Day 69 Numbers 14:1‐15:16; Mark 14:53‐72; Psalm 53:1‐6; Proverbs 11:4 Denying the Jesus We Love Most of us would be the very first to say that we would not deny Jesus, just like Peter told Jesus Himself that he would never deny Him. However, I believe that we are far too often like Peter. If…
Day 68 Numbers 11:24‐13:33; Mark 14:22‐52; Psalm 52:1‐9; Proverbs 11:1‐3 Integrity or Treachery One of the aspects of the Bible that make it so believable is how thoroughly human the men and women are. There is a thread of humanity that runs through each of this days readings. A great man such as Peter is…
Day 67 Numbers 10:1‐11:23; Mark 14:1‐21; Psalm 51:1‐19; Proverbs 10:31‐32 Preparation “…Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He…
Day 66 Numbers 8:1‐9:23; Mark 13:14‐37; Psalm 50:1‐23; Proverbs 10:29‐30 The Brightness of God As I reflect on the passages from Numbers, Mark, and Psalms, I am aware of the recurring references to light. These references call to mind a hymn by Kathleen Thomerson, the text of which begins “I want to walk as a…
Day 65 Numbers 6:1-7:89; Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 10:27-28 About Offerings As we read through chapter 7 in Numbers, it soon becomes obvious that each tribe presented the exact same lavish offering for the dedication of the altar after Moses had finished setting up and anointing the tabernacle. This was according to the command…
Day 64 Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 10:26 A Call for Full Contact Worship If worship were a sport, it would be “full contact.” It involves all the senses, which is why Numbers talks about fragrant incense and holy oil and holy water. It’s also why Numbers insists you can’t claim to love…
Day 63 Numbers 2:1‐3:51; Mark 11:27‐12:17; Psalm 47:1‐9; Proverbs 10:24‐25 By Whose Authority? In today’s Gospel, we find several instances of human reliance on authority when issues or conflict arise. We find Jesus’ authority questioned for no other reason than the fact that His teaching, preaching, and healing had come to challenge the “unquestionable authority”…
Day 62 Leviticus 27:14-34; Numbers 1:1-54; Mark 11:1-25; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23 Our Temple for Real Faith and Worship In Mark, we read of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which happened at the beginning of Passover week. At the end of that day, Mark reports that Jesus, having looked around at everything going on in…
Day 61 Leviticus 25:47‐27:13; Mark 10:32‐52; Psalm 45:1‐17; Proverbs 10:22 What Price, Redemption? In the early history of the United States, we faced the blemish of slavery. Men, women, and children were sold as property to wealthy landowners. Even before slavery there were those who escaped persecution and came to the colonies as “indentured servants,”…
Day 60 Leviticus 24:1-25:46; Mark 10:13-31; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 10:20-21 The High Standards of Biblical Living The Bible not only delights, it also surprises its readers. In many places, it offends them, too. Maybe you started this Bible reading project expecting the Scriptures to bolster your natural sense of morality and fair play. Alas, by…
Happy Leap Day The Bible Challenge plan is a 365-day plan, so there is no designated reading for today. Use today to catch up on readings you may be behind on, or use it to meditate further on what you have already read. Yesterday’s devotional is reposted below. May God bless your meditations on His…
Day 59 Leviticus 22:17-23:44; Mark 9:30-10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19 Without Defect or Blemish We are already two months into this project of trying to read the Bible in a year. How is it going so far? Are you finding the readings too much, or is it exciting to know that you are “eating this…
