Chronological Bible Blog

July 14th Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 128; Psalm 129; Psalm 130; Psalm 132; Psalm 134; Psalm 135
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Psalm 128 verse 1 stands out today: "How happy are those who fear the LORD-- all who follow his ways!" Do you think it is possible to be happy and to fear God at the same time?  Do you believe a healthy fear of God is, well, healthy?  Why would we fear God - God who loves us immensely?  What is this Psalmist saying to us today in our lives?

Psalm 129 is a prayer for the continuing withering of Israel's enemies and verse 4 likely represents a celebration from Babylonian captivity - "But the LORD is good; he has cut the cords used by the ungodly to bind me." How about in our lives today?  Has Jesus cut any cords used by the ungodly to bind you?  Are there still some cords being used by the ungodly to bind you?  Will you let Jesus cut those cords?  Will you let Jesus free you from that captivity?  Do you believe that Jesus is good and that he wants to cut the cords that bind you?  Do you believe that Jesus cares for you?

Psalm 130 is amazing today!  Each verse is jam packed with good stuff to think about....  Actually - if you get a chance - please read through each of these verses again, and meditate for a moment on each one and what each verse might be speaking into your life and your heart.  I think you will find tons of relevant meditations in this Psalm for your life.  Today in Psalm 130 verse 5 we read - "I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word."  Are you counting on God in your life?  Really counting on him?  Have you put your hope in his Word, the Bible?  Do you believe that reading and meditating and reflecting on the Bible can transform your life and your relationship with God? What is your plan to stay in God’s Word each and every day for the rest of your life?  (I hope it is the Chronological or One Year Bible! :) Should you have a plan to be in God’s Word each and every day?

Psalm 132 is a fantastic psalm of the King David era!  It is thought that this Psalm may have been written for the dedication of the temple or it may have been used in a coronation ceremony.  Verses 4 & 5 stood out to me today as demonstrating David's dedication to God  - "I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber until I find a place to build a house for the LORD, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel."  What in your life is keeping you awake at night?  Is it something of God's will?  Or perhaps something worldly (not of God's will)?   Will you pursue God's will in your life, and leave worldly things behind you?  Will you pursue building "a sanctuary for God" in your life above all else?

Psalm 134 is a great little Psalm!  This Psalm is basically taking place as worshippers are leaving the Temple in Jerusalem for the night - and in the first two verses the Worshippers are speaking to the Levites (priests) in the temple - giving blessings to the Levites and asking them to bless God overnight.  Then, in the third verse the Levites give a departing blessing to the worshippers as they leave the temple: "May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem." And that is certainly my prayer for each of you reading this - May God bless you!

Today in Psalm 135 verse 3 we will read this very simple, yet profound verse – “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.” The words I want to focus in on here are “the Lord is good.”  Do you believe this to be true? Do you really – in your heart – believe that God is good? I think this is important for us to really meditate upon. I’m afraid sometimes we get into our minds that maybe God is not always good. Maybe we start to think that God is out to get us. Or out to trick us. Really isn’t looking out for us. Doesn’t really like us. Doesn’t really love us. These are all of course lies that come into our mind from the Enemy, the Destroyer. God is obviously good. So good. All of the time. And maybe sometimes we really need to remind ourselves of this. Even in the midst of challenges and struggles and addictions and hardships – God is good. God is there with us. God is leading us – and maybe even taking us through a hardship to bring us to the Promised Land on the other side. Our human minds will often not understand God’s ways. But, I think for us to always remember that God is good is so important for our continuing growth in our relationship with God. So, again, do you believe the words of this Psalmist? Do you believe that God is good?

YouTube Video: Today's Psalms reminds me of JJ Heller's beautiful song "Love Me:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Igemp1fZvk

Do you believe that God loves you? Click here for His Love!

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

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

p.p.s. Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

July 13th Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 120; Psalm 121; Psalm 123; Psalm 125; Psalm 126
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Psalms - Psalm 120 is the beginning of 15 Psalms known as "songs of ascent!"  This could mean the ascent of the stairs to the Temple in Jerusalem - or more likely the annual religious pilgrimages and the ascent to Mount Zion in Jerusalem.   Are you ready for the next 15 Psalms of Ascent?

Verse 1 in this Psalm should be encouraging to each of us: "I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer."  Do you have troubles in your life?  Have you brought them to God in prayer?  Will you?  Will you allow him to answer your prayer?

Psalm 121 is the second in this series of 15 Psalms of ascent that were likely written for religious festivals when people were making their pilgrimages to Israel.  I love verses 3 & 4 today - "He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps." How about that!  God does not sleep!  This reminds me of other parts of the Bible where it talks about God being pure light and having no shadows.  God is also so perfect that he does not sleep!  I like that...  Allows me to sleep better at night.

And the closing verse 8... wow... "The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."  Do you believe this is true?  Do you believe that God watches over you - always?

Psalm 123 continues the songs of Ascent.  Psalm 123 is a short one, but a great one.  I love these portions of verses 2 and 3 -  "We look to the LORD our God for his mercy....Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy..."  Do you look to the Lord for his mercy?  What does God's mercy to you look like?  Why would you need God's mercy?  Do you pray to the Lord this simple prayer - "Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy"? 

Psalm 125 has great verses in 4 & 5: "O LORD, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you.   But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O LORD. Take them away with those who do evil. And let Israel have quietness and peace."  I love that closing line - let us have quietness and peace!  What a great prayer.  Don't we all wish for quietness and peace in our lives?  One thing I'll recommend - which I am trying so hard to learn myself - is to take a Sabbath day of rest each week. Just rest.  Just be peaceful.  Just be with God.  One day a week.  It will dramatically change the other 6 days of your week without a doubt.  Will you join me on this quest for quietness and peace in our lives by taking a Sabbath day of rest once each week?

Psalm 126 has a great verse today.  I always love the verses in Psalms that speak about water!  I don't know what it is about these verses, but here's verse 4: "Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert." Do you believe that God can restore your life like water restores the desert?  Will you allow God's water into all the nooks & crannies in your life that are in need of renewal?

Do you believe that God is living water?  Are you thirsty for that living water in your life?  Will you drink the Water?

Worship God: Today's readings in Psalm 120:1 remind me of the song "What if His People Prayed" by Casting Crowns:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF-lXgjEHo0

Are you praying to Jesus? Click here and pray!

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

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

p.p.s. Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

July 12th Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 119
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Whoo-hoo!  Today we read 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 it today!

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?

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?

Today in Psalm 119 verses 47 & 48 we read – “I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” Do you believe it is possible to delight in God’s commands? Why might this be a good thing? Do you believe it is possible to actually love God’s commands? What are God’s commands? Where can we find them? (okay, I’ll give you a hint – the answer is all over Psalm 119 :) - God’s Word, the Bible is where we can find God’s commands) Do you meditate upon God’s decrees as found in the Bible? Do you love the Bible? This seems like a strange question to ask in some regards. . . but, maybe ask yourself this – do you love books in general? I think many of us would say we love books. (Maybe using the term loosely. . .) So, if we were to consider just one book that it would really make sense to invest our time in; to meditate upon; to read for all of our lives; to love – what would that book be? Why would it be that book?  Are you a bookworm when it comes to the Bible?

Today in Psalm 119 verse 37 we read:  “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”  Are there currently things in your life that you are spending time on – focusing your eyes on – that are worthless?  What are these things?  Do you want to turn your eyes away from these things?  Will you?  Do you believe that your life can be preserved by the Word of God – the Bible?  How will you continue to preserve your life according to God’s Word on a daily basis? Do you consider the Bible literally to be a "life preserver" for you in the midst of the raging rivers of life?  Will you hold onto this life preserver each and every day?

Wow.  I love Psalm 119 verse 54 today - "Your principles have been the music of my life throughout the years of my pilgrimage."  What a beautiful metaphor - God's principles being the music of our lives through all our years as we are on our pilgrimage.  Great stuff!  How might God's principles actually become the music of your life?  Do you think you'd need to be reading God's Word frequently to tune into his frequency?  (did you catch that - frequently & frequency? :)   I commend you for reading the Bible each day this year as we go through the One Year Bible.  I pray you'll continue to read the Bible daily in all of your years to come.  I pray God's principles are and will be the music of your life.

 

 

Verse 59 today is a great verse for each of us to consider - "I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your statutes."  Have you ever reached a mid-life or maybe even a quarter-life crisis where you pondered the direction of your life?  Do you like the direction your life is heading now?  Do you want to change that direction?  Will you turn to follow God's way?  God's Truth?  God's life for you?  Do you believe that God's plans for you are so much bigger than any plans of your own that you could dream up on your own?

 

Psalm 119 verse 71 has an interesting take on suffering -  "The suffering you sent was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your principles."  Do you believe suffering can be good for you?  Can it teach you to pay attention to God?  Christianity Today magazine had a great article on Suffering a while back, which you can read at this link.  (Note that the article starts out with this provacative statement - "God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life.") Also, I did find some reflections on Suffering & Grief on ChristianityToday.com that are worth reading at this link.

I love the imagery in verse 81 today - "I faint with longing for your salvation; but I have put my hope in your word." I faint!  I long! I hope!  And Verse 83 - "I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, exhausted with waiting. But I cling to your principles and obey them."  I am shriveled!  I am exhausted!  I wait!  I cling!  I obey!   I love this Psalm...  Verse 95 is powerful: "Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind on your decrees."  How can you quietly keep your mind on God's decrees?  Will you make this a habit to quietly keep your mind on God's decrees?  Would this be a good habit?

Psalm 119 verse 105 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path." Do you believe God's Word, the Bible, is a lamp for your feet?  A light for your path?  To help put this in perspective - without God's Word, the Bible, is it possible that we would have no lamp for our feet?   No light for our paths?  That we'd essentially be groping in the darkness without God's Word, the Bible?

Verse 111 wow...  "Your decrees are my treasure; they are truly my heart's delight."  What is your treasure?  Where is your treasure?  Is God's Word, the Bible, truly your heart's delight?

Psalm 119 verse 114 is beautiful a beautiful reflection on our relationship with God and his Word, the Bible - "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope."  This ties in so well with the reflections on false teachers above.  The Bible is clearly a refuge and shield from false teaching!  Is God's Word your only source of hope?  And remember, Jesus is the very Word made flesh, so Jesus would clearly be your only source of hope too, if the Word truly is.  Let us take refuge in God's Word each day of our lives!

Verse 127 today is powerful - "Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold."  I think this is something each of us needs to ask ourselves.  Do we love God's commands - his Word - the Bible - more than we love any and all material possessions?  Do we value the Bible above all the money this world could ever offer us?  This is an important decision to make... I pray we realize the eternal worth of God's commands compared to the passing and transitory nature of "even the finest gold."  Let us always remember the great peril of ignoring God's Word and instead chasing after the world's "fool's gold..."

Verse 138 is just one more incredible verse from this incredible Psalm - "Your decrees are perfect; they are entirely worthy of our trust."  Do you believe that God's Word, the Bible, is perfect?  Is it entirely worthy of our trust?  Would you consider the Bible to be a perfect book of counsel for your life?

I love verse 130, which I used to have at the top of this blog in the NIV translation:  "The unfolding of your words gives light..." Do you believe this is true?  Does reading God's Word, the Bible, bring light into your life?  If you did not read God's Word would you be in darkness?

I think the last 3 verses of Psalm 119 are worth us camping out on here for a moment.  In verses 174, 175 & 176 the author of Psalm 119 closes out the Psalm with what I think is a prayer and a confession all in one - "O LORD, I have longed for your salvation, and your law is my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands."  Wow... not a bad prayer and confession, eh?  Is God's Word your delight?  Do you wish to live so you can praise God?  Does His Word sustain you?

Worship God: Today's readings remind me of Matt Maher's song "Christ is Risen:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptqVzhVSUPE

Do you believe that Christ is risen? Click here to meet the Risen Lord!

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

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

p.p.s. Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

July 11th Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 115; Psalm 116; Psalm 117; Psalm 118
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESV Online.org ~

Today in Psalm 115 verse 1 we will read – “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory.” (Chris Tomlin fans out there will recognize this as one of his many awesome worship tunes. . .) I don’t know how this verse strikes you, but it strikes me hard. Which is good. I think sometimes I do things for my own glory. And this verse, and really the entire Bible, is clear that the glory is God’s and not ours. Yeah, sure, we will live our lives full of “glorious” moments when we are loving God and loving people. But, we should not be living our lives to build up our own fame or our own glory. As Rick Warren states so well in the 1st sentence of the 1st chapter of his book “Purpose Driven Life”- “It is not about you.” And this is true. It is about God. And this is good news! Really. I have tried to live my life in the past where it was all about me. And this was a miserable way to live life. I pray that you see the incredible wisdom in this verse - “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory.” How are you living your life? Are you living your life to advance the fame and glory of God? Are you doing this by loving God and loving other people with all that you are? Or, are you by chance living your life to advance the fame and glory of yourself? And if so. . . how’s this going for you?

Psalm 116 verses 1 & 2 are amazing- "I love the LORD because he hears and answers my prayers.  Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!" How is your prayer life these days?  Do you believe God bends down and listens to your prayers?  And answers them?   Will you pray as long as you have breath?

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...

I came across a wonderful speculation on Psalm 118!  Zondervan's commentary 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."   Adds a bit of a new dimension to this Psalm, no?  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...

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 I'm pretty sure is a Michael W. Smith song - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."   :)

Worship God: Per Psalm 115:1 reflections above, here's Chris Tomlin's "Not to Us:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zt9K5rLHVk

Not to you? But to Your Name!

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

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

p.p.s. Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!

July 10th Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 107; Psalm 111; Psalm 112; Psalm 113; Psalm 114
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Psalm 107 today is a wonderful Psalm of thanksgiving!  Okay, be honest, who started singing the Michael W. Smith/Chris Tomlin worship tune "Forever" when you read verse 1? - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."  I did!  That's a great tune... based on a great verse in a great Psalm. 

Psalm 107 repeats a verse four times - starting with verse 6 here - ""LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress."  (then see verse 13, verse 19, and verse 28 - same verse) This is a great reminder to pray - and yes, it's great to pray during times of distress of course.  But, how about praying during times of happiness & joy?  Or even times of just regular blahs?  I recently read much of the book "The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg (great book!), and it has a great chapter on prayer.  It is so true that one of the best ways to truly know and love God is through prayer.  Simple prayer.   5 minutes a day.  Do you pray to God 5 minutes a day?  When the storms of life come, do you cry out for help to Jesus?  Do you know that he will always be there for you in the midst of the storm?

Psalm 111 is a wonderful Psalm of praise!  I love the way it ends in verse 10: "Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.  The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him. Praise his name forever!" Do you believe that reverence for God is the foundation of true wisdom?  Do you believe that there are rewards of wisdom if you obey God?  Will you praise his name forever?

Psalm 112 is a great look at a godly person's life.   Today in verse 1 we read: “Blessed is the person who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Is fear of the Lord healthy? Why or why not? Is fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? Are you blessed if you fear the Lord? Do you find great delight in God’s commands? What are God’s commands?

Verse 4 stands out - "When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in." This is encouraging.  When darkness overtakes us, if we stay true to God and Christ and faith, light will come "bursting in"!  I like that...  Know that the light is coming...  Below is a fresco from 1517 by Raphael of God separating the light from the darkness -

And verse 9 is a great reminder - "They give generously to those in need."  Are you doing something in your life to serve the poorest of the poor?   There are 1.2 billion people living in our world today on less than $1 per day.  Is there something you can do to give generously to those in need?  Below is an oil on canvas painting from 1611 by Bartolomeo Schedoni titled "The Charity" -

Psalm 113 & 114 today are very interesting and important Psalms!  These are 2 of 6 Psalms, 113 to 118, that form the "Egyptian Hallel."  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.  As you read these two Psalms today, do you sense joy in the Lord's work?  Justice?  Glory?  Power?  Does reading these two Psalms make you want to celebrate and give thanks for the Lord and all he has done throughout history and in your life?

Worship God: Psalm 112 today reminded me of Casting Crowns' song "American Dream:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumlIIHSrsQ

Are you chasing the American Dream? Click here and surrender to Jesus!

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

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.

p.p.s. Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!