Daily Reading Week 12
Sunday
Romans 12:1-2
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
How do you renew your mind?
What were/have you been taught about sexuality?
What is holy sexuality?
Respond:
If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out our conversation about this subject for our if series. “If it is wrong, then why do I feel this way”
What’s one takeaway from this sermon?
monday
Isaiah 6
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
Verse 3 says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord and his glory fills the whole earth.” What makes the Lord holy?
What was Isaiah’s response to experiencing the holiness of God? Verse 5.
Isaiah says, “Here I am. Send me.” in verse 8. Where is God sending you?
Respond:
Interestingly enough this is a time of great sorrow. King Uzziah had just passed away and he was a relatively good king because he did what was right in the lord's sight. MacLaren said this about this situation and the subsequent calling. “It was when ‘King Uzziah died’ that the prophet ‘saw the Lord sitting upon the throne.’ If the Throne of Israel had not been empty, he would not have seen the throned God in the heavens. And so it is with all our losses, with all our sorrows, with all our disappointments, with all our pains; they have a mission to reveal to us the throned God. The possession of the things that are taken away from us, the joys which our sorrows smite into dust, have the same mission, and the highest purpose of every good, of every blessing, of every possession, of every gladness, of all love-the highest mission is to lead us to Him.”
There is great opportunity in every situation. You might feel a loss because of something that has occurred in your life, the state of culture, or something that someone you know is experiencing… but within that there is a great calling as well.
Tuesday
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
What is God’s will for us? Verse 3.
What does it mean to live in holiness and honor?
What should our goal be in regards to loving others? What will the result of that be? Verse 11-12
Respond:
It is far too easy for us to regard our own sinful actions as something that only affects us, especially when it comes to sexual sin. Rather than it being something that goes against the design God intended for us, we take it our own way, our own route, our own plan. That’s not the case though. Remember what it says in verse 8, “Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” You aren’t disobeying your own thoughts or human teaching. You reject God. This (and all sin really) is such a slap to the face of God because he has given a part of himself to each of us with the Holy Spirit. Yet, for some reason, God still chooses to forgive us when we ask him too.
Take time to write a prayer of forgiveness to God.
WEDNESDAY
Psalm 24
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
Who and what belongs to the Lord? Verse 1. Why?
Why can God claim ownership of everything? V. 2
How do we receive a blessing from the Lord? V.4-5
Who is the King of glory? V. 8
Respond:
The HCSB study bible explains verse 6 beautifully, “Seek means more than looking for something that is lost or hidden. It means turning to someone for advice and help; it is thus synonymous with trust. This is reinforced with the fact that seeking Yahweh results in life.”
How can you “seek” God today?
Thursday
1 Peter 1
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
Through what power do we have the ability to be “reborn”? V. 3
What’s the benefit of going through trials? V.7
How do you live as obedient children of God? V. 13-15
Respond:
Don’t lose sight of Verses 18- 20, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.”
You matter to Jesus. You matter so much that he would die on the cross for you. The reason why is because he wants to spend eternity with you. Have you ever made a response to Jesus? If so - what was that moment like? If you haven’t, today is a great opportunity to do so. The result of V. 23 is worth it.
Friday
Romans 8
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
Through what power have we been freed from death? V. 2
Why can we battle our sinful nature? V. 9-11
What does it mean to share in God’s glory?
Who helps us in our weakness? V.26
What can separate us from the love of God? V.31-39
Respond:
Wiersbe says this on the freedom from defeat, “The unsaved person does not have the Spirit of God and lives in the flesh for the flesh. His mind is centered on the things that satisfy the flesh. But the Christian has the Spirit of God within and lives in an entirely new and different sphere. His mind is fixed on the things of the Spirit. This does not mean that the unsaved person never does anything good or that the believer never does anything bad. It means that the bent of their lives is different. One lives for the flesh, the other lives for the spirit.”
Saturday
Romans 9
Discover
What verse did you connect with today?
What does v.16 say about the gift of grace?
How were the gentiles made right with God? V. 30
Do you struggle with trying to focus on the law too much? Why does the law still matter though?
Respond:
Going back to Wiersbe, “It is remarkable how Paul moved from the joy of chapter 8 into the sorrow and burden of chapter 9. When he looked at Christ, he rejoiced; but when he looked at the lost people of Israel, he wept.”
That seems to be the human experience. There is joy found through Christ and pain found in the experience of people. This brings us to a place where we should be striving to help people to experience the holiness of Christ because it is good.
How can you share that goodness this week?