Leviticus 14:1~57, Mark 6:30~56, Psalm 40:1~10, Proverbs 10:11~12

~ Feb 23: Click here for today's readings ~

Old Testament - The section of Leviticus 14 on cleansing a house of mildew is interesting, because it sounds like a warning to someone who continues to sin. "If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place."

New Testament - I took away a few thoughts from this passage. First, there are thousands of people that are hungry. Jesus has compassion for them (and so should we.) Jesus instructed his disciples to take responsibility for feeding them. We have the same opportunity today. He also showed that a small amount of food (or money in our case today), can be multiplied to have a much greater impact. One key is to look up to heaven with our gift and give thanks.

Another thing I notice is that Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray. Although he spent significant time with his circle of disciples, and with the multitude of people to whom he preached, he always made time for himself to spend 1-on-1 time with his Father in heaven. We should do the same. One difference in the way we should pray is that as we pray to our heavenly Father, we should pray through Jesus, and he told us that the only way to the Father is through him.

Mark 6:51-52 is interesting because it mentions that the apostles' hearts were hardened because they had not understood the miracle of the loaves. Seeing the imperfection of the apostles always gives me hope, because it reminds me of something that Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29 "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Psalms - Psalm 40:1-10 is interesting for many reasons. First, it gives the notion that the Lord does not always answer us immediately, but sometimes requires that we keep calling upon him and have patience for his reply.

This psalm also suggests that if we want to replace the language that comes out of our mouth, a good replacement would be a hymn of praise. If we always have a hymn of praise to God on our lips, it must be difficult to have anything bad come out of our mouth.

Finally, this psalm also reminds us not to hide our righteousness and our love for the Lord from others. We should share our faith with others, not conceal it.

Proverbs - "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life". When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, he talked about Living Water. In John 7:37-39, Jesus also said "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." In spreading the Good News, our mouth is like a spring of this Living Water! How amazing is that?!

Leviticus 13:1~59, Mark 6:1~29, Psalm 39:1~13, Proverbs 10:10

~ Feb 22: Click here for today's readings ~

Old Testament - This passage contains detailed instructions for the Israelites on the diagnosis and treatment protocols for infectious diseases and mildew.

New Testament - Mike has a good commentary on this passage at the OYBB site.

Psalms - The first verse of Psalm 39 makes me reflect on countless "watercooler" conversations at the office with "the boys". It's easy to be drawn into humorous discussions that often degrade into something that includes some kind of inappropriate content. Now, I don't mean to label my colleagues as wicked; I too have contributed to these "macho" fests. But Psalm 39 has good advice that I will try to keep in mind at all times.

Proverbs - The proverb reinforces the psalm above.

Leviticus 11:1~12:8, Mark 5:21~43, Psalm 38:1~22, Proverbs 10:8~9

~ Feb 21: Click here for today's readings ~

Old Testament - God placed several restrictions on the Israelites about what they could eat and not eat. Thankfully for us, Jesus removed these dietary restrictions. As I mentioned in yesterday's article, we should not worry about what goes into our mouth, but what comes out of it.

In today's OYBB article, Mike asks the questions: Do you think about being holy? Do you want to be holy? The answers for me are Yes and Yes. I do think about wanting to live up to God's high standard and be holy. I get disappointed in myself when my behavior slips below that level. It's frustrating. However, I pray that the Holy Spirit will keep doing His work in me, to make me holy.

New Testament - This is another of my favorite passages. It's especially memorable if you have seen the DVD The Miracle Maker (see my post of one week ago for more details on the movie) . There are several things going on simultaneously in this passage. First, Jairus seeks out Jesus because he has faith that Jesus can heal his daughter. Meanwhile a woman seeks simply to touch Jesus' cloak, having faith that even this could cure her illness. Indeed her faith healed her. Then Jairus' belief is tested when he learns that his daughter has died. Others too did not believe that she could be saved at that point. Jesus reassures Jairus and they continue their walk together. Jesus puts out the disbelievers and then brings Jairus' daughter back from death.
How much this passage sums up the state of the world today. As Christians, we seek out Jesus because we have faith that he can heal us and bring us eternal life. The Bible is right in front of us within arms reach. We simply have to take it into our hands, into our heart and mind, and we will receive God's wisdom and healing power. There are many people around us that do not believe in Christ; some would even mock our beliefs. But that should not sway our conviction one iota. The disbelievers will be put out, and those that have faith in the Lord will be raised from death and will dance around him like little children.

Psalms - If you are in despair over sin, read Psalm 38, followed by Psalm 51.

Proverbs - Boy, this is a proverb I want to teach my kids. It's not so much that they babble or chatter. But I wish they were better at accepting commands. If anybody has any ideas on how to do this effectively, please comment or email me.

Leviticus 9:7~10:20, Mark 4:26~5:20, Psalm 37:30~40, Proverbs 10:6~7

~ Feb 20: Click here for today's readings ~

Old Testament - In Leviticus 10, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu are consumed in the fire of the LORD for disobedience. It seems like a very harsh punishment, but I have two hypotheses about why God reacted the way he did. 1) The LORD had been giving such detailed, meticulous instructions and regulations, I don't believe He would have been so detailed and specific if it were not important to Him for people to follow His instructions to the letter. 2) The LORD wanted to make an example of Nadab and Abihu for all generations. I'm speculating that they did not die in vain, but rather to serve as a reminder to us of the punishment for disobedience. If my hypotheses are correct, it is fitting that they would be consumed by fire, as this parallels the fire of hell.

New Testament - When I hear the parable of the mustard seed, I view the mustard seed as the Word of God being planted by Jesus. He was one man sowing the seed, but today his teachings have spread to billions of people around the world.

Hearing about the man possessed by a legion of demons is a scary thought. I think terrorists must be demon possessed; otherwise, why would they be willing to give up their own life to take the lives of innocent victims. It is interesting to note that immediately upon being driven out of the man and into the 2000 pigs, they committed suicide by rushing down a steep bank and drowning themselves in a lake.

Psalms - I like the New Living Translation of these verses that I saw in the One Year Bible Blog. The key verses are Psalm 37:30-31 "The godly offer good counsel; they know what is right from wrong. They fill their hearts with God's law, so they will never slip from his path." I want to fill my heart with God's law. I want to know His path and stay on it.

Proverbs - Jesus said it is not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean, but what comes out of it. Here is another proverb that links violent words to wickedness. Guard your words and especially do not take the Lord's name in vain.

Leviticus 7:28~9:6, Mark 3:31~4:25, Psalm 37:12~29, Proverbs 10:5

~ Feb 19: Click here for today's readings ~

Old Testament - The ordination of Aaron and his sons. The regulations surrounding the offerings and the ordination are very meticulous, and obviously very important to get right - exactly as the Lord commanded. We'll see just how critical this is in the next OT reading.

New Testament - This is one of the most powerful readings in the OYB. It is full of wisdom. Let me start by asking the following question; how would you like Jesus to consider you his brother, or sister or mother? Here's how: Mark 3:35 "Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." I pray that each of us gains knowledge of the will of God and develops the discipline to do it.

Next is The Parable of the Sower, which is one of my favorite parables. Here is my feeble attempt to paraphrase the parable:

• The Lord is the farmer, sowing the Word of God.
• For some of us along the path, as soon as we hear the Word, Satan comes and takes it from us.
• For some of us, we have not allowed the Word to penetrate deeply into our hearts and minds, and it doesn't take root.
• For some of us, we hear the Word, but we allow the thorns around us, worldly things, to distract us from using the Word to bear fruit.
• Others of us have fertile hearts and minds, and we accept the Word, and it grows within us, and we produce a crop.

Can you relate to all of these types of soil at different stages of your life, bouncing back and forth between them, even on a daily basis sometimes? I can. I think we need to work very diligently to tend to our garden, the garden of our own heart and mind, and nurture the Word of God sown within us. Put a hedge around your garden so that the enemy of your soul does not come in and steal the Word from you through deceipt or temptation. Meditate on the Word so that it penetrates deeply into you and becomes inseparable from you. Do not allow the worries and desires of this world to distract you from your real purpose - that is, to bear fruit for the Lord. And finally, produce a crop. The Word of God can be spread from one person to 30, 60 or even 100 other people who in turn will produce a huge harvest for the Lord.

Consider this challenge... What if you shared the Good News with one new person a week? In two years, you would have already shared the Word with over 100 people. How many people could receive the Word in your lifetime? How many people could be saved in the years and generations to come? Picture standing in heaven, looking out over the crop that you helped to produce, and hearing the Lord say "Well done."

Psalms - A couple of verses stood out to me: Psalm 37:21 "The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;". This makes me think about the trouble with getting into financial debt. When we borrow so much and pay so much interest to banks and credit card companies, we have less means to reduce our debt and to give generously. If we focus on reducing our discretionary spending and reducing our debt, we can give generously to those who really need it, rather than the banks who certainly don't need it.

Psalm 37:27 "Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever." This reminds me that it is never too late to change. Maybe you've been a sinner all your life. Maybe you still find it difficult to avoid sin. But you can still turn from evil, do go, and be forgiven.

Proverbs - Once again, today's proverb perfectly complements today's gospel reading. Proverb 10:5 says "He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." It reminds me also of something that Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 9:37 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." The following graphic is reprinted from Adherents.com:

According to Adherents, approximately 2.1 billion, one-third of the world population, identify themselves as Christians. That's 2 out of every 6 people. Approximately 1.1 billion, or 1 in 6 people, are identified as non-religious. The remaining population combined, just under 3.5 billion, identify with some religion other than Christianity. That's 3 out of 6 people. So the harvest is indeed plentiful, but the workers are few. How do we reach over 4 billion people? We start with the 2 out of 3 people around us that have not yet accepted Christ. I pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out more workers into his harvest field.

Leviticus 6:1-7:27, Mark 3:7-30, Psalm 37:1-11, Proverbs 10:3-4

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Old Testament - In Leviticus 6:13, the LORD said to Moses "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out." That makes me think that our passion for the Word of God is like a fire - it must be kept burning in our heart continuously. We must not let it go out. Let these passages stoke your fire!

New Testament - Wow! Here is one of the greatest promises that Jesus makes. Mark 3:28 "I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them." He does go on to say, however, "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." Don't ever blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, because that is a sin that will condemn to death.

Another great part of today's reading is Jesus appointing His 12 apostles. Here they are:

1. Simon, who He called Peter
2. Andrew, brother of Simon
3. James, son of Zebedee
4. John, brother of James. He called them Sons of Thunder
5. Philip
6. Bartholomew
7. Matthew, the tax collector
8. Thomas
9. James, son of Alphaeus
10. Thaddaeus (a.k.a Judas, son of James in Luke's gospel)
11. Simon the Zealot
12. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (After Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven, Matthias, another of Jesus' followers was chosen for the twelveth leadership position among the apostles. See Acts 1:12-26)

Psalms - What a beautiful psalm this is. Listen to the wonderful blessings to those who commit themselves to the Lord: Psalm 37:4-6 "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

Proverbs - Proverbs 10:4 makes me reflect on procrastination. I mentioned in my very first post on this blog that I had made several short lived efforts over the years to read the One Year Bible diligently. But I got lazy. I didn't stick with it. As a result, I became poor. I don't mean poor in monetary terms, but poor in spirit. One of the factors that is different this time around is the motivation that I have received from all of your blogs. You inspired me to create my own, and to journal my thoughts as I go on this journey with all of you. Now as a result, I feel like I am gaining great wealth. And that's a wealth that is worth much more than gold!

Leviticus 4:1-5:19, Mark 2:13-3:6, Psalm 36:1-12, Proverbs 10:1-2

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Old Testament - See the links below from bible.org for explanations of the following:

• The Sin Offering - An offering to God for having sinned against His commandments. Priests offer a bull. The community as a whole would offer a bull. Leaders offer a male goat. Members of the community offer a female goat or lamb. The poor offer two doves, two pigeons or a measure of flour. Confession is required.
• The Guilt Offering - A ram for having sinned in relation to any of the LORD's holy things. It is in addition to the Sin Offering (sin and guilt are inseparable). If restitution is required, the offering would also include repayment plus an additional 20% penalty given to the priest.

The Good News is that Jesus Christ is our Sin Offering and our Guilt Offering. We are still responsible for confession and restitution. But the debt of our sin has been paid, and we will be declared "not guilty".

New Testament - I like how Jesus is characterized in this article by Jeff Miller at bible.org. Among other things, Jesus is:

• The Lord of Forgiveness - Remember Jesus forgiving the sins of the paralytic in yesterday's reading.
• The Lord of Redemption - Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
• The Lord of Change - Jesus is going to establish the Age of Grace in place of the Age of the Law.
• Lord of the Sabbath - The Lord created the Sabbath for us, not the other way around.

Psalms - I really love when the daily reading from each of these four books complement each other so beautifully. Today, Psalm 36 ties in so well with the reading from Mark when you think of how the Pharisees were so self-righteous. Unfortunately, so many people today have no belief or fear of the Lord and are too proud to open themselves up to the Word. I pray that more and more people will put their pride and self-righteousness aside, and accept Christ's redemption.

Proverbs - Depending on how our children behave, they bring us joy or grief (hopefully much more of the former.) I imagine the same goes for our Father in heaven. How much joy and grief He must feel simultaneously as He looks down on all of us. Let's be good children and bring Him joy.

Leviticus 1:1-3:17 ~ Mark 1:29-2:12 ~ Psalm 35:17-28 ~ Proverbs 9:13-18

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Leviticus 1:1-3:17 - Thank goodness for the explanations of these three chapters by Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M. at Bible.org.:

1. The Burnt Offering
2. The Grain Offering
3. The Fellowship Offering

I now understand the significance of burnt offerings, and for us, how Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed for us, taking away the sin of the world.

Mark 1:29-2:12 - Mark 2:1-12 is one of my favorite "scenes" in the Bible. If you have never watched the DVD The Miracle Maker - The Story of Jesus, you absolutely must get it. This movie is one of my all-time favorites, and kids love it. The movie is done in 3D clay animation and has an all-star voice cast, including Ralph Fiennes as Jesus. Anyway, this scene is just phenomenol, as the four men make a hole in the roof and lower the paralytic down into the house. I love how Jesus shows the Pharisees that He has the authority to forgive sins by showing them that He also has the power to heal.

Psalm 35:17-28 - Psalm 35:18 is a nice visual that I have thought of many times. How incredible it will be to be standing among all of God's children, singing praises to the LORD for His glory!

Proverbs 9:13-18 - Keep a wide distance between youself and Folly.

Exodus 39:1-40:38 ~ Mark 1:1-28 ~ Psalm 35:1-16 ~ Proverbs 9:11-12

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Exodus 39:1-40:38 - I see a parallel between all of the LORD's instructions to the Israelites through Moses, in preparation to dwell in the presence of God, and all of the LORD's instructions to us through Jesus, again in preparation to dwell in the presence of God. They had many instructions to follow and much preparation. But finally they were rewarded by the glory of God. We too will be rewarded for following God's commandments and preparing ourselves to live with Him for eternity.

Mark 1:1-28 - Zondervan's introduction to the book of Mark mentions that it was probably the first of the gospels. I'm keenly interested in Jesus' very first words. Mark 1:15: "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" and Mark 1:17: "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Two thousand years ago, Jesus said the time has come and the kingdom is near. I don't know that civilization will make it another two thousand years before the Lord's triumphant return. Relatively speaking, I think we are in the last days. I feel a sense of urgency. The first thing Jesus says is repent. I believe we should focus on daily repentence. Every instant that we have an urge to think or act inappropriately, we need to turn away from it. Jesus also said believe. I think we need to stay in the Word daily to continually strengthen our belief. Then Jesus said "Come, follow me". So I believe we need to emulate the life of Jesus and His apostles. What did Jesus do? He taught. He drew people to the kingdom of heaven. He duplicated Himself in the disciples; He made them fishers of men. Therefore, we need to learn; teach; lead people to the Word, and encourage them to do the same. Jesus' final words in Matthew 28:18-20 that we just read yesterday echo this same thing.

Psalm 35:1-16 - When David refers to "they" and "those" in this psalm, I believe he's referring to the enemy of our soul. I believe the enemy of our soul is trying to keep us ensnared in sin. We should call upon the Lord as David does to come to our aid, our rescue, our salvation. We are like pawns in a war that is being waged between good and evil. The fight is not so much against us as it is against God. I think if an enemy really wanted to hurt you, it would hurt more if they went after your children. That is what is happening to God. The battle is still being waged everyday, and the stakes are high. People need to wake up and realize what's going on. They need to understand how this war will be won or lost personally. They need to call upon the Lord for salvation.

Proverbs 9:11-12 - It's pretty simple, isn't it? Seek wisdom and you'll be rewarded. Mock or ignore wisdom, and you'll suffer and have no one to blame but yourself.

Exodus 37:1-38:31 ~ Matthew 28:1-20 ~ Psalm 34:11-22 ~ Proverbs 9:9-10

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Exodus 37:1-38:31 - How wonderful that God commanded Moses to document all of these precise measurements and lists of materials so that future generations could see recreations of these holy artifacts.

Matthew 28:1-20 - Isn't it a wonderful coincidence that today's reading in the OYB falls on Valentine's Day and ends with this promise from Jesus: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." I also love how this Gospel ends with Jesus' command to his apostles (and to all of us): "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Psalm 34:11-22 - From this day forward, let me take refuge in the LORD. Just these first few days of devotion to the Word of God, and my heart is already soaring. It makes me wonder why I haven't pursued God like this earlier in my life (I'm 38). Oh LORD, I pray that you will help me keep my tongue from evil. Let me be a light to others, drawing them to your Word.

Proverbs 9:9-10 - Honestly, it is the fear of the LORD that drew me to the Bible. I love God and my greatest desire is to dwell with Him forever in heaven. I know Jesus is my savior; He took my sins with Him to the cross. Yet I fear Him because I am a sinner. I want to turn completely from evil and strive to live up to His expectations. It's not easy. But His Word is definitely helping.

Exodus 35:10-36:38 ~ Matthew 27:32-66 ~ Psalm 34:1-10 ~ Proverbs 9:7-8

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Exodus 35:10-36:38 - A few things strike me about this passage. It strikes me how much the Israelites looked up to Moses as a leader and accepted all of the instructions that he brought to them, considering that he alone was given these instructions directly from God. They must have been confident that Moses was reciting God's instructions exactly as they were given him. It also strikes me how much they were willing to sacrifice of their time and money for the Lord. They gave their most prized possessions and also dedicated what must have been significant time to constructing the Tent of Meeting exactly as God had instructed them. Finally, it's interesting to note that all those who were called to do God's work were given skills to help them accomplish this work. In the end, they were certainly rewarded for their efforts!

Today, we've been given everything that the Israelites were given and more, since we have not only the Old Testament but the New Testament as well. We should be trusting God without question, as the Bible is His inspired Word and everything we need to know is documented in it. It seems that God is asking such a small sacrifice from us compared to what He asked of the Israelites of Moses' time. What are we building for the Lord with our time and money? What are the unique skills that God has given each of us that can be put to work for Him?

The Tabernacle at Sunset

by Pat Marvenko Smith

Copyright ©1998 Revelation Productions - Reprinted with permission

Matthew 27:32-66 - It was far from easy for Jesus to die for us on the cross. After all, He was the Son of Man, flesh and blood like any other man. He must have been in excruciating pain from the beatings and from hanging on the cross for hours. No phrase illustrates His pain and suffering more than Matthew 27:46 when He cried out to His Father in heaven "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" I imagine He must have wished that His Father would release Him from the cross at that moment. Yet, Jesus was willing to pay the ultimate price to do the will of His Father. What a commitment.

Imagine how God the Father must have suffered also to watch His Son be beaten and die on the cross. It is unthinkable for me to imagine having to watch my own child in a similar situation. This reading immediately reminds me of my favorite passage in the Bible, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Psalm 34:1-10 - I long to have a relationship with the LORD the way David had. I have faith that by seeking the LORD with all my heart, I will find Him and be transformed by Him. I no longer want evil to come out of my mouth, but rather to have praise on my lips at all times.

Proverbs 9:7-8 - This proverb reminds me of the recommendations we've been giving our children about how to deal with bullies. I believe a bully mocks in order to get a reaction out of his victim. If you give no such reaction, or perhaps even agree with the bully, the bully receives no satisfaction and forgets about you. On the other hand, I hope that when we rebuke our children for bad behavior, it will eventually sink in, they will gain wisdom and they'll love us for it.

Exodus 34:1-35:9 ~ Matthew 27:15-31 ~ Psalm 33:12-22 ~ Proverbs 9:1-6

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~

Exodus 34:1-35:9 - Moses had such a great responsibility, being summoned by God to the top of Mount Sinai so that God could dictate the Ten Commandments to him. God is very specific in his instructions, not only in the Commandments, but in how he instructs Moses. It's interesting to see how God is patient, asking Moses to bring two new tablets since Moses broke the first ones. He sounds just like a father giving instructions to a child. It's also interesting that Moses survived on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights without food or water, being sustained solely by the Word of the LORD.

Matthew 27:15-31 - Wow, what a place to jump into the Bible, at this horrible time in the passion of Christ. I know that everything that happened to Christ was meant to happen, but it's horrible and shocking to see how He was treated. Not only did He give his life for us, but He was mocked and tortured leading up to His death. It's amazing to think that the crowd was given the choice of which prisoner to set free: Jesus the Son of God or Barabbas, a convicted criminal. How incredibly foolish they were. I wonder how Jesus would be treated today. Would we know who He was? Would we be skeptical? Would we be distracted by all of the other idols we "worship"? Would we test Him like the Pharisees and Sadducees? It's sad to say, but I think there are many in the world who would treat Him the same way they treated Him back then. But we know that next time Christ comes, He's not coming as a lamb, but as a lion, and He won't be taking that kind of treatment. Instead, He's going to be dishing it out to all those that rejected Him.

Psalm 33:12-22 - Blessed are we whose God is the LORD. We have been chosen to receive His inheritence. As God looks down from heaven on His creation, He sees those who believe in Him through Christ Jesus, and those who don't. He's watching everyone. Knowing that He loves everyone, He must be hoping and praying for each soul to turn to Him. Sadly, many will not. It seems to me that those of us that have already been saved would be considered selfish or indifferent if we did not share and spread the Good News of the Lord with as many people as possible. We have been given the greatest gift - the gift of eternal life with our Creator in heaven. Knowing that His inheritence is infinite, wouldn't we want to bring as many friends as possible to enjoy it?

Proverbs 9:1-6 - The Bible contains a feast of Wisdom. It calls out to us, inviting us to fill up on understanding. But so many other "so-called" feasts call out to us as well. Just think of how many distractions exist today that can call us away from the Lord's table. This passage reminds me to fill up on the real buffet, and go easy on all of the junk food around us.

A commitment to God

Over the years, I made resolutions to read the Bible from cover to cover, but never stuck with it long enough to finish it. This year, I'm making a new commitment to God to read His Word daily. Although I'm not starting at the beginning, I'll circle back to the beginning in January 2007.

I'm following the reading plan in the NIV One Year Bible from Tyndale. I'm also tapping into amazing support from the One Year Bible Blog site. A huge thank you to Mike@OneYearBibleBlog.com (another Mike) for his inspirational work.

Disclaimers: 1) I'm new to blogging, so this site isn't fancy. If you have any feedback on how I can improve it, please email me. 2) I'm relatively new to the Bible and far from an authority, so if you disagree with something I've said or I've made a mistake, please let me know either with a comment or by email. On the other hand, if you like something I've said, positive feedback is great too!