60IN60 Day 2 - Tues Nov 3

It's Day 2 and we're in Matthew 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - Obedience sometimes leads us to places we never expected to be.

Help: 
- Verses 13-18 - This is a heartbreaking story.  Jesus was born into a world of tragedy and suffering.  He bore much suffering Himself.  That's one reason we can bring our struggles to 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.

Your Questions and Comments:

- Matthew 1. "I just read Matthew 1 that establishes the lineage of Joseph. But Joseph did not father Jesus. What of Mary's lineage?" - Many believe that the genealogy in Matthew 1 shows Joseph's lineage and that Luke 3 shows Mary's.

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. "I agree that the genealogy verses contained in Matthew 1 can seem to be an onerous task for the reader. However, in the past several years I have found it fruitful to research the backstories of the individuals in the lineage of Jesus. I am particularly impressed by the four pagan women included: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar and Rahab especially illustrate how God can use (very) imperfect people to further His sovereign plan for our redemption. I encourage others to reflect on the mysterious ways used by the God we worship." 

60IN60 Day 1 - Mon Nov 2

It's Day 1 and we're in Matthew 1.

Because of the way the months fall, we have a little overlap between the end of the last "60IN60" cycle and the new one, so today is Day 1 of a new cycle instead of Day 57 of the old one.  "60IN60" starts the first Monday of every other month.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 24 - Sometimes the word from the Lord points you in directions that you weren't planning on going.

Help:
- Verses 1-16 - The genealogy makes for mostly dry reading, but it's in there because it's important to establish the Jewish lineage of Jesus in order to show that He is qualified to be the Messiah.

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:

- 2 Samuel 12. "I used to hate verse 15; in fact, it scared me. What kind of God was I chasing? David was the culprit. David, whose moniker was The Warrior King, didn't go out with the rest in the spring but stayed back and, for all intents and purposes, raped a married woman. A woman whose husband fought for David wholeheartedly. There's no indication in scripture that Bathsheba knew him as anything other than the King. She's bathing at night. Why is David out and about on the rooftops? He sends for her, and this wasn't a request. She conceives and David searches for a way out. Then God steps in and strikes the child. Hard as this is to accept, God's covenant was always with Israel. Time and again, God intervenes in Israel's history lest they get wiped out because if Israel ceased to be, no redeemer for  mankind could be born. Who knew how this child could have affected God's redemptive plan?. Absalom did his damage, but this child of Bathsheba's, when the truth came out, could have easily started a civil war. Uriah was loyal to his men; undoubtedly, they felt the same way about him. In all likelihood, other commanders and their troops would have joined in. The nation of Israel would have destroyed itself over a one night stand. Secondly, David (why he was given so much godly wisdom I'll never know) makes the statement, 'I am going to him, but he will not return to me.' David knew of the redemptive promise and is saying that the child is now with God. I don't believe he was speaking of the netherworld, but union with God. He's hopeful and surprisingly cheerful.  That he goes on to make Bathsheba his wife is another discussion."

60IN60 Day 56 - Sun Nov 1

It's Day 56 and we're in 2 Samuel 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - I think the core thing that God loved about David (and the Bible makes it clear that He did love him) is wrapped up in this verse and similar ones. There is a humility in David acknowledging that he is guilty. That doesn't justify the horrific behavior, but it's something that God can work with.

Help:
- Verse 15 - I don't like this verse (I'm not saying it's not true - I'm just saying I don't like it). I understand within the larger situation why this would happen, but it would seem a much fairer punishment would be for David to get sick.

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 Oct 31

It's Day 55 and we're in 2 Samuel 11.

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:
- Verse 15 - How far are we willing to go to cover up our sin? Usually, it's farther than we would have originally guessed.

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 Oct 30

It's Day 54 and we're in 2 Samuel 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3-4 - So many of the problems that societies and people encounter aren't necessary. They're merely the result of our stupidity in handling situations poorly.

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 Oct 29

It's Day 53 and we're in 2 Samuel 9. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 8 - I hope we've all experienced moments of generosity from God where we felt the same way.

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:

- 2 Samuel 6. "Although we don't get struck down for disobedience like Uzzah, could the Ark and this punishment be symbolic too?  Losing your life for just touching the Ark seems very harsh. But God had do's and don'ts in place for the Ark just like he has for us. Maybe Uzzah's death was to show the Israelites that there is no 'small' disobedience; and the same for us. A person can take $20 from dad's wallet, or rob a bank of $20,000; both are stealing. A married person could have a one-night stand, or an affair that goes on for years; it's still adultery. How often does a small thing, left unchecked, become a big thing? We watch a movie with 'just mild profanity' then it becomes our everyday speech. We start missing church once a week then before we know it we haven't been in months. We decide to check our email and find we've wasted 3 hours sitting at the computer surfing the internet. I see this incident with the Ark as God saying, 'if you want my greatest blessings, you need to be obedient in the small things before they become big things'." 

60IN60 Day 52 - Wed Oct 28

It's Day 52 and we're in 2 Samuel 8.

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

Help:
- Verse 2 - Why David chose this unusual, random, and seemingly cruel method for executing some of his enemy is a mystery to me.

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

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

60IN60 Day 51 - Tues Oct 27

It's Day 51 and we're in 2 Samuel 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - We need to hold onto some of this "who am I" no matter how long we've been walking with God.  Spiritual pride is deadly.

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 Oct 26

It's Day 50 and we're in 2 Samuel 6.

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 14, 16 - When you're praising God with abandon, oblivious to others' opinions, you're probably going to end up making someone unhappy.

Help:
- Verses 7-8 - This seems like a harsh punishment for the "crime."  God had given the Israelites, though, specific instructions on how to move the ark (Numbers 4:5, 10-12, 15). Here in today's passage they were disregarding God's instructions. They were supposed to carry the ark on poles. Only the Levites who descended from Kahoth were to do the carrying. And they were not to touch the ark or they would die. This puts the incident in another light. This wasn't God completely unexpectedly doing something He'd never mentioned before; rather it was Israel deliberately treating casually something that God had given very specific directions about. You'll note that in the second attempt they make to move the ark they carefully fulfill all the instructions.

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 Oct 25

It's Day 49 and we're in 2 Samuel 5.

We're going to be reading some of the key passages where David takes over as king up through his sin with Bathsheba.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - Instead of trying harder, we need to get closer to God.  One of the consequences would be that God would move on our behalf and we would see greater things through 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 48 - Sat Oct 24

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.

60IN60 Day 47 - Fri Oct 23

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.

60IN60 Day 46 - Thurs Oct 22

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.

60IN60 Day 45 - Wed Oct 21

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.

60IN60 Day 44 - Tues Oct 20

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.

60IN60 Day 43 - Mon Oct 19

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."

60IN60 Day 42 - Sun Oct 18

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.

60IN60 Day 41 - Sat Oct 17

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.

60IN60 Day 40 - Fri Oct 16

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.  

60IN60 Day 39 - Thurs Oct 15

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.