The Social Concerns Ministry Team invites you to join them and to continue to…
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
DAYS 211-240
Our resource is Eugene Peterson’s
THE MESSAGE//REMIX:PAUSE
DAY 211
Hosea 1-4: Why would Hosea obey God and marry a whore? Obedience is one thing, but loving a spouse who will never be faithful to you is another thing completely. Why would God tell one of God’s prophets to do something so extreme? How would you respond if God asked you to take radical steps to make God known to people around you?
Acts 21:27-21:39: Paul knew something bad would happen before he ever set foot on the Temple grounds. Why, then, did he go ahead and keep the vow he made to God? Did God tell Paul to take this extreme step to make God known? How can you tell if and when God is giving you directions?
DAY 212
Hosea 5-9: What’s the difference between love that lasts and mere religion? How does the expression of genuine love differ from religious acts? Which is easier to do? Why? How can you make sure your life is filled with the first and not the second?
Acts 21:40-22:29: Why wouldn’t the Jews listen to Paul in light of his incredible conversion story? What is needed to convince someone Jesus is who he says he is? Does your answer discourage or encourage you in your effort to tell people about Jesus? Why?
DAY 213
Hosea 10-14: If Israel had acknowledged that God was the one pulling their wagon, how would their story have changed? How does the picture of Hosea and his whore wife Gomer change your understanding of God’s invitation for people to come back to God?
Acts 22:30-23:10: How do Paul’s convictions about Jesus reflect the hope of the resurrection of the dead as it appears in the Old Testament? Why must everything written about Jesus comply with the Law and the Prophets to be true?
DAY 214
Joel 1-3: What fulfilled God’s promise to pour out God’s Spirit on every kind of people? In what way does the Spirit change your perspective in times of crisis, if you let the Spirit? Joel calls God a safe hiding place. What does this mean?
Acts 23:11-23:35: What makes “religious” people think that committing murder in God’s name would please God? God reassures Paul before he finds out the Jews have vowed to kill him. Thank God for a time God encouraged you at the moment you needed it most.
DAY 215
Amos 1-3: What do the sins of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab have in common? How does God’s standard for Judah and Israel differ from God’s standard for nations that don’t know God? Why does God require more of those who receive God’s Word?
Acts 24: What motivated the Jews to bring charges against Paul? If you knew only that he had been locked up for two years, what would you assume about him? Why wouldn’t God get Paul out of prison so that he could get on with his divine assignment?
DAY 216
Amos 4-6: In what ways does Amos’s description of ancient Israel compare to the culture in which you live? What might God have in store for your culture? What should you do in response?
Acts 25: How did the Jews’ persistent hatred of Paul work into God’s master plan? What does this say about the way God works in your own life even when it looks like God has forgotten you?
DAY 217
The prophets remind us that nothing happens by chance. God’s hand turns history in the direction God desires. God’s eyes are fixed not only on God’s chosen people. God watches every people group, no mater how obscure, and God watches God’s followers with extra care. As evidenced by Paul’s activities, God remains in control no matter what.
Knowing God directs both the course of history and the flow of your life is supposed to be a source of comfort. However, some people have twisted this truth to say that because God controls everything, individual human actions don’t matter. This attitude is called fatalism, in which God or fate decides what will happen, and people simply give in to fate and go along for the ride. God calls for a different response. Do you know what that is?
The answer will become clearer this week, especially as you read the book of Jonah. There you will find that God’s control of nations and individuals is dynamic. The choices you make and the actions you take really do matter. Above all, Jonah will give you an example of how God wants you to trust God implicitly and do whatever God asks. The Bible calls this faith, not fatalism, and faith produces hope, not despair. Examine your own approach to God and the future. Do your prayers and actions reflect hopeful trust or surrender to fate? Why? How can you make sure you do the former and protect yourself against the latter? Take time to talk the question over with God.
DAY 218
Amos 7-9: What is the significance of the plumb line? Why does God grow angry over the way the poor are abused? Why is doing an honest day’s work a big deal with God? What is wrong with wanting to have a good time?
Acts 26: Listen closely to Paul’s speech. Put yourself there. Is he making a case for his own acquittal, or is he trying to convince his audience to believe in Jesus? Why? What does it take to turn setbacks and disappointments into opportunities?
DAY 219
Obadiah 1: Why is failure to show compassion to the suffering a serious sin in God’s sight? Why are you forbidden to exact revenge while God is allowed? Why does God’s message of hope always culminate in God’s taking over the earth?
Acts 27: What gave Paul his confidence even when everyone else on the ship assumed they would die? Even after the owner of the ship ignored his warnings? What do you need to develop the same kind of confidence, no matter what life throws at you?
DAY 220
Jonah 1-4: Why doesn’t Jonah share God’s desire to give the Assyrians a second chance? Why won’t God give up on Jonah, even though he has to muscle him into obedience? How does Jonah’s story encourage you in your struggle to obey God?
Acts 28:1-28:9: Compare Jonah, sulking, whining, and complaining, with Paul, the prisoner, the outcast, the worker of miracles for the glory of God. When God took both of them in unexpected directions, why did Jonah sulk and Paul preach?
DAY 221
Micah 1-3: Why are the “preachers who lie” so popular? Why won’t God allow himself to be turned into a magic formula for getting whatever you want out of life? Why must faith be more than believing God will bless you and protect you from disaster?
Acts 28:10-28:31: Given all the Jews had put Paul through, why would he go immediately to the Jews in Rome and share the good news with them? What keeps people from seeing the truth when the gleaming Message is right in front of their eyes?
DAY 222
Micah 4-7: What enables Micah to reduce God’s requirements to such a simple list? What makes living these items so difficult? Why does our failure to keep God’s basic standards produce violence and injustice? What hope, then, does anyone have?
Ephesians 1: Use this passage to praise God and let God’s grace lift you to new heights. Allow these truths to sink deep into your soul. Contemplate the great mystery of Jesus’ sacrifice.
DAY 223
Nahum 1-3: “God is serious business. God won’t be trifled with” (1:2). Why do most people fail to understand this basic truth about God? Why do the world’s power brokers seem so big and awe-inspiring, while God goes unnoticed?
Ephesians 2: At the cross, God tore down the wall that separates people groups. How does this reality apply to the walls of race that still divide people? Why does God pull you into the community of believers when you become part of God’s new temple?
DAY 224
When everything God asks of you is reduced to its most basic elements, the first is pretty short. Love God. Love people. Do what is right. Be compassionate. And live for God above everything else. The list is so simple, most people look at it and say “I can do that!” But that’s the problem. Everyone thinks they can but no one does. One prophet after another chided God’s people for their failure to meet these most basic requirements. What makes the items on this list so hard to check off on a daily basis? Which part gives you the most trouble?
Of course, Paul gave you the answers to these questions in the first couple chapters of Ephesians. Once again he reminded you that God, by sending God’s Son, did what human beings could never do. Instead of focusing on what this truth illuminates about God, take time today to meditate on what his truth illuminates about you and other people. Perhaps for the first time you are seeing yourself for who you truly are. What have you found, both good and bad? Who are you, and who is every other person you come in contact with each day?
Remember, however, that who you are today is not the end of the story. Though knowing the real you is vital to your journey in the God-life, the fundamental question is this: Who are you becoming in Christ? Ephesians 1:11 says, “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” Keep an eye on yourself over the next six days for more insight into the person Jesus is making you to be. He refuses to stop working until the work is done.
DAY 225
Habakkuk 1-3: Tell God about any complaint you’re harboring against God, situations where you think God isn’t doing enough. Now, like Habakkuk, wait for God’s response. If everything in your life goes wrong, will you still sing joyful praise to God?
Ephesians 3: What does verse 20 mean? How can you live in God without limits? Meditate on God’s unlimited love today. Experience its breadth. Test its length. Plumb its depth. How does God’s love move you to live a full life in the fullness of God?
DAY 226
Zephaniah 1-3: Why can’t people witness God’s punishing someone for some sin and figure out they shouldn’t engage in that sin themselves? How does your ability to learn from the experience of others change once you enter into a right relationship with God?
Ephesians 4: Why won’t God tolerate prolonged spiritual infancies? What does it mean to grow up in Christ? Since your life is interconnected with the lives of other believers, how is growing up in Christ affected by your relationships with them?
DAY 227
Haggai 1-2: Why had the people put off rebuilding the Temple for so long? How did their attitude toward the place where God was to be worshipped reflect their attitude toward God’s self? Why must worship stay at the center of your life?
Ephesians 5: How will you watch what God does and then do it? How will you avoid “the barren pursuits of darkness” (5:11)? How will you know what the Master wants from you? Translating your answers into action means starting with relationships. For example, how must your relationships with the opposite sex change to honor God?
DAY 228
Zechariah 1-4: God says, “You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit” (4:6). What happens when you try to force things rather than rely on God’s Spirit? When are you tempted to take matters into your own hands rather than wait on God?
Ephesians 6: Which of Paul’s instructions challenge you the most? Why? Why is the God-life a “life-or-death fight to the finish” (6:12)? Why does the Devil care how you live? How can you make truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation more than words?
DAY 229
Zechariah 5-9: What was wrong with the Jews’ mourning the anniversary of the fall of Jerusalem? What is the difference between being interested in religion and interested in people? What are the signs of each? What does a simple and honest life look like?
Philippians 1: What’s the difference between “sincere and intelligent (love)” and “sentimental gush” (1:10)? Why would Paul say suffering for Christ is as much a gift as trusting in him?
DAY 230
Zechariah 10-14: God speaks to God’s people: “I know your pain and will make you as good as new.” Does this promise change the way you face adversity? The way you approach God? Why or why not? If so, in what way?
Philippians 2: Circle the key words that describe Christ Jesus’ attitude toward himself. Then take an honest inventory of your own pride level. The best gauge can be found in the way you deal with other people.
DAY 231
As you know, the Bible draws you into a conversation with God, though up to this point, the conversation may have seemed a little one-sided, especially while you listened to the prophets. From Isaiah through Malachi (tomorrow’s reading), the phrases “God’s decree,” “God’s message,” and “God says” appear over and over again. Ezekiel and Amos and the rest may have held the pen in their hands, but God did all the talking.
Beginning this week, you will learn how to speak to God. The Old Testament readings for the next eight weeks are devoted to Psalms, ancient Israel’s book of songs and prayers to God. These aren’t polished literary masterpieces. The Psalms emerged from real people struggling to hold on to God in a world filled with heartache and despair. As Eugene Peterson says in the book’s introduction, “The Psalms in Hebrew are earthy and rough. They are not gentle. They are not the prayers of nice people, couched in cultured language.”
Reading the Psalms will teach you how to pray. Every day, pick at least one Psalm and pray it back to God. Find the one in your reading that expresses what is welling up in your heart—the one that captures your praises or your struggles or your cries for help. Then let the Psalm guide you as you pray. Simply reading the words with your gaze aimed toward heaven isn’t enough. Use them to get gut-level honest with God. As you pray the Psalms, you’ll find that the promises and truths from your New Testament readings will also find their way into your prayers. As they should. God’s Word truly does draw you into a conversation with God. Let that conversation grow in earnestness and honesty as you pray the Bible back to God.
DAY 232
Malachi 1-4: What constitutes shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship today? How does honoring marriage fit into the God-life? Should believing in God have to deliver real, tangible benefits right now for you to continue in belief? Why or why not?
Philippians 3: Paul wrote from prison about gladness. What does it mean to be glad in God? What is the goal to which God is beckoning you onward? What will be necessary for you to reach it? What makes the goal worth the sacrifice?
DAY 233
Psalms 1-6: You’ve watched as faithful people faced all sorts of adversity for God. Psalm 6 tells you those who persevered are real people, not superheroes; it is the prayer of a broken man who just wants some relief. In what ways do you relate? Remember to choose a Psalm and pray it back to God. Which one did you pick today? Why?
Philippians 4: What grudges are you carrying? How are you going to clear them out of your life? This selection leaves you with a couple of assignments: turn your worries into prayer, and meditate on God’s best rather than on the ugly things of this world.
DAY 234
Psalms 7-11: Surround yourself with nature and use Psalm 8 as your prayer today. Let the wonder of God’s handiwork overwhelm you, then join David in singing God’s praises. Marvel that such a great and wonderful God would notice your little micro-self.
Colossians 1: What do you feel when you read verse 20? What does this verse say about the effects of human sin on nature? Try to describe the mystery of Christ dwelling in you and the wonder of one day sharing in his glory.
DAY 235
Psalms 12-17: “Go ahead, examine me from inside out,” David says in Psalm 17:3. Find what God looks for in Psalm 15. Today, open your own life up to God. Talk with God about what God finds. Let God cleanse you and fill you with the joy of forgiveness.
Colossians 2: What will you do to live out everything there is to know about God? What does living with your slate wiped clean do for you? How will you discern between teachers of the truth and those who try to dazzle you?
DAY 236
Psalms 18-19: Psalm 18 expresses the depth of David’s love and appreciation for God. Now it’s your turn. Add details of your own life to this Psalm. Get specific. Thank God and tell God why you love God so.
Colossians 3:1-3:17: What does Paul mean when he says, “your real life… is with Christ in God. He is your life” (3:13)? What must you do to strip off the filthy, ill-fitting clothes of your old life? How do you put on the new life of love, the wardrobe of God?
DAY 237
Psalms 20-22: Why would Jesus choose Psalm 22 to pray back to his Father from the cross? Have you felt the same isolation, the deep sense that God has forgotten you? When? Why? How would the prayer of Psalm 22 bring you through a situation like this?
Colossians 3:18-4:18: Why does God so often repeat the command of Colossians 3:20 (it appeared in the Ten Commandments)? How do you react when someone tells you what to do? What does your attitude toward authority reflect about your relationship with God?
DAY 238
Over the centuries, the Israelites lost the reality of God in their daily lives. Slowly but surely, they replaced true worship with empty religion filled with rituals and formulas. They reduced the Creator of the universe to nothing more than a lucky charm they could carry around in their pockets. Of course, God refused to play along. That’s why God sent prophets with thundering messages of God’s awesome glory and might.
Keep this truth in mind as you learn to pray using the Psalms: “These ancient prayers are not a secret key to God’s blessings. They do not contain code words you can repeat to force God to do your bidding. Their words are God-breathed, but that doesn’t mean God will listen to you simply because you fill your prayers with phrases from them. Instead, they play the role of a tutor, teaching you how to pray.”
Learning to pray isn’t easy. What has God taught you about prayer this past week? What did you find most surprising about the Psalms? Which Psalm most helped you express yourself to God? Why? How did using a Psalm as a guide each day change your prayer life? How did the New Testament readings for each day impact your conversation with God? Learning to pray is like reading the Bible. Every day is a new adventure. May you always have the humble heart of a pupil who has much to learn at the feet of the Master.
DAY 239
Psalms 23-27: Why do you need God to take you by the hand and lead you down God’s path of truth? How can you keep your life in step with God? When the path gets dark, how does God let you feel God’s shepherd’s crook, reassuring you God is in control?
1 Thessalonians 1: How are your life and the Message intertwined? Why do you need to have the Holy Spirit put “steel in your convictions” (1:5)? What would your life look like with that? How does having the Spirit’s steel draw other people’s attention?
DAY 240
Psalms 28-31: What allows David to shout “Bravo!” to God in one Psalm (29:1), only to pen another that complains, “All I get from you is deafening silence” (28:1)? Shouldn’t his faith have been more secure and his walk more steady? How do your moods mirror his?
1 Thessalonians 2: Pay close attention to the way Paul made the Message known to the Thessalonians. Make a list of your friends and acquaintances who do not know Jesus. Using Paul as your example, what will you do to make the Message come alive to them?