Bible in a Year - Day 245

Day 239 - Psalm 128, 129, 130 & 131; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40
But the Lord is righteous;    he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked. (Psalm 129:4)
But with you there is forgiveness,    so that we can, with reverence, serve you. (Psalm 130:4)
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption. 
He himself will redeem Israel    from all their sins. (Psalm 130:7-8)

Bible in a Year - Day 238

Day 232 - Psalm 112, 113, 114 & 115; 1 Corinthians 1
He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
    with the princes of his people. 
He settles the childless woman in her home     
as a happy mother of children. (Psalm 113:7-9)

Day 233 - Psalm 116, 117 & 118; 1 Corinthians 2
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
    he heard my cry for mercy. 
Because he turned his ear to me,    I will call on him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2)
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
    our God is full of compassion.
 The Lord protects the unwary;    when I was brought low, he saved me. (Psalm 116:5-6)
For great is his love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. (Psalm 117:2)
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place. 
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can human beings do to me? 
The Lord is with me; he is my helper.    I look in triumph on my enemies. (Psalm 118:5-7)

Day 234 - Psalm 119:1-48; 1 Corinthians 3
I run in the path of your commands,    for you have set my heart free. (Psalm 119:32)

Day 235 - Psalm 119:49-104; 1 Corinthians 4
Your hands made me and formed me;    
give me understanding to learn your commands. (Psalm 119:73)
Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
    you established the earth, and it endures. (Psalm 119:90) 

Day 236 - Psalm 119:105-176; 1 Corinthians 5
You are my refuge and my shield;    I have put my hope in your word. (Psalm 119:114)
You are righteous, Lord,    and your laws are right. (Psalm 119:137)
Yet you are near, Lord,    and all your commands are true. (Psalm 119:151)
Your compassion, Lord, is great;    preserve my life according to your laws. (Psalm 119:156)

Day 237 - Psalm 120, 121, 122 & 123; 1 Corinthians 6
I call on the Lord in my distress,
    and he answers me. (Psalm 120:1)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121)

Day 238 - Psalm 124, 125, 126 & 127; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24

The Lord has done great things for us,    and we are filled with joy. (Psalm 126:3)

Children are a heritage from the Lord,    offspring a reward from him. (Psalm 127:3)

  

  
     

Bible in a Year - Day 231

Day 225 - Psalm 93, 94 & 95; Romans 11:22-36
For the Lord will not reject his people;     
he will never forsake his inheritance. (Psalm 94:14)
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. 
When anxiety was great within me,     
your consolation brought me joy. (Psalm 94:18-19)
  
Day 226 - Psalm 96, 97 & 98; Romans 12
The Lord has made his salvation known     
and revealed his righteousness to the nations. (Psalm 98:2)
He will judge the world in righteousness    
 and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9)

Day 227 - Psalm 99, 100, 101 & 102; Romans 13
The King is mighty, he loves justice. (Psalm 99:4) 
Lord our God,
    you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,     
though you punished their misdeeds. (Psalm 99:8)

Bible in a Year - Day 224

Returning to the Bible in a Year after a break for December's Jesse Tree and Christmas celebrations.

Day 218 - Psalm 75, 76 & 77; Romans 6
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. (Psalm 77:15)
Your path led through the sea,
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

You led your people like a flock    by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (Psalm 77:19-20)

If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:5-7)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

December 25th - Happy Christmas!

December 24th - Jesus is Emmanuel

Jesus is Emmanuel
Isaiah 7:14; 33:22

"What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home." (Joan Osborne)

Christmas. We celebrate the birth of a baby, not the arrival of a mighty power. (Though, if you've ever spent any time with a baby, then you'll know you don't have to be big and strong to be powerful!) The coming of another human being, not a heavenly army. An everyday event, not a great spectacle. And yet, each of those were happening simultaneously. While a young woman gave birth to a helpless babe, angels sang and a star moved. Peasants and wise men came looking for him. And God was on earth.

December 23rd - Jesus is the Light of the World

Jesus is Light of the World

John 1:1-14

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:5 TNIV)

Light guides.
Light dispels darkness.
Light reveals.
Light helps things grow.
Light shows things as they really are.
Light cheers us.
Light warns.
Light highlights.
Light breaks through.
Light reflects.

Jesus is the Light of the World. Amid all kinds of darkness, we celebrate the birth of Light.

"Dear God, thank you for your Son"

December 18th - Jesus is Lord

 Jesus is Lord

Exodus 20

Jesus is Lord. So easy to say. But what does it mean?

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

I can confess it with my mouth, but if I do not understand, then how can I believe it in my heart?

"And God spoke all these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:1-3)

If Jesus is God, then He is Lord. He is the Supreme Ruler of all. There can be nothing and no one above Him. In every decision, every thought, every action and word, Jesus must come first, before our families, our friends, our jobs, our money, our free time, our Christmas presents!

"Dear God, help us to put you first this Christmas. Help us to remember why we are celebrating."

December 17th - Jesus is Wisdom

Jesus is Wisdom

Proverbs 8

"And as Jesus grew up, he increased in wisdom and in favour with God and people." (Luke 2:52)

Proverbs 8 personifies Wisdom, and makes clear statements about Wisdom's role in Creation:

I was there when he set the heavens in place,
    when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 

when he established the clouds above
    and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 

when he gave the sea its boundary
    so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,

rejoicing in his whole world     
and delighting in humankind. (Proverbs 8:27-31)

December 16th - John the Baptist

John the Baptist

Luke 1:39-45, Mark 1:1-8

John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin. They quite possibly spent much time together growing up, and perhaps knew each other really well. Jesus grieved when He heard about John's death. Even before they were born, John recognised who Jesus was. He leapt in his mother's womb when the pregnant Mary approached. There can be no argument that John was merely brought up thinking that Jesus was special - his spirit recognised his God before they even met in person!
It is difficult to acknowledge that someone you grew up with is better than you, more important, more special, and yet John willingly got down on his knees before Jesus. He reccognised God and responded to Him, acknowledging that he was not worthy even to touch his feet. Interesting to note that when Jesus was grown, He bent to clean the feet of others unworthy of touching Him.
John said of Jesus: "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)

Listen to the following song, written by Matt Redman, and meditate on what it means for Jesus to increase and us to decrease:
You Must Increase

"Dear God, help me to recognise you and respond to your presence. Enable me to become more like you. You must increase; I must decrease, Lord."

December 15th - Mary

Mary

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

What a brave woman Mary was. She risked being an outcast, and even being stoned to death, in order to be a part of God's plan for the world. She was the perfect example of obedience to bring up Jesus to also follow His Father's plan. I wonder how much she understood about what God asked of her. The Bible account doesn't tell us whether the angel told her more about the plan, or the sadness she would face, but the young virgin bowed to God's will and agreed to follow Him. The following link will take you to a beautiful song about Mary and her journey with Jesus:
"When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God."

"Dear God, help me to say, 'Yes,' to you, so that I can share in your plan for the world."

December 14th - Joseph

Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was chosen to be Jesus's earthly father. He agreed to bring up a child who everyone around them would have presumed was illicitly conceived, either through Mary's infidelity or through Joseph's premarital indiscretion. Either way, Joseph would have been the subject of a fair bit of gossip and perhaps pity. However, God revealed the truth to him. The child Mary was carrying was God's son. Not Joseph's, but not the son of any other man either.

Amid the gossip, the pity, the looks down noses, Joseph could be secure in the knowledge that he had been chosen to care for, bring up and teach God's own Son. What an honour. What a huge responsibility.

December 13th - Solomon

Solomon

1 Kings 3:5-14, 16-28

The people of Solomon's kingdom were more important to him than riches and power. When God offered him anything he wanted, Solomon chose wisdom, that he might be a better king and ruler for his people.

At Christmas we celebrate God coming to earth; a new King was born whose wisdom is infinite, and whose love for His people is greater even than Solomon's.

Solomon built the temple - Jesus is the temple.

"Dear God, help me to be wise and make good decisions."

December 12th - David

David

1 Samuel 17:12-51

David was a man after God's heart. He trusted his God to keep His promises.  He stood up to Goliath, secure in the knowledge that God plus one is the majority, and by defeating him, David saved the Israelites from slavery. He was courageous and strong and trusted in God for deliverance and victory. And he loved God deeply.

At Christmas, we celebrate freedom. Jesus's birth prompted great celebration in Heaven. The angels sang to announce His birth, because it was the beginning of our release from the bonds of sin. It can be hard to remember amid all the parties and presents and family strife that Jesus is at the centre. We need to chase after God's heart and Christmas is a perfect time to start chasing.

"Dear God, help me to have a good and kind heart, and help me to be brave."

December 11th - Jesse

Jesse

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Jesse is almost a non-character. He is a shepherd and the father of eight sons; the father of the future king. But we know nothing else about him. He isn't powerful or famous. He doesn't perform any great feats. And yet he is chosen to father a king. And to be the root of the prophecy about the promised Messiah.

Parenthood can be a lonely road at times. We're on our own, even when well supported. Our decisions, our actions, will affect our children's futures. The responsibility is huge. There are daily screw ups. Constant feelings of guilt, worry, terror! If I do this, will she end up like that? Am I ruining her prospects? Should she be doing this, that or the other by now? I hope I will one day be rewarded by seeing that my parenting has paid off, that I have brought up a strong, generous, kind and clever woman of God. That she will be a credit to me.

December 10th - Samuel

Samuel

1 Samuel 3

Samuel was another longed-for son. In gratitude for hearing her prayers for a son, Samuel's mother, Hannah, dedicated his life to God. Samuel grew up in the Temple, serving God. He heard God's voice. God spoke through Him. Samuel was with God. In Jesus we have Emmanuel - God with us. We can all hear God, all have a relationship with Him, because Jesus came to earth and lived like us.

Dear God, let me hear you when you call.

December 9th - Moses

Moses
Exodus 2:1-10

There are so many similarities in the stories of Moses and Jesus. Matthew's Gospel draws many of these parallels out. Both were babies under threat of death from their rulers; both found safety in Egypt; both were given huge, terrifying missions by God; both were destined to lead people to freedom.

"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) Christmas is the time to give thanks that God cares about us so much; that He loves enough to become like us and do what we can't to save us. Jesus grew like us, but was aware that His Heavenly Father had a bigger plan.

How do we respond? We can make sure our Christmas celebrations aren't entirely materialistic. We can use the time when we remember a birth and the threat to a baby's life as a time to speak out against the daily threats to unborn babies' lives. We can try to make the lives of those around us more pleasant and easier, and give from our plenty to those who have little.

"Dear God, let me have the courage to do what you ask of me and help me to bring freedom to all of your children."

December 8th - Joseph

Joseph

Genesis 37:23-28; 45:3-15

Today's symbol is a multicoloured tunic, representing Joseph and the great love his father had for him. There are a number of ways in which Joseph could be compared to Jesus. At Christmas we are celebrating the arrival of God's son, whom He would refer to as beloved. And, like Joseph, Jesus was betrayed by those closest to him, sold for silver coins. Yet both forgave those who had harmed them.

December 7th - Jacob

Jacob:
Today we read Genesis 25:19-34; 28:10-22. Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, met with God in a dream and learned that the promise made to his grandfather would be fulfilled through his line. God would bless all people through Jacob. Upon waking from the dream, Jacob announced, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Genesis 28:16)
My favourite advent hymn is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Advent is the time of waiting, hoping for the arrival of God in human form. Jesus was called Emmanuel, which means 'God with us'. At Christmas we celebrate God coming to earth to be with us, humbling himself to walk amongst us and be like us. He would no longer just be found in one place; He would no longer be unapproachable - in Jesus we find our personal, universal God, and we can be with Him anywhere and everywhere.

"Dear God, help me to see that the whole world is your home."

December 6th - Isaac

Isaac:

Isaac was a long awaited child. Abraham and Sarah were old, and despite God's promise of descendants, they struggled to believe they would ever become parents. When Isaac was born there must have been absolute delight and happiness - his name means laughter, after all. So when we read in Genesis 22:1-14 how God asked Abraham to sacrifice his precious son, it's impossible to understand how Abraham was able to trust God in that situation. He must have believed God's promises so strongly that there was no doubt that God would provide in some way, which He did with the ram in the bush.