Psalm: 24 Meditation 1 Timothy: Confession of faith is an on-going thing. Paul seeks to encourage Timothy yet at the same time, remind him that this Christian faith can often lead to persecution. To bring Timothy to the stark reality of the cost of discipleship, Paul reminds him of Jesus’ chat with Pilot – we …
Category: Daily Reading Guides
Saturday, April 4
Psalm: 13 Meditation John: This is the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This event prefigures Jesus’ own resurrection with one glaring difference: Jesus will rise from the dead with a “glorious” body whereas Lazarus would one day die again. The unbelievers were present here as well to mock Jesus “Could he not…?’, …
Friday, April 3
Psalms: 6, 95 Meditation Romans: ’Tis is a stern warning against complacency. We have seen how the Jews believed that they were chosen by God just by accident of birth. God, in essence, “got stuck with them” regardless of their lack of faith. Here Paul is warning the Gentiles that what can be given can …
Thursday, April 2
Psalm: 143 Meditation Romans: Hearing the gospel is necessary for salvation, but hearing is not enough: people must also respond with personal trust. Isaiah 53:1 prophesies that not all will believe. The message that must be heard is the word of Christ, that is, the good news about Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen …
Wednesday, April 1
Psalm: 119:97-120 Meditation John: Matthew tells us in his chapter 15 that as Jesus was going about in Tyre & Sidon that He was sent to call the lost sheep of Israel. Like John the Baptizer, Jesus’ ministry was mainly calling the Jews to repentance. The “other sheep” are Gentiles; so here Jesus gives us …
Tuesday, March 31
Psalm: 130 Meditation Jeremiah: Judah has abandoned her covenant with God. God has sent several prophets to speak to the people warning them that just as Israel (the Northern Kingdom) was carried away for their sin so will be Judah. The promise is that while Judah will go to Babylon their release is also promised …
Monday, March 30
Psalm: 102 Meditation Which to choose – Jeremiah and his figs, John’s account of the man born blind or the age-old question posed in Romans 9 – why are we held accountable if no one can resist His (God’s) will? The Roman passage is the most difficult so let’s go. Arrogance is not limited to …
Sunday, March 29
Psalm: 88 Meditation Mark: Peter’s rebuke to Jesus, it turns out, is in direct opposition to the Father’s will. Selfishly Peter may have meant well, but that would thwart the divine plan. As for Jesus’ followers, “taking up his cross” (v. 35) simply means that discipleship is not cheap – it may eventually call one …
Saturday, March 28
Psalm: 80 Meditation John: “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” This “hard saying” was John 6:43-59 (readings from Thursday & Friday). I wonder if Jesus says things like this as a means of filtering out his followers. This teaching would certainly limit the number of those only giving lip-service to God. Several …
Friday, March 27
Psalms: 75, 95 Meditation Jeremiah: The responsibility of the teachers is treated here. While priests in the OT could only come from the descendants of Aaron, teaches could come from any of the 12 tribes. Paul, who was a Pharisee was from the tribe of Benjamin. The teachers of Jeremiah’s day were failing in their …
