Day 332 (Tuesday) - Romans 1:16-5:11

Paul starts in Romans with a reality that we all need to know. It is the reality that man is sinful and God is angered by sin. This idea of mans total depravity is the focus of many people but dwelling on it is not helpful in accepting that God has and will forgive us and accept us as righteous, without sin. Other people focus on the grace of God but dwelling on only that is not helpful in knowing that God hates sin and will punish it. It is a balance and an invitation. The truth of the matter is that those that reject God will find their reward but those that trust Him will also find theirs.

Day 331 (Monday) - Acts 27:9-28:31; Romans 1:1-15

I’m excited to start the Book of Romans because it is one of the foundational books of the New Testament to help us understand Christ and his sacrificial work. The Book of Romans is primarily a work of doctrine and can be divided into four sections: righteousness needed, 1:18–3:20; righteousness provided, 3:21–8:39; righteousness vindicated, 9:1–11:36; righteousness practiced, 12:1–15:13. The main theme of this letter is obvious of course—righteousness. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Paul first condemns all men of their sinfulness. He expresses his desire to preach the truth of God’s Word to those in Rome. It was his hope to have assurance they were staying on the right path. He strongly points out that he is not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power by which everyone is saved.

Day 330 (Sunday) - Acts 23:26-27:8

Paul will finally make it to Rome, just like God had told him. Once Paul gets there, the trail will grow cold. We have no idea, outside of tradition, as to what happened to Paul. Tradition says that Paul was beheaded in Rome, but we have no biblical or historical data to authenticate that claim. The end of Acts seems abrupt. We have followed Paul through all his trial and just before he goes before the council, it ends. Is there another ending or another lost work? Who knows?

Day 329 (Saturday) - Acts 21:1-23:25

I find it inspiring that Paul is willing to risk everything by going to Jerusalem. I can hear people saying things like, “Don’t go because if you get jailed you will not be able to do more good in other areas or plant more churches.” But Paul has this great faith in God and knows that it is all in God’s hands in the first place. Paul is ready to die if he needs to. I wish I had that kind of faith all the time.

Day 328 (Friday) - Acts 19-20

Paul’s preaching about Jesus in the city of Ephesus was starting to have a major impact on the community, not only on people receiving Christ but on the economy. That’s right, the preaching of Jesus was shutting down the city’s religious tourism and idol buying. The tradesmen were furious and wanted Paul to hit the road because he was affecting their businesses. It’s interesting that the issue wasn’t the loss of a god, but revenue from worshiping that god. I wonder how that correlates with the church today? Do we make decisions based on our worship of God or the revenue it generates?

Day 327 (Thursday) - Acts 16:11-18:28

I love chapter 17! Paul was masterful at engaging people where they were to explain the truth about Christ. I think his tactics would be frowned upon in most churches today, but I believe he hit the nail on the head most of the time. Paul notices all the gods that people worshiped and they had one god for all the stuff they didn’t understand. Paul used that image to explain who that God was. The introduction to God caused many to seek God and many found him. Super Cool!

The picture above is a shrine to an unknown god that was found in Rome. It would have been just like the one Paul was talking about.

Day 326 (Wednesday) - Acts 14:1-16:10

If you believe that church conflicts are something that the first church never experienced, you’d be dead wrong. There were major disagreements between major players in church leadership and we have one today with Peter and John-Mark. Paul did not want John-Mark to join him and Barnabas but Barnabas felt strongly that John-Mark should join them. Paul felt John-Marl lacked some form of commitment and that was his motivation for exclusion. The disagreement was so strong that Barnabas and John-Mark left Paul and Paul ended up going alone. One is a lonely number!

Day 325 (Tuesday) - Acts 12-13

Religious relics are a rather interesting thing. One I’ve always found strange can be found at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains. Here is an excerpt from their web site.

The pious Eudocia, wife of Emperor Teodosio II, journeyed to Jerusalem and found the chain that had bound Peter during his second imprisonment. According to the Acts 12:6, an angel caused the chains to fall from Peter's hands and led him past slumbering guards to freedom.

The chain was eventually given as a gift to Pope St. Leo the Great (440-461). In Rome there was already a chain that was greatly prized which had bound the saint during his nine month imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison near the Forum. When the pope compared the two chains, they miraculously fused together into one unbreakable series of links. Because of this miracle, Empress Eudocia built the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, and dedicated it to the apostle in the year 442. The relic is now kept in a golden urn beneath the high altar, close to the famous statue of Michelangelo's Moses.

Day 324 (Monday) - Acts 9:23-11:30

Peter, as the first pastor of the first church has one major message, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.” Peter goes on to say that this is the Good News. We hear about this Good News all the time in Christendom and the scriptures but it is here in 10:34 that Pastor Peter defines what the Good News is. All people in every country and every walk of life have the same access to God and the same deep love he has for all. That is Good News!

Day 323 (Sunday) - Acts 7:30-9:22

Stephen was one of seven men who were selected a deacons in the church. He was preaching to the Jewish religious leaders in hope that they would receive the Good News about Christ when they dug him outside the city walls and threw stones at him until he died. Once the news made it to the church, their individual commitment and devotion to Christ was exposed. Persecution is a powerful event in the life of faith. It is interesting that the stronger the persecution the stronger the devotion of the church in the persecuted area. A persecuted church believes in what it is there for and is devoted to it. It could be that if persecution hit the western church, we would lose 90% but the remaining 10% might be the only church that was ever really there in the first place.

Day 322 (Saturday) - Acts 5:1-7:29

Maybe I’m sick and twisted…ok, I am…but I love the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple tried to cheat God out of their tithe and they were struck dead right there in the church service. A few young men got the responsibility to carry out the corpses in the middle of the service (no one wants dead bodies lying around while church is going on). The next line says that the church was in great fear over the event…reeeaaaallllly! It sure does change the way you look at that little plate that passes by during the worship service. Our gifts are never to a church…they are to God and he apparently cares a lot about our hearts in the act of giving.

Day 321 (Friday) - Acts 2:14-4:37

The first Christian sermon is delivered by the Pope…Pastor Peter. He lays out the basics of the Gospel plan and tells the hearers the “anyone who believes in Jesus can be saved”. This was a new idea because Judaism was exclusive and was not easily available to just any person. This new invitation was well received and those that accepted the message were over 3000 that first day…so the fist church was a mega church!

Day 320 (Thursday) - John 20-21; Acts 1:1-2:13

The book of Acts is not really titled Acts, not that it really matters that much, but the proper title is Acts of the Apostles because it is the story of their acts. It is the beginning of life after Jesus’ sacrifice and the beginning of the church as we know it today. Acts is a text book on church structure, purpose and workings. The work of the apostles is an example to us and a challenge for the church of the 21st century. Buckle up because this is going to be a wild ride!

Day 319 (Wednesday) - John 17:14-19:42

Did you know that we are to be one with each other as Jesus and God are one? Jesus and God are the same, though Jesus had a physical body. You and I are to be one…undivided…united. Are we? Sure we are! As Christians we never fight about anything. We always work to love each other and make sure our words build each other up and never tear each other down. We don’t argue about things like baptism, how people are saved or any other types of doctrine. Isn’t it great to be one? Oops! Let’s just skip over that verse…

Day 318 (Tuesday) - John 14:12-17:13

What do you make of John 14:26? It’s a clear communication of the role of the Spirit in our lives. We are uncomfortable with the Spirit because we don’t know how we are to interact with him but he is the person of the Godhead that is most active and present with us as children of God. Do you see the work of the Spirit in your life? He is the one that reminds you of the truth and teachings of Christ. The more in tune you are with the Spirit, the more in tune you are with Christ.

Day 317 (Monday) - John 12:12-14:11

I don’t like sacrifice any more than the next person but there is something about sacrifice that is more Christ-like than any other experience. Jesus said that the wheat must fall to the earth and die in order to spring to life more fruit. Jesus dies to bring us new life and we must die to resurrect something better. We don’t give up our lives very easily; we hold on to them and fight our way to the grave. What do you have to die to? What are you unwilling to let go of? What resurrection awaits your suffering?

Day 316 (Sunday) - John 10:19-12:11

There is no more powerful example of God’s timing and our timing being different than the story of Lazarus’ death. It’s almost comical. Here a man dies that Jesus knows and the friends and family flock to Jesus to come. Instead of doing what they think he will do, dropping everything, he waits two more days! I would have been freaking out! Is Jesus going to come or should we bury the body? Will the smell go away even if Jesus resurrects him? Jesus has his timing and we have ours. I so do this!

Day 315 (Saturday) - John 8:21-10:18

John 8 has a verse that means so much to me. Early in my adult Christian walk, I used to listen to Christian radio, not music, but teachers. I can remember listening to Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA. His radio broadcast is called Word for Today and his teachings helped me so much in those early years and if I hear him today on the radio, I’ll stick there to hear him again. At the beginning of each broadcast, the bumper music was a song called “If the Son Sets You Free” (you will be freed indeed). I can still hear that song and the message it contained. Thank God for the Chuck Smiths in the world and the truth of that song.

Day 314 (Friday) - John 6:52-8:20

I love the story of the adulterous woman that Jesus forgives. I need that story because sometimes I’m the adulterous woman (the one who has sinned) and other times I’m the one who wants to call out the sin of others to take the focus off me and keep me busy with policing the world around me (also sin). I am forgiven and it is not my job to call out and identify the sin in others. I have enough work just working on me, than to have to work on everyone else as well!

Day 313 (Thursday) - John 4:39-6:51

I’d like to offer a thought on 4:43-44. I was told early in my ministry that my most difficult ministry would be to those that knew me before I became a Christian or a Pastor. Because I was told this I believed it and because I believed it, I saw it. Any time I met resistance, I remembered that I will not be fruitful in my homeland and that I’d be better off somewhere else. I guess it’s true, but im not exactly sure that’s what Jesus wanted us to get from this. I still worked with a family member that was far from God and is now close. I still took the role as Lead Pastor when I was told the congregation would never accept me because I was just a lowly youth pastor…umm. Being a prophet at home might be difficult but the difficulty does not exempt you from it. I argue that some of the most rewarding fruit comes from your work at home.

Day 312 (Wednesday) - John 2:12-4:38

By far, the most recognized passage in the entire Bible is John 3:16. You can see it on signs at football games and it is used more by teachers and pastors than any other scripture. In fact, many would say a presentation of the Gospel is incomplete without it. The problem is this, most people use this passage as a passage of condemnation, in other words, believe or else. I personally believe that 3:16 cannot and should not be used without verse 17 because verse 17 gives the context. We must be careful to not use verses alone but explain why God loved the world by giving Christ…it is because God did not come to condemn but to save. God’s gift is about his love for all.

Day 311 (Tuesday) - Luke 24:24-53; John 1:1-2:11

The beginning of the book of John is most known for the teaching that God became human in the person of Jesus. This is not an easy teaching because of our lack of understanding outside our reality. We live in space and time, but God is separate. When we think of God coming in the form of a man we can’t help but think of God in that same time/space reality. If God is here, how can he still be there? 100% man but 100% God makes 200%...it’s confusing. We need to remember that we do not understand God or his reality at the depth necessary to put the truth that “God came as a man” into a neat little package.

Day 310 (Monday) - Luke 22:47-24:23

There were Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests and Scribes but the governing body for the Jews was the Sanhedrin. It was made up of the Jerusalem nobility and Jews from each of these camps. Throughout history, their power and influence changed as the Jewish, Roman and Greek governance changed and allowed the Sanhedrin to function. During Jesus’ days, it held great power but when Herod the Great was in power, he had the entire Sanhedrin executed and held the replacement council in a tight grip during his reign.

Day 309 (Sunday) - Luke 21:10-22:46

An interesting fact about the Last Supper is that the main focus of the meal (Passover Meal) was the Lamb. The Passover lamb would be sacrificed and the family would eat it at the meal. There is no mention of this lamb at the Last Supper and once the Temple was destroyed 30 years later, all Jewish Passover Meals were absent the lamb because sacrifices were no longer possible. They would, and still do, put a roasted lamb bone on the plate to remind them that the Temple is still missing.

Day 308 (Saturday) - Luke 19:28-21:9

Jesus doesn’t seem to ever pull any punches when it comes to the religious leaders and teachers of his day. He is sharp with his truth about their intentions as well as their hypocrisy. As I look at the church today, I see many of the same issues and I suspect that it has always been that way in every generation. I am part of the problem. Some days it seems so clear and I know what I need to do and then the next day I become complacent and lethargic with the convictions of some other time.

Day 307 (Friday) - Luke 17:1-19:27

What is life about? Why are you even here? Is there any purpose for you taking up the precious oxygen from the rest of us? Have you done anything with your life? Do you have a good reason for getting out of bed? Would anyone miss you if you were gone? If you died today, what would God say to you? I resonate with the text today and the question that come from the persistent widow, the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus. Today I turn 40 and the questions above are my questions. I want to work hard at getting it right. I want to be willing to give up everything to pursue God. I want to climb to the top of the tree because not only will I see Jesus, but he will see me!

Day 306 (Thursday) - Luke 14:12-16:31

After Jesus teaches about the Shrewd Manager he makes some comments about who can be trusted with little and who can be trusted with much. So, if God does not give us greater responsibilities until we pass the little tests it shows us two things. First, it shows us God is interested in our performance and sees it. Secondly, it shows us what is important to God. Some have been frustrated with the Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggard and Jim Bakker types, who have so much but lead a double life, not following the call of God for the Kingdom. I’m not so sure God is interested in the kingdoms these men were building; I believe God has much greater tasks that will never envelope a 100,000 square foot facility or have tens of thousands in attendance. What can you be trusted with?

Day 305 (Wednesday) - Luke 12:13-14:11

Jesus spends quite a bit of time teaching us that we should not worry. For me, worry seems to be a fact of life. I worry about if I worry too much! The reason I worry is I want a life of easy with very little suffering. I want to fulfill my dreams and I want to be liked by everyone! This is in complete conflict with the life of a Christ follower. I might do better if I started worrying about those things and started worrying less about my twisted ideas of God’s provincial care over my life.

Day 304 (Tuesday) - Luke 10:17-12:12

The focus of the Good Samaritan is on the commandment Jesus gave to love your neighbor and to explain through the parable who your neighbor is. Who is your neighbor? A true neighbor is one who is willing to look past the differences that traditionally divide us and to love unconditionally and without prejudice. So how are you doing?

Day 303 (Monday) - Luke 8:26-10:16

In Christian circles, it seems the conversion is always the main goal and though this is a good goal, it is not always lived out properly. Because churches want to sell Christianity, they preach easy messages of health and wealth or emphasize grace in contrast with nothing. The problem is that the life of a Christian is anything but easy…it’s hard and may cost you everything that is important to you. Job lost his family and suffered. Stephen was stoned for proclaiming Christ. John the Baptist lost his head for serving God exactly like God called him to. There is a cost for following Jesus, but to preach that would mean less money in the offering plates and isn’t that what it’s really about?

Day 302 (Sunday) - Luke 6:27-8:25

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with the “one year’s wage” perfume, is a powerful story. The woman is in the room because uninvited guests were regularly allowed to stand on the sidelines and listen to the conversations of influential guests. The problem is this is a sinful woman and her sinfulness (probably prostitution) disgraces the room. Sometimes I feel like the outsider listening in on what God is up to. It is in those moments I need to remember that God will accept me, just the way I am.

Day 301 (Saturday) - Luke 4:1-6:26

One of the great distinctions about Jesus and other Rabbis or teachers of religious law is that he offered forgiveness. This became a point of contention for those that wanted to silence Jesus and squelch his influence. Jesus is God and only God can forgive. God willingly forgave people and that forgiveness is still as relevant today as it was then, We all need forgiveness today and thank God it’s here in Jesus.

Day 300 (Friday) - Luke 2-3

Angels are interesting parts of God’s creation that we know very little about. There are a lot of thoughts about angels and the way we think of them is based more on fiction than biblical certainty. For instance, cherubim are not chubby little babies with wings, they were powerful and frightening to look at (see picture above). Here in the early chapters of Luke, we see an angel named Gabriel. Gabriel is one of only two angels that are mentioned by name, the other one is Michael. Gabriel had the job of explaining the vision of 70 weeks concerning the coming of the messiah back in Daniel 9:24-27 and now he as the job of announcing the birth of that Messiah!

Day 299 (Thursday) - Mark 16; Luke 1

The shorter and longer endings in Mark are troublesome. They are hard for people to understand because the truth can make them question more than the issue in Mark. If you will remember a few days back, I said that the shortest manuscripts are the most accurate. That is because over time, people add to them. This is not to add more story or false events, but people add to commentate and help explain passages. At some point, we lose what was commentary and what was original to the writer.

In Mark, the ending was originally part of the best and shortest manuscripts but since then, we have found even older ones and they don’t have the ending at all. The shorter the better. But because this rattles so many people, they keep it in there with a footnote but truth be told we should ditch the last verses.

Day 298 (Wednesday) - Mark 14:12-15:47

When Peter denies Jesus it should make us gasp. Peter was the one who was always so confident. He was the one who always took a stand. He had the strength and personality to take on all of Rome with a dagger! But when Jesus needed him the most, he clamed up. I find there are times I feel uncomfortable being a follower of Jesus. I am ashamed at those moments and wish I could just overcome them. In some small way, I know how Peter felt that terrible night.

Day 297 (Tuesday) - Mark 12:13-14:11

The widows offering is one of the most touching stories in Mark. The woman actually gave all she had. She gave up her security for God. She gave up her judgment, by giving to a corrupt priesthood. She gave up all of herself…and Jesus noticed.

I like to give out of my surplus and not so much out of what I think I need. My definition of need is probably 99% want anyway. I need to take steps to move closer to being like this widow. What great faith!

Day 296 (Monday) - Mark 10:13-12:12

It’s a short three verses but I’ve always like the story of the fig tree that did not have fruit on it when Jesus wanted a snack, and the tree wasn’t even supposed to have fruit during that time of year! On the surface it seems like Jesus is abusing his power a bit, as if he is irritated that the tree didn’t satisfy him so he just cursed it so it would never produce again.

Mark isn’t trying to tell his audience that Jesus was angered at not having figs to eat — this would be very strange, given that he would have known that it was far too early in the year for that. Instead, Jesus is making a larger point about Jewish religious traditions. Specifically: it was not the time for Jewish leaders to “bear fruit,” and therefore they would be cursed by God never to bear any fruit ever again.

Thus, instead of merely cursing and killing a lowly fig tree, Jesus is saying that Judaism itself is cursed and will die off — “dry up at the roots,” as a later passage explains when the disciples see the tree the next day

Day 295 (Sunday) - Mark 8:1-10:12

So, what’s your take on Jesus having to heal the blind man twice? Did Jesus mess up? Did he lack some ability? Why a partial healing? Many people have speculated on why this happened. Some say it was an issue with the man, others say it was an illustration of the previous events and the questions he asked his disciple (kind of like an object lesson) and others say it was two miracles, one to fix the eyes and one to fix the brain. What do you think?

Day 294 (Saturday) - Mark 6-7

What a way to go…lose your head at a birthday party. After all John the Baptist did and all he did to prepare the people for Jesus, he loses his head in a dumb power struggle between the king’s wife and the followers of John. Honestly, I think this death is unbecoming of John. I would prefer if he died standing up for something like Stephen did. This death almost comes across silly when you read it. Oh well, God has yet to consult me on how things should go so I guess I should just keep my mouth shut.

Day 293 (Friday) - Mark 4-5

You are probably noticing a lot of the same stories. You might think they should all be word for word. If they were, that would be troubling because these are supposed to be different accounts of the same events. We should see one account focus on one aspect and another account to not even mention that event and focus on a whole different angle. By far, my favorite demon casting story is here at the start of chapter 5. I love the image of these pigs running off the cliff possessed with demons. I can still remember the felt board lesson when I was just knee high to a grass hopper.

Day 292 (Thursday) - Mark 1-3

A new day and a new book. I like Mark because it’s short and to the point. I usually suggest people start with Mark when they pick up the Bible for the first time. One of the interesting facts about reliability in the text is that the shorter the book, the more reliable it is. Many ancient manuscripts have had commentary added to it to help people understand it, Over time, it becomes unclear what is original and what is commentary. Mark is short and pure. I hope you enjoy this read as much as I do.

Day 291 (Wednesday) - Matthew 26:69-28:20

No matter how many times I read this passage, it strikes a place deep within me. It could be because of the vivid images the movie Passion of the Christ impressed in my soul, but none the less, it’s hard. Jesus loves us and these pages tell the reality of that love. It’s amazing how these dates just happen to line up with Holy Week 2010.

Day 290 (Tuesday) - Matthew 25:14-26:68

Does it scare you that someone so close to Jesus, his teaching and his miracles could decide to betray Jesus for some cash? I mean if someone so close to Jesus could do that, what about me? And then to read that Peter…the Rock…denied Jesus when Jesus needed him the most. What hope do I have at being the man Jesus called me to be. It’s humbling to know that he loves us and still chooses us even though he knows we will fail him

Day 289 (Monday) - Matthew 23:1-25:13

As Jesus’ death came near, he continued to tell people about who he was through parables. He wanted people to know that he was the Messiah and that he would set up his Kingdom. No one seemed to get it. His disciple seemed to get it every once in a while, but they would say something stupid and prove that they never really had it in the first place. It must have been a frustrating time for Jesus. I wonder how much confusion about Jesus has changed over the years?

Day 288 (Sunday) - Matthew 21-22

If there is a passage about Jesus that I think gets the most attention for the strangest of reasons, it has to be the clearing of the Temple. People who have a hard time controlling their anger or lash out at others love to quote that Jesus got angry and physically turned over tables and threw the money changers out. The difference is Jesus was God and we are not. When we put ourselves in the God category, we can justify bombing abortion clinics and starting Christian militias to take back our country or cleanse the world of some race that’s different than ours. It’s ridiculous!

Day 287 (Saturday) - Matthew 17:14-20:34

I love in Matthew 20, the Parable of the Vineyard Workers. It’s a great reminder to me that fairness is not godliness. I like things to be fair. The thing I need to remember is that the gifts only come from God and he can give whatever he wants to whomever whenever he pleases. None of us deserve anything but God gives each of us better than we deserve. So who are we to complain about what God has done for one person vs. another?

Day 286 (Friday) - Matthew 14:13-17:13

There are some very popular Jesus events in our reading today; the feeding of the 5000 as well as the lesser known feeding of the 4000. But I want to point out something we don’t really talk a lot about. This is the second time that Jesus has been asked to show a miraculous sign to prove who he is and Jesus points to Jonah. Did you have any idea that the events that took place when you read Jonah were to become a backdrop for Jesus death and resurrection. Some scholars believe that the book of Jonah is uncovering much more than first meets the eye.

Day 285 (Thursday) - Matthew 12:22-14:12

Would you like to know a secret about Jesus’ teaching? Unless Jesus makes his parables completely clear by the content or explanation, much of the application is guess work…educated guess work but still guess work. Jesus says a lot of hard stuff. He wants us to see things and this side of eternity it is very difficult. Don’t freak out or feel like you’re not cutting the mustard if you don’t always understand every word, story or chapter in the bible, just work on the things you do understand. That will take a lifetime in itself!

Day 284 (Wednesday) - Matthew 10:16-12:21

I have said it before but John the Baptist is my favorite Bible character. He was a relative of Jesus and he knew his own role as the one who God called to prepare the way for the Messiah and he knew Jesus was the Messiah. What is so striking is how deep the idea of a military Messiah was. People expected the Messiah to form an army and rebel against the Roman’s and defeat them. John the Baptist knows better but he just has to ask. Are you really the Messiah or should we be looking for someone else.

Don’t we say this to Jesus ever time things don’t go our way? Are you real or did I miss it somewhere?

Day 283 (Tuesday) - Matthew 8:1-10:15

Jesus is doing a lot of healing in these passages and answering clarifying questions as to who he is and what his ministry is about. It is so obvious that people as a whole don’t understand Jesus and I think that still the norm today. The more religious the person, the harder it is for that person to hear the teaching of Jesus. We love to look down on other from a top our high horses, but following Jesus will destroy that form of self gratification and pride. Jesus didn’t come for those that don’t want him, he came for those that do…do you?