October 10

Jeremiah 14:11-16:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13, Psalm 80:1-19, Proverbs 25:1-5



Pray: Father give me new eyes and new ears today. Help me to see value in people and help me to love people enough to be truthful with them. Help me to submit and trust those in spiritual authority. Bring Your order out of the chaos in this world and let Your will always prevail.

Read: (Jeremiah 15:19) This is how the Lord responds: "If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!"

Edify: Results. We all want results. We want to put an effort in and see progress or success come out of those efforts. Jeremiah is often referred to as the "weeping prophet" because he saw no fruit from his efforts. But rather than give up and move on, he remained faithful. While false prophets were promising peace, Jeremiah remained faithful to share the destruction that was to come. No matter how harsh, Jeremiah remained a truth-teller. 

Practice: What's your favorite news source? Most often we gravitate to words or news that we agree with or want to hear. Our culture has created spaces that allow us to only hear what we want to hear. As Christ followers we have to be "set apart." Practice today sharing truthful words with those around you. Sharing the truth in love with people will build relationships far beyond today's troubles. Choose people in your household, workplace or community and practice "truth-telling." In sharing the truth, people will see your genuine care for them. Fight the passive nature of telling people what they want to hear. Rather, share what they may need to hear. 

October 9

Jeremiah 12:1-14:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8, Psalm 79:1-13, Proverbs 24:30-34 

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and mercy. God help me to trust in Your goodness and trust in Your path for my life. Give me a vision of tomorrow but discipline me for today to be obedient to Your call in my life. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me today and give me words when I need words and silence when I need silence. 

Read: (1 Thessalonians 1:4-7) "We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece-throughout both Macedonia and Achaia."

Edify: The Holy Spirit is the very power of God. It empowers us as believers to live a life that is pleasing to God. We often spend much of our time trying to please other people. How is that working for you? It's exhausting to try and please those around us. Paul ends chapter 2 in 1 Thessalonians by saying "We loved you so much that we share with you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too." 

Practice: Instead of trying to please others, share God's Good News with them. Everyone is looking for hope, literally every person you or I come in contact with today will be seeking hope. Whatever season of life we find ourselves in, we all need to be reminded that God moved heaven and earth to rescue and save us. Let our focus today be on the saving grace that we find in Jesus Christ. 

October 8

Jeremiah 10:1-11:23, Colossians 3:18-4:18, Psalm 78:56-72, Proverbs 24:28-29

Pray: Lord, help me to be gracious when I feel anything but gracious. Remind me that I am Your witness to those that don’t know You. My words matter. My actions matter. And the people I interact with matter!

Read:(Colossians 4:2, 5-6) "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone." Have you ever witnessed someone acting up in traffic and then notice a Christian symbol or sticker on the rear window of their vehicle? As Christians we prepare ourselves for the day ahead by giving ourselves to prayer, keeping alert minds throughout the day, and by being thankful. Our actions throughout the day are a living testimony of what we believe. They say far more about our faith than the fact that our car is in a church parking lot on Sundays.

Edify: Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. When I was in Israel a number of years ago I saw a Palestinian family walking along the road. The man was riding a donkey in front. His wife followed carrying a young child. And two young children walked a few steps behind her. Such was the plight of Arab women at that time. Few were educated. Paul would have had the women on the donkey with the man leading the animal. But here is the thing, Paul was talking to the church and not to an Arab audience. Even in the church, men are failing to love their wives and treat them with respect. Do you want God’s blessing men? Then honor your wives!

Practice: Practice serving your wives. Treat them in such a way that the world marvels at your care and concern. Remember that prayers offered by men that do not honor their wives are hindered. (I Peter 3:7)

October 7

Jeremiah 8:8-9:26, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 78:32-55, Proverbs 24:27



Pray: Father, help me to always be thinking “eternity”. Help me to examine what I say and what I do in light of “eternity”. Remind me that I have an eternal purpose to fulfill in a temporal world. Show me what it means to be heavenly minded.

Read: (Colossians 3:1-4) "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in his glory." All of us are looking for the “why are we here” answer. The answer is hidden in Christ. As we get to know and experience Christ, the mystery unfolds and God’s plan and purpose for us is revealed. Meaning and fulfillment are linked to our relationship with God.

Edify: Proverbs 24:27 speaks to priorities. In this country young couples get married and all too often their first major investment is buying a home. Establishing a business (preparing your fields) is far more important. A financial plan followed by careful preparation and then disciplined execution is the key to financial freedom. So, it is not a new home and a new car that young marrieds need. Rather, it is a financial plan and execution of the same that allows them to be successful….and generous.

Practice: Dave Ramsey says if we are one day to live like no one else, we must be willing to live like no one else TODAY. Practice tithing. Practice saving. Practice setting aside emergency funds and reserves. Practice paying in full for the things you buy. Financial discipline paves the way for spiritual discipline and vice versa.

October 6

Jeremiah 6:16-8:7, Colossians 2:8-23, Psalm 78:1-31, Proverbs 24:26



Pray: Father, because of what Jesus did on the cross You have forgiven ALL of my sins. You have forgiven my past sins, my present sins, and my future sins. I stand before You CLEAN. There is therefore no condemnation for me because I’m in Christ and He in me. I know the powers of this world will accuse me. But let me simply answer them this way, “He is my righteousness!”

Read: (Colossians 2:11-12) "When you came to Christ you were circumcised, but not with a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision---the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead." All of us were dead, cut off from God, by our Adamic natures. But God made us alive, He awakened us, through Christ. He canceled the charges against us by nailing them to the cross. One cannot be prosecuted and found guilty when there are no charges. The powers of this world tell us we are guilty and will pay for our sins. BUT THERE ARE NO CHARGES. The price and the penalty for our sins were paid for by Jesus. THERE ARE NO CHARGES. Any threats of pending charges are trumped up. Knowing we are guiltless changes us. We go from death to life and from bondage to being free.

Edify: "There is therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2) I know what it is to get really dirty. But I also know what it is to take a hot shower, use lots of soap, and get squeaky clean. They feel completely different. When I’m clean I know it. The forgiven know it and when you are clean you literally crave the one who cleansed you.

Practice: Practice giving VOICE to who God says you are rather than listening to what the powers of this world say about you. Practice giving VOICE to the scores of promises God has made to everyone that believes.

October 5

Jeremiah 4:19-6:15, Colossians 1:18-2:7, Psalm 77:1-20, Proverbs 24:23-25



Pray: Lord Jesus, You are the head of the church of whom I am a part. My righteousness is a gift from You. All I must do is receive it and declare it when accused. Help me to receive and share what You have done for me.

Read: (Colossians 1:21-22) "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault."

Edify: Our righteousness is not a result of anything we have done. Rather, our righteousness is imputed to us through Christ. It is His gift to us. By one man, Adam, sin entered into the world and defiled the whole creation. By one man, Christ Jesus, the price and penalty for all sins was paid. He reconciled us to God by taking our places on the cross. His righteousness is a gift but it is a gift we must receive. We can tell we have opened His gift for us because we find ourselves hungering and thirsting for His presence. Paul goes on to say that we must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.

Practice: See yourself as God sees you…forgiven, righteous, and reconciled. See yourself beginning on a journey towards perfection. You are right with God, so like the game of monopoly you may pass go and begin a walk towards total restoration.

October 4

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18, Colossians 1:1-17, Psalm 76:1-12, Proverbs 24:21-22

Pray: Father, continue to show me Jesus that I might get to know You. Help me to see what Your saints can be rather than lament what they are not. Give me “eternal eyeglasses”.

Read: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. For through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, and rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Edify: Jesus said of Himself, "If you have seen me you have seen my Father." Jesus existed before the creation was created. He participated in making the creation. Jesus also created things seen and things unseen. Then Paul shares that there are unseen thrones, kingdoms, and rulers. But all things, seen and unseen, are held together by Him. Mankind thinks of creation from the beginning in Genesis to the end in Revelation. But God writes about creation from the end towards the beginning. Jesus was crucified just over 2000 years ago. But the scriptures say He was crucified before the foundation of the world was laid.

You may have received Christ in the last few years but your name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world. Our perspective is “time” related. God’s perspective is “eternal”.

Practice: Practice wearing “God glasses”. See people through His eyes and the eyes of eternity. It will change how you think about others and how you treat them. See them as “finished” and not “under construction”. We see our own children that way. Them as forever young. Rather, we envision them as having full and complete lives with families of their own. But looking at a newborn baby one might wonder how the vision for the future is possible. But it is the reality we operate in. From the day that little bundle of joy is born we prepare them for adulthood. We need to see possibilities and spiritual adulthood even in the newest of Christians.