Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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.  Daily Devotional:   In a Wicked World   I am not a date-s

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   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

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:      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 Apostl

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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 fl

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:      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 ke

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:      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 wa

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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 p

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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 the o

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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. Daily Devotional:   Walls Fall Down   Fate determined that Phil

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:       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 spr

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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 r

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:      Colossians 1:1-2:3   Background:     Colossians is a powerful epistle. We have no record of Paul traveling to Colossae, though the Acts record is certainly not exhaustive. Still, 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,

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   Philippians 4     Background:     Our verse today is in the hall of fame of misinterpreted and misapplied verses.  Daily 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 stren

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:      Philippians 3   Background:     If 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 every

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     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 than yourselves." Say what? The passage on the humility and exaltation of Jesus in verses 9-11, believed by many to be an early Christian hymn, is one of the New Testament's high points!   Daily Devotional:    Like Jesus Paul