Read the Bible In A Year

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

I have such a difficult time understanding scripture. And to memorize it just seems impossible for me. I cry thinking that I cannot do something God has commanded me to. I've found this yahoogroup useful: http://groups.google.com/group/oneyearbible , and try to start my morning reading the assigned portion of scripture. The comments are very helpful in assisting me to process the information.

There was a prophesy spoken over me that as I study and follow after God, the kids will follow my example. Right now I feel like the blind leading the blind, but have confidence that God will be true to His word to me and I will do my part. I'm going to post my Bible reading links here along with anything I feel God is putting on my heart while I'm reading. God bless!

Wednesday, November 7Ezekiel 16:42-17:24 ~ Hebrews 8:1-13 ~ Psalm 106:13-31 ~ Proverbs 27:7-9
Thursday, November 8Ezekiel 18:1-19:14 ~ Hebrews 9:1-10 ~ Psalm 106:32-48 ~ Proverbs 27:10
Friday, November 9Ezekiel 20:1-49 ~ Hebrews 9:11-28 ~ Psalm 107:1-43 ~ Proverbs 27:11
Saturday, November 10Ezekiel 21:1-22:31 ~ Hebrews 10:1-17 ~ Psalm 108:1-13 ~ Proverbs 27:12
Sunday, November 11Ezekiel 23:1-49 ~ Hebrews 10:18-39 ~ Psalm 109:1-31 ~ Proverbs 27:13
Monday, November 12Ezekiel 24:1-26:21 ~ Hebrews 11:1-16 ~ Psalm 110:1-7 ~ Proverbs 27:14
Tuesday, November 13Ezekiel 27:1-28:26 ~ Hebrews 11:17-31 ~ Psalm 111:1-10 ~ Proverbs 27:15-16
Wednesday, November 14Ezekiel 29:1-30:26 ~ Hebrews 11:32-12:13 ~ Psalm 112:1-10 ~ Proverbs 27:17
Thursday, November 15Ezekiel 31:1-32:32 ~ Hebrews 12:14-29 ~ Psalm 113:1-114:8 ~ Proverbs 27:18-20

1. This week in Ezekiel 20:40 we will read: "There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices." What are your offerings, choice gifts and holy sacrifices to the Lord? Your life, your thoughts, your finances? Do you give a percentage of your income to your local church, ministries, and nonprofits? Would this perhaps be a "holy sacrifice" if you did so? Would this be a bold act of faith?

We do tithe. I get confused doing all the math. I don't know how much our gross income is. We get the check after taxes and insurance has been taken out...so I just multiply the net by 13%. We give to a few other groups as well. I enjoy giving, and I believe God has blessed us financially as a result, by Mike being offered a job that better suits our financial needs and allows him more time at home in the evenings with the kids. I used to volunteer time and work as well...but am not well enough to do that anymore...I'm still grieving. All I can figure is that since God hasn't enabled me, it must not be His plan for me at this time. It was a bold act of faith for me to take a job tutoring kids after school...and it ended in me having to quit due to health issues. I just don't understand. Also, I used to keep accounting books for a ministry, and worked at a bank in bookkeeping too. But now it is extreemly difficult for me to manage our personal accounts. I need help so much. Lord, I beg you to heal me.

2. Hebrews chapter 10 this week is amazing! In verse 22 we will read: "Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." Great stuff! The last few words of this verse remind me of the blessing of Baptism - as an outward sign of our inner transformation and faith in Christ. Verse 24 is just pure joy & goodness: "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds." Outbursts of love & good deeds indeed! Who are you encouraging these days to outbursts of love and good deeds? Can you think of some ways to do this?

The kids and I used to do volunteer work for Faith in Action...but am too ill to do that as well. I used to love helping others and surprising them with unexpectedly meeting a need. It just isn't something I can do anymore. I feel like a broken record. Our income is not mine to use for anything other than our household and a small Christmas gift budget. I'm very grateful that my husband agrees with the principle of tithing. I'm pretty much housebound now. A trip to a store leaves me bedridden for days afterwards (better than weeks like it used to be). The only way I know to encourage others is through the internet. I do that off and on through Christian womens groups. I've chosen the title of my blog to let others know that it is I that am in desperate need of encouragement. Oh Lord. I'm at my wits end. I feel paralyzed. I actually feel dead.

And verse 25 reminds me of the importance of finding a church community to do life with together: "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." Do you meet together with others in a local church?
Not anymore. They decided to build a new platform. I've still not recovered from the glue exposure. I could hardly stand all the perfumes before. I cannot tolerate them at all now. I went to a church dinner Saturday. Today is Wednesday, and I've still not recovered from the perfumes. I was walking around intoxicated...walking into walls and tripping over chairs. I'm so sad. I desire more fellowship with my church.

Have you found a small group, community group, or prayer group that you can spend some quality time with outside of regular church services? A group where you can encourage, warn, and pray for each other?
There is my cell group on Thursday evenings. My husband doesn't think it's a priority. I miss it terribly when I cannot go. My husband thinks it contributes to me being ill due to the stress it sometimes creates and discourages me from going. If I do get ill from it, he says it's becasue I don't listen to him. The anxiety of feeling torn between doing what I think I should and doing what he thinks I should is definitely contributing to me being ill. I also used to go to a women's Bible study on Friday mornings, but my husband will not allow it anymore due to childcare issues. It's probably for the best because the dry erase markers they use also impair my brain function. They affect my vision and cause me to struggle to stay conscious. Perhaps I could start my own home women's Bible study during the day while my husband is at work. I could let people know ahead of time...no markers, no perfumes, and children are WELCOME!

Verse 26 and the following verses are strong reminders of the one option we have for our faith - the one true God to follow: "Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins." Is there another sacrifice besides Jesus' sacrifice on the cross that will cover our sins?

Of course not. I don't deliberately sin, but appearently I commit the same sins over and over because I don't remember my mistakes to learn from them...lol. Mike gives me the same lecture everytime he gets frustrated with me for being ill. He says I'm sick because I don't do what he says. When I tell him I don't know what he's talking about, he thinks I'm lying. I'm just so confused. I don't even know when I'm sinning anymore.

3. This week in Psalm 106:19-21 we will read: "At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt." This of course sounds very familiar to Romans chapter 1 verses 22 and 23: "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles." Was this wise that the Israelites exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull?
Of course it wasn't wise. Hind sight is 20/20.

Why did they do this?
I figure they lost their trust in God and got tired of waiting for Him.

What should have been their Glory? What is your Glory today? Do you, at times, exchange your true Glory for something else? Is this wise? Are you forgetting the God who saved you? The God who has done great things for you? Please don't ever exchange the true Glory for a false idol.
God is my glory...but honestly, I'm not sure I have any glory at all. Not that I don't have God...but that God doesn't seem to be operating in my life in a way that others can see. I feel that I'm a horrible disapointment and blemish on God's reputation. I guess I've exchanged my glory for sickness...but I don't know how or why, or how to change it. I've not forgotten God, on the contrary, He's about all I think about anymore....begging him to make His promises true in my life...and enabling me moment by moment to follow his commands that I don't seem to be able to follow.

4. This week in Proverbs 27 verse 8 we will read: "A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest." Where is our spiritual home? Who is our spiritual home? Have we strayed from our spiritual nest? As I read this I of course think about our relationship with Jesus first - and then manifestation of his body in the local church as being our spiritual home. And I realize that if I do not attend church on a weekly basis, I am like a bird straying from its nest. Our prime home is Jesus – we do not want to stray from our relationship with Him, ever. It's far too risky to do so, for obvious reasons. But I think we can sometimes feel like we don't need Jesus' body, his church. We feel like we can do life fine without church. I submit to you that this is far too risky of a way to live life. I am just afraid that if we stray away from the nest of our local church, then we are at risk of potentially straying away from Jesus. We need the church. We need Jesus. Are you going to church each week these days? Do you think you should? If there is one thing I can encourage you on, almost more than anything, is to please find a local church where Jesus is clearly the cornerstone and the Bible is clearly taught. And then please do not stray away from that nest. . . I cannot encourage you enough on this point. I love the church so very much. I pray that you do as well. (It brings tears to my eyes to even try to think of my life without the church – I cannot imagine it. I pray this is the case for you as well . . .)

I think we already discussed this. I do my best to fellowship with other Christians and to watch the sermons on the internet. If God wants more, He will need to heal me first and I will go to church regularly leaping for joy!!!!