Chronological Bible Reading Plan

     Welcome to River of Life, First Baptist Lake Monroe and Ridge Crest Bible Church’s Chronological Bible Reading Plan.  Over the next several years, the members of these sister churches will be reading through their Bibles together in a chronological way, following the events of the Bible in the order in which they occurred rather than in the order in which they were recorded.  In addition the pastor and adult Bible study teachers will be teaching from the same passages we read each week.  At times, additional passages from the Psalms will be provided along with the chronological reading portion.

     I hope that you will prayerfully consider making a commitment to reading through the Bible with us.  As you approach each days’ passage and questions let me encourage you to: 

Pray – Pray before you read.  Ask God to make the scripture real to you and show you how it applies to your life.

Read – Read the scripture passage(s).

Ask – Ask yourself, “in what I just read is there a lesson to learn, a truth to embrace, an example to follow, a sin to avoid, a mistake to dodge, a change to make or a promise to claim?”

Meditate – Think about what you have read.  We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only (James 1:22).

Remember God’s promise and condition in Jeremiah 29:13

 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

If you miss a lesson and would like it emailed to you,

 send me an email at rolwebperson@yahoo.com

Want a link to read the Scriptures?

http://www.biblegateway.com/



Saturday, June 17 - Read for today: Psalms 54

Sunday, June 18 - Read for today: Psalms 55

Please enjoy these "best of" we will be adding new devotions again in a couple weeks.

Monday, June 19 - Read for today: Proverbs 20

Living differently than others

     Verse 7 says, “The one who lives with integrity is righteous; his children who come after him will be happy,” but what is integrity?

     The word integrity means, “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.”  It also means, “the state of being whole and undivided.”  That is true integrity, the state of being whole and undivided; to always want the best thing, to do the right thing, to always seek to be honest, and to always seek to please the Lord without compromise and without excuse.

     “An aging king woke up one day to the realization that should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male could succeed to the throne - and he was aging. He decided that if he could not give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place but he insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter what their background. Ten boys made it to the very top.

     There was little to separate these boys in terms of intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them, 'I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne.'

     Then he said, 'This kingdom depends solely on agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed of corn for each of you. Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent.' The boys took their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next king.

     In one home, the boy and his parents were almost heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive.

     Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that. 'After all,' they said, 'how can anyone tell one seed of corn from another?' But his parents who had always taught him the value of integrity reminded him that if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he would have asked them to go for their own seed. 'If you take anything different from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty.'

     'Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it be, but don't be found to have deceived the king,' they told him. The d-day came and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager boys and asked each of them, 'Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?’ And each boy responded, 'Yes, your majesty.' And the king would nod and move down the line.

     The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up. The boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown into prison for wasting his seed. 'What did you do with the seed I gave you?' the king asked. 'I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but alas it failed to sprout.' the boy said tearfully as the crowd booed him.

     But the king raised his hands and signaled for silence. Then he said, 'My people behold your next king.' The people were confused. 'Why that one?' many asked. 'How can he be the right choice?' The king took his place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, 'I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test.'

     If a king must have one quality, it must be that he should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout.' Never!!

     We live in a society that has become obsessed with success and many show success at any cost. We say the end justifies the means. It is the tragedy of life. You see, failure often is an invitation to God to show that he is all powerful and does not need help to make us great or to bless us.” (by George Whitten)

Questions for thought:

  1. Are you a person of integrity?  Would others agree?

  2. How do you measure integrity?  How does the Lord?

For further study:

  1. Read 2 Corinthians 1:12, Can you make a similar boast?

  2. Read Proverbs 19:1 What does the Lord think of a person of integrity?

Tuesday, June 20 - Read for today: Proverbs 22

Child rearing

     I went to a number of youth camps and retreats, and heard a lot of sermons.  A few still stick out in mind.  But of all the messages I heard, I only remember one where the preacher preached on a comma.  Yep, you heard me right, the message that night of youth camp was on a comma, specifically the comma in this verse.

     Train up a child in the way he should go(,) and when he is old he will not depart from it.  The preacher told us that many of us were in the “comma” stage.  Your parents’ responsibility, he said, was to point you in the right direction.  They were to train you and discipline you to go in the right direction.  They should have taught you principles from God’s Word, and brought you to church where you could learn.  When you made mistakes, they were to correct you and help you learn the right way.  For the first twelve to fifteen years of your life, you were in the “Train up a child” stage.  Eventually, the preacher told us, you will be out on your own, with a family of your own.  For most people, if their parents train them correctly, they will live their lives loving God and serving Him.  When they are old, they will not depart from the ways their parents directed them.  And they will teach their children in the same ways their parents taught them. But for many, the teen and young adult years can be the comma, the stage between being trained by parents, and living out God’s plan as an adult.  The comma stage is a period of time when young people try to figure things out on their own, and wrestle with the beliefs their parents have passed down.  During this time, people can strive for independence and will gradually break the cords of care given by their parents.  The comma stage can be difficult as young people and parents often don’t see eye to eye.

     The comma stage is part of growing up.  It’s important for young adults to develop a faith that they own, and have experience for themselves.  It is important for young adults to learn how to make right choices on their own, not fearing parental discipline as the primary consequence.  Teenagers must come to a point where they transition from parental control to self-control. But the comma stage is also full of dangers.  If you are a young person, realize that attempting to pull away parents can lead to situations where you have the potential to make terrible choices that will have life-long consequences.  In an attempt to find out on their own, young people can get addicted to drugs, get involved with a bad group of friends, or fail morally.  They can also reject the faith of their parents, and serve other gods.  Some people never leave the comma stage, they never come to the point where they serve God on their own, and live a self-controlled life.  If this is your stage of life, you do need to forge through these years moving toward adulthood by making your own decisions and making sure you own your own faith.  Be careful, though, that you don’t make some horrible decisions that leave life-long scars in an attempt to pull away from mom and dad.

     Are you in the comma stage?  Do a couple of things.  First, be thankful for your parents, especially if they have trained you in the way you should go.  Second, if you have been struggling with your parents, examine your life and determine if you are working so hard to break the cords of parental control that you are disobeying God in the process.

     If you are a parent, the principle of the verse rings true.  Train your kids in the way they should go, and generally they will live their adult lives with the faith that was passed on to them.  This is why discipline matters, and family devotions are so important.  Proverbs are principles, not promises.  Great parents can have kids who struggle with faith and in making decisions.  If this is your story, hang in there and keep praying for your kids.  It may be that they are living the comma right now, and one day they will come back to the second half of this verse, “when they are old…”  (Devotional by Mike Hubbard)

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you considered this a promise or a proverb?  What is the difference?

  2. Where are you in the process?  Are you the parent or a child in process?

  3. What is a parent to do whose child still hasn’t returned?

For further study:

  1. Read Proverbs 13:24 & Proverbs 22:15.  What do these verses say about child rearing?

Wednesday, June 21 - Read for today: Proverbs 24

Where to turn when you’re down

     “HELP, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”  If you’re as old as me you’ll remember this line from a late 1980’s TV commercial.  The advertisement was for a medical alarm which worked in the following manner.  The subscriber, would receive a pendant which, when activated, would allow the user to call out (verbally with their voice) to an audio receiving device and talk directly with a dispatch service, without the need to reach a telephone. The service was designed to appeal particularly to seniors who lived alone and who might experience a medical emergency.

Today’s Scripture is a great promise for the child of God.  Proverbs 24:16 says, “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up…”  And not with the help of a medical alarm device.  No, with something far greater…the Help of the Lord!

     When studying Scripture, it’s helpful to look at a word in its setting to clarify and gain deeper insight into the writer’s intent.  One of the definitions for the word ‘“fall” in this verse’s context translates to our English word “cast down”.  It implies an emotional state.  Though “cast down” isn’t part of our present day vernacular, another verse in the Bible reveals to us another person having a conversation with himself and asking, “Why are you cast down oh my soul and why are you in turmoil within me?”  (Psalm 42:5,11 & 43:5) As the writer mused on this question, the Lord allows us to eavesdrop on his “self-talk”.  What a great response he gave to himself:  “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him.”  (Psalm 42:5)  David was able to provide such a wonderful answer to his own dilemma only because years earlier he had learned the fine art of “encouraging himself in the Lord”.  (1 Samuel 30:6)

     While God used the writers of the Bible in a wonderful way, don’t ever forget they were people who were just like us.  Ask God to teach you how to “encourage yourself in the Lord” by focusing on Him rather than your circumstances.  He alone can pick us up after we’ve fallen and plant our feet on Him – “our Rock and Refuge.” (Psalm 94:22)

Questions for thought:

  1. How do you pick yourself up, when you get down?

  2. What would cause a person to keep going even though he’s fallen a number of times?

  3. How can you help pick others up when they get discouraged?

For further study:

  1. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 How does this passage apply here?



Thursday, June 22 - Read for today: 1 Kings 5

The point around which life is built

     If you were to study this passage with the help of commentaries or other resources, you might find that folks have a number of complaints about the way Solomon is conducting business in this chapter.  Some complain that he used “forced labor”.  Others complain that he worked with King Hiram in the construction of the Lord’s temple.  They overlook, or miss, one very important verse in this passage.  Verse 12 says, “The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him.” 

     The word fulcrum has two interestingly related meanings. Most basically, a fulcrum is a point on which a lever pivots. In anatomical references, however, the fulcrum is the connective tissue supporting the eye. Without a proper fulcrum, things either go out of balance, or one cannot see.
     Without properly understanding the fulcrum in today's passage, we would be left with an imbalanced reading and an inability to see the theological point. Placed in the center of the chapter, verse 12 reads: “The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him.” Everything else balances around that verse. (Today in the Word - Moody Bible Institute, 1 Kings 5)

     The Lord is the One Who directed Solomon to work the way he did, and with the people he did.  It was the Lord giving Solomon the necessary wisdom to construct the Temple with the very best resources and the very best people available.  Who are they to question Solomon’s decisions when the Bible clearly states that the Lord gave him wisdom?

     It is very clear from this passage that Solomon had the Lord and His will in mind through the whole construction process. 

  1. First, in verses 4-5 he acknowledged that the only reason this construction was possible was because the Lord had given them peace.  He wasn’t claiming credit for that.  He pointed to the Lord.

  2. Second, Solomon’s idea and plans for the temple were based on the promise of God.  In 2 Samuel 13, the Lord told David that his son would build the temple one day.  Solomon wasn’t dreaming up his own ideas, and coming up with his own plans.  He was fulfilling a promise the Lord had made to his dad.

  3. Third, Solomon's project was directed by the purposes of God. Notice who was enlisted to help with the construction of the Temple: the king of Tyre (v. 10), Sidonian loggers (v. 6), and Gebalite craftsmen (v. 18). In other words, Gentiles were an integral part of the building of God's house, foreshadowing the words of Jesus: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17; cf. Isa. 56:7). Though starting with Israel, God's kingdom would eventually include non-Jews as well.

     Solomon was guided by the wisdom given to him by God.  He gave God all the credit and included the craftsmen the Lord directed him to.  In spite of this, people are going to question, many centuries after the fact, the way Solomon worked!

     Look, when the Lord tells you to do something, you do it.  You do it the way He tells you to.  You do it when He tells you to, and you do it with the people He tells you to; then let the chips fall where they will and the naysayers be hanged.  You are working for an audience of One.  He is the point around Whom life is built.

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you ever been led to do something while some questioned what you did?  Whom did you listen to?  How did that turn out?

  2. President Truman once said, “How far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?”  What do you think will happen to Christianity and the church if we become more concerned about what people say than we are about what the Lord says?

For further study:

  1. Read Matthew 5:10-12.  Have you experienced this?  What does Jesus say about it?

Friday, June 23 - Read for today: 2 Chronicles 3

A sure foundation

     Verse 15 & 17 says, “In front of the temple he made two pillars, each 27 feet[w][x] high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high. Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.”

     The names of these 27 foot columns are significant.  These bronze twins, the two huge bronze (or copper) pillars at the doorway of the Temple, The six foot thick, twenty-seven foot tall pillars represent “Jakin” and “Boaz” – that is, Security and Stability. These are wonderful attributes whether we’re talking about the life of an individual or that of a nation. Every time the people of Israel of that era enter the Temple they’re reminded of the Source of their Security and Stability. We may not have a couple of large shining pillars at the entrance to our churches, but we certainly need to be reminded of the truth they symbolize. If I want to live a spiritually secure and stable life I must be firmly grounded in the Lord. The same benefit is available to a nation that allows the Lord to shape its character.

Questions for thought:

  1. On what do you build your life?

  2. How would one go about building a life on a foundation of Jesus Christ?

For further study:

  1. Read Matthew 7:24-27.  What did Jesus mean by this?



Saturday, June 24 - Read for today: Psalms 56

Sunday, June 25 - Read for today: Psalms 57