Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 17-18, Acts 5:1–31, Psalm 78:26–32, Proverbs 16:12–14 Devotional - Unstoppable You almost had to feel sorry for the Pharisees and other opponents of the work of Jesus Christ in the Early Church. They seemed to have all the power, or they thought they did. The Temple authorities had arrested the Apostles in an attempt to intimidate them and keep them from preaching about Jesus Christ. But the next day when they got up, thinking the Apostles were where they had placed them, they found that the troublesome followers of Jesus were back out in the Temple courts proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and stirring up more trouble. There was nothing to do but to tighten the screws a little.  They arrested them again and upped the ante on the threats against them, warning them to stop their evangelistic work. This didn't work any better than their previous efforts had. No matter what they did, those pesky Christians continued to work, and pray, and prea

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 15-16, Acts 4:23–37, Psalm 78:19–25, Proverbs 16:10–11 Devotional - THE Evidence of the Spirit Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? More specifically, how can anyone know that? Much theological discussion, debate and even disagreement have been devoted to the question of what marks the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Some have asserted, contrary to the observation of this pastor, that those who are full of the Spirit are no longer subject to sin, but attain perfection in this life. Would that it was so, but it is certainly not my experience. Of course, the debate has raged throughout my life as to whether tongues or any other manifestation of the Holy Spirit is a necessary evidence of the fullness of the Spirit. It is not the purpose of a devotional like this to address such a topic. But when we examine the book of Acts, there is one universal evidence of the fullness of the Spirit. Nothing else happens every single time the Spirit shows up in power e

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 13-14, Acts 4:1–22, Psalm 78:12–18, Proverbs 16:7–9 Devotional - When Pharisees Attack Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Council to answer for their deeds. What was their crime? It all started in Acts 3 when they found a man who was lame since birth and they healed him. He had been sitting outside the temple all his life begging alms and the best the Jewish leaders could do for him was perhaps put a couple of coins in his cup from time to time. But along came this uneducated fisherman from Galilee claiming that the Nazarene had risen from the dead and speaking with authority and power. And these country bumpkins didn't put any silver or gold into the man's cup. They did something else - they raised him up. That was the source of all the anger and resentment. They were the men in charge. Everyone looked up to them and revered them, but their religion was empty, devoid of the truth of God and the Spirit's power. Peter an

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 11-12, Acts 3, Psalm 78:5–11, Proverbs 16:5–6 Devotional - For the Future There is an old saw that says, "The Church is always one generation from extinction." The thing is, this one is true. Christianity must not only be passed from person to person but from generation to generation. The children God gives to the families of the church must be raised to be warriors in the Kingdom of God, servants of the Most High and those who treasure eternal things over the temporal. In Psalm 78:5-7, the Psalmist discusses the importance of raising children to serve God. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children 6 so that a future generation— children yet to be born—might know. They were to rise and tell their children 7 so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands. As I grow older my life becomes less about what I will

Today's Readings -   2 Chronicles 9-10, Acts 2:42–47, Psalm 78:1–4, Proverbs 16:2–4 Devotional - How's Your Gap?  As we read about the fire of God falling on the people of God on the day of Pentecost, we can get bogged down in sideline issues like the discussion of tongues and such things. But today's reading in Acts is a powerful one. Acts 2:42-47 describes the Early Church and what life was like in the church that was full of the Spirit of God. This is not the time for a theological treatise, so please forgive me for simply stating my conclusions. We ought to, in our churches today if we are filled with the Spirit of God, see the kinds of things that are described in Acts 2:42-47. We might not see them to the same degree or with the same intensity that they saw them at the birth of the church - there always seems to be a unique outpouring of God's power at times like that - but we ought to see the things that are described here. And they devoted themselves to the apo

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 7-8, Acts 2:1–41, Psalm 77:12–20, Proverbs 16:1 Devotional - And the Fire Fell What an odd coincidence (if you believe in that sort of thing) in today's readings. In 2 Chronicles, we have the story of Solomon building a temple for the glory of God. When he finished building it all exactly as God commanded after he prayed diligently for the power and presence of God to come on the people of God, we read this in verses 1-3. When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. 3 All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the Lord came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the Lord: For he is good,  for his faithful love endures forever.

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 5-6, Acts 1:12–26, Psalm 77:4–11, Proverbs 15:30–33 Devotional - You Have to Love Yourself... If you don't love yourself first, how can anyone else love you? Be good to yourself, or no one else will. You have to be aggressive, promote yourself. Never let anyone step on you - you are no one's doormat. We get so many messages in this world about putting ourselves first, loving ourselves, about self-esteem, and self-promotion. Much of that has even found its way into the Christian world, baptized and sanctified with Christian-sounding terms, but still as ungodly and unholy as ever. I would issue the Miller Challenge here. Get your Bible out and read it cover to cover. That in and of itself will be a good thing. But take two markers - one green and one red. When you come to a passage that tells you to esteem yourself more highly, that encourages pride and self-confidence, or that demands that you love yourself first and foremost, mark it with a

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 3-4, Acts 1:1–11, Psalm 77:1–3, Proverbs 15:28–29 Devotional - The Song that Never Ends It is the song that never ends. It just goes on and on my friends.  That annoying song has been sung on young people's outings for decades, and truly it never ends, my friends. It has a beginning, but the nerves of the adult sponsors run out long before kids got tired of singing the song. Just like the song, the story of Jesus goes on and on. When the religious leaders crucified him, they thought they were done with Jesus, but they could not have been more wrong. The end of his life was only the beginning of his work. Luke opened the book of Acts with these words, I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up. All that Jesus BEGAN to do. Began. The story of Jesus did not simply continue in his resurrection, but it continued in the lives of the Apostles in the book of Acts, as the Holy Spirit

Today's Readings -  2 Chronicles 1-2, John 21, Psalm 76, Proverbs 15:25–27 Devotional - Going Fishing Peter was a fisherman. He had done it all his life, even when he was a disciple of John the Baptist. Then, one day, Jesus walked by. “Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.” And Peter followed him. He left the nets behind and followed Jesus for more than three years, throughout Galilee, to Jerusalem, to Gethsemane, and to the Sanhedrin. There, it all ended.  “I swear to you, I never knew this man.”  With those words, Peter denied the Lord he had sworn to serve. And even when the most glorious miracle of history occurred, even when Jesus was raised from the dead, even when Jesus appeared to the disciples, Peter could not forget the fact that he had failed.  And so, he told the other disciples, “I’m going fishing,” in John 21:3. The way this verse is constructed gives the idea that he wasn't taking a day off to drown some worms. He wasn't getting away for some rest

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 28-29, John 20, Psalm 75:7–10, Proverbs 15:23–24 Devotional - The Joy of Giving In the good old days, there would be one or two weeks a year when a preacher might preach a "stewardship" sermon, which was little more than an appeal for members to open their wallets and give - more. Churches have often struggled with money and pastors have given appeals to their people to be more generous, more faithful. One thing that was often absent from these pulpit appeals was the spirit demonstrated by King David in 1 Chronicles 29:10-19 when Israel was overwhelmed with generosity for the building of the Temple. David did not whine or wheedle but set forth the joy and glory of giving, of investing in the things of God. But who am I and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? (29:14) Is there any privilege greater than that of giving money, which is so often an idol and a distraction, to invest in eternal things? David realiz

Today's Readings -   1 Chronicles 26-27, John 19:28–42, Psalm 75:1–6, Proverbs 15:20–22 Devotional - Three Glorious Words  Three words. Simple words. But since the beginning of time, no more glorious words have ever been spoken. In English translations, it is three words. In the Greek translation that our New Testament is written in it is only one word. I do not know whether it is one word or more in the Aramaic that Jesus would have actually spoken on the cross. But those three English words, in whatever language they are spoken, changed everything. John 19:30 records them as the last words that Jesus spoke before he commended his spirit into the hands of the Father. It is finished. Since Adam and Eve chose sin over obedience in the Garden, the weight of sin had been growing. Some people, like Ahab, like Manasseh, like Herod, sinned heinously and boldly. Others have sinned in self-righteousness, keeping their sins inward, hidden deeply in their hearts. Some have lived such respec

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 24-25, John 19:1–27, Psalm 74:17–23, Proverbs 15:18–19 Devotional - The Lamb Who Was Slain It is the most horrible story ever told, and also the greatest. John 19 recounts Jesus' trial before Pilate and his crucifixion. It is the historical act on which our eternal destiny depends. It is painful to read of the brutal torture and crucifixion of Christ. Look at what human beings did to Jesus in these awful moments. First, Jesus was flogged in the horrifying Roman way. Then, to add insult to injury, the soldiers commenced ridiculing the beaten man. They put a crown of thorns on him, gave him a purple robe, slapped him and chanted "Hail, King of the Jews." The Lamb of God was giving himself for their sins and all they could do was mock. The priests and other religious leaders manipulated and schemed to get him convicted according to their laws and to bring him before Pilate. Time and again, Pilate tried to find a way to get him off the ho

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 22-23, John 18:25–40, Psalm 74:10–16, Proverbs 15:15–17 Devotional - Why, God, Why?  For the believer, there is a deep sense that this world is not as it should be. As I traveled last night, I had the radio on to occupy my mind, listening to an oldies station (no surprise, I guess). A song came on I'd never heard before, but its words offended me - there were several disrespectful references to Jesus. Why do people have to go out of their way to insult my savior? That kind of thing is all too common in this world. People ridicule God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They live as scoffers, mockers. And we wonder why God lets them get away with it. Others perpetuate evil in this world and do so with seeming impunity. They oppress the poor, abuse the innocent and cause untold harm against others - seemingly without consequence. There is injustice everywhere. Where is God in all of this? Why does he not act? Why does he turn a blin

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 20-21, John 18:1–24, Psalm 74:1–9, Proverbs 15:13–14 Devotional - You Are What You Eat  "You are what you eat." "Garbage in; garbage out." These are modern-day proverbs that draw life principles from our observation of everyday life. We see that people who eat well tend to feel good and be healthy, while those who gorge on the wrong foods tend to feel those effects. If the data we feed into a computer is garbage, the results we get from that computation will also be garbage. What we feed our bodies or our computers has consequences. But what we feed our minds and our hearts is just as consequential. Solomon knew that nearly 3000 years ago and reminded us of the principle in Proverbs 15:14. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,     but the mouths of fools feed on folly. The discerning mind, the mind focused on knowing God's word, distinguishing right and wrong and doing the will of God, is going to seek out

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 18-19, John 17, Psalm 73:25–28, Proverbs 15:10–12 Devotional - Jesus Prayed for ME! The night before Jesus died, just before he agonized in the Garden, before he was arrested and put on trial, Jesus prayed - he prayed for YOU! Yes, my friend, he prayed for you and he prayed for me. Think about that. In his hour of agony, of pain and of stress, when the most awful moment of history awaited him, he interceded with the Father on our behalf. John 17 is the real "Lord's Prayer." The prayer to which we've assigned that name is the one he gave to his disciples to pray. It is the "Disciples' Prayer." But the prayer that reveals the heart of Jesus is John 17 - it shows what he really thought and felt. Verse 20 makes it clear that this prayer was not just for the men who were with him in the Upper Room. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” He prayed for you and for me. Wh

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 16-17, John 16:16–33, Psalm 73:18–24, Proverbs 15:8–9 Devotional - Bitter Folly  Life can be pretty tough in this sinful world. We encounter hardships, tragedies, and disappointments regularly. But perhaps the greatest struggle comes when people do us wrong; when they treat us badly or hurt us deeply. Psalm 73 was written for just such a situation. The entire Psalm has been about the general unfairness of life in a world where the evil sometimes prosper and good people are left to suffer. God's justice will one day rule every aspect of this world, but this is not that day. In this day those who walk with God can often experience terrible suffering and pain. All too often, those who experience that pain find themselves angry and bitter over their suffering. Life isn't fair! How could he (or she)? I didn't deserve that! It's just not right. The unfairness of it all builds up in our spirits and we become angry. Eventually, that anger,

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 14-15, John 15:18–16:15, Psalm 73:11–17, Proverbs 15:5–7 Devotional - In Enemy Territory  Notice two verses from our readings today, one in John 15, and one in Psalm 73. It is easy to forget that we, as Christians, live in hostile territory. This world is not our home. American Christians have too long been lulled to sleep by a society that was at least nominally supportive of our values and beliefs. We are just now waking up to the reality that we live in enemy territory and are loyal to a kingdom distinct from any in this world. John 15:18-25 makes it clear that it is the norm for God's people to be hated in the world. Jesus tells his disciples that he was hated and that they would receive the same treatment if they served him. If we walk in Christ and in his ways, we will face hostility, ridicule, and disdain from this world. That is just part of living for Jesus in a world that is living in rebellion against him. Look at verse 19.   If you

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 12-13, John 15:1–17, Psalm 73:4–10, Proverbs 15:3–4 Devotional - Abiding I love Christmas trees. A couple of years ago I struggled through the Christmas season because we were traveling and decided not to get a tree! Christmas without a tree? The house was so bland. Decorating the tree, packing on the lights and ornaments, is one of my favorite parts of the season. But the trees we get have a problem. They have been severed from the roots. They are nice and green when we get them, but as the weeks go on they begin to turn brown and brittle, and the needles begin to fall to the ground. There is a reason for this, a pretty obvious one. It has been cut. The roots are severed. Even though it looks good for a while, once it is disconnected from the roots the process of death has begun. The tree cannot survive without connections to the root. Jesus used an illustration like this, except that he used a vine and its branches. A branch that is attached to t

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 10-11, John 14, Psalm 73:1–3, Proverbs 15:1–2 Devotional - When Your World Explodes  Jesus, the night he was betrayed, hours before he died, gathered his disciples together and gave them his "Farewell Discourse" (John 14-16) which gave them the spiritual resources needed to handle the turbulent and terrible days that lay ahead. With Romans 8, Psalm 23, 1 Corinthians 13, John 3 and several other passages, it is among the breathtaking Himalayan peaks of Scripture. It is almost a shame to read it all in one day! The sermon's first words border on the absurd. "Let not your hearts be troubled." In the next 24 hours, they would watch Jesus be arrested, tried, convicted, sentenced, beaten, condemned, mocked, tortured, paraded to Golgotha, and nailed to a cross. Well, to be honest, they wouldn't watch it because they would flee in fear. But their lives would be shattered completely as Jesus died on the cross in agony. Their world

Today's Readings -  1 Chronicles 6-9, John 13:21–38, Psalm 72:11–20, Proverbs 14:33–35 Devotional - When the Bible Is Boring Okay, let's admit it. The genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9 we've been reading the last couple of days are not exactly the most riveting and soul-stirring portions of scripture. When my soul is discouraged, when my heart is heavy, I seldom think to myself, "What I really need is to focus my heart and soul on the 'begats' and find the blessings there." There are portions of the Bible that are a little boring. I hope you will not pick up stones to stone me for saying that. Of course, there are some nuggets woven into the genealogical records that people have found interesting. The most notable, of course, was the story of Jabez' prayer in 4:10, which may be one of the most overblown teachings on prayer ever! It's an interesting story and a reminder that God answers prayer, but it may not be the central teaching on prayer that so