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, April 5 - Read for today: Psalm 115

Seeing the End

       I have passed the 1/2 century mark (a while back, but we’ll not dwell on that).  That means several things.  It means I have more things that hurt than I used to.  It means I don’t sleep as well as I used to and often wake up tired even when I do sleep.  It means there are now things I can’t (or won’t) do that I once did.  It means I have seen days when I thought our country was in better shape and more respected around the world than it is today.  It means I am old enough to say, “when I was your age . . .”.  It also means I have seen a few things played out and have seen how some people’s decisions when they were young were played out when they were older.

     One of the advantages of being this age is that I have seen the end of some situations.  I have seen how some people have chosen things other than the “True God” to be their god and to live their lives for.  That doesn’t play out so well.  People who have made fame or pleasure or wealth or whatever their gods end up with very little of any real value.

     It will be interesting again this week, as we see people who do not believe in God, or at least those who live as though He doesn’t exist, celebrate Thanksgiving.  To whom are they thankful?

     Another thing I have seen - I have seen the Living and True God, answer prayers and work miraculously.  I have seen those who trust and follow Him, have peace in the midst of trials and difficulties, when such peace defies explanation.

     I have discovered, that there is One True God, and He alone is worthy of glory.

Questions for thought:

  1. In what, or whom, do you trust?  Verbally, that is an easy question to answer, but would your actions give credence to your answer?

  2. Verse 3 says, “But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatever He hath pleased”.  What does that mean?  How does that relate to use and to Jesus’ crucifixion?

  3. In what ways do you give glory to God and to His name?

For further study:

  1. Read John 11:40.  What does this verse say about God’s glory and about seeing it?

  2. Read Revelation 19:1.  What items, according to this verse, go hand in hand with God’s glory?

  3. Read Mark 13:26.  What shall we see ourselves one day?



Tuesday, April 6 – Read for today: Psalm 116

 But why did she have to die?

     One of the most often quoted verses from the Bible is found in Psalm 116.  It is verse 15 which reads, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints (KJV). What exactly does that mean, and how does it fit in this Psalm? It almost seems to be sandwiched right in the middle of the Psalm with no connections to the verses before and after it.

      Prior to this verse, the Psalmist is expressing his great love for the Lord. When he seemed to be surrounded by death, he called upon the name of the Lord and God saved him. What if God hadn't saved him? Would that have meant that God wasn't answering his prayer?

      We ask that question often, don't we? Why do babies die; why did that Christian who was so faithful to God and who had such a great and wonderful impact in teaching God's Word die of cancer? I really think that the Psalmist was pondering this, too, as he walked before the Lord in the land of the living.

      Honestly, I have struggled with that myself, and many others have as well.  Why did this person have to die so young?  Why did that person have to die now when she left such a void and those left behind are forced to struggle on without her?  Perhaps even, why do the good die young?

       Let me ask you though, “Isn’t the person who left really better off?  Who is better off, the one who left or the one who is left behind?”

     There is a song that I heard years ago, read at the funeral of a man who had been disabled and hurting for much of his life.  It was written by Don Moen and is called, “If You Could See Me Now”. 

Our prayers have been answered

I finally arrived

The healing that had been delayed

Is now realized

No one's in a hurry

There's no schedule to keep

We're all enjoying Jesus

Just sitting at His feet
If you could see me now

I'm walking streets of gold

If you could see me now

I'm standing tall and whole

If you could see me now

You'd know I've seen His face

If you could see me now

You'd know the pain's erased

You wouldn't want me

To ever leave this place

If only you could see me now

My light and temporary trials

Have worked out for my good

To know it brought Him glory

When I misunderstood
Though we've had our sorrows

They can never compare

To what Jesus has in store for us

No language can share

     Psalm 116 reminds us that death is not a curse to the Christian. Those left behind are certainly very grieved, but not that saint.  For them, life has just begun.

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you ever considered how much better off the folks who have passed on really are?

  2. Do you often consider the two different destinations awaiting those who die knowing the Lord and those who do not?

  3. Do you know, that you know, that you know, without a shadow of doubt; that if you were to die today that you would be in a better place?  How do you know?

  4. John said in 1 John 5:13, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”  You can KNOW.  You don’t have to guess, think or hope.  You can know.  Do you?

For further study:

  1. Read Romans 3:23.  Do you believe that?  How about Romans 6:23?

  2. Read Ephesians 2:8-9.  These are the verses that so changed Martin Luther’s (the German reformer and father of Protestants) life.  For the first time in his life he understood that salvation was a result of grace.  You don’t work for it.  You cannot earn it.  It is a gift of God.  You receive it, just as we were told in verses 12 & 13 of Psalm 116: “How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh.”

Wednesday, April 7 - Read for today: Psalm 117

But do you mean it?

     Several years ago I had a fellow pastor complain to me at an associational meeting, about those 7-11 songs we were singing.  I asked what he meant.  He answered, “You know.  7 words repeated 11 times.”

     I understand what he meant, but I wonder what he would do with a psalm like this?  It’s biblical.  It’s inspired by God, but it sure isn’t very long (You might read ahead some, because Psalm 119 is coming and it makes up for it).  I wonder what he would do with Psalm 136, which repeats the phrase “His love endures forever” in every verse (26 times)?

     I have had times, as an adult, when I have sung the chorus “Kumbaya my Lord” again and again and again.  Why?  Did I think that singing this song was some kind of magical chant that would cause the Lord to appear because of my repetition?  No!  It was because I was troubled.  I was concerned, fearful, and heart-broken, and so wanted the Lord to show up and show off because I knew I couldn’t handle the situation myself.  I wanted help and was praying that the Lord would “come by here”.

     Look you can sing the Hallelujah Chorus and if you don’t mean it, it won’t matter.  What matters if your heart not the length of the song or the number of words. Jesus Loves Me This I know, isn’t very long but carries a depth that few other songs can match.  The question is, “Do you mean what you are singing?  Is your heart, soul and spirit involved?”  If not, you are just spinning your wheels.  Don’t waste your time if you don’t mean it.

Questions for thought:

  1. Which part of this psalm do you like the most?

  2. Do you expect to live to see verse 1 fulfilled?  Gonna be neat, isn’t it?

For further study:

  1. What does the word “Hallelujah” mean?  Do people say it because they mean it, or because it’s a church word and expected?  How many people do you think even know what this word they singing means?

  2. Read John 4:23-24.  How many do you think actually follow this command?  Do you?



Thursday, April 8 - Read for today: I Kings 1

Mockery and a Spoiled Son

      Who is to blame in this story?  We have a spoiled son of David, Adonijah, who David let grow like a wild weed and never disciplined him in any way.  We also have Adonijah who made his own decision to crown himself king even though he knew it was not his place. Who is to blame here?  Both are to be blamed. Verse 17 tells us that Bathsheba reminded David of his promise to before God that Solomon would be the next king. Here we see a picture of what happens when we let things go.  It may appear on the surface that all is well but underneath things are crumbling. We pass a house on our way to church every Sunday that we noticed was neglected.  Little by little the paint peeled, the windows sagged along with the roof until one day the house caved in where it sits today.  How could this have been prevented?  Care along the way would have kept it up but all was lost because a decision to simply do nothing. David’s neglect for his son led to disastrous results and the final death of his son. David rushed to make things right when he told that Solomon was being bypassed to be the next king but how much better it would been to correct things in the foundations of raising his son. The lesson here is clear for us to discipline our children early lest we become unsettled in our old age and our children come to ruin. Notice also how many other people encouraged Adonijah and their lives were also greatly affected. These kind of problems always spread beyond one or two people.

     Another lesson is Adonijah’s own responsibility.  Regardless how one is brought up one must answer for their own actions.  He was used to having his own way and therefore pushed his will as far as he could go. He gathered key people around him, sacrifices were made and even a banquet was under way to celebrate his kingship. All seemed to be going his way until other key people saw the error and corruption of the plan. The apple cart was over turned. Solomon was announced as king by David himself and fear and confusion followed for Adonijah and his followers.  But, even after all this he tried to hatch a plan to seize the kingdom by marrying Abishag using his mother to work his plan. Solomon saw through his plot however and had him executed. Life always becomes a mockery when God is ignored and our way takes the stage. Let us all learn from this story for help in parenthood as well as personal responsibility in our lives.  

Thoughts to Consider:

Romans 8:7-Consider how one can be hostile toward God and caught up in the mindset of personal will above all.

Titus 1:15-Notice here how the whole person is corrupted by sin but can remain pure by correct decisions. One will cancel out the other.

For Further Study:

Ezekiel 8:12-Remember the blindness of the heart when man pushes for his own plans thinking that God does not see nor care. What examples in God’s Word can you remember that applies here?

Romans 1:21-Consider how the heart of man is darkened when God is not glorified and gratitude is not expressed for His blessings to us.

Friday, April 9 - Read for today: Psalm 118

Why’s it important?

     In a light-hearted way, someone once asked these questions, knowing that the last question would probably not be answered correctly:“What is the significance of Psalm 117?” (It is the shortest chapter of the English Bible.) “What is the significance of Psalm 119?” (It is the longest chapter of the English Bible.)“What is the significance of Psalm 118?” (It is the center chapter of the English Bible.)

     As proof, this person pointed out that there are 594 chapters before and 594 chapters after Psalm 118. That fact is not so difficult to verify. The next statement he made requires more time and effort to confirm.

     He said, “When you add 594 and 594, the sum is 1188. It just so ‘happens’ that Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the English Bible, the very center of the Bible.”Maybe he is accurate. Maybe it is far-fetched. Whether his claims are true or not, this Psalm is God’s Word and must be carefully read and applied.

     Regardless, there is an important truth in this verse, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”  As an introduction to that verse he wrote in verses 6-7, The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is my helper, Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

     Man will let you down.  Sometimes intentionally.  Sometimes because the situation is out of his hands, or out of his control.  Regardless, there are times people will let you down.  Also, there are things people cannot do.  There are things they cannot fix.  None of those things are true with the Lord.  There is nothing beyond His ability, His reach, His knowledge, or His strength.  There is nothing He does not know and nothing He cannot do.  Also, His ability to help does not end with this life in this world.  As we are reminded in verses 1 - 4, “His faithful love endures forever,” even into the life beyond this one.

     Why’s this verse important, because its statement is so significant and true.  It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men.

  Questions for thought:

1. What do you trust in?  2. How do you know?  How can you tell where you really place your trust?

  For further study:

  1. Read 1 John 4:4.  Do you believe this verse?

  2. Read Matthew 10:26-31.  How do these verses reinforce what verse 8 of this passage tells us?

Monday, April 12 - Read for today: 1 Kings 2

A Dying Dad’s Request

     David lived a long life, well, 70 plus years anyway.  He had seen fantastic victories.  He had led the armies of Israel against the Philistines numerous times with many victories.  He had singled-handedly (with the Lord’s help) defeated a lion, and a bear; he fought and defeated a giant of a man; all of this while he was just a young teen.

     He had served a king in his palace and later became king himself.  He knew the pleasure of having people sing his praises in songs.  He had faithful, powerful soldiers who followed him and carried out his every wish, even at the risk of their own lives.  He also knew the pain of having the Lord remove His blessings.  He knew the pain of seeing other, innocent people pay for his disobedience and mistakes.  He knew the pain of having more than one of his children painfully pay for his sins.  A man like this saw a lot during his life.  One might think it important to listen to his recommendation and lessons at the end of his life.  What did he have to say after all he had experienced?

     In verse 2 & 3 he says, “Be strong and be courageous like a man, 3 and keep your obligation to the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees.”  How different from the dying words of so many who died not knowing the Lord.

  - Voltaire, the famous infidel who spent most of his life fighting Christianity, “I am abandoned by God and man: I shall go to hell!”

  - Sir Thomas Scott: “Until this moment, I thought there was neither God nor hell; now I know and feel there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty!”

     It makes a difference how you live and how you die.

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you ever considered what your last words might be?  2. What council would you give someone when you go to leave?

For further study:

  1. Read Luke 23:34 & 46.  What were his last words?



Tuesday, April 13 - Read for today: Psalm 37

Getting what you want

     Verse 4 of this passage says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” Neat verse! When folks read this verse or hear it quoted, they immediately begin to think of all their desires and how thrilling it would be to have every dream fulfilled. But, there is much more to this verse than meets the eye.

     The word "delight" literally means to be soft or pliable, to SUBMIT. In other words, the Psalmist was indicating that as we submit to the Lord, He shall give us the desires of our heart—he will not only place those desires in our heart, but He will also fulfill them.

     Submission is something that is not fun to think about; it carries with it personal responsibilities to not only acknowledge the Word of God but to ACT on the Word of God. Submission is dying to our own desires and allowing God's desires to manifest themselves in our lives. But, submission is a fact of life for the Christian, not that we HAVE to, but that we WANT to in order to lead a life pleasing to our Father.

     Do you have strong desires deep in your heart? Chances are they have been planted there by the Lord and as you submit to His will more and more each day; you will begin to see these "dreams" manifested in you. If you have (or had) young children, remember how much you longed for them just to submit to your will when you gave them instructions or a task to accomplish. Then, remember how proud you were when they finally caught on and began to obey. Our Father longs for our obedience to His will much the same way, and He rejoices with us when our will becomes one with His.

     Bless the Lord, submit to His will and He WILL give you the desires of your heart—the very desires He planted to bring Him the glory He deserves. Blessing Him also blesses us, but even if it doesn't bring a blessing in return, our hearts must be determined to submit to His will regardless of the personal cost, just because He is who He is. 

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you found this verse to be true in your life?

  2. What would you consider “desires” in your life?

  3. How does one “take delight in the Lord?”

For further study:

  1. Read Matthew 6:33.  How does this verse compare to our verse for today?

Wednesday, April 14 – Read for today: Psalm 71

 Faith in Old Age

      David is one of the few men in the Bible whose life story is told from the time he was a young boy until the time when he died in his old age. As one would expect he had times of great honor and joy, but also times of untold grief. Again in this Psalm David prays for God's help in his old age when his enemies are all around him, but he continually sprinkles that prayer with praise to God.

      What a testimony his life is to believers and unbelievers alike. The theme of this Psalm appears in verses 17 and 18. God taught David who He was while David was yet a youth. His entire life, youth to old age, has been spent in praising God and crying out to God for deliverance. He did not become complacent in his old age and forget God. Oh, he had times of great sin, but in the end we find him praising God at the end of his life for God's righteousness and power and still seeking God for deliverance.

      Will it be easier to be a Christian when we reach old age? Troubles will be upon us until the end of our days here on earth, but if God is gracious to us we will be able to look back upon our lives and see His faithfulness to us even from the days of our youth. Remember, David is the one who said, I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging bread. 

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you found life easier as you have aged?

  2. Have you found temptations stop?

For further study:

  1. Read Isaiah 46:4; 40:31; & Psalm 37:25.  Have you found these to be true?

Thursday, April 15 - Read for today: Psalm 94

God the Avenger

     In verse 11 we read, “The Lord knows man’s thoughts; they are meaningless.”  We readily recognize that this statement is true because we are all too aware that even as believers we suffer futile thinking, particularly when we stray from His Word as the barometer for truth. How much more so then those who don't know Him or His truth? Obviously the futility of the thinking of the believer is overwhelming and inescapable.

     The Lord knows the thoughts of all men, whether they know Him or not. Since He knows everything this is not difficult for Him. He not only knows all our thoughts, He sees all our actions. After all as the Psalmist reminds us in earlier verses, if God makes the eye, then He sees everything. Since he implanted the ear, He hears everything. Not too difficult for us to understand, but a little convicting to consider.

     Psalm 94 is mostly about God being the avenger. The writer is noting the unthinkable cruelty that is being done to the widow, the orphan and the alien. He is disturbed at the actions of senseless leaders who are callous and uncaring about the effects of their indifference to suffering.  Doesn’t that sound a lot like today?

     The futility that is being illustrated goes beyond the foolish saying there is no God. Not only does He not exist, but He doesn't care and can't see or hear what is going on anyway. As the prophets of Baal once said, "maybe he is on vacation or taking a nap". Of course after God sent the consuming fire, their last thoughts were probably that "I guess He just got home or woke up." God does know, He does hear, He does see, He does care. He is fully conscious of what the unbelievers and believers are doing and thinking.

     Vengeance and grace are both His. He will repay and He will forgive. Whichever is right? In this we take comfort, but it should also inspire us to defend the defenseless and to be eyes, ears and voice for them. God has mandated this a number of times in His word. The Psalmist truly cares and cries out to God and so should we.

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you often asked God to intervene in a situation where you feel you’ve been treated unfairly?

  2. Do you ask Him to convert or judge the person?

For further study:

  1. Read Isaiah 34:7-9

  2. Read Romans 12:18-20.  How do these 2 passages differ?



Friday, April 16 – Read for today: Psalms 119:1-24

The Blessed Life

     What is the path for a blessed life before God?  First we must seek Him with our whole heart and secondly be obedient to His commandments.   Are we looking to the Lord today?  Are we driven to accomplish His will in our lives or do we approach His will out of duty of personal performance.  There is no greater joy than to know God’s will then do it. Our God has been so good to us it should give us great pleasure to work for Him regardless of the sacrifice. Verse 6 reminds us that we do not want to be ashamed before the Lord but present a life of service out of love for Him. If we want to really serve our God it must be with uprightness of heart and pure motives.  So we must examine ourselves to be sure we are qualified to serve Him. Verse 10 tells us we should pray that we will not wander from God’s commands.  Staying in the center of His will is the prosperous and productive place to be, which needs to be our goal. Verse 12 says “teach me your statutes” which helps us understand the training and instruction we need from our Lord in order to serve Him. To serve the Lord truly is the way to great riches.  What is more valuable than God’s work and our service to Him?  The wealthy person is very much involved in knowing God in all His glory knowing His will for us and then being involved in carrying it out.  Do we delight in these things?  Do practice remembering His Word and then being obedient to it? This is the way to a truly productive life.

     The desire of the psalmist here is to grow into a deeper and fuller relationship with God. He wanted all that God would give him and to live an abundant life as God’s child.  He wanted to know all that God expected of him by knowing all of His commandments.  He wanted to know all of God’s thoughts that He could so he could be pleasing to Him in every way.  He makes it clear that he is not concerned about what others in the world may think or do; his goal was to follow God’s will and leading so that he may know the greatest joy as God’s child. Is this your desire?  The choice is plain.  We live to please ourselves or we live to please our Lord and King.

Thoughts to consider:

  Galatians 5:24-Consider how we must die to self in order to live unto God. What passions and desires pull us the wrong direction?

  I Peter 2:24-What do you think it means to “live unto righteousness”?

For Further Study:

  Romans 6:6-If our old self is crucified with Christ then why do we struggle to live for God? Consider the flesh and the old man of sin that still lives in us.

  II Corinthians 4:11-How can the life of Christ be revealed in our mortal bodies?  What qualities can the world see in us as we follow Christ today?