Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

Today's Readings -  2 Kings 5-6, John 8:31–59, Psalm 69:1–6, Proverbs 14:11-12 Devotional - Majority of One The king of Aram was annoyed with Elisha. He had suspected that he had a spy among his ranks who was giving information to the Israelites, but he found out that it was actually the prophet who was getting the most trustworthy information imaginable - the wisdom of God. There was only one thing he could do. Elisha had to go. So, he sent a massive army to Dothan where Elisha was staying to take care of this problem. As usual, when evil men plan their evil deeds, they forget the power of God. He assumed he could just march down and take care of one little prophet. It was a serious miscalculation, and the story is recorded in 2 Kings 6. It was a miscalculation that Elisha's servant also made. He got up early and saw the vast Aramean army arrayed around him and fear choked him. In his panic, he called out to Elisha asking what they were to do. Elisha responded with a very str...

Today's Readings -  2 Kings 3-4, John 8:12–30, Psalm 68:29–35, Proverbs 14:9-10 Devotional - Light of the World In John 8:12 Jesus made a bold claim - both simple and profound. I am the Light of the World. This world is darkened by sin and only Jesus can do anything about it. Education is a wonderful and positive thing, but education can never enlighten the human soul. Only Jesus can. Philosophers argue the riddles of life and psychologists try to understand the workings of the human mind. But they cannot do anything but help people live a little better in the darkness. The neon lights of entertainment try to shine but they are fleeting and can never provide true light. The world tells us to look inside ourselves for the light but our inborn sin guarantees that this will never succeed. We human beings will look to everything and everyone for the light we need, but too often we fail to look to the source of real life. Jesus is that light. When you are confused, look to him. When yo...

Today's Readings -  2 Kings 1-2, John 7:40–8:11, Psalm 68:22–28, Proverbs 14:7-8 Devotional - Jesus the Divider It is a constant refrain in politics. "I want to unite the country." "I'm a uniter, not a divider," said one former president. It is also a theme heard continually in the church. We love unity and we should. God does not bless or use the divided church. But we sometimes forget the nature of unity. Unity in the church is the product of division. God calls us out of the world and we must walk away. We must turn our backs on sin and turn to Christ with full hearts. We stand against the ways of the sinful world and live by different values. Jesus told his disciples that he did not come to bring peace but to bring a sword. In John 7 he did just that. He appeared at the Feast of Booths and began to preach. In verse 25, "some of the people" drew a conclusion. This must be the Christ, the Messiah we've awaited so long. In verse 31 they asked...

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 21-22, John 7:25–39, Psalm 68:15–21, Proverbs 14:5-6 Devotional - I Hate Him Ahab hated Micaiah, the prophet. He hated him so much he wouldn't even consult him when Jehoshaphat wanted to get wisdom from a prophet of God. 1 Kings 22:8 states it clearly. But I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil. Ahab had a point. A true prophet of God could not say anything good about the wicked Ahab, who lived in rebellion against God and his laws. Ahab had his yes-men around him who told him God was okay with him, that everything he did was good and that God would give him success. But Micaiah made it clear this was wrong. The prophets were not speaking for God, but for themselves. Ahab rejected the truth that Micaiah prophesied and went out to war, threatening to kill Micaiah when he got home. He never came home. A stray arrow fulfilled the word of God against him and Ahab died that day. There are two lessons we can take from this story....

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 19-20, John 7:1–24, Psalm 68:8–14, Proverbs 14:3-4 Devotional - Sticks and Stones 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Is there less truth in any of the bromides we learned as children? I've been hurt by sticks and stones (generally from horsing around - I do very little ninja fighting!) and they leave a few bruises and a scar or two. The pain goes away and is forgotten. But when people say insulting, degrading things to me it hurts far more than any physical injury I've had. If I allow myself to, I can think back to words people said to me many years ago and I can still experience pain from the memory. Words have a powerful impact on us. One of the most devastating results of these hurtful words is discouragement. We are trying to do God's work and someone drops a verbal bomb on us. It feels like the shrapnel strikes us deep in our hearts and churns us up inside - troubled days and sleepless nights e...

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 17-18, John 6:49–71, Psalm 68:1–7, Proverbs 14:1-2 Devotional - Kill the Messenger "Don't kill the messenger." But that is exactly what Ahab wanted to do. The phrase is meant to show the absurdity of attacking the bearer of bad news. It was not uncommon in the days when kings had absolute and sometimes capricious power that they would take unjust vengeance on the person who delivered an unwanted message. Elijah was just such a messenger. In 1 Kings 17, he delivered the message of God's judgment on sinful Israel. The blessings of heaven would be cut off as long as Ahab and his people continued 18in their sin. Look at verse 1. “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” This was not Elijah's idea or his doing. It was the judgment of God. There would be no rain for years until repentance came. This would bring a drought and great pain and suffering. B...

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 15-16, John 6:22–48, Psalm 67, Proverbs 13:23-25 Devotional - Is Jesus Enough?  The crowds were looking for Jesus, and that should have been a good thing, but Jesus knew better. They were coming to him for all the wrong reasons. In verse 26, Jesus calls their bluff. They weren't seeking him because of a deep desire for God, but simply because he had fed them. They wanted another free meal. Free bread from Jesus.  So Jesus tried to raise their sights a little. "Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life." He promised to give them that kind of food. After a discussion that included Moses, and manna, and some other side topics, they were finally ready for this bread. They wanted it! Bread that lasted unto eternity. That sounded really good. So, they said to Jesus, "Sir, give us this bread always."  That is when Jesus burst their bubble wide open. They wanted some kind of miracle, something wonderful...

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 13-14, John 6:1–21, Psalm 66:16–20, Proverbs 13:21-22 Devotional - What Only God Can Do It is one of the few stories of Jesus that is recorded in every one of the four gospels. Jesus, with an enormous crowd surrounding him, called on his disciples to feed the multitude. They threw up their hands in failure - what could they do? There was not enough food among them to feed the Twelve, much less the thousands around them. But Jesus was there that day not primarily to do a miracle that would amaze the crowds, but to reveal himself to his disciples and to build their faith. They brought him the five loaves and the two fish that a young boy had brought - all the food that was in the crowd. Jesus took it, blessed it and started to divide it among the crowds. After everyone had their fill, there were 12 baskets of food left over for fish sandwiches later. It was a stupendous display of supernatural power. But it was more than that. It was a template for how Go...

We leave just before midnight for an overnight flight to JFK. After clearing customs I have a flight to Minneapolis and then to Omaha. I believe I return around suppertime, then have to drive home. Pray for our flights and fot those we ministered to during the trip. Thank you to each of you who prayed. I hope to be able to give some report, certainly at the church and perhaps here on this blog.

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 11-12, John 5:30–47, Psalm 66:9–15, Proverbs 13:19-20 Devotional - The Wise and Fool of Solomon Solomon is one of the tragic stories in the Bible. In many  ways,  he was a great success, and by worldly  terms,  the glory of his kingdom surpassed even that of his father's, King David. The borders of Israel were expanded, buildings were built, including the Temple, and the wealth and fame of Solomon spread throughout the world. Of course, his wisdom was the thing that gave him his greatest fame. He had a grasp and understanding of the principles of wisdom, of how to make a wise decision and walk the right path in life, like no one else ever. And yet he became a fool. 1 Kings 11 tells how a man of great wisdom made some very foolish choices. In  Proverbs,  there are stern warnings against the wrong kinds of women and the importance of godly relationships. But as Solomon grew older, he must have grown overconfident and felt that...

This will be a travel day. We will have a little bit of leisure time in Ziguinchor - we generally meet with our missionaries in the city. We fly back to Dakar in the afternoon and board late evening flights for the USA. Pray for our safety in travel and that those with whom we've shared the truth will continue to consider what we have said.

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 9-10, John 5:1–29, Psalm 66:1–8, Proverbs 13:17-18 Devotional - A Strange Question There is no such thing as a stupid question, right? That’s what our teachers used to tell us. I think I asked a few in my day, and some of my classmates came pretty close. But to encourage people to ask freely and boldly, teachers and leaders continue to tell us that all questions are worthy. Jesus asked a question that would make us scratch our heads in John 5. In Jerusalem, Jesus was walking by the Pool of Bethesda where invalids lay seeking healing. They believed that the first person to get into the water after the waters were stirred would be healed. There was a man who had been an invalid for 38 years beside the pool and Jesus asked him a corker of a question in verse 6. “Do you want to be healed?”  (John 5:6) Really? The man had been unable to lead a normal life or nearly 4 decades and was reduced to chasing a myth that the waters of Bethesda would bring heali...

All good things must come to an end. This will be my last day in the villages, working with my dear friend Alioune, who translates for me. Frankly, he does far more than that. He is a partner in ministry. I have no idea where we will be doing it, but we will be visiting homes and talking about Jesus - like every other day. Pray that the last day will be our best day. As this day progresses, we will pack up and head back to Ziguinchor to begin the lengthy process of traveling home. We will say our goodbyes to Jean Batiste and Isabelle and head back to Ziguinchor. There is a hotel there (people laugh when I tell them the name - it's the "Flamboyent") where we will stay the night.

This will likely be my last day in the villages of the Ehing people. We will be packing up and beginning the long trip home. Please pray that the fruit will remain! Today's Readings -  1 Kings 7-8, John 4:46–54, Psalm 65:8–13, Proverbs 13:15-16 Devotional - Designed by God  Solomon built a magnificent structure. The temple in Jerusalem was by all accounts among the more impressive buildings of the time. And Solomon was clearly among the most impressive people. His fame spread far and wide. He was rich, powerful, honored, the wisest man on earth. And this magnificent temple was his creation. His people did the work. What part had God played in it all? Scripture records no miracles during the building. It did not spring suddenly from the earth. There was no divinely empowered reversal of Jericho - where the walls came a tumbling UP! No, it was hard work - the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of nameless men who produced this house of worship. And yet, as it was being comple...

By this point, I will have likely lost track of what day it is. The days tend to blend one after another. I would ask you to pray for my health today. In the last couple of trips, it has been about this time, a week or so into the trip, that illnesses began to abound. Also, continue to pray that God would lead us to people with open hearts who will listen to the message we share.

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 5-6, John 4:20–45, Psalm 65:1–7, Proverbs 13:13-14 Devotional - Breaking Man's Rules Jesus always obeyed the Father and the rules of the Word, but he seemed to take pleasure in violating human rules that were not of God. When it was time to travel to Galilee, Jesus routed his group through Samaria. Most Jews traveled along the Jordan Valley so they would not have to move through the area inhabited by those they disdained. Jesus broke the rule and ministered where no one else would go. And then he did something that shocked the disciples. They had made a supply run into town and when they came back they were horrified to see Jesus conversing with a Samaritan woman. Not just a Samaritan. Not just a woman. But a Samaritan woman. Jesus was bound by the Father's laws but he was not bound by silly rules that would hinder his ministry. And look what happened as a result. The woman put her faith in Christ and went to turn out the entire village. They ca...

In addition to normal visitation ministry, I am trying something new this trip. I have a small battery-powered projector that I am taking and I have downloaded the Jesus movie in French and two of the local dialects. I hope to show the movie to people at various times. This is a Sunday, of course, but things go on as normal in Senegal. We continue village ministry as if it was any other day. Weekdays and weekends are not as significant out in the villages as they are to us. Every day is pretty much like every other. Continue to pray that God would open hearts as we minister.

Today's Readings -  Devotional - The Best Choice It wasn't a fictional genie in a bottle, but it was the real, living God from heaven. It wasn't three wishes to be spent frivolously, but one wish to be granted by God. Solomon received one of the greatest blessings a man has ever received from God. Ask what I shall give you. 1 Kings 3:5 There were many options. Solomon could have asked for wealth beyond measure, for a life of ease and pleasure, for victory over his foes and a peace that comes through conquering all. Anything he wanted. But Solomon made the right choice. He asked for discernment. “ And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may d...

Another day in the village. There are seven Ehing villages. Dioher (pronounce Joe-hair) where we stay, is the main village. Bakounum is about a mile or so south of Dioher and is both the center of animistic worship and the place were we've had the most response to our gospel work. Kaliene is a mile and a half or so west of Dioher and we have seen some response there as well. Dialang (pronounced Ja-long) is a couple of miles east and I've not worked there as much, but the chief of Dialang has made a profession of faith in Christ. Bafikane is on the eastern edge of Ehing territory and we've done little work there. There are two interior villages, which we originally could not visit, because of the civil war in the area. Etafoune is about three miles from the main road and Kourin is a couple of miles farther in - not far at all from the Guinea Bissau border. We hope to minister in each of these villages, though our focus will likely be Dioher, Bakounum, and Kaliene.

Today's Readings -  1 Kings 1-2, John 3:16–36, Psalm 64:1–4, Proverbs 13:9-10 Devotional - Best Man The Best Man is never meant to be the center of attention or the star of the show. He simply attends to the Groom and helps him. John the Baptist was Jesus' Best Man. Look at John 3:29 The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.  There was no man better than John the Baptist, who lived his life to pave the way for the Savior. It was not his dress or his diet that made him unique, but his humility. John 3:22-30 describes a unique and godly episode that defines the unique character of the man. John was immensely popular. People were coming from all over Israel to hear him and to be baptized by him. John's name was on the lips of Israelites everywhere. Then, suddenly, this man Jesus came out of nowhere to be baptized by him. He disappeared for 40 days into the wilderness to b...

This should be the first full day of village ministry.  We generally leave around 9:30 or 10 AM and walk from home to home looking for people to speak to about Jesus Christ. We return for lunch (the main meal of the day) around 1:30 and then go back out at 3 or 3:30. We stay out until we stop finding folks, sometimes until just before the sun sets. Our best times of conversation often happen later in the evening.  While each day is different, we will do pretty much the same thing every day, in the different villages.  Pray that God would prepare the hearts of these people to receive the gospel. 

Today's Readings -  2 Samuel 23-24, John 2:13–3:15, Psalm 63, Proverbs 13:7-8 Devotional - Desert Springs A few years back I completed a marathon in the New Mexico desert, trudging over a mountain, through deep sand, and across the desert flats in searing heat. One thing I learned that day - walking in the desert creates a deep thirst. It didn't seem to matter how much water and Gatorade I drank, I was always craving more. David spoke, in Psalm 63, of the thirst of a deer in the wilderness. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;     my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,     as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. In a dry and desolate land, a land without water, David experienced thirst. This world offers so many types of poison water; libations that look satisfying but do not quench the soul's thirst. Money. Pleasure. Entertainment. Selfish ambition and achievement. All present themselves as the satisfaction of the ...

What happens today depends on what we got done on Wednesday. Whatever prep and setup didn't get done on Wednesday has to get done today. Hopefully, I got a good night's sleep! Alioune and I will head out to Dioher and set up our home for the week at Jean Batiste and Isabelle's home. They are wonderful people, and their home is among the nicest in Dioher, but it has no running water and no electricity. The bathroom in a hole in the cement out back. I love these people but I am concerned about living in this kind of rough condition after my health problems last year. I would appreciate your prayers. I believe I can handle walking in the villages and all of that, but dealing with the living conditions will be a challenge. I do look forward to eating mangos, which should be in season right now! Please pray for my health, which is a concern on this trip.

Please continue to pray for me as I minister in Senegal. If all goes well, this will be our first day sharing Christ in the villages. Today's Readings -  2 Samuel 21-22, John 2:1–12, Psalm 62:9–12, Proverbs 13:5-6 Devotional - Water to Wine In what may be the ultimate irony for us teetotalling Baptists, Jesus first miracle was one destined to make Sunday School teachers sweat for generations. Seriously, couldn't he have chosen something different? Healed someone? Made a lame man walk or a blind man see? Even better, he could have raised someone from the dead. Or calmed a sea. Or walked on water. Something. Anything. But no. Jesus' first miracle had to be turning water into wine. He went to a wedding at Cana, a small town a few miles north of Nazareth, on the pass through the mountains to Galilee. Jesus' mother was at the wedding and he showed up with his disciples. A tragedy occurred after he arrived. The wine ran out. Not sure to say about that, but at Cana, it was a h...

This is a question mark day! If somehow we can get the early flight from Dakar to Ziguinchor we will spend the day shopping in Zinguinchor for groceries, heading out into the villages and getting set up. We have to greet village chiefs and meet with the local government representative, the sous prefet. If we can't get on the early flight, we will hang out in the Dakar airport and when we arrive in Ziguinchor, we will hope that the shops are still open. It is Ramadan and most of the shops are run by Muslims, so you never know. up We will likely head out to Nyassia, where the Farmersville church has a home and spend the first night there. There are a lot of setup and preparatory things that have to be done and we will do as much as we can. Prayer need: This is the worst day of the trip! I usually feel awful from the lack of sleep, but try to push through until evening to get onto the local sleep schedule. Pray I can muddle through!

Senegal Update: Today will be arrival day in Ziquinchor. We will do our shopping for groceries and then head out the village of Dioher, where we will settle in for the next week. This is usually one of the toughest days, because of exhaustion from traveling. Today's Reading s -  2 Samuel 19-20, John 1:19–51, Psalm 62:1–8, Proverbs 13-3-4 Devotional - To Jesus Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist until one day when another man walked by. John looked up at the other man and said, "Look, the Lamb of God." Andrew realized the import of these words and decided that it was time to follow Jesus. It is one of John's most godly qualities that he encouraged his followers to leave him and to follow another. That is what he did, along with the man who was with him. Jesus saw these two men following him and asked, "What are you looking for?" Andrew and his friend answered the question with a question. "Rabbi, where are you staying?" Jesus invited them to j...

I ask for your prayers today. If all goes well, I will be flying across the Atlantic Ocean today to begin a ministry in Senegal. This will be my eighth trip to the Casamance region, sharing Christ with a UUPG (basically, a people group where there was no gospel witness previously) called the Essing, or Ehing people. I'd been going twice a year until my health problems last year. Now, it has been almost 15 months since I walked in the villages. I'm not sure what has happened in the meantime. Pray that God would bless this ministry. The Ehing people live in 7 villages about halfway between Ziguinchor and the coast, not far from the Guinea Bissau border. They are five hours ahead of Sioux City, so at 7 AM here it is noon there. At 5 PM here it is 10 PM there. I leave at 6:30 AM from Omaha, fly to Minneapolis and then to JFK, where I will meet up with a three-person team from Farmersville, TX. We fly through the night to Dakar. We are scheduled to arrive at about 8:00 AM in Dakar (...

Today's Readings -  2 Samuel 17-18, John 1:1–18, Psalm 61:4–8, Proverbs 13:1-2 Devotional - God's Word, with Us Though we believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful, we are not required to pretend hat all Scripture has the same force and power. There are high points among the words of God. I've maintained that the Mt. Everest of the Bible is Romans 8 - if you are ever going to memorize one chapter of the Bible, make it that one! Psalm 23 is part of the Himalayas as well. So is Hebrews 11, Matthew 5-7, John 14-16 and several other great peaks of revelation. Among the highest of the high peaks, we find John 1:1-5. Frankly, the whole book of John is a high mountain range, but this introduction is powerful. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ...

I will be leaving at 3:00 AM for Senegal. In addition to having all the posts for the Bible readings ready to go (I think they are all set up properly), I have set up a separate post to give anyone who is interested and willing to pray some information about the trip. Of course, all of this information is pre-loaded. One thing I've learned on my Senegal trips is that things seldom go as we expect. I have two prayers that I'd ask you to pray today, in preparation for the trip. 1. I am taking a whole bunch of equipment with me, especially a large solar battery. I am praying that TSA and the airlines won't be upset with me carry all this with me (my carry on back weighs 35 pounds!). I have several lithium ion batteries and you can't put those in your checked bags. I need that stuff with me in Senegal. Would you pray that this will get through? 2. We've been having a lot of problems around the Miller house. Plumbing issues. Car issues. Stuff that normally wouldn't b...

Today's Readings -  2 Samuel 15-16, Luke 24:36–53, Psalm 61:1–3, Proverbs 12:27-28 Devotional - Walking Right...Alone! All around him were liars, schemers, manipulators, usurpers, and conspirators. He was fleeing Jerusalem up the Mt. of Olives to find safety from his own son who had turned the hearts of his people against him. Bathsheba's grandfather, Ahithophel, who was a trusted counselor to the king, had betrayed him and joined Absalom's conspiracy. Ziba the servant met him on the mount with lies about his master, Mephibosheth, in an effort to advance himself. And then, just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he ran into Shimei, a relative of King Saul who had carried a huge grudge for a long time, ever since David's family supplanted his family as the royal family in Israel. So, as David wandered down the mountain, he threw rocks at him. But his wasn't the sticks and stones that broke his bones, it was the words that truly hurt him. “Get out, get...