Old Testament reading: Psalm 66-67

“I’ve seen fire, and I’ve seen rain” (James Taylor, “Fire and Rain”). “We went through fire and through water, but You have brought us out to rich fulfillment” (Psalm 66:12). My Bible contains a margin note next to rich, giving an alternate rendering of “abundance.” So it is every time we pass through God’s proving grounds. Two verses earlier, David said, “For You, God, have tested us; you have refined us as silver is refined” (v 10). Precious metals like silver and gold are purified by placing them under intense heat. When the metal becomes liquid, the impurities (dross) come to the top and are removed, leaving behind a purer and more precious product. So also it is with the Christian. The intense heat of life’s difficulties serves to remove those things that hinder our holiness. Job said it like this, “When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Let us have the faith and fortitude to see “the end intended by the Lord” (James 5:11).

New Testament reading: John 8-9

“I AM.” This is the name of God as given to Moses when he asked God for the name of the One who was sending him to Egypt (Ex 3:14). It is my belief that the translators missed the I AM that appears in John 8:24. Every primary translation adds “he” after “I am” in verses 24 and 28, including the KJV, NKJV, ESV, NASB, Holman (HCSB). This is done to help clarify the meaning, but I believe rendering it “I AM” is more accurate. In referring to Himself as “I AM,” Jesus was claiming to be Deity, but the Pharisees missed it the first two times in verses 24 and 28 The Holman Christian Standard Bible notes the Pharisees’ error in the margin on verse 24, even though they also added “He” in their translation. However, the third time was a charm. In verse 58 Jesus makes it abundantly clear what He intends by “I AM” to the great displeasure to the Jews, who take up stones to kill him. Jesus is not “just” the Son of God; He is God (John 1:1; Hebrews 1:8).

Old Testament reading: Psalm 61-65

Why must we always “hit the ground running?” David’s attitude to start his day was, “Early will I seek you” (Psalm 63:1). From the early dawn David daily set his affections on his God. Conversely, we often open my eyes to the new day thinking of all we need to accomplish and begin to plan accordingly. At the end of the day we retire to our beds thinking of all that was not finished or the tasks awaiting us tomorrow, whereas David said, “When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches” (v 6). What better way to start our day or retire to sweet dreams than dwelling on the goodness of God?

New Testament reading: John 6-7

“A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house” (Matt 13:57). A preacher always has a special affinity for his hometown. I used to think, “If I could just go home and show my hometown folks how much I’ve changed, I could have a great impact.” However, I have preached many times in my home congregation as well as preaching in close to a dozen gospel meetings in the area. Less than a handful of my non-Christian or friends have ever made the effort to come. This same lesson is illustrated in the life of our Lord as recorded in John 7. Not only did Jesus’ brothers not believe in Him, they were openly antagonistic toward Him and His work. Note how they openly mocked him in verses 3-4, ‘Why are you staying at home? Why do you continue to preach and perform in small towns? If you want to be a public figure, take your production to Jerusalem; go to the big city.’ Jesus responded by noting His brothers could go to Jerusalem at any time without tumult or torment, primarily because they were silent (or worse still, sympathetic) to the world’s wickedness. Speaking out against evil is never a popular message. It only resounds with the faithful few. Jesus’ brothers would not be among that number until after His resurrection from the dead.

Old Testament reading: Psalm 56-60

“Stop twisting my words!” In Psalm 56:5, David laments how his enemies twisted his words because of their evil intentions against him. We live in a time when men seek even the slightest slip of the tongue to use as a weapon against us or to further their own agenda. Even the most carefully worded statements are parsed and given great scrutiny. This is true both in politics and in religion. If nothing can be found, then something shall be fabricated to cast some semblance of doubt on the speaker, e.g., “Well, he didn’t come right out and say it, but…”. Even our Lord, the master teacher and orator, was not immune to having his enemies busy trying to twist His words (Mark 14:55-59). Therefore, it behooves us to be even more diligent to guard our tongues, lest our enemies gain some advantage over us because of our verbal incontinence. If they are looking to twist our words for a “Gotcha!” moment when we are trying to teach the truth, how much more judicious must we be in our regular everyday conversations!

New Testament reading: John 4-5

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41). This statement of Jesus is pictured in His discourse with the Jews in John 5:33-35. The burdens of Rome and the Jewish hierarchy made life difficult for Israel. As John splashed on the scene with his message of the quickly approaching kingdom (Matt 3:2), the common people flocked to him and gladly received his message . However, the freedom foretold by John was also a costly one, being preceded by and necessitated upon repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, this was not the freedom they envisioned, as they looked for a physical king (cf John 6:15) who would restore the nation of Israel to her former secular and military glory. Thus, they were willing to rejoice in John’s light for a time, but they lacked the fortitude to follow through with Christ once they discovered it wasn’t what they were expecting (v 40).

Old Testament reading: Psalm 51-55

“Behold I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).  This verse is often cited in defense of the erroneous doctrine of hereditary depravity. This doctrine contends that all of humanity is tainted by Adam’s sin from the time they are conceived. Moreover, it teaches that, being totally depraved, no man possess the exercise of his own free will. However, this view fails to take into consideration the context of David’s deep grief regarding his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11-12). David is here utilizing a form of expression known as hyperbole, that is, an intended and obvious exaggeration, to describe his great sorrow for his sin.  In tomorrow’s reading we will again see David’s use of hyperbole, this time to describe the wicked as going astray from God as soon as they are born, speaking lies (58:3). Obviously, no baby deliberately goes away from God, and no baby can speak, much less lie. In like fashion, no man is born in sin, for sin is a transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4).

New Testament reading: John 1-3

“Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This is one of the most well known, yet misunderstood, texts in all the Bible. Because Nicodemus did not understand it, Jesus explained it in verse 5, yet many still do not understand. One reason for this misunderstanding is the view is a failure to recognize the language. Verse 5 is teaching the exact same thing as verse 3. There is not one birth in verse 3 and two births in verse 5 as many allege. The word “born” in verse 5 is singular, meaning both water and Spirit are a part of the one birth by which one is born again in verse 3. A second reason for the failure of most to grasp the text is because of the general disbelief in the necessity of water baptism in order to be saved, even though there are a multitude of Scriptures that so teach (e.g., Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). Also, the blessing found in each verse, entering the kingdom of God, is the same. So, there is only one birth under consideration here, and it involves both water and Spirit (cf Eph 5:26).

Old Testament reading: Psalm 46-50

“You thought that I was altogether like you” (Psalm 50:21). Man has the propensity to think of God as possessing earthly or human characteristics. In this case, God says, ‘Just because I haven’t punished your wickedness doesn’t mean I haven’t seen it or intend to ignore it’ (vv 16-21). There are numerous ways in which we can falsely attribute human qualities to the Divine One. When we offer worship or service to God that is not authorized by His word, we presume that He will be pleased to receive whatever comes from our hands. Psalm 50 is a stern rebuke of this attitude. Much of what is passed off as worship in the religious world today is designed to appeal to men, but we must remember that we cannot please God apart from obedience (cf 1 Sam 15:22). The Psalmist closes this song by identifying those who fail to obey God as “you who forget God” (v 22), and admonishing them that “to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God” (v 23). Right conduct is the only path to receive Divine reward.

New Testament reading: Luke 23-24

The account of the thief on the cross is generally only told from the side of the one who was penitent. It should be remembered that even the penitent thief was among those who reviled Jesus (Matt 27:44), but after three hours of observation, he changed his mind and pleaded for his Lord’s forgiveness. Luke’s account reveals the impenitent thief, being rebuked by his fellow, still had three hours to change his mind about Jesus. Moreover, he was given another miraculous sign when a great darkness covered the land. How hard must his heart have been! Condemned to die, and with salvation within reach of his outstretched arms, he went to eternity unprepared. Even when the sun started to shine again, he was still in darkness.  We might say, when the sun came back, the SON was gone, and with Him all hope of salvation. What a tragedy!

Old Testament reading: Psalm 42-45

Have you ever been in time of difficulty or turmoil and been immediately relieved at the sight of a familiar and longed for face? I well recall several times when I have suffered a great loss or was in extreme distress, only to be relieved to see the face of my beautiful wife or some other friend or loved one. No words were necessary, just the face of their presence refreshed me. In a time of great distress, the Psalmist looked for relief in seeing the countenance (face) of God: “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Psalm 42:5).  David here speaks of seeing the face of God in the sense of God turning his face toward David in his time of affliction. We cannot but imagine how incredibly marvelous it will be to actually see God face to face in eternity. When we dwell with God in the heavenly abode, John says there “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).

New Testament reading: Luke 22

In contrast with today’s previous reading and the thought of seeing God for comfort, Peter received no comfort when he saw the Lord in Luke 22:61. Less than a handful of hours earlier, Peter had boldly proclaimed his dedication to Jesus, saying, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (v 33). To this claim Jesus retorted, “I tell you Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me” (v 34). After denying his association with Jesus for the third time, the rooster crowed (v 60). Upon hearing the crow, Jesus “turned and looked at Peter” (v 61). One can only imagine the pain expressed in the face and eyes of our Lord as His gaze reached Peter. Peter’s profound remorse is seen as he remembered the words of Jesus and went out and wept bitterly. Have you ever had someone in your life that you never wanted to disappoint? Mine was my Grandpa Burleson. May we never forget that our Lord see us at all times, and consider how He might look at us if we could see His face when we fail Him.

Old Testament reading: Psalm 39-41

“Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). To whom it is that David here refers is unknown. Perhaps he was speaking of Ahithophel, who had served as David’s counselor, but had abandoned the king in favor of assisting in the treachery and treason of Absalom (2 Sam 15:12). No matter, for we know how these words would later come to pass in the life of the Lord Jesus. Jesus quoted this very text as he foretold His betrayal by Judas Iscariot in John 13:18. Moreover, Jesus did not simply use David’s words as a parallel or illustration, but rather identified them as a prophecy of Scripture that must be fulfilled. In Psalm 41:10-13 we can see a parallel in the account of David and Ahithophel with Jesus and Judas. As Ahithophel and Absalom did not triumph over David, neither did Judas Iscariot and his master, Satan (John 13:27), triumph over Jesus. Again we see the richness of the Psalms as they look forward to the coming Messiah!

New Testament reading: Luke 20-21

The power of a proper hermeneutic. “Hermeneutic” is a fancy word for the principle of interpretation of the Bible or other texts (e.g., the Constitution). The hermeneutic that has guided the church for many years now has been expressed in recent times as “Command, Example, and Necessary Inference.” This principle of biblical interpretation is a sound and faithful guide in matters of faith and practice. Unfortunately, many in the church have rejected the principle of inference, and some have gone so far as to mock it. However, in Luke 20:37-38, Jesus uses this express principle to refute the Sadducees’ error in the matter of the resurrection. Quoting Exodus 3:6, Jesus uses the self identification of His Father as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” as necessarily implying that these men were indeed still alive, though their physical bodies were long since deceased. The Sadducees were honest enough to accept Jesus’ use of inference as valid and made no attempt to argue or mock it. Many of our my brethren would do well to show the same integrity in the interpretation of the Sacred Text.

Old Testament reading: Psalm 36-38

Everyone is going somewhere, but from whom do you receive your marching orders? David reminds us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (37:23). The New King James Version follows this with, “And He delights in his way.” The capital H in “He” indicates the translators believe this is a reference to God. I am inclined to believe the first “he” is the good man and the second is God. From this perspective, the good man delights in the way of God (cf Ps 1:2). At no time does the good man fall never to recover himself, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I picture here a young father holding on to the hand of his child as he is just learning to walk. The father leads, guides and protects his child as the little lad takes his first unsteady steps. Though the child eventually grows and matures, no longer needing to hold his father’s hand, the child of God never turns loose of his Father’s hand. To so do is to invite disaster! Hold on to your heavenly Father’s hand!

New Testament reading: Luke 17-19

Be persistent in prayer! In the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8), we see the difference in repeatedly praying for a specific thing and issuing vain repetitions. Jesus prayed repeatedly in the garden for His Father to “take this cup away from Me” (Luke 22:42). Paul besought the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7-9). Neither was guilty of vain repetition; neither received the answer he desired, but both were heard and attended to by God! The woman in this parable had no reason to think the judge would be sympathetic to hear her pleas. Conversely, God’s children have every reason to expect their Father, the righteous and compassionate Judge of all the world, to hear their cries and respond accordingly. The point of the parable is expressed in the opening line, “that men ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Old Testament reading: Psalm 32-35

“Love your enemies” (Matt 5:44). David exemplifies the spirit of his Lord as he entreated God on their behalf: “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart. I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother” (35:13-14). Rather than cursing them or taking joy in their adversity, David grieved over his enemies’ misfortune. The return of his prayer to his own heart is an interesting thought. David realized his prayers for his enemies did not help them, but he believed his prayers were not in vain, as it was a blessing to him to pray on their behalf.  So taught our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” (Matt 5:43-45).

New Testament reading: Luke 14-16

Have you counted the cost? No great journey or undertaking should be commenced without a consideration of cost, lest we find ourselves short of our goal and unable to finish. So it is with discipleship. One cannot faithfully follow Jesus apart from great deliberation and diligence. Those inclined to shallow, emotional decision making are almost certain to fail when they are weighed by the burden of their cross. This truth is also illustrated in the explanation of the stony soil in Luke 8 as well as the admonition to deny self in Luke 9:23. Regarding the cost of discipleship, one thing must be remembered at all times… it is worth it (cf 1 Peter 1:7-9)! No cost is too great, no hill is too steep, and no burden too heavy to bear when heaven awaits! Note also how mockery in this life is also a price to pay for our failure to count the cost (14:29-30). Naysayers are always at the ready to ridicule those who start their journey with Christ, only to abandon it when the path becomes too difficult. Don’t give them the satisfaction! Show them the discipline and determination that comes through faith!

Old Testament reading: Psalm 28-31

“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps 28:2). Holiness is not a garment that may be put on or off according to circumstances. Rather, it is a lifestyle that must be pursued with great diligence (cf Heb 12:14). We must strive to perfect holiness in view of the promises and fear of God (2 Cor 7:1).  If I would be an acceptable worshiper of God, I cannot live like the world through the week and put on my holiness on Sunday. Paul said we cannot eat at the table of demons and the table of the Lord (1 Cor 10:16). This does not mean we must live in sinless perfection in order to worship God acceptably, but faithful living keeps us continually cleansed by the blood of Jesus that we might be made fit to worship (1 John 1:7).

New Testament reading: Luke 12-13

Patience may be a virtue, but it is much more than that in regard to God’s dealings with humanity. In the parable of the fig tree (13:6-9), we are reminded of God’s longsuffering with Israel, and by extension, to us as well. The Jews’ general rejection of Jesus is pictured in the three years of fruitlessness. God’s longsuffering is seen in the added provisions made to help the tree produce, but only for a little while longer. Earlier, in Luke 12:54-56, Jesus condemned that generation for its failure to recognize the signs of that time, specifically the coming of the Messiah. All of the miracles of Jesus (Luke 7:22), His apostles (Luke 9:1-2), and the seventy (Luke 10:1) were more than adequate evidence to announce the imminence and coming of the prophesied kingdom. They were without excuse for their unbelief, and God’s patience would eventually run out. Ultimately, God used the sword of Rome to cut down the Jewish nation for her unbelief and stubborn rebellion against the Lord and His Christ. At some point in the future, God’s patience will run out with mankind again. At that time He will send His Son and the mighty angels to reap the harvest of the saints and gather the tares to be burned in eternal flame (cf Matt 13:24-30, 36-43).