Sunday, June 30th: 2 Kings 17:1-18:12, Acts 20:1-38, Psalm 148:1-14, Proverbs 18:6-7 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 17:1-18:12, Acts 20:1-38, Psalm 148:1-14, Proverbs 18:6-7

Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels;
    they are asking for a beating.

7 The mouths of fools are their ruin;
    they trap themselves with their lips.

A reminder of how very important our words are!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 18:13-19:37, Acts 21:1-17, Psalm 149:1-9, Proverbs 18:8

Saturday, June 29th: 2 Kings 15:1-16:20, Acts 19:13-41, Psalm 147:1-20, Proverbs 18:4-5 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 15:1-16:20, Acts 19:13-41, Psalm 147:1-20, Proverbs 18:4-5 

Psalm 147:4-5
He counts the stars
    and calls them all by name.
5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
    His understanding is beyond comprehension!

That is truly mind boggling when you think of it.  The sheer numbers involved in this is so much more astonishing than the psalmist knew at the time.  According to google there are an estimated one billion trillion stars in the universe!!  How anyone can think anything in our universe came to be by chance is beyond me. 

We serve an awesome God!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 17:1-18:12, Acts 20:1-38, Psalm 148:1-14, Proverbs 18:6-7

Friday, June 28th: 2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:23-19:12, Psalm 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:23-19:12, Psalm 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3

Psalm 146:3-5
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
    there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
    and all their plans die with them.
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

A good reminder to remember that though people can help us to a certain degree here on earth, our reliance and confidence should rest in God, not man.  He is the only One who will never fail, never let us down, never betray us, never be unfaithful. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: 2 Kings 15:1-16:20, Acts 19:13-41, Psalm 147:1-20, Proverbs 18:4-5

Thursday, June 27: 2 Kings 10: 32-36, 2 Kings 11, 2 Kings 12, Acts 18: 1-22, Psalm 145: 1-21, Proverbs 18:1 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is  2 Kings 10:32-12:21, Acts 18:1-22, Psalm 145:1-21, Proverbs 18:1 

2 Kings 12:2-4 NIV
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. [3] The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

When I read this, I would love for it to end with saying that Joash did what was right in everything, all the years of his life. Joash was however human, like we are, and was therefore not perfect.

This isn't an excuse for making wrong choices. This can be motivation to keep building on what we do right for God, and not stop short and think that it's good enough. We need to keep pressing forward and building on what we do well for God.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:23-19:12, Psalm 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3

Wednesday, June 27th: 2 Kings 9:14-10:31, Acts 17:1-34, Psalm 144:1-15, Proverbs 17:27-28 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 9:14-10:31, Acts 17:1-34, Psalm 144:1-15, Proverbs 17:27-28

27 A truly wise person uses few words;
    a person with understanding is even-tempered.

28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
    with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

A great reminder of how powerful our words are and that we should consider them carefully, before speaking.


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 10:32-12:21, Acts 18:1-22, Psalm 145:1-21, Proverbs 18:1 

Tuesday, June 25th: 2 Kings 8:1-9:13, Acts 16:16-40, Psalm 143:1-12, Proverbs 17:26 ~ Jeannine

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 2 Kings 8:1-9:13, Acts 16:16-40, Psalm 143:1-12, Proverbs 17:26

Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.   Acts 16:30-32

This feels like such a simplistic answer to the question asked. "Believe and you will be saved along with everyone in your household."

I pray that everyone in my household will be saved but unfortunately it's not my faith that will save them. They will have to make the decision for themselves.

In the meantime, I will continue to teach them about and show them Jesus' love and pray that this will be the case for all of them.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: 2 Kings 9:14-10:31, Acts 17:1-34, Psalm 144:1-15, Proverbs 17:27-28

Monday, June 24: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29, Luke 6:12-38, Psalm 67:1-7, Proverbs 11:27

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29, Luke 6:12-38, Psalm 67:1-7, Proverbs 11:27 

I've got grad on the mind since my youngest child is graduating this week. These verses stood out for me through that lens:

7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’

It may not have been 40 years that my son has endured through high school (although he may argue that it felt like it ;) but surely God has blessed the work of his hands and he knows the trials that our son endured during that great "wilderness" of the high school experience and the unknown that it brought. When we are following God's plan for our lives, we lack nothing.

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Advice for life for the graduate and everyone.
Love people.
Do nice things.
Give generously.
Be like Jesus.
Show compassion.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,    your saving power among all nations.

A send off to into a new journey or direction.

Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,^[a]
    but evil comes to him who searches for it.

Work hard and don't look for trouble because you will find it.

I love that the Bible is a living book. Lessons and advice is just as relevant then as it is now.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 8:1-9:13, Acts 16:16-40, Psalm 143:1-12, Proverbs 17:26 

Friday, June 21st: 2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalm 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21 ~ Emma

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is  2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalm 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21

But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.

2 Kings 1:10

As I was reading this verse, I was reminded that God never changes, and this same God who let the fire fall is the same God who is with us today. I was also reminded that God answers prayers, and I should have much more faith when it comes to that. 

 Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.”

2 Kings 2:21

This verse reminded me of the water pollution problems we have in Canada, and it made me question how often I pray for situations like that. Again, this shows me how I should pray more faithfully. 

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17; Acts 14:8-28; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 17:22

Thursday, June 20th: 1 Kings 22, Acts 13:16-41, Psalms 138:1-8, Proverbs 17:17-18 ~ Nathan

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 1 Kings 22:1-53, Acts 13:16-41, Psalm 138:1-8, Proverbs 17:17-18 

Psalm 138:7-8 NLT

(7) Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
and the power of your right hand saves me.
(8) The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don't abandon me, for you made me.

I felt this was an encouraging piece of scripture, and valuable. We all go through hard times, and it's extremely welcoming to hear again that God is with us. In the end we will have victory if we trust in and live for God.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalm 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21

Wednesday, June 19th: 1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalm 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16 ~ Tammy

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is 1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalm 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16 

6 It is senseless to pay to educate a fool,
    since he has no heart for learning.

My devotional book had an interesting take on this verse.....

At first blush this proverb could appear to be about the senselessness of investing good money in educating a foolish child. But that's only because we bring our modern ideas of school tuition costs to the ancient text. the practice of paying a teacher was unknown until the Middle Ages.

What Proverbs 17:16 presents is the pictures of a person who has no inclination to engage in a patient process of becoming wise and assumes instead that wisdom can be bought with money.  This fool has heard the proverb writer's instruction to "get wisdom," which si "better than gold," bu rather than submitting to God in holy fear, rather than experiencing slow growth through patient study o God's Word, and rather than being willing to be transformed from teh inside, he digs in his pockets to pay for the quick fix.

Let's be willing to do the work and attain true wisdom!

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:  1 Kings 22:1-53, Acts 13:16-41, Psalm 138:1-8, Proverbs 17:17-18