Walking in Step with Jesus

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 14:12-16:41
Matthew 11:7-30
Proverbs 12:28-13:9 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 11:27-30
27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Insight:
According to Jesus, no one knows God like he does. Those who want to know God need to know Jesus. He is the only one who can truly show us who God is, what God is like, what God wants, and how God leads. Jesus offers rest for the weary and burdened. He does not add to the burden of those he teaches. He is gentle and humble and gives peace.

Walking beside Jesus—being yoked with him—is the way to learn from him. Just as a young ox would have been trained for work by being yoked with an older well-trained animal, we learn how to live by keeping in step with Jesus. Knowing Jesus and following his example and instruction for life is the sure path to knowing God.

Response and Action:
I will read and study the Gospels closely to make sure I am deeply acquainted with Jesus' actions and words. I will give careful and prayerful consideration to how my words and actions compare to his. I will do my best to take on his "yoke" and walk in his ways. I will endeavor to keep his pace and match his stride, not rushing ahead or lagging behind. I need his strength, guidance, and experience. I'm thankful for his promise to share the load and burden of every step I take.

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my savior. My hope is in you all day long. Thank you for your son, Jesus. Help me follow his example, walk in his ways, and keep in step with his Spirit. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses:  1 John 2:5-6
5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Resources:
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
Dallas Willard

Reading Schedule for July 15-21

Tips for Bible Readers

Reading Schedule for 2017-2018

SUNDAY
Ezekiel 14:12-16:41
Matthew1 11:7-30
Proverbs 12:28-13:9

MONDAY
Ezekiel 16:42-17:24
Matthew1 12:1-21
Proverbs 13:10-19

TUESDAY
Ezekiel 18:1-19:14
Matthew1 12:22-45
Proverbs 13:20-14:4

WEDNESDAY
Ezekiel 20:1-49
Matthew1 12:46-13:23
Proverbs 14:5-14

THURSDAY
Ezekiel 21:1-22:31
Matthew1 13:24-46
Proverbs 14:15-24

FRIDAY
Ezekiel 23:1-49
Mt 13:47-14:12
Proverbs 14:25-35

SATURDAY 
Ezekiel 24:1-26:21
Matthew1 14:13-36
Proverbs 15:1-10

Loving Your Family Best

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 12:1-14:11
Matthew 10:24-11:6
Proverbs 12:18-27 
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Focus 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."

Insight:
Loving God more than you love your family is actually the way to love your family the best. It may seem counterintuitive, but loving God first and foremost is the surest path to loving others and yourself. We will have a bigger and better love for everyone else when God is the object of our biggest and best love.

It's only when we lose our lives in surrender to Jesus that we are able to find our deepest and richest selves. By loving Jesus above all else, I am so enriched and fulfilled that I become truly ready to love others. Jesus calls me to love him above all others because my relationship with him is what prepares and teaches me how to love others. Loving him first is what makes me able to love others best.

Response and Action:
I will put Jesus first in my life. By putting him first I hope to become the truest, deepest, and most loving person I can be. By loving him more than others, I hope to be able to love others more.

O Christ, help me to love you above all else. Help me to find myself in you. By the power and grace of your Spirit and the guidance of your word, lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen me, that I might become more and more able to serve and love others. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: John 13:34-35
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Resources:
The Life You've Always Wanted
by John Ortberg

An Undivided Heart

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 10:1-11:25
Matthew 10:1-23
Proverbs 12:8-17 
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Focus Verses: Ezekiel 11:17-20
17 "Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.' 18 "They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

Insight:
Because of the sin and rebellion of his people, God withdrew his glorious presence from their temple and handed them over to captivity and exile. Even as this was happening, God gave Ezekiel a vision of restoration and a new and better relationship with his people.

God says he will gather up his people and give them a new spirit. Their heart of stone would one day be replaced with a heart of flesh. Instead of a hardhearted nation that needed the law to restrain them, they would become a softhearted people with a genuine love for God. Righteousness would be not the result of external rule keeping, but instead be the natural outflow of hearts shaped by God.

Response and Action:
God is drawing people to relationship with him. To those who seek him and yield themselves to him, he will give new hearts and the gift of his Spirit.

O God, give me a heart of flesh. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead me, shape me, and transform me. Help me to delight in your will and walk in your ways. Turn my heart toward you that my actions are the natural result of your shaping and renewing work in my life. Help me to be so renewed and rooted in you that I do what is right without being reminded of rules and regulations. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 
2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

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

Those Who Grieve and Lament

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 7:1-9:11
Matthew 9:18-38
Proverbs 11:29-12:7 
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Focus Verses: Ezekiel 8:12-13 
12 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.' " 13 Again, he said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable."

Ezekiel 9:3-4
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it."

Insight:
The corruption and idolatry of God’s people was pervasive and deep. Even the elders who were to be the spiritual leaders of Israel had turned away from God. They had even brought idols into the temple and offered up prayer and worship to them. As their nation was falling apart, they lost faith in God and turned to superstition and pagan Gods. [Ezekiel 8:12-13]

Yet, in the midst of all this apostasy and unfaithfulness, there were people who remained faithful to God. Their faithfulness was demonstrated by the grief and sorrow they had about the sins of their nation. When judgment was poured out on Israel, God took special note of those who trusted in him. They were spared from death and survived the storm of destruction that left Israel in ruins. [Ezekiel 9:3-4]

Response and Action:
God holds people accountable for their actions. God recognizes those who are seeking him and trusting in him. God delivers those who look to him in faith. I must seek God with my whole heart. I must remain faithful to God and turn away from the sin and corruption that pervades my world. The things that grieve God's heart should grieve my heart too.

O God, help me to be faithful to you. Give me the wisdom to recognize sin and corruption and to turn away from it. Give me a heart that grieves over the things that grieve you. Show me your ways, and by your grace, give me the strength and will to walk in them. Though all around me should turn away from you, help me to remain true to you and to follow you with my whole heart. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Galatians 6:7-8
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Resources:
Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief and Unbelief
by Ruth Tucker

I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
Matthew 9:1-17
Proverbs 11:19-28 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 9:10-13
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Insight:
The question: "Why does Jesus eat with sinners?" The answer: "Mercy." Religion that has lost sight of redemption is very far from what God desires. God desires mercy!

Having a zeal for rules is not the same thing as having a heart for God. The whole point of identifying  sin is to help sinners find redemption and forgiveness. Even the mosaic laws regarding sacrifice were intended to accomplish mercy.

We’re all spiritually sick and in need of a doctor. Only the arrogant, those blind to their own sinfulness and need for forgiveness, can look at the sins of others with contempt.

Response and Action:
I will humble myself before God and look to his hand for mercy and redemption. I will follow Jesus' example of merciful fellowship and redemptive friendship. I will eat with sinners. I will not love religion at the expense of loving people. I will not think of myself as better than others. I will break down the walls of self-righteousness that become barriers to the giving and receiving of God's grace. I must live with humility, always remembering that I am a sinner saved by the mercy and grace of God.

Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner. Thank you for the hope and healing that you offer to me through Jesus. Thank you that he emptied himself and lived among us, touching us, and sharing our humanity. Help me, through the presence of your Holy Spirit, to live out the mercy of Jesus in my daily life. Help me share hope, healing, and redemption with everyone around me. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: James 1:8-9 
8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Resources:
Eats with Sinners
by Arron Chambers

The Voice of One Speaking

Today's Reading:
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
Matthew 8:18-34
Proverbs 11:9-18 
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Focus Verses: Ezekiel 1:26-28
26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Insight:
Ezekiel was among the first Jews driven away from Judah and taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar in 597 b.c. He was from a priestly family, and during his early days in exile he received a prophetic calling. His received his first vision and calling among the exiles by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians.

Though God's people were scattered and captive, and Jerusalem was under siege, and the Temple was  destroyed, God was still powerful and glorious upon his heavenly throne. The destruction of Jerusalem had not destroyed God!

God had allowed exile and destruction to purify his people and save them from the idolatry and paganism Jerusalem had become. God would dismantle everything and start over, if that's what it would take to turn the hearts of his people back to him and make them holy.

Response and Action:
Human traditions, practices, institutions, and power structures are vulnerable to corruption. Temples erected for worshiping God can become places of idolatry. Kings called to serve God can become tyrants who oppose and dishonor him. Systems and traditions, intended to help people understand and follow God, can become burdensome rules and empty ritual that become barriers to knowing God.

When these things fall apart and tumble down, God does not fall or tumble with them. When churches, traditions, and leaders fail, those who know and serve the One True God soon discover that God is still alive and well. God is faithful to reveal himself to those who seek him. Even in times of exile and destruction, God calls and gives purpose to those faithful to him.

O God, no matter where I am at, no matter what my circumstance, show yourself to me and give me a sense of calling and purpose. Give me a priestly heart that moves me to lift up the needs of others to you in prayer. Give me a prophetic spirit that causes me to speak your truth to my family, church, and neighbors. Help me to remember that though kingdoms rise and fall, your throne is forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 Peter 2:9
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Resources:
The Message of Ezekiel: A New Heart and a New Spirit (The Bible Speaks Today) 
by Christopher J.H. Wright

Willing and Able to Cleanse

Today's Reading:
Lamentations 4:1-5:22
Matthew 8:1-17
Proverbs 10:31-11:8 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 8:1-3 
1 When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

Insight:
The leper asked Jesus "if he was willing" to heal. He was! The overwhelming testimony of scripture is that God is both ready and willing to heal and save those who call out to him. The eighth chapter of Matthew demonstrates Jesus' authority over disease, sin, nature, mental illness, and evil spirits. He willingly spoke the word, and his word was powerful to save.

Response and Action:
I am thankful that God is both ready and willing to restore and save. By faith, I acknowledge that God's word is powerful to save me and truthful to guide me. I will look to God for his saving word. I delight in the words of scripture. I will turn to Jesus, the good shepherd, trusting him to seek and save me. I will seek him with all my heart and he will not let me stray from his commands (Ps. 119:10).

O God, thank you for your powerful, healing, and sustaining word. Thank you for your readiness and willingness to save all who cry out to you. Give me a heart that delights in your word and make me ready and willing to follow you. Help me to grow in faith and confidence as I walk in your ways. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 Timothy 2:3-5
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...
 
Resources:
The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out
by Brennan Manning

Asking, Seeking, Knocking

Today's Reading:
Lamentations 3:1-66
Matthew 7:15-29
Proverbs 10:21-30 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 7:7-8  
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Insight:
Giving and receiving are central to meaningful and loving relationships. The bonds of love are both demonstrated and deepened when one has the freedom to make a request and another has the will to grant it. Just as neighbors open their doors for each other, and just as parents are ready to provide for their children, our Father in heaven is ready to give us good gifts. He also calls us to be ready to treat others with the same goodwill we would like to receive.

Response and Action:
God has invited me to a relationship with him through Christ Jesus. He wants me to seek him out, to knock on his door, and to ask him for help. He promises I will find, the door to be opened, and my needs provided. This is the way God demonstrates his love for me; it is also the way I can demonstrate love for others. In the same way that I receive grace and love in my relationship with God, I should extend grace and love in my relationships with others.

O God, help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as myself. Thank you that I can come to you with my requests and needs--that you can be found, your door is open, and you are giving. Grant me a sensitivity toward the needs of others around me. Help me to be available, approachable, and generous. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: James 1:17-18
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Resources:
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
Dallas Willard

Reading Schedule for July 8-14

Tips for Bible Readers

Reading Schedule for 2017-2018

SUNDAY
Lamentations 3:1-66
Matthew1 7:15-29
Proverbs 10:21-30

MONDAY
Lamentations 4:1-5:22
Matthew1 8:1-17
Proverbs 10:31-11:8

TUESDAY
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15
Matthew1 8:18-34
Proverbs 11:9-18

WEDNESDAY
Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
Matthew1 9:1-17
Proverbs 11:19-28

THURSDAY
Ezekiel 7:1-9:11
Matthew1 9:18-38
Proverbs 11:29-12:7

FRIDAY
Ezekiel 10:1-11:25
Matthew1 10:1-23
Proverbs 12:8-17

SATURDAY 
Ezekiel 12:1-14:11
Matthew1 10:24-11:6
Proverbs 12:18-27

Righteous God, Rebellious Me

Today's Reading:
Lamentations 1:1-2:22
Matthew 6:25-7:14
Proverbs 10:11-20 
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Focus Verses: Lamentations 1:18-20
18 "The LORD is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen,   all you peoples; look upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into exile. 19 "I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive. 20 "See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death."

Insight:
Lamentations is the song of mourning and repentance the prophet Jeremiah offers up to God in the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people into captivity. The prophets didn't just point a finger and deliver words of judgment, they identified with the sin of their people—the very sin they spoke against. Notice how Jeremiah says, "I have rebelled. I am distressed. I am in torment within. I have been most rebellious."

No person, even the person who is declaring God's righteousness and warning of God's judgment, has the right to judge or condemn. Jeremiah was wise enough and humble enough to see that even he was guilty before God. Even though he was in the position of preaching against sin, he was able to identify with his people and recognize the sin in himself.

Response and Action:
I want to recognize sin, take it seriously, and turn away from it. I want to speak out against sin and encourage others to turn away from it. I must be careful to always see my own sin. I must never speak out against sin or condemn others as though I am without sin or above them.

I will always give my attention to the plank in my own eye before I worry about the speck in someone else's eye. I will identify with other sinners and come alongside them in their struggles to overcome sin. In every thought and conversation about sin, I will examine my own life first and then consider how I and others can turn toward God for forgiveness and redemption.

Have mercy on me, O God. I am a sinner. Help me to turn away from what is wrong and to do what is right. Lead me away from temptation. Deliver me from evil. Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Restore and redeem me. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Proverbs: 20:9
Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

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

Right Thing, Wrong Reason

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34
Matthew 6:1-24
Proverbs 10:1-10 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 6:1 
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Insight:
Even righteous deeds can be done with unrighteous motives. Self-sacrifice can be self-centered. In order to guard against self-centered motives, Jesus taught that we should be secretive about our devotion and spiritual practices. True devotion toward God does not seek to draw attention to self. Private piety is less likely to be pretentious.

When we give to the poor, we should do so quietly. When we pray, we should seek out a place where we can be alone. When we fast, we should avoid any appearance or behavior that attracts special notice or concern. The same is true of nearly everything we do for God and for others.

The problem, of course, is not that others know or notice acts of righteousness (of course they will because"a city on a hill is not easily hid"). The real problem Jesus is getting at is the motives of our hearts. In order to be truly righteous, we must acknowledge our potential for selfishness and false motives. We must realize that true righteousness is directed toward God, not centered in self. We must not let righteous deeds become a way to achieve self-gain, self-esteem, self-aggrandizement, or self-gratification. The way of true righteousness is self-denial.

Response and Action:
I will do all I can to practice righteous deeds in quiet and unassuming ways. I will guard against drawing attention to myself. And if something I do for God does draw undue attention to me, I will be careful to give God the glory. I will seek God's blessing, not the praise of people.

O God, give me a heart to do what is right, and to do it for you. It is your glory and your approval that I desire, not the notice or applause of others. Help me, by faith, to do the good things you have prepared in advance for me to do. Help me to be faithful, fruitful, and effective as your servant: as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, neighbor, pastor, and colleague. Through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Isaiah 29:13
13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

Resources:
The Message of the Sermon on the Mount: Christian Counter-Culture
by John Stott

Love Your Enemies

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 51:1-53
Matthew 5:27-48
Proverbs 9:13-18 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Insight:
Love is imperfect and incomplete if it is only given to those who respond with love. Love is made complete when it is given to those who are undeserving, unresponsive, and perhaps even unrighteous. That is the way God loves.

Response and Action:
Jesus calls me to love my enemies and to pray for those who persecute me. The reason for doing this is not necessarily because they will be responsive to me, but rather because I am being responsive to God. I am guided by the example of Christ's love. If I am a child of God, I must love as the Father loves.

O God, help me to turn away from what is wrong and do what is right. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And help me to love my neighbor as myself. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. Provide for my needs today. Protect me from discouragement and encourage me by your Spirit through your word, your people, your promises, and all that is beautiful and true. Help me to do the good things you've prepared in advance for me to do. Help me to be faithful, fruitful, and effective as your servant, as a spouse, parent, child, sibling, friend, neighbor, co-worker, stranger, and enemy. Through Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

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

A City on a Hill

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 49:23-50:46
Matthew 5:1-26
Proverbs 9:1-12 
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Focus Verses: Matthew 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Insight:
A life lived in worship to God is a light to the world. Good deeds shine with the truth and beauty of God when they are done out of reverence for God. The testimony of a person who wholeheartedly loves and serves God is like a city on a hill that can't be hidden in the dark of night.

Response and Action:
My life can be a light. I will follow Christ with my whole heart. I will commit my energy and efforts to living out my faith through good works and acts of love. I will immerse myself in the study and application of Scripture so that it can teach, rebuke, correct, and train me—making me ready to do the good things God would have me do. My life can point others to the truth and hope of Christ.

O God, help me to live for you and through you in thought, word, and deed. Give me the wisdom and the direction I need to live in your ways. Help me to walk with integrity and to do good for others. Let my love and devotion to you result in goodness and grace to everyone around me. Help me to walk so closely with you that my life is a beam of light giving praise to you and witness to the world. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Ephesians 5:8-10
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

Resources:
Living the Story: Biblical Spirituality for Everyday Christians
by R. Paul Stevens

Restoration in the Days to Come

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 48:1-49:22
Matthew 4:12-25
Proverbs 8:32-36 
Click on Text Link to Read Online

Focus Verses: Jeremiah 48:7-8, 47
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. 8The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the LORD has spoken. - - - 47 "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come," declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.

Insight:
Terrible judgment was poured out on the Egyptians, Philistines, and Moabites because of their pride, idolatry, and defiance. God, however, expresses more than anger and judgment through his prophet, Jeremiah. Jeremiah weeps as a testimony to God's sorrow over the sins of these people— "My heart laments like a flute." He also declares God's promise and intent to restore and renew those who are under judgment—"Yet I will restore in days to come!"

Response and Action:
I need to guard against pride and idolatry in my life. I must be honest about the ways I am defiant against God. My trust should be in God, not in myself. Jesus must be first in my life, and I must not let anything or anyone come before him. I must humbly yield my life to God, and look to him for the direction and strength I need. When I am experiencing God's discipline upon me, I must remember that God disciplines out of love, and promises to renew and restore.

O God, you have called me to trust in you, to put you first, and to offer myself to you in reverence for who you are. Deliver me from pride and teach me to put my confidence in you. Give me the discernment to know what is false and to worship you in spirit and truth. Forgive me for the times I resist or, worse yet, defy you. Help me to surrender myself to you and to be sensitive and responsive to your will and the guiding of your Spirit. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 John 5:20-21
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Resources:
Breaking the Idols of Your Heart
by Dan B. Allender

The Fruit of Repentance

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Proverbs 8:22-31
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Focus Verses: Matthew 3:8, 11-12
8 "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." - - -  
11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Insight:
John the Baptist was a forerunner to Jesus. He preached a message of repentance and was preparing the hearts and minds of people to recognize and receive Christ.

Repentance and humility before God are essential preparation for recognizing and receiving the blessing and transformation that are Christ's to give. Those who truly repent and believe are transformed by the Spirit, and are able to produce fruit. Those who reject Jesus or give him mere lip service end up with unchanged and fruitless lives. The difference is clear and judgment is sure.

Response and Action:
I want to find life, fulfillment, and transformation in Christ Jesus. My faith must be more than words; it must be lived out with surrender, obedience, hope, and expectation. I want a humble heart, open eyes, and a receptive attitude toward Christ. I will earnestly seek him, listen to him, and follow his leading. I cultivate my awareness of his presence, my knowledge of his words, and my submission to his Spirit. I want to be prepared and ready for his transforming and fruitful work in my life.

O God, forgive and save me from hardness of heart. Deliver me from the pride that would close my heart to your power and purpose. Rescue me from the lip service of fruitless religiosity. Liberate me from the lies of self-importance that dull my ears to your voice. Free me from the illusions of self-reliance that squelch the Spirit's work in my life. Make me ready to recognize, receive, and rejoice in the Good News of Jesus. Strengthen my faith, change my heart, and make me fruitful as I abide in you. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Acts 3:19-20
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

Resources:
After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters
by N. T. Wright

A Fatal Mistake

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 42:1-44:23
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Proverbs 8:12-21 
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Focus Verses: Jeremiah 42:19-21
19 "O remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, 'Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.' 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you."

Insight:
It is a mistake to ask God for direction and guidance if you don't plan to listen to him. To know what the Lord tells us to do, and yet fail to obey it, is sin.

Response and Action:
If I want to know what God wants, I must be ready to live that way. If I am asking God for direction and guidance, I must be careful to obey and follow him.

O God, show me your ways. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Give me ears that are quick to listen, a soft heart that is ready to receive your word, and a readiness to obey and follow you. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: James 4:13-17

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Resources:
Jesus: Lord and Savior
by F. F. Bruce

Reading Schedule for July 1-7

Tips for Bible Readers

Reading Schedule for 2017-2018

SUNDAY
Jeremiah 42:1-44:23
Matthew1 2:13-3:6
Proverbs 8:12-21

MONDAY
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
Matthew1 3:7-4:11
Proverbs 8:22-31

TUESDAY
Jeremiah 48:1-49:22
Matthew1 4:12-25
Proverbs 8:32-36

WEDNESDAY
Jeremiah 49:23-50:46
Matthew1 5:1-26
Proverbs 9:1-12

THURSDAY
Jeremiah 51:1-53
Matthew1 5:27-48
Proverbs 9:13-18

FRIDAY
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34
Matthew1 6:1-24
Proverbs 10:1-10

SATURDAY 
Lamemtatopms 1:1-2:22
Matthew1 6:25-7:14
Proverbs 10:11-20

Immanuel – God with Us

Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 39:1-41:18
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Proverbs 8:1-11 
Click on Text Link to Read Online

Focus Verses: Matthew 1:20-23
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take  Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

Insight:
Throughout history, God has done so much to save his people. The fullest expression of his salvation is revealed through Jesus (whose very name means "the Lord saves"). Jesus saves us from our sins. He saves us from death. He saves us from the results of our sin and from bondage to our sin. This is the greatest salvation imaginable—to be saved from sin's domination and from sin's destruction. Loud songs of praise and fresh expressions of thanksgiving should spring from the hearts and mouths of all who come to know this salvation.

Response and Action:
I will celebrate the marvelous ways God has shown me salvation. I will praise him for the promise of eternal life. Today, I will sing out my thanks for the ways he saves me from hopelessness and emptiness. Right now, I will lift up my voice in worship for the freedom he gives from bondage to sin. I will rejoice because he has taken away the guilt of my sin. I will shout praise to Jesus, because he saves!

Salvation is so much more than a theological concept or religious precept; it is the reality of my life. It's more than a belief; it is my standing in Christ Jesus. It's not just for someday; it is for now. Sing a new song to the Lord! He has saved, he is saving, and he will always save!

O God, O Christ Jesus, O Holy Spirit, I want to sing a new song of praise to you today! Show your righteousness and salvation to the ends of the earth. Open the eyes of all people, that they might see Jesus in all his redeeming work and saving power. O God, give me a heart of gratitude and a mouth quick to sing your praise. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Psalm 97:1-2

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

Resources:
Jesus: Lord and Savior
by F. F. Bruce