September 23, 2021

Psalm 119:11

11 I have stored up your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you.

When I was growing up, this verse was a constant motivation to memorize scripture. Teachers used the implied punishment, the fear of sin and God’s judgment, to push your nose into the text. I think they were half right; punishment is a fair and helpful motivator, but it’s not the only one. 

God’s word is full of a beauty that captures the heart. When I memorize those words they open up in my mind like a remembered view of Zion Canyon or the sunset over the Pacific. They calm, inspire, invigorate, and woo. They put the true God back into my world and leave the sin I was tempted by to shrivel away. Find and memorize that beauty today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, open up Your word so that I can’t sleep until I store it up in my heart.

Daily Reading: Nahum 1, Psalm 107, Jeremiah 8 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 22, 2021

Ezekiel 20:7

7 And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.’

God wanted to give the Israelites the greatest of all lands, a place with pleasure overflowing. But the people wanted to return to the idols of Egypt. If you remember, Egypt was the nation that had enslaved the Israelites. In a very real sense, the people of God wanted to leave God and go back to idols even if that meant slavery. How stupid is that?

I’m sure you see this reversal coming, but you are the exact same kind of stupid. When we reject God’s ways, we reject God’s rewards. When we return to sin, we return to slavery. Following God does mean pursuing purity, self-control, love sacrifices, service to others, and rampant giving. It can seem like a grueling walk, but remember two things: the reward and the alternative. Be free!

Prayer prompt: Lord, corral me back to Your ways and away from the slavery my heart sometimes desires.

Daily Reading: Micah 7, Psalm 106, Jeremiah 7 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 21, 2021

Ezekiel 20:6

6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.

God promised to take His people to the most glorious of all lands. Travel is difficult now. It’s hard to look longingly at photos of amazing landscapes or read reviews of paradise-on-earth beach resorts and know they’re probably out of reach this year. It would be bliss to get away from where we are, to walk in a stress-free, beauty-filled somewhere instead of being stuck inside for even longer.

Take that little version of longing and let it inform the longing we should feel for the “most glorious of all lands” God is preparing for us. It will be a place flowing not only with provision but with pleasure. You don’t need milk or honey to survive, but are you really living without them? God has promised to take you to pleasure, to Himself, will you walk away from your sin and into His paradise?

Prayer prompt: Lord, fill me so full of longing for You and Your blessings that sin loses all allure.

Daily Reading: Micah 6, Psalm 105, Jeremiah 6 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 20, 2021

John 20:30-31

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Sunday, we got to hear from Dan Jenkins about taking the gospel to those who need it and about the 4 responses we can expect when we are faithful to share. If you’re like most people, it can be tremendously difficult to know what your next step should be. How do you actually share the gospel with someone?

While there are as many ways to do it as there are facets on a diamond, David Edmunds shared an excellent way. The gospel of John was written with the verses above as the thesis statement: it was written that you may believe and have life in Jesus’ name. A great way to share the gospel, is to simply read through the Gospel of John with a friend who is interested in what you believe. Take the John Challenge! Grab a copy of the gospel of John on Sunday at Hope Church and invite a friend to read with you!

Prayer prompt: Lord, let me see fruit as I attempt to bring Your gospel to those who don’t know You. 

Daily Reading: Micah 5, Psalm 104, Jeremiah 5 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 17, 2021

Acts 18:9

9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Many of us are afraid and are silent. It would be an incredible boost to have God give us a personal promise that we won’t be attacked in our city! But be honest for a second, is that why you’re silent? Are you really afraid of physical attacks? 

Blinded by our pride, arrested by our fear, insensible through our total self-absorption, there are very few of us who are faithful to our calling to make God’s name known. Yet look at the end of those verses, “I have many in this city who are my people.” God has people in SLC who need to be rescued. It is time for us to speak.

Prayer prompt: Lord, open my eyes to the people You have planned for me to speak to today.

Daily Reading: Micah 2, Psalm 101, Jeremiah 2 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 16, 2021

Exodus 15:1

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,  “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

God saved the people of Israel by the waters of the Red Sea twice. The water moved so Israel could cross on dry land, then the waters crashed over the Egyptians, killing them to the last man. As the waters stilled over the defeated enemy, a nation of former slaves broke out in song. Imagine the million mouths hanging open in shock, then the eruption of cheers and praise!

We are in a dark time. If you find it difficult to praise God today, take a moment to remember the enemy He has defeated, that He swallowed up in victory. You haven’t been saved from an Egyptian army, Jesus saved you from the penalty and sting of death itself. There is no problem facing you that He can’t overcome. Look back, praise, and trust for tomorrow.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I praise You as my Protector and Savior! May praise fill up my thoughts and bring me joy even through the tears.

Daily Reading: Micah 1, Psalm 100, Jeremiah 1 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 15, 2021

Psalm 31:23

23 Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

Here’s the real question: are you more in love with God or yourself? Which love wins in a fight? The results of each option are described above. You can either love God most which makes you a saint and faithful, or you can love yourself most, with is called pride.

If in your heart, pride wins, you are working against the flow of the universe. You have attempted to make a fantasy into a reality. Believing you can fly is harmless if it’s only a fantasy, but if you try to make it a reality, you’ll break your neck. At some point, God will either preserve you because you are His or He will let you attempt to fly on your own. Humble yourself before God.

Prayer prompt: Lord, increase in my love of You and humble my heart.

Daily Reading: Song of Solomon 8, Psalm 99, Esther 10 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 14, 2021

Revelation 7:9-10

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

In Heaven, before God’s throne, we are united. All the differences that seem so obtrusive fade in that glorious picture. The surface distinctions become harmonies rather than discord as each heart unites in adoration of God. They all love the same thing.

The differences in our world breed suspicions; we wonder at another person’s deeper motives and allegiances. But in the Kingdom, whatever I don’t know about you pales in comparison with what I do know. We can spread that love of God and watch it unite across any boundary, no matter how formidable. That’s our calling as believers. Pursue it today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, please use the pain I see around me to push me to spread Your gospel.

Daily Reading: Song of Solomon 7, Psalm 98, Esther 9 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 13, 2021

2 Corinthians 5:18

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 

With the world on fire, what do we Christians do? Didn’t God see all this coming? If you check the manual, what are His people supposed to be doing to fix all this? It’s not too complicated: continue in your ministry of reconciliation.

God has reconciled us to Himself. He put away our sins by nailing them to the cross. He now hands us the family business of reconciliation. We can only really put out the fire in this world by bringing people to Jesus. Any other solution leaves the real problem to smolder and flame up again. Join us in praying and then pursuing the ministry of reconciliation.

Prayer prompt: Lord, heal our land by bringing the multitudes to Yourself.

Daily Reading: Song of Solomon 6, Psalm 97, Esther 8 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 10, 2021

Joshua 1:6-7

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

Our strength and courage comes from something. Reading these verses can push you to go into some kind of pre-game pep talk. “You can do this! How strong are you?? TOO STRONG!!” Then you Woooooo like Ric Flair** and run into the world based on what? Your confidence in yourself?

No, our courage comes from our trust in God. As we do things His way, we trust Him to give success to the building of His Kingdom for the glory of His name. Courage comes into play when we think our way past our fears. “I know God is strong, I know by Christ that He is with me, so, Heaven help me, I will be strong and courageous.” That confidence, courage, and strength doesn’t come from a pep-talk, but from knowing God in Jesus.

**If you, like my wife, do not remember Ric Flair, he was a WWF wrestler with a distinctive yell.

Prayer prompt: Lord, bring me to the source of the courage You have given me in Jesus.

Daily Reading: Song of Solomon 3, Psalm 94, Esther 5 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 9, 2021

Joshua 1:6-7

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

Is Christianity a manly religion? I think it may have entered into some people’s heads to regard the faith as something women teach to children. Some see it as a nursery rhyme to instruct good boys and girls on the benefits of cleanliness or obedience. Such rhymes are helpful, but set down when we get old enough to become our own people.

But of course not. Our faith has conquered nations and the hearts of people small and great. Our faith is one that slays dragons and upends unjust social systems. Your faith will compel you to walk endless distances and climb mountains to the clouds in order to remake the world in the way God wants it. Are you ready to be strong and courageous?

Prayer prompt: Lord, suit me up with courage and strength to work for Your Kingdom today.

Daily Reading: Song of Solomon 2, Psalm 93, Esther 4 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 8, 2021

Isaiah 53:6

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

Compare this passage with Psalm 23. Sheep kept by the Lord don’t have a hard time. They don’t want for anything because they have still waters and green pastures. Why do we leave then? What could we find in our wandering except hunger, thirst, fear and enemies?

Instead of letting us get what we deserve, the Lord has laid on Jesus the penalty of our sin. Jesus had to go without the perfect provision of the Father, had to wander into a wasteland of hunger and thirst, then be dismembered by the enemies hungry for our blood. What kind of love will do that?

Prayer prompt: Lord, keep me close to You and forgive me for the times I wander away.

Daily Reading: Song of Solomon 1, Psalm 92, Esther 3 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 7, 2021

Psalm 69:5

5 O God, you know my folly;

    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

No temptation has ever hooked the brain of a human without whispering “And, no one will ever know.” The thought is so seductive. But it’s also a lie. It doesn’t matter if the action only happens in your mind or heart, God knows what you’ve done. 

That truth is terrifying, and it should be. We should see sin and hate it the same way God does. As we start to really cringe, even to weep for the wrong things we have done, then we go to the cross. Yes He knows, and still He loves. Knowing you, He still died for you. Feel that forgiveness and go and sin no more!

Prayer prompt: Lord, please forgive me. I commit to a new level of holiness walking in the confidence of Your love.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 12, Psalm 91, Esther 2 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 6, 2021

Isaiah 53:3

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

Hope Church has seen some tragedy over the past couple of weeks. On top of earthquakes and viruses, two families have lost their fathers. As a pastor, thinking of what would comfort the bereaved, Jesus was able to be there for them in a way I could not. I haven’t been through their experience, but Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 

As one song says, “Man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came.” How could the Lord of Glory become a man and then a man acquainted with grief? Yet He did, and He did for you. Now He can hold your hand in your grief. This morning, let your heart grow warm to that kind of leader.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank you for being so close, for loving me enough to suffer.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 11, Psalm 90, Esther 1 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 3, 2021

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

In Scripture, God has given you every tool you need, made you complete and equipped for every good work. It is like M showing 007 the functions on that unbelievable Jaguar. It is like the cases of guns and gadgets the Men in Black have stashed all over the world. Everything you need is bursting from that book, waiting on you to tap that app.

It is as effective and profitable as the verse says because of its source. The Bible is God’s actual word. God’s word created the universe from the Sun’s magnitude to the complexity of your circulatory system. His Word was among us in Christ. His Word is with you right now. You can hear Him speak to you if you open your Bible today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, as I read Your Word, help me to remember I hear Your Voice.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 8, Psalm 87, Nehemiah 11 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 2, 2021

Psalm 19:7

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

Wisdom doesn’t come from college. There are educated fools all over the history books. Wisdom doesn’t come with money; if anything, money gives you many more opportunities for foolishness. Wisdom has one source and it can make wise even the simple and the poor.

God’s words, His law and testimony, revive the soul. Your soul, poor and broken, injured and small, can be revived. The defibrillator paddles that shoot electricity through a failing heart are a perfect illustration of the work of God’s word. Wake up and get wise with God’s Word today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, please keep my nose to Your Word and my heart alive in You.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 7, Psalm 86, Nehemiah 10 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

September 1, 2021

Isaiah 26:3 

3 You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you.

Growing up, we used to love when big storms would roll in. Lightening would spider across the sky as towering clouds, deep darkness, hard rain, and thunder you could feel as well as hear filled all you could see. As dangerous as those storms were, we only felt excitement because we trusted the protection of our house. Instead of fearing judgment from Heaven, the lightening seemed like fireworks displayed for our pleasure.

If God is your protection, if He is your perfect wall about you, you can stay in perfect peace. Storms will come, but you have peace if your mind is stayed on God. Each day, in every small bump and inconvenience, turn to God in prayer. Practice for the time when the big storms come and find peace for your soul. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to think of Your strength and trust in Your love to have peace in the storm.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 6, Psalm 85, Nehemiah 9 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

August 31, 2021

1 John 4:11

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

How has God loved us? Scripture tells us, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8). Even though we rejected God by worshipping other things, Jesus was still sent to die for us. Jesus died for our sins so we can have a right relationship with God and full access to being God’s children! That type of amazing love is hard to comprehend and understand.

Now, God commands we love as He has loved us. What does that mean for you? How can you tangibly show the love God has shown you to your family, your friends, and your co-workers? If we truly have been loved by God and follow Jesus, then we will seek to show that same sacrificial, life-giving love to others.

Written by Caleb Davis

Prayer prompt: Lord, you have loved me and shown me your love much more than I deserve. Help me to have a heart full of love for those around me and show that love in meaningful ways.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 5, Psalm 84, Nehemiah 8 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

August 30, 2021

1 Corinthians 9:24

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Running is like speaking a foreign language. I would love to be a runner like I would love do a lot of things. I’d love to speak French, but I don’t want to learn French just like I don’t want to get up 3 or 4 days a week to run. If I could some how skip the work and get the result, I’d be all in. 

Do you see your faith that way? We default to looking for results without work. If that doesn’t happen (and how could it?) we just imagine we’ll get there someday … hopefully. No. There is a prize to be won. We don’t run for the diminishing benefits of physical running, but the eternal prizes of maturity in Christ. Get serious about how you are going to seek this prize.

Prayer prompt: Lord, motivate me and help me to run well.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 4, Psalm 83, Nehemiah 7 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year

August 27, 2021

Acts 17:27b-28a

27 … Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’ …

God isn’t far from you right now. How could He be? It is only in Him that we can live, move, or continue to exist. As Hebrews 1:3 says, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Though that is true, we often feel a terrible distance from God. Why?

In the verse above, Paul was connecting with his audience in Athens by quoting a hymn written to the Greek god Zeus. The Stoics and pagans in Athens did believe in something as god. The problem was putting their hope in the wrong god. If you feel that distance from God, it could be that you’ve been looking to other things for your life, your activity, and your joy. Turn back to Him this morning; He is not far from you!

Prayer prompt: Lord, let me look to You alone! Thank You for always being so close.

Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 1, Psalm 80, Nehemiah 4 (Click or tap the Verses to read them on your device)

Click or tap here to join a Bible Reading Plan to read the Old Testament in a Year