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/

Monday, November 23 - Read for today: Psalm 47

The right attitude

Notice the heading for this psalm.  We are told it is a psalm from the sons of Korah.

     “The three sons of Levi were Gershon, Merari, and Kohath. The Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use. The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use. They were under the direct supervision of Eleazar, son of Aaron.

     Unlike the Gershonites and the Merarites, who were allowed to transport the items under their care on carts, the Kohathites had to carry their items, the holy things of the tabernacle, on their shoulders. They had the arduous burden of transporting these items from place to place as the camp moved, but they were not allowed to actually touch the items or they would die. The priests had to wrap the sacred objects in special coverings before they were transported (Numbers 4:15). Many of the Kohathites began to disdain this task and to covet the role of the priests.

     Korah was the grandson of Kohath, and he began to run with another group of Reubenite malcontents, namely, Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth. In pride, they roused a group of 250 men together to challenge the right of Moses and Aaron to the priesthood (Numbers 16). Moses summoned the rebellious men to stand before God and burn incense. God warned Moses to let the assembly know to get away from Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, their households, and the other rebels. Then a remarkable and terrifying event happened.” (http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-Korah.html#ixzz3e2HgJ27J).

     In Numbers 16:28-35 we read, “Then Moses said, ‘This is how you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these things and that it was not of my own will: If these men die naturally as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord.” Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people, and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.  At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled because they thought, “The earth may swallow us too!” Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense.

     Now, Korah and his followers were destroyed, but evidently his sons were either too wise or too young to join in the mistake/rebellion of their father, so they were spared.  An interesting thing happened to this rebel’s sons.  During the reign of David they became mighty men, they joined him in his battles, and a group of them were appointed as singers and music leaders in the tabernacle.  The men whose father rebelled against the Lord, and whose father was destroyed in an amazing way, by the Lord, wrote this psalm!  Did you notice what they wrote in verse 8?  They, the survivors of their father’s rebellion wrote, “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.”  In spite of all that had happened to their father still believed that the Lord was on His throne and that He was still in control.

     What an appropriate reminder for us, in days like these.  These are times when almost daily we are told that Isis has devised new ways to execute people they don’t like (including Christians).  We see our politicians lying with seemingly no consequences.  We see the divide between the races increasing and nations (including our’s) suffering economically and printing money at amazing rates.  In these days we need to be reminded that God is still seated in His throne and He still rules over the nations!  Our God is in control and working behind the scenes to accomplish His plans.

Questions for thought:

  1. Do you sometimes feel that things are out of control?

  2. During the difficult times, do you continue to trust that the Lord is working behind the scenes?

3. What can you do to encourage others with that fact?

For further study:

  1. Read Romans 8:28.  What does Paul encourage us with in this verse?

Tuesday, November 24 - Read for today: Psalm 68

Why Stressed?

     Stress gets to all of us. The best example of the stresses and whatnot in our lives seems to be the Super-Bowl. Imagine you are that one man whom the entire opposing side is waiting to tackle, and tackle hard.  Things tend to come at us from all directions, each one requiring all our thought and ability to try and avoid which makes it difficult for us to see a path through.

       Stress is everywhere.  We stress about our finances, we stress over our jobs or potential jobs, we stress over unaccomplished tasks on our to-do lists, we even stress over the little things like our internet connection and speeds.  There are all sorts of things that weigh our thoughts down, burdening us down and making us struggle for each task. When you think about all of those items which you absolutely need to take care of it can make you just drop down in shock!

     The thing about stress is that we never react as well to it as we would like. It affects our emotions, our physical health, our pride, our self-possession, and even our self-image. Stress attacks our body, mind, and even our soul! Of all the detrimental things that stress does in our lives, the worst is how it affects our relationship to God.

      Stress drives a wedge into our walk with God, first by eating our time that we spend with Him. It takes more of our thought and concentration to deal with stress and we suddenly have less time to spend in prayer and study. Secondly it throws doubt into our minds. “Does God really have everything under control? I don't see anything getting better”. Finally stress tends to drive us to more self-concentration and preservation. We just have to take care of this one issue. We take control back into our own hands and away from God who can see the big picture. Once we have that control back it is even more difficult to give it back to God again.

     Stress is dangerous, very dangerous. Though I could go on into detail on how stress and pride seem to go hand in hand, I would rather focus on God's answer. In verse 19 we read, ““Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” God tells us to give Him all our burdens, all our worries, all our cares. He asks us to hand over each stressor as it comes. He asks us to lay our problems and our issues in His hands. He wants us to treat Him as Father, with us as children.

       We all remember what it was like when we were children, how our parents could fix anything. If we had a scraped knee mom would kiss it and dad would put a bandage on it and it would be “all better”. If we had trouble with our homework, our parents would patiently help us with it. We never really had to plan anything while the hardest thing we had to do was try and keep our room clean.  God asks us to take that same attitude with Him. Let Him deal with everything. He is more than capable, and more than prepared to deal with anything that can stress us. And though sometimes it seems that He is taking His time or not dealing with it, when we look back we can always see His guiding hands working through the problem, and often differently than we would expect Him to.

Questions for thought:

  1. Are you stressed?  Why?  What’s coming your way that’s so big or difficult that God can’t handle it, or so surprising that the Lord didn’t see it coming?

For further study:

  1. Read Jeremiah 32:27.  What response do you think the Lord expects from this rhetorical question?

Wednesday, November 25 - Read for today: Psalm 89

Things to come

     Things are changing in our country.  Things are changing for believers.  It appears that many of us in this country may soon begin suffering for our faith and beliefs like many of our brothers and sisters around the world are already suffering.

     I see days of persecution and hardship ahead for those who stand for their faith, which we must do.  We, however, are not the first to experience such things.

     David has experienced it.  Others have as well. Among other things, David responded with prayer. In verses 50 - 51 we read, “Remember, Lord, the ridicule against Your servants—in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples—how Your enemies have ridiculed, Lord, how they have ridiculed every step of Your anointed.”

     David knew persecution and hardship, but knew that the Lord would not forget those who brought pain into their lives.

Questions for thought:

  1. What do you see on the horizon?  What do you see coming?

  2. How does the fact that the Lord will remember those who will persecute you, impact you?

For further study:

  1. Read 2 Timothy 3:1-8

 

Thursday, November 26 – Read for today: Psalms 96

Exalting Our God

     We live in a world where people worship their heroes in sports and on the screen.  Much time is spent by fans bringing glory to their favorite peoples.  The crowds rush in, autographs are signed and songs are written about these celebrities and everyone seems content. However when God is exalted some seem uncomfortable and want to move on to something else. We as believers need to be the ones to reflect to the world the glory of our God and be unashamed to do so.  A Christian may be called a fanatic for this behavior but this is simply normal for believers who love the Lord. God's children will direct praise to God before the world unashamed and boldly.  Verse 10 tells us to “Say among the nations, the LORD reigns” which is an open honor to our God before the world.  What kind of testimony do we have?  Do we lift our Lord in our conversations or practices?  Does our language glorify God along with all our choices? God is watching to see how we treat Him in our world today. Verse 11 and 12 speak of how creation points to our God the creator. The sea, the field and the trees are testimonies of His majesty!

      Verse 13 tells us that He is also coming to be a judge. He will judge in righteousness because He is a fair God but how will we stand?  We are eternally His children, but is our relationship with Him warm or cold.  When we become distant to our God it because we moved Not Him. We then become cold and little if any praise comes from us.  Satan delights in this behavior and we then have no witness to the lost around us.  Self-evaluation is a must for us and our quality of praise reflects clearly our relationship to our Lord!  An offering of praise to God coming from the heart is well pleasing to God and will not be refused.  How do we lift up our Lord?  Do we lift Him up to others in all circumstances or only when we have good days?  If we truly love the Lord there will be a consistency in our daily lives like a continuous song for the world to hear and know about our Savior!

Thoughts to consider:

II Chronicles 30:1 -How can you encourage others to worship our God allowing space for God to work in hearts rather than our pushing them?

Isaiah 2:3 “How do we depend upon God for direction and growth in our lives?

For further study:

Deuteronomy 26:10-How important is it to keep God first in our lives? What are some first fruits we can bring to Him?

Matthew 4:10- How can we combat Satan today as Jesus did in this passage?



Friday, November 27 - Read for today: Psalm 100

Why thank Him?

     This psalm gives us two very fundamental truths about the Lord.  What are those two enriching truths? #1, He is God (verse 3) and #2, He is good (verse 5)!  Anything less than that divine combination falls short.  As the people of God, we have great comfort, peace and hope because He is both God and good.

      Think about it.  If God was something less than the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God of the Bible—He would not have the ultimate power and authority to impose his goodness. He would be less than almighty God and then subject to external powers. And then, if God was God but He wasn’t good—we would all be deservedly doomed for eternity to a Christ-less hell.

     But the amazing thing is that He is both almighty God and He is inherently good.

     If God is God, and He is; and He is good (even when we do not understand nor enjoy everything that’s happening), and He is, then what should our response be to this good God?

     This psalm tells us that as well.

  1. We shout unto the Lord (worship) - v 1. 

  2. We joyfully and whole-heartedly serve Him - v2.

  3. We acknowledge that He is (recognize and act as though) He is God.  He is in charge.  He is the Shepherd and we are the sheep.

  4. We worship and thank Him - v4.

     If you know God, and Lord the Lord, you cannot stand by and do nothing.  That knowledge and relationship will move you.

Questions for thought:

  1. Do you act and obey Him as though you recognize His Lordship over you?

  2. How is your worship and gratitude?  Do you often thank Him?

For further study:

  1. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18.



Monday, November 30 - Read for today: Psalm 101

One day

     In this Psalm, David makes a commitment to live differently than the world.  He wants to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.  He wants to “be, all he can be”, and having a thriving, growing relationship with the Lord.  So He says in verse 2, “I will pay attention to the way of integrity.”  In verse 3, “I will not set anything worthless before my eyes”, and in verse 4, “a devious heart will be far from me.”

     We live in a day and time when much of the rest of the things David says he will not be party to, or will not have in his presence in the rest of the psalm, are going on all around us.  We do not have the authority or power that he had.  We cannot cut off the wicked from the land, but we can do our part to be salt and light in a dark and degrading world.  We may not be able to impact everything “out there”, but we can do an awful lot, “in here”, and that is where the real change takes place.

     You want to have a different society?  You want to impact your world for Christ and have the power of God, and the impact of the Spirit, and the direction of the Lord on you?  Do your part.  Start by refusing to worthless things before your face (how much of what you read and watch on TV would be pleasing to the Lord or is helping you grow in your relationship with Him?)  Is that stuff drawing you closer to Him, or dragging you away?

     You can decide that you will not have a devious heart and that you will not allow evil to cling to you.  You cannot do everything, so begin with what you can impact.  You cannot change your spouse, or your children, or your co-workers, or your neighbors, or your politicians; but you can change your heart, your attitude, and your perception.  Garbage in.  Garbage out.

      One day, we will impact the world the way the Lord has called us to.

Questions for thought:

  1. Are the things you put before you, helping you in your walk with the Lord?

  2. Do you slander other folks, or try to build them up?

For further study:

  1. Read 1 Peter 3:1-9



Tuesday, December 1 - Read for today: Psalm 105

Remembering

     We have just celebrated Thanksgiving.  I enjoy holidays like this, because they allow/cause us to reflect, to remember what the Lord has done and how we have gotten this far.

     That is what we find in this passage.  It is a song of remembrance.  It is a song to remind the people of God’s faithfulness and to remind them how they got to the place they are.  The Lord blessed them.  He protected them, and gave them places that others worked for.

     One might say the same of our country.  We have worked and we have built, but the Lord has protected us and He has blessed us.

     We remember that great prayer, transformed into a song.

God Bless America,  Land that I love.

 Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. 

From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam 

God bless America, My home sweet home.

     Notice, however, why it says this passage was written and why God did what He did.  In verse 45 we read, All this happened so that they might keep His statutes and obey His instructions. Hallelujah!

     God blesses, but His blessings come with strings.  He expects obedience.  Let’s pray that our nation and neighbors will remember that and that the Lord will graciously send revival once again.

  Please God, Bless America!

Questions for thought:

  1. Do the Lord’s blessings drive or encourage you to obey?

For further study:

  1. Read John 14:15, 23.



Wednesday, December 2 - Read for today: Psalm 132

Do you have that passion?

     Years before Solomon built his magnificent temple, David longed to create a place for God to live. He was so passionate about this that he said:

     “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

     Although it was Solomon who built the temple and not David, David will always be remembered for his passion and earnestness for God and God’s presence.

     How sad it is that for many folks, a relationship with the Lord is an add-on.  It is a second thought of little importance.  It is something they pursue when they have time, after the family is taken care of and the work is done when there is nothing on TV.

     That is not the way to find the Lord nor to have a relationship with Him.  I recently had a gentleman ask me, “How do you find God?  How do you have a relationship with him?”  The Bible has the answer for us.

      In Jeremiah 29:13 we find the Lord saying, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”It must be a passion for you.

Questions for thought:

  1. How important is the Lord to you?  How important is your relationship with him?

  2. How do you measure that?

For further study:

  1. Read Revelation 3:14-22



Thursday, December 3- Read for today: II Samuel 7

What’s in a Gift?

     The true heart of love and respect can be measured by the desires of the heart. David was contemplating his God as to who he is and all that He had done for him and the desire of his heart was to do something for Him.  In a practical sense when we consider this, what can we do for God that has everything?  It’s true that He does own all but the will of our heart to worship Him is something we can give Him as His children.

     David had his times of terrible sins but he was a “man after God’s own heart” after all.  He could not remain on and on in a sinful state.  The broken relationship due to these sins were too heavy on His heart so repentance and confession were the answers.  This relationship continued and David wanted to build upon it. He wanted to build a house for God instead of Him living in the tabernacle tent. David felt bad about living in a house of cedars while God’s house was in tents which were moved around. God told David through the prophet Nathan that He had not asked for a house but of course He loved the offer and He would respond. The response was that God would build David a house which was an establishment of David’s which was a dynasty of long duration.  Can we out give God? No, we never can, but He delights in all our desires to give back to Him.  When my children were young, and I would be busy in my study, I would get interruptions with small gifts from my children. They would bring me something they had made with their own hands of little earthly value but of great worth to me because the gift was from the heart of love and a beautiful form of their expression.  Our heavenly Father today desires these kinds of gifts from His children.

      It’s true that God has everything, but does He have our whole heart? What is our heart saying to us today about gifts to our God?  The true child of God will be looking for ways to give to Him. The true child will not be content to just accept gifts from God with no thought of returning a gift. So, let us search our hearts for what our relationship with God really is. Do we consider often His gift to us of His Son for our salvation?  Do we appreciate His promises toward us in many ways? If so, then our hearts must respond as David’s heart did to give back in some way.  David could in no way build an earthly house worthy of God in itself, but he could give a heart gift worthy of God’s acceptance that He would receive in love and appreciation. David did this and what did God do?  He gave David a house of a lasting family heritage and an everlasting throne of his kingdom. God said it well when we said in verse 14 “I will be his father and he shall be my son”. He would love him as a son and discipline him as needed but His mercy would always be there for him. That was a wonderful gift for David and today as God’s children. He loves us in the same way! What’s in a gift? How do we give to God from ourselves? This is a question that each of us as God’s children must answer as we serve our Lord each day.

Thoughts to consider:

Psalms 9:11-Consider how you can proclaim to the world how important God is to you.

Hebrews 13:15 –What do you consider “a sacrifice of praise” that we can offer unto our God?

For further study:

Deuteronomy 8:10-Count your blessings and then consider God’s goodness to you and give Him praise. How do you think this can be done? Who in the Bible showed this kind of appreciation?

I Corinthians 13-Read this chapter carefully and consider our love relationship with God. How can a person serve God out of duty and not love?  Consider how God views our gifts. 



Friday, December 4 - Read for today: 1 Chronicles 17

The Blessing of Checking

     David wanted to build a temple for the Lord.  One would think that would be a good thing and that it’d be Ok to do that; however, David checked.

     Once before David planned on doing something one would think was a good idea (moving the Ark to the capital), and it didn’t work out very well.  David learned his lesson, so this time he checked.

     The Lord told him not to do it.  He was pleased with David’s heart and David’s intention, but told him that he would not be the one do build the temple.  His son would be.

     Because of David’s heart and his desire, And, because he took the time to check with the Lord, the Lord promised to bless him even more than He already had.  He promised to bless him with even more than becoming king.

     How often do we assume, just because we believe something is good, that it is the Lord’s will or that the Lord will be pleased with it?  How often do we run a Vacation Bible School, or a Bible Club, or have a lock in, just because our intention is good and we think it will be a good idea?  What a difference the Lord’s blessing makes.

Questions for thought:

  1. What is the threshold you use to determine if a certain decision has reached the level you feel is necessary to check with the Lord on a matter?

  2. Is there any decision too small to involve the Lord in?

For further study:

  1. Read Proverbs 3:6.  What does this mean?  How does one do this?