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, November 9- Read for today: Psalms 147
Sunday, November 10- Read for today: Psalms 148

Monday, November 11 – Read for today: Leviticus 18

The Purity of Life

     I recently saw a picture of a big dump or landfill that was reeking with rotting garbage and a variety of junk. It the midst of it all there was growing a beautiful lily in the moon light.  How did it get there and how could it flourish?  The contrast in this world between the pure and the contaminated is sharp indeed.  When Leviticus 18 was written sexual pervasion was rampant.  The practices of the Egyptians, as well those in Canaan, had descended to an extremely low level and was an abomination before the Lord. Shameful acts had become common place in those societies not unlike the world we live in today. The question is can we, as God’s children, rise like the lily to reflect God’s glory to the world around us?  It is an awful thing to see how low humans can go when they are void of God in their lives.  It also makes us as believers thankful because only by God’s grace have we been spared these abominations in our own lives.

      We too have the same carnal nature that would pull us down, but thank God by His indwelling Spirit we have deliverance as we yield to Him. So, let’s take a light into the dark places as a rescue mission to people lost in sin.  The same grace that saved us can reach them as well.  We too were in the miry clay but how thankful we should be that in Christ we received mercy and not the justice we deserved.  Some believers may be criticized by their association with these people in sinful practices but remember that Jesus He came to help the sick not the whole.  Let us look out on the world with a heart of compassion and hold forth the everlasting light of Jesus that others may come and be delivered

Thoughts to consider:

Romans 6:23—What do we deserve from God and what is offered through Christ?  How does this verse humble us before the Lord?

Romans 5:9— How are we justified and what outcome have believers been saved from?

For further study:

Read Ephesians 2:1-7 –Where have we come from and where has God taken us as His children?

I Peter 4: 1-6 –What do these verses teach us about the mind-set of the world toward sin and we as believers in this world? Also what hope is given to the lost in their sinful state?

Tuesday, November 12 – Read for today: Leviticus 19

Living with Honor

     The urban dictionary defines “honor” as, “The courage to do what is right, no matter what.  A belief that your actions represent more than just yourself, the recognition that what you do defines your entire generation. Also, part of the Marine Corps Values.”  In this chapter we find a large list of examples of what it means to live life with “honor”, to live life that brings glory to God and respects others created in His image.

      A person with honor, knows how to give honor/respect to others.  That honor and respect begins with honoring and respecting the Lord (vvs 1-2).  Honoring Him includes striving to live a life that bring honor to Him (v2).  It includes setting aside time out of each week to be with Him (v3).  Honoring God also includes avoiding anything, or any one, who might come between you and He (v4), and means that you worship Him in a way that He recognizes as worship (vvs. 5-8).

     A person with honor knows how to give honor and respect to others beside the Lord.  Living a life of honor extends to honoring/respecting/protecting the reputation of those at home, like your father and your mother.  It means allowing them to live with dignity as others created in the image of God, and into whose care He trusted you.

     A person with honor, gives honor to others also created in God’s image.  Life is not always focused on him, but rather he shares his success and blessings with others (vvs 9-10).  He shares with them, however, in a way that is not dishonorable to them.  Often he allows them to work rather than simply giving them stuff (vvs 9-10).  There is honor and dignity in work and labor, or God would not have given Adam and Eve work to do in the Garden (Genesis 1 & 2).  Paul recognized the dignity in labor and the danger of sloth so he commanded “If a man shall not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

     A person of honor is honest.  He does not show favoritism to rich or poor.  He pays what he owes.  He doesn’t try to shortchange or defraud anyone.  His word is his bond.

     There are frauds, and charlatans, all over our land.  Don’t you believe that a person with standards would stand out?  A person like that could honestly be called a man, a woman of honor, and such a person would certainly be the salt and light the Lord desires.

Questions for thought:

  1. Would people who know you describe you as an honorable person?

  2. Wouldn’t you say that living with honor is the minimum required or expected of those who are called to be the Lord’s ambassadors?

For further study:

  1. In verse 1 the Lord says, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”  Where else do you find that in the Bible?

  2. Would you say that command includes only commands and rules the Lord has given, or would you say that it also includes the spirit behind the commandments?

 Wednesday, November 13 – Read for today: Leviticus 20

A Country that Vomits

     Have you ever been so sick, had an upset stomach so bad that you wanted to vomit, that you wanted to throw up?  What would cause a person to want to do that?  Usually, I believe, it is either intense nausea, or a pain so intense that you’re willing to do almost anything to get that stuff out and to get some relief (aren’t you glad you’re reading this very graphic and sickening devotional?).     Did you know that a land, a country can get so sick that it will vomit?  According to the Bible it can (Lev.18:25, 28; & 20:22).  What kind of things cause a land to get so sick that it wants to spew out the folks living there?  We find two primary causes listed in the Bible.

     First, there is immorality, or sexual sins.  Chapter 18 lists a whole bunch of sexual sins and chapter 20 does as well.  These include many forms of incest, homosexuality, adultery, and bestiality.  At the end of both of these chapters, discussing these many forms of sexual sins, are the times when we find the Lord discussing the land vomiting people out.

     The second type of sins listed in both of these chapters is the worship of Molech.  Molech was the pagan god of the Ammonites and Phoenicians to whom parents sacrificed their children. Molech (also Moloch) was the national deity of the heathen Ammonites, a fire god commonly worshiped throughout the ancient near East and North Africa, by Canaanites and Philistines, Arameans and Semitic peoples and later, Phoenicians. He was known by many names, all signifying the same false god.

     In other words, the second thing that makes a land sick is the worship of false gods.  Especially worshipping these gods to the point where one sacrifices their children for them.     One wonders how close the land we live in is to vomiting us out.  When one thinks of the immorality in our country, we wonder how long it can be.  Where once these sins slinked along in the darkness of back alleys, today they parade down Main Street.

       I wonder how many unborn children have been sacrificed in this country on the altar of convenience.  Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people”.  One wonders how much of the decline in power, prosperity and respect the United States once enjoyed in the world is the result of the things we now allow in our country, in our churches, and in our own lives.

     The Lord made a promise about healing a country, one that works better at staving off vomiting than Pepto Bismol.  He promised, “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).

     My friend, the solution to the problem is us.  We are the people “called by His name”.  If we do what He’s called us to do, He will then send the healing.

Questions for thought:

  1. What are you doing about the condition of our nation, other than complaining about it?

  2. What steps of 2 Chronicles 7:14 are you taking, to help bring revival to our country?

For further study:

  1. According to Revelation 3:15-16, what else makes the Lord sick?

 Thursday, November 14 – Read for today: Leviticus 21

Ya gotta go there before you can show the way.

     The Israelites were told that they were to be holy because their Lord was.  Because they were followers of the true God they were told to hold to, to live their lives according to a higher standard.  They were to be holy.

     The priests were held to an even higher standard than the rest of the Israelites were.  The high priests’ standard of conduct was even higher.  They could only marry virgins.  They could not tear their clothes, because they were grieved.  They couldn’t defile themselves even for the death of close loved ones like their parents.

     “In order to exercise this priesthood, a priest must be holy. Once again let me remind you that this word holy, like so many other words from the Bible, has been twisted and distorted in our thinking so that it is usually taken to mean something which is not very attractive. We are likely to think that being holy is to be long-faced and solemn and sour, but it isn't that at all! Holiness means wholeness. It means to be healed.” (Ray Stedman devotion on Lev. 21).

     In other words, priests’ attention, focus and closest attraction were to be on the things of heaven.  There is no way you lead others to love heaven and to think on the things of the Lord if you are in love with the things of the world, if you are in love with the things around you.  What was true of priests is also true of us.

     How can you help someone unless you yourself have been helped? How can you encourage someone when your own heart is discouraged and defeated? How can you help somebody to cheer up, and be joyful and genuinely glad in the midst of pressure, unless you have learned how to be glad in the midst of pressure and struggle? How can you deliver somebody from a loathsome moral sickness if you are a victim of the same thing yourself? How can you help somebody who has a blemish in their spiritual life unless you have been delivered from that blemish yourself and thus know how to say the delivering word?

     We are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are a holy priesthood.  Our focus is to be the things of heaven, so we can help show others what things are important and lasting.

Questions for thought:

  1. Can you honestly say that your priorities are different than those around you?

  2. By your passions and priorities, are you demonstrating to your family and friends, the things that are really important?

For further study:

  1. What does Colossians 3:1-2 say about our priorities?

 

 Friday, November 15 – Read for today: Leviticus 22

Only give your best

     I mentioned a few days ago, that my mother’s love language is giving.  That’s how she expresses love and that’s how she best receives it.  She begins buying Christmas presents the day after Christmas, and continues accumulating things during the year that she knows folks will like.  Sometimes we’ve found gifts years later that she had forgotten she bought for someone (for instance, a glove, ball and bat holder she bought for Travis, 30 years after he’d played).  She puts a lot of thought into her gifts, just sometimes misplaces them.

     One year, my dad really messed up.  He had forgotten to shop for my mother for Christmas (she took care of the rest of the gift-buying).  On Christmas Eve, while my mother was sitting in the car waiting outside, my dad ran around inside our store, gathering up things he could wrap and give my mother the next day.  Do I have to explain how the next day went?  It was COOL around the house that Christmas morning.

     What was the problem?  The problem was that my dad had put little thought and even less effort into what he was giving my mother  (BTW, he NEVER made that mistake again).  She took the time and made the effort to get him what she thought he’d really like.  He gave what was convenient.

     In the chapter for today, the Lord is saying, “Don’t give me your leftovers and second best.  I love you.  I want the best for you.  Demonstrate you feel the same about Me by what you give Me.”

Only give the Lord your best!

Questions for thought:

  1. Why do you think the Lord wants only perfect gifts?

  2. How do you think the gifts you give the Lord measure up?

For further study:

  1. Read Colossians 3:23.  How does this scripture apply here?

Saturday, November 16- Read for today: Psalms 149

Sunday, November 17- Read for today: Psalms 150

Monday, November 18 – Read for today: Leviticus 23

Sacred Assemblies

     Leviticus 23 is a special chapter of yearly holy days that God required His people to acknowledge and observe as a time of remembrance of God and all He has done. These days were observed by the Jewish people, but have special significance for believers today.

     The Passover reminds us of the offering of the lamb whose blood was shed for protection from the death angel in Egypt and so today Jesus, the Lamb of God suffered on the cross for our sins.

     The feast of Unleavened Bread was connected to this day speaks of the place of no sin. All leaven was to be removed from the houses as leaven referred to sin.  We should examine ourselves to day so we can be clean vessels for God’s service.

     The Feast of First Fruits was an offering of the first barley harvest to honor God.  The feast pictures the resurrection of Jesus as the first fruit of resurrection in a new body which we follow someday as His church.

      The Feast of Weeks or the Harvest of Pentecost involved new grain offerings to the Lord.  Honor was given to God as we today should meet each day as an opportunity to serve Him.

     The Feast of Trumpets was a solemn yet joyful time in remembering God’s goodness in the past and asking that this good blessing would be seen in the future.

    The Day of Atonement was a yearly time to bring an offering for the forgiveness of sins during the past year. This was a solemn time of preparation by the priest to go before the Lord on behalf of the people. Today an earthly priest is not needed because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit can go to God at any time and confess our sins.

     Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths was a time to remember the nation of Israel living in booths after leaving Egypt.  The Lord took care of them on their journey as He cares for us today.  The presence of the Lord is very much acknowledged in these feasts as well as the people’s responsibility to remember and honor Him.

     Today let us as His children remember Him daily in our prayer time and Bible study so we can be a servant equipped for service.  God owns everything so what can we give Him? He wants our attention, respect and love for all He has done.  Let’s honor Him in remembrance and obedience each day!

Thoughts to consider:

Revelation 14:7-What do you think it means to fear God and acknowledge His power?

Psalms 95:6-How important do you think our physical posture is to God in our worship of Him?

For further study:

II Chronicles 30:1 –Hezekiah was involved in inviting the people to come to the Passover to worship the Lord. What part can we play in encouraging fellow believer to truly worship our Lord?

Psalms 27:4 –Does this verse speak about your desire to worship God? Do you have a hunger to praise the Lord?—Psalms 65:4 and 84:2



 Tuesday, November 19 – Read for today: Leviticus 24

What’s in a name?

     There are a number of items one could cover from a study of this passage.  For instance, one could point out the mistake of those who claim there should be no capital punishment from the commandment which says, “Thou shalt not murder”; for it is obvious in this passage that God both speaks of the seriousness of taking someone’s life, but also commands that a person be stoned.  One might also spend time studying the importance and significance of the incense, lamps and bread placed before the Lord.  One might study these items, but I believe the most important item in this passage is the Lord commanding that a man’s life be forfeited because he cursed God’s Name.

     In the time it is was written, a person’s name was a representative of that person.  It represented the person’s character and attributes.  To use a person’s name lightly, or disrespectfully, was in essence, to do that to the person.  So, this man who cursed the Lord’s Name, was in essence, cursing God.  The Lord wasn’t about to take that lightly, especially from someone who had lived through and experienced all of the miracles God had done in Egypt.

     God would not let His Name or character be besmirched by someone who knew better.

       In the New Testament, we are called Christians because we represent and once acted like Christ.  Today, represent the Lord well.  Bring honor and glory to His Name by your words, your actions, your attitude, and by how diligently and honestly you serve your employer.

Questions for thought:

  1. Do your words, actions, and attitudes bring honor or dishonor to the Lord?

  2. Are folks attracted to the Lord by what they see in you?

For further study:

  1. What position does 2 Corinthians 5:20 mention?  How well are you filling that position?



 Wednesday, November 20 – Read for today: Leviticus 25

It involves trust

     In the passage before us today, the Lord told the Israelite folks that they could not plant or harvest in the seventh year.  He said they could only eat what the land produced that seventh year, and that, directly from the field.

       Years ago, my family was in the building material business.  They had been in that business for three or four generations (depending on whether you include mine or not).  When my parents bought the business, in spite of what the other building material and hardware businesses around us did, my dad said we would not open on Sundays.  He believed it was biblically wrong, and believed the Lord would provide.  He always told us, “The day we have to open seven days a week in order to stay in business, is the day we will close the doors”.  That’s exactly what happened.

     Construction goes through cycles.  You make money in the good years, and you try to hold on during the bad ones.  A downturn came as my parents were buying the business.  Rather than open seven days a week, they closed the business, believing the Lord would provide.

     It was at this time my dad went into law enforcement; and you know what?  My dad enjoyed being a cop a lot more than he did running a building material center.  He enjoyed being able to help people and making a living doing so.  It was what he was wired to do.  He would never have found his true calling if he had not trusted the Lord.

     Not planting crops in the seventh year involved trust.  It involved faith.  It involved believing the Lord would provide, and that He would keep His promises.

     Those who never trust, who never step out in faith and take Him at His word, never get to see miracles and never get to see things happen that ONLY God can do.  If the Israelites had not followed the Lord into a corner where they had the Red Sea at their backs, they would never have gotten to see the Lord part that Sea.  If they had not followed Him into the wilderness, they would never have seen manna come from heaven or water from a rock.In order to see miracles in your life, you must be where a miracle is required.  It involves trust.

Questions for thought:

  1. Have you seen miracles in your life?

  2. Have you ever trusted the Lord to the point where a miracle was necessary?

  3. When was the last time you stepped out and trusted the Lord to the point where if He did not show up, you would be in trouble?  

For further study:

  1. What does Hebrews 11:6 tell us?

  2. What part of the Lord’s Prayer do you find recorded in Matthew 6:11?  What does this petition indicate about our prayers and the Lord’s provision?



 Thursday, November 21 – Read for today: Leviticus 26

There are Conditions to God’s Blessings

     Did you see the blessings God promised in the first 13 verses of this chapter?  He promises things like timely rain and productive harvests.  He says that the folks will have to clean the old produce from their storage areas to make room for the new.  He promises to protect His people from wild animals, disease and invading armies.  He promises a whole bunch of great things to His people, the kind of things that many/most folks would like to have in their lives.

     Did you notice, however, the conditions to the Lord’s blessings?  He says, “If you follow My decrees and are careful to obey My commands”.  There are conditions to the Lord’s blessings.  Many folks forget those conditions and want the Lord to bless them,… just because.  It doesn’t work like that.  Sadly, many parents condition their children to believe the Lord will bless them in spite of their disobedient and rebellious lifestyles, by giving their children anything they want, regardless of their children’s behaviors.

     I don’t know about at your house, or in your family, but in God’s family certain blessings are conditional.

     He says, “You want My blessings?  Then do what I say.  Follow My rules!”  You can name it, claim it, and pray about it; you can dance, fast, and plead, but that does not mean you will receive the Lord’s favor or get His blessings.  There are conditions to God’s blessings.

Questions for thought:

  1. Some preachers and some churches/ministries count blessings only in health and/or finances.  What ways might the Lord bless someone?

  2. Are you seeing any of God’s blessings in your life?  When was the last time you could positively put your finger on something and say, “Look what God did?”

  3. Is there anything in your life which might be causing you to miss out on the Lord’s blessings?

For further study:

  1. Read Isaiah 59:2.  How does this verse support what we studied today?

  2. Read James 4:1-3.  What else might cause us to miss the Lord’s blessings?

  3. Question, on an entirely different subject: … how do you see one of the commands of verse 1 being disobeyed in so many places in churches in this country and around the world?



Friday, November 22 – Read for today: Leviticus 27

A truly grateful heart

     Did you notice how, in this passage, the Lord anticipated that folks would be bringing special gifts or dedicating special objects or people to Him?  This is addition to the tithe the Lord required in verses 30-32.  Why in the world did the Lord think that people would give above and beyond what He required?  Why would He make provision for such a thing?

     I believe He anticipated the reactions of grateful people.  I believe He realized that when the people came into a land that was their own, after generations of slavery (and through His fore knowledge, their 40 years wandering the wilderness) that the people be grateful.  They would realize how much the Lord had done for them and how much He had given them, and that they would realize that they could never out-give God.  The gratitude in their hearts would drive them to give in appreciation for the blessings of a loving God.

     You want to know if your life is different and if your heart has been changed.  You can look at two things; your daytimer and your checkbook.  A self-centered life serves God only for what he can get, and does that reluctantly.  A changed, God-focused person is excited to have the opportunity to serve and give to God.  She realizes how great God is, how loving He is, and how much He has done for us, and is grateful for the opportunity to give something back.

     Dr. E.V. Hill, the black minister from the West Coast once talked about his mother.  He said sometimes when he would get to preaching and talking about Jesus and all Jesus had done for us and all that Jesus has given us, that his mother would jump up and shout, “Who wouldn’t serve such a God?”

     A truly grateful person with a truly grateful heart is happy to give God his time and his resources.

Questions for thought:

  1. Why do you serve?  Why do you give, or do you do either of those things?  If not, why not?

  2. Are you excited/grateful when you give or serve, or do you do so reluctantly?

  3. The disciples once argued about who would be the greatest in the Lord’s kingdom.  They later all died as martyrs.  What changed?

For further study:

  1. Read Mark 10:28-31.  What does Jesus teach about rewards in this passage?

  2. What does 2 Corinthians 9:7 teach about giving to the Lord?



Saturday, November 23- Read for today: Psalms 1
Sunday, November 24- Read for today: Psalms 2