Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

Today's Readings -   Exodus 15-16, Matthew 20, Psalm 18:19-25, Proverbs 3:34-35 Devotional - My Warrior God One of the best reasons to read the Bible through is to learn who God really is as he is revealed in the Word. There are times that God is confusing and his actions baffling. But we must encounter the real God, the God of the Bible, and conform our lives to him. We must not seek to make God fit into our preconceptions.  Americans who get their ideas from popular culture and opinion will find Exodus 15:3 to be very strange. This verse is a part of the song of victory which Moses and the Israelites sang after God crushed Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea. Think about that for a second. God caused thousands of men to be drowned at the bottom of the Red Sea! Does that fit with modern ideas about God? We like to emphasize God's love and mercy, and well we should. God's love motivated him to provide a path of salvation and forgiveness for sinners like you and me. H...

Today's Readings -  Exodus 13–14, Matthew 19:16–30, Psalm 18:12–18, Proverbs 3:32-33 Devotional - Jesus' Evangelism  The story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19) has been used to make some very wrong conclusions. No, it does not teach that we are saved by following the rules encoded in the law. And no, we do not have to give away everything we own to come to Jesus. In fact, this passage does not even teach that God loves poor people more than rich people. None of those common ideas are the point of this passage.  But it does make some important conclusions, ones that we need to remember as we come to Christ and as we lead others to him.  First, we cannot hold on to our idols as we come to Christ. The problem with the rich young ruler was not that he was rich, but that he loved his riches. He wanted to be right with God, but not enough to give up his wealth and privilege. Money was his idol, and Jesus confronted that.  When you come to Christ, you repent of yo...

Today's Readings -   Exodus 10-12, Matthew 19:1-15, Psalm 18:5-11, Proverbs 3:30-31 Devotional - Passover Observations  There are few places where foreshadowings of the work of Christ are clearly seen than in the Passover in Exodus 11 and 12. There is so much in the story of the death angel passing over that directly prophecies Jesus' Passion - his death, burial and resurrection and their effect on us. Today, I am simply going to list some of those truths.  11:1 The last and the greatest of the plagues was death. The greatest enemy we face is death, both physical death and spiritual/eternal death. Not only does physical death destroy life, separate families and end hope, but it is symbolic of spiritual death with ends life and hope for all eternity. Death is the greatest plague on all humanity.  11:4-5 Death affects all people, high to low, rich and poor, regardless of wealth, talent or other human issues. It is appointed to each of us to die once. Al...

Today's Readings -  Exodus 8-9, Matthew 18, Psalm 18:1-4, Proverbs 3:27-29 Devotional - Unforgiving? Unforgiven Every day, millions upon millions of Christians attempt to prove that the Bible is not true. Oh, no, they would never question whether God made the world or whether there was a flood. They would affirm that Jesus walked on water and healed the sick. But there is one teaching of Scripture that many millions want to ignore and attempt to prove its message false. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant is just one place where this principle is taught. It is found in the Sermon on the Mount and many other places in Jesus' teachings. The truth is reiterated by Paul. Simply put, those who wish to receive the forgiveness of God must be willing to extend that forgiveness toward those who have sinned against them. I'd love to know what situation prompted Peter to ask how many times he had to forgive his brother, but he was feeling magnanimous when he offered to forgive his ...

Today's Readings -  Exodus 6–7, Matthew 17:14–27, Psalm 17:7–15, Proverbs 3:25-26 Devotional - When It All Falls Apart It is what we do when things don't work out that makes all the difference in this world. In Exodus 7, Moses demonstrated the secret to significance in the Kingdom of God. He had been sent down to Egypt to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew people. And that is exactly what he did. He marched into Pharaoh's presence and delivered the message of God. But things did not work out as Moses had expected. Pharaoh did not yield to God's authority and issue an immediate release to the Israelites. No, he was infuriated by Moses' demand and issued a decree to make the Hebrews' work harder than it had been. Moses was quickly the most hated man in Goshen. But what he did next made all the difference. He persevered. He continued to obey God even when it was hard. God had called him to free Israel and he would not give up on God's purpos...

Today's Readings -  Exodus 3–5, Matthew 17:1-13, Psalm 17:1–6, Proverbs 3:23-24 Devotional - Send Someone Else  In Exodus 3, Moses saw something that no one in the history of humanity has seen except him - a bush that was engulfed in fire but was not being consumed. It was the presence of God and Moses knew it, taking off his shoes as God demanded and hiding his face in a fearful awe. Then, God spoke to him out of the fire. I have observed the misery of My people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Israelites’ cry for help has come to Me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. (Exodus 3:7-9)  Moses could not have been hap...

Today's Readings -  Exodus 1–2, Matthew 16, Psalm 16, Proverbs 3:21-22 Devotional - The Gates of Hell In October of 2013 I was privileged to visit Israel with a group of pastors from around the US, led by Dr. Frank Page. One of the more interesting portions of that trip was our visit to Caesarea Philippi, about 25 miles north of Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee. It was a Roman city, full of pagan shrines.  T The dark area at the back of this picture is the opening to the Temple of Pan, a cave from which flows a spring that flows into the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. This was the most important of the shrines in the area (the town was called Baneas or Paneas after the Temple of Pan). The picture below is some of other pagan shrines in Caesarea Philippi.  In Matthew 16:13, Jesus and his disciples were walking through the Caesarea Philippi area. For Jews who were offended by pagan temples, simply being in "Baneas" with all its shrines m...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 49–50, Matthew 15:10–39, Psalm 15, Proverbs 3:19-20 Devotional - God's Plans for Good It was a time of grief as they buried their father, but for Joseph's brothers, it was also a time of stress and fear. They carried with them the memory of a terrible wrong they had committed against their brother, imprisoning him and selling him into slavery in Egypt. And now their brother was the second most powerful man in the world.  And dad was not around to protect them anymore! They were afraid that now that Jacob was gone Joseph might use his power to exact vengeance against them for what they had done to him. Who could blame him, after all? To save themselves, they concocted a lie that Jacob had asked Joseph to show mercy to his brothers. Such a scheme was unnecessary, for Joseph had learned one of life's most important lessons. He told his brothers not to fear him and assured them that he had no intent to rob God's right of r...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 47–48, Matthew 15:1–9, Psalm 14:4–7, Proverbs 3:13-18 Devotional - Lip Service A while back, there was a well-known athlete who made the news for all the wrong reasons. His on-court behavior was causing a lot of problems. If you went to his social media, it was filled with Bible verses and indications he is a committed Christian. His verbal testimony was not being lived out during games. Have you ever known someone like that - someone who pronounces publicly that he or she is a Christian but does not back the words up in their walk? It's cool to say you follow Jesus, but the difficulty comes when we have to make those tough choices of obedience. Can you remember back to children and youth camps when someone started a chant on one side of the cafeteria to be mimicked on the other side? "We love Jesus, yes we do. We love Jesus, how 'bout you?" It is great for those who are followers of Jesus to announce their love for him in any way they...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 45-46, Matthew 14, Psalm 14:1–3, Proverbs 3:11-12 Devotional - When the Bad Guy Wins It was one of the more despicable acts of history. John the Baptist was a man of God and a man of courage. He identified sin and called people to repentance - even powerful men like Herod Antipas. Believing he was above both human and divine law, this sinner had taken his brother's wife (Herodias) and committed adultery with her. Neither Herod nor Herodias was going to put up with such hubris - no one was going to call attention to their sin and get away with it!  And they made sure that he did not. It was Herod's birthday and Herodias sent her own daughter (Herod's niece and step-daughter) out to do a dance that would please him, and likely arouse his passions. Is there anything lower than using your own daughter in such a way? And Herod, who cared little about right and wrong and more about satisfying his desires, fell for it. He offered the young girl a...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 43-44, Matthew 13:44–58, Psalm 13, Proverbs 3:9-10 Devotional - The Power of Unbelief There are many mysteries in the Word of God, but perhaps the greatest is the juxtaposition of God's sovereignty and human responsibility. If God is in control how can our choices possibly matter? The Bible makes it clear that God is the Author of history and that this world is governed by him. But the Bible also makes it clear that our choices matter and that God somehow responds to what we do, how we act and how we pray. Remember the story of Jonah? God announced impending judgment on Nineveh, but when they repented of their sins, God "changed his mind" about destroying them. Such stories abound in Scripture.   I am not going to wade into that enigma. This is a devotional, not a theological treatise - if I wrote a thousand pages I could not answer all the questions. I just want to make one simple point. You do not have to deny the sovereignty and authori...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 41-42, Matthew 13:18–43, Psalm 12, Proverbs 3:7-8 Devotional - When God Delays Joseph’s story is both tragic and glorious. He was Jacob’s favorite son, and that bred jealousy among his brothers. They sold him into slavery in  Egypt  – a teenage boy betrayed by his family. He became a slave to Potiphar, who grew to love him.  Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife also had feelings for him – the wrong kind. Joseph resisted her advances, but that did not stop Mrs. Potiphar of accusing him of assault.  Joseph ended up spending many years in an Egyptian dungeon as a result of her false accusations. When he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s cupbearer, he had a moment of hope, but that was snuffed as the cupbearer forgot about him for two whole years. Then, it all changed in one day. Joseph awoke one morning as a slave and went to bed that night as the second most powerful man in the world. All in ONE day. Pharaoh had a restless night, dreaming a...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 39-40, Matthew 13:1–17, Psalm 11, Proverbs 3:5-6 Devotional - Believe in Yourself?  Believe in yourself.  If you can believe it, you can achieve it.  Follow your heart.  Trust your conscience. You create your own reality.  No one can tell you what is right for you - only you can decide that for yourself.  Whether it is the advice of Yoda or the message of a Disney movie, this is the relentless drumbeat of our culture. The best way - no, the only way - to live life is to believe in yourself, to trust your own instincts and to follow your own heart. This teaching has even been baptized and found its way into the church in recent years, from Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller to modern "therapeutic moral deism" in the pulpit, many have adopted this life philosophy of self-reliance, self-esteem, self-assurance, and self-confidence.  There is no doubt it is a popular one today. We want to hear that we create our own r...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 37-38, Matthew 12:22–50, Psalm 10:12–18, Proverbs 3:3-4 Devotional - Filling the Emptiness In Matthew 12: 43-45, Jesus tells us about a man who has a demon cast out of him, who then makes a serious mistake. The demon is gone, but it travels around seeking a place to live. Finally, it decides to return to its former home. He finds that his old home - the heart of his former host - is swept clean, but is empty. Nothing has taken the place of the demon. So, seeing that, the demon goes out to find seven of his demon buddies and they return to set up a frat house in the man. Once freed of a demon, the man is now the host of many and is worse off than before.  This story makes an important point.  It is not enough just to get rid of the demon; the demon needs to be replaced.  Let me broaden that point, beyond just demons and possessions and all of that. There is a message here for all of us in our Christian lives. We spend a lot of time battlin...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 35-36, Matthew 12:1–21, Psalm 10:5–11, Proverbs 3:1-2 Devotional - A New Man One of the fundamental assertions of modern pop-psychology is that people don't really change. You are what you are and that is what you always will be. An alcoholic may be able to stop drinking, but he remains an alcoholic to the end of his days. It is assumed that people's sexual desires are hard-wired into them and to ask people to change is unfair, even cruel.   There is a very different message in the pages of Scripture. When people come into contact with the living God, their lives are radically changed. Ever noticed how often someone who came to know God was renamed by the Father?  Abram became Abraham.  Saul became Paul.  And in Genesis 35:10, God gives a new name to Jacob.  It is a significant change. Jacob was a troubled man with a troubled name.  His name meant "deceiver" and that is exactly what Jacob was.  He was a schemer, tricki...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 33-34, Matthew 11:20–30, Psalm 10:1–4, Proverbs 2:20-22 Devotional - Rest in Jesus  Let's face it; life today can be hard. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait to grow up? But the reality of life as an adult in this world is not what we imagined it to be. There is work to do and bills to pay. It never seems like we can get on top of things, get everything done, or get all our ducks in a row. Raising children is not just expensive but a daunting challenge. The news is filled with wars and crime, with the bizarre and the perverted, with stories that make our heads shake and our knees tremble. This is not an easy world to live in. And in many minds, Jesus makes things harder. He demands that we deny ourselves and live for him. He calls on us to say no to our own sinful natures and submit to him. Submit - there is a world no one likes to hear, right? When we serve Christ, we have to go to church, give our money, and give our val...

Today's Readings -  Genesis 31-32, Matthew 11:1–19, Psalm 9:11–20, Proverbs 2:16-19 Devotional - He Must Increase  John the Baptist was unique in many ways. He boldly proclaimed truth calling people to repentance, without regard to people's worldly status. He denied himself to serve the purposes of God. Eventually, he gave his life for his bold proclamation. But in Matthew 11:1-15, we see an interesting transition taking place. John the Baptist was the biggest news in Israel for a long time. People were coming from all over to hear him preach and to be baptized for the repentance of sins. Some loved him while others hated him. But he was the biggest news in Israel. Then, one day, along came his cousin Jesus, whom he likely knew since childhood. Jesus, as an act of obedience but not of repentance, was baptized in the Jordan River. When he came up out of the Jordan, God spoke to those who were there, expressing his pleasure with his Son and sending the Spiri...