Today’s Readings (Bible in a year): Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalm 43, Proverbs 10:18

Scripture: Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Observations:
• This verse appears, word for word, three times in two chapters.
• David struggles with inner turmoil, maybe even depression, throughout Psalms.
• He speaks to his own soul and tells it to hope in God.
• He reminds himself that he will praise God again.
• His praise is grounded in God’s word – salvation, and God’s position – David’s God.

Application:
I want to respond to my own inner battle with the command to hope and the reminder of praise.

Prayer:
Guide my heart to respond to what you have done and will do for me. Help me see true hope.

What tangible things do you do to find hope?

Today’s Readings: Lev 19:1‐20:21, Mark 8:11‐38, Ps 42:1‐11, Prov 10:17

(S)cripture: Mark 8:33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

(O)bservations:
• Peter had just confessed Jesus as Lord.
• He was now in opposition to Christ – being used by Satan.
• Reason: He was not setting his mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
(A)pplication:
I want to focus my mind on the things of God. I want to keep my mind from focusing on temporal things.

(P)rayer:
Lord, give me eyes to see where I am focused on earthly things. Give me the strength to set my mind on you.

Today’s Readings: Lev 16:29‐18:30, Mark 7:24‐8:10, Ps 41:1‐13, Prov 10:15‐16

Psalm 41:1
“Blessed is the one who considers the poor! (or weak)
In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him.”

“God helps those who help themselves.” – Sidney Algernon (1622-1683) I have always struggled with this famous quote. I believe the Bible teaches, as in Psalm 41 above, that “God helps those who help others.”

Many people do not give because they believe they need to save up for a rainy day. Clearly we need to handle our finances wisely, but the principle reflected in the verse above tells us that when the day of trouble comes, God is going to deliver those who have helped the poor.

This last week on twitter this quote stood out to me: “If we live at the same level of affluence as others who have our level of income, we are probably giving away too little.” – CS Lewis

Prayer: Lord, help me live for the day you say: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

How do you decide when NOT to give to someone in need?

Today’s Readings: Lev 15:1‐16:28, Mark 7:1‐23, Ps 40:11‐17, Prov 10:13‐14

Leviticus 15:31- “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”

During this read through of Leviticus, I have seen God’s passion for purity pushing me in several areas. First, it is giving me a renewed thankfulness for our high priest – Jesus Christ. Clearly, the Old Testament points to his sacrifice. Secondly, it is motivating me to search my heart and dig out any impurity. I don’t want anything coming between me and my Lord.

In the NT reading, Jesus clarified where impurity is found in us: “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him” (Mark 7:15)

Search me Lord. Show me my unclean heart.

What overlap did you see in the Old and New Testaments today?

Today’s Readings: Lev 14:1‐57, Mark 6:30‐56, Ps 40:1‐10, Prov 10:11‐12

Psalm 40:6-8
6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

As we read through the laws of sacrifice in Leviticus, it is hard to not be struck by this section of Psalm 40. David understood that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).

David sings that more than sacrifice God delights in:
1. Communication to God – “you have given me an open ear” and
2. Communication from God – “in the scroll of the book…I delight to do your will…your law is within my heart.”

Lord, I want to delight in your will. Thank you for removing the consequence of my sin through Christ so that I can approach you freely.

Have you found tangible ways to delight in God’s will?

Today’s Readings: Lev 13:1‐59, Mark 6:1‐29, Ps 39:1‐13, Prov 10:10

Mark 6:12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.

Repentance is turning away from sin.

The place of repentance in the gospel message has always been discussed heatedly in evangelical churches. I will not attempt to explain my current view. I also do not pretend to know. I do know that those who knew Jesus proclaimed repentance.

Today, I want to encourage myself and others to turn from sin.

How do you proclaim repentance?

Today’s Readings:
Lev 11:1‐12:8, Mark 5:21‐43, Ps 38:1‐22, Prov 10:8‐9

(S)cripture: Proverbs 10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

(O)bservations:
• One of my mentors defined integrity as doing the right thing when no one is watching. Solomon says here that living with integrity gives us security.
• Basically: Integrity = security
• He follows with the promise that if you do the wrong thing in secret, you will be found out

(A)pplication:
Today I want to focus on every unseen thought, motive, action, reaction, etc.

(P)rayer:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Today’s Readings: Lev 9:7‐10:20, Mark 4:26‐5:20, Ps 37:30‐40, Prov 10:6‐7

Mark 4:34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

I left this verse with two takeaways:
1. As a disciple of Christ, I need to be meeting with him privately so that he can explain his teaching to me through the Holy Spirit.
2. As I follow Christ’s example, I need to explain the wisdom he has given me to those who are close to me. This can include family, friends, coworkers and guys that I am mentoring.

Have you found tangible ways to pass on what God has explained to you in your life?

Today’s Readings: Lev 7:28‐9:6, Mark 3:31‐4:25, Ps 37:12‐29, Prov 10:5

Mark 4:18-19 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

One of my greatest fears is that I will reach the end of life and God will show me that I did not produce fruit that lasted. As Americans, we cannot read Mark 4 without taking note of what Jesus says keeps the word from producing fruit in some people’s lives.

Observations about the people “among thorns:”
1. They hear the word.
2. Things “choke the word:”
a. Cares of the world
b. Deceitfulness of riches
c. Desires for other things
3. These things make them unfruitful

Apply: Just last night I spent several hours looking for the cheapest, quality, “gear” I could track down for my next trip. It is amazing how quickly I can get sucked into the desire for other things. Today I want to meditate on this passage and check myself – what is fruitful and what will choke out the fruit?

Pray: Lord, give me the strength to weed out the “thorns” in my life.

What jumped out to you today?

Today’s Readings: Lev 6:1‐7:27, Mark 3:7‐30, Ps 37:1‐11, Prov 10:3‐4

(S)cripture:
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.

(O)bservations:
My part – Committing ways to the Lord, and trusting in him.
Both involve putting my schedule in God’s hands.
God’s part – acting
God does the action. He will work in our lives.

(A)pplication:
I need to trust God with my “ways” and “trust” him fully. Specifically I want to do that with my summer preparations today and my quality time with family.

(P)rayer:
Lord, thank you for working in my life. I commit the summer preparation and family time to you. I look forward to watching you act.

How do you tangibly keep your calendar in God’s hands?