Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 20,21; 2 Chronicles 17; Colossians 3

Today’s Key Passage – Colossians 3:1-17

When I was in college, I had a favorite T-shirt that I liked to wear.  It was well worn and soft, and it was my “go-to” shirt for wearing on a lazy day.  When I got out of college and got a job, I slowly started to change my wardrobe.  The shorts and t-shirts of my college days were replaced with suits and ties for my new career.  The funny thing was that every time I cleaned out my closet to make room for new clothes, I would always leave this one old favorite t-shirt behind.  It was just too comfortable to part with, and I firmly believed that I wore it well.  No matter how many brand new shirts I had hanging in my closet, I would keep going back to my favorite old t-shirt on the weekends.  If that t-shirt would have held up through the rigors of time and hundreds, if not thousands of times through the laundry, I would probably still have it today.  Sadly, it eventually became so tattered that I had to throw it away.

In today’s key passage, Paul reminds us of a different kind of wardrobe change.  He is speaking to the Christians in Colosse, and reminds them of how they should live as followers of Christ.  He begins by talking about their old selves by saying, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Vss. 5-10)  Paul goes on to tell the Colossians to put on their “new clothes” in Christ.  He says, “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Vss. 12-14)

As followers of Christ, the changes in our behavior following conversion should be like a complete change of wardrobe.  We should throw out the old clothes, and fill our closets with brand new ones.  We should, “set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Vs. 2)  The problem is that for a lot of us, we tend to not throw away all of the old clothes.  Sure, we throw out most of them.  We get rid of most of our bad habits and most of our sinful desires, but sometimes we find ourselves tempted to hang on to that one comfortable old shirt.  We keep it hanging in our closets, and we keep wearing it from time to time.  God, however, is not looking for a partial change in wardrobe.  He is looking for us to wear only the new clothes He has provided us through His Son Jesus Christ.  If you have a favorite old t-shirt lying around in your life – one or two things from your past sinful life that you are not willing to give up – save yourself a lot of time and trouble and just throw it away.  The new clothes are in much better shape, and they will last for eternity.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 17-19; Colossians 2

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 17:1-24

When was the last time your faith was tested?  Has it been awhile, or has it happened recently?  One of the certainties of our Christian lives is that at times our faith will be tested.  Just as it takes a tremendous amount of pressure to form a diamond, it sometimes takes trials and tests to build our faith.  How we react to these tests indicates where our hearts are in relation to God.  How we react to these tests shows our true character.  When our faith is tested, we can choose to turn and run away from God, or we can choose to keep our focus firmly on Christ and maintain strict obedience to His Word.  In today’s key passage, we find a great illustration of the testing of faith in the story of the great prophet Elijah.  In a single, relatively short chapter of the Bible, Elijah’s faith was tested four times.  Moreover, these are not small tests.  The tests Elijah faced in 1 Kings 17 are all big ones.  Today we will look at the four tests Elijah faced and how he reacted to each one.

In the first test of his faith, God spoke to Elijah and wanted him to go before the King of Israel and tell him about a drought that was coming.  Elijah needed to confront Ahab, the most evil king in Israel’s history at that point, and tell him that because he did not follow God and because he led the Israelites away from God, he was going to face a punishment in the form of a great drought.  Imagine how Elijah must have felt walking into that room to confront Ahab.  Despite the hostile environment and the unpleasant message he needed to deliver, Elijah did not waiver in his faith.  He obeyed God, and delivered the message to Ahab.

In the second test of his faith, God again spoke to Elijah and told him to go into hiding to spare his own life.  God told Elijah to hide in the Kerith Ravine, and God promised Elijah that he would find water to drink in the brook, and that the ravens would bring him food to eat each day.  Imagine what must have been going through Elijah’s mind when God told him he would be fed by ravens.  I do not know about you, but I probably would have asked God to repeat that message to make sure I heard him correctly.  Elijah, on the other hand, did not waiver in his faith.  He obeyed God, and he went to the Kerith Ravine where he found water in the brook and was fed meat and bread twice a day by ravens.

In the third test of his faith, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath where he would find a widow who would feed him.  When he arrived in Zarephath, he found the widow, but soon realized she was almost as poor and destitute as Elijah himself.  She was getting ready to prepare one final meal for herself and her son, as she was almost out of flour and oil.  Imagine the shock Elijah must have felt when he learned that the widow who was supposed to feed him only had enough flour and oil for one meal.  As before, however, Elijah did not waiver in his faith.  He obeyed God, and told the widow to make him a small cake of bread with the flour and oil she had left, and miraculously the woman’s jar of flour was never used up and her jug of oil was never dry.

In the final test of his faith (in this chapter anyway), the widow’s son became ill and died.  Grieving the loss of her son, the widow blamed Elijah for his death.  Imagine how Elijah must have felt being accused of bringing death to this boy.  In the midst of these accusations, Elijah did not waiver in his faith.  He cried out to the Lord and asked Him to heal the boy, and God returned the widow’s son to life.

As you can see, in each of these four illustrations, Elijah’s faith was tested.  Each time, he could have chosen to turn away from God, but each time he did not waiver in his faith.  Elijah understood that during the testing and trials that come in our lives, our obedience to God is paramount.  The next time your faith is tested, take a lesson from the story of Elijah.  No matter what God asks you to do, or how bad the circumstances might be, do not waiver in your faith, and live in obedience to God’s commands.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 15,16; Colossians 1

Today’s Key Passage – Colossians 1:9-14

As followers of Christ, we all understand the power of prayer.  Prayer is a powerful thing, and it is one way that we can connect with God on a personal level.  For most new Christians, prayer typically begins with asking God for the things that they need in their own lives.  As we mature in our faith, we will usually find that more and more often we will be praying not just for ourselves but for other people.  In fact, we will likely spend more time praying for others than for ourselves.  This change in our prayers happens because as we grow in Christ and get to know Him better, we get more and more of His heart for other people.  As our love grows for others, we will want to spend more time praying for them.  If you have never spent a lot of time praying for others, though, this can seem like a daunting task.  What should we pray for?  What should we ask?  In today’s key passage, we can find the answers to these questions.  Paul is praying for the church in Colosse.  Keep in mind that Paul had never actually met the Colossians, but that did not stop him from praying for these brothers and sisters in Christ.  His prayer can be used as a model for us as we pray for others, because he prays for the things that all believers need in their lives.  Today we will look at Paul’s requests for the Colossians:

He prays they will know God’s will – (Vs. 9)

He prays they will gain spiritual wisdom – (Vs. 9)

He prays they will live a life worthy of God and pleasing to Him – (Vs. 10)

He prays they will bear fruit for God – (Vs. 10)

He prays they will grow in their knowledge of God – (Vs. 10)

He prays they will be strengthened with God’s power – (Vs. 11)

He prays they will have great endurance and patience – (Vs. 11)

He prays they will have joy – (Vs. 11)

He prays they will give thanks to God – (Vs. 12)

As we review this list of prayer requests, we can quickly see the beauty of Paul’s prayer for these people whom he had never even met.  When you think about your own life, are these not the things you would ask for yourself?  These nine requests represent the most basic of needs for any follower of Christ, so it is appropriate that these would be the things we would ask God not only for ourselves but for others as well.  I encourage you to spend time in prayer asking God for these nine things, and I encourage you to spend time praying for others.  Pray for your friends in need.  Pray for the people you know who do not know Christ.  Pray for your pastors and church administrators.  Pray for missionaries who are spreading the Gospel in far-away places.  For people you know and people you do not, pray for these nine things, and praise God for His willingness to answer our prayers and for His never-ending faithfulness.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 13,14; Philippians 4

Today’s Key Passage – 2 Chronicles 14:2-15

In today’s key passage, we are introduced to Asa, one of the kings of Judah.  During the first ten years of his reign, Asa followed God and walked in His ways.  He did much to reform Judah, and our passage today outlines some of the things he did during these first few years.  Interestingly, while his story is not specifically about overcoming temptations, as I read it today I could not help but realize that some of the things he did in Judah can actually show us a clear path to victory over temptations.  Every one of us are going to face temptations to sin, so searching for ways to find victory over these temptations is vitally important.  Asa’s story today provides us with three key steps to finding that victory.

Removal - “He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.” (Vs. 3) – One of the first things Asa did was remove the items that were causing the people of Judah to be led astray from God.  To find victory over temptations, we must first remove anything from our lives that might cause us to sin.  For some people, this might mean changing some behaviors.  For others, it might mean finding a new job or moving to a different neighborhood.  If there is anything in your life that causes you to be tempted to sin, remove it from your life completely.

Preparation - “He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace.” (Vs. 6)  While Asa was following God, God gave him and his people peace with all of their neighbors.  During this peaceful time, Asa could have chosen to bask in the peace and get lazy, but instead he realized that the peace allowed him an opportunity to prepare.  Asa knew that if an attack occurred, it would be too late in the heat of battle to begin thinking about building up defenses, so he began the process ahead of time.  He built up the towns and put walls around them with towers, gates, and bars in preparation for an attack that would inevitably come.  Likewise, when a temptation to sin attacks us, it will be too late at that point to begin thinking about building our defenses.  Instead of waiting for the heat of temptation, we can begin building our defenses now during times of “peace”.  When we decide ahead of time what we will do when temptation strikes, we will be better able to defend ourselves from sin.

Prayer - “Then Asa called to the LORD his God” (Vs. 11)  A large army from Cush advanced against Judah.  When Asa saw the great army, he knew that he was outnumbered.  Before the battle began, he cried out to the Lord in prayer, and asked God for victory.  Though he was greatly outnumbered, God gave him victory over his enemy.  For us, when the temptation to sin strikes, we should also cry out to God.  Even when the temptation seems so strong that we do not think victory is possible, we can still go to God in prayer.  When we ask God to give us victory over temptation in these moments, we can rest assured that He will deliver us.  He will give us the power to overcome any temptation, and all we have to do is ask.

Temptations to sin will always come against us as we walk our Christian lives, and how we react in those times of temptation will define us.  When we follow the three steps provided by the story of Asa, we can get one step closer to overcoming these temptations.  When we follow these steps, we can find victory.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 13,14; 2 Chronicles 12; Philippians 3

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 13:1-25

In today’s key passage, we find the tragic story of a deceived prophet.  An unnamed prophet went from Judah to Bethel and spoke out against Jeroboam and his practices of appointing priests outside of the tribe of Levi and erecting idols.  The prophet spoke the words of God and was used by God for His good purposes.  Part of the message he received from God was that he was not to stop and eat any bread or drink any water on his way back home, and he was not to return the way he came.  As he left Bethel, he was stopped by another prophet who wanted the unnamed prophet to return to his home to eat his bread and drink his water.  At first, the unnamed prophet stood firm and told the other prophet that he was under strict orders from God.  Eventually, however, the other prophet was able to convince him by claiming the Lord spoke to him, and the unnamed prophet returned to the man’s house.  As he was eating, the other prophet received a word from God condemning the unnamed prophet for disobeying God’s commands, and when the unnamed prophet left he was killed by a lion along the road.  In the span of just a few short paragraphs, this unnamed prophet went from being a man through whom God spoke, to being a man condemned to die by God’s righteous punishment.

So what can we learn from this tragic story?  First, we can learn that when we are given specific instructions by God we cannot allow anyone or anything to sway us from doing what God told us to do.  We all know what God wants us to do.  It is spelled out in His Word for all of us to see.  We are to obey His commands.  We are to love other people.  We are to reach others for Him.  We are to be His ambassadors to the world.  Sometimes others will try to turn us away from God.  Sometimes, our own rationalizations will try to turn us away from God.  We must not allow this to happen.  This leads to the second point we can learn from this story, which is that God expects complete obedience from us.  He does not expect us to obey Him some of the time.  He expects us to obey Him all of the time.  He does not expect us to obey some of His commands.  He expects us to obey all of His commands.  He gave the unnamed prophet specific instructions and He expected them to be followed.  When they were not, the result was tragic.  Likewise, He has given each of us specific instructions that He expects to be followed, and if they are not the results will be tragic.  My prayer today is that all of us can learn a lesson from the deceived prophet.  My prayer is that none of us will allow anything or anyone to sway us from our mission, and my prayer is that all of us will practice complete submission and obedience to our sovereign God.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10,11; Philippians 2

Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 12:1-16

The period following Solomon’s death was a tumultuous time in Israel.  Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, succeeded him as king and went north to Shechem to try to maintain good relations with the northern tribes.  While there, the Israelites led by Jeroboam came to Rehoboam with a request.  They said, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” (Vs. 4)  The Israelites were looking for relief from the forced labor and the high taxes imposed by Solomon during his reign.  Rehoboam did not immediately know how to answer the Israelites, so he told them to return in three days for his answer.  During the three days, Rehoboam sought advice from two groups – the elders who served his father and the young men who had grown up with him.  The elders advised giving in to the Israelites’ demands, but the younger men advised that he should answer them harshly and refuse to back down.  In the end, Rehoboam chose to listen to his younger friends, and this decision caused the nation to be divided in two with the ten northern tribes following Jeroboam and the two southern tribes continuing to follow Rehoboam.

In reading today’s key passage, we can learn a lot about making leadership decisions from Rehoboam.  The first thing we learn is that when a request is made of us, it is often a good idea to delay our response if we do not immediately know the right decision.  Rehoboam was right in allowing himself extra time to make a decision instead of simply answering off the top of his head.  Rehoboam made another good decision when he sought advice from the people he trusted.  When facing a difficult decision, it is often a good idea to seek the council of others.  Sadly, the list of what we can learn from what Rehoboam did ends here.  The remainder of our lesson lies in what Rehoboam did not do.  To begin with, Rehoboam did not remain impartial to the advice given by the two groups and allowed himself to be swayed by his personal relationships with the young men he grew up with.  In addition, Rehoboam made his final decision based on what he believed to be his own best interest instead of the best interest of the group.  Finally, and most importantly, Rehoboam failed to consult God.  When facing a decision, we should always consult God first to determine the best direction in which to proceed.  This can be done by reviewing His Word and through prayer.  Rehoboam had all of the tools he needed to make the right decision, but instead he failed in these key areas, followed bad advice, and ultimately made a choice that cost him dearly.

The next time you are facing a decision, remember the story of Rehoboam.  Remember the things he did well, and remember the things he failed to do.  Give yourself time to make a good decision.  Seek the council of others, and do not be swayed by personal biases.  Make a decision that reflects the best interest of the group instead of yourself.  Above all else, seek God’s wisdom in discerning the right decision.  When we follow bad advice, we can set ourselves up for a tremendous fall, but when we follow God’s advice we will always make the best decision.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – Song of Songs 5-8; Philippians 1

Today’s Key Passage – Philippians 1:3-11

Awhile back my wife and I were driving home after visiting my parents house when we noticed the passenger airbag light in her car illuminated.  We were not sure what the light meant or why it was on, but when the driver’s airbag light also illuminated on the dashboard we realized that obviously there was a mechanical problem somewhere in the vehicle.  As I stared at those two lights, my mind raced with thoughts of our safety while driving the car the rest of the way home as well as the impending repair bill that would undoubtedly accompany these lights.  To put it mildly, my reaction in the car that day was less than Christ-like, as my worries and frustrations boiled over and I reacted in the flesh.  Following my mini-tirade, I immediately realized how inappropriate my behavior had become, and I looked at my wife for her reaction.  As I looked in her eyes, I found that the judgment that I expected to see and rightly deserved was not there.  Instead, I saw in my wife’s eyes compassion and love, as she supported me in repenting from my sin.

At times like these, I am reminded of a couple of things.  First, I am reminded how far I have come since I began my walk with Christ.  It was not that long ago when outbursts like this one were so common from me that I would not have given them a second thought.  More importantly, I am reminded of how far I have yet to go.  I am reminded that no matter how far I have come, I am still a project under construction.  In times like these, we can find comfort in today’s key passage.  In it, Paul is expressing his thanksgiving for the church in Philippi.  In verse 6, he gives all of us hope as he says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  No matter how far along each of us are in our walks with Jesus, we are all still under construction.  We all have times of failure.  We all have times of reacting to things in the flesh instead of the Spirit.  We can be confident, though, that God is not finished with His work.  He has been working for all of us since the beginning of time.  He worked for us when He created the world, and He worked for us when Christ died on the cross.  He began His work in each of us when we first came to Him and were saved.  By the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, He will continue His work in us throughout our lives until we are called home or Christ returns.

During a trip to New York, my wife and I went to Ground Zero where the World Trade Center towers once stood.  At the time, there was a constant motion of people and equipment working on building the new memorial site.  The site under construction was not much to look at, but there was no doubt in our minds that the men and women working on the project were not going to stop until their work was finished.  Likewise, during our lowest points we may not be much to look at, but there is no doubt that God is not going to stop working until we are complete.  The next time you have a moment of failure, remember Paul’s words to the Philippians.  In those times you might think God is looking on you with all of the judgment and condemnation that you feel you rightly deserve.  Instead, what you will find is His unyielding compassion and his unlimited love as He supports you in repenting of your sin.  In those moments, praise God for His work on the cross, and thank Him for His promise to complete the good work He began in you.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – Song of Songs 1-4; Ephesians 6

Today’s Key Passage – Ephesians 6:10-18

Can you imagine a medieval knight jousting without wearing his suit of armor?  Can you imagine a football player trying to play a game without pads?  Can you imagine a hockey goalie trying to play a game without protective gear?  Each of these scenarios sounds fairly ridiculous.  In each case, it is essential to the health and success of the person involved to use the “armor” that is available.  Likewise, as we walk the Christian life, it is essential for us to use the “armor” that is available to us – the armor of God.  In today’s key passage, the apostle Paul describes the armor that we have available as we go into battle against the powers of evil in this world.  Today, we will look at the armor that each of us has available:

The belt of truth - Satan often tries to attack us with lies, and sometimes we can all be fooled into thinking that these lies are true.  When we have the truth of God’s Word to guide us, we can realize the difference between the lies and the truth and can remain strong.

The breastplate of righteousness - The enemy often tries to attack our hearts, but the righteousness that comes from God protects our hearts from these attacks.  God has made us righteous not by our own actions but by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.  In this righteousness, we are guaranteed God’s approval.

The shoes of readiness - Satan wants us to believe that spreading the Gospel is too hard.  He wants us to think we are not good enough to talk to other people about Christ.  He wants us to think we do not know enough, or that we do not have the right personality.  The shoes of readiness that God provides gives us the motivation to spread the Gospel to others.

The shield of faith - We are often attacked by “the flaming arrows of the evil one”. (Vs. 16)  These arrows can take the form of doubts, persecution, and temptations.  Without a shield, these arrows would sink into our flesh and kill us.  Fortunately, we have the shield of our faith in God.  We know His promises for us, and we know that He never leaves us or forsakes us.  This shield of our faith allows us to see past our current circumstances to an eternal reward.

The helmet of salvation - The enemy will try to attack our minds.  He will try to make us doubt God, and he will try to make us doubt ourselves.  The helmet of salvation protects our minds from these attacks, and shows us that despite his lies, we are truly saved by God’s unfailing grace through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The sword of the Word of God - All of the other pieces of armor are defensive in nature, but the sword is an offensive weapon.  By learning and knowing God’s Word, we can use this “sword” to defeat temptations.  We can use this “sword” to attack the forces of evil.  We can use this “sword” to gain victory.

Do not underestimate the power of the evil forces in this world.  When we turn to God for salvation, we become an enemy to Satan and his forces.  If we are making a difference for God, we are guaranteed to face attacks by these forces.  Be sure to put on the full armor of God each day so you will be prepared for these attacks, and rely on God’s power to help you through any situation.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – Ecclesiastes 10-12; Psalm 94; Ephesians 5

Today’s Key Passage – Psalm 94:8-15

During my junior year of college, I started working in surveillance and security at a large department store.  During the next couple of years, I would sit for hours each day in front of closed circuit television monitors watching the security cameras that were placed throughout the store.  At that time we did not use the small, hidden cameras that are so popular today.  Most of the cameras we had back then were either right out in the open or were enclosed in large black domes on the ceiling.  In addition, signs were placed at all the entrances warning customers that they would be under video surveillance while shopping in the store.  Despite the fact that we warned customers and despite the fact that the cameras were clearly visible, I was always amazed at the things some people did inside the store.  I watched people try to shoplift from the store hundreds of times per year.  I saw customers try to steal cash out of cash registers.  I saw people arguing with and sometimes physically assaulting their spouses.  I saw people doing other things that no one should ever do in public.  Many times, people seemed to act as if no one was watching.  They acted as if no one could see what they were doing, and they acted as if they would never have to face any punishment for their actions.

I think all of us have times when we hope no one is watching, including God.  We all have moments of failure where we hope, if even for a brief moment, that maybe God did not notice.  The author of our key passage today talked about this and reminds us that God is the creator of everything that we see around us.  Since He created the ear, it stands to reason that He can hear all that we say, and since He created the eye, it stands to reason that He can see all that we do. (Vs. 9)  Moreover, he also knows our thoughts. (Vs. 11)  There are three truths that we must never forget about our God.  First, He is omniscient, meaning that He has unlimited knowledge and understanding, and He perceives all things.  Secondly, He is omnipotent, meaning that He has unlimited authority and power.  Finally, He is omnipresent, meaning that He is present everywhere at the same time.  When we understand these truths about God, we can better understand the damaging effects of our own sins and failures.  There is no getting past the fact that God sees us in our lowest moments.  Even when we fool everyone else on this earth, God still knows the truth that lies in our hearts.  Whether it is your best day or your worst day, never believe the lie that no one is watching because God is always watching.  This may sound scary or intimidating at first, but actually, it is wonderful news for us!  Since we know these three truths about God, we know that He is always by our side.  We know that He is always walking with us.  We know that He sees everything we are struggling with and everything we are going through.  We know that He sees what we need, and we know that He will provide it for us.  Praise Him today for His omniscience, His omnipotence, and His omnipresence, and rest in the knowledge that He will never leave you or forsake you.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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Daily Bible Reading – Ecclesiastes 7-9; Ephesians 4

Today’s Key Passage – Ecclesiastes 8:16-17

Over the last couple of weeks, we have looked at the life of Solomon.  We saw that when God told him to ask for anything in the world, he asked for wisdom.  We read through the book of Proverbs and are now in Ecclesiastes and we have seen that wisdom in action.  Many people believe that Solomon was the wisest person to ever live (with the exception of Jesus Christ of course).  Even if you do not necessarily believe that, you have to admit that he was full of wisdom.  Typically, when we think of a man of wisdom, we think of a man with answers.  We think about someone who always seeks the truth and always finds it.  Perhaps that is why today’s key passage struck me so much when I read it.  As wise as Solomon was, in today’s passage he says something that many people today have trouble saying.  He says, “When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man’s labor on earth—his eyes not seeing sleep day or night— then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.” (Vs. 16-17)  Basically, when it comes to questions about all that God has done, Solomon says that he does not know all the answers.

I do not know about you, but I find a lot of comfort in this passage.  That might sound strange, but let me explain.  See, I too have many questions about God.  There are many things I cannot explain.  There are many things I do not fully understand.  There are many times in my life where I have thought to myself, “I cannot wait to get to Heaven so I can ask God about this”.  When I read this passage, I realize that I am not alone in my questions.  I realize that even the wisest man who ever lived struggled with the fact that he did not truly understand all of the ways of God.  See I believe that all of us have at least a few questions about God that we simply cannot reconcile in our minds.  I think this is normal, and I think it can be expected.  Having questions about God is not really the problem, though.  It is how we respond to these questions that really matters.  When we ponder all that God has ever done and realize that we cannot possibly understand it all, we can choose to let that rob us of our faith, our joy, and our hope.  This is where people run into a lot of trouble.  Instead of allowing these questions to cause us to backslide, we can actually find comfort in our questions.  The simple fact is that we do not need to know all the answers.  We do not need to be able to understand all that God has done.  Someone much greater than any of us has all the answers.  He is the only one who needs to know the answers.  He is the only one who needs to truly understand it all.  Instead of worrying about the questions, we can put our faith and trust in God.  We can trust Him to do what is right.  We can trust Him to answer everything that needs to be answered.  Instead of trying to answer all of our questions, we can rest in Him and spend our time enjoying all of the gifts He gives us in this life.

During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you?  Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.

To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.

To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs

If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.

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