Category: December 2019

Coming soon to a theater near you. Do you remember the big hoopla surrounding Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame movie as it completed the story set in motion by the previous movie Avengers: Infinity War? It was highly anticipated since fans just had to see what would happen after many of their screen heroes [spoiler alert] had dissolved into the wind in Infinity War. There was much speculation about how the writers would deal with all of the superhero deaths from Infinity War. Anticipation mounted and eventually came to a head at the release of Endgame, and over $350 million dollars later after the close of opening weekend, apparently many fans saw the outcome. Many people can’t care less about superhero movies, so they go about their lives in ignorance to Thanos and Iron Man and Captain America. They don’t care about infinity stones and the life-vanishing snap, and, in reality, they’re right. The Marvel movies are just far-fetched make-believe.

What I want you to see through this is the anticipation and build-up for a grand finish. In a much more superior way, Jesus has left the earth to prepare a place for believers, for His people. The anticipation is not waiting a mere one year for the concluding movie. It’s waiting generation after generation for the unknown return of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Ruler of the universe who has the actual power to snuff out life with a snap. At the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Then John the apostle follows up with “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”

Are you prepared to meet Him? How’s your anticipation?

This week you’ll read…

Job 33-42: The Lord said to Job, “Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Do they report to you: ‘Here we are’?” (Job 38 CSB)

Revelation 13-22: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22 CSB).

• December 22 (Sun):
  • Job 33 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 13 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 23 (Mon):
  • Job 34 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 14 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 24 (Tues):
  • Job 35 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 15 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 25 (Wed):
  • Job 36 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 16 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 26 (Thurs):
  • Job 37 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 17 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 27 (Fri):
  • Job 38 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 18 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 28 (Sat):
  • Job 39 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 19 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 29 (Sun):
  • Job 40 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 20 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 30 (Mon):
  • Job 41 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 21 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 31 (Tues):
  • Job 42 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 22 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.

Have you ever looked and looked for something and couldn’t find it? You misplaced your cell phone. Did you set it down somewhere? Did it fall out of your pocket? At times, our lost objects end up staying lost. Maybe most of the time, we find our lost things. At other times, we may know where it is, but it’s lost to us like when a teenager dropped an iPhone down an outhouse-type toilet on top of a mountain in the Colorado Rockies. The teen knew where it was—20 or more feet down, but it was gone for good.

Speaking of looking, a middle-aged wife was looking for something and couldn’t find it anywhere. The husband was encouraged to look as well, and, upon his finding it, he let his wife know that he had found it. Then he turned to her and said, “Honey, you just don’t look as good as you used to.”

The Old Testament man Job was in a looking moment, too. God allowed the devil to afflict him, and he was also being verbally pummeled by his know-it-all so-called friends. Job felt that he couldn’t find God. In the midst of his affliction, he was looking, but he was turning up empty-handed. “Then Job answered: …His hand is heavy despite my groaning. If only I knew how to find Him, so that I could go to His throne. …If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him. When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him; when He turns south, I cannot find Him. Yet He knows the way I have taken…” (Job 23).

Isn’t that how we feel at times, too? We journey through some dark valley, and it seems that God doesn’t hear our cries or has abandoned us. We feel that our prayers are not reaching Him for some reason. God’s silence can be an awful noise to us when we’re in a bad way. Now the truth is that we could have unconfessed sin or an unrepentant lifestyle to blame for the silence, but sometimes there is not really any human reason why the silence exists. It could be as in Job’s case: we’re just getting our fill of affliction from the enemy. However, we need to do some soul-searching anyway. Our affliction should be a reminder to return to God whether we’ve strayed or not, and if we still can’t find God, trust that He’s there even when we can’t feel Him—even when our feelings are betraying us.

This week you’ll read…

Job 22-32: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman” (Job 31 NLT)

Revelation 6-12: “Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12 CSB).

• December 15 (Sun):
  • Job 22 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 6 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 16 (Mon):
  • Job 23-24 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 7 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 17 (Tues):
  • Job 25 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 8 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 18 (Wed):
  • Job 26-27 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 9 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 19 (Thurs):
  • Job 28-29 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 10 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 20 (Fri):
  • Job 30-31 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 11 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 21 (Sat):
  • Job 32 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 12 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.

One of the greatest parts of Christmas is the revealing of a gift to a child. Anticipation builds throughout the season as a young boy sees his gifts under the tree just waiting for him to tear into the wrapping paper and find out what’s inside. A young girl’s eyes widen as she sees her long-awaited toy. At times, one of my daughters will open a present with joy, and her tender heart will begin leaking from her eyes. My wife and kids think that I don’t like my presents because I’m reserved in my expression and more even keeled, but I enjoy the big reveal as much as them, well, maybe not as much as my youngest. Now let your thoughts travel across the world. Imagine the anticipation which a child has in a third world country as she is waiting to receive her Operation Christmas Child shoebox filled with toys and essentials. At Christmas, we relish the revelations, but truly the greatest part of Christmas is the meaning of it—the revelation of God to the world in the person of Jesus. However, let’s not merely focus on God as the Babe in Bethlehem. We must reinforce to our children and ourselves that He is also the Humble Healer from Nazareth, the Sinless Savior on Calvary, the Death Destroyer in the Garden, and the Returning Redeemer from Heaven.

In John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ, we get a glimpse of the Conquering King. God began the big reveal to mankind when Jesus came to the earth to live within Mary’s womb and be birthed on that bright-starred night. However, Jesus’ second coming will be completely unveiled and revealed to the world. “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen” (Revelation 1:7 CSB). Are you longing for His return—His revelation? Are you prepared to meet Him?

This week you’ll read…

Job 13-21: “If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom!” (Job 13 CSB)

Ecclesiastes 9-12: “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12 CSB).

Revelation 1-5: “And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God by Your blood from every tribe and language
and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5 CSB).

• December 8 (Sun):
  • Job 13-14 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ecclesiastes 9-10 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 9 (Mon):
  • Job 15 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ecclesiastes 11-12 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 10 (Tues):
  • Job 16-17 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 1 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 11 (Wed):
  • Job 18 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 2 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 12 (Thurs):
  • Job 19 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 3 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 13 (Fri):
  • Job 20 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 4 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• December 14 (Sat):
  • Job 21 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Revelation 5 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)

CSB are daily readings linked to The Christian Standard Bible on BibleGateway.com.

MSG are daily readings linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

NLT are daily readings linked to The New Living Translation on BibleGateway.com.