One Year Bible Blog

November 22nd One Year Bible Readings

2009-11-21T20:00:00-07:00

Ezekiel 44:1-45:12 ~ 1 Peter 1:1-12 ~ Psalm 119:17-32 ~ Proverbs 28:8-10
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - In Ezekiel chapters 44 and 45 today we see the priesthood restored to Israel! It's interesting that the Levites are taken down a notch in how they can serve in the temple and the Zadokites are elevated. Zadok was a priest during the time of David & Solomon and a descendent of Eleazar and ultimately Aaron. Below is a fresco of Zadok by Michelangelo from the year 1611 and is in the Capella Sistina at the Vatican in Rome:

Chapter 44, verse 28 really stood out to me today: "As to property, the priests will not have any, for I alone am their inheritance." I like that! God alone is the priests' inheritance. What is our inheritance? Is it property? Is it things of this earth? Or could our inheritance be God as well? Should God be our inheritance? How is God our inheritance? If the Lord is not our inheritance, what then do we inherit? The wind? It's an age old debate as you'll see in the image above. Where do you stand? Can we inherit eternal life through the grace of God and faith in Jesus? Or do we simply inherit the wind? (Nothingness) What does your heart tell you? Most importantly, what does the Bible tell you?

In Ezekiel chapter 45 verses 1 through 8 today we read about the division of the land for Ezekiel's temple vision. A nice simple image for these verses is below:

New Testament - Today we begin the Apostle Peter's first epistle! Below is a Russian Orthodox icon of Peter -

~ First Peter ~
Author: Peter the apostle
Place: Uncertain, perhaps Rome
Date: A.D. 63 or 64
Content: The apostle Peter wrote this letter near the end of his life to comfort and encourage the Jewish Christians who were living in Asia Minor. He points out that suffering is part of the Christian life and that God has an imperishable reward reserved for those who trust him. In case any were thinking of returning to Judaism to escape from persecution, Peter points out that the church is now the chosen nation and the priesthood of God. Hence any thoughts of returning to Judaism were futile. Peter then presents the example of Christ who suffered and admonished the believers to be prepared for the same experience.
Theme: The theme of First Peter is triumph through suffering. Early Christians lived difficult lives, often paying for their faith with their lives, but this letter shows us that it is worth it, no matter what the price. God knows all that is occurring and in his eternal plan will work everything out for the best. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 32) A great overview of First Peter and the other “Non-Pauline Epistles” by J. Hampton Keathley is at this link. Scroll down just below his commentary on Hebrews & James to get to his commentary on First Peter. Below is an oil painting of Peter by the artist El Greco (known as "The Greek", but the artist's real name was Domenikos Theotokopoulos) from the early 17th century -

1 Peter 1:4-6 are powerful verses: "For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while." These verses tie in nicely with the Ezekiel 44:28 comments above, no? :) Are we truly glad about this priceless inheritance? Do we believe there is a priceless inheritance for us in heaven? Do we understand that we may have to endure many trials in this life before receiving this inheritance? Will you endure the many trials that will come your way, knowing that God's inheritance is awaiting you through His grace and your faith in Christ?

Verse 8 is a beautiful thought about Jesus and our relationship with him (and ties in nicely with this picture above) - "You love him even though you have never seen him." Even though you have never seen Jesus, do you love Him?

Psalms - Wow. Psalm 119 verse 29 is powerful - "Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your law." Do you ever lie to yourself? If you answered no, are you lying to yourself now? :) I think that lying to ourselves is part of our fallen human condition. I think we're probably pretty good at it. And I think that maybe the cure for this is even found in this same verse - the prayer of "give me the privilege of knowing your law." It is a privilege to know God's Word. It is a free privilege, but a privilege that I think we can often take for granted or simply ignore. Through our study of God's Word let us pray that we allow God to show us any area of our life where we might be lying to ourselves. And let us allow God to redeem that area and give us the clarity of Truth. Like this Psalmist, will you pray to God and ask Him to keep you from lying to yourself? Will you pray this prayer often?

Proverbs - Proverb 28:9 makes me simply say yikes... "The prayers of a person who ignores the law are despised." This proverb is quite the opposite from yesterday's readings in James telling us the prayers of a righteous person are powerful in James 5:16b: "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." Think there is a correlation between what these two verses teach? Lord, please let our earnest prayers be heard!

YouTube - Today's readings in First Peter remind me of the Sanctus Real song "Whatever You're Doing:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vaHsFMEhf8

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 (NIV)

Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

November 21st One Year Bible Readings

2009-11-20T20:00:00-07:00

Ezekiel 42:1-43:27 ~ James 5:1-20 ~ Psalm 119:1-16 ~ Proverbs 28:6-7
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Ezekiel chapter 42 continues the description of the temple in Ezekiel's vision and the dimensions. In this chapter we learn about the rooms for the priests of the temple. The interesting thing for me, as I was reading this chapter today, is that my mind wandered a bit and wondered if maybe somehow this was / is a heavenly temple that Ezekiel was describing? I'm not sure. I have so much more to learn about the temples. But, it's interesting to think if maybe somehow we might see something like this temple in heaven? An interesting thought at least for me to ponder. However - the tricky thing is that in chapter 43 there are descriptions of sacrifices for the altar in this temple. And of course Christ was the final sacrifice for our sins - so there is no need for the old covenant sacrifices. So, this could certainly dash my imagination of this being a heavenly temple we'll see some day. Though - I did read somewhere that if this is a heavenly temple, the sacrifices described in chapter 43 may be "memorials" or ceremonial - but not required, as they were in the old covenant. I don't know... fascinating stuff to ponder however! Below is an artist's rendition of "Ezekiel's Temple":

Back to how all this might apply to our lives today. Verse 20 in chapter 42 stood out to me: "So the area was 875 feet on each side with a wall all around it to separate the holy places from the common." The last part of that verse stands out - to separate the holy places from the common. I wonder about that in our lives - do we do anything that separates the holy from the common in our own lives? Do we need to? My thought here is that if we don't allow for some "holy places" to appear in our lives, might we just settle for common places throughout our lives? A Holy Place for us might be 5 minutes of prayer. Or 15 minutes of reading the Bible. Or going to a church service. Or listening to worship music. Or not scheduling anything one day a week, so we can take a Sabbath day of rest. What are you doing to create some Holy Places in your life?

Chapter 43 is incredible with God's return to the temple. I love this verse - "And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness!" Absolute holiness. Okay - so this is not something we are going to see or "achieve" this side of heaven. It's impossible for us to be absolutely holy on this earth. Only Jesus was absolutely holy and sinless. However, I think the call for our eternal lives is absolute holiness. So, know that faith in Jesus will ultimately lead you in this direction - and I do believe we can grow in holiness in this life. God's grace gives ultimate absolute holiness in heaven. Do you want absolute holiness? Are you moving toward absolute holiness in your life today? Do you also realize you won't reach absolute holiness this side of heaven? But, yet, do you still desire absolute holiness someday?

Verse 21 in this chapter is a foreshadowing of Jesus' death on the Cross at Mt. Calvary: "Then take the young bull for the sin offering and burn it at the appointed place outside the Temple area." How does this apply to Jesus' death on a hill outside of Jerusalem's city gates? This is best explained in Hebrews chapter 13 verses 11-13 as follows: "The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore." Powerful... Will you walk with Jesus outside the city gates of Jerusalem? Up to Mt. Calvary? Will you follow Jesus all the way up that hill?

New Testament - Today we wrap up the book of James. This has been such a powerful book for me to read these past few days! I am convicted and challenged by this book, which is wonderful. Today in chapter 5, verse 5 stands out: "This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment." This reminds me of the scene at the end of the movie "Schindler's List" where Oscar Schindler breaks down crying when the war is over - and after he has saved so many lives - and yet he cries out - "This gold pin - this pin could have saved a life! This car.... could have saved 10 lives!" This scene - and this verse - makes me ask myself if I am using my finances wisely? Am I investing in others? Are my luxuries taking away from other's very lives? Am I accumulating treasure when I could have been serving others? I cannot encourage you enough to watch this scene in Schindler's List again if you haven't seen it in a while. Every time I watch this scene something happens to my heart that only God can explain... it changes me...

Verse 9 stands out: "Don't grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you." This is such a great reminder of Jesus' call to not judge others! Don't grumble about others. How often do we grumble about others? Are we grumbling about someone currently? Is this a healthy practice? By the way, I have been bad about grumbling about others recently - in fact, I almost got sideswiped on a freeway recently by a guy who was not paying attention to where he was going. In all honestly, I have no idea how we avoided not hitting each other, but for the grace of God. I was so shook up by the near miss I was "grumbling" big time about this guy's carelessness. Interestingly and thankfully I was not cussing at him nor giving him bad gestures, but I was grumbling in my heart about how not smart I thought he was - and I immediately caught myself and asked God to forgive me for this sin. And I believe He did. Let us not grumble in our hearts about others. It is a sin. Let us stay away from grumble corner in our lives! :)

The first half of verse 16 is so true - "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Is there someone in your life you can confess your sins to? Someone you can ask to pray for you? Do you believe this practice will heal you of that sin?

And the last half of verse 16 also is amazing to remember - "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." Are you praying for others? Earnestly? Do you believe prayer has great power and that God listens and can bring about wonderful results?

Psalms - Today we begin Psalm 119, the longest Psalm and chapter in the Bible! This Psalm is a beautiful meditation on God's Word and how it helps us stay pure and grow in faith. Almost every verse in this Psalm mentions God's Word. I pray that this Psalm is encouraging to you as you read through the One Year Bible!

Today in Psalm 119 verse 11 we read: "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Have you hidden God's word in your heart? So that you might not sin against God? Do you realize that all sin is indeed a sin against God? Are you memorizing Scripture on a regular basis? And, more importantly, reflecting on Scripture? Check out this link for some great free online resources to help you memorize Scripture - http://www.memoryverses.org/

Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 6 teaches us today: "It is better to be poor and honest than rich and crooked." I have often paraphrased this proverb in this way - "It is better to be poor and happy than to be rich and miserable." Though, I think the Proverb reads better and has more truth in the way it is actually written in the Bible. "Honest" is better than "Happy"... Actually, the more I think about this, I think that honesty actually will lead to happiness. If you are honest with yourself and others, I do think you'll be happier obviously than if you are dishonest with yourself and others. To take this a step further, and to reflect on the "absolute holiness" verse in Ezekiel today, I might even paraphrase this Proverb to say "It is better to be poor and holy and than rich and un-holy." Not sure if this works? I do want to say that I don't think being rich means you'll be crooked or miserable or un-holy. But, I think there is so much truth to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 16:26 - "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" We need to be careful around too much money or too much power or of course too much (any?) pride. Too much can distract us from God... In fact, whether we're rich or poor, I think if we don't always keep in mind that absolutely everything we have comes from and belongs to God then we can indeed become "blinded" by money in one way or another...

YouTube: As I reflect on the ending of Schindler's List in the New Testament blog comments today, here's the beautiful ending of the movie that I refer to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPHvLtitxug

Do you need our Saving God? Click here and get to know him!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 (NIV)

Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

November 20th One Year Bible Readings

2009-11-19T20:00:00-07:00

Ezekiel 40:28-41:26 ~ James 4:1-17 ~ Psalm 118:19-29 ~ Proverbs 28:3-5
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Ezekiel chapters 40 and 41 in today's readings include verses where we read a lot about measurements and cubits and such! I have to admit that I sometimes zone out a bit when reading these types of details in the Old Testament. However - something that popped into my mind once when reading through these types of verses that has benefited me greatly in my appreciation of measurements and such is this - God is a God of precision. God is a God of detail. God is an organized God. Which I think is great news! I mean, look at our own human bodies and all our internal organs. We are wonderfully made by a God who is a God of precision and detail. So, remembering this when I read these types of measurements verses helps. It helps me keep my focus and interest on what I'm reading. I hope this helps you in some way as you read through detailed chapters like these in the Bible. If God showed this much organization and care for Ezekiel's Temple, do you suppose he continues to show his organization and care for our local churches today?

Ezekiel chapter 41 verse 3 stands out today: "Then he went into the inner room at the end of the Holy Place." This is interesting in that the angelic being leading Ezekiel through this vision and the temple enters the Most Holy Place - Ezekiel does not. Even though it's a vision. And even though God's presence is not in the Most Holy Place at this time (we'll see the Presence coming next chapter). Yet Ezekiel does not enter. Why? Because the law was that only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place. This shows great obedience on Ezekiel's part! Even in a vision, he's obedient. Are there areas of our life where God is calling us to be obedient? Even if we think our obedience in a specific circumstance or situation won't matter (e.g. a vision or a dream or even a small circumstance in real life) - will we still be obedient? Below is one of my all-time favorite images demonstrating obedience that I have to post up a couple of times a year! :)

New Testament - James chapter 4 continues to just level me... This book is phenomenal. I need to read this book more than just once a year when I come around to it in the One Year Bible. The verse today that just made me set the Bible down for a minute and reflect was verse 4: "You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God." That is some heavy duty language... it pierced me in reading it today. Am I a friend of the world? Am I trying to be a friend of the world? Per this verse, where does this pursuit of the world put me with my relationship with God? Am I an "adulterer", in the sense of my relationship with God and the world? (now, please keep in mind, I'm a huge fan and believer of grace... but sometimes we need to let verses like this really sink in. We need to reflect. And respond if need be... and let Jesus save us and heal us if need be...)

Verse 7 is something surely each one of us should commit to memory: "Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." This is so true. Resist. And he will flee! Please know this is true! Resist!

And verse 8 is so true as well: "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." Another one to put into memory - and practice each day. Have you drawn close to God this very day? And has God drawn close to you?

Verse 14 I think is so helpful for us to remember - and to give Thanks for each day we have: "How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone." Life is short. Every day is indeed a blessing and an opportunity to love and know God more. Please take advantage of each and every day God gives you. Diving into his Word each day through the One Year Bible is one amazing thing you can do every day. As is prayer of course!

Psalms - Psalm 118 is the last half of the psalm possibly sung by Jesus and the disciples after the Last Supper - see yesterday's posting below for details. What an amazing Psalm... Verse 22 was quoted by Jesus in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10 and Luke 20:17 and he used this verse to refer to himself - "The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone." Do you believe this verse applies to Jesus? Is Jesus the cornerstone in your life?

Verse 26 was the chant of the crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday" "Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD." And verse 29 Michael W. Smith quotes in a song! "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." :)

Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 4 today teaches us: "To reject the law is to praise the wicked; to obey the law is to fight them." This is a great reminder that obeying God "heaps coals upon the head" of those who are not obeying God. Let us obey the Lord! Let us obey the lion of Judah!

Worship God: The intricate details in Ezekiel chapters 40 and 41 today reminded me of Rich Mullin's song "Awesome God!" Here's a great live version of this song performed by Michael W. Smith:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38V8jnN1Kpw

Do you know our awesome God? Click here to get to know God!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 (NIV)

Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

November 19th One Year Bible Readings

2009-11-18T20:00:00-07:00

Ezekiel 39:1-40:27 ~ James 2:18-3:18 ~ Psalm 118:1-18 ~ Proverbs 28:2
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Ezekiel chapter 39 continues the destruction of Gog! See yesterday's posting below for more details on who and what Gog may be. Verse 25 stands out to me in today's readings: "So now the Sovereign LORD says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on Israel, for I am jealous for my holy reputation!" We see that the exile is coming near to an end. Ezekiel and Jeremiah have been two pretty heavy books with prophecies against Israel. This chapter continues to show the redemption and return of the exiles from Babylon to Israel is soon coming. It is interesting that God is jealous for his holy reputation in the verse above... are we ourselves also jealous for God's holy reputation? Should we be?

Ezekiel chapter 40 is very interesting! It begins the vision and description of what many call "Ezekiel's Temple." Essentially, this temple has not been built. Some say that this temple will be built in the future - during Christ's millennial reign. Some say it's a heavenly temple. Some say it was the vision for the temple that should have been built during Ezra's days in 517 B.C., but was not. It is fascinating to look at various theories on the various temples. An interesting look at a potential scale model of Ezekiel's temple and it's history is at this link - and another take is at this link.

New Testament - James chapter 2 today continues in the strong words about good deeds accompanying a living faith. James' arguments are summed up in verse 26: "Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds." Another very interesting verse in this chapter that always jumps out at me is verse 19 - "Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!" I had someone once tell me that they believed in God - but that they realized that so do the demons. The difference of course is that the demons are not indwelled by the Holy Spirit, as are those who have faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Still, a bit of a scary verse to think about, no? Not necessarily for our own lives, perhaps, but maybe for others we know. Let us pray that we and others we know not only know God, but know Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit!

James 3 verses 9 and 10 are powerful reminders on the danger of what can come out of our mouths: "Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!" How true is this... Reminds me of the old saying of being "two-faced". Or maybe having a forked-tongue? The key here to how we can control the tongue I believe is answered in verse 13 - "If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise!" If we can focus on wisdom and what's going on inside our hearts and minds, we won't have to worry about what comes out of the mouth!

Psalms - I came across a wonderful speculation on Psalm 118! Commentaries suggested that Jesus and the disciples sung this psalm/hymn at the end of the Last Supper. Matthew chapter 26 verse 30 tells us - "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." This adds a bit of a new dimension to this Psalm! The reason for this speculation is because this is the final Psalm in the Egyptian Hallel of Psalms 113 through 118. These Psalms were used in Jewish liturgy at the great religious festivals of Passover, Tabernacles, Dedication, Weeks, New Moon. At Passover Psalm 113 & 114 were sung before the meal and Psalms 115 - 118 were sung after the meal. Perhaps, even after the Last Supper by Jesus and the disciples? Below is Russian artist Simon Ushakov's "The Last Supper" from the year 1685 -

Verse 8 in this Psalm stands out to me big time: "It is better to trust the LORD than to put confidence in people." Kind of strong words I know... but what do you think? Might people, on occasion, let you down? Obviously, we know the answer to this one. People will let us down. Even our closest friends and family at some point will let us down. However - I don't think this means we give up on investing and loving friends and family! It just means we should not be surprised when someone let's us down. That's human nature. None of us is perfect this side of heaven - you will obviously let people down too. Realizing this, I think all of us should be prepared to forgive others and to ask for forgiveness of others. However, what do you think on this question: Will God ever let you down? Will Jesus ever let you down? Please know He won't! In fact, I believe that He's holding you up right this very moment...

Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 2 today is a great reminder for us to pray for our leaders in power nationally, locally, and worldwide. "When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But with wise and knowledgeable leaders, there is stability." How often do you pray for your leaders? Will you cover them with prayer today?

Worship God: Ezekiel 39:25 reminded me of the fantastic song "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman! Here's Rebecca St. James performing a great live version of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ0PjTYDwS8

Do you know our God of blessing? Click here and praise his name!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 (NIV)

Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

November 18th One Year Bible Readings

2009-11-17T20:00:00-07:00

Ezekiel 37:1-38:23 ~ James 1:19-2:17 ~ Psalm 117:1-2 ~ Proverbs 28:1
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Ezekiel chapter 37 starts with a fascinating vision! This vision of the valley of dry bones is an allusion to the exiled Israelites. As God brings life and breath into the bones, he will do the same for the exiles, and bring them back to their home land. In a sense, bring them back to life!

Verse 14 sums up the purpose of this vision nicely - "I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD." Again, we hear the words, as we have so often in Ezekiel - "then you will know that I am the Lord." Today in our lives, do we know that the Lord is the Lord? (please forgive this picture below... when I saw it I couldn't help posting it up... sometimes you just have to put all kinds of different facts & info out there for people who pull into your parking lot. :)

Verses 15-23 are great - discussing the reunification of the two kingdoms of Israel since the time of Solomon. Israel will become one kingdom again. And verses 24 through 28 point toward the coming Messiah, Jesus. Verse 26 stands out - "And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant." Have you entered into this covenant of peace with God? The everlasting covenant? Have you opened the door to Jesus in your heart? Do you hear him knocking? Maybe late at night, do you hear Jesus knocking? Offering you an everlasting covenant of peace? Will you open the door of your heart?

Ezekiel chapter 38 is very interesting, with a prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog. It will help you to know that Gog is mentioned in Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 & 8 as follows - "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore." This can help give some context for this chapter. This may be an end-times type of prophecy from Ezekiel. Verse 22 tells us - "I will punish you and your hordes with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur!" And, again, we close this chapter with some familiar powerful words from God - "Thus will I show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the LORD!"

New Testament - James' verses today again are all so powerful... I am enjoying this book immensely. Chapter 1 Verse 27 is a great reminder to care for the poor amongst us - "Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us." Are you caring for those in their time of trouble? Are you refusing to let the world corrupt us? Do you care for orphans and widows?

James chapter 2 verse 17 is a famous one - "So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all--it is dead and useless." Or, paraphrased, faith without works is dead. It's important of course to remember that works alone do not save us - only faith does through the grace of God. But, works naturally come through that saving faith. They are a natural by-product and demonstrate that we have a true and living faith.

Psalms - Psalm 117 is the shortest of all the Psalms - and the shortest chapter in the entire Bible. This Psalm is said to basically be one long Alleluia. :) Actually verse 1 has a very important message - "Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth." This demonstrates that God was very interested in the salvation of the Gentiles and all the nations in the Old Testament. And not just in the New Testament as we get to the book of Acts. This was part of the plan all along...

Proverbs - Proverbs 28 verse 1 today teaches us: "The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions." This can only cause us to ask ourselves - are we running with no one chasing us? Or are we bold like lions?

YouTube - Psalm 117 today reminds me of Michael W. Smith's song "A New Hallelujah!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvmX2-XBzwU

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 (NIV)

Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike