Category: January 2019

Finishing What You’ve Started (Days 29-31): Reading through Genesis, Hosea, Psalms, and Matthew

If you’ve been keeping up with your January readings, then once you finish these three days of reading, you’ll have completely read through the Bible books of Genesis, Hosea, and Matthew. Congratulations! That’s roughly 9% of the chapters of the whole Bible (107 of 1,189 chapters). Later this week, you’ll step into Exodus and Luke. As you come to the end of Genesis and Matthew, you’ll come to the end of Jacob’s life and Jesus’ life, but of course, Jesus comes back to life and proves that He’s the Lord.

This week you’ll read…

Genesis 48-50: Jacob blesses his sons and dies in Egypt, far from home. Joseph dies in faith that his father’s family will eventually go back to their home in the Promised Land.

Psalms 13-15: “God, who gets invited to dinner at Your place? How do we get on Your guest list?” (Psalm 15 in The Message Bible) Read this psalm to find out.

Matthew 26-28: You’ll see Jesus anointed, betrayed, denied, crucified, buried, and resurrected. Are you bold in your witness of Christ, or are you denying Him with your lips or lifestyle?

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

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

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

Plans and Reality (Days 22-28): Reading through Genesis, Hosea, Psalms, and Matthew

Have your plans ever met with reality? Life doesn’t coordinate with or make compromises with your expectations. You adjust to life and reality. You may be a Christian, and you may have a close walk with Jesus. However, that doesn’t excuse you from life’s disappointments and fiascoes, yet through it all, you have the opportunity to remain faithful or turn tail and run (but where are you going to run?)

This week you’ll read…

Genesis 37-47: Joseph was Jacob’s favored son, and he had a special gift of dreams and of annoying his brothers with them. God’s hand was on this young man who desired to please God above all else, but at times it seemed like God’s hand was against him. However, God had big picture plans for this man which included putting him through the fire to accomplish His purposes.

Hosea 11-14: You’ll finish Hosea this week. Congratulations!

Psalms 10-12: Have you ever felt like God wasn’t paying attention to you? “God, are You avoiding me? Where are you when I need You?” (Psalm 10 in The Message Bible) If we could see the whole picture, we’d see that God knows it all and is aware of it all and that He has it all in control and will work it according to His master plan.

Matthew 20-25: You’ll hear Jesus teach through parables, scold pompous religious leaders, and prophesy about the temple and the end times. Are you ready for Jesus’ return?

Daily readings are linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

Dysfunction Junction (Days 15-21): Reading through Genesis, Hosea, Psalms, and Matthew

Every family has issues. Some are obvious, and everyone knows. Others are hidden, but close family members know the dysfunction. Family issues stem from sin ultimately but can also be the products of health and life situations, poor decisions, greed, selfishness, and character flaws. You can’t solve the problems of the world or even your family’s glitches, but you can work on you. You’ll learn about a dysfunctional family in Genesis this week, and as you do, let God work through you to make your family better, not by nagging or being overbearing but by loving unconditionally.

This week you’ll read…

Genesis 25-36: Isaac and Rebekah have their twins, Jacob and Esau. Deceiver Jacob leaves town and eventually goes back toward home with a large family and has a name change. Later, a well-orchestrated massacre happens.

Hosea 9-10: God continues to warn Israel. Is there something from which you should be turning and turning back toward God?

Psalms 7-9: David asks how God could even care about mankind in the midst of the wonders of the heavens. “I look up at Your macro-skies, dark and enormous, Your handmade sky-jewelry, moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do You bother with us? Why take a second look our way?” (Psalm 8 in The Message Bible)

Matthew 13-19: Jesus has much teaching in this section including the parable of the sower. He heals, walks on water, feeds five thousand, and castigates the religious leaders. Peter makes his heavenly declaration, and later he experiences the Transfiguration. Then Jesus encounters the rich young ruler.

Daily readings are linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

Sermon on the Mount (Days 8-14): Reading through Genesis, Hosea, Psalms, and Matthew

Making a yearlong commitment to read the Bible can seem big. In order to finish well, you’ve got to prioritize. Sure, you have 50 things to do in the morning, but you have to carve out time for first things. Start your day with the word. Other things will crowd your time during the day, so make the word your first thing.

This week, you’ll read…

GENESIS 13-24: God and Abraham discuss Sodom and Gomorrah, and God forms some future enemies for His future people through the descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot who fled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. You can count on it. God keeps His promises. However, He’ll test you, too. Abraham’s promised son is born, but God puts Abraham to the ultimate test. Are you being tested right now? Are you passing the test?

HOSEA 6-8: God warns Israel and Judah and calls them to repent. Are you ignoring God’s chiding in areas in which you need to repent?

PSALMS 4-6: I always love the Psalms.

MATTHEW 6-12: We could spend a year just in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), but a quick read is good, too. Soak in as much as you can. Jesus heals and teaches. John the Baptist has a doubting spell. Are you doubting God? Are you not believing His word in some way? Trust Him today.

Daily readings are linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.

New Beginnings (Days 1-7): Reading through Genesis, Hosea, Psalms, and Matthew

New years are exciting, and resolutions abound. Oftentimes, people don’t live out their resolutions, and they give up. We’re in Christ, and we’re in grace. You may have a goal of reading through the entire Bible in a year or the New Testament in a year or just a Bible book each month. Whatever your goal, keep in mind that your pursuit of the goal is not making you. God is, and He’ll use your reading of His word to redirect you to Him each day. You’ll probably agree that we need redirecting daily, so have self-determination and try to keep up the pace with your reading goal. However, if you get behind at some point, don’t give up. Failure would be to quit. Remember grace. God wants you in His word, so just step back in and keep going.

This week, you’ll read…

GENESIS 1-12: Who needs a new beginning? Lamentations 3 states that God’s mercies are new every morning. Whew! I could use some of that. I love Genesis, the account of the beginning. This week, you’ll go from beginning to new beginning in Genesis 1-8, from start to restart. Whatever you’ve experienced in 2018, just humbly take this new year as a restart, a chance to jump into God’s new mercies for you. A new beginning also happens with Noah and his family. Later, God begins forming a new nation through Abraham and his descendants. Allow God to do a new work in you.

HOSEA 1-5: On display is God’s grace for His people in “unbelievable” goodness and forgiveness. God says, “I’ll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope” (Hosea 2 in The Message Bible). God warns Israel and Judah and calls them to repent. Are you ignoring God’s chiding in areas in which you need to repent?

PSALMS 1-3: Personal, refreshing, hopeful.

MATTHEW 1-5: Speaking of new beginnings, a world of people oblivious to their darkness and desperation and under the dominion of the devil are given the Light of the world, and this Light gets tempted by the prince of darkness but perseveres by the word. I’ve not been tempted as extremely as Jesus was, but combating temptation with the word definitely works even though it can be quite difficult to keep your mind on the word and not your temptation. Jesus then begins His Sermon on the Mount.

Daily readings are linked to The Message Bible on BibleGateway.com.