Today's Reading: Luke 20:1-47This is an interesting chapter in which Jesus consistently outwits those who are trying to trick Him. But for this part of our reading plan, we're going to focus on the short section in verses 41-44. Here Jesus quotes from the Psalm that we read last week - Psalm 110. The point He is making is that He is the fulfillment of that Psalm. In His humanity, he is from the li...  Read More

Today's reading: Luke 2:1-52In this chapter, we find three witnesses to whom God revealed that Jesus was the "Christ", the promised Messiah:The shepherds. Interestingly the uneducated shepherds to whom the angels announced the birth of Jesus became the very first witnesses to share Him with their neighbors. Simeon. He had been waiting in the Temple for many years to see the Messiah, when the Holy ...  Read More

Today's Reading: Luke 1-80Today and tomorrow we'll be reading the first two chapters of Luke's gospel account. Luke is the only gospel writer who covers Jesus' life from His birth to His resurrection. Luke writes primarily to Gentiles and he focuses on the humanity of Jesus.Here in chapter 1, Luke is careful to report that both Joseph and Mary are from the line of David. And the angel Gabriel reve...  Read More

Today's Reading: Matthew 12:1-50Here Jesus takes several actions to prove that He is greater than Solomon or the Temple that Solomon built or the traditions of the religious leaders. God had commanded His people to observe the Sabbath for their own benefit, but the Jewish religious leaders had created numerous man-made laws related to the Sabbath that were used to enslave the people and protect th...  Read More

Today's Reading: Psalm 110:1-7Jesus quotes verse 1 of this Psalm to prove that He is the Messiah. Obviously God would never address David as "my Lord", so this must be a prophecy of Jesus. Peter also quotes that verse in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:34-35) as proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah from the line of David.This Psalm also reveals that the Messiah will be a priest in t...  Read More

Today's Reading: Psalm 89:1-52Per the Enduring Word Bible Commentary:"The title of this psalm is A Contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite. There are several men named Ethan in the Hebrew Scriptures, but this man is mentioned specifically in 1 Kings 4:31 as someone who was famous for his wisdom – yet surpassed by Solomon’s greater wisdom. This means he was likely a contemporary of Solomon and was also...  Read More

Today's Reading: Psalm 18:1-50This Psalm was written by David when God delivered him from the hand of Saul, who was trying to kill him at the time. But it is also clearly a Messianic Psalm that points ahead to Jesus, who will be rescued from the grave to show His mastery over sin and death.As you read through this passage, consider how it describes Jesus....  Read More

Today's Reading: Psalm 2:1-12The kings of the earth are reminded that God is sovereign and that no matter what they think, they can't thwart His purposes and plans. But there is a king who will reign with absolute power and authority one day. That will be the ultimate fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant we read about earlier this week.This is is good warning for us not to put our trust in any earth...  Read More

Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 5:1-14David's son, Solomon, finally completed the building of the temple. The ark of the covenant was placed inside the Most Holy Place and the people worshiped God. Notice the extravagance of their worship. There were so many animals sacrificed that they couldn't be counted. And then the Levites led the people in singing praises to God.Would you describe you worship ...  Read More

Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 17:1-27There is an interesting word play in the first part of this chapter. David offers to build God a "house" - a physical place where God would manifest His presence to the people of Israel. But God reveals that David is no the one who will build that house. He also reveals that He is going to build a "house" for David. The underlying Hebrew word translated "house"...  Read More

Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-31We learn an important lesson about our sin in this chapter. When Nathan confronts David about his sin, he immediately acknowledges it before God. And God graciously forgives him. But God does not remove the consequences of his sin and the son that had been born as a result of David's adultery dies.For those who have put their faith in Jesus, God promises to forgive...  Read More

If you've been with us so far in the reading plan this year, I'm sure that you are aware that Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for catching up if you've gotten behind and/or for reflecting on what you've been reading. So I'm no longer going to be posting on the weekends. That will give me more time to devote to the posts for the rest of the week....  Read More