MONDAY

Reading for Today:
Luke 11:29-36
2 Thessalonians 1:1-7
Psalm 144
2 Chronicles 17–19

Luke 11:29-36
The human eye is incredible, picking up the faintest glimmer of light. The eye’s retina contains over 10 million nerve cells interacting with each other to process the image of light you see. And in those nerve cells, 10 billion retinal calculations occur every second before the image even goes to the brain. Spiritually speaking, when we keep our eyes on the Light of the world, the darkness of sin’s despair is dispelled from our whole being. Don’t shut your eyes to the truths of God and be lost in the darkness. Trust him in whom there are no shifting shadows.

TUESDAY

Reading for Today:
Luke 11:37-54
2 Thessalonians 1:8-12
Psalm 145
2 Chronicles 20–21

Psalm 145
The Psalmist makes this declaration: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom” (v. 3). Science has discovered that just about everything regarding the universe’s basic structure balances on a razor’s edge for life. For instance, the precise process by which carbon and oxygen are produced in stars makes life possible. Just a 1 percent change in the nuclear force would have as much as a thousand-fold impact on star’s production of oxygen and carbon, making life as we know it impossible. When I gaze at the heavens, I am drawn to the Creator whose greatness no one can fathom.

WEDNESDAY

Reading for Today:
Luke 12:1-12
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Psalm 146
2 Chronicles 22–24

2 Chronicles 22–24
I have never met a child named Jezebel and rightly so. She was the vilest queen to rule in Israel. She and her husband, King Ahab, had a daughter Athaliah who grew up to be the only female monarch to reign in Judah. She seized the throne by killing all her male descendants, save one, who was whisked away and placed in hiding. The old adage is often true, “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Jezebel’s treachery and wickedness was only eclipsed by her daughter’s wretchedness. Parents, be a model worth imitating; your children are watching and will follow in your steps.

THURSDAY

Reading for Today:
Luke 12:13-21
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Psalm 147
2 Chronicles 25–27

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Given the previous warnings that Satan is the god of the counterfeit, full of evil deceptions, Paul used two present tense verbs to remind us that we are to keep standing and keep holding on to the truth. The Thessalonians were in danger of being led astray by deceptive doctrines introduced after Paul’s personal time with the congregation. He urged them to stand firm in the original truths of the faith and to hold only to those teachings. In a world where “facts” seem to change on a daily basis, keep standing on and holding to that which lasts forever. 

FRIDAY

Reading for Today:
Luke 12:22-34
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Psalm 148
2 Chronicles 28–29

Luke 12:22-34
“Many of our worries are like small trees that temporarily cast long shadows” (Anonymous). Most of our worries are not nearly as daunting as we believe—they are merely long shadows of small things. Richard Carlson encourages us to manage worry with two simple rules: “(1) Don’t sweat the small stuff, and (2) It’s all small stuff.” Stop worrying about what’s in your power to control—take charge. On the other hand, don’t worry about what you can’t control—worrying won’t change anything except your stress level. Oswald Chambers said it well, “All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”

SATURDAY

Reading for Today:
Luke 12:35-48
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Psalm 149
2 Chronicles 30–33

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Musician Jimmy Lyons wrote, “Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man.” In the Thessalonian church some had stopped working and depended on other believers to provide. The Bible, however, shuns laziness. The capacity to work, think, create, invent, solve problems, and provide for our families is a blessing from God. Proverbs paints this word picture, “A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie, but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth” (26:15, The Message). Now, that’s lazy! If you can’t get pie to your mouth—with or without a fork—you’ve got a problem.