December 14

Jonah 1:1-4-11, Revelation 5:1-14, Psalm 133:1-3, Proverbs 29:26-27 

Pray: When is the last time someone you know (or even a famous sports, politician, etc.) did not receive a punishment that they deserved? Did it confuse or upset you? Spend time in prayer acknowledging the ways that God has shown you mercy in times when you know He withheld what you truly deserved.

Read: When you get a peek into heaven in the Revelation reading, consider how unified everyone in heaven is around the person and plan of God in Christ Jesus. Then notice how important it is for our lives to be in harmony with God’s plan and God’s people as you read the rest of the Scriptures.

Edify: Vivid encounters with the Gospel of Jesus lead to a life in harmony with God’s plan and people. Take Jonah, who went down to the depths of death and spent 3 days in the merciful belly of a whale. He then, 3 days later, emerged from the depth with new life. Jonah immediately changes directions and fueled by God’s mercy brings a message of a merciful God leading a nation to repentance. Jonah’s heart hadn’t caught up to his obedience, but the picture in Revelation 5 shows that one day it will. When John weeps at the Lamb who had been slain, interchangeable with the Lion of Judah, the entire population in heaven breaks into a gospel song about God’s worthiness and His merciful act of ransoming a people to Himself from every tribe and language and people and nation. The Gospel brings harmony to our lives, purposes, and relationships. 

Practice: How is your life out of harmony in your relationships? In view of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus, how are you supposed to tangibly show mercy to someone in your life right now? “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” ~ Jesus.

December 13

Obadiah 1:1-21, Revelation 4:1-11, Psalm 132:1-18, Proverbs 29:24-25

Pray: Who sits on the throne of heaven? Remind yourself of the one who created it all and rules everything forever and ever. Let this truth drive your prayer time.

Read: Ask God to enlarge your perspective with your current challenges, circumstances, and plans as you take in the full counsel of God in today’s reading.

Edify: The Psalm echoes the unconditional promise of God to David that one of his ancestors will sit on the throne forever (Psalm 132:11). Obadiah is a mouthpiece of God who echoes this promise even in a time of ruin and exile. God will judge those who go against His plans and will restore Israel, because He will never go back on this promise. Do the promises of God rule in your heart and in your sight, or do your circumstances rule the day? The vision of the unchangeable one (in both His nature and position on the throne) is meant to change our perspective and purpose in our today. What does the Good News of Jesus look like in your family, work, church, and entire life today?

Practice: Write down your top cause of stress and anxiety. What fear are you projecting on the future? Now write down Revelation 4:8 or 4:11 in response. What does God’s redemptive plan look like in this particular situation?

December 12

Amos 7:1-9:15, Revelation 3:7-22, Psalm 131:1-3, Proverbs 29:23



Pray: “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord – now and always” (Psalm 131:3).  Search your heart and pray through where you are placing your hope. Take action and “put” your hope in the Lord in prayer.

Read: As you begin reading through the book of Revelation the rest of the year, a common phrase that you will see is Jesus’ promise, “I am coming soon.” Soak in those four words and the comfort and hope that they bring as you read.

Edify: Laodicea is the only church in which Jesus doesn’t have anything good to say. The discomforting part is that it is a church and city that would appear to have it all together from a worldly perspective. History shows that it is a place of medical advancement and a financial center with an abundance of banks. Jesus assures that He is knocking on the door and still pursuing. However, He paints a brutal picture of how their indifference makes Him nauseous. Out of love and to shake up the status quo, Jesus is prepared to bring discipline to this church whom He still loves.

Practice: Jesus offers gold from Him and clean garments. In other words, your aspirations for wealth and progress (self-righteousness) have something so much greater available. How will you store up treasures in heaven this week? A planned financial gift to the church or the poor? A scheduled appointment for family devotion time? Time set aside to minister to others in a nursing home, homeless shelter, a strategic partner, etc.?

December 11

Amos 4:1-6:14, Revelation 2:18-3:6, Psalm 130:1-8, Proverbs 29:21-22 



Pray: Close your eyes and take a moment to imagine walking up to the old city of Jerusalem to where the temple of the Lord is. Your eyes fixed upon the city up on the hill. This pilgrimage is paired with song as you ascend. Read the couple verses of Psalm 130 aloud as your song and prayer to begin your time with the Lord today.

Read: As you read through Amos and Revelation, what is it that the Lord is after? What does He want from His people? 

Edify: The Lord desires to show mercy to repentant hearts, disciplines out of love, yet He is within His rights to bring judgment at the proper time. Amos delivers a striking message from the Lord for those who have forgotten the Lord, gotten drunk on their own privilege, and cared nothing for those who are vulnerable and in need. Israel was unfaithful spiritually yet still used practices such as giving offerings to the Lord as ways to increase their status before one another. But yet the Lord calls His people to “Come back to me and live!” (Amos 5:4b). Repent from what is evil and enter into the peace of the Lord is the echo of both John (Revelation) and Amos.

Practice: Take one step to serve, spend time with, or give to the poor this week. This is “pure religion” as James says. This is the biblical vision of justice. We are to love our weak, vulnerable, and poor neighbors as we would love and look out for ourselves.

December 10

Amos 1:1-3:15, Revelation 2:1-17 Psalm 129:1-8, Proverbs 29:19-20

Pray: Ask the Lord to help you control your tongue and typing fingers. If you’re anything like me, this is not the easiest of tasks. I read or hear something and immediately I want to respond. Sometimes I want to affirm or agree, but mostly I want to disagree and make my (correct, of course) opinion known. “There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks [or types] without thinking.” Proverbs warns us. Let’s join together in paying attention to the warning.

Read: It’s possible. It’s not always easy, but it is possible. The Christians in Pergamum did it. “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me.” Can a person live an authentic Christian life of complete obedience to God today? Yes. Yes. A resounding YES!!! With the help of the Holy Spirit living within you, it is possible!

Edify: “The people of Israel (Hickory, Conover, Newton, Lincolnton, Statesville and anywhere USA) have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished.” Merry Christmas! That doesn’t seem like much of a Christmas message, does it? In reality, there’s not much that is more Christmasy (is that a real word?) than sin and its consequences. The word Christmas, literally translated means, “Christ’s Mission.” What is His mission? He would say it is to “seek and save those who are lost.” Sin has consequences, eternal ones. Jesus came to earth to one day atone for our sins and He took upon Himself the consequences of our sins. So, Merry Christmas!

Practice: We don’t need more stuff to do. We need to figure out what is of utmost importance and do that, forgetting some of the other busy stuff that occupies so much of our limited time, energy, and resources. This indicted an entire church in Ephesus. “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work…But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Even with the best of intentions, if we’re not careful, we can neglect that which is most important, loving God and loving others. How would you rate yourself with loving God and loving others?

December 9

Joel 1:1-3:21, Revelation 1:1-20, Psalm 128:1-6, Proverbs 29:18



Pray: “Turn to me now…Give me your hearts.” It’s a call to repentance and reconciliation with God. It follows a litany of destruction and desolation, a result of rebellion against the decrees of the Lord. In short, there are always consequences to our actions. Pause and see what is in your life for which you need to confess and repent. Turn to the Lord. Give Him your heart.

Read: “I have the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I heard someone say this to me once. I assumed they meant they had a spiritual gift. Nope. The intent was to inform me that they (not everyone else) had the gift of the Holy Spirit. Joel would take issue with that, as would I and Scripture as whole. “I will pour out my Spirit upon all people…sons and daughters…old men…young men…servants…men and women alike.” For those who name Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them. 

Edify: One theme throughout Revelation is of God’s timeless nature. “I am the Alpha and the Omega - the beginning and the end…I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come - the Almighty One.” Trends come and trends go. Fads operate much the same way. Remember Pokemon Go? God and His Word will stand forever. Amen and amen!

Practice: We make much of obedience. That’s only because Scripture makes much of obedience. Proverbs tells us today, “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.” Guidance is not restrictive, though sometimes people assume it is. We will never find as much joy and freedom as when we are obediently in the center of God’s will. 

December 8

Hosea 10:1-14:9, Jude 1:1-25, Psalm 127:1-5, Proverbs 29:15-17

Pray: Holy Spirit, reveal Your truth to us today.

Read: New Years is approaching. Get your resolutions ready! It’ll be a great two weeks at the gym (pardon the sarcasm). We like making resolutions. I once heard a preacher say, “Christians don’t make resolutions, they make covenants.” I’m not sure that’s completely provable, theologically, but it’s a nice line in a sermon. Either way, we’re pretty quick to go back on our word, whether a resolution or a covenant. Hosea has a word for us on this: “They spout empty words and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.” There are real consequences to empty covenants and resolutions. Be honest with yourself, be realistic with your covenants and resolutions. Be a person of your word.

Edify: God agonizes over Israel in Hosea. He raised them up. He loved them. He cared for them. He helped them. They rebelled against Him, even while calling Him “Most High.” Yet, the Lord says, “I will bring them home again.” If you ever wonder if you’ve fallen too far, strayed too much, you haven’t; just read Hosea. God doesn’t approve of our sin, but He withholds His wrath because of the depth of His love, the same love He has for you.

Practice: Jude could have been written in 2025. If you follow such things you know that there are many people in many churches, clergy and laity alike, espousing that “God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.” Jude calls them “ungodly people [who] have wormed their way into your churches.” Then and now, the problem was real, and followers of Jesus are called to respond. We are to “defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people.” I hope you’ll read Jude and join countless followers before you and defend the faith.