Monday

Reading for Today:
John 13:12-17
Jude 1-7
Job 21:1-21
Daniel 7, 8

Job 21:1-21
Why is life not fair? Why do bad people prosper while good people go hungry? That’s the question Job asks in chapter 21. He doesn’t understand why God doesn’t make life fairer. My guess is, many of us can relate. We wonder why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. Even though Job didn’t understand God’s actions, he recognized God was still in charge and worthy of high honor. We don’t worship God for what we can get from him or because we want him to make our lives fair. We worship him for who he is. 

Tuesday

Reading for Today:
John 13:18-30
Jude 8-16
Job 21:22-34
Daniel 9

Daniel 9
Prayer can easily become selfish when it’s all about us: our families, our struggles, and our concerns. Though there’s certainly nothing wrong with praying about the things that are close to our hearts, we must do more than pray about ourselves. In Daniel 9, Daniel lifted up a powerful prayer of repentance for the Israelites. Though he had been faithful and not among those who sinned, he nonetheless pleaded with God on their behalf. What do your prayers typically look like? Are they focused primarily on yourself or are they, like Daniel’s, also about others?

Wednesday

Reading for Today:
John 13:31-38
Jude 17-25
Job22
Daniel 10–12

John 13:31-38
It shouldn’t be difficult to pick out a believer in a crowd. Jesus told his disciples in John 13 that everyone would know they were his because of their love. They wouldn’t be known for the things they were against. They wouldn’t be known for their judgment or self-righteousness. Jesus didn’t even say they would be known for good things like their holiness or their devotion to Bible study. No, Jesus said they would be known for their love. Love is the one thing, more than anything else, that should set us apart from the world. When we love like Jesus, we stand out. 

Thursday

Reading for Today:
John 14:1-14
Revelation 1:1-8
Job 23
Hosea 1–3

Revelation 1:1-8
It can be scary to watch a suspenseful movie or read a thrilling book when we don’t know the ending. Thankfully, in life, we know how it all ends. God refers to himself as the Alpha and the Omega. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. God is saying that he is the beginning and the end. He’s the one who started the world, and he’s the one who will be there when it ends. We who love him have no reason to live in fear because we know the ending of this story, and we know the hero wins.

Friday

Reading for Today:
John 14:15-21
Revelation 1:9-20
Job 24
Hosea 4–6

John 14:15-21
A counselor does two things for those he counsels. He offers comfort, and he offers guidance. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor. He comforts us when we are hurting, reminding us that God will never leave us and is always available through prayer. He also offers guidance by helping us recall the Word of God during tempting, upsetting, or confusing situations. Counselors on this earth can be very helpful, but they are also human and make mistakes. Praise the Lord we have an even better, perfect Counselor who has promised to be with us forever.