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
8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.1 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you2 free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus4 from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers,5 we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons6 of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because7 the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,8 for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be9 against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.10 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[1] 8:1
[2] 8:2
[3] 8:3
[4] 8:11
[5] 8:12
[6] 8:14
[7] 8:27
[8] 8:28
[9] 8:31
[10] 8:34
(ESV)
I'm glad I don't race bikes. 128 riders started in the Tour of California on Sunday, and over the course of eight days of racing there will be only a dozen or so winners, one for each stage, the King of the Mountains, the sprinters points winner, the best young rider, and the GC overall winner. Most riders will go home tired and empty handed, many sore from road rash, and if this race is typical one or two with a broken collar bone. A few may even feel the condemnation of teammates if they didn't have the "legs" to do their job on any given day. Just yesterday 30 riders hit the pavement in the rain on the descent from the two big climbs. Ouch! Overall, for the majority of racers, not a very positive experience.
Life itself can be a not very positive experience. All too often we go through life feeling painfully inadequate. The challenges we face sometimes feel like hills that are too steep to climb. We feel the sting of criticism and condemnation from those around who don't think our performance is what it should be. The challenge of persevering through the tough stuff of life can be draining, like we were trying to ride 100 miles in a day at 25-30 miles per hour in the heat or the rain. Too often we're so disappointed in our own efforts that if someone else isn't criticizing us we're beating up on ourselves. Have you ever been there? I have, and it wasn't necessarily while I was on my bike.
Into such a place comes a wonderful word of grace from Paul in Romans 8:1: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Let me share a few other translations or paraphrases of those words to help them sink in. "So now, those who are in Christ Jesus are not judged guilty." (NCV) "With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud." (MSG) "So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned." (GWT) "If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished." (CEV) "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." (NLT)
Paul speaks these gracious, life-giving words immediately after he has spoken about his own, frequently unsuccessful struggle against sin, in chapter seven. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:15) We've all been there. And then Paul shares with us the grace of God in Jesus Christ. "There is now no condemnation." And don't pass over that little three letter word "now." It's three letters in Greek too, but it is tremendously important. Even now, even in the midst of failure and disgrace, even in the midst of mistakes and sins, THERE IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION.
I'm not going to try to complicate something simple by rambling on. Just let that promise dwell in your mind and heart for a few minutes and soak it in. No condemnation. Period. Amen.
26:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: 2 “Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. 3 It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. 4 You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. 8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the LORD and took their seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the LORD. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13 Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
(ESV)
Jeremiah's task as a prophet of the LORD in the period of Israel's decline was not an enviable one. God commanded him to stand in the temple court and declare the truth of God's Word to people from all over the land who would come to worship. One would think that worshipers who had journeyed some distance would be eager to hear the Word of the LORD. Most, however, were simply going through the motions of obligatory prayers and offerings, which were only a part of their religious life, the other part being the pagan rituals and sacrifices in which they willingly participated. Thus, when Jeremiah spoke God's words of warning and did not hold back a single one, the reaction of the people was less than positive. The people, joined even by the priests and false prophets of the day, rose up against Jeremiah crying, "You shall die!" for warning that Jerusalem would be desolate, just like Shiloh, if the people did not repent. The officials of Judah gathered for Jeremiah's trial. His accusers argued that Jeremiah deserved to die for words they considered blasphemous. Jeremiah, however, stood firm and repeated his call to repentance. "Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you." Jeremiah told them to do with him as they wished, but if they killed him they would be shedding innocent blood, for it was the LORD who sent him to speak words of warning and judgment to them. Today, we too live in a nominally religious culture, which does not always like to hear the Word of God. We should not be surprised to meet resistance, like Jeremiah did, when we speak God's truth.
75:1 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We1 recount your wondrous deeds.
2 “At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
7 but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
[1] 75:1
(ESV)