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"A Faithful, Frustrated Father" May 19 Readings: Isaiah 28-32

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Isaiah 28-32 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The oracles of Isaiah scan the globe and announce God's judgment all around. But now God is turning to the sins of his own people, primarily of the soon-to-be destroyed Israel and the idolatrous Judah. Daily Devotional:   A Faithful, Frustrated Father If God had demonstrated anything to Israel throughout the years, it was that he always had a plan and could be counted on when things got rough. When the Hebrews were in bondage in Egypt, God had a plan. It was an odd one. ...
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"A God Who Judges" May 18 Readings: Hosea 8-14

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Hosea 8-14 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Hosea is largely written against the Israelite Tribe of Ephraim. Today's reading contains a series of oracles - prophetic words - against Israel/Ephraim, ending in a word of hope. Hosea's prophecy is the first to compare marriage to the human relationship with God. Daily Devotional:   A God Who Judges "It isn't my fault." "It was just bad luck." "They did it first." "I'm only human." We are so often people of excuses, rationalizations, and justifications. ...
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"I Am Gomer" May 17 Readings: Hosea 1-7

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Hosea 1-7 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Many prophets were asked to do strange things to illustrate the message of God. Hosea's entire life became a message of grace. He married and then reclaimed a sinful woman to illustrate the infidelity of God's people. Daily Devotional:  I Am Gomer The prophets did some weird things to demonstrate the anger of God against sin and the love of God for his people. One wore ill-fitting undergarments to show how irritating Israel's sin was, but Hosea's story is perhaps the most g...
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"Pride before a Fall" May 16 Readings: 2 Kings 18:9-20:21, Psalm 46, 80, 135

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   2 Kings 18:9-20:21, Psalm 46, 80, 135 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     We have actually read through the life of Hezekiah three times now - In 2 Chronicles, in Isaiah, and here in 2 Kings. We focus again today on his pride and downfall, from a slightly different perspective. There is a reason to focus on this man's life. He was such a good king that he led Judah to return to God. He was an agent of genuine revival. But he was also the agent of Israel's destruction. The last 15 years of his life, the years he lived b...
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"Microwave Revival" May 15 Readings: 2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-32, Psalm 48

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :     2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-32, Psalm 48 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The life of Hezekiah is inspirational and tragic. He was a turning point in Judah's life, leading them in a great revival, but his late-life spiritual failure also sealed their demise. He raised a son named Manasseh, who became the most evil of all Judah's rulers - so wicked that God determined judgment would fall. Daily Devotional:   Microwave Revival Hezekiah was one of the best kings of Judah, one of only two who were c...
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"Our Sovereign God" May 14 Readings: Isaiah 23-27

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Isaiah 23-27 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     These readings are cosmic - big issues - God's glorious judgment and his amazing power for his people. Daily Devotional:   Our Sovereign God God is mighty and powerful, sovereign over the world - but not everyone experiences that sovereignty in the same way. In Isaiah 23 and 24, we read that God's judgment falls on Tyre and then on the entire world. He strips bare the earth and makes it desolate in Isaiah 24:1. Those who ignore his warnings against sin will one day ...
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"Fallen Is Babylon" May 13 Readings: Isaiah 18-22

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Isaiah 18-22 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Isaiah turns his attention to Egypt, Cush, and then Babylon - the focus of all false religions in the world, which will one day be destroyed by the coming kingdom of Christ. Daily Devotional:   Fallen Is Babylon Its story begins in Genesis 11, when some men built a Tower that was supposed to reach to heaven. Throughout the Bible, Babylon both literally and figuratively represented the world system - political, religious, and military - that stands in opposition...
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