Day 227 Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 21:13 Covenant Restoration The rebuilt walls of Jerusalem served to provide a protected and sacred space within which the remnant of Judah could be rebuilt as the covenant people of God. The real issue is that the covenant relationship with the LORD was in disrepair….
Day 226 Nehemiah 7:61-9:21; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 21:11-12 Reading. Revival. Roofs. Repentance. Recounting. Nehemiah and the Jews return to Jerusalem from exile with broken lives, to find a broken wall. Nehemiah organizes the rebuilding of the now-completed wall; Ezra brings renovation to broken spiritual lives. Today’s passage begins with the family records…
Day 225 Nehemiah 5:14-7:60; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 21:8-10 Building A Wall So often in our dealing with people who are in need of compassion, we see a need to “tear down the wall” that surrounds them. The defense mechanism so many people choose is the building of a wall around their heart….
Day 224 Nehemiah 3:15-5:13; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 21:5-7 Overcoming Difficulty with a Vision Nehemiah was a great encourager of the downtrodden people of Jerusalem. Their walls had been torn down when they were in exile. They have now been allowed to return to their homeland, but it was not the same. Nehemiah…
Day 223 Nehemiah 1:1-3:14; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 21:4 Mercy and Kindness How easy it is for me to “love the Lord” when His mercy and kindness to me are so abundantly felt. He leads me so profoundly into my everyday life. Psalm 31 tells us to “love the Lord… be of good…
Day 222 Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 21:3 Ezra’s Heart for People Ezra the priest spoke as a prophet before the house of God when he announced that the sin of his people was great. He called them to solemn repentance, and as he prayed and made confession, weeping (10:1), the people…
Day 221 Ezra 8:21-9:15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 31:1- 8; Proverbs 21:1-2 Our Response During Difficult Times Psalm 31, written by David, is an accurate picture of what we go through often in our lives as believers. Some theologians believe that Psalm 31 was written during the time when Saul was trying to capture and…
Day 220 Ezra 7:1-8:20; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 20:28-30 God Is Our Judge As human beings, it seems our nature is to do things to be recognized. We care so much about the approval of others. This starts early in our development as children. It’s a constant desire for kids to be accepted…
Day 219 Ezra 5:1-6:22; 1 Corinthians 3:5-23; Psalm 29; Proverbs 20:26-27 Too Smart for Your Own Britches When I was young, I had the blessing of spending a lot of time with my grandma. I used to spend all day with her driving around the city of Durham, North Carolina. Just the two of us…
Day 218 Ezra 3:1-4:24; 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 20:24-25 God Is In Control With the advancement of modern technology and the affluence of the Western world, many times we feel like we are in charge. We make our schedules, order food, pay bills, check the weather, and communicate across several time zones with…
Day 217 Ezra 1-2:70; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 20:22-23 Stumbling Wisdom The Jews wanted a mighty prince. The Greeks wanted a great philosopher or teacher. Both of these people groups had trouble believing in a man who claimed to be the Messiah but could not save Himself from death on a cross. The…
Day 216 2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 20:20-21 In Christ Alone The Scripture reading of 1 Corinthians dealt with a current event for the church, and it is timely and true for the church today. “Is Christ divided?” NO! He is not. Paul then appeals, in the name of Jesus the…
