December 25 - Love Is

Merry Christmas!

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:50-56
1 Corinthians 13
Old Testament -
Psalms 89:19-52
Judges 17-18
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Insight:
Love is lived out through patience, kindness, contentment, humility, civility, unselfishness, forbearance, and graciousness. Love requires honesty, concern and care for others, and hopeful perseverance.

Response & Action:
I want to be a loving person. The virtues and qualities of love described in these verses help me to see what that means. Paul's words also give me some very practical guidance for self-examination.

O God, by the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, teach me to love. Help me to clearly see Christ's example and transform my heart and mind that I might follow him more completely each day. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 John 4:7-9
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Resources:
Love Walked Among Us: Learning To Love Like Jesus
by Paul E. Miller

December 24 - My Part in the Body

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:44-49
1 Corinthians 12:14-31
Old Testament -
Psalms 89:1-18
Judges 16
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses:
1 Corinthians 12:14-18
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Insight:
People in the body of Christ--the Church--have different gifts, serve different purposes, and meet different needs. Our place and purpose is arranged by God to accomplish God's intent for each individual and for the entire community. There is no need for competition, envy, or pride. Each person, each member of the body, should be content to be what she is and to do what he has been made to do. This is how we support the greater community, find our own fulfillment, and glorify God.

Response & Action:
I need to discover, develop, and exercise the gifts God has given me. I shouldn't envy others for what they are and do. I shouldn't despise or diminish what I am or what I can do. I am God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good things God has prepared for me to do (Eph. 2:10). Every member of the body is needed. By finding and doing my part, I support and serve the health and life of the whole body. I benefit others and others benefit me.

O God, you have fearfully and wonderfully made me. You know the purposes you have for me and the gifts you have given me. Help me, as I seek you with my whole heart, to discover my gifts and to understand how I can use them to serve your will. Give me good things to do and the heart to do them. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Romans 12:4-5
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Resources:
Christly Gestures: Learning to Be Members of the Body of Christ
by Brett P. Webb-Mitchell

December 23 - Useful, Not Just Used

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:38-43
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Old Testament -
Psalms 88
Judges 13-15
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Judges 14:3-4
3 His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me." 4 (His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

Insight:
Samson is not very likable or honorable. He shows himself to be brash, selfish, impulsive, violent, spoiled, disrespectful, deceptive, quarrelsome, and self-absorbed. During his time, the Israelites were living among the Philistines and were dominated by them. To the dismay of his parents, Samson decided (and demanded) to marry a Philistine woman.

Samson is a stunning reminder that not every person used by God is a good example of how to follow God. Samson's flaws were much bigger than his muscles, but God used him to accomplish his will to save his people. The redemptive power of God is so great that he can use even the failings of a person to accomplish a greater good. God can hit a home run with a broken bat.

God's ability to redeem our failures, however, does not mean that God wills or needs us to sin. Samson learned the hard way that it is possible to be used by God and still lose sight of God. How much better it would have been for Samson, had he loved the Lord God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength!

Response & Action:
I want to know and honor God, not just be used by him. I want to set my heart on things above, to love God with everything I have, to know His will, and to walk in His ways. I want my doing to flow out of my being. I want my service to God to flow out of my love for God. I will commit myself to living a righteous and pure life for God's glory, trusting that this will result in joy, fulfillment, purpose, and fruitful labor.

O God, draw me to you. Give me a pure and devoted heart. Strengthen me to love, obey, honor, and serve you. Help me to flee the evil desires of youth, and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. And then, O Lord, use me to accomplish your purposes and your will. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Timothy 2:20-21
20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Resources:
Following After God: What Difference Does God Make
by Daniel Hill

December 22 - Taunting the Truth

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:32-37
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Old Testament -
Psalms 87
Judges 10-12
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Luke 23:33-35
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

Insight:
The people who sneered and mocked Jesus with the words, "He saved others, let him save himself," unintentionally stated the fact of the situation. Ironically, their taunts were true. Jesus could not save us if he saved himself from the pain of the cross. The incarnation of Jesus and his death on the cross are necessary for my salvation. Jesus freely chose to save humankind rather than saving himself.

Response & Action:
My salvation and life are the reason for Christ's incarnation and his death at the hands of sinful men. Jesus was without sin, yet was willing to enter a sinful world and suffer the violence of sinners. That is why God has given him all the life needed to reverse the injustices and crimes of humanity. He is the only human without sin, the only one worthy to receive life, and therefore the only one able to graciously give new life to the rest of humanity. I will put my hope and faith and confidence in him. I am a sinner, saved by grace--a grace made possible by Jesus!

Thank you, Jesus, for enduring the shame and suffering of the cross. You freely laid down your life in order to save mine. Help me, now, to hold fast to this great gift to me. Help me to lay down my life in surrender to you. Help me to live out surrender to you in all my choices and actions today. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 2:14-15
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Resources:
The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views
by Thomas R. Schreiner

December 21 - Undivided Heart

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:26-31
1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Old Testament -
Psalms 86
Judges 9
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Psalm 86:8-12
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

Insight:
There is no other god like the Lord, the only true God. His ways are the ways of truth. His deeds are marvelous and awesome. He is worthy of whole-hearted worship.

Response & Action:
I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. I will consider the marvelous things God has done and praise him for them. I will commit myself to seeking his truth and learning to walk in his ways. I will love him and follow him with an undivided heart.

O God, help me to recognize the things that threaten to diminish my love for you. Show me your ways and your truth, that I might follow you with an undivided heart. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Deuteronomy 6:4-5
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Resources:
Jesus Among Other Gods The Absolute Claims Of The Christian Message
by Ravi Zacharias

Reading Schedule for December 21 - 26

John 1:1-2. 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. - - - 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Schedule and Tips
2009-10 Reading Schedule
Tips for Daily Bible Readers

December 21 -
Luke 23:26-31 / 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Psalms 86 / Judges 9

December 22 -
Luke 23:32-37 / 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Psalms 87 / Judges 10-12

December 23 -
Luke 23:38-43 / 1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Psalms 88 / Judges 13-15

December 24 -
Luke 23:44-49 / 1 Corinthians 12:14-31
Psalms 89:1-18 / Judges 16

December 25 -
Luke 23:50-56 / 1 Corinthians 13
Psalms 89:19-52 / Judges 17-18

December 26 -
Luke 24:1-12 / 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Psalms 90 / Judges 19

December 19 - Avoiding Folly

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:13-25
1 Corinthians 10:14-33
Old Testament -
Psalms 85
Judges 8
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Psalm 85:7-9
7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. 8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints—but let them not return to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

Insight:
The book of Judges describes a miserable series of spiritual cycles as the Israelites repeatedly turned toward and then away from God. Sadly, this pattern would become the norm throughout Israel's history. The echo of this pattern can be seen in Psalm 85. The first few verses recount both God's blessing and wrath--his favor and his fierce anger. They infer that the psalmist's cry for forgiveness and restoration was due to Israel's unfaithfulness.

The psalmist recognized God's promises of peace and salvation for his saints (those who seek holiness), but also acknowledged that there was a need for the people to change. Those who truly listen to God and embrace his promises must stop returning to folly. One cannot live in the blessing of God's restoration while repeatedly turning away from him. Salvation is near for those who have reverence and faithfulness toward God, who listen to his instruction, and who walk steadfastly in his ways.

Response & Action:
I want to live a life that consistently gives glory to God and brings satisfaction to me. I cannot fully take hold of God's promises and blessing if I only half-heartedly listen and obey. I will listen to God. I will seek his guidance through the Scriptures, through prayer, and through Christian community. I will turn away from folly. With reverence and love for God, I will turn away from the things that entangle and diminish and destroy. I will give thanks for God's unfailing love, his grace, his mercy, and the transforming power of his Spirit.

O God, you are the one who can teach me how to live. Give me ears to listen. You are the one who restores. Give me the wisdom to draw near to you. You are the one who is faithful. Make me able to live in faithful surrender and devotion to you. You are the one who saves. Give me a heart that honors you, and save me from the unfaithfulness and frailty of trying to live in my own strength and by my limited understanding. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen me, that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Through Christ, Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Resources:
Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ
by Dallas Willard

December 18 - Tempted

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 23:1-12
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Old Testament -
Psalms 84
Judges 6-7
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses:
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Insight:
The history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament, the history of the Church, and even the history of our own lives should serve as constant reminders of how easy it is to fall if you begin to have a false sense of confidence in self. Complacency leads to carelessness.

We must be on guard against temptation. No temptation is unique, but rather "common" to all people. Temptation can be aggressive--it "seizes" upon people. Yet, in the face of every temptation, God is faithful, protecting us from temptations that are too great for us to face, giving us strength, and providing ways of escape.

Response & Action:
I must recognize and deal with my vulnerability to temptation. Everyone faces temptation, so I must be prepared for it and guard against it. Temptation, however, is not something I need to fear, because God will protect and strengthen me. When I am tempted, I can look to God for strength and make use of the escape he is providing. When I see a way of escape, I must act immediately to take hold of it. I will give thanks God for the protection, strength, and guidance he gives to help me in times of temptation.

Thank you, O God, for your faithfulness to protect me from temptation I cannot endure. Thank you for the strength and deliverance you provide when I face the temptations. Thank you that I can face temptation with your help. Strengthen me to live a life that brings glory to you. I bless you Lord, because you help me with my burdens, through Christ Jesus, who lives are reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Psalm 68:19-20
19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. 20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

Resources:
Lies We Tell Ourselves: How to Say No to Temptation and Put an End to Compromise
by Greg Laurie

December 17 - How to Run

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 22:63-71
1 Corinthians 9:13-27
Old Testament -
Psalms 83
Judges 4-5
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Insight:
Paul uses the metaphor of running a race to describe the Christian life of discipleship, holiness, and mission. The Christian life has a goal, and it requires effort, training, and self-control. With this in mind, Paul says that he runs with: 1. Direction - He is not aimless. 2. Discipline - He exercises control over his body and his actions. 3. Diligence - He is in the race for the long run and his eye is on the prize at the finish line.

Response & Action:
Christ has called me to a life of discipleship--serving and honoring God, becoming more like Jesus, and sharing in the work and mission of Jesus. This Christian life will require no less focus, effort, training, and self-control than that of a runner who is competing to win a race.

I must keep my purpose before me at all times (direction). I must be very intentional and make every effort to establish patterns and practices in my life that move me toward my goals (discipline). I must be persistent and perseverant. I will keep my eye on the finish line, realizing that my goals are lifetime goals (diligence).

O God, help me to run my life's race with direction, discipline, and diligence. Show me the ways I should go through your word and by your Spirit. By your grace and power, help me to live with discipline and self-control. Help me to do the things that help me grow stronger in Christ. Uphold me and encourage me that I might be faithful and diligent as I follow Jesus all the days of my life. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 12:1
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Resources:
The Spirit of the Disciplines
by Dallas Willard

December 16 - Don't Forget

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 22:54-62
1 Corinthians 9:1-12
Old Testament -
Psalms 82
Judges 1-3
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Judges 2:10-14
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.

Insight:
The new generation of Israelites born in the Promised Land, did not remember or appreciate their history. Did their parents fail to teach them? Did they simply not listen to their parents? Somehow they forgot their heritage and turned away from God to worship the idols and false gods of the people around them. This resulted in conflict, war, and bloodshed.

They were caught in a tragic cycle. They would forget and forsake God. Then, they would fall prey to their enemies. Next, they would cry out to God for help. Then, God would deliver them and restore them through chosen leaders (the judges) and they would prosper. But then, once again, they would plunge into error--forgetting and forsaking God.

Response & Action:
I intend to face each new day with a fresh resolve to choose God and follow Christ Jesus. Every morning I will renew my commitment to Christ, turn to the Scriptures for guidance, and set my heart on walking in the ways of Jesus. I will make an effort to know and remember the works and ways of the Lord. I will do my best to pass on my knowledge and faith to my children and grandchildren.

O God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to tell the stories and speak the truth of your faithfulness in meaningful and convincing ways so that my children and their peers might know you and find their hope and purpose in you. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: James 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Resources:
Never Beyond Hope: How God Touches and Uses Imperfect People
by J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom

December 15 - Frailty and Freedom

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 22:47-53
1 Corinthians 8
Old Testament -
Psalms 81
Joshua 24
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: 1 Cor. 8:1-2; 9-12
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. - - - 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Insight:
What a person knows, understands, and believes has a direct relationship with what that person can or cannot do with a clear conscience. Some Christians, with a clearer knowledge and understanding of truth, may have freedoms that others do not. They must, however, exercise those freedoms with sensitivity and care toward others--Christian or not--who do not share them.

Knowledge that results in carelessness toward others is not wise or Christ-like. Real and mature knowledge is always more concerned with the interests of others than with the exercise of personal freedoms.

Response & Action:
I need to pursue truth and wisdom. The more I know the truth, the more the truth will set me free. My freedoms must always be lived out with reverence for Christ and concern for others. I must guard against knowledge that is blind to the interests of others. I must avoid pride and live with humility. I will not sin by exercising freedoms in ways that are hurtful or destructive toward others.

Lord God, Help me to grow in knowledge and understanding. I want to live in the freedom that comes from a knowledge and understanding of truth. At the same time, Lord, I want to live the truth in love. Give me a sensitivity and awareness of the needs and views of others who may not fully understand what is true or may not have the same freedoms. Give me a love and concern for others that tempers and guides my actions. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Romans 14:12-13
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

Resources:
Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ's Pattern for Spiritual Transformation
by Dallas Willard and Don Simpson

December 14 - My Choice

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Luke 22:39-46
1 Corinthians 7:17-40
Old Testament -
Psalms 80
Joshua 22-23
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Joshua 24:14-15
14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Insight:
There are many alternatives to being faithful to God and serving him. Living for God requires choice and commitment. Joshua knew that many people would be unfaithful--that serving the Lord would not be desirable to everyone. He knew that many would choose the false gods of their father's or the new gods of the land they were entering. But as for Joshua, his choice was made. He and his family would serve and seek the Lord.

Response & Action:
I choose faith in God over everything else. I want to faithfully seek and serve the one true God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I will not choose the false gods and failed pursuits of the world around me. I will seek first the Kingdom of Christ and his righteousness.

O God, help me to live for you and through you in thought, word, and deed. Help me to turn away from what is wrong and do what is right. Help me to love you with all of my being, and to love my neighbor as my self. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, teach, transform, shape and strengthen me, that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Help me, by faith, to do the good things you've prepared in advance for me to do--to be faithful, fruitful, and effective as your servant, through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you ad the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Matthew 10:37-39
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Resources:
Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters
by Timothy Keller

Reading Schedule for December 14 - 19

John 20:30-31
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Schedule and Tips
2009-10 Reading Schedule
Tips for Daily Bible Readers

December 14 -
Luke 22:39-46 / 1 Corinthians 7:17-40
Psalms 80 / Joshua 22-23

December 15 -
Luke 22:47-53 / 1 Corinthians 8
Psalms 81 / Joshua 24

December 16 -
Luke 22:54-62 / 1 Corinthians 9:1-12
Psalms 82 / Judges 1-3

December 17 -
Luke 22:63-71 / 1 Corinthians 9:13-27
Psalms 83 / Judges 4-5

December 18 -
Luke 23:1-12 / 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Psalms 84 / Judges 6-7

December 19 -
Luke 23:13-25 / 1 Corinthians 10:14-33
Psalms 85 / Judges 8