MONDAY

Reading for Today:
John 16:25-33
Revelation 6
Job 31:24-40
Amos 3–4

John 16:25-33
Loneliness is a liar. It can cause our thoughts to veer into dangerous territory. It tells us God is no longer with us. It tells us we have no one to lean upon. It whispers that just as our friends have abandoned us, so has God. Truth, on the other hand, tells us we are never alone. Truth tells us God will never leave us. When Jesus faced loneliness, he listened to truth. “I am not alone, for my Father is with me,” he said in verse 32. We don’t have to listen to loneliness. We can choose truth too.

TUESDAY

Reading for Today:
John 17:1-5
Revelation 7
Job 32
Amos 5–6

Amos 5–6
This week, our dog of 13 years passed away. And so we grieve. Christians grieve a lot of things: the death of a loved one, the passing of a pet, the loss of a career, the ending of a marriage, the decisions of a child, and so on. We should grieve these things, but sadly, there’s one thing we don’t grieve often enough: sin. In the book of Amos, the Israelites didn’t grieve over “the ruin of Joseph” because they were too focused on other things (Amos 6:1-6). This week, ask yourself: does your heart break for the same things God’s heart breaks over?

WEDNESDAY

Reading for Today:
John 17:6-19
Revelation 8
Job 33:1-11
Amos 7–9

Job 33:1-11
Elihu told Job to listen to him. “I know what I’m talking about,” he proudly pointed out. “I have important things to say. Listen up!” (paraphrased from verses 1-3). He spoke as if he were the only one worth listening to. He seemed so arrogant. But then again, how often do we want people to listen to us? How often do we ignore what someone is saying because we’re too busy thinking about what we’ll say next? How often do we turn the conversation back to ourselves? This week, be a listener. Be someone who asks about others and then really listens to their responses. 

THURSDAY

Reading for Today:
John 17:20-26
Revelation 9
Job 33:12-33
Obadiah 1-21

Revelation 9
You’d think hail, fire, blood, bitter water, darkness, and poisonous locusts would convince even the greatest skeptic that God exists. But in Revelation 9, even after God sent these plagues, the people still refused to repent of their sins (see verse 20). Sin is like that, though. It’s deceptive. We think, “Oh, that one little sin won’t be a big deal.” But then that one sin becomes two and then three. Before we know it, that one little sin has led us into captivity. Sin might not look like that big of a deal, but it is. Sin is a trap. Avoid it.

FRIDAY

Reading for Today:
John 18:1-18
Revelation 10
Job 34:1-20
Jonah 1–4

Jonah 1–4
Does it bother you when God is gracious to someone else? Does it upset you when someone who doesn’t deserve forgiveness gets it? It certainly bothered Jonah. In fact, it bothered him so much he asked God to take his life (Jonah 4:3). The reason Jonah ran away from God’s call in the first place was because he knew God would be gracious to Nineveh. He knew God was willing to forgive, and he didn’t want the Ninevites to be forgiven. So he ran. God reminded him that everyone is worthy of forgiveness. Don’t exclude from grace those God wants to include.

SATURDAY

Reading for Today:
John 18:19-27
Revelation 11
Job 34:21-37
Micah 1–3

John 18:19-27
How wonderful would it be to know—without a doubt—that you never said anything wrong? That’s how Jesus felt. When the religious leaders questioned Jesus, he said to them, “I have spoken openly to the world . . . I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret” (John 18:20). Jesus had nothing to hide from the leaders because he literally had nothing to hide. There were no “skeletons in his closet,” as the saying goes. This week, make it your goal to have nothing to hide too.