and-wiser parents, but just never ask. Or take the time to listen or see or learn. Like with our Heavenly Father, we so often don't take the time (actually stepping on my own toes here)." - I do think there is something to that. Not in the sense that God is just waiting to make us all millionaires if we just prayed for more but I think often churches have low expectations on what God is going to do in their midst or an individual lacks the faith to ask for the overwhelming answer to their prayer. God is often willing to do more than we ask for.
- Jeremiah 18. "How should we best interpret this passage? Only in the context of idolatrous Israel or as God relates to each individual, molding us for His service? Does God still mold nations? Does He still harden the hearts of rulers, as He did Pharoah's or was that a one-off used to fulfill His divine purpose for the Hebrews?" - The statements have a particular significance to what was Israel was going through in that moment. But that truth of God's molding is true in many other contexts as well. He obviously is working in individual lives and we believe that He is also working in the larger world among the nations as well. He is guiding history toward the prophesied conclusions that we read about in Revelation, so I believe He is working among nations and rulers.
- Luke 13. "In regard to the synagogue leader who criticized Jesus for healing the woman who'd been bent double for 18 years, this is a voice coming from someone who has never suffered."
It's Day 35 and we're in 2 Kings 4.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - It's interesting to me that God was willing to fill as many vessels as she brought. Sometimes how much God gives depends on how much we ask for.
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.
It's Day 34 and we're in Jeremiah 38.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 3-4 - How often do we only want to hear God's truth if it's something we want to hear and how often do we want to hear God's truth no matter what?
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.
It's Day 33 and we're in Jeremiah 31.
Father, what do You want to teach us today through Your Word?
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 33 - What we have today is vastly superior to the way things operated in the Old Testament.
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.
It's Day 32 and we're in Jeremiah 23.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 16 - I wonder how much of what gets attributed to God is actually from 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.
It's Day 31 and we're in Jeremiah 18.
If it's hard to understand what you're reading in the Bible, make sure you have a translation that's a good fit for you. Reading the King James (a great historic translation) can be particularly difficult because of the antiquated language. Among the good options available today: New International Version (good all-around translation), English Standard Version (good all-around translation), New American Standard (a more literal translation, closer to the original manuscripts), and New Living Translation (a translation that focuses on readability and understandability).
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - Am I willing to be molded as He desires or do I want to be the one calling the shots?
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.
It's Day 30 and we're in Luke 16.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me today.
Help:
- Verses 1-9 - This is an unusual story. The point I take from it is this: use what you control to accomplish your goal. The manager wanted to have someone to help him after he was fired and so he used the resources still under his control to accomplish that. In our lives, we need to figure out what our life's goal is (exalt Christ? make my life easier?) and then use the resources I have to accomplish that.
- Verse 16 - "forcing his way" - Probably simply an expression of the zealous interest that many were showing in Christ's teaching.
- Verse 18 - There are other passages that give a more nuanced understanding of Jesus' stand on divorce. This is merely a statement of the general principle.
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.
It's Day 29 and we're in Luke 15.
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.If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
It's Day 28 and we're in Luke 14.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 12-14 - This is a command from Jesus, and yet I can't say I know of anyone ever actually doing that.
Help:
- Verse 26 - This means "hate by comparison to your overwhelming love for God." Obviously Jesus said the second greatest commandment was to love those around you, so He clearly doesn't want us to be mean to folks. What He's getting at here is that our love and devotion to Him needs to above and beyond anyone else.
- Verse 33 - This doesn't mean that we have to sell all we have and become homeless, but it does mean that we have to be willing to make whatever financial sacrifices Christ asks us to.
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.
It's Day 27 and we're in Luke 13.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 34 - Many times these days Christians complain (justifiably) about the moral state of America. I wonder if our attitude should be more like this verse - pained longing, rather than our usual righteous finger-pointing.
Help:
- Verse 24 - This is not saying there are many who want to enter the Kingdom and have done everything they should have but God will not let them in. Rather, it's saying there are many who will presume that they're ok with God only to have God confront them with the fact that they haven't done what God said was necessary to enter the Kingdom. See Matthew 7:13-14 for a similar passage. Those Matthew verses are then followed by a lot of talk about how essential it is to actually obey the teaching of Christ. I think a similar idea is at play here: there are a lot of people who claim to love God, but who are not obeying the teaching of Christ in their lives. They will "seek to enter" when they get to heaven, but "will not be able" because they didn't do what Jesus said to 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.
It's Day 26 and we're in Luke 12.
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:
- Verse 31 - I love this verse (and its parallel in Matthew 6:33). Put God first, seek His Kingdom, and He'll take care of all this other stuff.
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.
It's Day 25 and we're in Luke 11.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 1 - For all of us who aren't particularly good at prayer or find prayer difficult, it's encouraging to know that the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray and He didn't rebuke them for that.
Help:
- Verses 49-51 - This is tough to understand, but I take it to say something like, "You all are in an advantaged position - you have all the history of Israel to look back on and learn from. Yet, rather than learning, you're every bit the hypocrites that your forefathers were. Therefore the guilt just continues to pour out on you."
- Verse 52 - What is the "key to knowledge"? He doesn't say here. One obvious explanation would be that the key is Jesus. Another possibility, given the Pharisees' habits, was that the key is avoiding 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.
