Bible Reading Plan

Author: Hannah Thacher

  • Lamentations 1

    Lamentations 1

    Lamentations Preview

    Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, is the likely author of Lamentations. He wrote this sorrowful compilation of poems after Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Babylonians (likely around 585 B.C.). Jeremiah served as a prophet to the people of Israel, boldly warning them about the destruction that was to come at the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah was beaten, imprisoned, ridiculed, and almost killed multiple times for his efforts.

    Why was Jeremiah lamenting? The answer was really quite simple: Israel was reaping the consequences of violating the Mosaic Covenant that God made with His people. What unfolds as the Israelites lose their sacred city and fall into Babylonian captivity is really Deuteronomy 28 coming full circle. Had Israel kept up their end of the covenant, they would have been blessed. Because they wandered far from it, they were cursed instead. Their downfall was ultimately their own doing. As Jeremiah looked around and saw the evil, pain, and suffering all around him, it is easy to draw comparisons to the book of Job. However, unlike Job (which deals with unexplained suffering), this situation was not just predictable, but predicted by Jeremiah himself. 

    Since Jeremiah had tried to warn them, all he was left to do was lament and, over a stretch of five different poems we’ll see him do just that. As we read these five chapters, we’ll see the heaviness and weight of disobedience, as well as glimmers of hope along the way. This book (in chapter 3) includes one of the most quoted, most referred to passages in all of scripture that reminds us of God’s new mercies for us each and every day. While we should (and must) lament the weight of our own sin and disobedience, let us also cling to the hope we have in Jesus as well.

    Interested in a more comprehensive explanation of Lamentations? Click here to watch the Bible Project’s overview of the book!

    Read Lamentations 1

    1How deserted lies the city,
        once so full of people!
    How like a widow is she,
        who once was great among the nations!
    She who was queen among the provinces
        has now become a slave.

    2 Bitterly she weeps at night,
        tears are on her cheeks.
    Among all her lovers
        there is no one to comfort her.
    All her friends have betrayed her;
        they have become her enemies.

    3 After affliction and harsh labor,
        Judah has gone into exile.
    She dwells among the nations;
        she finds no resting place.
    All who pursue her have overtaken her
        in the midst of her distress.

    4 The roads to Zion mourn,
        for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
    All her gateways are desolate,
        her priests groan,
    her young women grieve,
        and she is in bitter anguish.

    5 Her foes have become her masters;
        her enemies are at ease.
    The Lord has brought her grief
        because of her many sins.
    Her children have gone into exile,
        captive before the foe.

    6 All the splendor has departed
        from Daughter Zion.
    Her princes are like deer
        that find no pasture;
    in weakness they have fled
        before the pursuer.

    7 In the days of her affliction and wandering
        Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
        that were hers in days of old.
    When her people fell into enemy hands,
        there was no one to help her.
    Her enemies looked at her
        and laughed at her destruction.

    8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly
        and so has become unclean.
    All who honored her despise her,
        for they have all seen her naked;
    she herself groans
        and turns away.

    9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
        she did not consider her future.
    Her fall was astounding;
        there was none to comfort her.
    “Look, Lord, on my affliction,
        for the enemy has triumphed.”

    10 The enemy laid hands
        on all her treasures;
    she saw pagan nations
        enter her sanctuary—
    those you had forbidden
        to enter your assembly.

    11 All her people groan
        as they search for bread;
    they barter their treasures for food
        to keep themselves alive.
    “Look, Lord, and consider,
        for I am despised.”

    12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
        Look around and see.
    Is any suffering like my suffering
        that was inflicted on me,
    that the Lord brought on me
        in the day of his fierce anger?

    13 “From on high he sent fire,
        sent it down into my bones.
    He spread a net for my feet
        and turned me back.
    He made me desolate,
        faint all the day long.

    14 “My sins have been bound into a yoke;
        by his hands they were woven together.
    They have been hung on my neck,
        and the Lord has sapped my strength.
    He has given me into the hands
        of those I cannot withstand.

    15 “The Lord has rejected
        all the warriors in my midst;
    he has summoned an army against me
        to crush my young men.
    In his winepress the Lord has trampled
        Virgin Daughter Judah.

    16 “This is why I weep
        and my eyes overflow with tears.
    No one is near to comfort me,
        no one to restore my spirit.
    My children are destitute
        because the enemy has prevailed.”

    17 Zion stretches out her hands,
        but there is no one to comfort her.
    The Lord has decreed for Jacob
        that his neighbors become his foes;
    Jerusalem has become
        an unclean thing among them.

    18 “The Lord is righteous,
        yet I rebelled against his command.
    Listen, all you peoples;
        look on my suffering.
    My young men and young women
        have gone into exile.

    19 “I called to my allies
        but they betrayed me.
    My priests and my elders
        perished in the city
    while they searched for food
        to keep themselves alive.

    20 “See, Lord, how distressed I am!
        I am in torment within,
    and in my heart I am disturbed,
        for I have been most rebellious.
    Outside, the sword bereaves;
        inside, there is only death.

    21 “People have heard my groaning,
        but there is no one to comfort me.
    All my enemies have heard of my distress;
        they rejoice at what you have done.
    May you bring the day you have announced
        so they may become like me.

    22 “Let all their wickedness come before you;
        deal with them
    as you have dealt with me
        because of all my sins.
    My groans are many
        and my heart is faint.”

    Go Deeper

    Lamentations 1 portrays the sorrow and anguish of a man defeated. The common assumption is that Jeremiah was the likely author of this book. He surrendered his life to speak out against a regime that hated him and a people that shunned him. Yet as he grieves and laments, something is missing. 

    As we read through the text, the question becomes obvious: Where is the bitterness, the righteous indignation, the self-satisfied appearance of justice that seems to mark so much of our own experience? In today’s culture, which seems to be veering wildly into the consequences of ungodliness, what marks many believers is anger and disgust. What fills many social media posts are words of gleeful judgment and delight when our cultural foes meet their comeuppance. 

    Too often, our hope for this godless culture is its destruction rather than its repentance. As Christians, we are in the position of Jeremiah, a voice of God’s love towards an obstinate people. And yet, how often have we replaced godly lament for self-righteous angst? How much does our heart mirror Jeremiah’s distraught sorrow? How much do we delight instead of distress when we are proven right? Jeremiah was daily driven deeper into prayer for, not against, his countrymen. 

    He writes in Lamentations 1:9, “Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed.” Jeremiah suffers together with the people of Jerusalem, crying out to God on their behalf. His heart was always and forever for their repentance and redemption. Are we able to say the same?

    Questions

    1. When you think about engaging our culture that has turned it back on God, are you marked primarily by anger or sorrow? 
    2. How often do you pray for the repentance of the godless rather than their demise? 
    3. How can we as modern-day believers uphold God‘s truth and justice and yet not let our hearts become hardened against mercy? Are you willing to hold space to lament with those who suffer?

    By the Way

    Read Jesus’s own lament in Matthew 23:37. Look for similarities with Jeremiah in his heart towards those who rejected him.

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  • Judges 1

    Judges 1

    Judges Preview

    The book of Judges gives us a glimpse into an interesting period in Israel’s history. At this point, Israel had no king and they instead had these “judges” appointed to oversee different factions of Israel after the death of Joshua. Dr. Thomas Constable, a retired seminary professor, describes the judges as “a cross-mixture between a mayor, a marshal, a prophet, and a general.” While God would eventually raise up kings later on in Israel’s history (see 1 Samuel), He would raise up judges in the meantime to lead Israel for specific seasons.

    A theme throughout the book of Judges is that because Israel had no king, people did what was right in their own eyes. Even though Israel had strong leadership in the past (like Moses) and God had given them the 10 Commandments (and the rest of the Law) to know how to live within God’s standards, time after time Israel wandered away from God. While the book of Joshua is the story of Israel when they (for the most part) faithfully follow God, Judges shows the inverse of that. 

    Some of the stories that we will read over the next 21 chapters will be really heavy. The consequences of sin often are. Judges is a historical account of God’s people, both the good and the bad. Try to visualize what’s going on in each chapter. Each day as you open your Bible, take good notes. Read closely and carefully, paying special attention to the sequence of events that are unfolding before you.

    As we read this book, ask yourself each day what God is trying to teach you (and us) through these stories. Why did the Holy Spirit preserve this book? What was God trying to teach Israel and what is he trying to teach us today? Sit with the characters. Sit with the stories. Let’s learn from these ancient stories today.

    Read Judges 1

    Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

    1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?”

    2 The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.”

    3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.

    4 When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

    7 Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

    8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

    9 After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. 10 They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. 11 From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

    12 And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

    14 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

    15 She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

    16 The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.

    17 Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. 18 Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron—each city with its territory.

    19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. 20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. 21 The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

    22 Now the tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), 24 the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.” 25 So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. 26 He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

    27 But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. 29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. 31 Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. 32 The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. 33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. 34 The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.

    Go Deeper

    The beginning of Judges begins where the book of Joshua leaves off: with the death of Joshua. Israel is now without a leader, but they were given marching orders prior to Joshua’s passing. Joshua instructed the Israelites to drive out any inhabitants of their territorial lands and the Israelites had renewed their covenant with God. They agreed to forsake all other gods and worship and obey Yahweh (the one, true God) alone. If only it were that easy. As we will read throughout the book of Judges, that plan went awry pretty quickly.

    Their campaign to drive out the Canaanites began with promise as Judah drove out its enemies as they were supposed to. However, a couple of quick victories were followed by a stalled effort as they encountered something they didn’t expect: iron chariots (v. 19). But it wasn’t simply that Judah was outmatched militarily. Time and time again throughout Israel’s history, God had proven that didn’t matter as long as Israel trusted Him. It was their lack of faith that led them to an incomplete obedience. They lost their confidence and settled for less than what God asked of them. From this point forward, tribe after tribe fails to complete their assignment.

    By failing to purge the Canaanites from their land, the Israelites left the door open for themselves to walk in the ways of the Canaanites instead of Yahweh. When we leave Satan a foothold or when we cohabitate with sin (even just a little bit), we leave the door open for it to take over our lives. In the very next chapter of Judges, we will see the consequences of Israel’s disobedience. What was true for them is true for us today: sin always has consequences. Disobedience, partial obedience, and even delayed obedience all fall short of the complete obedience God is asking of us. While this chapter (and the rest of Judges) will feel heavy at times, it can also serve as a warning to us that we need to heed as we learn to fully submit to the work God has called us to do.

    Questions

    1. What were God’s specific instructions for Israel to follow? Why were these so important?
    2. When has a lack of faith in your own life prevented you from fully following what God is asking to do? 
    3. Can you think of an example in your own life where you are currently being disobedient, partially obedient, or your obedience is delayed? What are steps of faithfulness you can take today?

    Watch This

    As we dive into the book of Judges, check out this overview from The Bible Project!

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  • Titus 1

    Titus 1

    Titus Preview

    The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to Titus, one of his protégés, in between writing his first and second letters to Timothy. Titus was a ministry partner of Paul’s dating back to Paul’s first missionary journey. Titus had been entrusted with shepherding the believers on the island of Crete. This letter, like Paul’s other two pastoral epistles, is meant to instruct Titus (a younger, less experienced shepherd than Paul) as he leads the believers on the island of Crete.

    This letter is sort of an instruction manual for how the church should function. Paul uses this letter to talk about everything from the selection and qualification of elders to the dangers of false teachers. He talks about how to care for different people in the church and ends with a warning about divisive people within the church. Any member of a local church should read these words and make sure their church is living out the biblical expectations we see laid out in scripture for local churches. The words written for Crete are directly applicable to us today.

    Let’s learn from these words from Paul today. While this book is short (only three chapters long), it is full of practical wisdom for us to absorb today. Ask God what He wants you to learn from this letter to Titus. Grab a journal, a pen, a highlighter, and take good notes as we grow in our knowledge of God’s Word.

    Read Titus 1

    1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

    4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

    Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

    Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good

    5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

    Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

    10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

    Go Deeper

    Titus, a fellow missionary and close companion of Paul, is assigned to do ministry on the Greek island of Crete. Crete, however, has a culture that goes against Christ’s teachings. Cretans are known to be liars who engage in treachery, violence, and sexual immorality. Furthermore, Cretans intertwine their understanding of a Christian God with their views of Greek gods. The culture is a complete mess. Worse, the undisciplined Cretan culture is reinforced by bad leaders and false teachers in the church. Paul’s letter encourages Titus to establish order and effective leadership over the congregations in Crete.

    So, what makes an effective leader? What measures should Christians apply to church leaders? There are countless books, blogs, and podcasts on effective leadership in today’s world. Yet, we have Paul’s letter (written around A.D. 64-65) to provide us with truth about church leadership that is as relevant today as it was long ago in Crete.

    Paul’s guidelines for choosing leaders to govern the church and its decisions require that they know the doctrine of Christ and fully incorporate it into their lives. Leaders need more than just head knowledge of Christ. Also, leaders must teach truth and correct those in church who teach it wrongly. Crete has many false teachers, especially among Jews in the church, but also among local Cretans. Paul instructs Titus to rebuke these people. 

    To rebuke, which means to reprimand and convict someone by exposing a wrong, may sound harsh. However, wrong teaching is dangerous, so Paul instructs Titus to sharply correct those who are hurting the church for their own gain. As Christians, we are also called to correct brothers and sisters who are in sin. When coming from a place of love, to rebuke someone for an observed sinful behavior is biblical (Matthew 18:15, James 5:20, Proverbs 27:5-6, 1 Timothy 5:20, Galatians 6:1). Yet, it is important to remember we are all sinful. We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We all need loving correction. However, as was the case with Titus, the goal of good rebuke is not rebuke itself. The goal of godly rebuke is restoration.

    To rebuke well, we must examine our own hearts, seek God, and reference His Word to understand what is and is not sin. Only then can we approach others lovingly, boldly, and graciously. As we live life together, care for one another, and live in truth, we will all have times when we need correction. May we humbly offer and receive correction as God directs, remembering His heart is to fully restore all of us to Himself.

    Questions

    1. Do you have a friend you can count on to rebuke or correct you if needed?
    2. Do you know a sister or brother in the faith who is wandering away from Christ? Pray for them, and ask God to show you how you can remind them of the truth and hope of Scripture, and help them return to the path of righteousness.
    3. When was the last time someone told you that you were wrong?

    Listen Here

    Listen to Peter Greer, author and CEO of HOPE International, give a short presentation on inviting individuals to give prophetic critique about the things in our life, attitudes and affections, that may need change. When was the last time you invited someone to tell you about the spinach in your teeth?

    Need access to Right Now Media? Visit harriscreek.org/rightnow to create an account!

    Help Us Brainstorm

    We are trying to figure out what would make the BRP’s Rest Day (Sunday) entries more helpful and engaging. Maybe it’s a video, a podcast, a personal reflection…the options are endless!

    Do you have an idea? If so, e-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for helping us think!

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Ruth 1

    Ruth 1

    Ruth Preview

    The story of Ruth begins in Moab, a pagan country. A famine forces Elimelech and his wife, Naomi from their Israelite home to Moab. Their sons marry Moabite women who worship other gods. Elimelech dies and so do his sons leaving Naomi and her two daughters in law vulnerable and without means to provide for themselves. When the famine in Israel is over, Naomi packs up to head for home and urges Ruth and Orpah to go back to Moab and begin again. 

    With remarkable faith and loyalty, Ruth decides to journey with Naomi back to Bethlehem. Through tragedy, loyalty, courage, obedience, and generosity Ruth meets Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer. The role of kinsman-redeemer (or family redeemer) was a cultural practice to redeem an impoverished relative from his or her circumstances. Ruth and Boaz marry and later Ruth bears a son, Obed, who is the grandfather of King David, the ancestor of Jesus. 

    The book of Ruth is a beautiful story of redemption, loyalty, and God’s providential will. Ruth teaches us that genuine love requires sacrifice and loyalty. God uses a Gentile woman and her kinsman-redeemer as an illustration of God’s love for all people. Through the book of Ruth, we witness that even in the dark days and difficult experiences, God is working in and through the hearts and lives of people. He is our provider. He is our way-maker. He is our Redeemer. As we read Ruth, look for the foreshadowing of Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer.

    Read Ruth 1

    Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

    1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

    3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

    Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem

    6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

    8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”

    Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

    11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”

    14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

    15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

    16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

    19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

    20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

    22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

    Go Deeper

    The author of this Old Testament book is unknown, but scholars generally agree it was written after the time of the judges. Judges 17:6 reveals this was a dark time in Israel’s history, where “everyone did whatever they wanted.” In this time period, the Book of Ruth introduces the reader to a beautiful narrative of one of the greatest love stories of all time. Set against the backdrop of Bethlehem and Moab, we discover the family of Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons. Caught in the midst of a famine, they uproot to find sustenance in the land of Moab (a nation that had oppressed Israel during the period of the judges). Within ten years, the sons took Moabite wives; however, tragedy strikes as Naomi buries both her husband and sons. One could easily make a connection between Naomi and Job.

    Naomi is now found in a dangerous, desperate, and destitute situation, as a widow in a foreign land with no relatives to lean on. Broken and bitter, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. She encourages her two daughters-in-law to remain in Moab and start their lives over, even though this will mean more hardship for her.  While Orpah remains with her people, Ruth recognizes Naomi’s selfless attitude and decides to follow her example. In v. 16 Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” 

    Ruth was a Moabitess, an outsider, but one who was willing to be inconvenienced by uprooting her life to follow her convictions. She felt compelled to show loyalty to Naomi, return with her to Bethlehem, and worship the God of Israel, the one true God. Her faith would soon be richly rewarded by the love and kindness of a kinsman-redeemer. As the rest of the book will reveal, God accepts her worship and her name will one day be recorded in the lineage of Christ in Matthew 1:5. God takes a foreigner, one who was not Jewish, and weaves a lovely, unforgettable redemption story of her life. Hebrews 13:8 declares “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” We can rest assured that our God is unchanging and can do the same for us as we conduct ourselves in a way that reflects His superiority.

    Questions

    1. How have you experienced the loyalty of another in your life?  Take a moment and write them a note expressing your gratitude.
    2. Do you believe God unconditionally loves you and can create beauty out of hardships and brokenness like He did for Naomi?  
    3. What is one thing you could do this week that would bring hope to someone suffering?

    Pray This

    Father,

    In the tough times, may my unwavering trust in You draw others to do the same. Deliver me from compromising as I place my full allegiance in You as the God who sees me, is for me, and with me. You are fair and just, completely capable of taking the fragments of my lives and turning them into beauty. Thank you for redeeming me, one moment at a time.

    Help Us Brainstorm

    We are trying to figure out what would make the BRP’s Rest Day (Sunday) entries more helpful and engaging. Maybe it’s a video, a podcast, a personal reflection…the options are endless!

    Do you have an idea? If so, e-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for helping us think!

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Hosea 1

    Hosea 1

    Hosea Preview

    There are 17 prophetic books in the Old Testament—five major prophets and twelve minor prophets. These twelve minor prophet books are no less important than the major prophets (like Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), they are merely shorter and their scope is more focused. We will read several minor prophets this year and Hosea is one of those books. Hosea takes place during the middle of the eighth century BC. This date would make Hosea, the author, a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah and Micah. Like all prophets that we read about in the Old Testament, Hosea was given a message by God and it was his role to declare (and we’ll see in his case, live out) this message to those around him.

    So, why should we read the book of Hosea? What unfolds over the next fourteen chapters shows us just how applicable scripture is to our lives today. A pattern unfolds throughout this book of sin, repentance, redemption, and restoration. As Hosea is writing this book, Israel had turned away from Yahweh to worship Baal, a Canaanite fertility god. As expected, God was none too pleased with Israel’s actions and decided to use Hosea to get that message across. God wants full devotion to Him and Him alone, but the Israelites had been unfaithful. Without repentance, judgment would come their way. But if Israel repented, a beautiful redemption story could be written. The same is true for us today.  

    Each day as you open your Bible, take good notes. Read closely and carefully, paying special attention to the sequence of events that are unfolding before you. Try to visualize what’s going on in each chapter. That’s the fun of reading these Old Testament stories! Get to know these characters, both major and minor. What does each chapter in this book teach you about God’s character? What does it teach you about humanity? What were the implications for each chapter’s original audience? What are the implications for you today? These are the questions we’ll be seeking to answer over these next couple of weeks as we journey through Hosea together.

    Read Hosea 1

    1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel:

    Hosea’s Wife and Children

    2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

    4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.”

    6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.”

    8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

    10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

    Go Deeper

    Two themes quickly present themselves as we begin our reading of Hosea: the willingness of Hosea to be a living, breathing example of God’s love, and the faithfulness of God to restore Israel and continue to bless them despite their rebellion. Hosea was both called to marry a woman who would ruin his reputation and standing, as well as give his children names symbolic of the Israelites’ sin. That’s a tall request by God. We aren’t given much information as to Hosea’s reaction (if he was reluctant, if he begged God for a different way, etc.), but he was obedient and willing to give people, both in his present and in the future, a human depiction of a love that seems reckless.

    Through these two overlapping themes, we see one consistent truth quickly emerge: Even when we are faithless, God is still faithful to seek us out and restore us. He leaves the 99 to seek out the one (even if the one doesn’t deserve it). We will find as we read through this book that God’s character and purpose is always to heal and save. In our own lives, sometimes that will look very different than we would like or expect, but Hosea gives us a beautiful picture of God’s desire to relentlessly pursue and save us.

    While Hosea was called to name his children after the Israelites’ rebellious character, his own name means “salvation” and was from the same Hebrew word as the name for Jesus (Hoshea). In his writings, Hosea will remind us that salvation comes from faithfully following the Lord and turning away from our sin. Hosea also gives us a picture of how our sin feels to God—like the victim of an adulterous marriage. As one commentary puts it, God put Hosea in the place where he feels what God feels—and it doesn’t feel good.

    Just as Hosea’s wife will return time and time again to her sinful patterns, we do the same. We create idols of our status, our kids, our achievements. We fall into habits of gossip, excessive drinking, judgment, and impatience. It’s easy to imagine what Hosea felt in his marriage, but it’s more difficult to imagine that we make God feel the same way. Whatever our struggle is, and no matter how many times our actions break His heart, God promises to seek us out for restoration just as He sought out the Israelites. 

    In verse 11, God proclaims that the civil war between Judah and Israel will one day be erased. In Ephesians 2, Scripture explains how Jesus Christ came to be our peace and end all hostility, unifying all of Israel, Judah, and even Gentiles to form His church. The promise of unity and redemption was not just a promise for that time—it is a promise to all of God’s people, including us. Our God is reckless in His pursuit and love for us. He will always seek to restore His children to Himself. 

     

    Questions

    1. To what sinful patterns do you find yourself returning?
    2. How have you seen God continually chasing after you, seeking to restore you to Himself?
    3. Is there anything God is calling you to do that requires difficult obedience? Have you obeyed?

    Pray This

    If you would like to pray through Hosea, here is a link to an 11-day plan. 

    Help Us Brainstorm

    We are trying to figure out what would make the BRP’s Rest Day (Sunday) entries more helpful and engaging. Maybe it’s a video, a podcast, a personal reflection…the options are endless!

    Do you have an idea? If so, e-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for helping us think!

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Obadiah 1

    Obadiah 1

    Read Obadiah 1

    Obadiah’s Vision

    1 The vision of Obadiah.

    This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—

    We have heard a message from the Lord:
        An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
    “Rise, let us go against her for battle”—

    2 “See, I will make you small among the nations;
        you will be utterly despised.
    3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
        you who live in the clefts of the rocks
        and make your home on the heights,
    you who say to yourself,
        ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
    4 Though you soar like the eagle
        and make your nest among the stars,
        from there I will bring you down,”
    declares the Lord.
    5 “If thieves came to you,
        if robbers in the night—
    oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
        would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
    If grape pickers came to you,
        would they not leave a few grapes?
    6 But how Esau will be ransacked,
        his hidden treasures pillaged!
    7 All your allies will force you to the border;
        your friends will deceive and overpower you;
    those who eat your bread will set a trap for you;
        but you will not detect it.

    8 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
        “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom,
        those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
    9 Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified,
        and everyone in Esau’s mountains
        will be cut down in the slaughter.
    10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
        you will be covered with shame;
        you will be destroyed forever.
    11 On the day you stood aloof
        while strangers carried off his wealth
    and foreigners entered his gates
        and cast lots for Jerusalem,
        you were like one of them.
    12 You should not gloat over your brother
        in the day of his misfortune,
    nor rejoice over the people of Judah
        in the day of their destruction,
    nor boast so much
        in the day of their trouble.
    13 You should not march through the gates of my people
        in the day of their disaster,
    nor gloat over them in their calamity
        in the day of their disaster,
    nor seize their wealth
        in the day of their disaster.
    14 You should not wait at the crossroads
        to cut down their fugitives,
    nor hand over their survivors
        in the day of their trouble.

    15 “The day of the Lord is near
        for all nations.
    As you have done, it will be done to you;
        your deeds will return upon your own head.
    16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,
        so all the nations will drink continually;
    they will drink and drink
        and be as if they had never been.
    17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
        it will be holy,
        and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
    18 Jacob will be a fire
        and Joseph a flame;
    Esau will be stubble,
        and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
    There will be no survivors
        from Esau.”
    The Lord has spoken.

    19 People from the Negev will occupy
        the mountains of Esau,
    and people from the foothills will possess
        the land of the Philistines.
    They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,
        and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
    20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
        will possess the land as far as Zarephath;
    the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
        will possess the towns of the Negev.
    21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
        to govern the mountains of Esau.
        And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

    Go Deeper

    Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament, is an interesting read because there are some things we know for certain as we study it, and some things we don’t. For example, Obadiah doesn’t give us much autobiographical information about himself. There were twelve men named Obadiah mentioned throughout the Old Testament and scholars can’t definitively say which of them was the prophet mentioned here. Because we aren’t quite sure who wrote this book, we also can’t be sure when it was written. So what are we to make of this book we have so many questions about?

    To properly understand this book, we have to understand who the Edomites are. Obadiah announces God’s judgment against them but…why? It all goes back to the division between Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25. Jacob’s descendants are God’s chosen people (the Israelites) and Esau’s descendents are the Edomites. Throughout the Old Testament the Edomites stand in opposition to the Israelites (and in turn, God). God uses Obadiah to warn the Edomites that there will be a consequence to their actions. They have mocked, stolen from, and harmed the Israelites. Sinning against the Israelites is equal to sinning against God, and the Edomites aren’t going to get away with it. Their pride before the Lord (v. 3) had caused them to think more highly of themselves than they should–now they would face the consequences while the people of Judah would experience redemption.

    The ramifications of this book, in many ways, are the same today as they were over two thousand years ago. It is a warning against pride. C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity says, “The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.” Pride has a devastating effect on our lives, both individually and collectively. If pride goes unchecked in an individual, it’s going to spread from person to person and family to family until the point that it is rampant. 

    Scripture repeatedly warns against pride and advises humility. Obadiah is merely another example of that theme being repeated. Our response today is to ask God to give us humility in our thoughts, our words, and our actions today as we live as people marked by the Gospel.

    Questions

    1. Why were the Edomites opposing God? What does this text tell you they were doing?   
    2. Where in your life has pride crept in? What thoughts or behaviors have you noticed that display your pride?
    3. Who is the most humble person you know personally? What traits or characteristics do you notice about them?

    Watch This

    Check out this overview of the book of Obadiah from the Bible Project!

    Help Us Brainstorm

    We are trying to figure out what would make the BRP’s Rest Day (Sunday) entries more helpful and engaging. Maybe it’s a video, a podcast, a personal reflection…the options are endless!

    Do you have an idea? If so, e-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for helping us think!

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence. 

    This week for our Rest Day, we have a video introduction to the book of Job from one of our favorite resources, The Bible Project. Enjoy! 

    Watch This

    The Bible Project Introduction to the Book of Job.

    Worship with Us

    Join us at 9a or 11a in person or online at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected].

    Leave a Comment Below
    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.
  • Job 1

    Job 1

    Getting Started

    Welcome to the Bible Reading Plan! We are so glad you are joining us for this journey through Job over the next few weeks. Each day, you will read one chapter of the Bible followed by a short devotional, answer a few questions, and if you want, record any observations or insights using the interactive comments section. We believe God will use this resource to grow our knowledge and affection for Him. We know God’s Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). Sign up with a friend, your Life Group, or your family, and let’s dig in!

    Make sure to download our Harris Creek App and turn on push notifications, or visit us at biblereadingplan.org and sign up to receive the BRP in your inbox. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram (@harriscreek) for some fun, creative ways to interact with the readings. 

    Let’s Go, Church!

    Job Preview

    Many of us are familiar with Job without having immersed ourselves in the full story. We know that he was a good man who suffered a lot, but his story is much more complicated than that. Scholars place the story of Job’s life during the same era as the patriarch in Genesis, placing him alive alongside (most likely) Jacob. While we don’t know a ton about Job’s backstory, we do know that he loved God. We also know that he was an upstanding husband, father, and wealthy landowner. Until he lost everything. 

    What unfolds in this story is both important for us to read, yet a little difficult to fully comprehend. Tim Mackie, co-founder of The Bible Project, describes Job this way:

    “You’ve stepped into one of the most sophisticated and mind-bending literary works in the Bible. This book has been designed to stimulate your mind and heart by raising huge questions about God’s character and the meaning of human suffering. But just so you know, no straightforward answers lie within…Most people finish the book feeling unsure they got the point, but convinced they’ve experienced something profound.”

    Why should we read the book of Job? And why kick off 2022 with such a complex book? We contemplated a number of different books to kick off the new year with, but Job felt right. Life is full of suffering and hardship. If you live long enough, you will experience the full range of human emotions. You’ll experience extreme joy and profound sorrow; triumphant gains and gutting losses. As followers of Jesus, we should expect to suffer hardships this side of eternity. By reading the book of Job, we are going to learn not necessarily why we suffer, but how to suffer faithfully. When we’re able to mourn, suffer, and grieve faithfully, that is compelling to the outside world. 

    As we read the book of Job, examine it through the lens of the hope we have because of the Gospel. As difficult as life gets on earth, we always have the hope of eternity on our side. When you’re reading along, grab a highlighter and journal to take notes as you go! Don’t give up on the days where it might feel repetitive. Lean into the text and dig deeper with other resources that will help you clarify what needs clarifying. Make the commitment now to devote yourself to God’s Word each day as we journey through Job.

    We’re excited for this new year and this new book we get to read together! Thanks for reading along.

    The BRP Team

    Read Job 1

    Prologue

    1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

    4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

    6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

    Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

    8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

    9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

    12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

    Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

    13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

    16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

    17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

    18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

    20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:

    “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
        and naked I will depart.
    The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
        may the name of the Lord be praised.”

    22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

    Go Deeper

    How do you respond when the bottom drops out beneath you? When the sun is shining, there’s money in the bank, and we’re healthy, it’s much easier to praise the Lord and smile. But what’s your response when:

    • you get cut from the team?
    • you unfairly get a bad grade on a test?
    • your boss belittles you and insults your intelligence?
    • your son frustrates you yet again? 
    • your spouse seems to love her job more than her family?
    • a loved one receives a life-threatening diagnosis?

    In Job 1, we see a man who was blameless, upright, feared God, and “was the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:3b). The Lord said, “There is no one on earth like him…who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). Job faced temptation like the rest of us, but he walked away from sin.

    Job was the best of the best and was richly blessed with a large family and an abundance of wealth, livestock, and servants. Satan told the Lord that Job obediently walked with the Lord only because he had everything he needed. Take it away, and his faith will go away. So the Lord allowed Satan to do whatever he wished with Job (except he could not harm Job himself). Satan brought major trial after major trial, culminating in the loss of Job’s 10 children.

    The bottom dropped out beneath Job. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to lose just about everything in one day? To lose everything you own and to lose your very own flesh and blood? Most of us would probably do as Satan predicted—we would curse God to His face (v. 11). 

    Yet, we see something beyond extraordinary in Job. He grieved (tore his robe and shaved his head), but then he fell to the ground and worshipped the Lord. Can you believe it? Job did not sin by accusing God of wrongdoing. Instead, on the worst day of his life, Job praised the name of the Lord.

    We see why Job earned the description of being the greatest among all the people. Job’s response should challenge us to do likewise. When we face trials of many kinds (which are guaranteed according to Jesus in John 16:33), will we be found faithful and worshipful like Job, or will we choose to curse God and walk away?

    Questions

    1. Since only Jesus is sinless and perfect, what does it mean when it says that Job is “blameless?”
    2. Who’s really in control of Job—God or Satan? How do we know who’s in charge?
    3. What would it look like for you to “shun evil” in your life?

    Listen Here

    Listen to the song “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman. You can either listen in your music provider of choice or you can listen along through this YouTube link. Shane & Shane have a great version of the song as well. The song dovetails perfectly with Job’s response to his massive trials as seen in Job 1:21.

    Leave a Comment Below

    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.

    Join the Team

    Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].

  • Rest Day 4

    Rest Day 4

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence. Each Rest Day, we will also introduce a memory verse for the week. Meditate on this week’s verse and begin to memorize it.

    Memory Verse

    For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

    Luke 19:10

    Memorization Tip

    Use community as a tool to help you in your Scripture memorization journey! Pick a few friends, or your Life Group, with whom to memorize Scripture. Practice together, hold each other accountable, and encourage one another as you work together. Remember that the best way to stick with a challenge is to not go at it alone!

    Worship with Us

    Join us at 9a or 11a in person or online at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected].

    Leave a Comment Below
    Did you learn something today? Share it with our Bible Reading Plan community by commenting below.
  • Rest Day 3

    Rest Day 3

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence. Each Rest Day, we will also introduce a memory verse for the week. Meditate on this week’s verse and begin to memorize it.

    Memory Verse

    For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

    Luke 12:34

    Memorization Tip

    Take the verse with you throughout your day. Write it on a post-it note and put it on your fridge, or your mirror, or your steering wheel–anywhere that you’ll see it and be reminded of what you’re memorizing throughout the day. Put it as the lock screen on your phone. And when you see it during the day, say it out loud, meditate on it, and work on memorizing it.

    Worship with Us

    Join us at 9a or 11a in person or online at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected].

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