Day 355 Zechariah 1:1-21; Revelation 12:1-17; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 30:17 A Proverb That Is More Than a Proverb Today’s Proverb reminds us of a theme that is not new in Scripture. “The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten…
Day 354 Haggai 1:1-2:23; Revelation 11:1-19; Psalm 139:1-24; Proverbs 30:15-16 Knowledge Too Wonderful Does this sound familiar, “…and from you no secrets are hid”? We open Holy Communion with a prayer including this phrase each Sunday. The first eight verses of Psalm 139 explain that God knows every aspect of our lives, including what we…
Day 353 Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Revelation 10:1-11; Psalm 138:1-8; Proverbs 30:11-14 When Is Enough? Zephaniah is pretty clear—God has had enough. His people worshiped other gods and no longer sought out the Lord in prayer. They did not cry out to Yahweh for help, blindly walking their own selfish and greedy way. In their arrogance, they…
Day 352 Habakkuk 1:1-3:19; Revelation 9:1-21; Psalm 137:1-9; Proverbs 30:10 Wickedness. Wonder. Waiting. Today’s readings are prophetic words of warning, woe, and waiting. They are not joyful words, but they are words that lead to hope. Habakkuk understands why God is punishing His disobedient people, but he does not understand why God is using a…
Day 351 Nahum 1:1-3:19; Revelation 8:1-13; Psalm 136:1-26, Proverbs 30:7-9 Trust in The Lord “…for his steadfast love endures forever.” – Psalm 136 Nineveh was sacked and razed to the ground in 612 BC, shortly after these oracles by Nahum. It was never rebuilt and today is merely an archaeological site. The hard judgments and…
Day 350 Micah 5:1-7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135; Proverbs 30:5-6 New Heaven and New Earth An echo of Micah is what I heard when I read from John’s Revelation today. Triumph over difficulty and a time of rest and blessing are included as images of what the world will be when the new heaven and…
Day 349 Micah 1:1-4:13; Revelation 6:1-17; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 30:1-4 Come, Let Us Go Up to the Mountain of the LORD Micah was a true prophet of God who was called to warn the people of Israel and call out the false prophets and priests of his time. Many refused to listen to Micah because…
Day 348 Jonah 1:1-4:11; Revelation 5:1-14; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27 When the Lamb Will Roar Jonah, Psalm 133, and the Proverbs for the day all point to living a good and wise life. Revelation 5 makes certain that that such a life is even more. The question is asked, “Who is worthy to open the…
Day 347 Obadiah 1-21; Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 29:24-25 Don’t Anger the Momma Bear As I was reading Obadiah, the image of an angry ‘momma bear’ came to mind. My wife will tell you that as easygoing and peace-loving as she is, she becomes a momma bear if anyone harms her children in any…
Day 346 Amos 7:1-9:15; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 13:1-3; Proverbs 29:23 Unlocking the Door of Our Hearts Doors have a special place in the Bible. Jesus said if we knock, the door would be opened. We are called to enter through the narrow door. In many parables, those outside of the kingdom had the door closed…
Day 345 Amos 4:1-6:14; Revelation 2:18-3:6; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 29:21-22 His Coming… Right Now! “Hold on to what you have until I come.” – Revelation 2:25 In the season of Advent, the anticipation of the coming of our Savior into the world, we prepare. In our homes, we clean, cook, shop, and decorate to create…
Day 344 Amos 1:1-3:15; Revelation 2:1-17; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 29:19-20 Pray Before You Speak For those of us who have been parents of teenagers, we can relate to the words of the Proverbs. After all, how many of us have felt, when trying to correct our children, that we are talking to a brick wall?…
