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.