December Reading List

       December

❏1 Proverbs 8-11
❏2 Proverbs 12-14
❏3 Proverbs 15-18
❏4 Proverbs 19-21
❏5 Proverbs 22-24
❏6 Proverbs 25-28
❏7 Proverbs 29-31
❏8 Ecclesiastes 1-3
❏9 Ecclesiastes 4-6
❏10 Ecclesiastes 7-9
❏11 Ecclesiastes 10-12
❏12 Song of Solomon 1-4
❏13 Song of Solomon 5-8
❏14 1 Kings 5-7
❏15 1 Kings 8-10
❏16 1 Kings 11-13
❏17 1 Kings 14-16
❏18 1 Kings 17-19
❏19 1 Kings 20-22
❏20 2 Kings 1-3
❏21 2 Kings 4-6
❏22 2 Kings 7-10
❏23 2 Kings 11-14:20
❏24 Joel 1-3
❏25 2 Kings 14:21-25; Jonah 1-4
❏26 2 Kings 14:26-29; Amos 1-3
❏27 Amos 4-6
❏28 Amos 7-9
❏29 2 Kings 15-17
❏30 Hosea 1-4

❏31 Hosea 5-7

Jr. Bible Challenge Reading List

   December

❏1 2 Samuel 22
❏2 1 Kings 1
❏3 1 Kings 2
❏4 1 Kings 3
❏5 1 Kings 8
❏6 1 1 Kings 9
❏7 1 Kings 10
❏8 1 Kings 13
❏9 1 Kings 17
❏10 1 Kings 18
❏11 1 Kings 19
❏12 2 Kings 2
❏13 2 Kings 3
❏14 2 Kings 4
❏15 2 Kings 5
❏16 2 Kings 6
❏17 2 Kings 17
❏18 2 Kings 22
❏19 1 Chronicles 1
❏20 1 Chronicles 12
❏21 1 Chronicles 13
❏22 1 Chronicles 14
❏23 1 Chronicles 15
❏24 1 Chronicles 16
❏25 1 Chronicles 17
❏26 2 Chronicles 1
❏27 2 Chronicles 7
❏28 2 Chronicles 20
❏29 2 Chronicles 30
❏30 2 Chronicles 32
❏31 Ezra 3

Day 153 - Get Wisdom & Guard Your Heart

Daily Reading:  Proverbs 4-7

Get wisdom, get understanding;

do not forget my words or swerve from them.

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

love her, and she will watch over you.

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.

Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:5-7

Footnote:


If you want wisdom, you must decide to go after it.  It takes resolve -- a determination not to abandon the search once you begin no matter how difficult the road may become.  This is not a once-in-a-lifetime step, but a daily process of choosing between two paths -- the wicked (4:14-17,19) and the righteous (4:18).  Nothing else is more important or more valuable.

Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

Footnote:

Our heart -- our feelings of love and desire --dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy.  Solomon tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path.  Make sure your affections push you in the right direction.  Put boundaries on your desires:  don't go after everything you see.  Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don't get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.

Keep reading -- 212 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 152 - Leaning

Daily Reading:  Proverbs 1-3

Proverbs

What the book of Psalms is to prayer and devotional life, the book of Proverbs is to everyday life.  Proverbs gives practical suggestions for effective living.  This book is not just a collection of homey sayings; it contains deep spiritual insights drawn from experience.  A proverb is a short, wise, easy-to-learn saying that calls a person to actions.  It doesn't argue about basic spiritual and moral beliefs; it assumes we already hold them.  The book of Proverbs fouses on God -- his character, works, and blessings -- and it tells how we can live in close relationship to him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverb 3:5, 6

Footnote:

Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing.  When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can't trust anyone -- not even God.  But God knows what is best for us.  He is a better judge of what we want than even we are!  We must trust him completely in every choice we make.  We should not omit careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others.  We must not be wise in our own eyes.  We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's Word and wise counselors.  Bring your decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as your guide; and then follow God's leading.  He will make your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you.

To receive God's guidance, said Solomon, we must acknowledge God in all our ways.  This means turning every area of life over to him.  About a thousand years later, Jesus emphasized this same truth (Matthew 6:33).  Look at your values and priorities.  What is important to you?  In what areas have you not acknowledged him?  What is his advice?  In many areas of your life you may already acknowledge God, but it is in the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore his influence that will cause you grief.  Make him a vital part of everything you do; then he will guide you because you will be working to accomplish his purposes.

Keep reading -- 213 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 151 - Wisdom

Daily Reading:  1 Kings 1-4

Now, O lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David.  But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.  Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.  So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.  For who is able to govern this great people of yours?

1 Kings 3:7-9

Footnote:

When given a chance to have anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom -- "a discerning heart" -- in order to lead well and to make right decisions.  We can ask God for his same wisdom (James 1:5).  Notice that Solomon asked for discernment to carry out his job; he did not ask God to do the job for him.  We should not ask God to do for us what he wants to do through us.  Instead we should ask God to give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to follow through on it.

Solomon asked for wisdom, not wealth, but God gave him riches and long life as well.  While God does not promise riches to those who follow him, he gives us what we need if we put his kingdom, his interests, and his principles first.  Setting your sights on riches will only leave you dissatisfied because even if you get the riches you crave, you will still want something more.  But if you put God and his work first, he will satisfy your deepest needs.

Solomon received "a wise and discerning heart" from God, but it was up to Solomon to apply that wisdom to all areas of his life.  Solomon was obviously wise in governing the nation, but he was foolish in running his household.  Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and the strength of character to act upon that knowledge.  While Solomon remained wise all his life, he did not always act upon his wisdom.

 Keep reading -- 214 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 150 - Praise Him!

Daily Reading:  Psalm 148-150

Praise the Lord

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the string and flute,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

Footnote:

How could the message be more clear?  The writer was telling the individual listeners to praise God.  What a fitting way to end this book of praise -- with a direct encouragement for you to praise God too.  Remember to praise him every day!

In a way, the book of Psalms parellels our spiritual journey through life.  It begins by presenting us with two roads -- the way to life and the way to death.  If we choose God's way to life, we still face both blessings and troubles, joy and grief, successes and obstacles.  Throughout it all, God is at our side, guiding, encouraging, comforting and caring.  As the wise and faithful person's life draws to an end, he or she realizes clearly that God's road is the right road.  Knowing this will cause us to praise God for leading us in the right direction and for assuring our place in the perfect world God has in store for those who have faithfully followed him.

Keep reading -- 215 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 149 - The Lord's Delight

Daily Reading:  Psalm 145-147

He takes no pleasure in the strength

of a horse

or in human might.

No, the Lord's delight is in those who fear him,

those who put their hope in his

unfailing love.

Psalm 147:10, 11

Footnote:

We spend much effort trying to sharpen our skills or increase our strength.  There is nothing wrong with doing so, and in fact, our gifts can be used to glorify God.  But when we use our skills with no regard for God, they are indeed worth little.  It is our fear (reverence) and trust that God desires.  When he has those, then he will use our skills and strengths in ways far greater than we can imagine.

 Keep reading -- 216 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV

Day 148 - Teach Me To Do Your Will

Daily Reading:  Psalm 142-144

Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

lead me on level ground.

Psalm 143:10

Footnote:

David's prayer was to be taught to do God's will, not his own.  A prayer for guidance is self-centered if it doesn't recognize God's power to redirect our lives.  Asking God to restructure our priorities awakens our minds and stirs our wills.

O Lord, what is man that you care for him,

the son of man that you think of him?

Man is like a breath;

his days are like a fleeting shadow.

Psalm 144:3,4

Footnote:

Life is short.  David reminds us that it is "like a breath" and that our "days are like a fleeting shadow."  James says that our lives are "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14).  Because life is short, we should live for God while we have the time.  Don't waste your life by selecting an inferior purpose that has no lasting value.  Live for God -- he alone can make your life worthwhile, purposeful, and meaningful.

Keep reading -- 217 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV