Two year Bible reading program.

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 20:11 Understanding to grow in Because of our sin, hope lies only in the LORD. He alone can guarantee our future. In today's reading he makes his case against the people, reminding them that he delivered them from Egypt, but they have still sinned against him. And he cares about this, having no pleasure in mere offerings where there is no justice, mercy or humility. It's a rebuke to all who attend worship whilst showing no real repentance. This was why Israel faced judgment in the form of exile by Assyria. However, beyond this, God's promises to Abraham and Jacob still stood. So Micah proclaimed that a remnant from Israel would be restored, some from Assyria and Egypt would come and share...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 20:10 Understanding to grow in Now the leaders are condemned. Rulers, priests and prophets do not act according to what is right and true, but according to what benefits them materially (3v9-11). It's a firm word that applies today to those who lead in society, the workplace or the church. And for Israel it meant judgment. But the declaration of judgment is immediately followed by hope: The last days will bring a time of restoration, when God himself will rule according to what is right and true, so that those of the nations will come seeking these things from him, and experience peace and prosperity with Israelites. This context implies that the king from Bethlehem predicted in chapter 5v2-4 wil...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 20:9 Understanding to grow in In the latter half of the eight century BC, Micah prophesies about both the northern and southern kingdoms. Through him, God warns of judgment for the way the people have prospered through oppressing the poor (2v1-2). It's a word to consider in our own prosperous day, when it's all too easy to benefit at the expense of those forced to work in the most appalling conditions. The LORD declares that the land will be lost, as it was for the north in 722BC and the south in 586BC (and almost in 701BC). But there is promise too: The LORD himself will be a shepherd-king, gathering a remnant of survivors and leading them out of the gate of their sheepfold to find good past...