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. 

November 20

Ezekiel 40:28-41:26, , James 4:1-17,, Psalm 118:19-29, , Proverbs 28:3-5 

Pray: Father, I come to You today thankful. Thankful that Your word and Your promises are enduring and that You are faithful. Even though I may not feel faithful at times, You are steadfast in Your love and grace for me. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me today and move in my life to share that same love and grace with others. 

Read: (Psalm 118:19-24) "Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord. These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory! The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Edify: Jesus came to live a perfect life so that we might take upon ourselves His righteousness. The word "righteous" can be a little intimidating. But we must remember that Scripture is primarily about pointing us to God. God had to come to be rejected so that we can live in the house of the Lord forever. Jesus is the cornerstone upon which eternity with God is built. 

Practice: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." (Psalm 118:29) Be thankful today for all that God has done in your life. Talk to your friends and family about how God has changed you. Also, think of one person that has made an impact on your life. Give them a call or send them a thank you note and thank them for investing in your life. 

November 19

Ezekiel 39:1-40:27, James 2:18-3:18, Psalm 118:1-18, Proverbs 28:2



Pray: Father, faith is far more than what I believe. True faith is always coupled to what I do. Help me Lord to measure my faith by obedience to Your commands rather than thinking I have faith because I agree with them.

Read: Proverbs 28:2 tells us that where there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. Have you ever thought something like this, “he can cheat on his wife but it is none of my business.” Immorality is everyone’s business. True, dragging someone out of their home and stoning them for immorality may not be the best idea you ever had. Still immorality isn’t just a matter between two consenting adults. It rots a nation.

Edify: People living immorally won’t want to hear from you until they know you care about them and want God’s best for them. They won’t care about what you know until they know that you care. Jesus was not afraid of immoral people. It is why He came to earth. We need to remind ourselves that we owe them love and compassion. 

Practice: Practice asking people how you can serve them. There is nothing wrong with telling people you care about them and want to see them blessed. Sow your time, sow your resources, and sow your presence into hurting people. Understand going in that hurting people hurt people. Don’t expect too much at first but give far more than they could have ever expected. History is changed one life at a time. Practice changing the future of those caught in their own poor choices.