READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
DAYS 91-120
Our resource is Eugene Peterson’s
THE MESSAGE//REMIX:PAUSE
Day 91
Joshua’s final words to the Israelites set the tone for the book of Judges and the rest of the Old Testament. “Choose God or some other god,” he told them (see Judges 24:14-15), but stick to one god. God screams this message through the judges he sends to Israel and later through the prophets who speak during the time of the kings. “Make up your minds,” God urges, “Either serve me, or go fall in love with some idol, but stop trying to do both.” God keeps saying the same thing, but few listen.
Wrestling with the decision of which god to serve isn’t just an ancient problem. A fake god doesn’t have to be made of silver or gold. A god is anything to which you devote all your time and energy. What gods do people serve today? As you look around yourself and those you know who claim to love God, how firm is your decision to follow only Christ? Which god tries to pull your attention off the one true God? What entices you about this god? When does the pressure feel strongest?
The Israelites waffled primarily because they had short memories. God would save their skins, but they would forget all about it within a day or two. Don’t repeat their mistake. Make a list of the prayers God answered for you in the past month. Include the times God came through for you in an amazing way. Refer to your list when you have doubts. This week you will explore in Mark the ultimate act of God’s love as you move closer to the Cross. As you read, let Jesus’ acts of love soak deep into your soul. Immersing yourself in God’s love is the best antidote to a wandering heart.
Day 92
Judges 15-16: Did God use Samson because of Samson’s character or in spite of his lack of character? Why? What led to his undoing? The Bible tells us to learn from the mistakes of others. What lessons do you learn from the life of Samson?
Mark 10:35-10:52: What prompted James and John to ask Jesus to give them the places of highest honor? Why were their requests unreasonable? Have you asked God for special treatment? When and why? Is your request any different from James and John?
Day 93
Judges 17-18: What enabled Micah, his priest, and the Danites to equate the silver idol with God? What allowed their understanding of God to be so distorted? What can you do to avoid their mistake? What keeps your understanding of God on target?
Mark 11: Why do you need to forgive others if you want God to forgive you? How is this connected to prayer? Like the Danites, do you sometimes treat God like a good luck charm? When? Why? What is the difference between this and Jesus’ promise that you will get God’s everything when you embrace this God-life?
Day 94
Judges 19-21: What insight about the story you just read do you gain from the final words of Judges? The people were supposed to live like God was their king. Did they? Do you? Why doesn’t God give up on God’s children when they forget they have a king?
Mark 12: How did the widow’s offering reflect the commandment to love God with all your passion? What made her gift different from the others? What could you give God that would please God the way the widow’s offering did?
Day 95
I Samuel 1-2: Why did Hannah give Samuel back to God? In her shoes, would you? Why or why not? Why didn’t Eli stop his sons from abusing their positions? What message did he convey to God? How should devotion to God impact family relationships?
Mark 13: As you consider the events of Jesus’ return, how do you feel? Is his return your ultimate hope? Why or why not? Why didn’t Jesus give a timetable for his second coming? What does it mean to keep watch and stay ready? Are you?
Day 96
1 Samuel 3:1-6:18: Why would God let the Philistines capture the Chest of the Covenant instead of simply killing them? What did God reveal about God’s self to the Philistines and the Israelites through this story? To you?
Mark 14:1-14:31: Join Jesus for the Passover and in the garden when he is praying. Remember, though he has spoken of rising from the dead, his words don’t make sense to those present. Hear his words as though you don’t know how the night will end.
Day 97
1 Samuel 6:19-9:27: Other nations had kings. What was wrong with the Israelites asking for one of their own? What made Saul both the perfect candidate and potentially the wrong guy for the job? Would you have trusted God to lead you? Do you now?
Mark 14:32-14:72: Why were the priests and religious leaders so threatened? Why did Jesus let people abuse him? And why did Peter crumble under pressure? Would you have been any different than those who lived through this drama? In what ways?
Day 98
The past week presented few shining examples of people living the God-life. Most of the characters you met on the pages of the Bible failed miserably when it came to pleasing God, even though they claimed to know and serve him. From Samson sleeping with prostitutes, to the men of Dan treating God like a good-luck charm, to the Pharisees demanding Jesus be put to death, the problem goes deeper than the acts of sin. The people in these stories do not understand who God is or what God requires of God’s children. They downsized God, threw God in a box, and remade God to their own liking. Worse still, when God spoke , they ignored God or tried to make God shut up.
How do you remake God to fit your own tastes? How did God respond to those who downsized God in the Bible? How does God respond to you? How is your increasing understanding of God’s character changing the way you act towards God? What are you doing to make sure your ideas and beliefs about God line up with what God says about God’s self?
The stakes are high. What you believe about God sets the course for everything else in your life. As you will see over the next six days, wrong beliefs bring disastrous results. They led to a king’s downfall and caused a group of religious leaders to think they were doing God a favor by killing God’s Son.
Day 99
1 Samuel 10-12: Samuel said, “So here’s the king you wanted, the king you asked for. God has let you have your own way.” (12:13) Why wouldn’t these words be music to the people’s ears? What can be bad about God giving you exactly what you begged for?
Mark 15: This is the second time you’ve read an account of Jesus dying for you. What in this story surprises you? Shocks you? Of all Jesus endured, which act against him makes you wince? Infuriates you? Makes you feel ashamed?
Day 100
1 Samuel 13-15: Put yourself in Saul’s place. How would you feel to hear the words of Samuel: ”God has just now torn the kingdom from you, and handed it over to… a better man than you are?” (15:28) What does fooling with the occult communicate to God?
Mark 16: What proof do you need to believe Jesus rose from the dead? What makes belief in his resurrection absolutely critical? How does he validate the Message today? Where will you go to announce the Message of God’s good news?
Day 101
1 Samuel 16-18: What does God look for in those God plans to use? Why? What set God apart from Saul? Look at the character of both men. What needs to change In your life to make you more like David and less like Saul?
1 Corinthians 1: Why would God choose nobodies to be his followers? Think back of God’s selection of David. What do nobodies allow God to do in their lives that “somebodies” never would?
Day 102
1 Samuel 19-21: God selected David to be the next king, and he blessed him in everything he did. Why then would God allow David to have to run for his life and lose everything, even his dignity? How would you have responded if God did the same with you?
1 Corinthians 2: Why is the message of God’s master stroke so simple? In what way does its simplicity fulfill God’s plan? What causes so many people to reject it? What are you supposed to do with the secrets God whispers in your ear?
Day 103
1 Samuel 22-24: Why would David continue to fight for people who later betrayed him to their king? Why wouldn’t he take the opportunity God placed in front of him and kill Saul? What do his actions say about living the God-life?
1 Corinthians 3: Compare yourself as God’s temple to The Dwelling in Exodus. How does your life reflect God’s glory? What foundation are you building on? What materials are you suing? What method? What does it mean to vandalize God’s temple?
Day 104
1 Samuel 25-27: Compare yourself as God’s temple to The Dwelling in Exodus. How does your life reflect God’s glory? What foundation are you building on? What materials are you suing? What method? What does it mean to vandalize God’s temple?
1 Corinthians 4: Ask God what God sees when God looks at your inner motives. Do you agree? Why or why not? Why must you see yourself as one of the Messiah’s misfits? How does understanding both yourself and God’s call propel you into action for God?
The past week you read good news that may not sound so good. God doesn’t care about outward appearances. Instead God looks at the heart. That sounds good. What doesn’t sound so good is that God usually chooses the nobodies who aren’t the brightest crayons in the box for God’s purposes. God chose David, the runt of the litter in his family, to be the next king. And God fought David’s battles, even killing a giant that terrified everyone else. What could be better? But then God let the future king’s life collapse into a living nightmare. David had to resort to drooling like a crazy man to keep people from killing him. That doesn’t exactly sound like royal treatment.
How has your experience of this text changed your understanding of God and the way God works? How has it affected your relationship with God? Has it given you zeal to step out on faith for God? Why or why not? Whether you sense it or not, God has a plan for your life just as God did for David and God will do whatever it takes to reshape your character into a life God can use. Ask God about the plan. Move into it, remembering, as Paul warns, that you will hear jeers far more often than cheers.
Walking with God demands a faith that looks beyond temporary discomfort. What will you do to stay on your toes and avoid sliding into casual Christianity? What will you do to avoid going along with the crowd and being just like everyone else? As you will read this week, take some encouragement from the fact that those who came before you often struggled to move from ideals to action.
Day 106
1 Samuel 28-31: Why did God abandon Saul? Why is expediency and fear the enemies of faith? How did Saul’s unfaithfulness impact God’s faithfulness to God’s promises? Does this shed light on your interactions with God today? In what ways?
1 Corinthians 5: Why do believers need to watch out for one another? What is so difficult and distasteful about confronting another Christian who falls into sin? What will you do when you witness unacceptable behavior in another believer?
Day 107
2 Samuel 1-2: Does David’s reaction to the news of Saul’s death surprise you? Why or why not? What does his reaction reveal about his character? Do David’s actions make you want to change how you live the God-life? Why or why not? In what areas?
1 Corinthians 6: What do lawsuits between believers say to unbelievers about the reality of Jesus? Why is sex more than mere skin on skin? How does the knowledge that your body is a sacred place where the Holy Spirit dwells change your view of sex?
Day 108
2 Samuel 3-5: Why didn’t David take the throne by force? How does waiting on God’s timing and faith go together? Considering David’s reaction to the deaths of Abner and Ish-Bosheth, how should you treat those who harm you?
1 Corinthians 7: How do the teachings about sex in today’s selection compare to what you’ve always heard or thought? To understand sex and marriage, it’s vital you accept that where you are now is God’s place for you. Why is this so important?
Day 109
2 Samuel 6-8: Why did God kill Uzzah for touching the Chest of God? Why would God rather have the Chest fall in the dirt than have a human being touch it? What made it possible for David to worship and dance before God after this?
1 Corinthians 8: Why do the consciences of other believers take a priority over your freedom in Christ? The question of eating meat sacrificed to idols probably isn’t a hot button in your circle of friends. What is? How does the principles of putting others before yourself change the way you deal with those issues?
Day 110
2 Samuel 9-10: Why did David seek out Mephibosheth and shower him with kindness? Why would Mephibosheth accept David’s offer? Do these events change what you think about forgiveness? In what ways?
1 Corinthians 9: Why did Paul feel compelled to spread the Message? Do you? Why or why not? What in your life had the potential to detract you from the Message? What areas keep you from running hard for Christ?
Day 111
2 Samuel 11-13: If David could commit adultery and murder, how vulnerable are you to temptation? When David was confronted, how did his response demonstrate faith? How will you respond when God confronts you with your sins?
1 Corinthians 10: David’s mistakes are some we need to learn from. Why is self-confidence and willpower not enough in the battle against sin? How might you reduce God and try to get Christ to serve you rather than you serving him?
Day112
Your reading last week began with the culmination of one man’s failure and ended with the beginning of another’s failure. Saul started out strong but chose expediency over faith, personal gain over obeying God. His life ended in tragedy, though it didn’t have to. God wanted to bless Saul with all God had. Instead God ripped the kingdom from him and handed it to David. Just when David seemed to be flourishing as king, he abused his power by sleeping with another man’s wife and arranged the man’s death to cover up his actions.
God confronted both David and Saul. How did their responses to God differ? Which man are you most like? Why? What makes power, fame, and sex so alluring that people will sacrifice anything for them? This question doesn’t come up only in these stories. Paul dealt with many of the same issues in 1 Corinthians. What did God teach you this week about keeping your relationship with God healthy? How will you avoid the pitfalls that destroyed so many godly people before you?
Over the next six days you will discover how sin leaves a wake of destruction that God’s forgiveness doesn’t always take away. That may not seem fair, but when God wipes away our sins God doesn’t always wipe away the long-term consequences of the mistakes we made. Why doesn’t God? Watch for an answer in the life of David. Listen as well for the Message of hope. Even though some consequences may live on, God’s purpose for your life still stands. When God gets started, nothing can get in God’s way. Not even you or me.
Day 113
2 Samuel 14-16: God did everything God vowed to do because of David’s sin. Why doesn’t forgiveness take away all the consequences of your sin? How does David’s accepting his punishment teach you to live by faith?
1 Corinthians 11: How do divisiveness and criticism among believers dishonor Christ? What does it mean to eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord’s Supper irreverently? What motives do you need to examine to avoid dishonoring God in Communion?
Day 114
2 Samuel 17-19: When God delivered David and restored him to the throne, why wasn’t David happy about it? How does God overcome grief and guilt? Have you let God’s grace do this for you? What were the circumstances?
1 Corinthians 12: What spiritual gift has God given you? If you’re not sure, talk to God. Why does God give these gifts and for what purposes? How does living interconnected with other Christians change your approach to the God-life?
Day 115
2 Samuel 20-22: How does faith change your perception on the events unfolding around you? What moves God to listen and come to your rescue when you cry out to God? In what way does God make your life complete?
1 Corinthians 13: How does this love differ from the love in pop culture? What does it mean to truly love someone? Why is love critical as you wait for “the Complete” (13:10) to arrive? How will you trust steadily, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly?
Day 116
2 Samuel 23-24: What do the tests God sends reveal about you, both good and bad? What is the difference between trusting in your strength and trusting in God? Why is taking pride in what you have and what you can do so repugnant to God?
1 Corinthians 14: Many Christians disagree about the private prayer language of tongues. What should be your attitude toward those who don’t see eye to eye with you? Does the existence and use of tongues make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?
Day 117
1 Kings 102: How does knowing that God is sovereign, that God is ultimately in control, change your daily life and your response to world events? Why can’t even the best-intentioned believers in positions of power represent God’s rule perfectly?
1 Corinthians 15: What would change in your life if Jesus’ body had rotted away in a grave somewhere? Does the promise that you will rise from the dead through Jesus change the way you face the fears and uncertainties of life? Why or why not?
Day 118
1 Kings 3-5: If God said God would give anything you wanted, what would you ask for? Why? Do you have a “God-listening heart?” (3:9) Why or why not? Do you value wisdom and the ability to discern good and evil? Why or why not?
1 Corinthians 16: Why do pastors, missionaries, and others who serve believers deserve special honor? Make a list of people in your life who deserve honor, then make a list of creative ways to bestow it upon them. Honor them today.
Day 119
In his introduction to The Message, Eugene Peterson wrote: “This biblical world is decidedly not an ideal world, the kind we see advertised in travel posters. Suffering and injustice and ugliness are not purged from the world in which God works and loves and saves. Nothing is glossed over.” The truth has blared from the pages not only over the past six days but every day during your journey through the Bible. The people in Corinth were a mess. And so was David. Even Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, eventually blew it.
You can respond to this parade of imperfect people in one of two ways: You can survey their sorry track record, think what’s the use in trying, and give into your worst instincts. Or you can look to God and find hope. By now you know that God isn’t looking for perfect people. God’s grace is strong enough to overcome any failure. God can and will use you, just like God used some of these knot heads who fill the pages of God’s book.
How has reading about the failures and shortcomings of people like David and the church in Corinth changed your understanding of God and God’s mercy? How has it changed the way you see yourself? Are you going to give up? Or are you going to find hope? Why? What will you do to allow God to work through you however God chooses? This question will come up over and over as you read Paul’s second letter to Corinth and as you observe Israel’s kings. If God uses people like this, what might he have in store for you?
Day 120
1 Kings 6-7: Why does obeying God mean more to God than a Temple paneled with pure gold? Why does a life lived right mean more to God than a structure costing millions? What lasts longer, the fruits of a life or a building? Why?