Scripture to read today:
Job 34; 1 Corinthians 4; 1 Corinthians 5; 1 Corinthians 6
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Observation:
Paul is right- no one who lives for this world will pass through to the next. But what you’re not seeing in these verses is grace- the grace of God that cleanses us from these earthly sins. That doesn’t mean you can go back to them time and time again, but with the help of God can move past these desires and desire Christ more.
Application:
I’ve seen too many of these things destroy families. Some of them destroyed mine. So it isn’t just for one person’s sake that God take you away from these… it can affect way more than that. I know that He gives me the strength to overcome the things that have affected me- and the strength to stay away from these things as well.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for grace. It really is amazing! Forgive me for turning to the ways of the world and help me stay focused on Christ. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 20; Ezekiel 21; Psalm 111; Revelation 8
Scripture that spoke to me:
Ezekiel 20:25-26
I gave them over to worthless decrees and regulations that would not lead to life. I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods—so I might devastate them and remind them that I alone am the Lord.
Observation:
God has treated the rebellious children of Israel the way a good father would. He has tried to give them everything, only to have them not appreciate what they were given. So he gave them a bunch of rules to follow. That didn’t make a difference, so he allowed them to just do whatever they want- but not without recourse. Now they’re having to face the music for all the wrong things they have done.
Application:
How do we confess our sins? One at a time as they happen? Or do we let them build up until there is a dam of sins about to burst, then confess them all at once? I don’t know that it matters. What does matter is that we recognize how we have misused the gifts that God has given us. We confess that we don’t understand- don’t follow- don’t obey- and are able to reconcile with God. Sin separates us from Him, and the more we are aware of these sins and confess them to Him, the closer we come back to Him.
Prayer:
Lord, I confess that I sin constantly. Some are sins of thought, some are sins of deeds. Others are just sins that come from not keeping You in everything in my life. Forgive me. Draw me closer to You and help me to understand the things that I can do to be a better person in Your eyes. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 50; Jeremiah 51; 3 John 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 John 3:9-10
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
Observation:
All should be welcomed in the church. Diotrephes is certainly not the last person who has not been welcoming of others. John calls this evil, and reminds his friend to show hospitality to men so that they may work together for God.
Application:
I have heard countless stories from friends about how they were not welcomed, and in some cases, shunned from the church. I had an experience once with a lady who called the church trying to get her ex thrown out. She ended up mad at me (which was ok) because I wasn’t going to do anything! He was living with a girl he was about to marry- living in sin according to her- and why wasn’t the church letting them come? My reply was that we don’t check sins at the door. Everyone who comes to church sins, and if we only let the righteous in, there wouldn’t be anyone here!
Prayer:
Lord, help us all to realize that everyone has their problems. Church should be a safe haven- where we can come to try to get back on that narrow path, and not a place that judges how far we fell from the path. Help me, help my church, help us all to realize that none of us are better than anyone else, and we’re all saved only through the grace of Jesus. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Jeremiah 48; Jeremiah 49; Psalm 67; 1 John 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 John 1:8-10
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Observation:
We are all sinners in one way or another. God knows it. He knows us. He wants us to confess our sins and He will forgive them. He knows that we aren’t going to make it through life doing all the right things. So if we claim that we’re perfect, we’re in essence saying that He is wrong about us.
Application:
I want to be a good person, and I expect most people do, too. I don’t want to be wrong- to have faults- to have things happen badly that I caused. But it happens. If I deny my involvement or don’t take the responsibility for my part in it, then I can’t be forgiven. It took me a long time in my divorce to see what I had done wrong. He left for another woman and I wanted to walk around going “look, I did everything right and he’s the one who messed this all up.” It took a long time for me to understand just how I had played a part in that, too. But I do understand and asked for forgiveness and healing from God. God wants us to understand and confess our faults, not to make us look bad in His eyes (He knows anyway) but so that He can bring about healing in our lives.
Prayer:
Lord, heal my faults. Help me understand how I can be a better person and forgive me for the things that I do that I know are wrong or cause others grief. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Chronicles 29-31; James 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Chronicles 30:18b-19
Hezekiah prayed for them (the people) saying “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God- the Lord, the God of his fathers- even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.’
Observation:
King Hezekiah is doing his best to re-establish the temple in Jerusalem- to lead the people back to the Lord. They are holding the feast of the Passover late, along with the festival of unleavened bread, because not enough priests were consecrated at the right time. Hezekiah asks the Lord to allow the people to make their sacrifices even if they haven’t followed all the rules for doing so. With all the rules that the people of Israel tried to follow, it is no wonder that so many of them messed up! But Hezekiah knows that praise and offering to the Lord is more important than whether they are ‘clean’ or not- and asks the Lord to forgive them for their uncleanliness and not punish them for simply wanting to serve Him.
Application:
I am sure glad I live under Jesus’ new covenant! I know that praise and honor to the Lord is more important than following a set of rituals. I also have the assurance that Jesus died to forgive me of my sins, and that would include not always approaching the Lord the way I should. I can come to the Lord as dirty as ever and He will make me clean.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for washing me in the blood of Jesus. For when I come to You dirty, full of filth, You make me clean again. Thank you. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 28; Psalm 46; James 3
Scripture that spoke to me:
James 2:1-2a
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways.
Observation:
Those who teach, who instruct, will be looked up to, and others will try to imitate them in their way to life. Therefore, they will be held to a higher accountability.
Application:
Mark 9:42 says “if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone around his neck.” If you are a teacher- a leader- then people look up to you and look at you for the right things to do. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be perfect, but it does mean you have to try pretty hard not to let them down, to show them the right way.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me be a good example to those who look up to me. Amen
Scripture to read today:
Proverbs 22; Proverbs 23; Proverbs 24; Romans 14
Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 14:17-18
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Observation:
Paul points out that what one man considers right, another considers wrong. And they’re both right! Those who believe they sin by eating a certain food will sin in their hearts if they eat it. Those who think that drinking wine is wrong will feel guilty if they drink wine. But the kingdom is not determined by what we eat or drink, but by believing in Jesus and serving Him.
Application:
Scott and I got in a deep discussion about sin last night. We both agree that sin is anything that separates you from God. For instance, he believes that drinking is a sin for Him because of where it leads him and how it separates him from Christ. I can have a glass of wine at book club or out with friends and it does me no harm. It is not a sin for me. I have a tendency to separate myself from God by focusing more on other people than on Him. Therefore, I have to watch to balance my time with God and my time with others, for my enabler tendencies get in the way of my relationship with Him.
Prayer:
Lord, lead us closer to You. Remove the obstacles, which we create for ourselves, that separate us from fully loving and worshiping You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Proverbs 1; Proverbs 2; Proverbs 3; Romans 7
Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 7:15-19
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
Observation:
Paul is trying to explain about the nature of sin and the law. The law doesn’t create sinners- it is our evil nature that does that. Here, he is saying that it is very hard to control that sinful part of yourself, no matter how hard you try.
Application:
Paul actually makes me feel a little better. Because I know I sin- I don’t do the things I should and do some things I know I shouldn’t- and it is nearly out of my control at times. I do desire to do good but fall short. Reading the Bible, I see that most people in here (ok, everyone but Jesus!) had sinful things in their life. And God used them for His purposes anyway! I don’t have to be perfect- just forgiven.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for loving and forgiving me. Help me to conquer the evil that lives within me and live a better life for You and for my children. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; Psalm 98; Romans 2
Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 2:1
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
Observation:
It is true that the things we hate the most in other people are the things we hate about ourselves. When we judge them for something that we see as wrong (or bad, or at least not ideal) then we should also judge ourselves, for we have the same affliction in us. I think it is what we most closely monitor in ourselves that gets monitored in others, too.
Application:
I see this very clearly- I see a fat person and go ewwww (but I don’t like the fatness in myself!) People who are unorganized drive me crazy! But I am unorganized- actually, I fight to keep myself mostly organized most of the time. I have a friend who likes to say “pot…kettle” anytime I say something to her that also applies to me! Because I work on my weight, I work on organization… so I’m thinking about those things a lot, and they’re usually some of the first things I notice about others, too.
Prayer:
Lord, help me be kinder in judging myself and others- let me look more for the wonderful things and learn to ignore the weaknesses. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15
Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 15: 11; 19
11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ “
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Observation:
The Pharisees are at it again with Jesus. They’re upset because Jesus’ disciples do not wash their hands before they eat. Now, this is not as we think about it- it wasn’t to cleanse their hands. They simply poured a small amount of water over each hand in ceremony. Jesus is telling them that these rituals mean nothing if they aren’t backed up by actions and the heart- in other words, washing your hands won’t get you into heaven. Cleaning out your heart will.
Application:
I included verse 19 to show what Jesus was speaking of cleansing your heart of. Some of these are pretty easy, and some are not. I am a work in progress. Every day I strive to do just a little bit better than yesterday. I’m cleaning out my heart, but I can’t do it without Jesus’ help.
Prayer:
Lord, purify my heart. Make it a clean temple for You. Help me to be the kind of person You want me to be. Amen.
