MONDAY

Reading for Today:
John 18:28-40
Revelation 12
Job 35
Micah 4–5

Revelation 12
There are some things worse than death. One of those things is life without Jesus. The believers who are mentioned in Revelation 12 must have understood this too, because they stood strong against the devil’s schemes and refused to turn their backs on Jesus, even when standing strong led to death. Revelation 12:11 says of them, “They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” These believers loved Jesus even more than they loved their own lives. They loved him even when it cost them everything. Which do you love more: your life or your Lord?

TUESDAY

Reading for Today:
John 19:1-16
Revelation 13
Job 36:1-15
Micah 6–7

Micah 6–7
Micah 6:6 asks the question, “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?” One day, each of us will stand before God. On that day, the things we have worried about in this life will fade into the background. We will no longer care about the bigger house, better car, or nicer clothes we always wished we had. What we will care about is what we did in this life for God. Did we act justly, love well, and walk humbly before God (verse 8)? Did we make him proud? That’s what will matter.

WEDNESDAY

Reading for Today:
John 19:17-27
Revelation 14
Job 36:16-33
Nahum 1–3

John 19:17-27
As Jesus was crucified, the soldiers divided up his clothes. One garment Jesus was wearing, however, was seamless. “Let’s not tear it,” the soldiers said in verse 24. This statement is quite ironic if you think about it. The soldiers didn’t want to tear a piece of cloth, but they tore Jesus’ skin. They showed more concern over a piece of clothing—and an undergarment at that—than they did over Jesus himself. Their priorities were clearly skewed. This week, don’t allow yourself to be more concerned with material things than with Jesus.

THURSDAY

Reading for Today:
John 19:28-37
Revelation 15
Job 37
Habakkuk 1–3

Habakkuk 1–3
The situation Habakkuk described in Habakkuk 3:17 was dire. There were no crops. There were no cattle or sheep. The Israelites’ livelihood depended on these things, so it would have been understandable for them to wallow in self-pity and fear. Nonetheless, Habakkuk chose to rejoice in the Lord (verse 18). “I will be joyful in God my Savior,” he said. The key word in the sentence above is chose. Habakkuk had to choose to rejoice. We do too. Joy doesn’t happen on its own. It happens when we choose to give thanks. What are you thankful to God for today?

FRIDAY

Reading for Today:
John 19:38-42
Revelation 16
Job 38:1-21
Zephaniah 1–2

Revelation 16
When we take a trip, we pack a suitcase. Even if it’s just an overnight stay, we do something to prepare: set out food for the dog, grab a change of clothes, lock the doors, and so on. We prepare ahead of time because we know that when it’s time to leave, we need to be ready. Unfortunately, not all of us are preparing for Jesus’ arrival. We assume we still have plenty of time. But the truth is, we don’t know how long we have. Jesus’ second coming isn’t something we can prepare for as it happens. It’s something we need to prepare for now.

SATURDAY

Reading for Today:
John 20:1-9
Revelation 17
Job 38:22-41
Zephaniah 3

Job 38:22-41
We have information at our fingertips. If we want to learn about the heart and circulatory system, there’s a website to help us do that. If we want to learn how to take apart a transmission, there are videos to show us how. There are websites dedicated to just about every topic we could think of. Even with all of this information, however, we don’t understand everything. In Job 38, as God answered Job, he told him about some of the things Job didn’t understand. We may know a lot, but we don’t know everything. Only God does.