60IN60 Day 7 - Sun Nov 11

It's Day 7 and we're in Matthew 21.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - It's a house of prayer - that has to be central to all we do.
- Verse 31 - I love His boldness.  Just say it like it is.
- Verse 43 - He expects us to produce fruit in our lives.

Help:
- Verse 15 - "indignant" - They were mad because "Son of David" was a phrase for the Messiah.  They didn't like that the kids were calling Jesus the Messiah.

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 6 - Sat Nov 10

It's Day 6 and we're in Matthew 20.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 26 - Am I willing to be a servant?

Help:
- Verses 1-16 - The point Jesus is making is about being saved.  Being saved comes by grace, not by works.  Because of that, someone could be saved at age 15 and serve God for 50 years.  They will enter heaven not because of their service, but because of being saved by grace (of course, the service does impact rewards).  Someone else could be 65 years old, never served the Lord a day, but see His need for God on the last day of his life and cry out for God's grace.  God will grant that.  Does that seem a little unfair?  Kind of.  But since my salvation comes by grace, I think my attitude should be that I'm just thankful that the door was open for me at all!

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 5 - Fri Nov 9

It's Day 5 and we're in Matthew 19.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 23 - A sobering verse considering how much of an emphasis our culture puts on wealth and prosperity.

Help:
- Verse 9 - Paul also mentions that abandonment by a non-believing spouse is an acceptable reason.
- Verse 17 - Why does Jesus say this if His life is sinless?  I think it's because the person is approaching Him as a normal teacher.  He's essentially saying, "If you want to know what's good, ask God."
- Verse 30 - Many who are seen as being first in this life will find themselves further down the line in God's judgment; and vice versa.

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Questions From Previous Chapters:
- "Can you please explain Matt 17:10-13? Don't modern-day Jews still set a place for Elijah at the table during Friday night Shabbot?" -The Jewish belief was that before the Messiah would appear there would be an appearance from Elijah.    Some held this was an Elijah figure (i.e. someone doing the work of a prophet like Elijah did); others that it was actually Elijah.  They are basically telling Jesus, "Hey, you can't be the Messiah because we haven't seen Elijah yet."  Of course, John the Baptist was the Elijah-type prophet that fulfilled that need.  And I also have heard that modern Jews still set a place for Elijah.

60IN60 Day 4 - Thurs Nov 8

It's Day 4 and we're in Matthew 18.

Remember in reading the Bible our goal is not more knowledge for the sake of knowing more Bible trivia.  Our goal is life change: allowing the Bible truth to speak to our heart and change our behavior.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 12-13 - Do I have that passion for the lost?

Help:
- Verses 8-9 - The point is not the mutilate yourself.  If I rip out my eye, I'm still going to be able to think lustful thoughts.  The point Jesus is making is this: do whatever it takes to get rid of sin in your life.
- Verse 10 - This is one of two verses in the Bible that seem to allude to the idea of guardian angels.
- Verses 15-17 - This is not for everyday sin, but for serious sin.
- Verses 21-35 - This is hard, but not optional.  The point: I must be willing to forgive because I've already been forgiven of more by Jesus.

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 3 - Wed Nov 7

It's Day 3 and we're in Matthew 17.

We're welcoming 5 new people today to 60IN60! If you know of other friends who want to join in, just get me their email addresses.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - Do I have faith that God is going to come through, or am I just wishing?

Help:
- Verse 17 - Why such a harsh response?  I think it was less for the man and more for His disciples, that they hadn't been able to cure the child (compare verse 16 to verse 20).

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 2 - Tues Nov 6

It's Day 2 and we're in Matthew 16.

One problem I often have is getting distracted.  If that's you, it can be helpful to have a pen and paper with you as you read.  When you think of something you need to do, just jot it down and then get back to concentrating on the reading.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 26 - This is one of my two all-time favorite Scriptures.  It was instrumental in my decision to forsake law school in order to pursue God's call into ministry.

Help:
- Verse 20 - Why tell no one?  I think it had to do with the timing of events that were coming up and not wanting things to get ahead of schedule.
- Verse 24 - "deny yourself, take up your cross" - What's that mean?  It means you have to put aside what you want and be willing to sacrifice for God.
- Verse 25 - "lose his life" - What's that mean?  It means that when you pursue what you want, you end up with nothing.  When you lay aside your desires and follow God, you end up with something worthwhile.

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Questions You Had From Previous Chapters:
- "I realize Jesus was trying to avoid helping the woman in verse 26, but I don't understand the actual words...what was he trying to say?" - In verse 24, He's saying that His prevent mission (while on earth) is to try to bring Israel back to God. In verse 26, He's saying that the spiritual bread (i.e. His message) is intended for the mouths of Israel, not the outsiders.  In verse 28, He's acknowledging that the woman's faith is so great that she is worthy of His action.

60IN60 Day 1 - Mon Nov 5

It's Day 1 and we're in Matthew 15.  For our new additions, we're starting in halfway through Matthew because we read the first 14 chapters in the previous round.

Welcome to the new round of 60IN60.  One change you may have noticed already is that this looks a little different.  In previous rounds, I have simply sent an email.  This time, we're working 60IN60 through a blog.  This will help me to be able to handle things more efficiently.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 3 - What do I do because it's my tradition that keeps me away from where God is leading?

Help:
- Verse 23-24, 26 - That's harsh!  Why does Jesus speak so rudely to her?  Essentially, during His earthly life, His mission was to attempt to draw Israel back to God.  When that failed, in Acts we see the gospel being opened up to Gentiles (non-Israelites).  Right now, there were lots of good things Jesus could have done, but He was trying to stay focused on His mission to Israel.  In the end, the woman's great faith caused Him to be willing to make an exception.

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

If you've got a comment or question, email me at butcher@ymail.com.