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"God's Plumb Line" May 8 Readings: Amos 6-9

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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 :   Amos 6-9 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Isaiah was royalty, but Amos was a fig farmer and sheepherder - a nobody that God chose to do his work. He came from the southern kingdom of Judah, but his prophecies were directed against the northern tribes of Israel. Amos is likely the first of the written prophets. Daily Devotional:   God's Plumb Line Amos 7 is a series of three visions that God gives to the prophet. The first, in verses 1-3, is a vision of a plague of locusts descending on Israel and picking the land cl...
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"Other People's Sins" May 7 Readings: Amos 1-5

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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 :   Amos 1-5 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     As we move through the Major Prophets, we will also intersperse the 12 minor prophets among them. Amos was an early prophet who spoke to the northern 10 tribes, Israel. Daily Devotional:   Other People's Sins Amos 1 and 2 is a brilliant sermon, one that illustrates a point about sermons that appeal to the flesh as opposed to those that speak to the spirit. Amos begins the sermon by addressing the sins of Israel's pagan neighbors, their enemies. I can only imagine the joy of ...
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"God with Us" May 6 Readings: Isaiah 5-8

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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 5-8 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Isaiah has some of the most powerful prophecies of the coming of Christ, beginning with Isaiah 7:14, the "Immanuel" prophecy.  Daily Devotional:   God with Us The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is one of the best-known of the Christmas story. A virgin will conceive and bear a son, and that son will be "Immanuel," which means "God with us." We are most familiar with this passage from its New Testament setting when it is clearly applied to Christ, the virgin-born Son of G...
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"Worship God Hates" May 5 Readings: Isaiah 1-4

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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 1-4 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Isaiah is the prince of prophets who called Israel to worship God. He was likely a member of the royal family, from a prominent family.  Daily Devotional:   Worship God Hates Isaiah is often called the prince of prophets because of the grandeur and power of his prophecy. He was a member of the royal family who spoke the word of the Lord boldly and without fear. Second only to Psalms in length, it is one of the most quoted Old Testament books, and it contains many of t...
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"Our Greatest Temptation" May 4 Readings: 2 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 26

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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 15, 2 Chronicles 26 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     We continue to read through the kings of Israel and Judah. It is important to note that Azariah in Kings is Uzziah in Chronicles. Daily Devotional:   Our Greatest Temptation "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord." That is the well-known line from Isaiah 6:1, which begins the story of Isaiah's great vision of God in which he sees God exalted, is cleansed by a hot coal, and is called to pronounce the judgment of God on a sinful nation. In 2 Chro...
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"Napping Like Jesus or Jonah?" May 3 Readings: Jonah

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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 :   Jonah 1-4 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jonah was happy that God was going to judge the Assyrians, and he ran because he knew the graciousness of God. The story of Jonah is not about a rebellious and sinful man, but about a man of prejudice who wanted God to love only "me and mine." He even ended the book pouting that God had saved the Assyrians.  And yet God used him, despite himself. God didn't give up on him. God's grace is greater than our sin, our selfishness, and even our prejudice.  Daily Devotio...
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"Faith of Our Fathers Is NOT Enough" May 2 Readings: 2 Kings 12-14, 2 Chronicles 24-25

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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 12-14, 2 Chronicles 24-25 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The roller coaster continues with good kings and bad kings in Judah, though even the good kings are not dealing with the idols and high places. In 2 Chronicles, we see the coming of the good king Joash, who deals with idolatry, until he turns away from God in his later years. Daily Devotional:   Faith of Our Fathers Is NOT Enough I faced something of a spiritual crisis as I entered adulthood. I was raised by Christian parents; my dad was a Bible-prea...
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