Mon: Joshua 8
Tue: 2 Chronicles 15
Wed: Psalm 9
Thu: Isaiah 13
Fri: Hosea 13
Sat: Luke 21
Sun: 2 Corinthians 12
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
In pastures green He leadeth me. Join me on the journey.
What's Going on Here?
We are reading our way through the bible one chapter per day. The idea behind my personal reading plan is to read through books chronologically, but not solely one book at a time. Thus on Monday we read from the books of the law, Tuesday the books of kings and judges, Wednesday the books of Jewish History, Thursday Books of Wisdom, Friday the Prophets, Saturday the Gospels and Sunday the Epistles. The next Monday we pick up at the chapter we left off in ancient history. You may think that this would be disjointed and would cause you to "lose your groove" but I have found the contrary to be true, the threads of promise, redemption and grace show up more clearly as I make my way slowly through these books in a parrallel fashion and when I pick up where I left off a week before I am reminded of things that stood out to me from last week's reading. Journaling is a big part of my processing scripture and fixing particular tidbits in my mind for the purpose of life application. I would love to have you join me!
Basic Reading Plan
Mon (Law): Genesis-Joshua
Tues (Rulers): Judges-Chronicles
Wed (History): Ezra-Psalms
Thurs (Wisdom): Prov-Jer
Fri (Prophets): Lam-Malachi
Sat (Gospels): Matthew-Acts
Sun (Epistles) Romans-Revelation.
The theme I have given each section is general. Joshua is not a book of the law and Psalms is not a book of history. The main chunk of reading in each section is, however, suitably classified as the theme it is under. In order to make the sections even out to have the same general number of books/chapters, this was the closest I could come. Otherwise one would be reading through certain sections (like the Law) for instance, much more often than the wisdom books, etc.
Posts
A Place of Fellowship....
(Fellowship is) an expression of both love and humility. [It] springs from a desire to bring benefit to others, coupled with a sense of personal weakness and need. It has a double motive – the wish to help, and to be helped; to edify, and to be edified. It has a double aim – to do, and to receive, good. It is a seeking by Christian people to know God better through sharing with each other what, individually, they have learned of Him already. J.I. Packer.
A few introductory words of encouragement....
Think of your time feeding on God's Word as a vital aspect of your health and wellness. You wouldn't go a week without brushing your teeth, or eating physical food, don't treat the nourishing of your soul by the Word of God with any less care.
Don't cram multiple chapters if you fall behind of plan, but *do* "back-read" if you have the passion and earnest desire to do so. My habit if I miss a chapter is usually to leave it until that book comes up again the next week (based on my own reading plan) and then read two consecutive chapters rather than the one I am scheduled to read.
Don't be legalistic about the when and how. If you don't get a quiet time in the morning, THAT'S OKAY. Find a moment in the afternoon to grab a drink, sit down and put your feet up, and soak up a chapter. And if that doesn't happen, THAT'S OKAY. Take 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to plump some pillows up in your bed and soak it up before you go to sleep. And if that doesn't happen, IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't let the enemy discourage you from spending time in the word TODAY because you didn't YESTERDAY. That's just dumb. Did you get that? DUMB.
If you don't have time to read, meditate. Allow God to bring a passage of scripture to mind and allow yourself to listen. Take time to be quiet in your spirit. While you are washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming... cleaning bathrooms.
Spruce things up. Get yourself a PRETTY journal and jot down little things that stand out to you. Use your favourite mug or a pretty glass to pour your favourite drink. Sit in your favourite spot (this could change from day to day and depending on the time of day you read. A sunny spot on the porch in the morning, a wing back chair and a blanket if it's chilly, a garden swing in the shade on a hot afternoon, or plumped up in bed with soft lamplight in the evening. Again, don't be legalistic about the location, pick a happy spot that fits the moment/opportunity.) Oh, and DON'T wait for the pretty journal. Plain lined notepaper or even a crumpled scrap paper will work just FINE until you get one....
Remember while you read, God's word is FOR YOU. yes, it was written to a particular audience in a particular time in history and for a particular reason. But it was also written with YOU in mind, TODAY in mind, and is designed to give you strength and wisdom for the journey.
Claim ONE part of the passage and take it to heart. Read through the chapter without too much introspection at first and see what part most stands out to you. Go back and look at that part more specifically and ask yourself what is in there for YOU?
Ask relevant questions. I usually look at a passage with 2 questions in mind. 1. What does this passage tell me about God's character? 2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (ie, ME, in relation to God? a final and very important question to ask is "What does this passage require of me on a practical level?" Write down one attitude, practice or truth you want you live out TODAY in light of what God has just revealed to you. This is how we take ownership of the Word of God and allow it to relate to us and shape us on a personal level.
Build yourself a monument. As I ponder a passages relevance to me I journal the thoughts that arise. Jotting them down somehow cements my convictions in my mind, almost like laying out stones in a monument so I can go back to that place later and be reminded. I also use those notes to come here and share my thoughts later with others.
Keep your actual quiet time concise. This will help make it more likely the habit will continue to happen on a regular basis. Better to spend 15 minutes in the word daily, than 1 hour once a week.
Don't require absolute "alone" and uninterrupted time (without kids around). If they are around, they can learn to not interrupt you for 15 minutes, just like you spend time with other people when they are around, you can spend time with the Lord with them around too.
Think of God’s Word as a love letter to you. When you read stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, think about WHAT love paid the price for all that wrath and how a hand that once smote anyone who dared touch the ark of His covenant now beckons YOU to draw near to the throne of grace. Read everything in light of who God is and how much He loves mankind that in spite of our being so deprived, His love story reaches out, encompasses us, washes us clean, and seeks to draw us near.
May you seek Him, may He be found by you, and may you be blessed on the journey.
Don't cram multiple chapters if you fall behind of plan, but *do* "back-read" if you have the passion and earnest desire to do so. My habit if I miss a chapter is usually to leave it until that book comes up again the next week (based on my own reading plan) and then read two consecutive chapters rather than the one I am scheduled to read.
Don't be legalistic about the when and how. If you don't get a quiet time in the morning, THAT'S OKAY. Find a moment in the afternoon to grab a drink, sit down and put your feet up, and soak up a chapter. And if that doesn't happen, THAT'S OKAY. Take 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to plump some pillows up in your bed and soak it up before you go to sleep. And if that doesn't happen, IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't let the enemy discourage you from spending time in the word TODAY because you didn't YESTERDAY. That's just dumb. Did you get that? DUMB.
If you don't have time to read, meditate. Allow God to bring a passage of scripture to mind and allow yourself to listen. Take time to be quiet in your spirit. While you are washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming... cleaning bathrooms.
Spruce things up. Get yourself a PRETTY journal and jot down little things that stand out to you. Use your favourite mug or a pretty glass to pour your favourite drink. Sit in your favourite spot (this could change from day to day and depending on the time of day you read. A sunny spot on the porch in the morning, a wing back chair and a blanket if it's chilly, a garden swing in the shade on a hot afternoon, or plumped up in bed with soft lamplight in the evening. Again, don't be legalistic about the location, pick a happy spot that fits the moment/opportunity.) Oh, and DON'T wait for the pretty journal. Plain lined notepaper or even a crumpled scrap paper will work just FINE until you get one....
Remember while you read, God's word is FOR YOU. yes, it was written to a particular audience in a particular time in history and for a particular reason. But it was also written with YOU in mind, TODAY in mind, and is designed to give you strength and wisdom for the journey.
Claim ONE part of the passage and take it to heart. Read through the chapter without too much introspection at first and see what part most stands out to you. Go back and look at that part more specifically and ask yourself what is in there for YOU?
Ask relevant questions. I usually look at a passage with 2 questions in mind. 1. What does this passage tell me about God's character? 2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (ie, ME, in relation to God? a final and very important question to ask is "What does this passage require of me on a practical level?" Write down one attitude, practice or truth you want you live out TODAY in light of what God has just revealed to you. This is how we take ownership of the Word of God and allow it to relate to us and shape us on a personal level.
Build yourself a monument. As I ponder a passages relevance to me I journal the thoughts that arise. Jotting them down somehow cements my convictions in my mind, almost like laying out stones in a monument so I can go back to that place later and be reminded. I also use those notes to come here and share my thoughts later with others.
Keep your actual quiet time concise. This will help make it more likely the habit will continue to happen on a regular basis. Better to spend 15 minutes in the word daily, than 1 hour once a week.
Don't require absolute "alone" and uninterrupted time (without kids around). If they are around, they can learn to not interrupt you for 15 minutes, just like you spend time with other people when they are around, you can spend time with the Lord with them around too.
Think of God’s Word as a love letter to you. When you read stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, think about WHAT love paid the price for all that wrath and how a hand that once smote anyone who dared touch the ark of His covenant now beckons YOU to draw near to the throne of grace. Read everything in light of who God is and how much He loves mankind that in spite of our being so deprived, His love story reaches out, encompasses us, washes us clean, and seeks to draw us near.
May you seek Him, may He be found by you, and may you be blessed on the journey.
Blog Archive
- May (2)
- April (5)
- March (4)
- February (3)
- January (3)
- December (5)
- November (4)
- October (5)
- September (3)
- August (4)
- July (5)
- June (5)
- May (4)
- April (6)
- March (6)
- February (4)
- January (5)
- December (4)
- November (4)
- October (5)
- September (4)
- August (5)
- July (6)
- June (6)
- May (31)
- April (30)
- March (32)
- February (28)
- January (31)
- December (31)
- November (30)
- October (32)
- September (30)
- August (6)
- July (24)
- June (30)
- May (31)
- April (31)
- March (32)
- February (30)
- January (31)
- December (31)
- November (30)
- October (31)
- September (30)
- August (31)
- July (31)
- June (30)
- May (31)
- April (29)
- March (31)
- February (28)
- January (32)
- December (31)
- November (30)
- October (31)
- September (20)
12 comments:
The first verse seemed like a word from the Lord just for me this morning- I went to bed and woke up with Jordan so heavy on my heart. "Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged". How reassuring for Joshua to have that direct word from God.
mmm... I agree. My version says, "Do not be afraid or give up." I loved Connie's prayer yesterday. all the prayers actually. Moments like that tie the body in ways that nothing else really can.
What stood out to me today was " Then Joshua read all the word so the teachings, the blessings andhe curses, exactly as they were written in the Book of the Teachings. All the Israelites were gathered together- men, women, and children- along with the non-Israelites who lived among them. Joshua read every command that Moses had given." Joshua 8:34-35
We've never been the kind to "skip" parts of the bible because they are "too mature" for little ears. We have always believed that conscience is formed young, who knows how young and the sooner God's word is received, processed, discussed and understood, the more opportunity it will have to work it's way into the fabric of that conscience. Doesn't mean the discussion always covers everything in depth, but at least topics are introduced and then re-introduced and re-introduced and built upon over time.
Chris, that was the direct word from God to you this morning. It would be nice to hear from Him in an audible voice but we have his Word.
A thought that came to me this morning was: if only Achan had been patient,and, much more importantly, loved and revered as he should have, he could have had all kinds of nice things. An object lesson for us? I wonder if it's safe to say that God wants to bless us with good things, but our priorities have to be right? We should give to God the firstfruits, showing that He is most important in our lives. When that is proven (not quite the right word, but you know what I mean?) then God sometimes blesses us with all the other things, which, kind of ironically, don't matter all that much anymore.
2 Chronicles 15. Passion. Zeal.
"The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you obey him, you will find him, but if you leave him, He will leave you." v2
I used to always have trouble reconciling verses like this with other verses like "even when we are unfaithful He will remain faithful for He cannot deny who He is" 2 Tim 2:13.
Finally I understand the difference between assurance of salvation and walking in fellowship with God.
"They looked for Him and found Him." v4 and 15
He is not up there playing hard to get, but if we are not looking or seeking, if we are fully caught up in other things we are most likely not going to experience the joy of seeing Him and being blessed by the knowledge of His presence and the glory of being united to Him on the good days and the bad.
Good thoughts.
Totally get that, and concur, Nichole. Asa was really diligent in pleasing God- while he didn't take down ALL the high places, he did go out of his way to take down many of them, even choosing to make waves with his own grandmother because of her idolatrous ways.
I love "they sought God EAGERLY, and He was found by them". I feel that eagerness again- and it is such a blessing to find God in all of the places I look and 'do'. May each of us also be filled with that desire to seek out God in all that He is doing around us and join Him in it.
"I will be happy BECAUSE OF YOU." Psalm 9:2a
Amen!
I don't get such a warm fuzzy feeling from Isaiah 13- I always struggle when it comes to hearing about justice meaning destroying infants & ravishing the women. I do understand what would happen to them if they were not destroyed with the men of a village or nation, but my heart is still heavy for their lost souls, and the violence done to them. Asked God for some applicable truth as I read this morning, and I think it comes as the urgency to tell people about Jesus' love and sacrifice, to make that opportunity available while we still have the time... whether I pray for boldness today is another challenge! And yet, how can we keep that kind of grace under wraps, like a secret?
I have to admit, my heart was racing the whole time I was reading this chapter. My ladies bible study group started a new study last night, on the book of Daniel. The first session was all about "Babylon" and the "spirit of Babylon" (overindulgence and an attitude of "I am, and there is none besides me" or in other words, a self obsessed approach to life.
This chapter just drove home all the nails that were brought up in our study last night. We can choose who we will serve, self or the ruler of the universe. We can choose to spend our life seeking to establish a name for ourself, or seeing to exalt God's name.
But there is so much more than that here. This chapter does address "the times" that it was written to, but it also addresses the end times. Revelation alludes to so much that is found in this chapter (from the end of chap 16-18).
This reading set me on fire this morning. Jesus is coming! He will reign supreme! Evil will be destroyed completely and every knee will bow. We focus on the debasement of sinful man, and find it hard to swallow, we have trouble focusing on the risen Savior who is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS and WORTHY OF PRAISE! Hallelujah! Maranatha!
"but they sinned by worshiping Baal, so they must die." Hosea 13:1
Are we seeing a theme in these dispersed passages yet? The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ His son. We can't emphasize one, without accepting the reality of the other. Finally realized this morning that this theme has been hammered home in nearly every passage for a number of weeks now. Sin and death. sin and death. sin and death.
I hear you Chris! The thought of violence to babies and women really bothers me, too. We still see with earthly eyes and feel with earthly hearts, I guess.
In trying to find something positive, I ggogled "ancient Babylon". Here is an excerpt from the Bible-history.com site: "... Babylon... was situated on the Euphrates River about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, just north of what is now the modern Iraqi town of al-Hillah.
The tremendous wealth and power of this city, along with its monumental size and appearance, were certainly considered a Biblical myth, that is, until its foundations were unearthed and its riches substantiated during the 19th century. Archaeologists stood in awe as their discoveries revealed that certain stories in the Bible were an actual situation that had happened in time.
I thought it was cool to see how prophecy was fulfilled, as in the fact that Babylon never was rebuilt, and how the Bible was verified through archeology.
Post a Comment