Saturday, September 29th: Psalms 147-148; James 2 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 147-148; James 2

James 2: 14 and 19 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?....

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[f] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

How do you know you can trust someone?

Basically, when you've seen that they walk the talk.  They SAY something, and then they DO what they say they will do.

Talk is cheap.  Anyone can say their sorry, but you'll only whether or not they're actually sorry by their actions.

Anyone can claim to be a believer (demons believe God is Who He says He is!, anyone can claim to have faith - but you'll only know whether or not someone is a genuine believer by their words and deeds.

Deeds don't save you.  Faith in God saves you.  Deeds prove you have saving faith.

What are your (and my!) deeds proving today?

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Psalms 148-150, James 3

Friday, September 28th: Psalms 144-146; James 1 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 144-146; James 1

“He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:18‬

One thing that stood out to me about this passage was that God CHOSE us. He knew we would betray Him, He knew that we would reject Him, He knew we would hate Him. Still, He chose us, and forgives us, and gives us His word to guide us.

Another thing, was that “out of all creation, we became His prized possession”. Sometimes I look at the stars, or the sunset, and I just can’t help but stand in awe of our Creator. And to think, compared to even the most beautiful of His creations, we are the ones He chose. We are His prized possessions. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 147-148; James 2

Thursday, September 27th: Psalm 141-143, 2 Corinthians 13 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 141-143, 2 Corinthians 13

A few verses that caught my attention:

Psalm 141:3
Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

A good reminder to watch what I say, and not say careless or foolish things that I will regret later, and can't take back.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Psalm 142:2
I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.

Thankful that I can talk to God about the things that bother me, and try to leave these things with Him and not worry.

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2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

This verse to me summed up what God all does for us. He loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us, and gives us His holy spirit to help us. We don't need anything else in life.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:    Psalms 144-146, James 1

Wednesday, September 26th; Psalms 138-140, 2 Corinthians 12 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 138-140, 2 Corinthians 12

Our 2 Corinthians passage today reminds me why I'm rather skeptical of the heaven tourism books that have been all the rage in recent years.

Paul did not even know for sure if what he saw was a vision or if he had actually been taken into heaven, he revealed only what God told him to reveal, and was given a thorn in his side in order not to boast about the privilege.  That doesn't sound at all like any of the heaven tourism books out there. (It's also not coincidental that more and more people have had these experiences once the book deals and money started rolling in).

God has told us all we need to know about heaven.  It will far surpass our imaginations and I can't wait to see it!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:   Psalms 141-143, 2 Corinthians 13

Tuesday, Sept 25: Psalms 135-137, 2 Corinthians 11 - Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 135-137, 2 Corinthians 11

False teachers...

In this chapter, Paul is strongly cautioning us to be wary of/on guard for false teachers.

3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. 

Do we just accept what we hear or do we test it against the Bible. Do we look at the size of church or the name of the pastor/teacher & take what is said as “gospel truth”? We need to make sure that we don’t blindly follow or willingly accept teachings that do not line up with the Bible. 

Paul empowers us to question.  To know the Bible & believe it, not the teacher. The teacher will come as an “angel of light” to deceive & we have to be prepared to recognize it.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 138-140, 2 Corinthians 12

Monday, September 24: Psalms 132-134, 2 Corinthians 10 ~ by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 132-134, 2 Corinthians 10

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

11 The Lord swore an oath to David
    with a promise he will never take back:

We were just talking in Sunday school yesterday about how we need to have faith in God by reflecting on His promises. God will always keep his promises. It may not be in our timing but we need to have faith that God will let it happen in His timing.


How wonderful and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in harmony!

Our principal just read this verse over our morning announcements this week. How true it is. When you think about your family, your classmates, your coworkers....how much more enjoyable it is when everyone gets along. I think about how this verse applies when disagreeing with people and how to speak the truth in love and still maintain a relationship with a person with whom you disagree.

3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

Again, a reminder to have faith that God will do His good works in His time. Also that it is not our job to alienate or judge those and perhaps turn them from God because of our words and actions.

18 When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

What a great reminder. We should not believe that our accomplishments are ours and ours alone. It is God who gives us our talents and when we use them to honour Him, we will be worthy of the highest praise from our creator "Well done, good and faithful servant"

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 135-137, 2 Corinthians 11

Saturday, September 22nd: Psalms 129-131; 2 Corinthians 9 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 129-131; 2 Corinthians 9

I love the progression of Psalm 130.....

V1-2

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help.  Hear my cry, O Lord.  Pay attention to my prayer.

The first step is to recognize our need for help, and that God alone is the source of that help.

3 Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?
No one is perfect - far from it!  If God kept a record of our sins and judged us accordingly, things would not go well for us.

4 But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.
But thankfully, He has provided a way for us to be forgiven!

5 I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.
Thankfully, we can find His truths in the Word, and we can always count on Him. 

6 I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin.
Our hope is in God alone. In Him we have unfailing love and redemption from every sin!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Psalms 132-134, 2 Corinthians 10

Friday, September 21st: Psalms 126-128; 2 Corinthians 8 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 126-128; 2 Corinthians 8

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A little reminder in today’s reading that there is always hope. Just keep trusting in God, and pushing through. Your reward is coming. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 129-131; 2 Corinthians 9

Thursday, September 20th: Psalms 123-125, 2 Corinthians 7 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 123-125, 2 Corinthians 7

Psalm 124: 6-8
Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
[7] We have escaped like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
[8] Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

A reminder to me that we have very little control in this world over anything. At the other end of the spectrum is God, who is in control of everything. I'm thankful that God loves us and wants to help us.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Psalms 126-128, 2 Corinthians 8

Wednesday, September 19th: Psalms 120-122, 2 Corinthians 6 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 120-122, 2 Corinthians 6

Psalm 120:1 I took my troubles to the Lord;
I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.
Taking our troubles to God should always be our first instinct, never our Plan B.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil[d]? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
This is a huge reminder of how important it is for believers to marry other believers.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Psalms 123-125, 2 Corinthians 7

Tuesday, Sept 18: Psalms 119, 2 Corinthians 5 - Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 119, 2 Corinthians 5

“We live by faith, not by sight”

We have faith that heaven is real
We have faith that heaven is better than we can ever imagine
We have faith that we can have eternal life through Christ
We have faith that our resurrected bodies with be perfected in heaven

If we have faith & hope for eternity, then what we see on this earth begins to dim in comparison. Our worries here can begin to fade because we know what will come to pass & what we know will last.

In order to let go of our worries here on earth, we need to shift our perspective towards heaven & God in a way that we are no longer “at home in the body” but desire to be “at home with the Lord.”

We need to nurture our faith, that each day we recognize God’s glory around us & know that he’s giving us just a glimpse of what he has for us when we wait for him.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 120-122, 2 Corinthians 6

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 117-118, 2 Corinthians 4

2 Corinthians 18 says, "18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." I find that as humans we all try to find happiness in worldly things and things that can be seen, however here we are told that we should not care about our earthly possessions but should think and care about our unseen possessions and that is what the Lord requires of us. 








Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 119, 2 Corinthians 5

Saturday, September 15th: Psalms 115-116, 2 Corinthians 3 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 115-116, 2 Corinthians 3

Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
The first part of that verse strikes me the most.  Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory.

It is human nature to feel good when someone compliments us - and there's nothing wrong with that.  But it's wrong to fully take the credit, to accept all the glory for our accomplishments, and not give that glory to God, where it is rightfully due.

When God gives us talents, He expects us to steward them well, to work hard to improve our skill - not for our own glory, but for His.

This theme is actually also in our NT passage as well.....
2 Corinthians 3:1 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not!
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 117-118, 2 Corinthians 4

Friday, September 14th: Psalm 112-114, 2 Corinthians 2 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalm 112-114, 2 Corinthians 2

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.
We are not responsible for how others react to the fragrance of Christ that we spread - but we are responsible to spread it!

Thursday, September 13th: Psalm 109-1110, 2 Corinthians 1 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 109-111, 2 Corinthians 1

Psalm 109 caught my attention from today's reading. The writer talks about how the wicked will slander the righteous in this psalm.

Psalm 109: 11-13
[11]May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
[12] May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
[13] May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.

It reminds me of how we may get put down or treated unfairly or even suffer abuse because of our faith in Christ. Suffering is difficult now, but these passages reminded me that us Christians have something glorious to look forward to.

Better times are most definitely ahead for those that trust in the Lord!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 112-114, 2 Corinthians 2

Wednesday, September 12th: Psalms 106-108, 1 Corinthians 16 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 106-108, 1 Corinthians 16

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
It didn't take long in today's reading for me to be stopped by a verse that caught my attention.

Give thanks to the Lord.  Why?

Because He is good.
Because His faithful love endures forever.

I love this!  Obviously, we are also supposed to thank God for the things He does for us for for our loved ones, for answered prayers, for miracles, and so on.

But we also need to remember to take the time to thank God for who He is.  To marvel at His greatness, at His character, at His goodness, at His faithfulness.

I need to remember to take the time.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 109-111, 2 Corinthians 1

Tuesday, September 11th: Psalm 103-105, 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalm 103-105, 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
Such beautiful truths in these words!

Monday, September 10: Psalms 97-99; 1 Corinthians 14 by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is   Psalms 97-99; 1 Corinthians 14

This stood out for me from today's OT reading:

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    every nation sees his glory.
7 Those who worship idols are disgraced—
    all who brag about their worthless gods—    for every god must bow to him.

Sometimes we can put our faith in something that looks strong (mountains) but is really not. When we put our efforts and strength into something that has no lasting value and can melt away like wax we are wasting our time. One day everyone (every nation) will see God's splendour and be exalted. The things that we thought were of value will pass away. The things we idolized, the things we poured our time, effort, and money into will be on display and we may not be happy with what it reveals about us.

Also this:

O Lord our God, you answered them.
    You were a forgiving God to them,
    but you punished them when they went wrong.

Just like a parent who answers their children and forgives them but also rebukes them and corrects them when they make a mistake, God is our Heavenly FATHER. He loves us and guides us and yet we will still make mistakes. I am thankful that this doesn't mean God will ignore me but will forgive me when I ask.

This stood out from the NT:

9 It’s the same for you. If you speak to people in words they don’t understand, how will they know what you are saying? You might as well be talking into empty space.

Now more than ever, Christians are called to speak the truth in love. As society blurs the line between right and wrong we need to speak the language of the people to show them God's truth in a way that speaks to them. We shouldn't water down the message of salvation but we cannot come at them without love and compassion or the message will not be heard. How do we speak the truth? We have to know the truth and pray for opportunities and for the words to share the message to ensure there is no "language barrier" and the words can be heard and understood.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 100-102 1 Corinthians 15:1-28

Saturday, September 8th: Psalms 97-99; 1 Corinthians 14 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 97-99; 1 Corinthians 14

Psalm 97: 5

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
When I read this verse I was struck again by the wonder of the greatness of our God.

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.

It's just a parallel, and an imperfect one at that, but the mountains are to God what crayons are to us.  We can make crayons melt, we can snap them in two, they are child's play.  God can do that to a mountain.

The bigness of our God is truly incomprehensible and creation truly testifies to His Lordship.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Psalms 100-102, 1 Corinthians 15:1-28

Friday, September 7th: Psalms 94-96; 1 Corinthians 13 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 94-96; 1 Corinthians 13

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When it’s my turn to write the blog post and one of the sections is a popular one, I always try to write about a different section because it might seem “too easy” to comment on the popular one. But today I thought I should put my pride aside and comment on the popular section. 

The part that stood out to me about this verse is how love keeps no record of being wronged. Love is completely selfless. This is the kind of love Jesus has for us. He died for us and now our records are wiped clean. There’s no record of how we wronged Him (though it happens multiple times every day). And this is the kind of love we should have for others. We should be quick to wipe their records clean, and not keep tally of every bad thing someone has done to us. In the end, we will even probably be happier for it. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 97-99; 1 Corinthians 14

Thursday, September 6th: Psalm 91-93, 1 Corinthians 12 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 91-93, 1 Corinthians 12

Psalm 91:9a
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place...

Psalm 91:11
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:14
"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name...


I found Psalm 91 an uplifting chapter of the bible to read. Here the writer tells us that if we commit and live for God - He will protect us.

We may not always think of it or feel it, but we are all vulnerable at all times. We need God and His love and protection to help us.

Only God can save us, we need to reach out to Him and ask for His help.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 94-96, 1 Corinthians 13

Wednesday, September 5th: Psalms 88-90, 1 Corinthians 11 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 88-90, 1 Corinthians 11

Psalm 90: O Lord, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!  Replace the evil years with good.


Some days (sometimes some years) are extremely difficult ones, and joy is hard to find.  This earthly life is, quite frankly, harder for some than for others, and we don't normally know why or for what purpose.

But this we do know.

The victory is God's, and therefore, ours, as believers.
Eternity will be filled with joy beyond our wildest expectations.
And that eternity will overwhelm our earthly troubles and make them feel fleeting.

It reminds me of the phrase of a song "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!"  No matter how bleak Friday is, we can rest in the surety that Sunday is coming!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 91-93, 1 Corinthians 12

Tuesday, September 4: Psalms 85-87, 1 Corinthians 10 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 85-87, 1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:12
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”

We shouldn’t get careless in our walk with God, thinking that we’re all good & get lazy with time in the word & prayer. We shouldn’t put ourselves into tempting situations feeling that we’re strong Christians & we’ll be ok. Rather we should be continually alert knowing that Satan will come at us, seeking to destroy.

Verse 10 warns Christians not to grumble. When we grumble, we very quickly shift our focus from God’s goodness to a woe is me attitude. We forget our blessings & dwell on what we don’t have. A good way to stay firm in our faith is to continually remember what God has done for us.

Stand firm so as not to fall...Verse 13 speaks of temptations that we will face. We are promised a way out, to be able to stand up under it but the more secure our faith is, the easier it will be for us when we face those times.


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 88-90, 1 Corinthians 11

Monday, September 3: Psalms 82-84, 1 Corinthians 9 by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 82-84, 1 Corinthians 9

Psalm 83 begins:

O God, do not be silent!
    Do not be deaf.
    Do not be quiet, O God.

and ends:

18 Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord,
    that you alone are the Most High,
    supreme over all the earth.

Sometimes when we hear the horrors the people face because of their faith or when we see the line between right and wrong become so blurred in society we may wonder when God will fulfill his promise and this world and all its trouble will pass away. We long for God to hear our prayers. This passage ends with the reminder of this promise. One day EVERYONE will know that Lord our God is above all else and He will rescue us and reign over us and right every wrong. God will not be silent and the world will know who God is and there will be no doubt.

10 Psalm 84:10 A single day in your courts
    is better than a thousand anywhere else!

After all the heartache of the world, just one day in Paradise with Jesus will be better than we can every imagine.

This passage stood out from the NT:

11 Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? 12 If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.

It made me think of the importance of supporting our pastoral staff. In light of the pastor in California who took his life recently, I think that it is a good reminder that Satan's desire to corrupt and hurt people of faith knows no bounds. We need to offer our prayers and support to those who lead us and are expected to do so much. I don't think we fully understand the (often unrealistic) expectations and stress that pastors face as they try and lead by example but still are human. Pray for those in leadership.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 85-87, 1 Corinthians 10

Saturday, September 1st: Psalms 79-81; 1 Corinthians 8 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 79-81; 1 Corinthians 8

But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.
Well, that's putting it pretty bluntly, isn't it?!

It's true!

Knowledge, particularly biblical knowledge, is definitely important.  We are wise to study the Bible and to learn what it says.  But knowledge alone does not strengthen the church.  First, we need to apply it.  But most importantly, we need to love.

9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.....12 And when you sin against other believers[c] by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.
No matter the issue, no matter how right we are, we should not encourage anyone to go against their conscience.  The Holy Spirit will provide guidance and insight to them, we don't need to be their Holy Spirit.  And we certainly don't need to be the "devil on their shoulder"!

We need to love each other.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 82-84, 1 Corinthians 9