Chronological Bible Blog

June 1st Chronological Bible Readings

Proverbs 17:1-19:29
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESV Online.org ~

Proverbs 17 verse 1 is so very wise... "A dry crust eaten in peace is better than a great feast with strife." I don't know about you, but this Proverb hits home.  I have eaten very simple meals in peace that have been so beautiful.  And I have also eaten at great feasts filled with drama and angst and strife.  The world may preach to us that the latter is better - the feast with all it's drama.  But, I think the still small quiet voice of God through the Bible indicates the former is better.  Which do you think is better?  The peaceful crust or the strifeful feast? 

Below is an image of a "strifeful feast" to say the least from the artist Rembrandt again.  This is from Daniel chapter 5 verses 1 through 6 - "King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.  While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.  His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way."  (As Paul Harvey would say, check out the rest of this story in Daniel chapter 5 at this link and learn what the writing on the wall means!  Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin!)

I love Proverbs chapter 17 verse 3 today - "Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart."  I think sometimes in our lives we tend to forget to live from our hearts.  We live from our minds I think so often - and we can tend to silence our hearts.  But God wants our hearts.  He wants our hearts to be fully his.  God oftentimes will speak to us through our hearts - sometimes I find that God's "still small voice" or God's whisper can only be discerned through my heart.  So, let us live from our hearts.  And let us realize that God is very interested in our hearts - and will test the purity of our hearts.  The heart is so critically important for our spiritual life...  how is the landscape of your heart today?  What would God find inside your heart right now?  Is your heart pure?  Is your heart for God?

Proverbs 17 verse 5 is quite convicting for us to consider: "Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished."  That is a powerful realization - if you mock the poor, you mock God.  If you care for the poor, you care for God.  I have a friend who met Mother Teresa many years back at her home for the sick & dying in Calcutta.  And my friend when he met her was trying to tell her all the great stuff he was doing in his life and in his ministry.  But, Mother Teresa really didn't care to hear about all his ministry stuff.  All she said to him was "Do you want to meet Jesus?  Do you want to meet Jesus?"  And of course he said "Yes!  Of course I do Mother Teresa."  So, she led him by the hand down a hall and into a room where a man was on his deathbed.  She sat my friend down at a chair by this man's bed.  And she placed my friend's hands on this dying man's hands.  And she said, "Now you will meet Jesus."  And she left the room...  and left him in the room with the dying man for about 30 minutes.   And you know what - my friend met Jesus that day in a way he had never done so before.  So, how about you.  Do you want to meet Jesus?

Worship God: Today's readings in Proverbs remind me of the Selah song "Unredeemed:"

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

Are you Unredeemed?  Click here for Redemption!

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!

May 31st Chronological Bible Readings

Proverbs 14:1-16:33
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Today in Proverbs chapter 14 verse 2 we read – “He whose walk is upright fears the LORD.” What does it mean to you to fear the Lord? Is it possible that for us to have some fear of the Lord is healthy? Why would fear of the Lord be healthy? Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting we live our lives in abject fear of God all of the time. But - this Proverb is in the Bible - and it says that someone whose walk is upright fears the Lord. So, I do humbly suggest that there is a healthy fear of God that each of us should recognize. (along with a raging LOVE of God as well of course)

I once heard a pastor say a few words about Proverbs chapter 14 verse 4: "An empty stable stays clean, but no income comes from an empty stable." Basically this pastor was talking about how things were a little bit hectic around the church - due to church growth and related growing pains.  And he brought up this verse, with the point being that it is a blessing that the church is not "clean" - in the spic & span sense - because this means a lot of things are happening.  There is "income".  There are people getting to know God and Jesus.   And yes, there are some messes.  But it's better than a spic & span clean stable / church where nothing is happen.  I like that analogy.  I also once heard this same pastor refer to church as a "majestic mess."  I like that too!  :)  Church is not a spic & span clean place all the time.  There are messes.  There are humans on staff with the church - and humans coming to the church.  We are not spic & span clean people all the time.  And that's okay.  Church is indeed a majestic mess, in the best sense of the word!  Speaking of empty clean stables - let us not forget that our Lord Himself came to this world in a full & messy stable!

Proverbs chapter 14 verse 8 is great wisdom - "The wise look ahead to see what is coming, but fools deceive themselves."  Jesus taught that we should live our lives not worrying about tomorrow.  However - this Proverb does show there is wisdom in looking ahead to see what is coming.  Don't worry about it - but pay attention to it!  For example, we shouldn't deceive ourselves into thinking that we can be reckless with our health today - we should know what this will do to us tomorrow.  We should see what is coming.

Worship God: Today's Proverbs remind me of Third Day's song "You Are Mine:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o-JPkq5rvE

Are you God's? Click here to be His!

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!

May 30th Chronological Bible Readings

Proverbs 11:1-13:25
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 2 is so true and is something I personally need to be reminded of constantly - "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."  Let us pray for humility... 

We read a powerful Proverb in chapter 11 verse 4 today - "Riches won't help on the day of judgment, but right living is a safeguard against death." What are you focusing your life on?  Is right living one of your focuses?  Think it should be?  (right living through your faith in Jesus of course - not "trying" or "working" to live right on your own will or power...) 

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 5 stands out as a powerful reminder to not even tell white lies! "The godly are directed by their honesty."

Worship God: Today's Proverbs remind me of the thought-provoking song "One Life to Love" by 33Miles:

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

Are you living your One Life to Love? Click here for True 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!

May 29th Chronological Bible Readings

Proverbs 8:1-10:32
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

I love the beginning of Proverbs chapter 8 with the imagery of Wisdom calling out to all humankind!  Do you hear the call of wisdom in your life today??

Today we read in Proverbs chapter 8 verses 10 & 11: "Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can be compared with it.”

Proverbs 8 verse 13 is a powerful look at what Wisdom hates! "That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech." When you look at your own life - do you hate pride, arrogance, corruption and perverted speech in your own behavior?

Proverbs chapter 8 verse 22 is powerful to consider as it speaks of Wisdom: "The LORD formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else."  If Wisdom was created before anything else, think this lends some credence to intelligent design?  :)

Proverbs chapter 8 verses 27 through 32 are an incredible look at how wisdom was there as God formed the earth!  And how wisdom is still here today asking us to listen.  Are you listening to the voice of wisdom?  Are you listening to the voice of Truth?

Proverbs chapter 8 verse 36 today tells us - ""But those who miss me have injured themselves. All who hate me love death.""  This is a powerful reminder of why we should seek and love God's wisdom all of our lives.  Let us not injure ourselves!  Let us not hate wisdom. Let us not love death.

Worship God:  Our readings in Proverbs today reminded me of the Building 429 song "Glory Defined."  Here's a great live version of this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euFrzV-sids

Do you know our glory defined? Click here for Glory!

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!

May 28th Chronological Bible Readings

Proverbs 5:1-7:27
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~ // Mobile Site Link
~ Listen to today's Scripture on ESVBible.org ~

Today we read in Proverbs chapter 5 verse 6: "For she does not care about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn't even realize where it leads."  For some reason this year, as we've been going through the One Year Bible, the idea of "paths" keeps jumping out at me over and over again.  Every time we read about paths now in the Bible, it stands out to me.  And here it does again.  The idea of paths in the Bible seems to clearly indicate that there are good paths - straight paths - paths through the narrow gate - paths of life - that we can choose to take.  Or, unfortunately, there are also crooked trails and we don’t realize where they lead.  Or we can take our eyes off the path.  Or we can stumble on the path.   How about for you?  What type of path are you on these days?  Is it a straight path?  Are you keeping your eyes straight ahead on the path and focused on the prize?  Will you pray to Jesus regularly to keep you on the straight path?  Will you allow God's Word, the Bible, be a lamp unto your feet and a light on the path of life that you walk each day?

Proverbs chapter 5 verses 12-14 are some sad verses to imagine saying in our lives: ""How I hated discipline! If only I had not demanded my own way! Oh, why didn't I listen to my teachers? Why didn't I pay attention to those who gave me instruction? I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.""  Do you love or hate discipline?  Do you demand your own way?  Are you listening to your teachers today?  Who are your teachers today?  Who is disciplining you?  For Whom will you not demand your own way?

Proverbs 5 verses 16 & 17 are powerful true Sex Education verses: "Why spill the water of your springs in public, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Don't share it with strangers."  I like this a lot.  Is this something we can teach young adults today?  Is this something we can teach ourselves?  Don't have sex with just anyone - it is degrading to you.  Don't share something so holy as sex with just anyone.  Save this holy bond for your spouse.  I once heard a powerful sermon by John Ortberg at Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago. And John was preaching on "Don't Quench the Spirit".   And it was a powerful sermon on how we are so blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives as followers of Jesus.  And yet, we can quench, temporarily, the power of the Spirit in our life when we sin.  It is basically like turning our back on God when we sin.  And then we need to turn our faces forward again toward God in repentance.  And while we are sinning and turning our back on God, we have effectively quenched the Spirit.  And as I heard this sermon, I realized that sexual sin is one sure-fire quick way to quench the spirit.  We degrade ourselves through sexual sin and I believe we quench the spirit.  I don't know if this line of thinking will help you at all if you are struggling with sexual sin.  But, it helps me.  It helps me to realize that the quick little temporary highs we think we might get off sexual sin are so not worth it.  What is worth quenching the Spirit in our life??  Is sexual sin?  Nope...  you know it's not.  Living fully in communion with God and with the Holy Spirit is one of the most amazing things we can possibly experience this side of heaven.  Will you please, please, no longer quench the Spirit for the cheap lies sexual sins sells?

Proverbs chapter 5 verses 22 & 23 are just amazing wisdom for each of us of why we should FLEE from sin... don't entertain it at all!  "An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly."  Please know that if for some reason you are caught in the ropes of sin, please know that Jesus can truly set you free.  Please pray for this freedom in Christ.  Only in Christ are we truly set free!  Please seek this freedom in Christ with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Don't die for lack of self-control.  Don't be lost because of the folly of sin.  Please accept the free gift that Jesus offers you this very day.

Proverbs chapter 6 verses 1 through 5 were intriguing to me.  I guess my first thought was that getting our own selves in debt is bad enough - but then to be a guarantor for our friends debt?  Well, these verses certainly warn against doing this.  Let us avoid debt!

YouTube:  Our readings in Proverbs 5 remind me of Rebecca St. James' song "Wait for Me:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooAi3KJ5I-s

Do you struggle with waiting? Click here and meet the master of patience!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly. " Proverbs 5:23 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray for discipline in your life.

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!