The Prayer of the Righteous

Today's Reading:
Isaiah 8:1-9:21
James 5:1-20
Psalm 138:1-8 
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Focus Verses: James 5:16-18
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Insight:
Just as we humans are agents of change as we interact with the world, God is ready, willing, and able to act within the world. He is involved and participating in the story of our lives. He hears our prayers, considers them, and answers them.

The Scriptures are filled with examples of God's active response to everyday people who called out to him for help. God is not impersonal, distant, or uninvolved with his creation. He is working to save, lead, guide, help, and provide.

Response and Action:
I will pray because I believe God is present, powerful, persuadable, and personal. I believe that God is engaged and interested in his creation. I believe that God cares about what is happening in the world and in my life. I will call out to God and ask him for help, guidance, relief, strength, deliverance, and provision. I will make prayer a priority in my life. I will cultivate a regular and thoughtful pattern for daily prayer.

O God, thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for your grace and provision in our lives. We call out to you, Holy Father, believing that yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Resources:
The Prayer God Longs For
by James Emery White

READING SCHEDULE FOR MAY 17-23

Tips for Bible Readers

Reading Schedule for 2019-2020

SUNDAY
Isaiah 8:1-9:21  
James 5:1-20
Psalm 138:1-8

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: 1 PETER

MONDAY
Isaiah 10:1-11:16
1Peter 1:1-12
Psalm 139:1-10

TUESDAY
Isaiah 12:1-14:32
1Peter 1:13-2:10
Psalm 139:11-16

WEDNESDAY
Isaiah 15:1-18:7
1Peter 2:11-3:7
Psalm 139:17-24

THURSDAY
Isaiah 19:1-21:17
1Peter 3:8-4:6
Psalm 140:1-5

FRIDAY
Isaiah 22:1-24:23
1Peter 4:7-5:14
Psalm 140:6-13

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: 2 PETER

SATURDAY
Isaiah 25:1-28:13
2Peter 1:1-21
Psalm 141:1-10

Here I Am, Send Me

Today's Reading:
Isaiah 6:1-7:25
James 4:1-17
Psalm 137:1-9 
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Focus Verses: Isaiah 6:8-9
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" 9 He said, "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' "

Insight:
Isaiah was overcome by a vision of God's power and holiness. He realized how sinful he was, how sinful the people of Israel had become, and how desperately they needed God's forgiveness and restoration.

God sent him to preach repentance and judgment to his people, even though God knew the people would not listen to Isaiah. They would hear, but not understand; they would see, but not perceive. Because the people would ignore Isaiah, his preaching would, in fact, harden their hearts and dull their understanding.

Isaiah asked, "How long should I preach?" God said, essentially, "Until there is no one left to preach to." Even when people fail to listen or respond, God is faithful to reach out to them and give them opportunity to wake up and turn back. Their destruction was self-imposed. They were without excuse.

Response and Action:
I want to live with a sense of God's beauty, holiness, and majesty. I will grow in my reverence for God as I humble myself in worship, prayer, and the reading of Scripture. I will acknowledge my sin and the sins of my people (my family, my church, my nation), asking God for forgiveness and restoration. I will be faithful to speak and live the truth of God even if no one listens or responds. I want to be sensitive to God's leading and have a willingness to answer his call--to do what he calls me to do, to say what he calls me to say, and to be what he calls me to be.

O God, have mercy on me. I am a person of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips. You have shown your glory to us through Jesus, your Son. Help me--help us all--to find forgiveness, restoration, renewal, and purpose in Him. It's in His Name, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Ephesians 1:18-19a

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Resources:
Serious Times: Making Your Life Matter in an Urgent Day
by James Emery White

Watch Your Mouth

Today's Reading:
Isaiah 3:1-5:30
James 2:18-3:18
Psalm 136:13-26 
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Focus Verses: James 3:9-12
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Insight:
The words we choose and the things we say are very important. Having an undisciplined tongue is inconsistent with following Christ and honoring God. If hurtful and careless things flow from our mouths unchecked, it contradicts the praise we offer God, and reduces it to nothing more than lip service. A mouth that says sweet things to God should not say bitter things to those God has created and loved. Being careful to say helpful, loving, and constructive words to others is one of the best ways to praise God with our mouths.

Response and Action:
I need to recognize the importance of my words and I understand the need to choose them wisely. I must always be mindful of the connection between my words to people and my words to God. I must avoid a mental disconnect that allows me to offer words of praise to God, but then be careless or hurtful in my words to people. I will ask God for the grace and guidance I need as I make every effort to be disciplined and helpful in my speech. I will strive to honor God in the way I speak to others, not just in the words I say to God.

Dear Lord, help me to be careful about my words. Grant me the grace to be disciplined in my speech. Forgive me for the times I am thoughtless or hurtful with my mouth. Teach me to be wise in my speech, that my words would honor you as they help and bless others. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Ecclesiastes 10:12-14
12 Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. 13 At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness- 14 and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming—who can tell him what will happen after him?

Resources:
The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others
by Scot McKnight

Slow to Speak & Quick to Listen

Today's Reading:
Isaiah 1:1-2:22
James 1:19-2:17
Psalm 136:1-12 
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Focus Verses: James 1:19-21
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Insight:
I've heard it said that God gave us two ears and one mouth, and we should use them proportionately. That advice seems to go along pretty well with James' instruction. James suggests that being quick to listen and slow to speak would help us be slower to get angry. Anger––at least the kind of anger we have when we shoot off our mouths before listening––is contrary to the righteous life God desires for us and from us. We need to be serious about turning away from sin and, instead, being humble and receptive toward God's word.

Response and Action:
I want to be quick to listen and slow to speak. I need to become a better listener. I need to listen to God's leading through his word. I need to listen to what others are saying and be careful to keep my responses and my attitudes in check. Careless anger is inconsistent with seeking God and trying to please him. I will guard against it.

O God, make me an instrument of your peace. Help me to become a good listener and to use words with careful measure. Give me the grace to relate to others in loving and healthy ways. Give me a mouth that blesses and encourages. Teach me to delight in your will and to walk in your ways to the glory of your name. I pray through Christ Jesus my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses:  Psalm 34:11-14
11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Resources:
Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project
by Dave Isay

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: ISAIAH (1-19)

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Getting Away Together

Today's Reading:
Song of Songs 5:1-8:14
James 1:1-18
Psalm 135:13-21 
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Focus Verses: Song of Songs 7:10-12
10 I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. 11 Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. 12 Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom— there I will give you my love.

Insight:
Jesus teaches us that in marriage "A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. What God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:7-8). In Song of Songs, this oneness is described by the voice of the beloved as "I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me."

Getting away for some time alone together is an important way couples can nurture this oneness. A weekend in the countryside, a walk in the park, a few days away at a bed and breakfast, or a day trip and picnic can do a lot to rekindle intimacy. Time alone celebrates the friendship and fans the flames of desire.

Husbands and wives need to make sure the demands of work and the daily grind of ongoing responsibilities (family, parenting, work, and home) do not reduce their relationship to a task sharing arrangement. They need to be more than committed partners in life, they need to be lovers who enjoy and desire one another.

Response and Action:
Time alone with my wife is a priority I must keep. A short time together each morning for conversation, coffee, and prayer has proven to be a real benefit to our relationship. Planning days and evenings to get away and just enjoy each other is critical to our friendship and marriage. These things don't just happen, so I will be intentional about getting ideas on the calendar. We will also be careful to choose to do things that give us the most opportunity to talk and interact with each other.

O God, thank you for my wife. Give us the wisdom to take time for each other. Thanks for days every now and then that afford us the opportunity to put the rest of life on hold. Give us hearts for each other, and give us the contentment and satisfaction that come from knowing we belong to each other, and that together we belong to you. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 13:4 
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Resources:
Your Time-Starved Marriage: How to Stay Connected at the Speed of Life
by Dr. Les Parrott III

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: JAMES

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Keep On Loving

Today's Reading:
Song of Songs 1:1-4:16
Hebrews 13:1-25
Psalm 135:1-12 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 13:1-3
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Insight:
Love, benevolence, social justice, and empathy are all essential to  living out our faith in God. We can't truly follow the way of Jesus without being loving, hospitable, and caring. Followers of Christ must have soft hearts toward those who are suffering—the marginalized, the mistreated, the foreign, the forgotten, the overlooked, and the abandoned.

Response and Action:
I want to live with Christ-like love for my Christian brothers and sisters. I want my actions and attitudes to be guided by a genuine concern and love for all people. I must open my eyes to the needs of people around me. I need to cultivate a compassion and empathy for those who are suffering or in need, and take action to help them. As I follow Christ, I want to learn how to be a helper and friend for those who are in difficult circumstances.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light. Grant that I might not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving we receive; it is in pardoning, we receive pardon; it is in giving that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 John 3:16-17 
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

Resources:
Practical Justice: Living Off-Center in a Self-Centered World
by Kevin Blue

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: SONG OF SONGS

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The Conclusion of the Matter

Today's Reading:
Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14
Hebrews 12:14-29
Psalm 134:1-3 
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Focus Verses: Ecclesiastes 12:12b-14
12b Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Insight:
The "Teacher" of Ecclesiastes (Solomon, perhaps?) does his best to assess and illuminate the human experience. He honestly and humbly acknowledges that from his human point of view he is only able to study    within the observable limitations of what is "under the sun" and what happens between birth and death.

No matter how hard he tries to make sense of life, and reduce it to simple and predictable equations, he cannot. Ultimately, the only wise conclusion he can reach is: the meaning of life is beyond human understanding. He concludes that living within God's commands, with reverence and humility before God, is the only wise course for life. Purpose, hope, and meaning are not to be found in human activity or analysis, but rather through faith in God.

Response and Action:
The meaning and purpose of life are beyond my understanding. Attempts to find an explanation of life small enough to fit within the limits of human knowledge and experience are sure to fail. I will put my faith in God. My faith and humility for God will guide me and sustain me as I ask questions, seek wisdom, work hard, and do my best to enjoy life. My limited understanding of life does not diminish my faith in God; it reinforces my need for God.

O God, help me to trust in you with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways—in every aspect of my life—teach me to acknowledge you. Direct my path and make my way straight. Cause my faith to grow stronger each day that I might enjoy the life you have given me, and live with contentment, purpose, and hope. Through Christ, who has become my wisdom, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses:  1 Corinthians 1:20-21
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Resources:
Can Man Live without God?
by Ravi Zacharias

Together in Unity

Today's Reading:
Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18
Hebrews 11:32-12:13
Psalm 133:1-3 
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Focus Verses: Psalm 133:1-3
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Insight:
We all know what it's like to experience high traffic and increased delays on trips to very popular destinations or public events. In the same way, the Israelites making their feast day pilgrimage must have dealt with busier roads and larger crowds the closer they got to Jerusalem. By singing Psalm 133, they were reminded that the long lines and crowded conditions (which I assume were at least as challenging and wearisome for them as they are for us) were actually reasons for thanks and celebration.

Why? Because these crowds were the result of God's people coming together in obedience and reverence for God. The gathering throngs of Israelites were giving witness to their need and love for God. They were declaring God to be the center of their lives, the basis of their community, and the center of their national identity.

Unity was a joy and a blessing from God. It was being poured out upon them--just as the oil of blessing had been poured upon Aaron so abundantly that it flowed down to the edge of his robes. Unity was a life-giving gift, just as the streams melting from Mount Hermon's snowcapped peaks flowed down to bless and enrich the green valleys below.

Response and Action:
I want to know the joy of living in unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to look past the hassles and demands of community life, and celebrate the blessing God has intended it to be. I want to recognize that the shared relationships, activities, and responsibilities I experience in my church are a gift from God, a blessing to my life, and a testimony to the world. I want to be a community builder in my church family. I want to sing out the joys and the goodness of God's people living together in unity.

O God, you have made me for community. You have said that it is not good for me to be alone, and you have given me so many ways to experience the blessing of togetherness. I thank you for my wife, for my children, for my parents and siblings, for my church, for my friends, for my colleagues, and my neighbors. Help me to be a faithful source of blessing to others. Give me a readiness to serve, a heart to forebear, a word to cheer, a discipline to pray, and a maturity to enrich others, through Christ Jesus my Lord and Savior, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Philippians 2:1-4 
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 34 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Resources:
Life Together
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

READING SCHEDULE FOR MAY 10-16

Tips for Bible Readers

Reading Schedule for 2019-2020

SUNDAY
Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18
Hebrews 11:32-12:13
Psalm 133:1-3

MONDAY
Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14
Hebrews 12:14-29
Psalm 134:1-3

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: SONG OF SONGS

TUESDAY
Song of Songs 1:1-4:16
Hebrews 13:1-25
Psalm 135:1-12

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: JAMES

WEDNESDAY
Song of Songs 5:1-8:14
James 1:1-18
Psalm 135:13-21

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: ISAIAH (1-39)

THURSDAY
Isaiah 1:1-2:22
James 1:19-2:17
Psalm 136:1-12

FRIDAY
Isaiah 3:1-5:30
James 2:18-3:18
Psalm 136:13-26

SATURDAY
Isaiah 6:1-7:25
James 4:1-17
Psalm 137:1-9

Certainty and Hope

Today's Reading:
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22
Hebrews 11:1-16
Psalm 131:1-3 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 11:1-2
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

Insight:
By faith, it is possible to have a certainty about how I see the world and where I place my hope. The story of faith recorded in the Scriptures includes many men and women who lived by faith. What they believed about God guided their choices and actions. Real faith looks beyond circumstances and the limitations of self. 

Hebrews 11:39-40 - "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

People who have faith in God look beyond what they have received and what they are experiencing today. They believe that God has something better planned for humankind, and that he will be faithful to his promises.

Response and Action:
I will put my faith in God. I believe that God has something better planned for his people, something better for me, and something better for the world. I will follow the example of the long train of believers throughout history who have exemplified faith in God.

My faith in God, and confidence in his promises, will guide my actions and choices each day. I will live each day with a certainty about God's love and faithfulness.

O God, increase my faith. Help me to live out my faith in thought, word, and deed. Help me to gain insight, inspiration, and encouragement from examples of faith recorded in Scripture and throughout Christian history. Help me to look beyond what is seen and to grasp what is unseen and yet so real. May I, like the ancients of the faith, be commended one day for my steadfast confidence in you. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being  renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Resources:
Living Faith: A Guide to the Christian Life
by John Schwarz

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: ECCLESIASTES

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Encourage Each Other

Today's Reading:
Job 40:1-42:17
Hebrews 10:18-39
Psalm 130:1-8 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 10:23-25
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Insight:
God is faithful and he will keep his promises made to us in Christ. Because I have professed faith in Christ, I will hold on tightly to the hope I have in him. Christian community should be a source of encouragement to all believers. It should also prompt us to grow in love and to do good deeds.

Response and Action:
I must hold on tightly to the hope I have in Jesus. I must live out my faith in the company of friends who also follow Jesus. Christian community is necessary for me. I will be actively involved in the fellowship of the Church. Christian friends can encourage me in my faith and spur me on to do good deeds. I, too, can be a source of godly encouragement and prompting for others.

O God, you are faithful to your promises. Help me to remember your promises and cling to the hope I have in you. Surround me with Christian friends who can encourage me and push me toward righteousness. Help me to be a source of encouragement and prompting for my Christian friends. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Romans 15:4-6
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Recommended Reading:
Encouragement: The Key to Caring
by Dr. Larry Crabb and Dr. Dan B. Allender

Hearts and Minds

Today's Reading:
Job 37:1-39:30
Hebrews 10:1-17
Psalm 129:1-8 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 10:14-17 
14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their  minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Insight:
The sacrifices of the Jewish priesthood had to be repeated over and over because they were only about forgiveness and repentance. The sacrifice of Christ Jesus was about forgiveness from sin, and it was also about something even greater—transformation and freedom from our bondage to sin. The priesthood of Christ brought more than forgiveness; it brought the possibility of new life.

By the power and grace of the Spirit of Christ, we can now escape from our fallen obligation to sin. Instead of trying to keep a law that is external and contrary to our nature, the Christ-follower has the will and the ways of God engraved upon their hearts and written in their minds. Because our nature is changed, we can be renovated from the inside out. We experience more than forgiveness; we experience transformation.

Response and Action:
My faith in Christ is about more than forgiveness. I look to the power and grace of his Holy Spirit to change me. I do not look to him for new rules and special insights to pursue in my own strength. Rather, I look to him for the transformation of my heart and mind. I want to have a heart and mind that are inclined toward the ways of Christ. The holiness and wholeness of my life must flow out from the change I am experiencing in the deepest parts of my being. I want more than forgiveness for my past; I desire strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

O God, help me to live for you and through you in thought, word, and deed. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, teach, shape, and strengthen me that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name.  Thank you for Jesus who makes forgiveness possible. Thank you, even more, that he makes change and new life possible. Thank you for the new and living way he has opened for us. It's in his name that I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Romans 8:12-13
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

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

Once for All

Today's Reading:
Job 34:1-36:33
Hebrews 9:11-28
Psalm 128:1-6 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 9:23-28
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Insight:
While many things before Jesus (the tabernacle, ceremonial washings, offerings, feast days, the temple, sacrifices, Passover) pointed to God's plan and desire to save the world from sin, Jesus himself is God's plan. Jesus is not another symbol or message about the salvation God has in mind for the world and mankind; Jesus actually is that plan. All those other things were preparing the way and pointing to him.

Response and Action:
My faith is in Jesus the Christ. I believe that he takes away the sins of the world through his sacrifice on the cross. The cross is much more than a symbol of God's love. Jesus’ sacrifice is God's love in action. Through Christ's death, the separation from God caused by my sins has been taken away. I will praise Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God, my redeemer, and my salvation. I long for his appearing on the final day when my salvation will be fully realized.

Lord Jesus, you are worthy of my praise, my life, and my all. You were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. I will give you my worship and honor and glory and power, forever and ever! I look for the resurrection and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Isaiah 53:6 
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

Recommended Reading:
The Cross of Christ
by John R. W. Stott

Unless the Lord Builds the House

Today's Reading:
Job 31:1-33:33
Hebrews 9:1-10
Psalm 127:1-5 
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Focus Verses: Psalm 127:1-2
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Insight:
As the Israelites climbed the road to Jerusalem for feast days and sang these songs, they remembered what it must have been like for the first generation who returned to Jerusalem after the exile (Ps. 126). They thought of how joyous and unbelievable it must have been for the children of those who had seen Jerusalem destroyed to one day return and rebuild it.

The returning exiles knew the consequences of turning away from God. They had seen their houses destroyed, and understood the futility of the things accomplished in their own strength. Psalm 127 was the perfect song to sing after Psalm 126. Those who know the futility and destruction of turning away from God can wisely declare: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

Response and Action:
I want to begin today with a Psalm 126 perspective--to look back at the foolish ambitions and efforts of my past, and to rejoice in the ways God faithfully continues to lead me out of those failures into a joyful and hopeful future.

I will give careful consideration to the things I work on today. Am I building something that honors God? Am I giving myself to the work and purpose and direction God is leading me to do? Am I depending upon his guidance, strength, and provision, or am I wearing myself out by doing things for my own reasons, in my own way, and in my own strength?

I want my life to be a house that God is building. I want to find rest and peace and satisfaction in God's will and purpose. God is the builder of the life I want to live.

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 to do what is right. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, build, provide, and sustain my life. Help me to delight in your will, and to walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Through Christ, Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Luke 14:28-30
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

Recommended Reading:
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
by Eugene Peterson

Written on Their Hearts

Today's Reading:
Job 28:1-30:31
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalm 126:1-6 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 8:10-12
10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Insight:
External laws are not able to transform the heart and mind that opposes and resists them. Because God desires to forgive our sins, make us his people, and be our God, he declares that he will put his laws in our minds and write them on our hearts. Instead of doing good things to become God's people, God will make us his people in order to help us do good things. This is the covenant he makes with all who place faith in Christ Jesus.

Response and Action:
I need to surrender my heart and mind to God. I should expect him to change me and guide me. I must meditate on the Scriptures and prayerfully ask God to help me apply them to my daily life. I can't settle for a "behavior modification" approach to following Christ; I need my heart and mind to be changed so that Christ-like behavior will flow out from what I am in Jesus.

O God, you are my rock and my salvation. Forgive my wickedness and forget my sins. Save me from the inside out. Heal and transform my heart and mind. Be my God, and make me one of your people. Make me new by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Resources:
Renovation of the Heart
by Dallas Willard

READING SCHEDULE FOR MAY 3-9

Tips for Bible Readers

Reading Schedule for 2019-2020

SUNDAY
Job 28:1-30:31
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalm 126:1-6

MONDAY
Job 31:1-33:33
Hebrews 9:1-10
Psalm 127:1-5

TUESDAY
Job 34:1-36:33
Hebrews 9:11-28
Psalm 128:1-6

WEDNESDAY
Job 37:1-39:30
Hebrews 10:1-17
Psalm 129:1-8

THURSDAY
Job 40:1-42:17
Hebrews 10:18-39
Psalm 130:1-8

BIBLE PROJECT OVERVIEW: ECCLESIASTES

FRIDAY
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22
Hebrews 11:1-16
Psalm 131:1-3

SATURDAY
Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12
Hebrews 11:17-31
Psalm 132:1-18

Unshakable Trust

Today's Reading:
Job 23:1-27:23
Hebrews 7:18-28
Psalm 125:1-5 
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Focus Verses: Psalm 125:1-3 
1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. 3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.

Insight:
The fifteen psalms called the "Psalms of Ascent" (Psalms 120 - 134) were to be sung when the children of Israel traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem (Mount Zion) three times a year to worship and celebrate the feast days prescribed in the Law of Moses. Christians have long considered these ancient pilgrimages to be a useful metaphor of their own spiritual journey and maturity (ascent) as followers of Christ.

As the people climbed the road to Jerusalem, and saw how it was surrounded by rugged and unshakable mountains, they sang praise to their God who surrounded them with his unshakable love and provision. They rejoiced in God's steadfast care, and put their hope in his promises.

Response and Action:
Though my journey to know and follow Jesus has been an uphill climb, I am trusting in God's enduring love. I believe he will keep his promises to those who worship him and seek his righteousness. I am surrounded by the unshakable love and care of my God who never sleeps or slumbers (Ps. 121). He watches over my life—my coming and my going—now and forever. I will celebrate and worship him today. I will live in hope, believing his promises to be faithful and true.

O God, I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of a child look to his mother, as the eyes of a captive look to his deliverer, as the eyes of the hungry look to their provider, and the eyes of a sinner look to the one who forgives, as the eyes of the broken look to the one who restores, as the eyes of the sick look to the one who heals, so my eyes look to Jesus Christ, my Lord and merciful Savior who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 12:1-3
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. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Resources:
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
by Eugene Peterson
A wonderful book of meditations based on the Psalms of Ascent.

He Is Able to Save

Today's Reading:
Job 20:1-22:30
Hebrews 7:1-17
Psalm 124:1-8 
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Focus Verses: Hebrews 7:23-25
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Insight:
Because Jesus has overcome death and lives forever, his priesthood is permanent and is therefore superior to any priesthood that preceded him.    The salvation he makes possible is complete and eternal. He died for us, and now lives for us. He is always pleading on our behalf before God.

Response and Action:
It's incredible to think that Jesus is forever interceding and advocating for all who are coming to God through faith in him. I want to be responsive to Christ's saving work in my life. I will follow him with  my whole heart and expect change and spiritual maturity, knowing that Jesus is able to save me completely.

King Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for interceding on my behalf. Thank you for saving me from the penalty of sin and the bondage to sin. 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. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 4:14-15
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Resources:
The Incomparable Christ
by John Stott