Day 125 - Surely God is Good to Israel

Daily Reading:  Psalm 73-75

Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;

their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from the burdens common to man;

they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride is their necklace;

they clothe themselves with violence.

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;

the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

They scoff, and speak with malice;

in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them

and drink up waters in abundance.

They say, "How can God know?

Does the Most High have knowledge?"

This is what the wicked are like --

always carefree, they increase in wealth.

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;

in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been plagued;

I have been punished every morning.

If I had said, "I will speak thus,"

I would have betrayed your children.

When I tried to understand all this,

it was oppressive to me

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

then I understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground;

you cast them down to ruin.

How suddenly are they destroyed,

completely swept away by terrors!

As a dream when one awakes,

so when you arise, O Lord,

you will despise them as fantasies.

Psalm 73:1-20

Footnote:

Two strong themes wind their way through these verses:

1.  the wicked prosper, leaving faithful people wondering why they bother to be good, and

2.  the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places.  But these two themes come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death and the rewards for the good suddenly take on eternal value. 

What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever.  Don't wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth.  One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth.

Keep reading -- 240 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

NOVEMBER Reading Lists

November

❏1 Psalm 70-72
❏2 Psalm 73-75
❏3 Psalm 76-78
❏4 Psalm 79-81
❏5 Psalm 82-84
❏6 Psalm 85-87
❏7 Psalm 88-90
❏8 Psalm 91-93
❏9  Psalm 94-96
❏10  Psalm 97-99
❏11  Psalm 100-102
❏12  Psalm 103-105
❏13  Psalm 106-108
❏14  Psalm 109-111
❏15  Psalm 112-114
❏16  Psalm 115-118
❏17  Psalm 119
❏18  Psalm 120-123
❏19  Psalm 124-126
❏20  Psalm 127-129
❏21  Psalm 130-132
❏22  Psalm 133-135
❏23  Psalm 136-138
❏24  Psalm 139-141
❏25  Psalm 142-144
❏26  Psalm 145-147
❏27  Psalm 148-150
❏28 1 Kings 1-4
❏29 Proverbs 1-3
❏30 Proverbs 4-7

...........and the Junior Bible Challenge reading list for November.

November

❏1 1 Samuel 1

❏2 1 Samuel 2

❏3 1 Samuel 3

❏4 1 Samuel 4

❏5 1 Samuel 5

❏6 1 Samuel 6

❏7 1 Samuel 8

❏8 1 Samuel 9

❏9 1 Samuel 10

❏10 1 Samuel 11

❏11 1 Samuel 12

❏12 1 Samuel 13

❏13 1 Samuel 14

❏14 1 Samuel 16

❏15 1 Samuel 17

❏16 1 Samuel 18

❏17 1 Samuel 19

❏18 1 Samuel 20

❏19 1 Samuel 21

❏20 1 Samuel 22

❏21 1 Samuel 23

❏22 1 Samuel 24

❏23 1 Samuel 31

❏24 2 Samuel 2

❏25 2 Samuel 6

❏26 2 Samuel 7

❏27 2 Samuel 8

❏28 2 Samuel 11

❏29  2 Samuel 12

❏30 2 Samuel 13  

Just keep reading..........

Day 124 - Let God Be Exalted!

Daily Reading:  Psalm 70-72

But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation always say,

"Let God be exalted!"

Psalm 70:4

Footnote:

This short psalm was David's plea for God to come quickly with his help.  Yet even in his moment of panic, he did not forget praise.  Praise is important because it helps us remember who God is.  Often our prayers are filled with requests for ourselves and others, and we forget to thank God for what he has done and to worship him for who he is.  Don't take God for granted and treat him as a vending machine.  Even when David was afraid, he praised God.

Keep reading -- 241 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 123 - Our God Saves

Daily Reading:  Psalm 67-69

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.

Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign Lord come escape from death.
Psalm 68:19-21

Footnote:

God sets his people free and crushes his enemies.  Salvation is freedom from sin and death.  Those who refuse to turn to God will be crushed by sin and death.  They will be trapped by the sin they loved and destroyed by the death they feared.  How much better it will be for those who love God and fear the consequences of sin.

Keep reading -- 242 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 122 - Refine Us

Daily Reading:  Psalm 64-66

When we were overwhelmed by sins,

you forgave our transgressions.

Psalm 65:3

Footnote:

Although we may feel overwhelmed by the multitude of our sins, God will forgive them all if we ask sincerely.  Do you feel as though God could never forgive you, that your sins are too many, or that some of them are too great?  The good news is that God can and will forgive them all.  Nobody is beyond redemption, and nobody is so full of sin that he or she cannot be made clean.

For you, O God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Psalm 66:10-12

Footnote:

Just as fire refines silver in the smelting process, trials refine our character.  They bring us a new and deeper wisdom, helping us discern truth from falsehood and giving us the discipline to do what we know is right.  Above all, these trials help us realize that life is a gift from God to be cherished, not a right to be taken for granted.

Keep reading -- 243 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 121 - Lonely and Thirsty

Daily Reading:  Psalm 61-63

O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

They who seek my life will be destroyed;

they will go down to the depths of the earth.

They will be given over to the sword

and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by God's name will praise him,

while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Psalm 63

Footnote:

Hiding from his enemies in the barren Desert of Judah, David was intensely lonely.  He longed for a friend he could trust to ease his loneliness.  No wonder he cried out, "O God....my soul thirsts for you....in a dry and weary land."  If you are lonely or thirsty for something lasting in your life, remember David's prayer.  God alone can satisfy our deepest longings!

The night was divided into three watches.  Someone aware of all three would be having a sleepless night.  A cure for sleepless nights is to turn our thoughts to God.  There are many reasons we can't sleep -- illness, stress, worry -- but sleepless nights can be turned into quiet times of reflection and worship.  Use them to review how God has guided and helped you.

Keep reading -- 244 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 120 - A Changeless Love

Daily Reading:  Psalm 58-60

You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

God will go before me

and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

Psalm 59:10

Footnote:

David was hunted by those whose love had turned to jealousy, and this was driving them to try to murder him.  Trusted friends, and even his son, had turned against him.  What changeable love!  But David knew that God's love for him was changeless.  "His love endures forever" (100:5).  God's mercy to all who trust him is just as permanent as his mercy to David.  When the love of others fails or disappoints us, we can rest in God's enduring love.

Keep reading -- 245 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV