Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

Today's Reading - 2 Timothy 3 Background Some things never change.  This chapter begins by warning us of the terrible times that are coming in the days ahead, then it gives the prescription to those perilous days - the unchanging word of God. The world changes and grows worse, but no matter what, the powerful word of God is still the answer, still what people need.  Devotional - Living in a Wicked World I am not a date-setter concerning the Lord's return; the Bible is clear that we ought never to engage in that practice. Will Christ return in my lifetime? In a hundred years? A thousand? I don't know. You don't either and we ought not to speculate. One thing I do know is that the world Paul described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is similar to the world we live in today. He described how things would be "in the last days" and gave a spot-on prophecy of our world. Is any of this NOT true in our world, even in the Christian world? But understand this, that in the last days...

Today's Reading - 2 Timothy 1-2 Background It is likely that 2 Timothy is the last book Paul wrote. In fact, it is possible that by the time Timothy received the letter Paul was already in the presence of his Savior. There is a passion that fills every word as Paul pours out his heart to his best friend and mentee, passing along his most dire warnings and his best advice.  As a pastor, I find the words of this book powerful, moving, and challenging. Oh, and very convicting! Devotional - The Church that Just Won't Die Skeptics have been proclaiming the death of the church and of Christianity for a long time. Have you ever watched a science fiction movie in the future in which a vibrant, faithful church still existed? I've been told by more than one person that Christianity is doomed to dwindle into insignificance - and quickly at that. And, of course, as much as we mess up the church of Christ with our fleshly behavior, our division, our human traditions, and all our fail...

Today's Reading - Titus 1-3 Background You may be wondering why we did not continue from 1 Timothy into 2 Timothy. While there is no hard and fast evidence of chronology in the Pastoral Epistles, it is generally believed that 2 Timothy was the last of Paul's letters, so we turn to the letter to Titus. Titus, not mentioned in Acts, appears in Galatians 2, accompanying Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles and seek reconciliation. He was on the island of Crete, leading the church, and this book is filled with Paul's instructions to him about how to lead in the church of Christ. Paul's instructions to Titus are practical and specific, telling him how to lead his church. Chapter 2 describes the "sound doctrine" he is to preach - doctrine that guides people's daily lives. Chapter 3 is another series of practical instructions from Paul to this young pastor.  Devotional - A Word about Sound Doctrine "It's very important that we teach ...

Today's Reading - 1 Timothy 6:3-21  Background Paul ends this instruction to Timothy by warning him about one of the great temptations of any minister - money. A professor in seminary told us once, "There are a lot of things that will hurt your ministry, men. There are two things that will destroy it. Money and women. Don't mess around with either." Good advice. I think Paul would agree. He tells Timothy to flee from both sexual immorality and from the love of money.  Devotional - A Time to Flee Only cowards run away from fights, right? Strong men and women face their troubles and defeat them (in the power of God, of course). They don't back down, they stand and fight. But strangely, there are times when the inspired Word commands us not to stand and fight, but to flee. Some battles are so intense that wisdom tells us that we should not try to face these foes, but run away. In other scriptures, we are told to run from sexual immorality. The temptation toward sexu...

Today's Reading - 1 Timothy 5:1-6:2 Background One of the frustrating things about the New Testament is that often things were clear in that context and so they were not clearly explained. For instance, in today's passage, Paul talks about some kind of registry of widows. What is it? Timothy knew, so Paul didn't explain. We don't know and are left to speculate. What is clear is that respect and holiness were key elements in the life of the early church and Paul admonished Timothy to live these things out daily.  Devotional - In All Purity Three simple words struck me in this reading today. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Paul gives his apprentice a series of instructions about how to deal with various people. The older men are to be shown respect as if they were fathers and encouraged in the faith, the younger men treated as brothers. The older women were to receive respect as mothers and the younger women were to be treated as sisters. The church is a family and we must walk in u...

Today's Reading - 1 Timothy 3:14-4:16 Background What is it that makes a man a good minister, a good servant of God in the church of Jesus Christ? In this section, Paul instructs Timothy on what it means to be faithful, to be a good leader in the church. Today, you have to be a CEO, a motivational guru, a management expert and you need to be up on the latest corporate leadership trends. But Paul set forth a much simpler way for Timothy and others, one that had two essential characteristics. 1) A "good leader" in the church should be an example (regardless of age) to other believers. We lead based on character, not on talent or charisma.  2) He should faithfully and carefully proclaim God's word to the people. Verses 11-14 make this clear.  True leadership is about a man's character and it is about communicating God's word. One particularly joyful note for me is verses 1-5 of chapter 4. In this section, Paul warns about those who will depart from the faith and...

Today's Reading - 1 Timothy 2:1-3:13 Background In this passage, you see evidence of a growing structure in the early church. The church at Pentecost had little organization, but that grew over time. In these two chapters, Paul instructs Timothy on key elements of the church's life. The supremacy of Christ, the relationships of men and women, and the character-based leadership of the church are all discussed. By this point there seem to have been two offices developed in the church - elders (according to Acts 20:28 and other passages, the words pastor, elder, and overseer are interchangeable) and deacons. Devotional - One Mediator  It is an awesome thing to stand on the ancient steps of the Temple in Jerusalem, one of the few places where the original stones that Jesus walked on are still in place. There, you can imagine people for hundreds of years walking up those stairs into the Temple courtyard to offer sacrifices day after day, week after week, year after year.  Heb...

Today's Reading -  1 Timothy 1 Background 1 Timothy 1 begins the last of Paul's letters, known as the Pastoral Letters (written to "pastors" Timothy and Titus). After Acts, Paul was released and traveled around in ministry until his re-arrest and eventual execution by Nero. These letters are believed to have been written during his second imprisonment. They give instructions to these church leaders about organization and administration of a church and what it means to be a leader.  Several things come to the forefront - the importance of character in church leaders, the highest value Paul places on the reading and preaching of God's word, warnings against false teachers, and calls to these two pastors to be faithful no matter what comes.  Devotional - I Am the Worst When I look back at my life, there are many moments of which I am not particularly proud. I dated a girl one summer when I was working at a Christian camp in Missouri, who had an annoying habit...

Today's Reading - Philemon Background The gospel shattered many of the social divisions of First Century culture. Jew and Gentile. Rich and poor. Slave and free. All of those things that separated people in the world came to mean nothing in the church. Philemon is a book about two men - a slave and his master - and how the love of Christ brought them together. Devotional - Walls Fall Down Fate determined that Philemon and Onesimus would stand on opposite sides of life's railroad tracks. Philemon was wealthy, successful, a man who was able to have a slave. Onesimus was that slave. Evidently, from what Paul said in Philemon 11, he was a "useless" slave, one who did not do the work he was assigned and who eventually ran away from Philemon. Then, something happened. Onesimus, while he was on the lam, met a man named Paul, who introduced him to Jesus Christ. Coincidentally, Paul had also met Philemon and introduced him to Christ. And when the two men met Jesus, everything...

Today's Reading - Colossians 3-4 Background Most of Paul's letters follow a distinct pattern. First, he establishes a doctrine - usually based on the nature and work of Christ. Then, he applies that doctrine in practical ways. In chapter 1, Paul established the supremacy of Christ and reminded Christians that it was "Christ in you" that was our hope of glory. In chapter 2, he confronted the heresy that was spreading in Colossae that neglected Christ and replaced him with philosophy, ritual, and false religion. Now, Paul turns to the practical outworking of that. The reader will notice a lot of similarities between the practical teachings of Colossians 3 and 4 and those of Ephesians 4-6. Devotional - A Primer on Christian Living Colossians 3:1-17 may be one of the best descriptions of the necessities of Christian living in the Word of God. In it are twelve dynamics of successful Christian living, presented in a significant sequence. The first two steps have to do with...

Today's Reading - Colossians 2:4-23 Background It is in this section that Paul confronts the heresy that was rampant in Colossae, which some have described as proto-gnostic while others have argued for something less specific and less defined. We may never know exactly what the heresy was, except that it did what all heresies do - it took the focus of the church away from Christ. So, Paul, having exalted Christ in chapter 1 reminded the people that nothing - not Jewish feasts and rituals, or the pagan elemental spirits, or any philosophy, theology, or idea is worth abandoning the pure joy of Christ. It was frustrating to Paul, I'm sure, to be under house arrest in Rome while false doctrine was spreading among the churches he worked to establish, even those for whom he was a spiritual grandfather more than a father. His strong words here are reminiscent of the strong words he used to admonish the Galatians about their abandoning of grace to pursue legalistic righteousness. Devot...

Today's Reading - Colossians 1:1-2:3 Background Colossians was unique in several ways. Unless there are travels not mentioned in Acts, Paul never actually visited the city of Colossae. He spent a long time in nearby Ephesus and was the spiritual father of the church. A heresy had arisen in the church - one which we know little about today. It was believed by many to be an early form of the later heresy of Gnosticism, but recent scholars have questioned that. All that we really know about the heresy we can discern from the correctives Paul gives. The heresy downgraded Christ, which is why Paul spends the entire book exalting him. It also was based on arcane philosophy and perhaps Jewish rituals and practices. The core message of Colossians is that Christ is supreme over all, that Christ in us is our hope of glory (1:27)  and that we ought to live our lives in the light of the character and work of Christ. Chapter 1 establishes the glory and superiority of Christ, chapter 2 con...

Today's Reading - Philippians 4 Background Our verse today is in the hall of fame of misinterpreted and misapplied verses.  Devotional - "I Can Do All Things?"  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."   What a wonderful verse - and one that is much used in this world. I can hit a home run or score a touchdown through Christ who strengthens me. I can succeed in business through Christ who strengthens me. I can achieve this personal goal through Christ who strengthens me. I can stick to my diet through Christ who strengthens me. We have turned Philippians 4:13 into a motivational mantra, a motto to be hung on the wall and to be remembered as we go through this world attempting to reach our goals, achieve our potential, find happiness and success and be all that we have hoped to be. And certainly, this verse has a wide application. God can empower us to do all that he calls us to do. But the common motivational uses of this verse are not exactly w...

Today's Reading - Philippians 3 Background f you spoke Greek, you might be a little surprised at Philippians 3:8. Paul was a Jew and had lived his life to be a good one. He was up and coming in the religious and scholarly circles of Judaism and was a leader in the efforts to squash that troublesome sect that followed Jesus. Then, one day, he met that Jesus on the road to Damascus. Here, Paul describes how he gave up everything for Christ. Everything.  And in verse 8 he says he considers these things "rubbish." That's the word the English translations use because the most accurate translation wouldn't really look very nice. It's kind of vulgar. Paul uses a word for manure - human waste. But it's a fairly "colorful" word. Dr. Daniel Wallace, one of the greatest experts on Greek alive, says the word's best translation lies somewhere between our word "crap" and another word I'm not allowed to say! Are you offended? That is Paul...

Today's Reading - Philippians 2 Background This passage is another of my favorites. It says things that are shocking to our me-first, self-esteem culture. "Count others more significant that yourselves." Say what? The passage on the humility and exaltation of Jesus in verses 9-11 is one of the greatest in the NT!  Devotional - Like Jesus Paul cared about the glory of God, the proclamation of the gospel, the power of the resurrected Christ and the fullness of the Spirit. But one of the things he cared most about, as a result of those truths, was the unity of the Body of Christ. It glorified God, it was one purpose of the gospel - to redeem ONE Body, and it was a work of the Holy Spirit. It was one of the most common themes of his writings. We see that in Philippians 2:1-11. Because of the mercies and comfort of God and because of the work of the Spirit, he called on the church to: "... make my joy complete by thinking the same way,  having the same love, united ...

Today's Reading - Philippians 1 Background Philippians is an upbeat book, written to one of Paul's favorite churches. The church at Philippi did things right - they were faithful, generous, committed. It is a joyful book. Paul wrote the book to explain why he was in prison. Evidently, this was causing consternation to some and a few troublemakers were using it to undermine Paul.  There are three themes in the book. First, Paul exalts Jesus throughout. "To live is Christ." Second, Paul talks about joy. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice." Finally, Paul wrote the book to explain his sufferings and imprisonment and to give glory to God in them.  Devotional - To Live Is Christ Paul is my hero. Of course, Jesus is the Savior who purchased me and the Lord to whom I must submit every day. But Paul is the human example who impresses me so much. He was bold in the proclamation of Christ, risking his life on a regular basis. There was nothing h...

Today's Reading - Ephesians 5:15-6:22 Background How should a Christian react to difficult, evil days? Panic? Throw your hands in the air? Judgment and condemnation? No, Paul said. In Ephesians 5, Paul talks about shining the light in the darkness and walking in the fullness of the Spirit.  After continuing the teachings of chapter 5 on the life of one filled with the Spirit into the roles of fathers and children and slaves and masters, Paul closes the book with a powerful admonition to put on all the armor God has for us as we do battle with the spiritual forces of darkness. Using the pieces of armor the Roman soldiers wore, he reminded the Christian to put on the six key pieces of armor, each rooted in the word of God and then to go to battle in prayer.  Devotional - Don't Settle  I am not good at bargaining. On our way back from the villages, we always stop for a day in Ziguinchor, Senegal, and we go to the Artisan compound to do a little bit of souvenir shopping...

Today's Reading - Ephesians 4:1-5:14 Background Ephesians 1-3 explains in great detail the amazing salvation that God gave us in Christ. He bestowed great blessings on us in Christ and he broke down the walls of hostility between Jews and Gentiles and created one new man - redeemed by Christ. He explored the depths of human sin and the power of a salvation that comes by grace through faith. How great a salvation is ours in Christ. Then, in Ephesians 4:1, the entire book changes. Chapters 1-3 are doctrinal, examining aspects of our salvation. After 4:1, the book is a series of practical commands. Ephesians 4:1 is the turning point.  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. We have been called to the amazing grace of Christ. We did not earn it and can never deserve what he did for us. But we are commanded to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling." Having been saved by grace we must w...