Day 14 Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-25; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 3:13-15 Human Godliness Our concept of human godliness is built around Jesus, our perfect Savior. We strive for perfection; we strive to be pure of heart, body, and mind like He was. But when we read about Jacob, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilha, and their competition…
Day 13 Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11:12 The Father’s Discipline Proverbs 3:11-12 – “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” One day a man went to his pastor…
Day 12 Genesis 26:17‐27:46; Matthew 9:1‐17; Psalm 10:16‐18; Proverbs 3:9‐10 Welcome the Unwelcomed He had read the gospels, curious as to what Christians believed. From what he had interpreted, it seemed that Christians were people of love and acceptance. That’s exactly what he was looking for. So, one Sunday morning, he decided to visit a…
Day 11 Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8 Radical Commitment In our passage today in Matthew, we can experience, with Jesus’ disciples, several aspects of Jesus’ ministry and mission. We learn something of the radical commitment necessary to be a follower when Jesus asserts His power over nature as He calms a raging…
Day 10 Genesis 23:1-24:51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 3:1-6 We Reflect What We Worship It is a popular saying among motivational speakers nowadays that “we become what we think about.” If we think about positive things, we will become positive people; negative things: negative thoughts and actions. We are reminded of the same spiritually…
Day 9 Genesis 20:1‐22:24; Matthew 7:15‐29; Psalm 9:1‐12; Proverbs 2:16‐22 The Religious May be Surprised One Day A recent statistic was released by Willow Creek Church in Chicago. It states that out of thousands of people surveyed, 75% would be willing to go to church if someone were to personally ask them. They simply have…
Day 8 Genesis 18:20‐19:38; Matthew 6:25‐7:14; Psalm 8:1‐9; Proverbs 2:6‐15 A Promise of Wisdom In this reading from Solomon’s Proverbs, we find hope in our quest for wisdom. Backing up to the first verse, Solomon writes: “My son, accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying…
Day 7 Genesis 16:1-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5 God’s Chosen People I grew up with comic books: Superman, Batman, Silver Surfer, and the Fantastic Four. Of course, I also knew the names of Bible characters, and also bits and pieces of their stories. I did not read the Bible for myself, so I…
Jesus’ better way invites us to take God’s own love and perfection as our pattern. Not any human standard of honorable status, but Jesus’ model of holiness, Jesus’ descriptions of the “kingdom of God” delighted in turning the rules of honor on their heads.
What would happen if all of us truly and deeply sought this year to learn, understand, and hearken to God’s voice? He is speaking a language that can unite our hearts and spirits for the purposes of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Day 4 Gen 8:1-10:32, Matt 4:12-25, Ps 4:1-8, Prov 1:20-23 Following Jesus Is a Family Affair The reading from Matthew tells of Jesus’ call of the fishermen, Simon Peter and Andrew, and their calling of their colleagues, James and John. On the surface of it, it is a testimony to the inherent power of Jesus’…
Day 3 Genesis 5:1–7:24, Matthew 3:7–4:11, Psalm 3:1–8, Proverbs 1:10–19 The Inauguration of the Kingdom The Baptism of Jesus by John is the formal ceremonial moment marking the inauguration of his rule as the Anointed One, the Messianic King. John the Baptist’s preaching is identified as the “voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare…
