MONDAY

Reading for Today:
Matthew 17:14-27
Acts 24
Psalm 39
Leviticus 5–7

Psalm 39
We all know life is short. We know it can be taken from us in an instant. But do we live like we understand this reality? Most of us probably don’t. We allow the urgent to overshadow the important. We allow the mundane tasks of the day or the difficult aspects of this life to steal our joy. This week, live like it’s your last week on earth. Forgive fully. Love your family and your Lord deeply. Live for things that matter. Breathe in the moments, because you never know how many of them you have left.

TUESDAY

Reading for Today:
Matthew 18:1-14
Acts 25:1-12
Psalm 40
Leviticus 8–10

Leviticus 8–10
Nadab and Abihu were punished immediately and severely for their act of disobedience. Though the punishment might seem harsh, the truth is, God had just given the priests specific instructions about how things were to be done. Nadab and Abihu knew what they were doing when they sinned. They knew they weren’t doing as God instructed. They were in a position of leadership and could easily lead many people away from God, so God acted swiftly and decisively. Those of us in leadership should take our responsibilities seriously, because it’s clear from this text that God does.

WEDNESDAY

Reading for Today:
Matthew 18:15-35
Acts 25:13-27
Psalm 41
Leviticus 11–13

Matthew 18:15-35
When we make mistakes, we want people to forgive us. We don’t want them to hold something over our heads until we prove we’re sorry or until we have “earned” their forgiveness. Nonetheless, even though we want forgiveness quickly, we sometimes fail to give it to others. Forgiveness doesn’t mean the offense isn’t a sin. And it doesn’t mean we allow an abusive person to remain close to us. What it does mean is that we give the offense to God and trust him with it. It means we recognize that because we have been forgiven of much, we can forgive much.

THURSDAY

Reading for Today:
Matthew 19:1-15
Acts 26:1-18
Psalm 42
Leviticus 14–15

Psalm 42
Do you long for God’s Word? Many of us can go days, weeks, or even months without reading it. It’s sad that believers in other countries desperately long for the Word of God and struggle to access it, while we have multiple copies gathering dust on our bookshelves. The writer of Psalm 42 said he longed for God like a deer thirsts for water. Can the same be said of us? Do we thirst for the Word of God? Do we need it every day, just as we need water? Many of us unfortunately are biblically dehydrated. Let’s change that.

FRIDAY

Reading for Today:
Matthew 19:16-30
Acts 26:19-32
Psalm 43
Leviticus 16–17

Acts 26:19-32
Sometimes we want God to use someone else. When a difficult trial comes and someone mentions that God is going to use this in a big way, we want to respond, “Why me? Why can’t God use someone else?” When Paul was thrown into prison, he could have responded that way and wallowed in self-pity. Instead, he took the trial God allowed into his life and used it to further God’s kingdom. He used his prison sentence to share the gospel with royalty. Today, use whatever opportunities God gives you, even if those opportunities don’t look like what you’d expect.

SATURDAY

Reading for Today:
Matthew 20:1-16
Acts 27:1-26
Psalm 44
Leviticus 18–20

Leviticus 18–20
Why did God give the Israelites so many rules to follow? Was it really necessary? God wanted the Israelite people to be drastically different from the surrounding nations. The laws he gave them, if they chose to follow them, would make them different. Their community wouldn’t look like the communities around them, and their differences would point people to God. God still wants us to stand out today. We shouldn’t look exactly like our neighbor who doesn’t know Jesus. Instead, we should be holy because he is holy. When we are different, God is glorified.