June 26 Bible Reading

Mark 13

Jesus is most definitely coming again.  The signs leading up to His return are but small pains in comparison to the great judgement that God will pour out onto the earth in the final days.  We know that we have the hope of the resurrection and the return of Christ, and these things ought to make us pursue knowing Him more and make us steadfast in our waiting for His return.  We must not be caught off guard, but perpetually we must be preparing ourselves.

Psalm 57-59

David can pray confidently for deliverance, because he knows that God has anointed him to be the king of Israel.  We too can pray confidently in the promises of God.  As we read His word and understand more and more what He has given us we can pray for more things that He has promised us.

Exodus 34&35

God is absolutely against any idols.  He wants the people of Israel to serve only Him.  Again and again the people of Israel are warned about falling into the snare of idol worship, and as the nation progresses, they continually are prone to wander from God.  We must watch that we do not make idols in our lives, but that we stay true to God.  This is the first commandment that we love God above all else.

Lamentations 3-5

Although Jeremiah is mourning the desolation of his people, he remembers that this is due to the people for their sin, and that God is faithful.  When we are faced with discipline, we must remember that God is faithful even through our testing, and He will make us more like His Son even through tragedy.

Ephesians 3

Here Paul prays that the Ephesians would come to have knowledge of Christ’s love.  It is not enough that we simply feel the love and power of Christ, but we must come to comprehend it as well.  In my experience, the more I understand the love of Christ, the deeper my affections are toward Him.  We must strive for understanding, and this will effect our feeling.

1Kings 19-22

While King Jehoshaphat did not worship idols himself, he did leave the alters to them up and did not make any effort to destroy these practices in the land of Judah.  It is a compromise like this that leads the next generation into complete idolatry.  We must be on our guard to not let compromise sneak into our lives.  We may not experience negative outcomes, but those after us most certainly will.