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

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 43-45, Matthew 13:1-23

Matthew 13:12-14 says, "For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: 'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive."


Jesus is explaining why he is teaching in parables, and explaining how the large crowds do not undersatnd the Kingdom of God as well as the disciples do, and it really made me think that we are all the crowd, needing to be taught in parables, for example he says, "seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." and many times we can hear something but not hear it in the way it us supposed to be said, but in the case of a parable, it is usually heard the way it is meant to be heard.



Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 46-48, Matthew 13:24-58

Saturday, July 28th: Isaiah 40-42, Matthew 12:22-50 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 40-42, Matthew 12:22-50

33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.
I appreciated this devotional.....

Fall is the ideal time to visit apple orchards, stock up on apple donuts, and drink mugs and mugs of hot apple cider. But have you ever gone to pick an apple, only to find it mushy, bland, or shriveled up? If you look at the tree it came from, you may notice holes in the trunk, cracks in the bark, or dead branches, so intuitively, you move onto the next apple tree with healthy leaves and branches displaying ripe, full-color apples.

This is because a tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good, and if a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. In the same way, words spoken can accurately portray the condition of someone’s heart. When we are planted in God’s Word and growing in our faith, we will begin to see good fruit—kind words, quick forgiveness, and gracious speech. But if we’re planted in sin and our faith grows weak, our fruit will inevitably spoil and give off a bitter after-taste to anyone who’s around and willing to take a bite.

Christian or non-Christian, sin is going to wage war inside our hearts, and if anger, bitterness, and resentment are spewing out of our mouths, that’s a good sign that something is out of alignment; there’s some soul work to be done. If we’re ever going to get better with our words, we need God to change our hearts.

The good news for every believer is that the Holy Spirit wants to help you. He wants to actively work on your heart, He wants to give you the power to overcome sin, and He wants to grow good fruit in your life. It’s up to you—will you allow Him to help you and grow you into the person you want to be? 

Reflect:

1. Only with your speech in mind, are you a tree bearing good fruit or bad fruit?

2. May this be our prayer today: “Holy Spirit, I want to be a good tree bearing good fruit. Please change me from the inside-out, and give me the power to overcome my sin. Restore the goodness in my heart, and give me new life through the name of Jesus.”

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 43-45, Matthew 13:1-23

Friday, July 27th: Isaiah 37-39; Matthew 12:1-21

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 37-39, Matthew 12:1-21

“And his name will be the hope of all the world.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I encourage you to let Jesus be the hope of your world today. Whether that’s at home or work or some other area in your life, let Him be your hope and your joy.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 40-42, Matthew 12:22-50

Thursday, July 26th: 2 Chronicles 34-36, Matthew 11 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Chronicles 34-36, Matthew 11

2 Chronicles 34:1-2
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. (2) He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

2 Chronicles 35: 23-24
Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” [24] So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

Josiah became king when he was young, and followed the Lord throughout his life, doing what God wanted. He wasn't perfect but was a man that lived a life that we should all try and follow.

It struck me how early in life and how quickly Josiah's life ended. He had done alot of good for God, I would have thought he would live a long, happy and healthy life because he was good.

Making all the right moves doesn't mean we will have it perfect here on earth. We need to remember as Christians we are building towards the after life - in Heaven. This is where everything will be perfect, and we can be with God forever.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Isaiah 37-39, Matthew 12:1-21

Wednesday, July 25th: 2 Chronicles 31-33, Matthew 10:26-42 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Chronicles 31-33, Matthew 10:26-42

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mark Driscoll says this....
Everything begins and ends, rises and falls, succeeds and fails, based upon your fear of God. Proverbs 1:7 says, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Wise counsel, ample resources, relational support, and even knowledge are of no help to a person who does not fear God. To fear God is just that – to live with a constant deep belief that God sees and knows all, and that you will give an account to him.

Your life, and mine, are driven by fear. The question is not if we will fear, but who we will fear.

To fear the Lord is to consider God above everything and everyone else. To fear the Lord is to do what is right in God’s eyes, even if it means that the outcome will likely not be in our best interest. If we do fear the Lord, then we are guided by the following kinds of questions that help us make godly and wise life decisions:
What does the Bible say?
What godly people can I seek for wise counsel?
How can I best glorify God in this situation?
What does God want me to do?

The default if we do not fear the Lord, is that we fear someone else instead. This is what Proverbs 29:25 means saying, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” To fear people is to hold a person or group of people (parents, friends, spouse, coworkers, etc.) above everyone and everything else. To fear people is to do what other people want you to do, demand that you do, or pressure you to do even if it’s not what God wants you to do. If we do fear people, then we are guided by the following kinds of questions that cause us to make ungodly and unwise life decisions:
What do other people say?
Who can I find to agree with what I want to do?
How can I hide this from God and godly people?
What do other people want me to do?

Biblical counselor Ed Welch says,

Fear in the biblical sense . . . includes being afraid of someone, but it extends to holding someone in awe, being controlled or mastered by people, worshipping other people, putting your trust in people, or needing people. . . . the fear of man can be summarized this way: We replace God with people. Instead of a biblically guided fear of the Lord, we fear others. . . . When we are in our teens, it is called “peer pressure.” When we are older, it is called “people-pleasing.” Recently, it has been called “codependency.”

Who do you fear? Who do you simply require the approval of? Whose praise of you means the world to you? Whose criticism or rejection of you would destroy you? Which person(s) are you different around, adjusting yourself to fit their expectations and becoming who they want you to be, rather than who God made you to be? Who do you sin for? These questions help us to uncover any areas in our life where we are fearing someone other than God.



Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: 2 Chronicles 34-36, Matthew 11

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

Monday, July 23: 2 Kings 24-25, Matthew 9 ~ by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 24-25, Matthew 9

This stood out for me today from the OT:

13 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.

I understand that these items were significant items in the temple, however, they are just stuff. Valuable and costly "stuff" but just that-stuff. It made me think of Matthew 6:19-21:

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

When we become too concerned about our "stuff" we can lose sight of what is truly important. God can allow destruction to happen to remind us of what truly matters.

From the NT readings, this stood out for me:

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Sometimes I have trouble believing that the impossible IS possible with God. My faith is not always strong enough to believe. This woman confidently believed that if she was just able to grasp Jesus' robe, that her 12 year illness would be cured. Now that is FAITH. What would God be able to do in my life if my faith was as strong??

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: 2 Chronicles 28-30, Matthew 10:1-25

Saturday, July 21st: 2 Kings 22-23, Matthew 8 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 22-23, Matthew 8

I've been reading only the NT portion of our readings this year, but when I saw that the OT portion contained the story of King Josiah, I had to read it - it's one of my favourite passages.

King Josiah began his reign at only 8 yrs old!  Several evil kings had reigned before him, but Josiah followed God (maybe his mother's influence?  The Bible doesn't say and I'd love to know!).  However, because there had been evil kings before him, the Book of the Law had been lost and Josiah and his people didn't even know about all the laws they were breaking.  When the King heard the Book of the Law read to him he tore his robes in grief and repentance, and instituted sweeping reforms throughout the nation in an effort to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord.

King Josiah's life is a reminder that age has no bearing on the influence we can wield.  All of us have the opportunity to influence those around us by the way we live. Perhaps not to the extent of the King, but we all have our own spheres of influence and we must use them for His glory.

I love these portions.....

19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people...I also have heard you, declares the Lord.
~~~~
25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.
What an amazing legacy!  To have a responsive heart, to be willing to humble himself, to be known as one who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength - would that that phrase would be said of us!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 24-25, Matthew 9

Friday, July 20th: 2 Kings 19-21, Matthew 7 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 19-21, Matthew 7

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” - Matthew 7:7

This being my fourth summer leading at camp, this applies to my current season in life so clearly:

Keep on

Keep on asking for strength on the hard days, keep on seeking for God in every situation, keep on knocking on that door. 

Keep on pushing through tough times, keep on praising God even when He seems far away, keep on working as hard as you can in everything you do. 

Keep on pursuing God through everything. 

Keep on

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 22-23, Matthew 8