Discover: Day 23

Weekly Memory Verse:

No one has ever seen God.  The One and Only Son -- the One who is at the Father's side -- He has revealed Him.
John 1:18 (HCSB)

 

Meditation Thought:

God is ready to talk to me.  Is my heart ready to hear Him?

 

Today's Reading - Proverbs 1:1-7 (GNT) Choose another translation

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David and king of Israel.

Here are proverbs that will help you recognize wisdom and good advice, and understand sayings with deep meaning.

They can teach you how to live intelligently and how to be honest, just, and fair.

They can make an inexperienced person clever and teach young people how to be resourceful.

These proverbs can even add to the knowledge of the wise and give guidance to the educated, so that they can understand the hidden meanings of proverbs and the problems that the wise raise.

To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the LORD. Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn.

(Today's reading came from the Good News Translation)

Discover: Day 22

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

God will never leave me to do His work alone.  He will always be in front of me.

 

Today's Reading - Exodus 3:7-12 (NASB) Choose another translation

The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.  So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

"Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.  Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."

But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"

And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."

(Today's reading came from the New American Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 21

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

Am I more concerned with what everyone else is supposed to be doing instead of simply following Christ?

 

Today's Reading - John 21:15-22 (Msg) Choose another translation

After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."

Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

"I'm telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go."  He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me."

Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind.  When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, "Master, what's going to happen to him?"  Jesus said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you? You--follow me."

(Today's reading came from The Message)

Discover: Day 20

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

God enjoys working with people who do not think they have anything God can use.  Has a "big head" kept God from using me in His work?

 

Today's Reading - Judges 6:7-16 (HCSB) Choose another translation

When the Israelites cried out to Him because of Midian, the LORD sent a prophet to them. He said to them, "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery.  I delivered you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.  I said to you: I am the LORD your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey Me.'"

The Angel of the LORD came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites.  Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said: "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."  Gideon said to Him, "Please Sir, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, 'Hasn't the LORD brought us out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian."

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?"  He said to Him, "Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."  "But I will be with you," the LORD said to him. "You will strike Midian down as if it were one man."

(Today's reading came from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 19

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

Doing God's work does not make me safe.  Am I willing to put everything on the line to join God in His work?

 

Today's Reading - Matthew 10:1-23 (CEV) Choose another translation

Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness.  The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee.  Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles.  The others were Simon, known as the Eager One, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town.  Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep.  As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here.  Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid.  Don't take along any gold, silver, or copper coins.  And don't carry a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick. Workers deserve their food.

So when you go to a town or a village, find someone worthy enough to have you as their guest and stay with them until you leave.  When you go to a home, give it your blessing of peace.  If the home is deserving, let your blessing remain with them. But if the home isn't deserving, take back your blessing of peace.  If someone won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave their home or town. And shake the dust from your feet at them.  I promise you that the day of judgment will be easier for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places.  Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith.  But when someone arrests you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say.  But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say.

Brothers and sisters will betray one another and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed.  Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you remain faithful until the end, you will be saved.  When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you that before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.

(Today's reading came from the Contemporary English Version)

Discover: Day 18

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

Has it been so long since I've listened for God that I no longer recognize it when He tries to talk to me?  What do I need to do to change that?

 

Today's Reading - 1 Samuel 3:1-21 (GNT) Choose another translation

In those days, when the boy Samuel was serving the LORD under the direction of Eli, there were very few messages from the LORD, and visions from him were quite rare.  One night Eli, who was now almost blind, was sleeping in his own room; Samuel was sleeping in the sanctuary, where the sacred Covenant Box was. Before dawn, while the lamp was still burning, the LORD called Samuel. He answered, "Yes, sir!" and ran to Eli and said, "You called me, and here I am." But Eli answered, "I didn't call you; go back to bed." So Samuel went back to bed.

The LORD called Samuel again. The boy did not know that it was the LORD, because the LORD had never spoken to him before. So he got up, went to Eli, and said, "You called me, and here I am." But Eli answered, "My son, I didn't call you; go back to bed."

The LORD called Samuel a third time; he got up, went to Eli, and said, "You called me, and here I am." Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy, so he said to him, "Go back to bed; and if he calls you again, say, 'Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went back to bed.

The LORD came and stood there, and called as he had before, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak; your servant is listening."  The LORD said to him, "Some day I am going to do something to the people of Israel that is so terrible that everyone who hears about it will be stunned.  On that day I will carry out all my threats against Eli's family, from beginning to end.  I have already told him that I am going to punish his family forever because his sons have spoken evil things against me. Eli knew they were doing this, but he did not stop them.  So I solemnly declare to the family of Eli that no sacrifice or offering will ever be able to remove the consequences of this terrible sin."

Samuel stayed in bed until morning; then he got up and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.  Eli called him, "Samuel, my boy!" "Yes, sir," answered Samuel.  "What did the LORD tell you?" Eli asked. "Don't keep anything from me. God will punish you severely if you don't tell me everything he said."  So Samuel told him everything; he did not keep anything back. Eli said, "He is the LORD; he will do whatever seems best to him."

As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and made come true everything that Samuel said.  So all the people of Israel, from one end of the country to the other, knew that Samuel was indeed a prophet of the LORD.  The LORD continued to reveal himself at Shiloh, where he had appeared to Samuel and had spoken to him. And when Samuel spoke, all Israel listened.

(Today's reading came from the Good News Translation)

Discover: Day 17

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

When was the last time I saw a clear opportunity to do God's work?  What was my response?

 

Today's Reading - Acts 16:1-13 (NLT) Choose another translation

Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek.  Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,  so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.  Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.  So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.  Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.  So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.  That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"  So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis.  From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.  On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.

(Today's reading came from the New Living Translation)

Discover: Day 16

Weekly Memory Verse:

God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself...And He gave us this message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NCV)

 

Meditation Thought:

When God told him to do something hard, Isaiah replied, "How long?"  When was the last time I said "How long?" instead of "Why me?"

 

Today's Reading - Isaiah 6:1-13 (NCV) Choose another translation

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a very high throne. His long robe filled the Temple. Heavenly creatures of fire stood above him. Each creature had six wings: It used two wings to cover its face, two wings to cover its feet, and two wings for flying. Each creature was calling to the others: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord All-Powerful. His glory fills the whole earth." Their calling caused the frame around the door to shake, as the Temple filled with smoke.

I said, "Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure, but I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful." One of the heavenly creatures used a pair of tongs to take a hot coal from the altar. Then he flew to me with the hot coal in his hand. The creature touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, "Look, your guilt is taken away, because this hot coal has touched your lips. Your sin is taken away."

Then I heard the Lord's voice, saying, "Whom can I send? Who will go for us?" So I said, "Here I am. Send me!" Then the Lord said, "Go and tell this to the people: 'You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not learn.' Make the minds of these people dumb. Shut their ears. Cover their eyes. Otherwise, they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed."

Then I asked, "Lord, how long should I do this?" He answered, "Until the cities are destroyed and the people are gone, until there are no people left in the houses, until the land is destroyed and left empty. The Lord will send the people far away, and the land will be left empty. One-tenth of the people will be left in the land, but it will be destroyed again. These people will be like an oak tree whose stump is left when the tree is chopped down. The people who remain will be like a stump that will sprout again."

(Today's reading came from the New Century Version)

Discover: Day 15

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

What unique way has God tried to get my attention in the past?

 

Today's Reading - Exodus 3:1-6 (NASB) Choose another translation

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.  So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up."  When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."  Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."  He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."  Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

(Today's reading came from the New American Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 14

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

My friendship with God is so important to Him that He worked out all the details long before He even made me.  Is it that important to me?

 

Today's Reading - Ephesians 1:3-14 (NLT) Choose another translation

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.  He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.  God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.  And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ-- everything in heaven and on earth.

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.  God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.  And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.  The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

(Today's reading came from the New Living Translation)

Discover: Day 13

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

Have I accepted God's free offer or am I still trying to "buy" it?

 

Today's Reading - Isaiah 55:1-7 (NET) Choose another translation

Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations. Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you. Seek the LORD while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the LORD, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them.

(Today's reading came from the NET Bible)

Discover: Day 12

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

God will start running toward me when I choose to move toward Him.

 

Today's Reading - Luke 15:11-32 (Msg) Choose another translation

Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'

"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.

"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'

"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.

"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'

"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'

"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"

(Today's reading came from The Message)

Discover: Day 11

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

Even though God knows me, He is willing to be my friend if I will let Him.

 

Today's Reading - Psalm 103 (HCSB) Choose another translation

My soul, praise the LORD, and all that is within me, praise His holy name.

My soul, praise the LORD, and do not forget all His benefits.

He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases.

He redeems your life from the Pit; He crowns you with faithful love and compassion.

He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The LORD executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He revealed His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and full of faithful love.

He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.

He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass-- he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.

But from eternity to eternity the LORD's faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instructions.

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

Praise the LORD, all His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command.

Praise the LORD, all His armies, His servants who do His will.

Praise the LORD, all His works in all the places where He rules.

My soul, praise the LORD!

(Today's reading came from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 10

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

God is willing to go "near and far" to have a friendship with me.  What am I willing to do?

 

Today's Reading - Ephesians 2:11-18 (CEV) Choose another translation

Don't forget that you are Gentiles. In fact, you used to be called "uncircumcised" by those who take pride in being circumcised. At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises that God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God, and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God. Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peace between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body. Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God. And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.

(Today's reading came from the Contemporary English Version)

Discover: Day 9

Weekly Memory Verse:

This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
1 John 4:10 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

Am I running from something?  Do I realize that God wants me to go with Him?

 

Today's Reading - Genesis 28:10-16 (NLT) Choose another translation

Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, "I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions-- to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!"

(Today's reading came from the New Living Translation)

Discover: Day 8

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

God prepares people to do His work.  Am I letting Him prepare me?

 

Today's Reading - Exodus 2:1-10 (NASB) Choose another translation

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children." Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?" Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go ahead." So the girl went and called the child's mother. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

(Today's reading came from the New American Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 7

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

What Scripture passage most recently did a God-work in me?  What change did it make?

 

Today's Reading - Nehemiah 8:1-12 (HCSB) Choose another translation

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the LORD had given Israel. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, " Amen, Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places. They read the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.

Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, "This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, "Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because your strength comes from rejoicing in the LORD." And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve." Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them.

(Today's reading came from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 6

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

In what ways has God already shown that He can do His work through me?

 

Today's Reading - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (GW) Choose another translation

Brothers and sisters, I don't want there to be any misunderstanding concerning spiritual gifts. You know that when you were unbelievers, every time you were led to worship false gods you were worshiping gods who couldn't even speak. So I want you to know that no one speaking by God's Spirit says, "Jesus is cursed." No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.

The evidence of the Spirit's presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone. The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom. The same Spirit gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge. To another person the same Spirit gives courageous faith. To another person the same Spirit gives the ability to heal. Another can work miracles. Another can speak what God has revealed. Another can tell the difference between spirits. Another can speak in different kinds of languages. Another can interpret languages. There is only one Spirit who does all these things by giving what God wants to give to each person.

(Today's reading came from the God's Word to the Nations Bible)

Discover: Day 5

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

God's greatest work for people is forgiveness.  Have I asked Him to forgive me today?

 

Today's Reading - Jonah 3 (NASB) Choose another translation

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you." So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD.

Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.

When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."

When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

(Today's reading came from the New American Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 4

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

When have I been doing exactly the opposite of what God wanted me to do?  How did He get my attention?

 

Today's Reading - Acts 9:1-15 (HCSB) Choose another translation

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

"Who are You, Lord?" he said.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," He replied. "But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one. Then Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. He was unable to see for three days, and did not eat or drink.

Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!"

"Here I am, Lord!" he said.

"Get up and go to the street called Straight," the Lord said to him, "to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he may regain his sight."

"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name."

But the Lord said to him, "Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel."

(Today's reading came from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Discover: Day 3

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

In what areas is my life reflecting God's work?  In what areas is it not?

 

Today's Reading - Genesis 1 (NCV) Choose another translation

In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God's Spirit was moving over the water.

Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, so he divided the light from the darkness. God named the light "day" and the darkness "night." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.

Then God said, "Let there be something to divide the water in two." So God made the air and placed some of the water above the air and some below it. God named the air "sky." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the second day.

Then God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered together so the dry land will appear." And it happened. God named the dry land "earth" and the water that was gathered together "seas." God saw that this was good.

Then God said, "Let the earth produce plants—some to make grain for seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant." And it happened. The earth produced plants with grain for seeds and trees that made fruits with seeds in them. Each seed grew its own kind of plant. God saw that all this was good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the third day.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days, and years. They will be in the sky to give light to the earth." And it happened. So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day and made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day.

Then God said, "Let the water be filled with living things, and let birds fly in the air above the earth." So God created the large sea animals and every living thing that moves in the sea. The sea is filled with these living things, with each one producing more of its own kind. He also made every bird that flies, and each bird produced more of its own kind. God saw that this was good. God blessed them and said, "Have many young ones so that you may grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds grow in number on the earth." Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fifth day.

Then God said, "Let the earth be filled with animals, each producing more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals, and let each produce more of its kind." And it happened. So God made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that this was good.

Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the tame animals, over all the earth, and over all the small crawling animals on the earth."

So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said, "Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

God said, "Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal." And it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the sixth day.

(Today's reading came from the New Century Version)

Discover: Day 2

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

Am I aware of how God is working around me?

 

Today's Reading - John 5:1-17 (NLT) Choose another translation

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days.

Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people-- blind, lame, or paralyzed-- lay on the porches.  One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, "Would you like to get well?" "I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me." Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!"

Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, "You can't work on the Sabbath! The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat!" But he replied, "The man who healed me told me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" "Who said such a thing as that?" they demanded. The man didn't know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I."

(Today's reading came from the New Living Translation)

Discover: Day 1

Weekly Memory Verse:

Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17 (NLT)

 

Meditation Thought:

Jesus prayed this for me just hours before He died for me.

 

Today's Reading - John 17 (NET) Choose another translation

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward to heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you– just as you have given him authority over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. Now this is eternal life– that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory I had with you before the world was created.

"I have revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word. Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you, because I have given them the words you have given me. They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I am praying on behalf of them. I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, and I have been glorified by them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that you have given me. Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.

"I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one– I in them and you in me– that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me. I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them."

(Today's reading came from the NET Bible)