Tuesday, December 25: Job 25-27, Revelation 18:9-24 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 25-27, Revelation 18:9-24

“In one hour your doom has come!”

“In one such hour great wealth has been brought to ruin!”

“In one such hour she has been brought to ruin!”

We read these statements in Revelation 18 in reference to the fall of Babylon.  Babylon, however, is not just a city but represents the sinful nature in this world.

What a reminder for us & what we place our time & value into.

We live in a culture of self gratification, if it’s something we want we will seek to justify ourselves rather than deny ourselves. Our focus is so often our social standing (often dictated by our worldly possessions).  We put more time & effort into careers & making a large enough income that we have nothing left to invest in anything of true value.

In an hour, it will come to ruin for us too!  We won’t have any warning. Our plans to “do it later” for God won’t happen. We will put all of our efforts into things that will come to ruin & we’ll have nothing left.

Lord, help us to live our lives for you. That the time we invest will be spent into things that will not come to ruin but will bring everlasting glory to you.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Job 28-30, Revelation 19:1-10

Tuesday, December 18: Job 7-9, Revelation 15 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 7-9, Revelation 15

Revelation 15:4

4 Who will not fear you, Lord, 

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship before you,

for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” 

It’s hard to fathom that at the end of time, after all that the tribulation will bring about & reveal, that there will be anyone left who won’t worship & believe in God.

At that point especially, I don’t think there will be anyone that could deny the existence of God. But for many, hearts will be hardened & they simply will not give themselves over to Him.

Verse 3 says “Great & marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just & true are your ways, King of Ages”

Our God is great but also just. He’s great enough to love & forgive anyone to come to him but his justice will reign in the end & anyone who chooses his own path will lose at the end.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Job 10-12, Revelation 16:1-11

Tuesday, November 20: Daniel 1-4, 3 John 1 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Daniel 1-4, 3 John 1

3 John 1:11
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

John is speaking about the leader of the church & his actions. He recognized the sin in how the church was being run & the true heart of this leader. In these words he cautioned them to not just blindly imitate the actions of the leaders but to chose what is good & what is of God

We need to always be aware. It doesn’t matter the position that someone holds, if his actions or words are evil & not good we need to speak out against it. We can’t be fooled into believing the lie that this person has a position of importance so he must be right. We need to be grounded in our faith & in the word of God so that we can recognize these untruths & have the strength to stand up/speak out against it.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Daniel 5-8, Revelation 1

Tuesday, November 13: Ezekiel 34-36, 1 John 2 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Ezekiel 31-33, 1 John 2

1 John 2:20-21
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, & all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it & because no lie comes from the truth.

We have been given the truth, we just need to seek it & accept it.

Some of my biggest worries for my children come in the form of being deceived by the enemy & the world (& unfortunately we are seeing that deception invading some churches too).

This verse is an encouragement in that as Christians we “know the truth.”  In whatever way Satan tries to deceive, we are enabled to recognize it because of our anointing in Christ. It is there for us. We need to submit our will to Christ & seek him - as long as we are in the truth, we will know the truth.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Ezekiel 34-36, 1 John 2

Tuesday, November 6: Ezekiel 13-15, John 17

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Ezekiel 13-15, John 17

John 17:17-
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Jesus prayed for his followers to be sanctified, which happens through the believing & obeying of his Word.

Like the words in the song “Spirit Lead Me,” we need to let go of our own ideas & allow the spirit to lead us. “I’m done chasing feelings “... I did a Bible study not long ago that touched on following God by seeking his desire for us through his word, his advice through others, time spent in prayer. “It feels right” isn’t God. We need to seek him & be willing to follow wherever he leads.

If You say "it's wrong", then I'll say "no"
If You say "release", I'm letting go
If You're in it with me, I'll begin
And when You say to jump, I'm diving in
If You say "be still", then I will wait
If You say to trust, I will obey
Teach me how to follow in Your ways
I'm done chasing feelings
Spirit lead me

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Ezekiel 16-18, John 18

Tuesday, October 30: Jeremiah 46-48, John 11:45-12:11

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Jeremiah 46-48, John 11:45-12:11

John 12:3
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet & wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

We are told that the value of this perfume was about a year’s worth in wages. What a gift, a show of love!

Would we be willing to do this? Do we love enough that we would give up everything to show that love (& then trust enough that our needs will be met)?

How tightly we hold onto the things we value. What do we value most, the things this world offers or what Jesus offers? Do we focus on the good things here & now or the great things to come when we give it all to God?

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Jeremiah 49-52, John 12:12-50

Tuesday, October 23: Jeremiah 31-33, John 7:1-52 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Jeremiah 31-33, John 7:1-52

John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.

Jesus makes no apology, the world is evil.

He didn’t try to soften his words so he wouldn’t step on any toes. He didn’t sway on his convictions. He didn’t worry about what people would think of him.

He stood his ground & the world hated him for it.

We need to be prepared that when we follow God we will be hated. The world won’t like what we say because it is not what they want to hear but we can’t make apologies for it.

We need to stand firm in the truth regardless of the world says.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Jeremiah 34-36, John 7:53-8:30

Tuesday, October 16: Jeremiah 13-15, John 2 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Jeremiah 13-15, John 2

John 2-

13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” 

Jesus shows his anger at how the temple was treated; at the disrespect & dishonesty, the evil acts & injustices. The temple was the house of God & needed to be treated with the utmost respect & reverence. 

When we accept Jesus into our hearts, he literally indwells us through the Holy Spirit & so we become a temple of God. 

How do we treat this temple? Do we take this privilege seriously or do we wave it off, not recognizing the awesomeness of it?

What do we allow into this temple, how do we treat it? 

I believe what we physically put into it/do to it is important. We need to keep ourselves healthy through food, exercise, not harming ourselves (smoking, drugs), etc. We also need to consider who we are representing; do we dress with modesty.  

We also need to know what we’re putting into our hearts & minds. Are we filling ourselves with the “trash of the world” or all things good & holy? Do we realize the things we do are essentially being done right inside God’s temple?

How are we using his temple? For dishonest gain or with love to help & encourage others? Do we show respect & consideration to others or are we unaccepting?

Jesus was angered by the way his temple was used. He intended to represent his glory & to bring people to him. Is our temple being used in a way to glorify Him?

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Jeremiah 16-18, John 3

Tuesday, October 9: Habakkuk 1-3, 1 Peter 5 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Habakkuk 1-3, 1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5:2a-
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care

We are all placed in a role of leadership at some point, in one way or another. We have to take that responsibility seriously, without going on a power trip but humbling ourselves so that God can use us.

We need to remember-
-it’s about God, not us; it’s God’s flock (vs 2)
-not because you must but because you’re willing (vs 2)
-not because of what you can get but because of what you can give (vs 2)
-leading by example not by force (vs 3)

We also need to remember that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (Vs 5)

Sometimes, even in leadership, we need to swallow our pride & recognize good advice when given to us. We need to acknowledge that others may have valuable insight & be ready to accept it (maybe even seek it out) in order to grow as a leader (servant) of God.



Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Zephaniah 1-3, 2 Peter 1

Tuesday, October 2: Isaiah 49-51, James 4 - Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 49-51, James 4

I love the book of James. Every part of it is so practical, so convicting, setting in me a desire to live better & honour God more.

The verse & application that really stood out to me today was verse 3

3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 

How much time do I spend in prayer? Do I only pray when I need/want something? Do I only pray to ask God to bless the plans that I have (made on my own)?

My Bible reference says it this way:

4:2-3 James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Do you talk to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy your desires? Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? Your prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that they perfectly correspond to his will for you (1 John 3:21-22). 

Do I seek God first, asking for his direction without trying to convince him of mine.  I need to seek his will for my life, not ask him to bless my will or plans.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 52-54, James 5

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

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

Tuesday, August 28: Psalms 67-69, 1 Corinthians 4 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 67-69, 1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4:12-
“We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.

When we are cursed, we bless...when we are persecuted, we endure it...when we are slandered, we answer kindly...

We bless...we endure...we answer kindly

We bless...we endure...we answer kindly

What can be said? These 3 things need to be repeated in our hearts until this becomes part of us & our responses follow.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 70-72, 1 Corinthians 5

Tuesday, August 21: Psalms 49-51, Matthew 27:1-31 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 49-51, Matthew 27:1-31

Two things stood out to me in today’s reading:

1). The religious leaders acknowledged that their plan was in fact murder.

Vs 6- The chief priests picked up the coins & said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

In their self-righteousness, they completely lost sight of right & wrong. Or maybe, they had fallen so far that they knew what they were doing & justified it (being so determined that they knew what was right-better than God-that they adjusted the commandments to suit their needs/desires)

How does this resonate? It’s easy to justify our own actions to either make ourselves feel better or to make the Bible work for us.

2). “Washing your hands” of a situation or “turning a blind eye” to something does not free you of the responsibility, it’s just taking the cowardly way out.

Vs 24- When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water & washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility.”

For us, it boils down to trust. Trusting that God will remain faithful when we remain faithful. When we choose to stand up for what’s right in the face of evil, maintain our integrity in the midst of corruption, or speak out when it goes against the crowd we may be risking a lot (a job, social standings, family relationships, etc). We need to trust God that when we “step out” for him, he will provide for our needs. Whether we simply need the strength or words to handle the situation or if we should actually lose everything, he will meet our needs. We need to be accountable for our actions, that one day when we stand before him, he will be able to say “well done, good & faithful servant.”

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 52-54, Matthew 27:32-66

Tuesday, August 14: Psalms 31-33, Matthew 23 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Psalms 31-33, Matthew 23

“Woe to you, teachers of the law & Pharisees, you hypocrites!”

Jesus condemns the religious leaders in chapter 23. He not only gives them a serious tongue lashing but goes on to say that they won’t enter heaven & neither will those who follow them.

Vs 13 - “You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

This is a pretty serious consequence. What did they do to deserve this?

They did not murder, lie, cheat, steal....they were hypocrites.

They didn’t care about being holy, they only acted holy in order to receive the admiration & praise of the people. Their hearts weren’t changed by God.

You see, it’s not just the “big” sins that are the “bad” ones. God know our hearts & that’s what matters to him.

We need to be genuine in our faith.  Not only for our sakes but also for those around us. How can we lead someone to Christ if we don’t really know him ourselves?

Let’s not just act committed to Christ but really be committed to him.


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Psalms 34-36, Matthew 24:1-31

Tuesday, July 31: Isaiah 46-48, Matthew 13:24-58 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 46-48, Matthew 13:24-58

Jesus uses many parables when speaking to the crowds in order to fulfill the prophecies.

Most of today’s refer to really establishing your faith because, in the end, judgement will come & those who aren’t firmly rooted in Christ will be “thrown away.”

I really like the imagery used in verse 33-
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took & mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked through the dough.”

Yeast & flour are both very fine & once they’ve been mixed there’s no separating them. In fact, when mixed, you have to look closely to even see that something is in the flour.

God should be like that in our lives; so intricately woven that you can hardly see when one stops & the other begins.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Nahum 1-3, Matthew 14

Tuesday, July 24: 2 Chronicles 28-30, Matthew 10:1-25 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Chronicles 28-30, Matthew 10:1-25

Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved

We want people to like us, that’s just ingrained in our being. We hope to make good impressions, we hope to have lots of friends, we hope that others will say good things about us...but to what end?

Are we willing to bend our convictions (our faith) so someone won’t think us weird?
Are we willing to bend our morals because everyone else is laughing at that joke?
Are we willing to accept as right things we know are wrong just so we don’t step on toes?

We are not promised that this life will be easy (it definitely wasn’t easy for Jesus when he walked this earth or the disciples as they put everything aside to follow) but we are promised to be saved when we stand firm.


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: 2 Chronicles 31-33, Matthew 10:26-42

Tuesday, June 17: Isaiah 28-30, Matthew 5:27-48 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 28-30, Matthew 5:27-48

Matthew 5:38-39
You have heard it said, ‘Eye for eye, & tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

This is just hard.

How badly to we want to fight back, to get even, to make that person feel or go through what they put us through. And yet we are commanded to ‘turn the other cheek,’ to ‘be the bigger person’ as some would say.

I don’t know that this comes easy to anyone & yet we are called to it. The thing is, this doesn’t just apply to our enemies. Are we quick to respond to our spouses, children, brothers & sisters, etc with harsh words or choose to not be kind in a response to a disagreement. When we can work within ourselves to respond in love to those we love, then we are a step closer to responding in kind to others around us.

Seeing as how this kind of response isn’t second nature, we need to be in constant communication with our Father. Take a step back from the situation, pause for a prayer & an attitude check & respond in a way that  may be contrary to how we feel in the moment but in a way that we can look back on & not be ashamed of our actions.


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 31-33, Matthew 6:1-18

Tuesday, June 10: Isaiah 10-12, Jude 1:14-25 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 10-12, Jude 1:14-25


Jude-

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. 

Do we feel an urgency to reach those that don’t know Christ?

I find that it’s so easy to just live & enjoy life without considering eternity. However, when I stop to consider that our days on earth are only temporary & take in the reality of heaven & hell, suddenly my perspective changes. 

The “flames of judgement” are real & one day each one will face that judgement. Just being a “good” person is not going to cut it, going to church or knowing what the bible says is not enough. Even believing there is a God does not secure your eternity, “for even the demons believe, & shudder” (James 2:19). We need to reach out to those that don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus with an urgency that’s not afraid to ask the hard questions, to step out of our comfort zone for the sake of lost souls. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 13-15, Matthew 1

Tuesday, July 2: 2 Chronicles 25-27, 2 Timothy 4:9-22 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Chronicles 25-27, 2 Timothy 4:9-22

2 Timothy 4:17a
But the Lord stood at my side & gave me strength.

What words of comfort, encouragement & hope!  Our Lord will be near us in all situations & will strengthen us to face what comes our way.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 1-3, Titus