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We are following a One Year Bible plan with 15-minute daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs.Your options for joining us include: 1. Subscribe to our daily readings emails above. 2. Read online using our daily links to Bible Gateway. 3. Listen online using the links at the top of each daily blog post (the daily readings by Tom Dooley are terrific!). 4. Read from your own Bible using your preferred translation. You can print out a listing of our entire year's readings in PDF format at this link. 5. Purchase a One Year Bible which organizes our daily readings. 6. Email me with any questions at [email protected]
Please note that we are not following a Chronological Bible plan on this blog - however, you can find my Chronological Bible Blog at this link, New Testament in a Year Blog at this link and Old Testament in a Year Blog at this link.
God bless! Mike
p.s. Keep scrolling down to see our latest daily readings blog post and email content below this welcome post. ⬇️
Old Testament - Today in Isaiah chapter 57 verses 20 & 21 we have a chance to think about that sometimes elusive word "peace": ""But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked," says my God." I don't know about you, but I know I have gone through many days of my life without true peace - and many days with true peace. And I do honestly believe that there is no peace in our lives apart from God. When we live our lives solely for our own selfish motives, we live a very chaotic un-restful un-peaceful life I believe. But, when we turn our lives over to God, when we embrace God, when we love God, and when we are obedient to God's will for our lives, we come to know true peace! And it is indeed a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray that each of us is walking in the light of God's peace this very day. And tomorrow. And the next day. Please, don't ever step out of the peace of God and back into the chaos of living for yourself. I know this can seem to be a glib saying at first glance, but there's a whole lot of truth to this one:
Today in Isaiah chapter 59 we read about warnings against sin - which were written for Israel in 8th century B.C. Do you think we should heed these warnings today as well? Any of these warnings in chapter 59 sound like they could have been written for our modern day? In verses 9 & 10 today we read - "It is because of all this evil that deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn't punish those who injure us. No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking in the gloom. No wonder we grope like blind people and stumble along. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark. No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men!" When I read these verses above and look at this image below, I for some reason think of people in our world today who are addicted to pornography. Pornography is a horrific sin that indeed turns vigorous young men into "corpses" of themselves. Pornography sells you "vigor", but it delivers just the opposite - death. I pray that if anyone reading this is addicted to pornography that you'll run for your very life to counseling. Seriously. Your life is too short and precious to walk around like a corpse any more! Go for God! You likely can't pull out of the addiction on your own. You'll need help - immediately. Find an addiction counselor in your town ASAP. Please don't walk in the darkness of this deadly addiction anymore...
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah chapter 57 titled "God's Condemnation or God's Comfort" is at this link.
New Testament - Today we begin Paul's letter to the church in Philippi! See # 5 on the map below -
~ Philippians ~ Author: Paul the apostle Place: Rome Date: A.D. 61 Content: Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome to some very dear friends in Philippi as a response to their sending some money to him in order to meet his needs. He begins by expressing his confidence in them and then describes dome of the problems he faces in Rome. Whether he will die or not he does not know, but if death does come, he will rejoice in the presence of Christ. If he remains, he will continue to serve God by serving the churches. The example of Christ’s humility is set before the Philippians as an example to follow. False teachings are to be vigorously rejected. Two quarreling sisters are admonished to make up and all believers are admonished to set high ideals for themselves because God will supply all that one needs in life. Theme: In this very personal letter of Paul the theme of rejoicing may be seen throughout. If one lives, he may rejoice because God loves him. Christ died for him, and all things are given to him by God for his life. If one dies, then he may rejoice by being in Christ’s presence forevermore. This does not mean that Christians will have no problems, however. Even as Jesus had to endure the cross, so we must be ready to follow that example of submission to God, if it must be. But we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:2) and should live with that thought constantly before us. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 27) More great commentary on Philippians is at this link.
Today in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21 we read this powerful statement of Paul's:
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Philippians titled "Paul's Perspective on Life and Death" is at this link.
Psalms - Today in Psalm 71 verses 6 through 8 we will read - "Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother's womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long." This is so true that God has cared for each of us since we were in our mother's womb! This is a beautiful thing to realize. There is an interesting thought in these verses - if our live is an example to many - and well, yes, it really is no matter what we actually do. Hopefully our life is a good example - but there could be seasons of bad example too... If our lives are good examples to many, why is this so? I agree with the Psalmist - it is simply because of God in our lives. Is God literally your strength and protection? Do you praise God unceasingly? Do you declare God's glory all day long? How do you do so?
Proverbs - Interesting Proverb chapter 24 verse 10 - "If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great." I think sometimes we forget that pressure is where we grow. God will not give us more than we can handle. Our key is to not fail under pressure. Stay with the healing / fine tuning / pruning that God is placing you under - even if it comes with pressure. For at the end of the pressure is transformation. Let us not fail under the high pressure systems of life that will periodically come our way...
YouTube - Today's discussion in Isaiah above about pornography reminded me of the movie starring Kirk Cameron called Fireproof. Have you seen this movie yet? It is terrific! It is an awesome movie about marriage and God. Kirk's character does struggle with pornography in the movie, but is redeemed. Please see the movie soon if you can. Below is the trailer:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are living for Christ. Pray that you are not living for the world. Pray that you are looking forward to dying because you know that you will live in eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - Today we read Isaiah chapter 55, which is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible! I went to a wedding several years ago in Napa, California and God led me to a church in that town on a Sunday morning where the pastor preached an incredible sermon from Isaiah 55. It is a beautiful chapter for all of us who are Thirsty. Let us drink deeply of God’s Word today! Verse 1 tells us - "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink--even if you have no money!" Are you drinking freely of the Bible this year? Even if you have no money, do you believe that God is inviting you to drink deeply of his True and Holy Water, His Word? Are you thirsty?
Verse 6 is fantastic... Will you seek? Will you call?
In verses 10-12 we read:
“10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
How do these above verses resonate with you, based on our One Year Bible readings? Particularly verse 11 above – is God’s Word accomplishing something in you this year through reading the Bible each day? Is the Bible “watering” you? Are you Thirsty? Do you feel that you are going out in joy and being led forth in peace? Have the mountains and hills burst into song before you? Are the trees of the field clapping their hands in your life today?
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah chapter 55 titled "God's Exhortation to Receive His Grace" is at this link.
New Testament - We wrap up Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus today! His letter to the church in Philippi begins tomorrow! Ephesians chapter 6 verse 7 stood out to me today - "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." I realize the context of this verse is that Paul was writing it to slaves. However, I think this verse works very well today for any of us that work a full time job. I'm sure you've probably seen movies or TV shows that make fun of working and basically encourage folks to work as little as possible when they are on the job. I think this is a horrible idea! I had a friend tell me once that if you are acting like a slacker at one job - perhaps a job you really don't like and are trying to get out of - you'll end up acting like a slacker at your next job, even if your next job is your dream job. You'll goof up that dream job because it will be hard to break habit the habit of being a slacker... So - I think each of us would do well to take to heart Paul's words here in verse 7. Are you working at your job with enthusiasm? Are you working each and every day as though you are working for the Lord? As such, are you not "stealing time" from your employer by surfing the net, socializing excessively, doing errands, arriving late, and this list could go on... If Jesus was your boss, would you act the same way at work that you do now? Well, is Jesus perhaps really your "boss" even if he isn't the one signing your pay checks per se...?
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Ephesians titled "Spiritual Warfare" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 70 verse 4 is awesome - "But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, "God is great!"" Indeed, I think as Christians we should be filled with joy & gladness. Yes, there will be tough times. And suffering. But overall, I pray we are filled with joy and gladness. And then the second sentence in this verse reminds me of an older Relient K songwith lyrics that go something like this - "Your voice has broken my defense. Let me embrace salvation!" I like that thought. Let us embrace salvation. Let us love salvation. Let us literally cling to salvation...
Proverbs - Proverbs 24 verse 8 today is a great reminder that we should not get in the habit of planning evil.... :) - "A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker." Okay, so I put a smiley face there, because probably none of us consciously decide we're going to plan something evil. However, I wonder if any of us maybe do get in the habit of planning things that really are outside of God's will for our life? This isn't evil on the surface. And we may not get a reputation as a troublemaker. But, if we are planning things and doing things that are outside of God's will for our life and how He wants us to spend our time, then we are essentially going against God's will. God's perfect will. I will confess that I all too often plan and do things that I know are outside of God's will for my life. And maybe I do these things so I get a good "reputation" among people... Well, perhaps my good reputation among people is actually a bad reputation to God because I'm doing things outside of his will... And I guess I've been thinking about this lately and thinking about how often I'm wasting God's time that he has blessed me with. And so maybe I'm getting the reputation of being a troublemaker in heaven... How about you? What's your reputation in heaven? Forget about your reputation here on earth... What's your reputation with God? Let us pray that our reputation with God is not:
Worship Video: My comments in the Proverbs section above today reminded me of the great Aaron Shust song called "Give Me Words to Speak." His song includes this lyric: "Calloused and bruised. Dazed and confused. My Spirit is left wanting something more. Than my selfish hopes. And my selfish dreams. I’m lying with my face down to the floor. I’m crying out for more!" Awesome song! Here's a live version with Aaron on the keys!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." Isaiah 55:1 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are thirsty for the Lord. Pray that you come to Lord daily with your thirst. Pray that you receive freely Living Water from Jesus on a daily basis and forevermore.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - Isaiah chapter 53 is one of the most powerful chapters of the Bible - and one of the saddest to really meditate upon. Isaiah chapter 53 is all about Jesus! This is a powerful chapter to read... I'm sure you likely caught that this chapter was about Jesus when you first read it, but if not, please re-read the chapter again and do you see how Isaiah is prophesying Jesus' passion and death? It is astounding to realize these words of Isaiah's were written in 8th century B.C. Verse 5 tells us: "But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!" Do you believe that the words of Isaiah's in chapter 53 today are about Jesus? Do you believe that Jesus was wounded and crushed for your sins? Was he beaten that you might have peace? Are you healed because Jesus was whipped and then murdered on a cross?
Verse 7: "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth."
Verse 8: "From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment?"
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah chapter 52 and 53 titled "The Triumph of the Suffering Servant" is at this link. Below is a great image for Isaiah 53:6 from today's readings:
New Testament - Ephesians chapter 5 is such an incredible chapter! I know I won't do it justice in this blog posting. There is so much I could dive into in nearly every verse. Actually, I will share this with you. I met with Pastor friend of mine. And he shared with me that he is currently memorizing the entire book of Ephesians! I had shared with him that I'm just starting to memorize Scripture verses - and to invite you along with me on this journey at the bottom of each daily blog posting. Well, you know how Pastors are - they're always a step ahead! And my Pastor is memorizing the entire book of Ephesians... wow. He shared with me that as he's memorizing Ephesians he is amazed how some of the words and meanings of words of Scripture are coming alive to him in new ways! I believe it. I'm curious if anyone reading this today has ever memorized an entire book of the Bible? Or even a chapter? Please post up in the comments below if you have? I have actually downloaded 1 Corinthians 13 onto my phone nd I am hoping to memorize that chapter soon! Okay, back to Ephesians chapter 5. You know how I enjoy posting up YouTube videos these days, so I of course loved reading verses 19 & 20, which you'll see in this image below! :)
Ephesians 5:1-2 touches on a theme I've been thinking a lot about lately - living a life of love! - "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (NIV) Have you ever meditated on what it means to live a life of love? I have occasionally. But I'm starting to camp out on this thought a lot more these days. I think it's in large part due to the impact 1 Corinthians 13 has had on me this past year. And it certainly fits in well with Jesus saying the 2 most important commandments are to love God and love people. But perhaps most significantly, I've been trying to live out this thought of "living a life of love" in real life a bit more these days. I definitely don't have it all figured out by a long shot! But I think living a life of love is something we should all seek. Not strive for. But seek. Or maybe "receive" is the better word. I think we can receive from Jesus the ability to live a life of love. I don't think we can get there on our own power. So, there's a lot more I could write about what I've been thinking about in regards to living a life of love. But let me at this point just encourage you to think about this concept. Living a life of love. Do you want to live a life of love? Think you can do this on your own? Or will you invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit into this process each and every day? How does 1 Corinthians 13 speak to you these days?
Ephesians chapter 5 verse 17 really stood out to me today: "Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." I am wondering how often each of acts thoughtlessly? I am afraid in my case it is far too often. I can sometimes sleep-walk through my day - or even days - or even weeks... and miss the point of life completely when doing so! Paul teaches us here to try to understand what the Lord wants us to do. Why would we want to try to understand this? I think in large part so we no longer act thoughtlessly! I'm afraid we are far too often a thoughtless people in how we live our lives & how we waste so much time in our very short lives this side of heaven... How about you? Are you acting thoughtlessly at all these days? Will you seek to understand what God wants you to do? And then will you go do it and leave your thoughtless ways behind?
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Ephesians titled "The Meaning of Christian Marriage" is at this link. Below is a nice image for Ephesians 5:21 from today's readings:
Psalms - I love Psalm 69 verse 33 today - "For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones; he does not despise his people who are oppressed." God hears the cries of his needy ones. Perhaps the question is then, do we hear the cries of God's needy ones? Do we hear the cries of those starving today? Sick from lack of clean water? Suffering from disease? Spiritually poor? Needing a friend? How is the soil of our hearts if we are not hearing these cries? Should we be hearing these cries? And if we do hear them, what then should we do? Remember Jesus' words in Matthew chapter 25 verses 34-36: "‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’"
Proverbs - Proverbs 24 verse 7 is actually a bit convicting for me - "Wisdom is too much for a fool." I'm not sure if you've ever experienced this, but there have been times when I honestly have not been able to read or digest the Bible. I mean, there are times when I can kind of work my way through reading the Bible, but nothing is sticking. And obviously the Bible is wisdom... I then wonder if at times I am a fool? I don't think I'm a chronic fool... :) But, truly, sometimes I do dumb stuff or live in a dumb season and in retrospect I was acting like a fool in those seasons. And in those foolish seasons wisdom was too much for me... I do ultimately think Jesus / God / the Bible / wisdom brought me out of those foolish seasons. But let us pray that we don't enter into seasons of life where we are acting like a fool, and where wisdom is too much for us. Being a fool is no way to live this beautiful life God has called us to!
Worship Video: I'm sure many of you have heard on K-LOVE "By His Wounds" by Mac Powell, Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman and Brian Littrell. This song is based on Isaiah 53 verse 5 from today's readings. It is a beautiful song about our beautiful Savior Jesus. Here's a live version of the song:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." Ephesians 5:3 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that there is not even a hint of sexual immorality in your life today. Pray that there is not even a hint of any kind of impurity nor of greed in your life today. Pray that you are living as one of God's holy people, through your saving faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - Isaiah chapter 49 verse 6 is sometimes referred to as "the great commission of the Old Testament"! Here it is: "You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." Paul and Barnabas quote this verse in part in Acts 13:47. The preceding 5 verses (1-5) in chapter 49 are considered the second servant song in Isaiah and are thought to refer to Jesus, the coming Messiah. Isaiah chapter 50 verses 4 through 9 in today's readings are considered the third servant song (out of a total of four) in Isaiah. It's interesting, when I initially read these verses in chapter 50 I really thought they were solely about the prophet Isaiah. But, as we all know by now from our readings in Isaiah - and we'll see this again in big ways in our coming day's readings - Isaiah often had the coming Savior of the world, Jesus, on his mind when he was writing this incredible book of the Old Testament in the eighth century B.C.! I love this painting below of Isaiah writing about Jesus...
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah chapter 50 titled "The Lord Can and Will Help Those Who Trust Him" is at this link. Below is a nice image for Isaiah chapter 48 verse 17 from today's readings:
New Testament - Wow. It is rare that I will copy & paste 8 verses in a row here on this blog - because you can simply read the verses by clicking on the link above. However - I think these 8 verses of Paul's in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 17 through 24 bear repeating here and warrant our re-reading and really meditating on these verses. Please take a few minutes to really reflect and pray on these verses - "With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness--righteous, holy, and true."
Powerful verses above, eh? I love this teaching - there must be a spiritual renewal of our thoughts and attitudes! Has there been a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes? Is there currently a daily spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes? Or are you maybe on "cruise control" these days? A great teaching I heard once is that "you are either moving forward or you are sliding backwards. There is no stable middle ground." I believe this to be true in our spiritual life. We are either moving forward - continually renewing our thoughts and attitudes and displaying our new nature - or we are sliding backwards. Backsliding as some may say. I pray that each of us today will really take to heart these teachings of Paul's in Ephesians. Let us throw off our old evil nature and our former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception! Let us each and every day spiritually renew our thoughts and attitudes through Christ Jesus our Lord!
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Ephesians titled "Leaving Our Old Ways Behind" is at this link. Below is a great image for Ephesians 4:25 from today's readings -
Psalms - Psalm 69 verse 16 today is such a true statement that maybe we need to be reminded of today - "Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Turn and take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful." God does answer our prayers - perhaps not in the way we "want" Him to, but always in the way that is ultimately best for us and the Kingdom. His unfailing love is wonderful. His mercy is so plentiful. But, yet, somehow I think I sometimes forget all of this. Why? I think I forget about God's love & mercy when I am not praying to him. How about you? Are you needing a reminder today about God's unfailing love and his mercy? Are you praying to God for these very things? Will you allow God to demonstrate both his love and mercy to you today? Will you offer up prayers and allow God to answer in his perfect way?
Proverbs - Proverbs 24 verse 5 seems to go against some of our modern world's teachings about strength being the key to success - "A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge is more powerful than a strong man." Which do you believe to be true? The world that says strength is mightier? Or the Bible that says wisdom is mightier? Let us seek ever-increasing godly wisdom in our lives each day!
Worship Video: Today's readings in Ephesians reminded me of Tenth Avenue North's song "Healing Begins:"
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that no unwholesome talk comes out of your mouth or out of your heart. Pray that the words you speak and think are helpful for others, according to their needs. Pray that you encourage and love others through your words.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Old Testament - In yesterday and today's Isaiah chapter 45 readings we read about King Cyrus of Persia! Verse 13 says this about Cyrus in today's readings: "I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide all his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people--and not for a reward! I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken!" The interesting thing to note here is that Cyrus was not Jewish - he was a Gentile ruler who was raised up for the purpose of freeing the Israelite captives from exile in Babylon and allowing them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. In yesterday's readings in chapter 45 verse 1 Cyrus was even referred to as "God's anointed." This is the only place in the Bible where a Gentile ruler is said to be anointed. It's also very interesting to note that Isaiah is calling Cyrus by name some 150 years before Cyrus ruled! Isaiah prophesied from 740 to 681 B.C. and Cyrus ruled from 559 to 530 B.C. Some Bible commentaries suggest that Cyrus read these prophesies of Isaiah during his reign and was so moved by them that he decided to indeed fulfill them. In any case, Cyrus played a pivotal role in our spiritual history - allowing the promise of Abraham's many descendants to continue to the fulfillment of the coming Messiah in Jesus!
Isaiah chapter 45 verses 22 & 23 are powerful and foreshadow Jesus' ministry here on earth: "Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name." These verses are also foreshadowing of the book of Revelation that we will read later this year. We read Paul quoting these verses to describe Jesus in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10-11. Do you believe that all the world should look to God for salvation? Is there another god? Is Jesus God? Do you believe that one day every tongue will confess allegiance to the name of Jesus and every knee will bow to Jesus?
Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. To order prints visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Isaiah titled "The Lord's Superiority to the gods of Babylon" is at this link. Below is an image from Isaiah 46:4 from today's readings:
New Testament - Great teachings from Paul today about unity in the body of Christ! Chapter 4 verses 4 through 6 are beautiful - "We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all." Do you believe these words of Paul's? Do you believe that all of us in Christ are all one body? That we have the same Spirit? And that we have been called to the same glorious future? I like that last piece of verse 6 - God the Father is living through us all! Do you realize that God the Father, who is indeed over you, and is also literally living through you? This is powerful to consider...
Verses 14 and 15 I think are so important for each of us to meditate upon: "Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." The thing that these verses remind me of is that indeed at some point we are all "children" in our faith. When we are new to Christianity we are certainly children who need others to lead us, disciple us, and help show us the way. And I guess as I think about this, we should always be like children before God - but I don't think we should always be children before humans. Because if we remain as children before humans, then we are at risk of "forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has cleverly lied to us and make the lie sound like the truth." Has this ever happened to you? I know it has happened to me and it's scary to think about. I once heard a church pastor say that his most important job was to help his congregation become "self-feeders" when it comes to their faith. I thought this was fantastic and very wise! This pastor did not want his congregation to always rely on him and what he had to say on Sundays as their only source of spiritual food. This pastor wanted his congregation to be able to spiritually grow in other ways outside of Sunday services - through Bible study, small groups, and other spiritual disciplines. So, this may be a good time to ask - are you a "self-feeder" when it comes to your faith? Can you grow in your faith and find food for yourself spiritually outside of what you hear at church? If you're new to the faith, I wouldn't stress about this - but think about it. I do think each of us should aim to become "self-feeders." Why? Well, if we don't then we are so reliant on the words of other people that we could be misled down wrong paths. The one thing that I think really is critical for each of us in our journeys of becoming self-feeders is reading, studying, and really meditating upon Scripture. If we can become well grounded in Scripture then we can filter through the lens of the Bible what others are telling us. It is amazing how much "spiritual stuff" or rules or rituals that I hear is so "important to practice" from others that I don't see in the Bible! In fact, as I'm typing all of this, I will also say that I sincerely hope you don't take anything I say on this blog as Truth - it's a blog trying to draw out some practicalities and questions and reflections and commentary based on the Truth, the Bible - but what I write is not the Word. As Paul writes in verse 15 today, instead of remaining forever children in our faith before people, let us "hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church."
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Ephesians titled "The Calling and the Conduct of the Christian" is at this link. Below is a great image from Ephesians 4:3 from today's readings -
Psalms - Today in Psalm 68 verse 20 we read – “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.” Do you believe God is a God who saves us? How did / does God do this saving? Do you believe that escape from death comes from God and his Son? I’ve been reflecting on this “death” aspect of our fallen world a bit lately, which has been sad to reflect upon. I had an experience with a few friends very recently where I was reminded of how self-destructive we can be in our lives. I think that without Jesus we can oftentimes not know where to turn for an escape from death – we do not know where to turn from an escape from our own self destructive behaviors. My friends need Jesus. I need Jesus. The world needs Jesus. Our God is a God who saves. From God and Jesus comes escape from death. May these last few months of this year bring us, our friends, and families closer to the God who saves!
Proverbs - Proverbs 23 verses 3 and 4 can be looked at literally or metaphorically - "A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables." Has your house been built by wisdom? Has your life been built by wisdom? Is your house strong through good sense? Is your life strong through good sense? Is your house filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables through knowledge? Through knowledge, is your very life filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables? Below is the famous Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh's "The White House at Night" from the year 1890:
Worship Video: Isaiah chapter 45 verse 23 reminded me of the fantastic Brian Doerksen song "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" which includes the lyrics: "One day every tongue will confess you are God. One day every knee will bow. Still the greatest treasure remains for those who choose you now!" Here's a nice live version of this song, sung by Phillips, Craig and Dean:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are completely humble. Pray that you are patient. Pray that you bear with others in love.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
