20-20 Blog

Today’s Bible Reading: Lamentations 3; Lamentations 4; Lamentations 5; Revelation 15 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Lamentations 5:22 Bring us back to you, God—we’re ready to come back.
Give us a fresh start.
As it is, you’ve cruelly disowned us.
You’ve been so very angry with us.

Observation:

The chapters I read today in Lamentations and Revelation are full of God’s wrath. We don’t hear much about God’s wrath in sermons these days. It’s not really a popular subject, but it is true, none-the-less.

There comes a time, after God pleads over and over and warns us over and over, that his justice prevails, and his anger with sin takes action, but always—until we die, God is ready to receive us back, to completely forgive and restore our relationship with him, to give us a fresh start.

Application:

What am I doing that is breaking God’s heart? Am I living a life that brings God pleasure or makes him angry? If I’ve drifted away, I can ask God to bring me back. I can ask him for a fresh start.

Prayer:

Father God, give me a fresh start today. Give me a heart that willingly follows hard after you!

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Today’s Bible Reading: Jeremiah 52; Revelation 1; Psalm 143; Psalm 144 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Psalm 143:10
Teach me how to live to please you,
      because you’re my God.

Observation:

David asks God to teach him how to please God. How to please God is something that must be taught—not something we do naturally. It’s a learned behavior. What comes naturally is how to please ourselves.

Just like a child would be totally self-centered if not corrected by a parent, so we would be self-absorbed if we didn’t have God teach us how to walk in a manner that pleases him.

Application:

Don’t focus on your own comfort or having your own way today. Ask God to show you what would please him. Be willing to do what the Spirit of God whispers in your ear.

Prayer:

Father God, here I am. What would you like me to do today?

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Today’s Bible Reading: Jeremiah 50; Jeremiah 51; 3 John 1 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

3 John 1:5–8 Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They’ve made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself! They set out under the banner of the Name, and get no help from unbelievers. So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.

Observation:

Hospitality makes our faith visible. God wants me to be hospitable to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers. The goal for hospitality is to make it worthy of God himself. When we extend hospitality to traveling evangelists, we become their partner in spreading the Truth.

Application:

I’ve never felt gifted in this area, but God isn’t asking me to be hospitable only if I’m gifted. I only need to do it as though I’m welcoming Him into my home.

Prayer:

Father God, when there is an opportunity to be hospitable, give me the grace to be gracious!

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Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 63; Isaiah 64; Psalm 107; John 2 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Isaiah 64:3–4
Since before time began
   no one has ever imagined,
No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you
   who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who happily do what is right,
   who keep a good memory of the way you work.

Psalm 107:6
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
      He got you out in the nick of time;
vs 43
 If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—
      it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.

Observation:

God is in the business of helping those who trust in him and wait for him, and do what is right. Even if I blow it and find myself in a desperate situation, I can call out to God, and he will help me. God loves it when I appreciate his deep love for me.

Application:

What is to prevent me from calling out to God when I need help? Why sit and stew, or even sit and just wait? God really likes to be asked! And when God provides, helps, heals, and comes through for me, I must not forget to tell him thanks and appreciate his deep love for me!

Prayer:

I’m calling out to you today, God. I place my need in your capable hands! Thank you that you see and hear and answer my prayer!

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Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 57; Isaiah 58; Isaiah 59; Psalm 103; 2 Peter 3 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Psalm 103:1–5
O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

Psalm 103:19–22
God has set his throne in heaven;
he rules over us all. He’s the King!
So bless God, you angels,
ready and able to fly at his bidding,
quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
everything and everyone made by God.

And you, O my soul, bless God!

Observation:

In Psalm 103 David gives me many reasons to bless God, including the fact that God forgives me, heals me, redeems me from hell and lavishes me with love, mercy, and goodness. Oh, and he renews my youthfulness!

At the end of Psalm 103 David tells the angels and all creatures to bless God, and ends with telling his own soul to bless God.

Application:

I usually think of asking God to bless me! When I pray I seldom bless God. Perhaps I’m just too caught up in what I need and want and forget that God deserves and appreciates being blessed.

What does it mean to bless God? I don’t think it means to add anything to God like he does to us, where he blesses us with forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, and mercy as well as physical abundance.

What could I possible add to God?

I think blessing God means that I acknowledge what he has done for me. That I’m aware of who provides me with my daily life and am thankful and grateful for his blessings to me.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you. Thank you for the many blessings you’ve given me.

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Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 50; Isaiah 51; Isaiah 52; Psalm 92; 2 Peter 1 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Isaiah 50:4
He wakes me up in the morning,
Wakes me up, opens my ears
to listen as one ready to take orders.

Observation:

God knows everything about my life, my business, my family, and he wants to give me his marching orders first thing in the morning. It’s HIM who wakes me up and whispers in my ears what I need to do today!

Application:

What better person to listen to than the One who already knows what will happen and can give me the inside scoop of what I should be doing today? And what better time of day to be tuned into what God has to say than first thing in the morning, when I need to plan out my day?

Prayer:

Good morning, God! I’m listening—go ahead and give me your marching orders!

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Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 1; Isaiah 2; Isaiah 3; Titus 3 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Isaiah 1:17
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.
Titus 3: 14 Our people have to learn to be diligent in their work so that all necessities are met (especially among the needy) and they don’t end up with nothing to show for their lives.

Observation:

God cares about the needy. I see that over and over in the Bible. In Titus Paul says the goal of working is so that all necessities be met, especially among the needy.

Application:

I don’t always know how to implement this—does the panhandler on the street corner who is physically capable of working yet holds a sign as others hold jobs deserve to be helped? I can’t really answer questions like this, but I can have an attitude of help, and I can certainly help good causes, like My Father’s House.

Prayer:

God, give me your heart for people. You’ve always loved the down and out. Help me to love them, too, in a tangible way.

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Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18; 2 Chronicles 19; Colossians 4 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

2 Chronicles 19:11 (Jehoshaphat to the leaders of Judah) “Be bold and diligent. And God be with you as you do your best.”
Colossians 4:17 (Paul to church leaders) “Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best.”

Observation:

I found it interesting that the same basic command is given to leaders in the Old Testament and the New Testament: Do your best—your very best. God does promise to do mighty things for us, but that doesn’t take away our responsibility to do our best, our very best.

Application:

I can’t do my very best tomorrow. I can only do my very best right now. This moment. Am I doing the things that will move me, my business, and the Kingdom of God forward right now? Or am I frittering my time away on pleasant, but unprofitable, activities?

Prayer:

Father God, help me keep on track today. I’ve laid out my schedule for the day to the best of my ability, and now it’s up to me to stay on task and do my best. My very best.

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Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; Psalm 98; Romans 2 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Romans 2:13 Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.
Romans 2:24 The line from Scripture, “It’s because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God,” shows it’s an old problem that isn’t going to go away.

Observation:

Paul echoes what James teaches about doing vs hearing only. Non Christians aren’t stupid. They can see right through religiosity! Our actions will inform them about who God really is.

Application:

If I read the Bible every day but never change how I live, what good is it? As Paul says in this chapter of Romans: Their response to God’s yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman.

Prayer:

Father, God, help me be a doer today, not just a hearer.

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Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23 (The Message)

Scripture Focus:

Matthew 23:28 People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.

Observation:

Wow! Today’s Scripture reading was pointed and convicting. God knows the truth about me. Everything. I may totally have other people fooled, but God sees everything, knows everything I do, and knows the motive behind it.

First I read from 2 Samuel 11 & 12 about David and Bathsheeba, and then in Matthew 23, Jesus tells the Pharisees their real character, the one nobody else sees.

Application:

All I can do is say with David in Psalm 51 (also today’s reading):
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!

Prayer:

Father God, help me live with the knowledge that you are WITH me at every moment, knowing all I say, do, and think. May that be a comforting thought. May that knowledge be like a plumb line that keeps me walking in your ways today. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

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