Today's Reading March 24

Good morning!
This morning's reading, from the Old Testament, is from Joshua, chapters 11, 12, and 13.
I know that to some, this record of the cities and regions of the Promised Land seems quaint, and pointless, and of no purpose. Look at the news. These lands remain a point of contention thousands of years later. And, as then, it is brutal warfare. I once wondered why so much fighting over land I wouldn't want. There are answers to that - the land and trade routes that cross between the great civilizations (at the time - no longer) of Egypt and Mesopotamia, for example. But the main point is that G-d Almighty assigned this land to these people and their descendants, and that land grant is the important one.
.
Thie evening's reading from the New Testament continues in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verses 1 through 32. This is the record of Jesus in the wilderness, tempted by the Devil, followed by His teaching at the synagogue in Nazareth.

Today's Reading March 23

Good morning!
This morning's reading is from the book of Joshua, chapters 9 and 10. This is early in the accounts of the taking of the Promised Land, as the Lord had promised (and still does, by the way). Some of the place names are strange to us. Some are not, we hear them in the news even today. Places like Hebron. Places like Gaza. The issues that we see even today go far back, some further than this account, to the heritage of Ishmael and Lot and Esau.
.
This evening's New Testament reading is the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of Luke. This gets into the accounts of John the Baptizer's ministry, the baptism of Jesus, and the earthly lineage of Jesus the Christ.

Today's Reading March 22

Morning reading from the Old Testament
Joshua, chapters 7 and 8
This is the account of the first attack on Ai, and the failure thereof due to sin in their midst, the consequences of that sin revealed, and the second, successful attack on the city of Ai.
Sin has consequences, for the sinner personally, and all too often for those around the sinner, those who often had no part in it.
.
Evening reading from the New Testament,
the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 25 through 52
this is some early accounts of the life of Jesus the Christ
- the prophesy of Simeon

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Isa 42:6
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

- the words of the prophetess Anna
- Jesus with the teachers in the temple

Today's Reading March 21

Good morning, and Happy Spring!
.
This morning reading from the Old Testament comes from the book of Joshua, chapters 4, 5, and 6. This recounts the crossing of the Jordan River during flood stage and the entry into the land and the taking of Jericho.
.
This evening's portion continues in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 1 through 24. This probably the most familiar rendering of the Christmas story, the birth in Bethlehem, of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. Please don't let it be so familiar that you skim over it. It's worth savoring the moment, always.

Today's Readings March 20

Good morning to all. It is 04:57 as I write this, and it is still dark outside. But, just as the sun makes the day bright and chases away the shadows, so does the Son. Not poetic, perhaps, but true nonetheless.

This morning's reading, from the Old Testament, begins the book of Joshua. See how far we've come since 01 January! And in the same way, Joshua begins the record of the entrance of the Israelites into the Promised Land.
The passage for today is Joshua, chapters 1, 2, and 3. Herein is found another of those 'memory verse' passages - chapter 1, verses 7 through 9 but especially verse 9.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Sometimes that is translated as ''be strong and courageous''.
One of the great quotes from Winston Churchill is ''Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never give up.'' Sometimes all you can do is to just hang on. Sometimes that's all you have to do, Someone else is doing the heavy lifting. As was the case with the Israelites. Not a bad place to be, if you think about it.
.
This evening's reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 57 through 80. This is the birth of John the Baptist, and contains yet another section of great, almost poetic, declamation, by John's father

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

.
And all of that was, and is, true.
Have a great day.

Today's Readings March 19

This morning's reading, from the Old Testament, is from the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 33 and 34. This completes the readings from Deuteronomy, and also from the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. These are the most important Biblical portions for our Jewish friends. I regret to say that they are not nearly as familiar to Christians as they should be. They are vital. And yes, I know that all Scripture is important, and God-breathed, and vital.
This portion concludes Moses' farewell to the people before the Lord takes him, and includes one of my favorite verses,

27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:

Seems to me you could make a hymn out of that line. (grin).


This evening's reading from the Old Testament is in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1, verses 24 through 56. This is the Annuniciation to Mary which and her response, which I consider to be pure worshipful poetry -

46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Would that we thank Him for His blessings as well as she did!

Today's Reading March 18

Good morning!
This morning's Scripture reading, from the Old Testament, is taken from the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 31 and 32. This portion contains a passage that has been a great comfort to me in many times of great trial.

31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:5 Deut 31:8 Joshua 1:5
7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Heb 13:5 Deut 31:6 Joshua 1:5

Each of us goes through this life and faces adversity, trial, fear, despair, loss, and opposition. It has meant more to me than I can express to be reminded that the One who sees every sparrow also sees me.

This evening's reading, from the New Testament, starts in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 1 through 23. This is the Annuniciation of the birth of John to his father while serving the Lord in the Temple. A miracle.

Today's Reading March 17

This morning's reading from the Old Testament
Deuteronomy 29 and 30
.
Evening reading, from the New Testament
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16
the Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Today's Reading - March 16

Morning reading, from the New Testament,
Deuteronomy 28
.
Evening reading, from the New Testament
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15 verses 27 through 47
this is the finale of the death of Jesus and the burial in the garden tomb

Today's Reading March 15

This morning's reading, from the Old Testament,
Deuteronomy chapters 26 and 27
.
This evening's reading, from the New Testament
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15, verses 1 through 26
the crucifixion of Our Lord

Today's Reading March 14

Good morning! Today is March 14. We are nearly at the halfway point in the 3rd month of the year already. It seems as if we were just celebrating the Christmas event and thinking about the new year about to begin. Now we are well into it. I hope that there are those who have been keeping up with our through the Bible reading program. Even if you came in late, you can start right here and keep going with us. I can confidently predict that you will be blessed by it.

Today's morning reading from the Old Testament is take from Deuteronomy, chapters 23, 24, and 25.

The evening reading, from the New Testament, is continuing in the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of Mark, beginning with verse 51 and continuing through verse 72. This shows Peter denying Christ.

Today's Reading March 13

Good morning!
This morning's Old Testament portion on our journey through the Bible is taken from the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 20, 21 and 22.
.
Our evening portion from the New Testament is taken from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, verses 26 through 50. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His betrayal.

Today's Reading - March 12

Morning reading from the Old Testament
Deuteronomy, chapters 17, 18, and 19
,
Evening Reading from the New Testament
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, verses 1 through 25
this is the Last Supper account of Mark

Today's Reading March 11

Morning's reading, from the Old Testament
Deuteronomy, chapters 14, 15, and 16
,
Evening reading, from the New Testament
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 13, verses 14 through 37

Todays Readings, for March 10

Morning reading, from the Old Testament,
the book of Deuteronomy Chapters 11, 12, and 13
.
I was watching a discussion last night over at the lucianne.com web site, and one of the topics was the woeful lack of Biblical knowledge in our land. We would, perhaps, expect some of this from the unsaved, from those who do not now nor ever have had the grounding we once presumed to be the case in the church. Sadly, this is not the case. There are all too many Christians who have almost no grounding in the Old Testament, outside of some of the Psalms and some of the Davidic history and a very brief look at early parts of Genesis (which many privately doubt). And not all of the Psalms - mention the imprecatory Psalms and many will give you a blank look. These ''hard'' parts of the Pentateuch, the blessings and cursings, the absolute commandments, the requirements that the Almighty placed upon his people - these aren't so much ignored by the Church as the fact that most are unaware of them. Grace and forgiveness are the emphasis, which is proper, but the word ''sin'' is all too rarely heard. I am told that most Baptist pastors kicked out of their pastorate are removed because they mentioned sins that some of the parishoners were quietly practicing. Somehow I doubt that the Lord approves of this.

Evening reading from the New Testament
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 13, verses 1 through 13
Jesus is speaking of the end of days.

A Small Victory

Like most people over the age of 20 or so, I generally expect the American Judiciary to be largely composed of power-mad imbeciles. I offer as evidence the 9th Circuit Court, SCOTUS blemish Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and such historical nitwits as Federal Judge John Nixon in Nashville, SCOTUS blights Blackmun, Brennan, Souter, Douglas, as well as lesser-known others like Bradford Timbers of PA.
.
So it came as a shock and surprise to learn that an appellate court, in this case the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Washington, has, quite correctly, upheld the validity of the Constitution, in particular the 2nd Amendment thereto. And said that, no, the blatherskites mis-ruling the DC area, really do not have the authority to ban handguns within the district. I am indeed surprised. But you can go read it for yourself.
Read Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down D.C. Handgun Ban at Bloomberg. com.
This could go to extra innings.

Today's Reading, for March 09

Another Friday, and it seems as if the year is flying past.
Not everything is going well for any of us. I have been advised that my mother will be going Home to be with the Lord very soon now. And I believe that my father will join her there soon. Their rooms are just about ready for them.
There is much about us to bring to the Lord. Don't be hesitant to do so.
.
Today's morning reading from the Old Testament is from Deuteronomy, chapters 8, 9, and 10. Good stuff here, don't miss it.
,
The afternoon is still in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 28 through 44. Go over this (and all these readings) carefully and prayerfully. It's important.

Today's Reading March 08

Morning Reading from the Old Testament,
Deuteronomy, chapters 5, 6, and 7
,
Evening reading from the New Testament
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 1 through 27

Today's Reading March 07

Morning reading from the Old Testament
Deuteronomy, chapters 3 and 4
Moses is addressing the people before his death, before the cross over the river Jordan into the Promised Land, reminding them of the Lord's provisions for them, their journeys in the wilderness, and reminding them to follow the Lord's leading.
..
Evening reading from the New Testament,
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, verses 20 through 33

Today's Reading March 06

Morning reading from the Old Testament,
Today we begin in Deuteronomy, chapters 1 and 2. Deuteronomy is the last of the 5 books of Moses, we sometimes call that Pentateuch. This book is the final account of the Exodus of the Israelites on their way to the promised land. It remains important to us even today.
..
Evening reading from the New Testament,
the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, verses 1 through 19 -- Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem