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Day 107 of Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 days commentary, insights and thoughts. If you would like to follow along with the book offered exclusively on Amazon, please refer to https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Bible-Cover-365Days/dp/B0B6XSNMY6/ref=mp_s_a_1_90
This is a podcast sharing thoughts and insights for the accompanying the daily reading schedule for the book, Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 Days.
Welcome to Day 107 of Reading the Bible Cover to Cover in 365 Days!
Let us pray:
O Lord, thank You for teaching us through Your Word. Help us receive the message You have for us today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s see what’s happening in Matthew chapter 18!
The disciples want to know who is the greatest in the kingdom of God. Of course, they are asking because of their own ego, but Jesus answers with much wisdom. He says those who believe as children do, are the greatest. If you have seen or experienced the faith of a child, you understand they believe what you tell them. They have no reason not to. Hook, line, and sinker, they believe. Verse 4 says, “Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Let us put on humility, trust, lowliness, love, and forgiveness and truly enter the kingdom. It is available to us now. There is peace in simply believing. It’s when we get caught up in the world and all its treasures that we start to question everything. Today we can make a decision to simply believe in the One Who died to save us and receive the fullness of His love. It seems I need to be in a constant state of surrender to experience His peace and love.
Jesus also tells them the children’s angels are always “in the presence of and look upon the face of My Father Who is in heaven.” Our children are well cared for. This passage always gives me comfort about my children, and I hope it does for you too.
Verses 19 and 20 talk about 2 or more praying together, making a symphony together, which will be granted to them because Jesus said where 2 or more are gathered together, He is in the midst of them. Two very powerful verses. Let’s get into agreement with one another and pray for God’s will!
Lastly, Jesus talks about forgiveness and shows us the importance of forgiveness through a parable. Let’s take a moment and ask the Lord to show us where we have unforgiveness in our hearts. Then let’s ask Him for the strength and willingness to forgive because it is to our benefit that we do so. And, well, Jesus tells us to.
Jesus gives many instructions in this chapter. Read slowly and carefully and receive the message He has for you today.
Let’s see what Paul is writing Timothy in I Timothy chapter 6!
Paul starts by telling Timothy that servants should serve as though it is honorable to do so because this honors God. They are not to be disrespectful to their masters especially if they have believing masters. Well, this may sound a bit tough as we don’t agree with servitude any longer, however, we can look at our own positions through this lens and let everything we do be done unto the Lord. Some days complaining gets the best of me, and I do mean that. When I complain, nothing seems to go right. But when I do the most menial tasks unto the Lord, my heart changes, and I am happy to serve. Verse 6 says, “[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.” This is a nugget of wisdom.
Paul writes about seeking after riches above all else – the love of money is the root of all evil. We definitely want to step into God’s perfect plan for us, but we can get off balance in the pursuit of finances. That doesn’t mean God won’t bless us with finances, it just means the pursuit of just riches can lead us down a path that does not lead us to the Lord. Verse 11 says, “But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.” Paul encourages Timothy to pursue what’s important and leave other things alone. He encourages Timothy to pursue spiritual riches for they are eternal. There have been plenty of things I’ve chased after to help financially support our family. But they took me away from God. For years, my relationship with Him was stagnant because I’d put off the most important part of life which was growing in the One Who gave me life. I no longer want to put off growing in God but seek to know Him more. One of my constant prayers is that God will keep my heart soft toward Him. Oh, this world tries to wrangle our soul in another direction enticing it with its endless possibilities. Busyness is worn like a badge of honor. But the Lord desires our hearts. He desires our worship. And He desires a relationship with us. His Word shows us how hard He tried to bend the Israelites’ will to honor Him so He could reside with them. And just as He desired their hearts, He desires ours.
In verse 12 Paul goes on to write, “Fight the good fight of faith.” Yes, we have to fight to stay connected to God. The enemy is always at work to thwart our ability to connect with our Maker. The deeper we understand this, the more aggressively we can stand up and fight against it. Let’s cherish our right to have the Spirit of God living within us. Let’s experience His presence and honor the gifts Jesus died to grant us. The gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of eternal life in heaven.
Finally, Paul encourages Timothy to guard his heart. Pay close attention to the last two verses in this chapter. More nuggets of wisdom to guide us today.
Let's see what's happening in Judges Chapter 3!
The Israelites lived with the ites and intermarried among and served their gods. So, the Lord gave them into their enemies’ hands – the Chushan-rishathaim – king of Mesopotamia. They served him for 8 years. The Lord heard their moaning and complaining and delivered them through our friend, Caleb’s nephew, Othniel. Remember Othniel married Caleb’s daughter Aschah because he won a battle. Well, now the spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel, and he waged war and won the freedom of the Israelites. They lived for 30 years in peace until Othniel died.
The Israelites turned to their wicked ways again and God gave them into the hands of the Moabites for 18 years. When they cried out to God, the Lord gave them another deliverer, Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin. Ehud plotted against the king of the Moabites and killed him. That night 10,000 Moabites were killed by the Israelite's hands, and they were given 80 years of rest.
In chapter 4, the Israelites turned away from the Lord after Ehud died and the Lord gave them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan. They were oppressed for 20 years until a prophetess – Deborah came on the scene. Verse 5 says the Israelites came to her for judgment. She called for Barak who was to lead 10,000 men in battle against Jabin and he would win. Barak wouldn’t go to battle without Deborah, so she went with him. Jabin’s right-hand man was named Sisera who was killed by a woman named Jael. This is an interesting chapter containing 2 heroines who helped defeat the Canaanites.
God shows us His faithfulness as He raised deliverers for the people when they turned to Him as He said He would do. We can count on Him and His faithfulness to us today as well.
Psalm 107 starts Book Five in the Psalms – the last book in Psalms. There are more varied psalms in this book all addressing different struggles.
Psalm 107 common theme is the desire to have all people know God and turn to Him. There are numerous references to this. Verses 8, 21, and 31 all say “Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!” Repetition is significant in the Bible. The psalmist also speaks to God’s mighty nature. For example, the Lord hushes the storm to a whisper. Yes, God is mighty. He is also good, loving, and kind. Let us be mindful and revere the Lord our God.
Let us pray:
O Lord, thank You for being the almighty God that You are. Thank You for caring for us so much that You gave Your Son to save us. Father, as we read about the Israelites, we see their errors. Help us see our own. Help us draw closer to You each day and allow You to change us and make us holy as You desire. Keep our hearts seeking You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.