Psalm 105-106 We are all missionaries. Every one of us is proclaiming the greatness of something and encouraging others to participate in that. It may be a restaurant we ate at recently, it may be a movie or book, or it may be God, but we are all continuously sharing what we enjoy with others. Psalm 105 commands us to “make known among the nations what he has done” (to be a missionary/a disciple w...

Psalm 98, 99, 100, 102, 104 "Mom," "Dad" seem to be two continual refrains from the mouths of my kids. It might be absurdly early in the morning or after they have been put to bed, but these words constantly flow from their mouths. Many psalms want us to learn a similar continual call for God our Father. Psalms 98 and 100 are calls to God from a place of joy. It is easy to envision smiles on the f...

Psalm 92-97 What do you picture when you think of God? This view will impact the way you live, so it is important that we have the right view of him. Thankfully the Scriptures and especially the psalms give us several pictures of God. Psalm 92 presents him as a rock. The one upon whom our lives are to be built. Psalms 93 and 97 present him as the eternal king of the universe. Psalm 94 presents him...

Psalm 1-2, 10, 33, 71, 91 Due to our fallen nature, we have a natural bent towards throwing off authority. If you doubt this, be sensitive to your emotions the next time you are asked to do something you do not want to do. Or watch a kid throw a tantrum when they are asked to perform a small task they dislike. Or consider the founding of our country, which we celebrated a couple days ago, and our ...

Psalm 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87 Some people find the music to be their favorite part of the church service. They love expressing themselves and praising God, while others may find the music to be an almost unnecessary interruption prior to the sermon. Regardless of your attitude, praise should be something we all cultivate in our lives. We need to consistently praise God, because he is worthy of it. ...

Psalm 42-46 Kids love to pretend to be animals. They love to act like monkeys, cats, and dogs as they run or crawl around the house. You may think as you have grown older you no longer need to act like an animal, but Psalm 42 tells us otherwise. We are all to be like deer. Deer have a longing, a thirst, and a panting for water. We also are to have this longing in our hearts. Yet our longing should...

Proverbs 30:1-31:31 If you encountered a genie like Aladdin and were given three wishes, what would be your three wishes? Your requests would reveal a great deal about what you value and your hopes for the future. We have already read about Solomon, who when given one wish, chose wisdom. Now, we see Agur’s request. In Proverbs 30:7-9 he asks God for lips that speak truth and for his basic needs to...

Proverbs 25:1-29:27 You may often hear people say the Bible has contradictions. When you ask what they are, often the person does not know any but is just parroting something they have heard. In today's reading, we encounter a potential contradiction they could mention. Proverbs 26:4-5 says, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool accordin...

2 Chronicles 29:3-31:21 Your spring cleaning should have been done a few months ago, but, if you never got around to it, it is never too late to start. And even if you did it, I’m sure there are new messes and clutter to undertake. Hezekiah's reign begins with a massive spring cleaning project. The focus is not on the homes of the people; rather it is on the home of God, the temple. The priests sp...

2 Kings 16:19-20; 2 Chronicles 28:26-27; Isaiah 13:1-16:14 What is the most powerful thing you have experienced? It may be a hurricane, a form of technology, a person, or a country. Isaiah confronts us with the transitory nature of all earthly power. We see various world empires, which despite seeming to be permanent and indestructible, are nothing compared to the power of God. Babylon, who is now...

Isaiah 1:21-5:30 From the outside, prior to the Israelites’ exile, it would have seemed like they had it all together. The wealthy lived in beautiful houses, indulged in frequent parties, and dressed in lavish clothing. They would have fit right in on a Friday night in the trendy part of town, and yet behind the scenes, they were morally bankrupt. Their lives were consumed by the pursuit of tempor...

Isaiah 28:1-29; 2 Kings 17:5, 18:9-12, 17:6-41; Isaiah 1:1-20 All humans are made in the image of God─this means we have value and dignity. Being made in the image of God has nothing to do with what we do, but rather about who we are. Yet we can choose to accurately live out and reflect more of God’s image in the way we live. As Christians, we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ rath...

Hosea 9:1-14:9 Nothing reveals the condition of your heart more than in what you delight and rejoice. Today's reading out of Hosea is like a cardiologist examining the heart of the Israelites. They delight in money, idols, politicians, and prosperity, but they do not rejoice in God. They look everywhere for fulfillment except to the One who created them and sustained them from generation to genera...

Hosea 2:14-8:14 Perhaps the strongest universal human desire is the intrinsic need to be loved. We want to know that we matter to someone and are loved by them. The book of Hosea is an extended message that we are loved, and not just by anyone, but by the God of the universe. Sadly, our instinct is often to run from God’s love rather than embrace it. We are not satisfied, or do not believe we are ...

Isaiah 12:1-6, 17:1-14; 2 Chronicles 28:16-21; 2 Kings 16:10-18; 2 Chronicles 28:22-25; 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29:1-2; 2 Kings 15:30-31, 17:1-4; Hosea 1:1-2:13 God’s sovereignty is on full display in today’s reading. Our tendency as fallen beings is to think we are in control or are able to manipulate our circumstances, but it is the Lord God alone who is sovereign over every person and situ...

Isaiah 8:1-11:16 Israel and Judah find themselves in what seems like a hopeless situation. The most powerful kingdom on Earth is approaching with a massive army, and death, exile, and destruction seem imminent. Yet scattered through these chapters of warning come messages of hope. Isaiah 9 speaks of the light to come and a joy that will overwhelm the darkness. This hope comes from the one who will...

2 Kings 15:32-38; 2 Chronicles 27:1-9; Micah 1:1-16; 2 Kings 16:1-9; 2 Chronicles 28:1-15; Isaiah 7:1-25 The end of Israel is drawing near, and the guarantee of their destruction is a prophecy. This prophecy is “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when...the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste” (Isaiah 7:14)...

Amos 7:1-9:15; 2 Kings 14:28-29, 15:8-29, 15:6-7; 2 Chronicles 26:22-23; Isaiah 6:1-13 Context is critical to understanding the Bible. We need to know when it was written, who wrote it, and who the audience was. In the Chronological One Year Bible, the books of the prophets are inserted directly into Israel and Judah’s timeline of events so we can understand more fully their meaning and context. F...

Amos 1:1-6:14 We live in a culture that is passionate about justice. Yet most want others to get what they deserve for their sin rather than receiving consequences for their own wrong actions. At the beginning of Amos, we see this same mentality when he pronounces judgment upon the enemies of Israel and Judah. It is not hard to imagine much delight that their enemies are finally going to receive t...

2 Kings 14:1-14; 2 Chronicles 25:1-24; 2 Kings 13:12-13, 14:15-16, 14:23-27; 2 Chronicles 25:25-28; 2 Kings 14:17- 22, 15:1-5; 2 Chronicles 26:1-21; Jonah 1:1-4:11 Jeroboam II had restored the boundaries of Israel according to God’s word as “spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher” (2 Kings 14:25). Jonah, a prophet in Israel? That sure slipped by me as a child...