bible reading dec 1

Bible reading for Dec 1.

1 Chronicles 29.

"Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly." (29:9)

GREAT JOY. For a brief moment in Israel's history, the king and the people were united together in God's work for God's glory. Such free, whole-hearted willingness to obey, along with uncoerced generosity (vv 5, 9, 14, 17-18), was rare under the old covenant, and is the hallmark of the new covenant (Ps 110:3; Ezek 36:26-27; 2 Cor 8:1-5). Fullness of joy is the result of God's grace (vv 9, 22; cf Isa 9:3; Gal 5:22; 1 Pet 1:8). And just as King David provided gifts for his son to build the temple, so the Lord Jesus gives gifts to his children, that they may build up his body in this world (Eph 4:7-16).

PRAYER. Before we finish the chapter (and book), we should read his prayer in verses 10-19. Spend a little more time there. It is the Lord's will that we (like David) serve God freely, joyfully, and wholeheartedly. It should grieve us when we find ourselves unwilling to serve him freely. Note the progression in the prayer: acknowledging God for who he is and thanking him for all that we have in him (vv 11-13); confessing our dependence upon his grace (vv 14-17); and petitioning him for what we need to serve him well (vv 18-19). Why not make this your own prayer today?

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2 Peter 3.

"But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (3:13)

WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE? There are many things to note in this chapter: Peter recognizes the validity and authority of the NT apostles with the OT prophets (v 2). This includes Paul's letters (v 16). The Lord's coming may appear delayed (v 4), in other words, the early church did not believe that Jesus would return in the first century. God is outside our way of reckoning time (v 8). The Lord is patient and longsuffering toward the impenitent (vv 9, 15). We are to wait for, and work toward, Christ's return (v 12). And we are to keep growing in the Lord (v 18). The central point of this letter, however, is that biblical teaching should produce holy living. "What sort of people ought you to be..." (v 11), especially, as we are looking for, waiting for, and hastening the coming of a new world of righteousness (v 13; cf Col 3:1-4; 1 Jn 3:2-3).

REFLECT. We should live like we are on the way to a new heavens and a new earth. What sort of person should you and I be? The new creation will be filled with the glory of God, and filled with creatures who love God and one another perfectly. What changes need to be made in us today to make us more ready for that world?

We are following the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) two-year reading schedule, as arranged by D. A. Carson. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. One recommended resource is NETBible.org, a ministry of bible.org.

bible reading dec 3-5

Bible reading for weekend December 3 -- 5 Dec 3 -- Nahum 1 and Luke 17 Dec 4 -- Nahum 2 and Luke 18 Dec 5 -- Nahum 3 and Luke 19 ================ "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness." (Nahum 1:7-8) TIME'S UP FOR NINEVEH (Nah 1-3). The prophecy of Nahum is God's word to the people of Nineveh, part two. Jonah was part one, chronicling a city-wide repentance of Assyrians in the capital about a hundred years earlier. The closing bookend is Nahum, and the Assyrian empire is big, powerful, and aggressive. Notice the references to chariots (2:3-4, 13; 3:2). The Assyrians were a militarily advanced culture, and cruel in their warfare. Whatever spiritual receptivity they had at the time of Jonah was gone by the time of Nahum. Nahum may not have actually visited Nineveh, for it seems the book was w

bible reading nov 1-2

Bible reading for weekend Nov 1 -- 2 Nov 1 -- Hosea 7 and Psalms 120-122 Nov 2 -- Hosea 8 and Psalms 123-125 ================ "Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing." (Hosea 8:12) THE RESULTS OF SIN (ch 7-8). Notice the words and metaphors to describe Israel's sinful condition: they are surrounded with, and proud of, their evil (7:1-3); like adulterers in the heat of passion (7:4-5); their anger is like a hot oven (7:6-7); they are like a half-cooked (one side only) cake (7:8); their strength is gone (7:9); they are like silly doves easily trapped (7:11-12); they are undependable like a warped bow (7:16). In spite of all of this they are so proud of themselves! (We might say they have a strong self-esteem.) They have spurned what is good (8:3); they sow to the wind and have no real fruit (8:7); they are a useless vessel (8:8) and a wild donkey wandering alone (8:9); they regard God's law as a strange thing

Howard Hendricks on OT books chronology

When I was in seminary, Howard Hendricks (aka "Prof") gave us a little card with the books of the OT chronologically arranged. The scanned copy I have was a bit blurry and I wanted to make something like this available for our church class in OT theology ("Story of Redemption"). A few minor edits and here it is...

my burg

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