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"Tempted and Tried" July 8 Readings: Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13

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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 :   Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     It was time for the rematch. In the Garden, the serpent appeared and tempted Adam and Eve to see if they would follow God or if they would go their own way. They failed, chose sin, and plunged the race into darkness. Now, having been baptized, Jesus was ready to face the enemy in round 2 of this cosmic conflict. In 1 John 2, John speaks of the "lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life." Three temptations for us - lust, greed, and pride....
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"It's Not about Me!"July 7 Readings: Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3:1-22, John 1:15-28

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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 :   Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3:1-22, John 1:15-28 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     You've heard it a million times - it's not about me, it's about Jesus! In today's readings, we meet a man who lived it. John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, became a phenomenon when he began to preach in the wilderness near the Jordan. He lowered the boom on the proud Jewish leaders (those who later hated and hunted Jesus), and he called everyone to repentance, baptizing them to demonstrate that repentance and their desire ...
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"Jesus' Greatest Enemy" July 6 Readings: Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52

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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 :   Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     We had a tradition in our biblically correct home when I was a kid. We would always take the Magi out of the manger scene and place them somewhere across the room. They are a mysterious group - we know little about these men who came to worship the child. But what we do know is that almost everything we THINK about them is wrong! There were likely not three - that is just how many gifts they brought. They did not come to the manger, but to a house. The star appeared whe...
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"Ordinary People" July 5 Readings: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-38

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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 :   Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-38 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Every saga, whether book or movie, tends to have two key points. The first is the engagement, the moment the battle is joined, and then comes the crisis moment when everything hangs in the balance, when the battle is decided once and for all. In our story, we call those moments Christmas and Easter. Though all of this was purposed in eternity past, the battle was joined on Christmas Day when Jesus was born, and the light declared war on darkness which had overwhelme...
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"When the Lights Come On" July 4 Readings: Luke 1

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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 :   Luke 1 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     We call it the Intertestamental Period, but it was a time of spiritual darkness. From Malachi on, for 400 years, the voice of God had been silent. There had been plenty of false prophets who had led the people of God astray but there had been no true word from heaven. Someone with spiritual discernment might wonder if God had forgotten his people, and had turned his back forever. There were those who knew better. Later we will read about Simeon and Anna who seemed to know that the time h...
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"Who Is This Jesus?" July 3 Readings: John 1:1-14, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38

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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 :   John 1:1-14, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     I’ve done a fair amount of genealogical research on my family recently, tracing the four branches of my family back as far as I could. My father’s paternal line ends the quickest, in Pennsylvania about 4 or 5 generations back. His maternal line reaches into colonial Pennsylvania, then back to Germany. My mother’s paternal line came from England in the early 1800s and settled in the St. Louis area. Her maternal line is our richest vein, going back to the...
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"Contemptible Sacrifice" July 2 Readings: Malachi 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 :   Malachi 1-4 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, is a Q&A between God and Israel. God makes statements and Israel challenges them. These are directed at insincere worship and improper practices by leaders. 1. God declares his love. 1:2 2. God declares that Israel's priests have denied his name. 1:6 3. God declares that their words (of worship) have wearied him. 2:17 4. God declares that Israel is robbing God. 3:8 5. God accuses Israel of harsh words against him. 3:13 After the proph...
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