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Here is today’s Bible reading:  Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31.

Deut. 6:13 (NIV)
Fear the Lord your God, serve him only…

We have lost the concept of the fear of the Lord.  We have tried to explain it away as “respect” or “reverence.”  Sorry, that’s just not good enough.  Ask Isaiah who said “Woe is me…” when he experienced the very presence of God.  Ask the Israelites who told Moses that they couldn’t stand to hear the voice of God and instead would like Moses to relay His words to them.  Yes, God is love.  But He is also holy, holy, holy.  The more we minimize this concept of fearing God, the more we minimize our view of His majesty.  The more we minimize His majesty, the more we minimize our worship.  

Here is today’s Bible reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28.

Deut. 4:9 (NIV)
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

We are so quick to forget what God has done.  That is why it is so important that we are intentional about sharing testimonies.  These stories remind us that God is faithful and constantly at work in our lives.  It is also important to involve our children in praying so that they are able to see firsthand how God acts on behalf of His children.  This is the key to bridging Christianity from theoretical to experiential.  I think this gap is the reason so many kids who grow up in Christian homes go astray.  They need to experience God, not just be told about Him.  May testimonies of answered prayers keep fresh in our minds the presence and power of our God.

Luke 6:42 (NIV)
How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Deuteronomy 1:46-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27.

Luke 6:27-29 (NIV)
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. [29] If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.

Is there anything more unnatural than loving your enemies?  Yet, this life of following Jesus is not natural–it is supernatural.  It is lived in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to do what we ourselves cannot do.  Some people dismiss passages like this as being too extreme to be practically lived out.  So we view ourselves as somehow being exempt.  But we must be reminded that the life God has called us to live is indeed extreme.  Thank God for His power to do what is truly supernatural.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:45; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26.

Proverbs 11:24 (NIV)
One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

God’s economy is different than ours.  In God’s economy, blessing comes with giving rather than receiving.  In God’s economy, the more tightly we cling to material possessions, the more they slip through our fingers.  But the more we let them go, the more blessing we receive.  God is a giving God.  We are to be a giving people.  Are you a giver or a hoarder?

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23.

Numbers 35:33 (NIV)
” ‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

Our land is polluted by bloodshed.  Each year 1,350,500 babies are killed in our nation. Since 1973  the number of babies aborted in the United States is 50,311,528.  

But praise God, He Himself has made atonement for our sin through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 65:2 (NIV)
O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.

Psalm 65:5 (NIV)
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,

In Him we find hope.  He offers forgiveness and healing to those who confess their sins.  May God end the bloodshed in our nation and heal our land.  

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22.

Proverbs 11:22 (NIV)
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

No pigs at our house (except for our Pug Cleo who snorts like a pig).  I am blessed in that my wife is a beautiful woman who possesses an incredible ability to recognize and speak Truth.  Many times when we have faced situations that at first glance were cloudy, she is the one who centers us with the question, “What do we know to be true?”  That question illustrates her ability to provide wisdom and discretion.  She is a rich treasure. 

Here is today’s Bible reading: Numbers 30:1-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 11:20-21.

Luke 4:22 (NIV)
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Luke 4:28-29 (NIV)
All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. [29] They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.

It is only six verses between the crowds speaking well of Jesus and then wanting to throw Him down a cliff.  It is only a matter of days between the crowds shouting “Hosanna!” at the Triumphal Entry and then “Crucify!” before Pilate.  People are fickle.  They can change their opinion of you in moment.  It is an exercise in frustration and futility to base your worth in the opinions of others.  There is only one opinion that matters–that of God Almighty.  It simplifies life so much when we realize we only have Him to please.      

Here is today’d Bible reading:  Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19.

Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV)
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
[2] He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

I can add nothing to this.  

Luke 3:23 (NIV)
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. 

I have already lived on this earth seven years longer than Jesus did.  Weird.  His ministry was so short, yet He had such an impact. If you are like me and sometimes feel like your life should count for more than it has, God can accomplish so much in a short period of time.  Be faithful.  Be available.  Let God unleash His power through your life and change the world around you.