This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
You're welcome to read one, two, or all three of the readings every weekday. And if you fall behind, don't worry! You can either use the weekends to catch up or you can simply dive in to the reading for that day, even if you've missed a few days, weeks, or even months!
You can download a foldable bookmark here: 2026
16:1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures1 of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures2 of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world3 are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,4 so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.5 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
[1] 16:6
[2] 16:7
[3] 16:8
[4] 16:9
[5] 16:16
[6] 16:22
(ESV)
A couple of weekends ago, I had the privilege of running in the "Wounded Warrior" 5k at the RIM Shopping Center. Proceeds went to support those who have been irreparably injured while protecting our country in battle. In my mind, any chance to support our troops is a high honor.
I am proud to say that my time for this run, although not stellar by any stretch of the imagination, was at least respectable: 5k in 22:50. For me, this represents a dramatic improvement over what I would have been able to run just a few short years ago. Indeed, a few short years ago, I wouldn't have been able to run a 5k at all. For that matter, I probably wouldn't have been able to run a 1k. I did not regularly exercise, nor did I eat a well-balanced diet. And even in my late twenties, my poor health habits were beginning to take a noticeable toll on my wellbeing.
But then, I made a change. I began exercising regularly and swore off food that, although delicious, should never be ingested by someone daily, as I was doing. The results were remarkable. I lost a lot of weight and now run not only out of a sense of obligation to my health, but because I actually enjoy it.
For those who have not seen me in a while, however, my newfound love of exercise can seem a little befuddling. My wife was talking to an old friend of ours after our run and she explained how we had run the 5k together. "Zach ran a 5k with you?" came the response. "That's great! But that doesn't sound like Zach!"
In our reading for today from Luke 16, Jesus tells a parable about a master who has to fire a top-level executive because he is "wasting the master's possessions" (verse 1). Apparently, he has taken one too many pens from the office supply room. The executive is distraught. He doesn't know where and how he will find another job. And so, he hatches a plan:
He called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, "How much do you owe my master?" "Eight hundred gallons of olive oil," he replied. The manager told him, "Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred." Then he asked the second, "And how much do you owe?" "A thousand bushels of wheat," he replied. He told him, "Take your bill and make it eight hundred." (verses 5-7)
This executive is blatantly cooking the books! He's dishonestly cutting his buddies' debts so that they "owe him one," so to speak, after he gets fired. "Perhaps I'll get a free meal from them and a spot to crash on their couch," he thinks to himself. But the real shock of this story is not in the action of this aberrant administrator, but in the reaction of his master: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly" (verse 8). The master, of course, represents Jesus. Jesus? Commending a dishonest manager? But that doesn't sound like Jesus!
It is important to note that Jesus does not commend this man because he is dishonest, but because he is shrewd. And shrewdness can be a good thing, as Jesus himself says, "Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Thus, just as this man was shrewd with the things of this world, we are to be shrewd with the things of God: "If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with handling true riches" (verse 11)? Jesus' desire is that we learn to be shrewd with the lasting riches of God's kingdom.
Just as the manager was commended by Jesus, we too will receive commendation from Jesus on the Last Day when he will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21)! But just as the manager was also "dishonest" (verse 8), a word in Greek which literally means "unrighteous," we too are unrighteous sinners, unworthy of Jesus' commendation. And yet, Jesus commends us anyway - not because we are intrinsically worthy of such commendation, but because he loves us. Thus, he finds things to commend us for, as imperfect as we may be.
I love to watch a new parent with their infant child. They carefully and dotingly gaze at every move their child makes and, when they see something which impresses them, they gleefully exclaim: "Look at that! Look at that! How awesome is my little child!"
Our heavenly Father looks at us with the eyes of proud new parent. Yes, we are sinful. Yes, we are unrighteous. Yes, we are deserving of God's wrath. But because of Jesus, God sees us clothed with his righteousness - a righteousness which leads us to live righteously. And so, when we do something well, God, in spite of our sinfulness, cannot contain his glee. "Look at that!" he shouts, "Look at that! How awesome is my little child! Well done, good and faithful servant." What a terrific commendation from our God.
25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them a renowned place for planting so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD. 31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD.”
35:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3 and say to it, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will make you a desolation and a waste. 4 I will lay your cities waste, and you shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 5 Because you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment, 6 therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it all who come and go. 8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain. On your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain with the sword shall fall. 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
10 “Because you said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will take possession of them’—although the LORD was there—11 therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because of your hatred against them. And I will make myself known among them, when I judge you. 12 And you shall know that I am the LORD.
“I have heard all the revilings that you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are given us to devour.’ 13 And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it. 14 Thus says the Lord GOD: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
(ESV)
God's promise of a "covenant of peace" with His people began with their restoration to the Promised Land, and the renewal of the land itself. It found its completion in the advent of the Messiah, who proved Himself to be the Prince of Peace, and who brought peace between God and man by offering Himself as the sacrifice for sin. God promised to banish wild beasts and replenish the land with showers that would in turn cause the land to bear fruit. God would deliver His people from Babylon and would reestablish them in their land free from fear. This covenant would reassure Israel that "I am the LORD their God" and that they "are my people." In order to reassure His people of their safety in the land, Ezekiel's next word of prophecy was directed against Mount Seir. This range of mountains ran through the territory of Edom, descendants of Esau, who were sworn to perpetual hatred of Israel. They were a people who would have loved to take over the Promised Land when it was devastated by Babylon and keep it for themselves, preventing Israel's return. Instead, God warned that He would devastate their own territory. God told them that because they swore that Israel and Judah "shall be mine," He would deal with them with the same anger and envy that they showed toward Israel. God would not forget His promise to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (the brother of Esau). God's Word is true, and nothing that any man or nation might attempt will ever make a liar out of Him.
135:1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the name of the LORD,
give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant!1
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
your renown,2 O LORD, throughout all ages.
14 For the LORD will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD!
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD!
You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the LORD!
(ESV)