"One Year Bible" Daily Reading

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Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; Psalm 78:65-72; Proverbs 12:25

The Power of Encouragement

Reference: Proverbs 12:25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

Observation: There are two things we can learn from this verse. First, as we are dealing with other people, we need to be reminded how important our encouragement is. Most people have something to worry about and so most everyone needs others, like us, in their lives to remind them that God has it all in control. As we go through life, what better preoccupation can we have then focusing on how to encourage our family, friends and even strangers God brings along our path. Remind them that God loves them. Remind them that He has a good plan for them. Remind them that all things work together for God if they will simply love God and live according to His purposes.

The other thing we can learn from this verse is that we need encouragement. Being human, we are burdened by worry and anxiety as well, from time to time. It would be wise to cultivate friends around us that will remind us of the goodness and promises of God. The right kinds of friends will lift us up when we need it, the wrong kind will drag us down all the time.

Application/Confession: I forget, sometimes, how much the people around me, people I love and care for, need encouragement. I get so consumed in the drama of my own life that I simply forget to give them what they need. I want to be a better encourager.

PRAYER: You, Lord, encourage me all the time.  Give me the grace to encourage others like you have encouraged me. Never let me forget how important it is.

One Year Bible Daily Reading

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Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Luke 12:35-59; Psalm 78:56-64; Proverbs 12:24

Not Working Hard Hurts a Lot of People

Reference: Proverbs 12:24 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave

OBSERVATION: It is easy to fall into the "I just want to get by" mentality when it comes to work. Chuck Colson wrote; "Why American Doesn't Work. How the Decline of the Work Ethic is Hurting Your Family and Future" and, in too many cases, he is right--people are not working up to their potential in America today. We spend hours on the Internet in personal surfing or emailing. We waste time chatting and doing personal business. We cut corners to avoid the hard work we need to do.

The bottom line, as Solomon knew, is that we are hurting no one more than ourselves. The leader embraces hard work. They know it is the only way to success. The lazy person who avoids it is putting themselves on a track to being another's wage slave.

The lure of entertainment, and there is so much of it available to us, tempts us to take the easy way out. Why read a book when there is 500 channels and a billion web sites available? We should read because leaders are readers and the hard work of reading makes us better people.

Application/Confession: For the most part I work hard. It is now 6:52 in the morning and I have already been reading and writing for the last half hour. On the other hand, I have felt convicted by the amount of time I spend at my desk doing other things rather than working. I need to change that. I need to update my Ipod at home. I need to make sure that I give God a full days work.

I am also convicted that I need to spend more time reading and less time on TV. Reading builds me up, helps me to grow and teaches me things. TV merely entertains.

PRAYER: Forgive me for wasting even a moment of the precious life You have given me. Convict me when I am being lazy. You have called me to leadership, help me to work hard at this calling--all the time.

Today's One Year Bible Daily Reading

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Deuteronomy 31-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23

Strength and Courage Wins the War

Reference: Deuteronomy 31:6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Observation: At least four times Joshua is reminded to be strong and courageous. Could it be that when we enter a new arena of promise and warfare, weakness and cowardice are natural human responses for many?

We all have a "Promise Land" that we are asking and praying for God to bring us into. We may be tempted to simply hope that God works it out for us with little of our own effort or commitment. The truth is, taking hold of the supernatural blessings in our lives demands action. It demands strong, courageous action.

Fortunately, God does not leave us to our own devices to face these challenges. He asks us to have strength and courage but only in the context of the three very important truths:

1. God has gone ahead of us and prepared the way. As we go forward, God has already been there making sure the path is open for us to walk.
2. He will not fail us. He that has promised will perform. We can rely on His promises to us.
3. He does not simply go before and prepare, He walks next to us as we face our life’s challenges. We are not in this alone.

With all of that in mind, God says to us; "be strong and courageous, don’t be afraid" and it is reasonable to think that we can do it.

Application/Confession: My biggest challenge when it comes to taking a hold of those promises that God as put in my heart is simply to focus my life so that the laying hold of the things are near the top of my agenda.

It is so easy to get buried by the "day to day", just living, that I am neither strong nor courageous, I am just surviving. I want to launch out and do more. I want to expand my vision and see what God could do if I am willing to walk in courage and strength and without fear.

PRAYER: First, Lord, open my eyes to see the full dimensions of my personal promise land. I want to be strong and courageous. Help me to see clearly what you are promising me and that you will walk with me through the battles ahead. I want to lay hold of all you had in mind when you called me to your Kingdom.

The Wrong Focus

Reference: Luke 12:29-31 "And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

Observation: We are cautioned to not allow our focus to be on things of this world. We can do that either by trying to accumulate and consume more and more, or, to be consumed by worry that we will not have enough. They are both forms of materialism.

Jesus reminds us not to worry; to not let anxiety control us. He makes it clear that this is a "God-less" mindset. It is those who don’t believe in God who have reason to worry, we don’t so we shouldn’t. Jesus points out that God is not unaware of your needs.

If we are not supposed to worry or focus on the things of this world, what are we supposed to do? We are to attend to God’s work as first priority, caring for people, proclaiming the Good News about Jesus, and God will make sure we are taken care of.

Application/Confession: I worry. Not when things are going well, but at the first sign of trouble. If the offerings are down for a week or two at church or an unexpected bill shows up, I get anxious. I need to keep my focus on God’s purposes and learn better how to live in faith.

Today's One Year Bible Daily Reading

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Deuteronomy 29-30:20; Luke 11:37-12:7; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 12:19-20

Dangerous disobedience

Reference: Deuteronomy 30:19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

Observation: In all of this chapter, and the last several, Moses does everything in his power to make it clear what the result will be for the Israelites if they either obey God or if they give into sin, reject God and go after the idols of the land they are about to occupy. Here he summarizes; choose life or death, blessings or curses, that is your choice, so make it.

We may be tempted to think that this extended passage has little to do with us. After all, didn't Jesus deal with the curse of sin on the cross?

Certainly He did; if we accept Him we are on the way to heaven and our sin doesn't change that. On the other hand, our sin does matter. Those who live their lives against God and His principles will not be blessed. They may make it to heaven (if they have accepted Christ) but they won't be blessed.

You and I have to decide that we want this blessing and want it enough to live right. God still offers a blessing for obedience and warns us that He has put a natural law in place, sowing and reaping, and if we "sow to the flesh" we will "reap destruction". This section of scripture is both a warning and a promise for us and our children and grandchildren.

Application/Confession: In the moment of temptation it is easy to forget the far reaching consequences for me and for my family. I give in thinking that it really won't matter and then wonder why I am not as blessed as I would like to be.

I want to be right because I love God with all of my heart, but I also want to be in a position where He can bless me.

PRAYER: Remind me Lord, that my choices matter. Not only do they offend you, and I am so sorry for that, but they also bring negative results into my life. Help me to see, and remember, that you want to bless me and help me do everything I can to help bring that about.

Today's One Year Bible Daily Reading

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Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18

Do Your Words Cut or cure?

Reference: Proverbs 12:18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

Observation: Over and over again the book of Proverbs makes the point; our words can wound or our words can heal. This verse makes us ask once more, "are the people around me more healthy or less so because of what comes out of my mouth?"

How can we bring healing? By taking the time to understand what the person needs and then giving it to them. Do they need encouragement? Encourage them. Do they need to be complimented and built up? We should find something we can honestly say that is complimentary. Do they need their hope restored? We can be a beacon of positive truth that ends their hopelessness.

Yet is all comes from this; we must decide that we are on this planet not just for ourselves but for others as well and look for how we can serve them with what we say.

Application/Confession: Just last night I made a remark that hurt my wife. I was not healing; I was hurting in what I said. I communicated distrust and disregard. I need to be more careful to see what is hurtful or helpful from her perspective. It is easy to say, "that wouldn’t hurt me", but that is not the point. It needs to be healing from their perspective not mine.

PRAYER: Lord, you have given me so many wonderful people to love; family, friends and church members. Help me to use my words to more effectively bring healing into their lives.

Today's One Year Bible Daily Reading

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Deuteronomy 26-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17

Happy Tithing

Reference: Deuteronomy 26:8-11 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground. Then place the produce before the Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him. 11 Afterward you may go and celebrate because of all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

Observation: Tithing, I believe, is a concept attested to both in the Old and New Testament. I believe that we are blessed when we give God a 10^th of what He has given us.

This passage is a pattern of how we ought to do it. When we tithe we should remember all the ways that God has provided for us in the past. We should do it as worship to Him. Not just as a mechanical act of "putting something in the basket" but of ascribing to Him value and worth from our hearts. We should take that moment to rejoice in all that we have and all that God has done. It should be a joyous occasion, not a solemn one.

Application/Confession: I tithe every month because I believe in it. I know that God has blessed me because I give to Him. One the other hand, I have my service send in a check. It is all very efficient and mechanical. I dont worship by doing it and there is little celebration attached. I need to reconsider how I give my tithe.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for all that you have done for me and for my family. It would take me hours to recount all of your blessings. Help me to be as free with my worship in tithing as you have been in blessing me.

If They Could Just See It from My Perspective!

Reference: Proverbs 12:15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

Observation: It’s not just the fool, most of us think that our own way is right. The difference between the wise among us and the rest or us, is that the wise recognize that they may, indeed, be wrong. This is one of the most useful scriptures in the Bible. If we would just listen then we could avoid a host of problems and be so much more successful.

The problem with most of us is that we see things crystal clear from our own perspective. We can not imagine how it would look any differently for anyone else. That is the just the problem; they do see it differently than we do. Success, in business, families, friendship relationships and life in general, comes from listening well enough to understand that difference and adjusting to it.

We may get tempted to get angry that they don’t see it our way. In the end, though, our anger is pretty pointless. They can’t see it our way any more than we can see it their way. In the end, we do not given the ability to control another’s perceptions, but we can work to widen our own.

Application/Confession: I know this principle. It still doesn’t stop me from violating it. I need to do what James suggests; talk less, listen more and slow way down my anger response. I need to always remember that those around me do not perceive things the way they do just to irritate me. It is honestly how they see life and they would see it that way whether I was involved or not. Understanding this helps to slow down my knee jerk reactions and learn and change--good things all.