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, January 12 - Read for today: Psalms 62

Sunday, January 13 - Read for today: Psalms 63

Monday, January 14 - Read for today: Ephesians 1

Praying for others

       In verse 17 Paul says, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.’

     Someone has observed that saying to a person ""I'll pray for you"" has become the way we Christians say goodbye. It's a clever line, but it has enough truth in it to sting a little. Nothing is easier at church or on the telephone than to tell a Christian friend you'll pray for him or her. We know we are supposed to pray for others, and we sincerely want to pray. But we sometimes forget to follow up on our prayer promises. (BTW, I once had a professor who said he prayed for people right when they asked so that he wouldn’t forget. I usually try to do the same thing)

     The fact that other people would seek our prayers on their behalf and the fact that we feel burdened to pray for them underscores the importance of intercession. The meaning of intercession is to go before the Father on behalf of others: our sisters and brothers in Christ, lost people, family members, and anyone else who needs prayer.

     God is looking for intercessors. He is ready to bless and save and comfort and restore--and in His wisdom, He has decided that He will move in response to the prayers of His people. The ministry of intercession doesn't need a lot of explaining. We can pray for anyone God lays on our hearts, and we can pray for anything in their lives that is within God's will. And in those cases where our prayers for others do not align with His will, God has a way of bringing our requests in line with His desires.

     You won't find a better biblical intercessor than Paul. Time and again he told the people to whom he wrote that he prayed for them, constantly and fervently. The prayer in today's text remains a classic example of the kind of prayer God can bless.

     Paul went right to the heart of the Ephesian believers' spiritual needs. He prayed that they would know God intimately. He also asked God to open the eyes of their spiritual understanding so that they would grasp the greatness of their position in Christ. When Paul said, ""I'll pray for you,"" he prayed! How about us?

Questions for thought:

  1. Are you an intercessor?

  2. How often do you pray for others?

For further study:

  1. Read John 14:13. What promise does Jesus give us in this verse?

  2. Read Colossians 1:9-10. What did Paul pray for others in this passage? How often did he pray?





Wednesday, January 16 – Read for today: Ephesians 3

The Stewardship of Knowledge

     Paul had been given the good news of the Gospel unto salvation at the outset of his ministry and now he had the privilege and responsibility to carry the message to others. The Gentiles were the blessed ones to receive this good news through Paul’s ministry which he loved to share. It was a compulsion of love and joy for him to do this.  Paul served with joy but also with humility as he considered himself the least of the saints so the privilege of taking the best news to the Gentiles was such an honor for him.  This truth is special and well noted in heaven and is a fulfillment of God’s purposes.  Paul explains that the tribulations he was experiencing was not something his friends should grieve over because it was glory to suffer for our Lord in taking His truth to the world.

     The desire expressed here goes beyond reaching out to the Gentiles with the Gospel but to the inner growth of believers in their relationship with God.  There is a fullness of God to be reached for and attained for the children of God where we can go to new depths in our understanding of Him and the truth that is in Him. The Christian life is a growth in progress in learning about our Lord paired with the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel. This gives our lives such great purpose to live for and such usefulness to be on this earth.  To only live for oneself is an empty existence void of hope and purpose. The true believer soars far beyond the dreams of this world to a Divine calling that satisfies the soul and spirit more than anything this world has to offer like the words of that hymn “I would rather have Jesus that anything this world affords today”.   Our Lord is able to so much more that we could ever ask or thinks because of who he is. May He be praised by all the generations of the future here on earth and in heaven above.

Thoughts to consider:

I Corinthians 4:2—We must remember that as believers we have been given a trust to share Christ with the world. Are we faithful in doing this in our daily lives?

I Corinthians 6:20 & Ephesians 6:7—We have been purchased by our Lord so have we given our bodies and life unto Him?

For further study:

Matthew 25:14-15—Read this passage and contemplate the precious truth that we have been entrusted with as we live out our days. Also consider when we stand before Him and give an account of how we served Him during our lives.

Luke 12-Please read in this chapter the account of the rich farmer and why he was not rich toward God with all his possessions. Take inventory of your own life and what is the most important to you.