Read through the Bible in 2 years: Matthew 3; Psalm 56
“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:12 ESV
John the Baptizer was calling the people to repent, and so does Jesus.
A time is coming when each of us will stand before the throne of God and be judged. Are you ready? If God asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?
I’m a good person.
I go to church.
I read my Bible.
The good I’ve done outweighs the bad.
I’m a Christian.
Your Son, Jesus Christ, has paid the price for me. His blood has washed away my sins. My faith is in Him and Him alone.
Only one of these is the correct answer. Are you ready to meet God? Have you turned away from your sins and trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation? Have you publicly professed your faith in Him and followed Him in being baptized? If the answer to any of these questions is no, please let today be the day. Don’t put it off any longer. Only God knows when you’ll breathe your last breath and that day for your judgment will come.
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, in the flesh, to be my atoning sacrifice, paying the debt that I could never pay. I pray that You would use me to share this good news with others. I pray that those reading this would trust in Jesus’s finished work on the cross, repenting of their sins and turning to You for salvation. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 32, Psalm 47
Have you ever overheard someone slander or misrepresent your mom or dad, your brother or sister, your husband or child or friend? Did you speak up to defend them, to correct the false information?
That is kinda the situation that Elihu is in here, except this time the person being misrepresented is God Himself. Elihu has listened carefully and patiently long enough, and now he’s got to speak up.
For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me. Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst. I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.
Job 32:18-20 ESV
We, too, must know when to wait patiently in silence, but we must also know when to speak up! May we not give way to cowardice under the guise of humility. Rather, we must courageously, gently, respectfully speak the words that the Spirit gives us to speak.
As a child of God, we should feel compelled to speak up when our Heavenly Father’s character or His Word are misrepresented. How dare we stand idly by and let our Lord’s Name be sullied or spoiled! Like Peter and John said when they were commanded to stop telling people about the risen Christ, “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)
Truly, my love for Christ – and His love for me – compels, controls, constrains me to implore others to be reconciled to God. I hope you feel the same way. Let me encourage you to take a few minutes of your time right now to read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 to learn more about being an ambassador for Christ.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your loving kindness and mercy towards me, a sinner. I pray that I would be an ambassador for Your kingdom, sharing the good news of reconciliation that Your Son made possible by His blood.
Help me to be gentle, respectful, humble, and patient… And help me to be bold and courageous, not giving way to fear and cowardice. May my love for You compel me to speak up when You are slandered and may my love for others compel me to tell them their desperate need for a Savior. In the Name of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord I pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Job 25, Psalm 42
I hope your Bible is open as you’re reading this. If it is, you’ll notice that Job 25 is only six verses long, yet it’s so rich that I just let it take me on rabbit trails rather than continuing to read further in Job. In fact, I pretty much studied just one verse.
How then can man be in the right before God?
How can he who is born of woman be pure?
Job 25:4 ESV
I opened my trusty Blue Letter Bible app. If you don’t have it, I would highly encourage you to get it. It is free to download and absolutely chock-full of great tools and resources.
First, I looked at cross-references – there was a list of over a dozen. Read through these and let them sink in.
Cross-referenced verses from Job 25:4
Then I used the interlinear feature to study the words “right” and “pure.”
I noticed that “right” – sadaq – can mean to be just, righteous … or to be made just or declared righteous, while “pure” – zaka – can mean to be clean, pure … or to be made clean and pure. And then I noticed that zaka – “pure” – is also used in Psalm 119:9, so I went there!
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!
Psalm 119:9-12 ESV
Whew! I found so much meat and encouragement by chasing all those rabbit trails from just one verse. Don’t be afraid to do that. You never know where the Lord will lead you.
Let’s pray!
Heavenly Father, thank you for making me pure and making me clean. Such were some of us … such was I, but I have been washed and cleansed in the blood of Jesus.
Lord, I pray that I would keep my ways and my mind pure by keeping them in accordance with Your Word. May I be careful where my feet walk. Help me to think about what I’m thinking about.
Thank You for the purifying, redeeming, cleansing, justifying blood of Jesus Christ, Your only Son and my only Lord and Savior. It is in His name that I pray. Amen.
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Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Job 11; Psalm 32
Before going any further in our study in the book of Job, I want you to know that I’m actually finding it really weird to invest time reading through Job verse by verse and sharing my thoughts with you, because many of the ideas contained in this book simply aren’t good theology. No one should base their ideas about God and man on the grief-stricken meditations of Job, like “Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.” (Job 10:18-19) But on the other hand, it’s actually really cool to mine for truth in this book. Like you can find truth in secular books and movies, you can find truth in the words of Job and his friends, though I still caution you from using them as the foundation for your theological beliefs.
With that out of the way, let me ask you a question – Have you ever greeted someone with the very standard question, “How are you today?” and received the unexpected reply, “Better than I deserve”? There’s TRUTH in those words. All of us are better than we deserve. Like Romans 6:23a says, “The wages of sin is death.”
So, today, let’s ponder these words spoken to Job by his friend, Zophar,
Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
Job 11:6
Dear friends, I don’t know about you, but I know that I have broken God’s law more times than I can count. I have used His name in vain. I have blasphemed the Almighty Creator of the Universe. I have mocked and criticized His Son and His children. I have hated and dishonored God and His creation.
God would be totally just to spit in my face, call me unspeakable names, slap me across both my cheeks, and apply two-dozen lashings across my back. I deserve to be hung and shot and burned. I deserve it. God has exacted from me much less than my guilt deserves.
Truly, God has had mercy on me, a sinner. God pours out His grace on me and calls me His child. God sent His Own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for my sins – making a way for me to not only NOT be punished, but to receive EVERLASTING LIFE!
I’m not worthy. I’m not worthy. But He has made me worthy. That is indeed Amazing GRACE.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
Oh the Grace of our Lord God! The matchless, unfathomable GRACE of God! Not only have You not given us what we deserve, but You have given us that which we do not deserve – boundless, eternal abundant life, the riches of glory with You.Thank You!
Lord, please help us to understand how great is Your goodness, that we will shout from the mountaintops, “Christ the Lord is Risen! Hallelujah! Come to Him! Come to Him!” We have found a goldmine with limitless gold. We have found the living water that never ceases. We have found the bread that is indeed new every morning. May Your love compel us to share this good news with others. Let us not keep these wonders to ourselves. Your love is boundless – it grows as it is shared. Let us share it! Give us ears to hear and eyes to see and mouths to proclaim Your mercy and grace and power and might and goodness!
In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
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“My Worth is Not in What I Own” – Fernando Ortega, Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty
Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Job 9-10; Psalm 31
“If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.”
Job 9:30-31 ESV
I feel Job’s pain. Job wants to be right with God. Job desperately wants the Lord to bless him and look well on him, and he can’t understand why He won’t. It reminds me of when Esau cried out bitterly to his father, Isaac, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” (Genesis 27:34 ESV)
When I first heard and believed the gospel, I went from trying my hardest to obey my own made-up rules in my own strength, to trying my hardest to obey my own made-up rules PLUS God’s rules … still in my own strength. All that did was leave me exhausted and more depressed than ever. I could never keep my own rules, not to mention God’s rules, on my own. Like the Lord spoke through His prophet Jeremiah, “Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me.” (Jeremiah 2:22 ESV)
Let me encourage you, friends, this is not the incredible good news of the gospel. Jesus Christ didn’t die on the cross so you could keep more rules. Jesus died to cleanse you fully of every sin you have ever committed and will ever commit and to give you the power by His Holy Spirit and through faith in Him to go and sin no more. As born again followers of Jesus Christ, we can now work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)
I hope you will take some time today to ponder the finished work of Jesus Christ, what He has done for you, that you can be fully cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony (Revelation 12:11).
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18 ESV
Will you please pray with me?
Heavenly Father,
You alone are holy, holy, holy. You dwell in unapproachable light. You are perfect in thought and word and deed. All Your ways are right. You are the very definition of perfect purity.
Thank You, thank You, thank You for the almighty cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, the only blood that can wash us clean, once and for all. Like Your Word says, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, but when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He took His place, sitting at Your right hand, for His work was finished.
I pray for each person reading this who is still trying to make themselves clean by their own works. Teach them, Father, that their own good deeds are nothing but filthy rags in Your sight, that even the most righteous man is nowhere near the level of perfection that You demand. I pray that they will be washed in the blood of Jesus today, that You will plunge them in that fountain full of scarlet red blood, that they may come out spotless and pure, that they will have the power of the Holy Spirit coursing through their veins, giving them new desires and new power to walk in the righteousness of faith, turning away day after day from their sin, and turning toward Your perfect light.
In the good and gracious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
For more: Read Romans 6-8 and Hebrews 9-10
“There is a Fountain” – William Cowper – The N Crew
Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 25, Genesis 49-50
His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.”
Joseph understood that his life was not his own. He recognized that his life was too be lived in service to his fellow man and his God. Whether refusing the advanced of his boss’s wife, interpreting dreams, obeying his father, or providing for the needs of the Egyptians or the brothers who has sold him into slavery, his life was lived as an offering back to God. Can we say the same?
Is your body “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”? (Romans 12:2 ESV)
Do you see your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God, such that “you are not your own,” … that you will live to “glorify God in your body”? (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)
If your answer is “no,” let me make two simple, but not simple, suggestions:
You can’t live what you don’t believe. If you don’t believe God’s Word … if you don’t believe that Jesus is the perfect, sinless God-man, the spotless Lamb who died for your sins and was raised to life again … if you don’t believe that God is good and all-knowing and all-powerful over all things, then you won’t be able to trust God enough to surrender your life to Him. Start there. Start by simply reading His Word each day, while asking Him to help you in your unbelief.
You can’t give what you don’t have. If you don’t belong to God, if you’re not filled with His Holy Spirit, then you simply don’t have the power to live for Him. Surrender your life now to God. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn away from your sins and follow Him with an obedient spirit. Ask Him to change you from the inside out and fill you with His Spirit.
Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for coming after me while I was lost in my own sins. Thank You for giving us the book of Genesis, that we can know how the world began, but also that we can know the true stories of ordinary men and women like Abraham and Sarah and Joseph who possessed extraordinary faith.
Help us to trust You more, to believe that nothing is too hard for You, that You have good plans for us and that You have a purpose for our lives. Make us pure and holy vessels of Your Spirit. Make us living offerings for Your glory. We love You. We trust You. Help us to love You more and trust You more, for You are worthy.
In the name of Jesus Christ who is our Savior and our Lord we pray. Amen.
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If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.
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“I am Not my Own” Keith + Kristen Getty, Skye Peterson
Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 10; Genesis 18:16-19:38
“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” … Then he said, ‘Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.'”
– Genesis 18:25, 32 ESV
A common argument against Christianity is that God is unfair, condemning good people to hell, yet here we read about God’s incredible mercy upon the people of Sodom. God would not unjustly wipe out even ten people. When not even ten people are found, God sends His messenger to rescue righteous Lot, his wife, and his daughters.
In case you have a hard time believing that there were no other righteous people found in that whole city, pay attention to the words of Genesis 19:4, “But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.”
I fear we humans are often prone to thinking too highly of ourselves, sure that we would be among those ten righteous residents of Sodom. Let’s not forget what we read in Genesis 15:6 that Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness. This idea is repeated in many places in scripture, including Romans 3:10, “None is righteous, no, not one,” and Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Abraham was righteous because of his faith.
We must be careful not be like that Pharisee in the parable that Jesus told which is recorded in Luke 18.
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!‘
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
– Luke 18:10-14 ESV
We all deserve death and condemnation for our sins – the Pharisee, the tax collector, Lot, Noah, Abraham, and every one of those wicked men of Sodom. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 ESV) But our just judge paid the price with His own blood.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You, for Your mercy toward me, a sinner. Apart from Your grace, I would be headed straight to destruction. Apart from Your gift of faith, I am no better than those men of Sodom. Let their destruction be an example to me of Your justice in rescuing the righteous and condemning the guilty.
Please use me to be a herald of good news. Please help my heart to break for the lost sinners of my city who need the good news of the gospel.
We pray for our husbands and children. Please, Father, protect them from that evil tempter, the devil. Show them the way of escape which You promise to provide. Open their ears to hear cloud and clear the warning bells crying “danger, danger” when they’re tempted. Help us to help them and to be faithful prayer warriors morning, noon, and night.
And, thank You for sending Your Son, Christ Jesus to earth to be my sin substitute, to die in my place. He died the death I know I deserved.
In the Mighty and Merciful Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.
Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Genesis 11, Psalm 5
Remember when God told Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Well, Noah’s family multiplied, but they didn’t want to spread out to fill the earth. They didn’t want to be dispersed. They wanted to stay in one place and make a name for themselves.
But God …
Like we read yesterday about God’s sovereign purpose and wisdom in the lives of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, God again carries out His good plan of mankind filling the earth. God confused the people’s language … for their good and His glory!
Can you image how that must have felt to suddenly not be able to communicate with your own family and friends? I’m sure that was very frustrating! It reminds me of the times I’ve spent in China, Hungary, and Russia.
But God …
I’m so thankful that God scattered those first people all over the world, and so thankful that God sovereignly ordained for Christians to be scattered all over the world so people from every tribe and tongue might know and worship Him — we’ll get to that again later but if you can’t wait take a peek at Acts 8:1-4 for a taste of how persecution caused the early believers in Christ to be scattered.
Let’s praise the Lord together from Psalm 5
Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God,for to you do I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousnessbecause of my enemies;make your way straight before me.
For there is no truth in their mouth;their inmost self is destruction;their throat is an open grave;they flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;let them fall by their own counsels;because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;let them ever sing for joy,and spread your protection over them,that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O LORD;you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Amen
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 3, Genesis 8:1-9:17
“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'” – Genesis 9:1
Despite God’s recognition that the “intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth,” God commanded Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. In fact, God repeated this command a second time. (Genesis 8:21, 9:1, 7)
Note that this command was directed at the men in the family, not the women. Women can’t have babies on their own. We need willing husbands in order to bear children. Both husbands and wives should be willing vessels for the blessings that the Lord wants to send to us.
Sisters, let’s not be like fools who think, say, or live like there is no God. Rather, let us receive with open hands, homes, and wombs the children that the Lord desires for us. As Christians, we should recognize the incredible gift that every child is, whether by adoption or conception.
We must also be fruitful and multiply the kingdom of God by training up our children in the way they should go. As mothers, we can be powerful disciple-makers, bringing our children to the throne of God morning, noon, and night. Don’t underestimate the incredible impact of a wise, humble, praying mother.
As my years of child bearing have ended, and this new season of grandmothering has begun, I pray that I will continue living a fruitful, multiplying life – encouraging and serving my children as parents, teaching my grandchildren the ways of the Lord, and making disciples in my everyday life.
How can you lead a fruitful, multiplying life? I’d love to hear your comments.
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father,
You are a good Father who loves to give good gifts to Your children. Thank you for the precious gift it is to be a mother.
I pray that you would bless each of my children with children in Your perfect timing.
For those who are single, I pray that they will use this time to glorify You with their minds and lives, making the most of these days.
For those who are married and anxiously praying for a child, I pray that You will help them to wait well. I ask You, Lord, to give them children – by conception or adoption – fill their homes with the next generation of disciples of Christ.
For those who are married and in the thick of motherhood, I pray they will learn to cast all their cares on You, fully trusting that You care for them. I pray that You would make them fruitful and multiply and to receive each gift that you have ordained for them. I pray their husbands would desire the gift of children and be faithful servant leaders.
For those empty nesters and grandmothers, I pray they will use their time well, living reverent lives, teaching and serving well the younger women. Make them prayer warriors and arm-lifters and godly examples for those who are following in their footsteps.
In the wonderful name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.
Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 28, 2 John and 3 John
“Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”
– 2 John 1:12 ESV
“I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.”
– 3 John 1:13-14 ESV
At the end of both of these letters, John says that he has so much to say, but he doesn’t want to use a pen; he wants to see them and speak face to face.
It struck me as funny, reading these verses and thinking about all the people who have read things that I’ve written but have never met me and will never meet me face to face. How different it is to communicate when you can’t see your audience face to face, yet how thankful I am that John went ahead and picked up his pan and wrote down his thoughts, that we can still read them almost 2,000 years later.
I know that my words are in no way like John’s words. My words are not inspired by the Holy Spirit like John’s were. Yet, I hope my words will make an impact on this generation as well as generations to come. I pray that children not yet born might be impacted directly by my words but also indirectly through their mothers and grandmothers being encouraged and equipped through the thoughts that flow from my pen (or stylus or keyboard or phone as the case may be).
How can your words whether written or spoken make an impact today and for generations to come?
Do you keep a journal?
Do you blog?
Do you make videos?
Who do you need to write a letter, or call, or meet for coffee today?
I’d love to pray for you. Please leave a comment below.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the blessing it is to be able to write words down. Thank you for preserving Your written Word for hundreds of years that people today can read the very words of Moses and Jesus and John. Thank you for the blessing of being able to preserve our own thoughts for generations to come and to send letters to people who live far away. And thank You, too, for the gift of phone, internet, and video technology that allows us to communicate in real time with people that we can’t see face-to-face.
Thank You for each man and woman who has impacted my life through writing books and blogsand recording videos. I pray Your blessings on them and their families. Give them wisdom in what to say and encourage them when they grow weary.
You are always good and Your love endures forever.
In the eternal name of Jesus Christ who is our perfect Savior and Lord. Amen
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