Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

A New Year's Spiritual Inventory  Today's Reading :    Exodus 16            The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. 2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “

   Through the Bible in 2021 In 2020, we ran 2 tracks for the devotional, the "through the Bible in One Year" reading plan for those who wanted a little more time in the Word and a more concentrated plan focusing on key passages and books of the Bible.  It wore me out. I didn't know, of course, when I started that plan, that 2020 was going to be a COVID year and the dual-track plan took a lot of time and effort. It was also a blessing for me, because in times of discouragement it drove me to God's word when I might not otherwise have done so.  However, this year I am reverting to something a bit simpler - reading through the Bible in one year. Each day we will have four readings:  A portion of the Old Testament.  A portion of the New Testament.  A portion of the Psalms.  A small snippet of Proverbs.  You may have days you can't keep up. A Bible reading plan is not a religious duty that gains you points with God. It is designed to bring you into God's presence.

A New Year's Spiritual Inventory  Today's Reading :   Nehemiah 8-9               Because of the length of this passage, it will not be copied here.  Through the Bible Readings :   Malachi 1-2, Revelation 21, Psalm 149, Proverbs 31:27–28   If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings.  Devotional :   Revival!         Revival! Let's pray for revival! You hear those words so often, but it means different things to different people. What is a revival? How can you quantify a revival? Is it even something we ought to seek as individuals, churches and nations? Nehemiah 8 records what could safely be described as a revival. There is no standard definition of revival, but this one would satisfy most definitions. God's people, who had been wandering from him into sin, repent and return to him in such a way that the life of the nation was affected. Ezra led God's people in repentance and they recommitted themselves to him with passion and joy. But how

A New Year's Spiritual Inventory  Today's Reading :    1 Corinthians 3:10-15, Romans 14:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:10             1 Corinthians 3:10-15 According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire. Romans 14:9-12 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living. 10 But

A New Year's Spiritual Inventory  Today's Reading :   Romans 12               Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exho

A New Year's Spiritual Inventory  Today's Reading :   Revelation 2:1-7               “Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquer

  A New Year's Spiritual Inventory  Today's Reading :   Haggai 1-2            Due to the length of the passage, it will not be copied here.  Through the Bible Readings :   Zechariah 7-8, Revelation 17, Psalm 147:8–14, Proverbs 31:17–18  If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings.  Devotional :   Misplaced Priorities          Haggai is one of those little books in the "Minor" prophets we often ignore. That is a shame because the message of this minor prophet is major! Another year is ending. We don't know how long it is until the world itself ends, but we know we are one year closer. This world and everything in it has an expiration date.  Haggai reminds us to live today with priorities that recognize that God is more important than anything in this world.  If you see a house on fire, you don't run into it hide all your valuables there, do you? You remove them! You try to salvage what you can. In the same way, as Jesus said, we ough

  Are you a New Year's Resolution maker? Are you a New Year's Resolution breaker? Usually, if the answer to the first question is yes the answer to the second is also yes. We make promises and commitments to change, to make a fresh start, to give it another try, but we usually end up in the same old habits. For many years I simplified the resolution process. I just changed the date on last year's! See, the problem is not willpower, commitments, resolutions, or any of those things. It is our hearts. They have a tendency to drift. The fire dies down and needs to be fanned into flame. We leave our first love, as Jesus warned the church at Ephesus (and we will examine in one of our devotionals). So, between Christmas and New Year's Day I hope you will take a few minutes out of each day to examine your life. It is not just to make a list of fresh goals and promises to God, but to take a look at our hearts, our priorities, our lifestyles and to examine where we might have gon

    25 Days of Christmas On the twenty-fifth day of Christmas, my Bible said to me...The magi did what mattered most - they worshiped Jesus. Worship Jesus today! Today's Reading :   Matthew 2:1-12             After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” 7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.