July 14

1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17, Romans 2:1-24, Psalm 10:16-18, Proverbs 19:8-9



Pray: Father, help me to see past the sins of others, to love on them, and to be honest about the hidden sins I wrestle in the darkness over.

Read: "You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God in His justice will punish anyone who does such things." (Rom. 2:1-2)

Edify: This chapter in Romans has a theme. It is simply this, “But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.” (Rom. 2:8) Who are you living for? And how do you live? I’m not talking about how you live in front of folks but how you live when no one is watching. An alcoholic bound with the chains of addiction may well be known as the town drunk for all to see. But what about the husband, father, and pastor bound by late night porn on television that no one sees?

Practice: Practice truth telling. We seem to hate in others what behind the veil we are guilty of ourselves. We might be on a soap box telling of the degradation of homosexuality while having a secret affair. Again, God sees and God wants us free. But it starts with acknowledging our sin, getting our lives into the light, and entering into worship and thanksgiving. Worship empowers. It puts God back in the place He should be in our lives.

July 13

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36, Romans 1:18-32, Psalm 10:1-15, Proverbs 19:6-7 



Pray: Father, help me to love those who perhaps hate me passionately. Remind me that worship and thanksgiving are weapons I can use to fight off darkness while acknowledging light.

Read: Romans 1:21 says, Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

Edify: Every man or woman who has ever lived has had at least one encounter, if not many, with God. The creation itself lets all mankind know assuredly that there is a God. It is obvious. But mankind just as Adam and Eve in the garden comes to the point of choice. Are we going to worship God and be thankful or are we going to worship ourselves? We were created to worship. It is part of our DNA. But we get to choose whom we are going to believe in and how we are going to respond. Choosing to worship one’s self is like going down a rabbit hole. Once you enter everything changes. Foolish ideas prevail. Your mind becomes dark and confused. You claim to know it all but you really know nothing at all. And you begin to do shameful things and you plunge even deeper into darkness. Is there a way out? Yes, repent and believe. And WORSHIP.

Practice: Love the uncomely. The weight of foolishness and the burden of living in darkness is heavy enough without others piling on. We are to love those who oppose themselves. Is it possible to come out of the rabbit hole? With man, it is impossible. But with God, it is indeed possible.

July 12

I Chronicles 12:19-14:17, Romans 1:1-17, Psalm 9:13-20, Proverbs 19:4-5



Pray: Father, help me to look for the fruit of the spirit in others. When I find it, give me holy boldness to boldly ask them to impart seed into my life. Also, help me to ask and listen to these fruit tree saints as to whether they see ground in my life that needs tilling. Help me to understand that I have not, because I didn’t ask.

Read: Read Romans 1:11. Paul longs to visit with the believers living in Rome. He wants to give them some spiritual gift that will help them grow strong in the Lord. Now read Romans 1:13. Paul wants his Roman brothers in Christ to know that he had planned many times to visit them but had been prevented until now. Now, at last, he would get to work among them and see spiritual fruit. There is a process here.

Edify: There is a process here. We can impart seed but we cannot impart fruit. Seed is given. Fruit is grown. God is more than willing to give seed to the sower. And for that matter we can give seed (if we possess seed) to others. But the seed freely given must be planted and it must grow into a fruit tree. The fruit of the spirit in our lives does not grow overnight. It takes time to grow.

Practice: Practice looking for fruit trees. When you get to know another believer that has some special fruit like love or patience or faith take the time to ask them to lay hands on you and impart a seed of love or patience or faith that will one day turn into fruit in your life. Maybe they might be willing to cultivate the seed they planted in your life. Sometimes your heart is not really ready for the seed that is planted, but don’t give up. Continue to have those that impart seed to pray for you and to till your heart until the seed planted falls on good ground.

July 11

I Chronicles 11:1-12:18, Acts 28:1-31, Psalm 9:1-12, Proverbs 19:1-3

Pray: The taunts of men sometimes work their way under my skin Lord. When men say “You can’t” then please help me to hear from heaven and believe You when You say “You can.”

Read: In I Chronicles 11:5 the Jebusites, safely behind the walls in Jerusalem, taunted King David by saying, “You will never get in here!” But David didn’t believe the Jebusites. And he refused to let the walls be an issue. He soon captured the fortress which is now called “the City of David”. Never be intimidated by those who look down upon you and shout “You can’t.” Rather, ask God if you can and then listen. Take Him at His word.

Edify: We have all heard that expression, “He just seems to be snake bit.” It refers to someone who seems to go from one bad circumstance to another. Paul had just been shipwrecked and lived through it. Now, while gathering firewood to build a fire on the beach to stay warm he was bit by a snake. Those around him said that surely he must be a murderer who God would not permit to live. But when Paul suffered no ill effects he went from being considered a murderer to being considered a god. On Palm Sunday the crowds called Jesus forth to be their king. One week later they crucified Him. Walking with God is not a popularity contest. There will be those who call you every name in the book. And there will be those who think you hung the moon. By the way, you didn’t (see Genesis). The scripture says we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Paul leveraged admiration by taking the time to share Christ. As we gain favor and influence because God is with us, we need to leverage the same to win people to Jesus.

Practice: Proverbs 19:3 says that people ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at God. There are many people that are mad at God. I hope you are not one of them? Don’t play the blame game. There is no way to move forward in life when everything wrong is someone else’s fault. Practice saying this, “It was my fault and I was wrong.” Acknowledging our foolishness is the first step in healing. Don’t shut out God at the very place you should be asking Him to come in.

July 10

I Chronicles 9:1-10:14, Acts 27:21-44, Psalm 8:1-9, Proverbs 18:23-24



Pray: Father God, I am amazed that the God of creation even knows who I am much less knows the number of hairs on my head. Who am I that You should know me and care about me? Yet, Your WORD declares that I have purpose in this life and the life that is to come. One day You will raise me up into newness of life by the power of Your resurrection and I will reign alongside of You. It is too much to grasp but enlarge my heart that I might.

Read: The apostle Paul was a prisoner onboard a ship on his way to Rome to appear before Caesar. The ship he was on had been ravaged by a storm for 14 days. During that time no one had eaten. And during that time an angel from God visited Paul and told him not to be fearful but to be courageous. The angel said that Paul would indeed appear before Caesar and that no one onboard would lose their lives. And…the angel told Paul the boat would be shipwrecked.

Paul had warned the captain and crew long before the storm not to set sail. But the captain would not listen. But now as every word that Paul had spoken came to pass the captain listened and did just as Paul said. Paul was no sailor! But he had a sure word and those around him began to do as he said. The boat shipwrecked, but everyone survived. Not one was lost.

Edify: There is nothing that overcomes fear like a WORD from the Lord. Paul was probably as fearful during the 14-day storm as the crew. But when a sure word from heaven came, FEAR became COURAGE. And COURAGE is contagious. A word from God may not keep you from being shipwrecked. But it will allow you to deal with the shipwreck taking place. There is nothing quite like hearing an inner voice say, “I’ve got this!”

Practice: Practice dealing with your fears by placing each one in God’s hands. Wait quietly after you do so. Listen for His voice. He is our ever present helper in time of need.

July 9

1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40, Acts 27:1-20, Psalm 7:1-17, Proverbs 18:22



Pray: Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more of God’s wisdom, direction and insight as we read the passages today. God can reveal Himself through the text as well. Let's ask for revelation, not just inspiration.

Read: Genealogies can be boring to many people. However, if we look closely there are strong insights revealed in this narrative in I Chronicles chapter 8. Let’s examine King Saul’s line, “…Saul was the father of Jonathan, Makishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. Jonathan was the father of Merib-baal. Merib-baal was the father of Micah.” (vs. 33-34) One has to ask, “Who was Merib-baal?” 2 Samuel 4: 4 has a different name for Merib-baal. The text in 2 Samuel says, “Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who was a crippled as a child.” Later, King David would ask, due to his severe loyalty and appreciation for Jonathan, “Are there any descendants of Jonathan left?” Word came back that a crippled man named Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s crippled son. King David asked that he come and live in his palace with him, dine with him at his table, for David loved Jonathan and vowed that he would honor Jonathan’s descendants. This genealogy is far from boring, it reminds us that King David fulfilled his word and Mephibosheth was able to have a son, Micah. 

Edify: Paul is at sea and fierce winds are blowing the ship to possible destruction. Paul is honest and tells the crew how they might need to change course and that trouble was ahead of them. But they listened to the ship’s captain and ignored Paul. Sure enough the threat of shipwreck grew strong as the winds were dangerous. There is a sad line which concludes today’s OYB reading in verse 20, … “The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and stars, until at last all hope was gone.” Really? You have to wait until tomorrow’s reading but we know enough to know that if God wants Paul to preach in Rome then Paul will make it to Rome. God’s will shall be accomplished one way or another. You can count on that.

Practice: The psalmist gives us some indication that the wicked birth lies and their evil deeds will one day be found out and they will encounter God’s swift justice for their evil deeds. Their own wicked actions will return to them. Part of me wants to say, “Yes, way to go, God." Until I remember that there have been days in my life when I have been wayward, I have sinned and strayed far from God. Please Lord, is there any hope for me? We find it in these words from the Psalm 7:10, “God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right.”

July 8

1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81, Acts 26:1-32, Psalm 6:1-10, Proverbs 18:20-21



Pray: Today we are looking at Israel in exile and the Apostle Paul who is willing to reside in prison where he is, but fully realize that Paul is living in more of a state of freedom than anyone else. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds.

Read: Paul is ready to let go of the pettiness in the life of the Roman guard and reminding the local government that many people will not stay at their new jobs very long. Paul is passionate about people being free in the love of Christ. Notice how Paul feels, that in spite of his own life bring threatened, that God was still in control and working within the circumstance.

Edify: Paul speaks clearly about his own conversion to Jesus Christ. He speaks of how Jesus blinded him so that he could see. Often we think that being blind will impede our ability to see, but in Jesus Christ we find that our ability to see will empower our ability to spiritually lead beyond ourselves.

Practice: The word from Proverbs is that the right words, wise words, bring satisfaction. Too often we may speak before we think instead of thinking, taking a deep breath, then speaking after we have taken a moment to pause and reflect. Words can bring death and life says Proverbs. Thus, it is vital to bring life where we can and death only under severe circumstances. Bring life, encouragement, wherever and whenever you can.