The Social Concerns Ministry Team invites you to join them and to continue to…
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
DAYS 301-330
Our resource is Eugene Peterson’s
THE MESSAGE//REMIX:PAUSE
DAY 301
What emotions are stuck in your chest after reading Job? How did the ending affect you? How did it change your understanding of God? Do you feel more or less safe in this world after witnessing Job’s struggles up close? Why? Most people would rather ignore the fact that Job did not bring his trouble upon himself. Like Job’s comforters, they would rather believe good things come to good people and bad things only to bad people. What makes this notion so appealing? What makes it so wrong? Why doesn’t God exempt people who love God from troubles?
Do you know people who have gone or are going through a Job experience? How will you approach them? What does it mean to comfort and encourage them? Why don’t people want to hear a bunch of answers when they are hurting? What makes answers painful and mean, even well-intentioned answers? Suffering is a very lonely experience, and people like Job’s friends are never in short supply. To whom does God want you to go and express God’s love in a tangible way?
Job wasn’t the only one speaking hard words this week. What did Jesus say through Matthew that challenged or troubled you? What did he say that lifted your spirits or gave you strength? How did Jesus deal with difficult people and plain old knuckleheads? What did he teach you through his example? As you continue with Matthew you will be confronted with a question you’ve heard before, but the answer is one you should never take for granted: Why would Jesus walk down a path that would lead to pain and trouble when he could have easily avoided it?
DAY 302
Proverbs 1-3: How does wisdom start with God and with bowing down to God? If wisdom starts with God, can an unbeliever possess wisdom? For that matter, what is wisdom? What makes it so valuable? Why is it necessary for a life well lived?
Matthew 22:23-22:46: How do Jesus’ responses to the questions of the Sadducees and Pharisees show wisdom in action? For Jesus, what is the relationship between God’s Word and wisdom? What should you do if you lack wisdom?
DAY 303
Proverbs 4-6: What does it mean to keep vigilant watch over your heart? Why is sexual temptation such a force? How is lust an enemy of wisdom? What is the best defense against it? What damage has sexual sin done in your own life?
Matthew 23: What determines whether God’s Law, god’s Word, will be a banquet feast for your soul or a heavy load to weigh you down? How can the truth God gave to set you free be twisted into chains? How can you protect yourself from the chain makers?
DAY 304
Proverbs 7-9: In what way does Lady Wisdom call out to you today? How does she appeal to all people, not just those who go to church or open a Bible? In what way does Madame Whore make her appeal? What is the core difference between the invitations?
Matthew 24:1-24:22: Why are people fascinated with details of the end of the world? Are you? How does Jesus respond to this? Should breaking news make you check to see if he is on his way? What should you do as history unfolds around you?
DAY 305
Proverbs 10-12: Most of the remaining proverbs consist of sayings designed to deliver wisdom. Why do so many of these deal with the words that come out of your mouth, both the quantity and the quality? How does your speech reveal what is in your heart?
Matthew 24:23-24:51: What does it mean to be ready for Jesus’ return? What does a life of readiness look like? What should be your attitude as you wait? What kind of daily conversation should your readiness spark between you and God?
DAY 306
Proverbs 13-15: Why is the parent-child relationship the best place for wisdom to be shared? What makes hearing wisdom so hard for the child and teaching wisdom so hard for the parent? What cherished piece of wisdom do you have from a parent?
Matthew 25:1-25:30: What has God given you to invest? Have you played it safe or have you gone out on a limb? What will a large return look like? Why is doing nothing with all God has invested in you worse than losing everything living boldly for God?
DAY 307
Proverbs 16-18: What is the relationship between humility and wisdom? Between honesty and wisdom? Between discipline and wisdom? Underline the verses that speak to ways you need to apply humility, honesty, and discipline in your life today.
Matthew 25:31-25:46: What is the difference between the “sheep” and the “goats”? Since salvation comes only through faith, not works, why did the sheep do what they did? What is the relationship between good works and faith? What is the relationship between loving the hurting and outcasts and loving God?
DAY 308
Reading the Bible will either be an academic exercise or a life-changing experience. The difference is how you apply what you read. Yet, as you’ve no doubt discovered, parts of the Bible leave you scratching your head as to how you can incorporate them into your life. Proverbs and the life of Christ answer this question. Proverbs describes a life lived wisely before god, and Jesus lives this life of wisdom in the flesh.
Last week, what areas of your life did God tell you needed to change? How does your life reflect God’s wisdom? How are you doing in the fight against sexual sin? What do the words that flow from your mouth say about your relationship with God? What does the way you treat your parents say about your relationship with God? How have you invested your life into God’s kingdom? How do your interactions with those who are overlooked and ignored show God’s love in action? How consistently do you love God with all your passion and love others as you love yourself?
Don’t create a guilt trip out of those issues. Instead, let them trigger a heart-to-heart dialogue between you and God. God is the only one who can make real lasting change in your life, change that needs to be turned outward. This week you will finish reading Proverbs and begin James, the New Testament book that most resembles Proverbs. Like Proverbs, James shows how your faith in God needs to be translated into action. Until it is, all this talk of Jesus is nothing but noise. That is why James (2:17) said, “Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.”
DAY 309
Proverbs 19-21: Wisdom expresses itself through generosity, justice, and caring for the poor and oppressed. Why is that, especially since doing the opposite of each seems to yield greater financial rewards? How do you measure the rewards of living wisely?
Matthew 26:1-26:30: Why would the woman anointing Jesus shove Judas over the edge and move him to sell out Jesus? Why this act and not another? Why did God arrange events so that Jesus’ death took place during the Passover?
DAY 310
Proverbs 22-24: Learning from both the successes and failures of others is a key component of wisdom. What success around you would you want to emulate? Think of some ways your friends influence your behavior. With whom does a wise person spend time?
Matthew 26:31-26:75: This is the final time you will read about Jesus’ trial. Has familiarity dulled the emotional impact? What one piece of wisdom do you take from it now? What do you say to the God who orchestrated events just as God planned and promised?
DAY 311
Proverbs 25-27: Why must wisdom express itself in the way you interact with other people? How can you identify the fools that Proverbs warns you to avoid? What are the marks of a true friend?
Matthew 27: Reflect on today’s reading as if you are Judas, then again as Barabbas, as Pilate’s wife, as the crowd, and finally as yourself, a sinner living two thousand years later. What changes with each perspective? What conversation with God does each one prompt?
DAY 312
Proverbs 28-31: Wisdom changes the way you perceive the world, including the way you value money and sex. Why is culture so ignorant of this truth? How will you prevent your culture from drowning out the voice of wisdom?
Matthew 28: As one of the guards, what would you see, hear, and feel when the angels rolled away the stone? What would you say to the others? What would normal life look like afterwards? What would keep you from becoming a follower of the risen Jesus?
DAY 313
Ruth 1-4: After all Ruth had gone through, why would she choose to believe in the God of Israel? In what ways did God demonstrate God’s power in her story without pyrotechnics? In what ways did God show God’s faithfulness to her?
James 1: How do wisdom and the faith-life go together? What does it mean to catch a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God? What does this free life look like in action? What does any of this have to do with the homeless and loveless?
DAY 314
Song of Songs 1-3: Why would God include a book about romantic love in the Bible? What kind of relationship does God want a husband and wife to share? How do these chapters expand your understanding of why God wants you to steer clear of sexual sin?
James 2: Verse 17 says, “God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.” What makes this truth different than keeping rules in the hope of being made right with God? Hint: What pleases God?
DAY 315
What did you learn from reading four different accounts of the life of Jesus? Is Jesus different to you now? In what ways? Is he who you thought he was? Why or why not? Which of his teachings made the strongest impression on you? What did Jesus say that you most needed to hear? Which of his miracles most amazed you? What did you discover in his character that most surprised you? Troubled you? What drove you to your knees in adoration? In gratitude?
The four Gospels were spread out across your journey through the bible for a reason. You read John while reading the Law. Mark came while you read the early portion of Israel’s story in Joshua, Judges, and Samuel. You read Luke with Isaiah and Jeremiah. And finally, Matthew came last because it references the greatest number of promises God made throughout the Old Testament. Which one of the four are you most eager to read again? You probably noticed that all four employ unique styles to speak to different audiences. Which one did you most relate to? Why? How did your relationship with God change as you read each gospel? What theme in your life did God illuminate while reading each one? How did your conversation with God about God’s Son evolve and grow with each one?
Less than two months remain on your journey with God through God’s Word. You’ve come a long way. What answers to questions do you hope God will reveal during this time? To what degree are you willing to be stretched to find the answers? How much further do you want to see your relationship with God go during these final fifty days? And what destination do you seek?
DAY 316
Song of Songs 4-8: How did the Song of Songs change your understanding of and approach to romance? If you are married, use the book as a romantic guide with your spouse. Make the phrases your own as you shower your beloved with praise. Why does God want husbands and wives to be wildly passionate for one another?
James 3: Under what circumstances do you struggle most with reining your tongue? Why? How do controlling your tongue and getting along with others go together? What is the relationship between wisdom and treating others with dignity and honor?
DAY 317
Ecclesiates 1-3: Is life truly nothing but smoke and spitting into the wind? If so, why can’t ultimate meaning be found in this life? If not, what ultimate meaning have you discovered? Does your answer hold up to the Quester’s investigation?
James 4: How is wanting your own way spiritual adultery? What does it mean to let God work God’s will in you? Why do you need to lose this battle of wills? Let this question launch a discussion between the two of you.
DAY 318
Ecclesiates 4-7: Wrestle as the Quester does. Examine your life. Why do you live as you do? Examine your conscience. Why do you acquire certain things, love certain people, yearn after certain experiences? What will your life ultimately accomplish?
James 5: Why should you confess your sins to another person? Isn’t it enough to confess them to God? How do confession and praying for one another build community? How intertwined have you allowed your life to become with others who love God?
DAY 319
Ecclesiates 8-12: Why are we unable to discern the meaning of God’s plan for this earth? Why would God so cloak God’s work in mystery that no one can figure it out on their own? What does it mean to do what God says when you don’t understand what God is up to?
1 Peter 1: Compare Peter’s message to the Quester’s in Ecclesiastes. The Quester says life is all smoke and spitting into the wind. Peter says we have everything to live for. What makes the difference between a meaningful and a meaningless life?
DAY 320
Lamentations 1-2: The writer of Lamentations responds to the disaster unfolding around him with tears and crying out to God. How has God used sorrow to shape your life? What sets apart the suffering of Lamentations from the suffering of Job?
1 Peter 2: You are one of God’s holy priests. Given your knowledge of priests in the Bible, how will you fulfill your priestly responsibilities? This world is not your home. How does this fact change your approach to daily life?
DAY 321
Lamentations 3-5: Reread chapter 3. Underline all the promises God makes to you while you suffer. Pick at least one and memorize it. Then meditate on it. Turn it over and over in your head. Finally, allow this promise to draw you into God’s presence.
1 Peter 3: What is holy beauty? What makes it so appealing to those who do not yet know Jesus? How does living out the God-life make you an unstoppable force? Why can’t suffering stop or even slow down the spread of the good news?
DAY 322
What is your life really about? What are your priorities? What are your passions? What frightens you? What drives you? What gets you up every morning and keeps you going when it would be easier to just lie down and give up? What makes the pieces fit for you as you journey through this world that doesn’t always make sense? What intrigues you? What kind of beauty pulls you in? How do you express love? What can peel your fingers away from your grip on God?
These aren’t questions you have to answer on your own. Over the past six days your reading in both the Old and New Testaments gave you insights into what life is really about. From the wonders of romance in Song of Songs to the cold reality of life in Ecclesiastes, to persevering under suffering in Lamentations and 1 Peter, you explored life at its most basic level. What was the effect? Go back over the questions above, spending time in both self-examination and prayer. How did your approach to life’s foundational questions change after listening to God over the past six days?
Over the next week you will read how others applied the Bible’s insights to these areas of their lives. You will watch as Esther and Daniel find their faith put to the test when they suffer as a result of the sins of their forefathers. Along the way you will discover more about holding tightly onto God even when it feels like God has abandoned you.
DAY 323
Esther 1-2: Peter helps you answer the previous questions from Esther. How can anyone choose to be glad when they suffer for doing the right thing? In what way should you respond when your king acts are repaid with threats and trouble?
1 Peter 4: Peter helps you answer the previous questions from Esther. How can anyone choose to be glad when they suffer for doing the right thing? In what way should you respond when your kind acts are repaid with threats and trouble?
DAY 324
Esther 3-6: How did God demonstrate God’s sovereignty in these events? Look at your own life—your family, where you live, the talents you have, the positions you hold. What might God have planned for you that cannot be explained away as coincidence?
1 Peter 5: What does it mean to live carefree before God? How does this differ from the usual definition of a carefree life? Where might Satan be hiding to try to trap you? What areas of your life are most vulnerable to his attacks?
DAY 325
Esther 7-10: God turned what would have been the Jews’ darkest hour into a time of celebration. What problems do you face that need the same touch? In what ways does the story of Esther bring Lamentations 3:30-31 to life?
2 Peter 1: What are the stakes that Peter says are so high? How does knowing that all of God’s Word came directly from God, not from people, impact the role of the bible in your life? How does this change your approach to the future?
DAY 326
Daniel 1-2: In Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he describes the kingdom to which you belong when you follow Christ, the kingdom that is your real home. How does this set you free to do what is right regardless of the cost? Why is losing sight of God’s eternal kingdom so easy?
2 Peter 2: Why does Peter sound such a loud alarm against false teachers? What makes them so dangerous? What do you need to know to distinguish teachers of truth from those who spread lies?
DAY 327
Daniel 3-6: Why would God work so hard to reveal God’s self to pagan kings who didn’t care about God? Which was God’s brightest revelation of God’s self, the miracles of rescue or the obedience of those willing to give up their lives for God? Why?
2 Peter 3: Because what’s here today might be gone tomorrow, how should you live? If nothing in the created universe is permanent, how should you approach life? How can you keep your time or earth from burning like the galaxies will one day?
Day 328
Daniel 7-9: What message in these visions is not hard to understand? How real does the message seem in times of trouble? Why does God make sure people hear it then? Why do people living through worst-case scenarios need to hear God’s reassurance?
1 John 1: First John reminds us of the promise of forgiveness from God. What do you need to confess to God? Why can’t you hide your wrongdoing and pretend it didn’t happen? Why does God delight in extending forgiveness to anyone who asks for it?
DAY 329
“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner,” Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:12-13 nearly five hundred years before that, Mordecai, Esther, and Daniel and his friends put these words to the test. Yet not one of them jumped to the conclusion that God wasn’t on the job. Instead they stood boldly for God, defying the kings and death rather than deny the One they loved.
How do you act when life gets ugly? By now the inevitability of trials and troubles doesn’t surprise you. The fact that godly people will suffer for their beliefs is woven throughout the Bible, including in what you just read in 1 and 2 Peter. Why would God continue to repeat this theme over and over again? When life is really difficult, how do your actions reveal your true beliefs about God?
All this may sound as though God is telling you to buck up and take whatever comes with a smile on your face. But nothing could be further from the truth. Remember Jeremiah and the cries of the Psalms. God is compassionate. God knows you troubles. Spend the rest of your day talking to God about the tests in your life that painfully challenge your faith. Find peace and strength in God. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego didn’t walk into the roaring furnace on their own. God was waiting for them in the midst of the fire. Today, discover God is waiting for you there as well.
DAY 330
Daniel 10-12: Daniel is shown a future filled with fighting, wars, national upheavals, and sinister attacks against God’s holy people. What is the one constant you can count on when it comes to an uncertain future? How does knowing this help you?
1 John 2: Wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, and wanting to appear important are three of the most basic urges inside every human being. Why are they wrong? How are they incompatible with God’s command to love one another?