Monday, March 12: Deuteronomy 25-27 Luke 1:39-80 by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 25-27 Luke 1:39-80 

So many nuggets to chew on from today's readings:

 16 For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.

Conduct your actions with integrity

10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.”

Remind yourself that all you have is from God by giving back a portion to Him

15 “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol

Don't put anyone or anything above God

16 “Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother.”

Be kind to your Dad and Mom

17 “Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone.”

Don't be greedy.

18 “Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.”

Take care of others

19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”

Stand up for the vulnerable

21 “Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal.”

Don't be gross

24 “Cursed is anyone who kills their neighbor secretly.”

Don't kill them or kill their reputation with your words

25 “Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.”

Don't be misled by wealth

26 “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”

These guidelines are for your benefit.

47“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Pregnant, unmarried, and young without any idea how this plan will work out and yet glorifies the Lord. 

68 68“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

Mute for months, chastised from friends and neighbours for straying away from family names when naming your son and yet praises God for his goodness.

What trouble are we in that might benefit from this attitude? Can we trust God to keep his promises? What areas do we need to work on in our own lives?

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 28-30 Luke 2:1-20

Saturday, March 10th: Deuteronomy 22-24; Luke 1:1-38 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 22-24; Luke 1:1-38

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Zechariah's response to the angel's announcement that they would become the parents of the prophet John in their old age was questioning.  I've always found that a bit interesting.  I mean, if I saw an angel, I'm pretty sure I'd believe anything he said, no matter how crazy I thought it sounded.  After all, seeing an angel seems crazy enough!

I wish the Biblical account included an indication of what tone of voice Gabriel used in his reply to Zechariah.

Was he shocked by Zechariah's disbelief?  "I am Gabriel!  How can you even think to question my message?"
Was he angered?  "I am Gabriel!  And I don't know how God puts up with you humans"
Was he authoritative?  "I am Gabriel, and here's a list of my credentials and why you should believe me"
Was he sympathetic? "I know you think you might be dreaming right now and this is all a bit much to take in, but I am Gabriel..."
Was he amused?

But no matter Gabriel's reaction, the truth was this was an amazing day!  After 400 years of silence from heaven, FINALLY there was word that the Messiah was coming.  And it would be pretty hard to take in that your family would have anything even remotely to do with it.

John's role was to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Really, that's our role too.  We need to proclaim Jesus.  We need to tell others about Him. We have been given an immense privilege that God entrusts us with that responsibility.  What will we do with it?

Tomorrow: Catch up Day
Monday's Bible In a Year Passage:  Deuteronomy 25-27, Luke 1:39-80

Friday, March 9th: Deuteronomy 19-21; Colossians 4 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 19-21; Colossians 4

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” - ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:2‬

Prayer needs to be more than just the routine prayer we pray at the end of the day. We need to constantly be talking with the Lord, thanking Him for all He has done, and talking with Him about what’s going on in our lives. Even if He already knows everything about us, He still wants us to talk with Him and tell Him about us ourselves. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 22-24; Luke 1:1-38

Thursday, March 8th: Deuteronomy 16 - 18, Colossians 3 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 16-18, Colossians 3

Deuteronomy 18: 1-2
The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. [2] They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.

Often I've thought that Levites didn't get much or have much, all the other tribes got land and cities and towns that were already built. God had given the rest of the tribes many earthly gains to start out with.

"Short term" gains like earthly wealth or possessions are nice but don't compare to "long term" gains like pleasing God and spending eternity with Him. My focus needs to therefore be "long term", trying my best to please God and live for Him, and not worry about the "short term" gains.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 19-21, Colossians 4

Wednesday, March 7th: Deuteronomy 13-15, Colossians 2 ~ Tammy

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

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Our journey of faith doesn't end with the moment of our salvation.  Indeed, it's only the beginning!

We must continue to follow Him.

We need to purposefully develop roots that grow down into Him - only possible through reading, studying, meditating on, and memorizing His Word, and through prayer.

We need to build our lives on Him.  We are not our own foundation - He is our foundation.  Like the man who built his house on the sand, if we do not build our spiritual lives on the Rock, we will be knocked down by the storms of life.

When we do those things, THEN our faith will grow strong, THEN we will be able to discern truth, THEN we will overflow with thankfulness.  Those things don't come automatically, but only with effort!

We must continue to follow Him.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 16-18, Colossians 3

Tuesday, March 6th: Deuteronomy 10-12, Colossians 1 ~ Danae

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 10-12, Colossians 1

Colossians 1:10-
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord & may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God

Am I living a life worthy of the Lord?  Do I please him in every way?

Do I acknowledge whom I say I follow?  If I take time to really consider that I'm a child of the King, the God of this universe, the Creator of all things & that He loves me, how can I not humbly fall before him & do everything I can to live a life worthy of him. How can I not be ashamed of all my shortcomings & give everything I have to better myself.

Lord, I want to please you in every way.  Open my eyes to the things in my life that need to change & do a mighty work in me. Shape each part of me into something that is worthy of you. 'Take my life & let it be consecrated, Lord to Thee.'


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  Deuteronomy 13-15, Colossians 2

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 7-9, Hebrews 13

In Hebrews 13:8-9 it says, "8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so." I often find myself forgetting that God has always been the same, and will always be the same. I believe that we are often led astray by false teachings, and find ourselves believing what society tells us is true, and now what the Word say is true. We need to trust the Lord because he knows everything we have done, and will do, as he is always going to be the same, and he knows what we need.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 10-12, Colossians 1

Saturday, March 3rd: Deuteronomy 4-6; Hebrews 12 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 4-6; Hebrews 12

Deuteronomy 4:39 “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other.
The Lord is God and there is no other.

Including me.

That seems pretty obvious, but how often do we live as though we are God?  As though our opinion is the one that should matter?  As though we get to decide what's right and what's wrong?  As though we get to interpret a biblical passage the way we wish it was, instead of the way God said it was?

From another angle, how often do we live with our focus on ourselves instead of on God?  How often are we focused on what will make us happy, or what's best for us, instead of best for those around us?  How often do we live for our own glory instead of His?

From another angle, how often do we look to anything but God for our fulfillment and joy?  Some of those things are good when given the correct priority, but are not so good when them become our top priority - including work, family, and friends.

The Lord is God and there is no other.

Do we live like we believe that?

Tomorrow: Catch up Day
Monday's Bible In a Year Passage:  Deuteronomy 7-9, Hebrews 13

Friday, March 2nd: Deuteronomy 1-3; Hebrews 11:23-40 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 1-3; Hebrews 11:23-40

“All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.” - ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:39-40‬

I am so thankful for the hope God reminds us of in this passage. We need to remain faithful and loving, hoping for our reward in Heaven where we can be with Him forever. No more sadness, no more anger, no more fear, no more sin. Just God, His children, and more love than we could ever imagine. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 4-6; Hebrews 12

Thursday, March 1st: Numbers 34-36, Hebrews 11: 1-22 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is  Numbers 34-36, Hebrews 11:1-22

Numbers 34: 9-12
Then the Lord said to Moses: [10] “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, [11] select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. [12] 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly

I've always found the verses that deal with someone accident killing someone, interesting. Did this happen often back then? How do these verses apply to us today, how often does someone accidentally kill someone else?

The point I get from these verses is that obviously God cares for everyone and wants to help us no matter what mistakes, we've made or caused. Sometimes we unintentionally do things that have unexpected consequences that are negative, God is still there to help us, He will not give up on us.

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Hebrews 11: 13-16
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. [14] People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. [15] If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. [16] 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

We also may die one day before Jesus returns, we also need to live our lives with faith that God will do what He said He would all do, and trust in Him.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Numbers 34-36, Hebrews 11:1-22