One Year Bible

Ezekiel 18:1-19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 27:10

Some things cannot be passed down from generation to generation. There was an old saying that conveyed the falsehood that the sins of the fathers would be taken out on the children. Children thought their lives were capped at whatever their parents did (or didn’t do).

What a way to live! You could not determine your own future. Those who came before you limited your life. God tells Israel to stop saying this because each person has a right and responsibility to choose righteous or unrighteous actions. Even those who start out doing right can turn and do evil or vice versa.

God desires for everyone to live righteous lives and reap the rewards of such living. As God’s children, we have an open door in front of us. If we choose God’s way, there are no limits to how far we can go! Reject that false belief that your education, pedigree or economics will determine your future. It can’t and it won’t. God can take you places your degrees and networks never could. Stick with God. No one can stop Him!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-49; Hebrews 9:11-28; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 27:11

Ezekiel 16:42-17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 27:7-9

Under the Old Covenant, all sin had to be paid for and once the price was paid, life went back to normal except, the person lived with the shame and stigma of having been punished. (Similar to going to prison and then being released.)

God told Israel that after they had stayed in exile long enough, He would bring them back home and restore them and other nations who had broken His laws. Yet, when they came back, they would still remember with regret all the bad decisions they made which caused them to go into exile. Though everything would be restored, they would always remember what they had lost because of their rebellion.

Thank God for the New Covenant. In this New Covenant, Jesus paid the price for our wrongdoing and suffered all the humiliation and shame so we would not have to. This is what grace is all about! Grace means getting what we don’t deserve! We deserved to die for our sins and forever be remembered as sinners but God loved us enough to make us righteous through someone else’s sacrifice. We don’t deserve righteousness and it cannot be earned. It is received. Receive God’s righteousness and know that you are a beloved child of God fully accepted by the Father.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 27:10

Ezekiel 14:12-16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6

God takes it personally when his children abandon Him and go after other “gods”. After God has done so much for us, how can we go after those who have not invested in us? God paints a vivid picture of Israel and how He found her abandoned. God nurtured her when she could not take care of herself. God provided and protected her. But once Israel matured, she left the love of God and went after foreign nations.

This kind of disloyalty does not happen over night. It very subtly creeps in when we are not aware and before we know it, we are worshipping a false god who cannot help us. The temptation of idols is all around us everyday. It could be our money, our job, our friends, a habit or even, ourselves!

Every idol that we chase will disappoint us. The gods of this world can never care for us like our Heavenly Father. Idols make promises that they cannot keep. They give us a false sense of security that quickly is ripped from us. Though we may be tempted to stray, there is nothing greater than “dancing with the one who brought you.” God has loved us from the beginning and He will never leave us or stop loving us. He’s worthy of our faithfulness.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 27:7-9

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3

Those around you can affect your future.  We have heard it said, “Birds of a feather flock together.” The people we spend time with are a reflection of what’s going on in us and they will paint the picture of our future. More than human wisdom, the Bible says it this way, “bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Israel was full of people who refused to listen to good counsel and see the path that God laid out for them. The rebellious people corrupted the good people. It is a simple formula: when negative is introduced, it corrupts everything around it.

If you have people around you who speak and act contrary to God’s love and plans, please be careful! You are setting yourself in a position to fall away from God’s purpose for your life. These relationships may need to be eliminated. These are tough actions to take but your life and future depend upon it.

Tomorrow’s Reading:  Ezekiel 14:12-16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6

Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2

God cannot be contained in a building. No matter where we are or where we go, God is always there. When Israel was exiled from Jerusalem they no longer had access to the Temple where God’s presence resided. What made their exile worse, was knowing they could not get to God. In fact, God’s presence had withdrawn from the Temple.

God tells Israel, “I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile” (Ezekiel 11:16). In other words, though you cannot get to me, I will come to you. God is not only going to be with them but God is going to be Their Sacred Dwelling Place.

It is good to know that no matter where we go, it is never away from God! Even if we are experiencing the consequences of our own actions, God will not let us be cut off from Him unless we reject Him. How near is God? Just a whisper away! Call out to Him and He will answer you no matter where you are.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28

God is so passionately in love with His people that He is jealous! We have to be careful about this word because we think when we hear it that it means what we see on reality TV shows. God desires to be our Heavenly Father and that we would seek no other gods but Him.

He is passionately protective of your relationship with Him. He will do anything to protect that relationship. When the Bible speaks of God’s jealousy, it is not speaking about the petty games that humans play. It speaks about a God who goes all out for His children and when His children ignore Him and go looking for other gods, then it breaks His heart.

God, however, never abandons us! He continues to pursue us, even when we are running away from Him. He will not give up on us, even when we give up on Him. When we put God at the back of the line, He just waits there patiently for His turn.

This is the true meaning of God’s jealousy! He is zealous for us and that is why God sent His one and only son, Jesus, to die for us!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27

God loves us enough that He never leaves us without a warning when we are going astray. He sends people into our lives to speak forth His Word to give us a chance to repent.

God told Ezekiel that his role was to be a Watchman for Israel. He was to stay connected to God and warn Israel when God spoke. This was a serious role because if Ezekiel didn’t tell Israel and they continued, then their death would be his responsibility.

In a like manner, God wants to help us so we don’t ruin our future. If we ignore God’s warning, then all the consequences fall upon us. If we heed the warning, then we will be rescued from the perils that lie ahead. Have enough respect for God and His Word that when you hear His voice warning you, that you listen. Make whatever corrections God says and your future will be bright.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26

Is there a place where you get away to hear from God? Ezekiel was by a river in Babylon when he received a powerful vision. God wants us to encounter Him supernaturally so that we can have an unshakeable confidence in Him.

When God connects with us it is to give us His Word. God had a Word for Israel but He could not get a Word to Israel until God got His Word into Ezekiel. God will never call us to speak for Him until we allow Him to speak to us!

Is your heart open for God to speak to you? Are you ready to have a bedrock conviction about His Word and purposes for your life? If so, then you are ready for God to speak through you to others. Ezekiel had to “eat” what God was serving him and once he had ingested it, then he would be ready to speak what God told him to others. God always wants to work in us before He works through us!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Hebrews 4:1-16; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 26:27

Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23

Every act of sin (disobedience) leaves a debt which needs to be satisfied. You can think of sin like a credit card. Every time you use it, you will have to pay with interest. Israel repeatedly sinned (disobeyed) and their sin debt skyrocketed.

When it was time to pay the price, they were unable and unwilling. The price was that they had to be exiled from the land and everything that they had built would be destroyed. Instead of being an independent nation led by God, they would be slaves in a foreign land and their homeland would be under foreign leadership. Jeremiah felt this was a high price to pay. Once Israel paid the price, Jeremiah says that the Lord’s anger was satisfied.

The same is true with our sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied all of our sin debt once and for all. God is no longer mad at us and He responds to us based on Jesus’ blood. But, sin still exists and it still remains a stumbling block for us! It is a tool of the devil to stop our purpose.

Sin always costs us something! And, it is usually more than we are willing to pay in the end. God challenges us to think about sin and its built-in consequences. If we try to enjoy the pleasures of sin, they will only last momentarily. But, when the due date comes, we cannot make a minimum payment. The devil will require maximum payment plus penalties.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26

Lamentations 3:1-66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22

Jeremiah does not paint a pleasant picture of his walk with God. I am certain that anyone who reads this would not want to sign on for the job of God’s prophet! His experience with obeying God is so rough that he said it was like “chewing on gravel” and that God rips him apart like a stalking bear or lion!

Then in a moment, he changes and talks about “The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’”

When our feelings control our lives, they can give us a skewed view of who God is. When faith kicks in and overrides our feelings, we can truly see the love, mercy and grace of God. It is so easy to look and see the bad and the burden but when you look through eyes of faith, you can see God’s unfailing love.

Regardless of how bad you may feel or things may seem, you must believe that God is for you and “The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.”

Tomorrow’s Reading: Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23