Category: Two-Year-Bible-Reading

Knowing You, Jesus

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 3:1-11

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:8b-11 ESV
Knowing You – Graham Kendrick

Heavenly Father, I want knowing You to be my highest goal. Father, I want to know You, intimately, personally. I want to know the power of the Risen Lord. I want to trust You with my whole life, that I can walk by by faith day by day. You’re my all, you’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness. I love you, Lord. Draw me close to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.

Serving God by Serving Others

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 2:12-30

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.

Philippians 2:19-22 ESV

When you read this did you notice how Timothy is concerned not for himself, but for others, and that this is why Paul says Timothy seeks not his own interests, but those of Jesus Christ? Dear sisters, I’m again reminded that serving others IS serving Christ.

I can serve the Lord by serving my husband breakfast. I can serve the Lord by listening attentively to my children as they tell me about their day. I can serve the Lord by washing dirty dishes and dirty socks. I can serve the Lord by chatting with a stranger in Walmart.

Father, help me to look to the needs of others rather than myself. Help me to love You by loving my neighbor. I want to serve You, so give me the strength to serve the people you’ve made. Give me a humble heart toward You, so I can have a humble heart toward the people around me. This is only possible by Your grace. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Suffering and Striving Side-by-Side for the Sake of the Gospel

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Philippians 1:27-2:11

Whether Paul is with the Philippians or whether he is hours away, he wants them to stand firm, having one spirit and one mind with him and with one another, striving side by side for the gospel, not being frightened of anything, because they trust that God is good and that He is on His sovereign throne.

From there Paul moves directly into Philippians 2 which is a more well-known passage, but it’s so good to study it in this context. Paul knows this side-by-side striving for the gospel in the face of opposition will be hard, and they will want to give up, so he writes,

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11 ESV

By His Grace and In His Service, I, Kim, a servant of Christ Jesus write to you. Press on. Jesus is worth it. Keep going. Whether you can see me or not, I’m right here beside you. We are marching lockstep together, in the Lord’s army together, following the same Master, the Master who became the servant, even to death, death on a cross. We are each chains linked together in the bonds of the Spirit for the sake of the gospel. We need each other. And we can stand firm by the power of God at work in us. For the sake of all those lost souls and for the sake of the Name of our Savior and Lord, press on.

To live is Christ. To die is gain.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 1:12-26

“…To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Philippians 1:21 ESV

To live is Christ.

To die is gain.

Is my faith really that strong that I can truthfully repeat these words of Paul with my own lips?

  • To live is Christ — Is my life truly hidden in Christ, led by Christ, in submission to Christ?
  • To die is gain — Am I certain-sure that heaven is real and that I’m going there?

The world shouts, “Pursue riches. Pursue fame. Pursue power and beauty and praise. Take it easy. Enjoy life. You do you. Do what makes you happy. YOLO.”

But the Word whispers, “Pursue what makes for peace and building others up. (Romans 14:19) Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11) Work hard. Enjoy Me. Be conformed to My likeness. Do what makes Me happy. YOLO.”

Which voice am I listening to?

Oh, Heavenly Father, I only live once. It has been appointed for me to some day die and to stand before Your throne. Teach me to number my days that I might have a heart of wisdom. Give me the humility I need to count others more significant than myself, to look out for the interests of others. Make my faith firm and unwavering, that I can utter these words with complete conviction, “To live is Christ. To die is gain.” In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, the One who is Worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Amen.

See: Hebrews 9:27, Psalm 90:12, Revelation 5:12

My Worth is not in What I Own

Partners in the Gospel

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 1:1-11

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 1:1-11 ESV

I love Paul’s humility as he opens this letter. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ” — not “Paul, the one God chose to spread the gospel throughout the world, and Timothy my little brother,” nor “Paul, a servant of Christ, and Timothy, my disciple.”

Then, I noticed Paul’s subtle encouragement for humility on the part of his readers as well.

Paul is writing this letter to all the saints in Philippi along with the overseers and deacons. He isn’t writing to the overseers and deacons and then telling them, “Hey, share this info with those other saints among you.”

When Paul says in verse 3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” expressing his gratitude that they have been partners in the gospel – in receiving the gospel and in sharing the gospel – he’s not just writing (or even primarily writing) to the elders, deacons, evangelists, and pastors. He’s writing to each and every believer in the body of Christ at Philippi. Each one of them are his partner because each of them (each of us) are partakers with Paul of God’s grace (verse 7). Paul wants each one of them to know how much he loves them, and how much he wants them to abound with more and more love, knowledge, and discernment.

My dear friends, my sisters, my fellow servants of Jesus Christ, I echo Paul’s words. I want you to know this, too!

Whether you are a 95-year-old great grandmother who has been studying the Bible verse by verse since you were “knee high to a grasshopper,” or you are a brand new believer reading Philippians for the first time, I am thankful for your partnership in the gospel, and I want you to know the Word better … so that you will know God better … so that you can love Him more and glorify Him more.

I want you to have deeper knowledge of the Lord so that you may accurately discern what is excellent and what is evil, so that your heart and your life may be pure when you meet Jesus face-to-face and so that the watching world will see your good works and be drawn to give glory and praise to God.

Photo by Jeremy Mosley on Pexels.com

I love how each of Paul’s words seem to pour one into the next, like a stream rolling over a series of rocks until finally being deposited into the deep, wide, quiet lake of the glory and praise to God. I want you to know how much I love you, how thankful I am for you, how often I pray for you, that you would love God more, that you would know Him more, that you would be able to easily recognize what is good and what is not, that you may be pure and blameless, full of righteous fruits … to the glory and praise of God. That’s the end goal. The end goal isn’t about you, your happiness and holiness, your comfort and peace. The end goal is that God would be praise and glorified.

And the irony in that is that your joy is ultimately found in bringing God glory. I am never happier than when I am in the fellowship of other believers, worshipping the Lord together in song and prayer and Bible study.

I wonder – Do you have any sisters and brothers that you can say these words of Paul to? If so, have you told them how much they mean to you? If not, let me encourage you to find a group now. Find a local body of believers. Join a small group of women who pray for each other. Study the Bible with a few other sisters.

If you’re not familiar with Community Bible Study, check into them. They have groups all over the world. If you’re in the Memphis area, I invite you to join the Collierville, Tennessee group. We meet in person on Wednesday mornings or online on Thursday evenings.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for each faithful partner in the gospel that You have put into my life. Some of them live just minutes away from me, while others live on the other side of the world. Thank You for each one of them, from the newest believer to the seasoned saint. I pray that their love will abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, that they may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory of praise of Your Name! In the Blessed and Holy Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Philippians – in 20 minutes

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Philippians 1-4

This is the first short book of the Bible in my “Read through the Bible in 2 Years” plan. I suggest that you first read the entire book in one sitting as though you’d just received a letter from a friend you haven’t seen in years. Then, each day of this week, really meditate on just a little bit at a time.

Have you ever tried memorizing a whole book of the Bible? I haven’t. I’ve memorized several chapters, such as Psalm 139 and 1 Corinthians 13, but never a whole book. Philippians would be a great book to memorize from beginning to end. I’ve already memorized most of chapters 2 and 4 along with a smattering of other verses from this book. Maybe I should try memorizing the whole thing! Here are some great reasons why and tips to memorize an entire book of the bible.

One great way to work toward memorizing is to record yourself reading, then listen to it while you’re walking. So, I recorded the whole book myself. You’re welcome to listen to me – or try it yourself! By the way, I use the ESV translation if you’d like to read along.

Philippians 1-4 ESV

A Prayer for my Children and Grandchildren – from the Scriptures

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 26, Proverbs 4:1-9

This month marks my first granddaughter’s 2nd birthday and the anticipation of my second granddaughter’s arrival. In honor of them both, I wanted to pray for them using the framework of today’s scripture reading. I hope you’ll join me in praying for your children and grandchildren.

Heavenly Father, I pray that my children and grandchildren will trust in You without wavering, that You may test their hearts and minds and they will be proven true. May Your steadfast love be ever before their eyes. Protect them from the schemes of hypocrites, evildoers, and the wicked.

I pray that their mouths will be full of thanksgiving, telling others of Your wondrous deeds. May they love to be in Your presence and delight to be in the company of Your people.

Redeem them. Be gracious to them. Set their feet on level ground.

I pray that they would listen carefully to the teaching of their mother and father, that they would gain insight and wisdom. May they hold fast to Your Words and desire to keep Your commandments all the days of their lives. May their lives be built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, being followers of Your Word, not hearers only.

I pray that they would love You with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and love their neighbor as themselves, daily trusting in Your promises and being found faithful until their final breath.

In the holy, powerful name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!

Is God a Sadistic, Genocidal Murderer?

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Numbers 33-36

“And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

Numbers 33:50-56 ESV

Two weeks ago I published a YouTube video based on the Aaronic Prayer of Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26. Within 24 hours, I’d received a comment from an atheist accusing God of committing genocide and demanding young virgins as war booty to serve in his temple.

I have continued thinking about this man’s comments as I’ve read chapter by chapter through Numbers. I don’t want to read the scriptures through the lenses of my own bias or preconceived notions. I want to have eyes and ears that search for the truth. So, what is it?

  • Is the God of the Bible a genocidal murderer, cruelly wiping out whole nations?
  • Is He a sadist, getting pleasure out of inflicting pain?
  • Or is He the holy, loving, good Father that I believe Him to be?

Friends, it’s so important to read the Bible – or any book for that matter – in context. Just like you could carefully cut one sentence from my blog and twist it to say something totally different than what I truly meant, likewise a person can take a sentence from the Bible to mean something totally different from what God is actually communicating.

Here is Numbers 33, we better understand God’s command for the Israelites to completely wipe out and drive out the inhabitants of the land. God knows the future of the men, women, and children currently living in Canaan as well as the future of the Israelites that He is bringing in to possess the land. God knows that the Canaanites will not repent. God knows they will be thorns and barbs to the Jewish people, leading them into idolatry and immorality. God always wants always for His good as well as for the good of His people.

The Lord truly is “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

The Lord’s blessings extend to the thousands. His forgiveness is boundless. But our sin does have consequences – upon our own lives and even down to our children, grandchildren, and great grand children. We see this again and again in the story of these faithless, complaining Israelites – as well as in our own modern lives.

So, you can read Numbers and decide that God is a cruel tyrant … or you can read Numbers and walk away more sure than ever that God is a just, faithful, forgiving, patient Father.

What did you decide?

Heavenly Father, I pray for those who have been hurt by the church, who have gotten glimpses of your truth but have chosen to turn away from Your grace. Please, Father, bring them back to You and have mercy on them. Just like the Israelites who tested You time and again with their complaints, for the sake of Your Glorious Name, remember Your children. In the Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Your Grace is Enough

Being a Peacemaker

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Reading through the Bible: Numbers 32

I just loved reading Numbers 32 about how Moses handled this situation with the people of Gad and Reuben who wanted to stay on the east of the Jordan rather than crossing over.

  • Moses explained how he felt.
  • Moses remained calm.
  • Moses asked questions.
  • Moses shared his own personal experience.
  • Moses didn’t hide his faith.
  • Moses listened with an open mind to the other side of the argument.

And as a result, Moses helped everyone come to a mutually agreeable, God-honoring compromise.

Lord, I want to be a Peace-maker … not a Peace-faker – burying my head in the sand and letting bitterness fester in my heart … not a Peace-breaker – making selfish demands, storming and sulking, spewing angry words like lava. Help me to know when to speak up and when to guard my mouth with a muzzle. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to be angry. I want to be Your servant, correcting my opponent with gentleness and respect, pursuing peace, being an ambassador for Your kingdom rather than my own. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, I pray. Amen.

Keeping our Wedding Vows – Some Thoughts from Numbers 30

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Numbers 29-31

On December 23, 1994, I vowed before God and a room full of witnesses to remain faithful to my husband until parted by death.

It’s been 28 years now and by God’s grace I’ve kept that vow, through sickness and health, good times and bad. Today, after reading Numbers 30 about a woman making vows, I wanted to write here the actual words of those vows that I wrote and uttered. I pray they would remind me (and you) of the solemnity of the marriage covenant.

Before God and these witnesses,

I vow to be your partner, your dearest friend, and your wife.

I promise to love, trust, and respect you.

I will love you in sickness & in health, in good times and in bad.

I will share with you my joys and sorrows, my hopes and dreams.

I promise to challenge you spiritually and encourage you in our Christian walk together.

I will put you first in my life, knowing that our love is my most precious possession.

I promise that the home we are founding today will be a sanctuary of love, honor, and faith.

I pledge myself now to be ever faithful to you with all my body, mind, heart, and soul.

All that I am, and all that I ever will be is yours.

Today is the beginning of the rest of my life.

I will love you for today and all of our tomorrows.

Heavenly Father, I need Your strength to remain faithful. I can’t do it on my own. In my own flesh, I’m more like a dog chasing squirrels than like Horton the faithful elephant. I need Your help, Father. Help me to be a humble helpmate. Help me to be patient and kind. Help me not to be irritable and resentful. Help me to forgive and trust and persevere. I pray that my husband and I would be found faithful – faithful to each other and faithful to You – pointing a lost world to You, the only One who is faithful one-hundred percent. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen .

Find Us Faithful – Steve Green
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss