Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

 It's a day that only comes around once every 4 years, February 29, and my reading plans do not take it into account.  So, you have two reading options today. Many of you are probably a day or two (or more?) behind. If so, catch up on your reading. If not, I suggest that today, you read what most would say is the most powerful chapter of the Bible - Romans 8 - a special chapter for a special day.  As you read, list on a piece of paper the blessings this chapter says that we have in Christ. Make sure there's lots of room on that piece of paper! If you have more time, you could read Psalm 23 , 2 Corinthians 5 , or Hebrews 11 ; other mountaintop chapters! Tomorrow, we will be back on track in 1 Samuel. I guess that is option 3 - read ahead!

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 6-10 Background:    It is interesting how often immensely talented people end up being failures in God's kingdom work. Samson was good-looking and athletic but lacked character. Here we have King Saul - head and shoulders taller than others, charismatic and appealing, but he was not careful to obey God, and his life became a cautionary tale of failure. In today's reading, we

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 1-5 Background:    As Judges 17-21 took Israel to the nadir of its history, this passage is the beginning of the rise to Israel's greatest days. God's grace restored Israel. The irony is that when Israel reached its worst days at the end of the period of the Judges it was only 50 to 75 years or so from its glory days under King David. It all began when one woman prayed ferven

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Ruth 1-4 Background:    Ruth is one of the truly great love stories in ancient literature. No, it is not so much a story of romantic love, but the faithful love of a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law. It tells the story of King David's great-grandmother's migration from Moab to Israel. She is also one of the four women who appear in Jesus' genealogy in the Gospels. Daily Devotion

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Judges 17-21 Background:    There is little uplifting or encouraging in this passage. It is the story of the degradation of Israel at its end stage, when the downward spiral of the cycle of Judges reached its nadir. Israel drifted away from God and then returned, but the direction was always downward, as is human nature, and finally, there was no obedience, no conscience, no fidelity to the G

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Judges 11-16 Background:    As the cycle continued, Israel's judges became less noble and more flawed. Today we focus on two flawed leaders - Jephthah and Samson. The biggest question in today's reading is what happened to Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11). There are two schools of thought and each time I have taught this book I've changed my mind. Jephthah's daughter was sa

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Judges 6-10 Background:    Today we read the story of Gideon, the nobody whom God made a judge. It is a story of God's power to transform and accomplish great things with the weakest of vessels who submit to his use. Daily Devotional:  Mighty Warrior udges 6:12 is one of those great moments in history. Gideon was hiding in the winepress, threshing his grain and keeping his head down. The

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Judges 1-5 Background:    Having divided up the tribal land, Israel failed to drive out the inhabitants as they were commanded to, and the result was a terrible cycle of spiritual drift, catastrophe, revival, and renewed drift. Chapter 2 explains the cycle and the rest of the book covers the stories of the judges that led Israel back to God. There are 12 judges but the book focuses on 7. Thro

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Joshua 19-24 Background:    As the inheritance is distributed to each tribe, we begin to see the fact that the tribes are failing to drive out the inhabitants from their areas. They may subdue them, but they do not drive them out. Those inhabitants would eventually come back to haunt them. The book of Joshua ends with a powerful covenant renewal, in which Joshua leads the people to recommit t

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Joshua 13-18 Background:    We begin, in today's reading, the division of the land among the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The boundaries can be fairly dry reading - I'd encourage you to keep a map beside you as you read. The most interesting part of this to me is Caleb's request in chapter 14 to have a hill to conquer in his old age. May his tribe increase. Daily Devotional:   A Hill

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Joshua 9-12 Background:    There are three major thrusts in the Conquest of Canaan. First, there is the Southern Campaign. After Jericho and Ai, Israel fought the Battle of the Five Kings recorded in today's reading - famous for the sun standing still. Then there was the Northern Campaign, recorded in chapters 11-12, along with a summary. The third section, which takes up most of the rest

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Joshua 5-8 Background:    One of the great stories of the Bible, the Battle of Jericho, is in today's reading. There was the encounter with the Captain of the Lord's army who gave Joshua the plan. He then went back and reported the plan to the leaders of Israel. Can you imagine their response? Walk around 13 times? Are you nuts? The key was obedience! And persistence! And God brought

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Joshua 1-4 Background:    Joshua's early chapters carry some riveting stories. Joshua begins with the eponymous character's establishment as the leader of Israel. He then guides the people through the Jordan at flood stage into the Promised Land. The crossing of the Jordan is a great story of faith. Remember, it was flood stage and God said that he would only stop the river once they

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Deuteronomy 30-34, Psalm 90 Background:    Today's reading is about transitions. Moses has led Israel from the moment God sent him from the Burning Bush and now it is his time to die. Joshua has been beside him for 40 years and it is his time to take over. This is going to be tough, but God guides his people through it. We also have our first psalm, Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses.  Daily Dev

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Deuteronomy 24-29 Background:    The lengthy section giving the "Second Law" continues as it has in our last several days of readings. But the key thought here is the ceremony on Gerizim and Ebal, in which the choice of blessing or curses is given. A note - when we think of "curse" it conjures vivid ideas, but we ought to think more of God's discipline and the conseque

   Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024 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 we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Deuteronomy 18-23 Background:    The expansion of the law of God continues. As you read these laws, look for the character quality of God behind the law. We may not be under the law, but our God does not change. Daily Devotional:   Enemies Too Big! Quite a pep talk God gave Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy 20:1-4. "Your enemies are always going to be bigger than you! Aren't we sup