October 3rd Bible in a Year Readings

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30 + Philippians 4:1-23 + Psalm 75:1-10 + Proverbs 24:17-20
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Old Testament - Today we begin the book of the prophet Jeremiah!  Below is a painting from the year 1630 titled "Jeremiah Laments the Devastation of Jerusalem" by the artist Rembrandt.  This painting can be viewed today in Amsterdam at the Rijksmuseum.

~ Jeremiah ~
Author: Jeremiah
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: Jeremiah’s life covered the last forty years of Judah’s existence. The burden of his message was for God’s people to accept the judgment of God so that a new beginning could be made. He lived through the invasions by the Babylonian armies, the deportations of his people by the enemy, the slaughter of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the Temple of God. He warned the people concerning these events, pleading with them to turn from their sins, but to no avail. He received only scorn and persecution. Jeremiah’s life is described in some detail, thus making him the best known of the Old Testament prophets.
Theme: In the crisis days during which Jeremiah lived, he had but one message for the people: Repent and turn to God. All false hopes must be abandoned and God must be given his rightful place in the nation. Nothing can save the people – neither their wealth, their armies, their diplomats, nor even their religion – only God can save. The destruction of Jerusalem stands as a memorial for all time that when a nation rejects God, the inevitable result will be ruin. Jeremiah also has a message of hope. Although Judah had abandoned God, God had not abandoned them and would once again show himself mightily on their behalf. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 13)  A great commentary on the book of Jeremiah by Donald Curtis is at this link. 

Today in Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 26 we read this sad statement - "Like a thief, Israel feels shame only when she gets caught. Kings, officials, priests, and prophets--all are alike in this."  How about us in our lives today?  Do we only feel shame when we get caught?  Do we realize that God knows exactly what we are doing even if we think we might be doing something in "secret"?  Do you realize there are absolutely no secrets with God?

Bible Project: Here is a terrific video overview of the book of Jeremiah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSK36cHbrk0

New Testament - Wow... so many great teachings from Paul here today as we close out his letter to the church in Philippi!  Paul's letter to the church in Colosse begins in our readings tomorrow!  I love Philippians chapter 4 verse 4 today - "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!"  How does this verse speak to you?  Are you full of joy in the Lord right now?  Are you always full of joy in the Lord?  Why or why not?  Do you think Paul's teaching here is correct - should we always be full of joy in the Lord?  Let us rejoice!

Verses 6 & 7 are so very powerful for each of us to truly learn and put into practice in our lives today!  "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  Do you worry?  Why does Paul tell us not to worry about anything?  What did Jesus say to us about worrying in the Sermon on the Mount?  What does Paul tell us to do instead of worrying?  Pray.  This is a powerful powerful thought!  Think about this the next time you catch yourself worrying.  You know that when you worry you are wasting energy and time.  So, why not follow Paul's simple instructions here - when you catch yourself worrying, start praying.  Really.  Don't give one more minute or one more ounce of your energy to worrying.  When you find yourself worrying, get down on your knees and pray!  Tell God what you need - AND thank him for all he has done.  Sure, it may be tough to thank God at your moment of worrying, but you should do so, in addition to telling him what you need.  We should always thank God.  And then... here's the beauty.... you will experience God's peace!  His peace will guard your heart and mind as you live in Jesus!  Let us each stop worrying and start praying!  Actually... while I'm already down this path, think about this.  Do you think that you spend more time each day worrying or praying?  Really, think about this.  How many minutes a day would you say that you worry?  And how many minutes a day would you say you pray?  My hunch is that worrying takes up far more minutes for most of us... Look at how we are wasting precious time on worrying!  We don't have that kind of time...  Let us pray!

And finally Philippians chapter 4 verses 8 and 9 are so beautiful: "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you."  What type of things do you think about typically?  Do you typically think about what is true and honorable and right?  Do you often think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable?  Do you think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise?  Or are you filling your mind with other thoughts?  Thoughts that, like worry, are a complete waste of your precious time here on this earth?  Will you instead put into practice Paul's teachings - and the teachings you have received this year from the One Year Bible - and allow the peace of God to be with you? 

Bible.org's commentary on our readings today in Philippians chapter 4 verses 1 through 9 titled "Stand Fast, Stand Together" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 75 verse 7 is so powerful and so true... I need to hear this over and over again - "It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall."  You and I do not judge.  Well, we might try to judge, but it's all in vain if we do.  And we risk turning judgment onto ourselves when we do.  God alone judges.  God alones decides who will rise and who will fall.  We do not.  God is God.  We are not.  This is a very good thing to always remember! :)  We should also always remember we are so not this man below when it comes to other people's hearts or eternal destinies...   

Proverbs - Today in Proverbs chapter 24 verses 17 & 18 we read – “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” This is a powerful Proverb and reminds me that Jesus took this Proverb one step further in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5. This Proverb says “do not gloat when your enemy falls.” This in and of itself may be a hard teaching in our lives. Well, let us also recall Jesus’ teaching in Matthew chapter 5 verses 44 and 45 – “I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Jesus tells us to actually love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us!  How’s that for a hard teaching?  But. . . a beautiful teaching.  A True teaching.  A teaching we must put into practice in our lives.  So, yes, let us not gloat or rejoice when our enemy falls.  But more than that, let us love and pray for our enemies.  Why?  Perhaps through love and prayer they will one day not be enemies, but could actually be brothers and sisters?  How are you doing with these teachings in your life?  Do you have any enemies in your life?  Are you not gloating or rejoicing when they fall?  Are you literally praying for and loving your enemies today?  Would this be a holy thing to put into practice in your life this very day?

Worship Video: Philippians 4:6 reminded me of the song "The Prayer" that has been sung by several artists.  I believe Celine Dion wrote the song.  Here is a beautiful version of the song by Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin.  This song starts off a bit slow, but stick with it.  The duet with Yolanda and Donnie by the end is powerful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddgmktt-GCQ

Have you ever prayed "The Prayer"?  Click here and pray!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8 TNIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you think about that which is true, noble, right, pure, love, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Pray that you don't think about any thing untrue, ignoble, wrong, polluted, hate, despicable, lazy, or condemnable. Pray in Jesus' name you live out Philippians 4:8 in your life each and every day!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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Comments

[Ramona]

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30

Jeremiah is such an intense book and one I can relate too. Here we have a man who loves his country and countrymen but God gives him an assignment to deliver a harsh message to the people he loves, judgment. All truth is confrontational and Jeremiah has been called before the foundation of the world to deliver this confrontational message. If we desire to be used by God according to what He has purposed within us, we will have on-the-job confrontations.

One of the things I have taken note of is the consequence of sin. Reaping and sowing, cause and effect, which is one of the laws God has set in place upon the earth so sin, just like righteousness, has its own rewards.

This is what the Lord says: "What possible fault could your ancestors have found in me that they strayed so far from me? They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. .. Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. All your leaders worshiped idols that could not help them…. "… my people have committed a double wrong: they have left me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water." … You brought it about by leaving the Lord your God, even while he was leading you along the way.
(Jer 2:5-17 NET.)

We would only be fooling ourselves and in deep deception if we think this Word is only for “those back there in Israel” No, this Word is for us today because God’s Word, like Him has no beginning nor ending. And it would behoove us to remember this Word was given to Jeremiah by God to speak to “Church folk.”

Philippians 4:1-23
6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

In Paul’s letter to Ephesians, in the six chapter, Paul lists the Spiritual Armor we should always cloth ourselves with. Do we really know what the shoes of peace, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, etc, are. Do we know what they are analogous too? Or do we just recite the pieces and say “That’s nice.”

Too often I find myself giving mental assent to what the text is saying, yet I don’t really have a “clue” of what is being said or one iota of understanding of how the text relates to my life, much less understand how to apply the text. But I had the light turned on today in understanding what the “Helmet of Salvation” really is. (Eph 6:17). The soldiers’ helmet protects the head and thus the brain, where our thought processes take place. This spiritual helmet is the Peace of God that guards and blocks every thought that is not of God. It is the peace of God that makes up the helmet and that protects my thoughts and guards all that has been transformed by my renewed mind. (Romans 12:2)

Psalm 75:1-10

2
God says, "At the time I have planned,
I will bring justice against the wicked.

For all of us that try to sneak in our licks against those who have wronged us, this second verse should stop us in our tracks. If it is not God’s time, we will never be successful in extracting our pound of flesh; besides we would be stealing from God. (Rom 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord.)

Proverbs 24:17-20

Enemies and the wicked, God has given us guidelines to follow in dealing with them that are difficult to follow in the flesh. But in the Spirit, all things are possible. The downfall of our enemies and the seemingly prosperity of the wicked should drive us to the throne of God when we are tempted to celebrate our enemies downfall or when we desire the putrid and decaying fruit of the wicked.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Deedee]

Another chapter gone/book..we finish Phillipines .be the light don't let another ve stomped on..continue to run the race..be good hearted and know that Christ and through Christ we find our joy and inner peace! I love Jeremiah. My fave of Jeremiah is about the plans God has for us to prosper and have a bright future also that we must stay firm like a tree firmly planted and not grow weary. Amen

[Nancy]

There are times when we are suppose to judge. For instance when a believer falls into sin.
Galatians 6.1
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
This is a judgment. Looking at the situation & making a call. It is important that when we approach the person that our heart & attitude are humble, not haughty or proud. "There but for the grace of God go I." is the saying. To reach out to them in love. With true motives.
Jude 1.23 nlt
Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
I believe it needs to be done as a group so there is no question of what took place.
Matthew 18.16
But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.