Category: November

Have you ever sinned? Of course, you have. That’s our problem. We sin by doing wrong things. A needlessly harsh word is spoken to a loved one, employee, or co-worker. Unethical business practices lead us down a dead-end street. Sexual temptation gets the best of us. Uncontrolled anger spills out. But we sin in our minds as well. We dwell on thoughts that tear us down. Bitterness takes root as we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts. An affair begins in the mind with a co-worker. Self-hate robs our joy because we’re preoccupied with ourselves and not the Lord. Sin is an act, or it can be locked away in our heads. Either way, it brings destruction into our lives and into the lives of others.

However, there is do-nothing sin as well. Sometimes we fail to act. We don’t want to get involved, so we pass up people in need. We don’t have time to serve, so we miss out on ministry and turn a blind eye to servants who are in desperate need of ministry partners. We get preoccupied with our own abilities and neglect prayer or Bible study. We hold on to the gospel as our personal treasure unwilling to see it as a ransom to be shared with the world. God spoke through Ezekiel telling us of the watchman who could see a threat coming but did nothing to warn the people. Whether warned or not, the people were culpable for their own sin, but the watchman heaped sin upon himself by not warning the people. Their blood would be on his hands. It was a do-nothing sin.

As you go about your life this week, avoid committing sin. Think about what’s right and good, but also do the good which you know that you should be doing because if you don’t do it, your doing nothing is contributing to the sin in our land and helping unrighteousness to flourish.

This week you’ll read…

Proverbs 23-31: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised” (Proverbs 31 CSB).

Ezekiel 32-48: “‘However, suppose the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the trumpet, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood’” (Ezekiel 33 CSB).

John 15-21: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20 CSB).

• November 22 (Fri):
  • Proverbs 23 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 32-33 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 15 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 23 (Sat):
  • Proverbs 24 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 34-35 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 16 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 24 (Sun):
  • Proverbs 25 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 36-37 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 17 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 25 (Mon):
  • Proverbs 26 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 38-39 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 26 (Tues):
  • Proverbs 27 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 40-41 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 18 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 27 (Wed):
  • Proverbs 28 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 42-43 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 19 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 28 (Thurs):
  • Proverbs 29 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 44-45 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 29 (Fri):
  • Proverbs 30 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 46-47 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 20 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 30 (Sat):
  • Proverbs 31 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 48 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 21 (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.

When I was younger, I would have described a shepherd as a dude wearing a robe and having a towel tied around his head. He also would be wearing sandals and carrying a crooked walking stick. While that does describe the attire of shepherds in Jesus’ day (and some in this day, too), a shepherd is much more that what he wears. In fact, Jesus is the greatest example of a good shepherd. Let’s explore Psalm 23 and John 10 which both talk about the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd cares and provides for His sheep. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake…You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:1-3,5).[1] Jesus said, “When He [the Good Shepherd] has brought all His own outside, He goes ahead of them” (John 10:4). The Good Shepherd leads out the sheep each day so that they can graze and find water.

The Good Shepherd leads His sheep. “He leads me beside quiet waters…He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:2-3). Jesus said, “He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought all His own outside, He goes ahead of them. The sheep follow Him because they know His voice” (John 10:3-4). The Good Shepherd knows His sheep intimately, and they know Him such that they recognize His voice and follow Him.

The Good Shepherd protects His sheep. “Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4-5). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The Good Shepherd is alert for danger because He cares for His sheep, and He is willing to give it all for the sheep because He loves them.

The Good Shepherd loves His sheep and is good to them. “Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live” (Psalm 23:6). “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). The Good Shepherd didn’t begin loving the sheep because they loved Him first. The Good Shepherd initiated love for the sheep, so His love is not contingent on the sheep’s love.

The Good Shepherd doesn’t abandon His sheep. “for you are with me…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live” (Psalm 23:4,6). “The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep” (John 10:11-13). Because the Good Shepherd’s love is not based on the sheep’s love for Him, He doesn’t abandon them when times are tough or when their love for Him wanes.

I love the Good Shepherd.

This week you’ll read…

Proverbs 16-22: “All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives” (Proverbs 16).

Ezekiel 21-31: “‘Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the ground; I made you a spectacle before kings” (Ezekiel 28).

John 10-14: “Jesus wept” (John 11).

• November 15 (Fri):
  • Proverbs 16 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 21 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 10 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 16 (Sat):
  • Proverbs 17 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 22 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 11 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 17 (Sun):
  • Proverbs 18 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 23 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 12 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 18 (Mon):
  • Proverbs 19 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 24-25 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 19 (Tues):
  • Proverbs 20 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 26-27 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 13 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 20 (Wed):
  • Proverbs 21 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 28-29 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 14 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 21 (Thurs):
  • Proverbs 22 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 30-31 (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.

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[1] All Scripture from CSB (Christian Standard Bible).

We can be tricked by out-of-towners. People have been deceived by snake oil salesmen in earlier days. Shysters abound in our world including in religious circles. A miracle worker can have plants in his/her healing service and “heal” them at the appointed time. A stranger can be “healed” in your presence, but what do you have to go on? All you have is the stranger’s word and the miracle worker’s claim. They don’t have any history there. Now, don’t jump to conclusions. People are healed in the world today, but beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Once, Jesus encountered a man that was lame. He’d become pretty hopeless about being healed, so when Jesus asked if he wanted to be healed, he just started whining. This lame man was not a stranger. He’d been lame for 38 years, and lame people in Jesus’ day didn’t do much traveling. The guy was known. People knew his story. Was it an accident that left his legs twisted? Did he fall off a roof and break his spinal cord? Did he suffer from an illness that left him lame or paralyzed? Whatever it was, he was the guy with a story which his neighbors knew. That’s why when they saw him one day walking, or maybe running, jumping, or dancing, they knew something miraculous had happened. Come to find out Jesus did it. This guy was not a plant. He was a real guy with a real story who experienced a real healing by the real Son of God. Just another sign that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

A.W. Tozer once said, “The average person in the world today, without faith and without God and without hope, is engaged in a desperate personal search throughout his lifetime. He does not really know where he has been. He does not really know what he is doing here and now. He does not know where he is going. The sad commentary is that he is doing it all on borrowed time and borrowed money and borrowed strength—and he already knows that in the end he will surely die.”^[1] Are you seeing the signs that He’s left along the way? I pray that you’ll fall on your knees and cry, “Jesus, You are Lord. I place my trust in You.” That could be for the first time like the lame man, or it could be a renewed trust in Christ as you’ve been bombarded with doubt and discouragement. Say it out loud: Jesus, I place my trust in You.

This week you’ll read…

Proverbs 8-15: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14 CSB).

Ezekiel 12-20: “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, you are living among a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house’” (Ezekiel 12 CSB).

John 5-9: “Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things” (John 5 CSB).

• November 8:
  • Proverbs 8 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 12 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 5 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 9:
  • Proverbs 9-10 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 13 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 6 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 10:
  • Proverbs 11 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 14-15 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 11:
  • Proverbs 12 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 16 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 7 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 12:
  • Proverbs 13 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 17 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 8 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 13:
  • Proverbs 14 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 18-19 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
• November 14:
  • Proverbs 15 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • Ezekiel 20 (CSB) (MSG) (NLT)
  • John 9 (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.

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^[1] Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes (electronic ed.) (213). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.