Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 30, Romans 10
Dear friends, if you are reading this and have not yet bowed the knee to Jesus, let me appeal to you. Turn to Him today and be saved. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, left the glories of heaven, took on human flesh, was born as a human baby, lived a perfect and sinless life, performed numerous miracles before thousands of eye witnesses, taught with authority explaining the way of salvation by faith in the One true God. He died on a Roman cross to pay the punishment for the sins of humans like you and me, making a way – the only way – for man to be forgiven by a just and holy God, and now He invites us to trust in Him and be saved from the wrath of God.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 28, Romans 7-8
Giving birth to my stillborn son, Tommy, was a completely different experience than giving birth to my living children, not merely because the physical pain was less, but largely because there was no expectation of joy to come.
It’s hard to watch a mother in obvious pain as she groans and struggles in the pains of labor and childbirth, but the pain she’s experiencing is not without hope. That mother has hope during her pain because she knows that in the end she will hold a precious little bundle of love in her arms.
A few years ago I saw this definition of hope penned on a dry erase board in a friend’skitchen. “Hope – expectancy with desire.”
Hope – Expectancy with Desire
Expectation without desire is mere drudgery. Desire without expectation is just wishful thinking.
Expectation, combined with desire, puts fuel in our tanks and joy in our hearts. Hope enables us to keep pushing forward through the pain.
Dear sisters, hope is found in Christ. He is infinitely more exciting, and infinitely more certain, than any pot of gold you may be wishing for. All of creation is groaning today, but by faith in Christ, everlasting joy is coming. In this world we do indeed have trouble but we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. He has triumphed over sin and death. If the Spirit of God dwells in you, then you can be fully convinced that you will be raised from the dead, just as Christ was. This is our sure confidence and hope.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Sorrowing I shall be in spirit, Till released from flesh and sin, Yet from what I do inherit, Here Thy praises I’ll begin; Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood; How His kindness yet pursues me Mortal tongue can never tell, Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me I cannot proclaim it well.
O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face; Clothèd then in blood washed linen How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace; Come, my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away; Send thine angels now to carry Me to realms of endless day.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the HOPE I have in Jesus, Your Son and my Savior. Lord Jesus, I’m looking forward to Your return with eager expectation and desire. In the meantime, may Your abundant mercy and grace bind my wandering heart to Thee.Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 26-27, Romans 6
Reading through this chapter, I began asking myself a few questions. Maybe you’d like to ask them of yourself, too.
Who is sitting on the throne of my heart?
Jesus?
Me?
The world?
The devil?
Who is reigning over my life?
Jesus?
Me?
The world?
The devil?
When faced with a decision, who am I trying to obey?
Jesus?
Me?
The world?
The devil?
Who is my true Master?
Jesus?
Me?
The world?
The devil?
Father, I want to obey You because You are a Good King and a Good Master. You want for my good and not for my harm. Help me to listen to Your Word and Your voice, and help me to trust You and obey. I want to be Your obedient lamb. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
King of my Heart / Goodness of God – Caleb & Kelsey
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 25, Romans 4
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness
Romans 4:4-5 ESV
The way I see it, most people around the world today are living in one of two ways:
Either they are trying to reach God by being really good …
Or, they aren’t trying to reach God at all because they just don’t believe or don’t care.
Well, what if both of those groups are wrong?
What if the truth is that God came to us, reached down to us, and the only way to find Him is by following the path of trust, not the path of trying harder?
Certainly, God wants His children to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23) But that hard work is the result of our salvation – rather than the way to salvation. Our good works are the fruit of our rebirth – rather than the means to it. Let’s put things in their proper order.
Like Ephesians 2:8-10 says, it is “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
God is the perfect giver and salvation is the perfect gift
[Abraham] did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:19-21 ESV
Don’t you just love that two-word phrase, “fully convinced”? I do.
It made me wonder, “What am I fully convinced of? What am I really ‘certain-sure’ about?”
Am I fully convinced that Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, was buried in an empty tomb, and rose from the dead three days later?
Am I fully convinced that the Bible is the inspired word of God Himself and that it has full authority over my life?
Am I fully convinced that God is the eternal, Almighty Creator of the universe and that He will one day judge the living and the dead for how they spent their time on earth?
Is my faith just the “blow out the candles on my birthday cake” wish of a fool, or is it based on the solid, trustworthy, unchanging wisdom of the Lord and His Word?
I hope you’ll take some time today to ponder these questions, and that no matter the size of your faith – whether it’s as small as a mustard seed or as big as an elephant – it will be rooted deep into the bedrock of the Lord who holds you fast.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for all of Your many, many gifts: the gift of faith, the gift of salvation, the gift of Your Holy Spirit, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of new life and fresh hope and eternal peace. You are the perfect giver. I pray that I would have a heart of humble gratitude, receiving these gifts with thanksgiving. I pray that You would use me to share these gifts to the four corners of the world, for the glory of Your Name and the good of my fellow man. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Standing on the Promises
He Will Hold Me Fast – Selah
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Read the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 21, Acts 27-28
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.
Proverbs 21:31 ESV
For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.
Acts 27:23-25 ESV
The Victory Belongs to the LORD, not YOU – FormerAtheist58
Battle Belongs – Phil Wickham
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Read the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 20, Acts 25-26
And [Paul] said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”
Acts 26:15-20 ESV
Repent, Turn to God, Walk in Your New Life – FormerAtheist58
And Can It Be – Hymns of Grace
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Proverbs 19:18 ESV — Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.
Acts 24:24-25 ESV — After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”
Reasoned about Righteousness and Self-control and the Coming Judgment, – FormerAtheist58
O Come All You Unfaithful – Sovereign Grace Music
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Read the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 18, Acts 21-23
Acts 21:13-14 ESV — Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
** Oops 😬 ** The text on the video should say Proverbs 18 (not Proverbs 17).
Are You Ready Even to Die for the Lord Jesus – FormerAtheist58
Nearer my God to Thee – Classic Hymns
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Proverbs 17:6a ESV — “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,”
Acts 20:18-21, 24 ESV — And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ…. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Lord, help me to run this race and finish this race well – for Your glory.
Teach What is Good 
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