Volume VII                  April 15-20, 2007                Number 15

Sunday, April 15

1 Peter 2:2-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (vv.9-10 NIV)

A chosen people declaring the praises of Him who called us out of darkness. I have just returned from a journey to a place that has for decades declared itself free of “religious myths.” In that place people on the streets hurry purposefully from one place to another. There is no lack of things to do, food to eat, music to hear.

Yet eyes are dull. Faces are dour. Life is hard and full of doing. Hope is distant, even absent, as the people strain to make the doingness of life work for themselves. It is a dark world of being immersed in the struggle to make life work.

I observe that struggle and grieve for their choice. His word says He called us out of darkness. Now we are the people of God. We can choose to enjoy fellowship with Him as the objective, rather than making life work.

Isaiah 43:8-13; Psalms 146, 147; John 14:1-7

Monday, April 16

John 17:1-11 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said: Father, it’s time. Display the bright splendor of your Son so the Son may in turn show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life; that they may know you, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. (vv.1-4 The Message)

When the house is empty, when I am lonely, I reflect on “the real and eternal life.” Knowing Him—inviting Him to be part of that day, sit and lunch with me, wash the dishes with me, sharing the burdens for Him to take. Yes, sharing the funny, nonsensical experiences of the day. Pondering—reflecting on what I know about Him and seeking to know and understand more. He joins me in the loneliness and the loneliness leaves. I know then the bright splendor of the Father and the Son. The darkness cannot stay.

Daniel 1:1-21; Psalms 1, 2, 3; 1 John 1:1-10

Tuesday, April 17

Psalm 5 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in you wrath. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. (vv.1-3a NIV)   Psalm 6 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing with joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. (v.11)

Today I was out the door by 4:30 a.m. to drive a loved one to the airport. I ran errands and made good use of the time in town. I didn’t arrive home until after noon—forgetting that I left without even having breakfast. I was aching and tired to the bone. How foolish! I paid for my foolishness with pain, and as I bowed my head in repentance I was reminded of Psalm 5:11 and “took refuge” in Him. I could sing through the aches.

Daniel 2:1-16; 1 John 2:1-11, John 17:12-19

Wednesday, April 18

1 John 2:12-17 Don’t love this world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. The world with its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out— but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. (vv.15-17 The Message)

Why am I so busy? Too busy. My busyness does “squeeze out love for the Father.” I am continuously dealing with the piles of things that “must” be done—only to find more things that “must” be done.

I am reading Created to be a Friend of God, by Henry Blackaby. Blackaby says, “It is preeminently true that no one can be shaped by God and consistently blessed by God who has not established his heart in worship!” Blackaby defines worship as, “a deliberate, steady, focused time with God.” How different that is than the busyness of life. The busyness of life leaks into my time with the Lord. It distracts me from His presence during the day.

Lord, show me the things I do that I must let go of. Show me Your priorities for me—that I may not “squeeze” You out of my day and out of my life.

Daniel 2:17-30; Psalm 119:1-24; John 17:20-26

Thursday, April 19

1 John 2:18-29 Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life! …And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. (vv.24-25, 28a)

Lord, what does it mean “to live deeply in You?” I am reminded of Jesus’ teaching of the branch and the vine. Andrew Murray, preacher-evangelist (1828-1917), taught that following Jesus in “lowly obedience” was the means of the branch grafting to the vine. Andrew Murray, in his book, The True Vine, says: “…before the Spirit can fill there must be a body prepared. The graft must have grown into the stem and be abiding in it before the sap can flow to bring forth fruit. It is as we follow Christ in lowly obedience, even in external things…”

Like John the Baptist, can I “decrease” so Jesus can “increase” in my life? Can I, will I pray and obey? Can I, will I turn to Him rather than make my own choices in what seems right to me?

Lord, in order to live more deeply in You, there must be less of me.

Daniel 2:31-49; Psalm 18:1-20; Luke 3:1-14

Friday, April 20

Luke 3:15-22 (Jesus) will ignite the kingdom life, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. (vv.16b-17a)

Surface change isn’t good enough. Lip service to the ways of God isn’t enough. The Holy Spirit can change me from the “inside out,” “make a clean sweep” of my life, put everything true in its proper place before God, and put everything false out with the trash.

Today is trash day. At the curb are empty bottles, egg carton, old catalogues, chicken bones, a moldy lemon, greasy chicken fat from the soup I made—things I wouldn’t dare put in my body to clog my arteries, or down my sink to clog the drain.

What about my soul, Lord? What would You have me clean from the inside out? What clogs the arteries of my soul, the pathways of my heart?

Daniel 3:1-18; Psalms 16, 17; 1 John 3:1-10

Saturday, April 21

Daniel 3:19-30 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” (v.28 NIV)

What is serving or worshipping other gods except our own God? Where or what do I look to for approval and comfort? What rules my life? What influences my decisions? How much do I do in order to be thought well of by people rather than to glorify God?

I look on my journey to maturity (It is still a journey—I’m not there yet!), and I see the path is littered with gods I have turned to in my life. In the past I have looked to gods of people pleasing, looking good, being productive, having the right things, and doing things the right way (according to whom I wanted to please). The three Hebrews consigned to the fiery furnace simply would not bow to any god but their God. God honored their faithfulness.

Lord, I pray that I might have the courage to give up my comfort zone—even my life—rather than serve any God but You!

Psalms 20, 21; 1 John 3:11-18; Luke 4:1-13

by Bobbie Maybee

 Used with permission from the BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP

P. O. Box 380, Winter Park, FL 32790

www.biblereading.org