February 29: Extending the streak to 60 days

Posted by: Darius Sanders

If you’ve been traveling on the Route 66 with us this year, I want to point something out to you. You’ve been reading your bible every day for the past 59 days! That’s incredible! So, when you got up this morning and realized that there was no reading in the One-Year Bible for February 29th you either had one of two reactions:

1. Yes! I finally get to take a day off!
2. Oh my gosh! There’s no February 29th! What do I read today?! I better go check the blog.

If you’re reading this post right now, I’m guessing your reaction was more like the latter than the former. You’re anxious to extend your Bible reading streak to 60 days. After getting a taste of the life impacting difference that reading God’s Word daily has done for you, you couldn’t fathom skipping a day without reading your Bible.

So, for those of you hungry for reading God’s Word, here’s what I have for you today: Since today is the 29th day of February, read Proverbs Chapter 29. Hopefully you have a bible in addition to your One-Year Bible so that you can read in all in one place, but if not, you can find Proverbs Chapter 29 spaced out from December 3rd through December 14th. Here’s my SOAP for Proverbs 29.

Scripture
Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad.

Observation
God wants us to discipline our kids. He wants us to do this as often as they disobey. His Word actually says that you will have peace of mind and that your heart would be glad if you choose to discipline your kids.

My parents definitely had peace of mind and glad hearts! Growing up, they disciplined me daily. I didn’t get put on time-out or get grounded; I got “whoopins!” How many of you know what “whoopins” are? In case you don’t know, “whoopins” are when your dad pulls off his belt, folds it in half, grabs your left hand and chases you in circles as he “lights your butt up.” Now, for the record, he always talked to me beforehand about why I was going to get a whoopin and he never hit me out of anger, but he did use whoopins as his primary form of discipline. He was brilliant in his delivery as well as he would quote passages from the bible that talked about the importance of disciplining your kids before giving me whoopins.

Application
The key to discipline in a kid’s life is consistency. As parents, we need to let our kids know what actions they will be disciplined for beforehand, and follow through with the disciplinary action if they choose to disobey. Having an 8-month old daughter, I know the time will surely come when she starts disobeying me and her mother. Now, we could sweep all her offenses under the rug since she is (and will always be) my baby girl, but that would be a disservice to both her and us. Instead, we need to do as God Word says and discipline her for doing wrong. We may not discipline her in the same way that my parents disciplined me, but we do need to discipline her. In the long run, we will all benefit for following God’s plan in disciplining our kids.

My parents are proud of the man that I’ve become today. They as well as I know that if it weren’t for the consistent discipline with which they raised me, I wouldn’t have turned out the way that I did. So, while the “whoopins” hurt when I was a kid, I must say that they helped me in the long run to grow up to be the man of God He wanted me to become. My parents truly have peace of mind and glad hearts because they raised me according to the way that God’s Word says to raise kids, they disciplined me.

Prayer
God, thank you for the nuggets of truth You’ve placed in the Proverbs. Thanks for reminding me of the importance of discipline and the difference it can make in kids lives. I pray that when the time comes, I will obey Your Word and discipline my daughter to keep her on the right track in life.

February 27 - Let’s Keep It The Same

by Greg Rohlinger

Scripture: Mark 9:5

“Peter exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials–one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He said this because he didn’t really know what to say, for they were all terrified.”

Observation:

Jesus had just taken Peter, James and John up on the mountain where Moses and Elijah appeared to them all. For the disciples, this was an incredible moment, the two great prophets of their ancestors had appeared and spoken with Jesus. I can’t imagine the spiritual high they must have felt.

In the excitement of the moment, Peter does what most of us naturally do: he wants to keep things the same. Let’s just stay here. This is a dominant emotion for many Christians, and churches. We’re in, so let’s not worry about anybody else.

Application:

My times with Jesus should fuel me to reach other people with His teachings, not simply cherish them for myself. I love my personal time with Him, but He then wants me to take what I’ve learned and help other people find their way back to God.  Jesus left us the mission to “GO”, not “STAY”.

As a church, we must never become comfortable, feeling as if we’ve arrived. It’s never about us, it’s about the lost whom Christ died for! We must always strive to reach more people for Jesus each day.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to cherish my daily time with you. Help me to grow closer to you and become more like you. But please don’t let me become comfortable to stay there; compel me to GO to the world with the good news of salvation through Jesus!

February 26: I am the Lord Your God!

by Paul Lewis

First, let me say that there is so much that God is saying in today’s reading, we could spend a long time diving in deeper and I encourage you to do that. I am anxious to hear how God has spoken to you through today’s reading. Here’s what He impressed upon me the most today:

Scripture:

Leviticus 20:8

Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy.

Observation:

Woven through the passage up to this point it says 17 times “I am the Lord” or I am the Lord your God”. He begins by saying “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. He caps the section off by saying “I am the Lord who makes you holy. In between are a broad spectrum of commands about how to live for Him (How many of the ten commandments to you see in this passage?).

Application:

I’ve heard, and learned, that when something is repeated in the Bible it is really important. In this passage we see God emphasize who He is by declaring 17 times that He is the Lord. By beginning with the command to be holy because He is holy, and then to cap it off with the fact that it is He who makes us holy, we see that we need His lordship over our lives to help us learn and apply His commands.

He makes it clear that it isn’t enough to know the commands, we must apply them to our lives. We are all sinners, and will fail at keeping His commands in our lives. He is showing over and over that He wants us to rely on Him, as Lord, as He transforms us into His image. Only by relying on Him can we become holy, and therefore, keep His commands. See Romans 12:1-2!

Prayer:

God, transform me! Make me holy as You are holy. Help me to apply your commands in my life today. Help me to focus on you as Lord of my life.

February 25: Helping the Poor One Burger At A Time

By Derrick Logan

Scripture:

“Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!  The Lord protects them and keeps them alive.  He give them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.  The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.”   -Psalm 41:1-3

Observation:

It pays to be generous to the poor.  It’s obvious the Lord looks favorably on those who take special notice of those with less than themselves.

Application:

There are numerous forms of poverty weaved throughout my world.  Those who are poor monetarily, emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.  I have opportunities everyday to be the hands and feet of Christ in someone’s life by helping those who are poor around me.  For me, it might be picking up the phone and calling a friend I know is hurting and offering to pray with him… or asking someone to lunch that I know doesn’t have many friends… there’s tons of ways to serve the poor.

One way I’ve tried recently was at a fast food drive through.  With Kim being pregnant, dinner duty regularly falls to me… which means we often choose between Jack in the Box, Wendy’s, Burger King, or McDonald’s.  The other day I went through the drive through and had the idea to pay for the order for the car behind me.  I asked the cashier to take my debit card back and ring through the order for the people behind me in line.  The look on her face was priceless… “do you know them?” she asked.  “Nope, just hope to put a smile on their face and brighten their day a little,” I said.  I got my food, rolled up the window and headed home for dinner.

I hope you hear my heart in this story.  I’m not telling it in hopes of getting a virtual pat-on-the-back or “at-a boy.”  I just want to share with you a way I was able to reach out to someone in need.  I’m sure the gentleman behind me had the money to cover his meal.  But there’s a very real chance that he doesn’t know Christ.  What a great opportunity to be a light in someone’s life!  Maybe he was hurting like so many others in our community.  There are many people around us that are bankrupt emotionally and relationally.  People who follow Christ and people who don’t are both susceptible to this pain.  Something as simple as a free value meal could put a genuine smile on someone’s face and give them a different out look on their day.

Prayer:

Help me to find an opportunity each day to be kind to the poor.  Jesus, thank you for being such an incredible example for us in reaching out to those less fortunate than us.  It’s my heart and desire to be a blessing to people all around me.  Help me to shine Your light in lives that are dark and vacant of You and help me to be an encouragement for those who have already chosen to follow You.  Thanks God!  Amen.

Oh… and yes… I do have a Palm Valley sticker on my rear windshield.  Who knows, maybe he’ll come to our church some day to find out what would make someone crazy enough to pay for someone else’s food… or he might just want another free Whopper. 

What are some ways YOU reach out to the poor?

February 24th: The goat has left the building

By: Ryan Nunez

Scripture

Leviticus 16:7-10

Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance to the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people into the wilderness of Azazel. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the Lord. The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away will be kept alive, standing before the Lord. When it is sent await to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the Lord.

Observation

What is being described here is the “Day of Atonement” currently called Yom Kippur in the Jewish faith. It is a day for the sins of the community against God to be made right.

Application

In this passage God instructs Moses and Aaron how to show the people, through ceremonies, that He has forgiven them when they come to Him. This ceremony revolves around two goats. One was to be sacrificed and it’s blood shed to cover the peoples sins, which has a typical occurrence. The second goat was the unique one. The High Priest would place his hand on this goat and transfer the sins of the people onto it. This goat would then be carrying the sins of the people. It would then be led outside of camp, into the wilderness, to never return. What an incredible act. I love how intimately God knows us. He knows how we doubt what he has done in the past. He knows how we doubt decisions we make. He knows our struggles. So he gave the people something they could see. They would watch as their sins were led into the wilderness, never to come back.

Prayer

God, thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for sending your Son to make the ultimate atonement for sin so that I can live in a relationship with you.

February 23: Working When I Can’t See

By Daniel Conner

Scripture

Mark 6:47-52 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard against the wind and waves. About three O’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. he intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking it was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him.

But Jesus spoke to them at once. Don’t be afraid, ” he said. “take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed for they still didnt’ understand significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

Observation

Jesus and his disciples had to be tired after a long day of feeding just 5000 people! Verse 45 says, “Immediately Jesus insisted that his disciples get back int the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home.” As Jesus then proceeds to tell everyone to go home, he proceeds to go find a quiet place and pray. It’s interesting to me that after a busy day even Jesus wants to retreat and find some quiet time alone with his Father. As the night goes on, verse 48 says that Jesus saw that the disciples were in serious trouble, but I find it really funny that later in that same verse, it says, “Jesus came towards them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them…” Interesting that Jesus saw what they were going through, and was even right there, but was intending to go past them. Also interesting to me in verse 52 says that the disciples did not understand what was going on, they were totally amazed, and confused at the same time. They were still hung up on feeding the 5000 from the day before, and now Jesus was walking on water and calmed the lake and these disciples didn’t know what to do or how to respond.

Application

I need to keep short accounts of the awesome things that God is doing in my life, I don’t want to get in the middle of a storm and forget that just the day before the Lord provided for my needs. When I’m in a storm, my focus tends to be that storm, many times I forget the BIG things or the small things that God has done in my life that are living proof of His love, faithfulness, and goodness to me.

Prayer

Father when you are doing something huge or something small, please help me to keep my eyes and heart focused on the fact that you are still at work even when I can’t see it. And when I’m in a storm, remind me of your love, faithfulness, and goodness as you have promised to be with me during those times to grow me closer to you.

February 22: How wide are your hands?

Posted by: Jeremiah Hann

Scripture:

“You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. Psalm 39:5

Observation:

When I look at the grand scheme of life, I realize that I have very limited time on the earth. When David wrote this he must have been thinking about all the past people that have lived, and how his life must seem so short.

Application:

I only have so long to live on this earth. I have been put here for a specific reason. I know that God has a plan for me, so I need to continue following that plan. I realize that my life seems short, but I have the choice to make it significant, or to do nothing with it.

Prayer:

God, help me to constantly do everything I can to reach people for you. I pray that every day I am searching for ways to help people come to know you. I don’t know how much longer I will be here, so help me reach people today, and not wait. In Jesus Name, Amen.

February 21: Dead, rotting camel carcass…

By: Brent Hodges

Scripture

Leviticus, Chapter 11

Observation

Wow…can you imagine!  Trying to memorize the types of animals to avoid…I mean, the last thing I would want to do is touch a dead, rotting carcass of some split hoofed mammal on my way to work and be ceremonially unclean until sunset.

 Application

It’s times like these that I am reminded of the depth of God’s love for me.  He knew I’d struggle with a list of ten commandments…let alone an additional list of 8 small animals that scurry along the ground to steer clear of!  It’s passages like this one that remind me to thank Christ for his sacrifice daily.

Prayer

God, thank you so much for sending your Son to live a perfect life, and make the perfect sacrifice for me…a flawed human being.

February 20: Freaked Out

By: Darius Sanders

Scripture
Mark 5:15
A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons.  He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.

Observation
Jesus heals a demon possessed man by casting the demons out of him and into a herd of pigs.  As people gather around Jesus and see the once demon-possessed man in his right mind, they become afraid.  They are afraid of the power that Jesus possesses and the fact that the once possessed man now seems normal.

When the people see the once possessed man sitting next to Jesus it is like a scene out of a movie.  You know, the scene where the crazy person has an awkward moment of sanity.  It kind of freaks people out more that he is sane than when he was crazy.  The difference between a movie and this story is that the crazy man in this story was truly changed.  He wasn’t just sane for a few minutes before “going crazy” again.  He was literally changed from the inside out. 

Application
The demon-possessed man had a personal encounter with Christ and that permanently changed his life.  When I approach reading God’s Word each day, that is exactly the way I need to view it…as a personal encounter with Christ; a personal encounter with Christ that will permanently change my life.  I shouldn’t be afraid of the power that Jesus possesses to change my life; instead, I should embrace it.

God is the only person that can change us from the inside out.  Sometimes God changes our lives so drastically that people who haven’t seen us in a while get a little freaked out.  They begin to wonder, “Is this for real, or are they going to snap back to their old self any minute now?”  Reading God’s Word everyday makes me more and more like Him and less and less like my old self.  I hope that the difference God has made in my life causes my old friends to be freaked out next time they run into me.

Prayer
God, thank You so much for the bible.  You’ve made it possible for me to have a personal encounter with You every day of my life if I simply choose to open up your Word and read it.  I pray that my personal encounters with You in private would be reflected in the way I live my life in public.

February 19th: Let Your Light Shine

By: Ryan Nunez

Scripture

Mark 4:21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.”

Observation

Jesus is wrapping up a lesson on evangelism. He told the parable of the sower to the crowds and then broke it down even further after the disciples asked more questions about the teaching. The disciples were confused by the parable and it seems as though Jesus gets a little frustrated with them. He essentially retells the parable, with more explanation so that there would be no doubt about what he meant. The point was essentially this, people react differently when the truth of God’s Word is presented…none of which is under our control. Our job is to spread the seed. Jesus finishes up this subject by switching illustrations and using light.

Application

We are called to be lights in this dark would. We are not responsible for what people do with it…we are just supposed to shine it into the darkness. When I think about it this way, my role seems much simpler. I am not so concerned about people’s reactions…I am concerned about obeying Christ’s order to show Him, through me, to others.

Prayer

God, help me to not get distracted from letting my light shine. Help me keep it focused on the dark areas. Help me to be a beacon, pointing people towards you and to not get so hung up on people’s reactions.