November 27

Daniel 4:1-37, 2 Peter 1:1-21, Psalm 119:97-112, Proverbs 28:17-18



Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for a new day, a new start and another opportunity to be a follower of Christ. Give me the strength to stand in the face of adversity and grace sufficient to see me through. Today I give You my all. In Your precious name, Amen.

Read: 2 Peter was written during the height of the persecution of Nero (the guy who burned Christians for lamps in his courtyard). The opening chapter begins the process of denouncing the teachings of false teachers who were causing people to doubt their faith and turn away from Christianity. Peter writes to these confused Christians and reminds them that a “life of moral excellence” (vs. 5) is produced by faith that is put into action and all of this comes from knowing God. Peter reminds believers that God will provide for all of their needs and that they must practice patient endurance (vs. 6). 

Have you ever listened to someone speaking or teaching and wondered what Bible they got their information from? I can only imagine that this is the audience that Peter is writing… a bunch of confused followers of Christ who have been given some bad teaching and were starting to wonder what the truth really was.

Edify: Are you like King Nebuchadnezzar or do you know someone who is? Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged and even praised God, but never fully and completely submitted to Him and Him alone. There are many people who call themselves Christian that attend worship on a regular basis, maybe they are in a life group, or maybe they even serve… but they haven’t fully given themselves over to God and trusted Him with their whole heart. My study Bible says it this way… “profession doesn’t always mean possession.” Does your life line up with what you profess to be true? Is the way you live a reflection of Christ or does it depend on the time and place as to what you reflect?  

This was ultimately Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall. He never gave God anything more than lip service. God wants our hearts all of the time… not just on Sunday or when we need something or when it’s convenient. To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus means just that… fully devoted. 

Practice: Focus on your walk with God and your dedication to being a student of Scripture. Beginning with daily Bible reading is good, but have you ever done some research on something that wasn’t quite clear? Have you spent any time reading the notes if you have a study Bible? Let’s take a few extra minutes today to become a student of Scripture rather then merely a reader of Scripture.

November 26

Daniel 2:24-3:30, 1 Peter 4:7-5:14, Psalm 119:81-96, Proverbs 28:15-16

Pray: Father, I thank You for who You are. You are just and true. You are love and mercy. You are joy and peace. My heart knows You are good. 

Read: (1 Peter 4:10-11) "God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen."

Edify: What spiritual gifts do you have? The answer to this question can give us so much direction in God's call on our lives. Serving in your top two or three spiritual gifts will fuel you in your daily walk with God. Please understand though that these gifts are meant to glorify God, not yourself. Glorifying God through Jesus is the very thing our soul craves the most. God has equipped you with gifts and talents to accomplish all that He has for your life. 

Practice: Find out what your spiritual gifts are. If you're not sure how God has gifted you - take a spiritual gifts test. Spiritual gifts test are designed to help you see your top three spiritual gifts. Take this test every three years. Exercise these gifts for God's glory. Pray about how you can use these gifts daily. God has a plan for our lives and wants us to partner with Him where He is already at work. Exercising these gifts will bring joy, purpose, and mission to your life. Better yet, it will bring joy to those around you. God will be lifted up and people's lives will never be the same.

November 25

Daniel 1:1-2:23, 1 Peter 3:8-4:6, Psalm 119:65-80, Proverbs 28:14 



Pray: Father grant me wisdom. Give me knowledge in Your word today. Bless me with the opportunity to speak wisdom and encouragement in the lives of others. 

Read: (Daniel 1:17) "God gave these four men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams."

Edify: We see as the book of Daniel opens how the people of Israel came under siege from King Nebuchadnezzar. They were held captive in every way possible. The strong, good looking men were even taken away to Babylon to be taught the language and literature of Babylon. They were to be trained 3 years and enter the royal service of Babylon. Their names were even changed to take away the influence of the God of Israel to be replaced by new names symbolizing their service to Babylon. Their identity was to be stripped and replaced. As much as the King of Babylon wanted to influence God's people he would see that God had the opposite plan in mind.

Practice: Leadership is influence. Make a list of people you have influence over. This can be your workplace, your friends, family and of course your household. How can you begin to influence them in a godly way? Take one or two intentional steps to influence them. Take action! Because the world is more than ready to influence them in worldly ways. Be in prayer today to take action in your influence of others. 

November 24

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, 1 Peter 2:11-3:7, Psalm 119:49-64, Proverbs 28:12-13

Pray: Lord, You are the author of all that is good. You give us Your word to encourage and instruct us. Father, open our hearts today to receive Your word. Give us new eyes and new ears for Your glory. 

Read: (1 Peter 3:7) "In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered."

Edify: Whether married or single, the Bible gives us clear instruction on how to treat one another in a covenant of marriage between a woman and a man. If you are single with the intention of one day being married, this gives you a glimpse of what kind of spouse to look for. If you are married, this gives you instruction on how to love and care for one another. It seems so old fashioned to get relationship advice from the Bible, but look around at our culture. It seems we need direction in relationships from the God who invented them. The New Testament is revolutionary in its view of women both in relationships and in the church. We see Paul in Ephesians charging husbands to "love your wives just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her." From Paul's letter to the Ephesians and here in Peter's letter to Christians in Asia minor we see them both giving direction in relationships and marriage that are not aligned with culture. Culture without God's influence and direction will always lean towards oppression. Leaders like Peter and Paul knew that God's way leads to freedom not oppression. They also knew Christians could have an impact on their surroundings and culture. 

Practice: Write out how our culture views relationships and marriage. Now write out how the Bible views them. If you're not sure how the Bible defines certain things, read scripture and study those verses with an open mind and heart. Once you define the culture's view versus the Biblical view - a choice has to be made. God wants freedom for us and our culture. It will take Christians living out their faith in those relationships to influence the culture. 

November 23

Ezekiel 45:13-46:24, 1 Peter 1:13-2:10, Psalm 119:33-48, Proverbs 28:11

Pray: Father, help me today to lean into Your understanding. I ask for Your wisdom today to see beyond the darkness that the world offers. Help me to love the light and be drawn into the life it brings. Help me to take Your light and shine it wherever I go today to be a light for You in a dark world. 

Read: (Psalm 119:33-40) "Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness." 

Edify: When I read these verses, I cannot help but think about repentance. Sure, you could read these verses and see "rules and commands." There is always a negative association with rules and commands in the Bible. Why is that? Is it because our hearts are always leaning towards doing the wrong thing? Or is it because we worship things over the creator? Every one of us has a sin problem. We don't solve that problem by saying - "well everyone sins." We solve the problem by repenting. Repentance is turning away from your evil ways and going towards God. There is no one too far from God and taking one step of repentance will start a party in heaven (see Luke 15:10). When we repent we see those same rules and commands a lot differently. We see them as healthy boundaries and maybe more importantly we see them as acts of pleasing our glorious God. "Renew my life with your goodness." When God has rescued you from the evil of this world, we should be more than happy to follow His rules and commands. Or as the Psalmist says, "Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found."

Practice: What is it that you need to repent of? The act of repentance is an everyday thing for every Christ follower. Find a quiet place to pray. Thank God for His goodness and repent today. Take a step away from anything that is keeping you from God. 

November 22

Ezekiel 44:1-45:12, 1 Peter 1:1-12, Psalm 119:17-32, Proverbs 28:8-10 

Pray: Heavenly Father, I come to You today seeking peace. Peace through the chaos that life can sometimes bring. Guide me with Your Holy Spirit today and every day. Give me encouraging words to share with others and help me see others who are struggling too. 

Read: (1 Peter 1:8-11) "You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you."

Edify: Peter understands suffering. He has seen it and has lived it. He has seen his Christian brothers, sisters and even Christ Himself suffer. Peter is sharing encouragement with God's people in Asia Minor. He knows they will be targeted for their faith. He points them to the Good News that has been proclaimed long before their suffering. In the Old Testament we see prophets proclaiming of the coming Messiah. They were extremely faithful without seeing Christ first hand. These prophets prepared the way by proclaiming "The Way." Now these Christians, as well as us today, experience the Good News of Jesus by the faithfulness of others. 

Practice: Proclaim the Good News. Use words and use actions. Be thankful and grateful, not just today, but every day. God has blessed us immensely with the saving grace found in Jesus. It is a truth that needs to be shared. We share our faith through the good and bad in life. No matter the circumstances God has provided a way above our daily trials and suffering. There may be a friend, family member, or coworker you spend a lot of time with. Do they know this God of the Bible? May God use us today to be a light in a dark world. 

November 21

Ezekiel 42:1-43:27, James 5:1-20, Psalm 119:1-16, Proverbs 28:6-7



Pray: Father when I thought there was no way through You made a path for me. I thank You today for the saving grace I've found in Jesus. 

Read: (James 5:10-11) "For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy."

Edify: James points us to the Old Testament for guidance on how to endure sufferings. Suffering is a very real part of being a Christian. Job had it all, lost it all, and was still restored with blessings. Sounds a lot like Jesus doesn't it? Jesus had it all with eternal praise in heaven but laid all that honor and praise down to come suffer on our behalf so we can receive the blessing of God. We can all relate to Job. We can see sufferings around us. We see brokenness, tragedy and sickness. But as Christians there is a unique sense of peace even through sufferings. We know that the story doesn't end with sufferings. Job may be known for his sufferings but God is known for His eternal blessings. 

Practice: Count your sufferings as blessings. This can be very difficult but try and see the current sufferings around you as blessings. There may be an opportunity God has placed before you to share His story of redemption, restoration, and peace with someone. Pray that God would be with you during any struggles you may have right now and thank Him for His goodness.