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!
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6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you,1 Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial?2 Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
(ESV)
After his seventh consecutive victory in the Tour de France in 2005 Lance Armstrong retired. Johann Bruyneel, arguably the greatest race director in Tour history had to find another way to win. He spotted a strong young cyclist who was the perfect candidate and in 2007 Alberto Contador won the Tour for the first time under Bruyneel's direction. However, in 2009 when Lance Armstrong decided to return to racing, Bruyneel found himself in an uncomfortable position. Because of his strong loyalty he could not say no to Armstrong but Bruyneel was still obligated to Contador. Team Astana went into the Tour that year with two past winners riding for the same team. Obviously both could not win. It was in every way an awkward (if not "unholy") alliance.
I found myself in a similarly strange situation when Concordia Lutheran Church was hosting the "Drive Thru Passion", dramatically portraying the ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of scenes involving many disciples, a lot of male actors were required, and even though I haven't acted since high school, I volunteered to play a Roman soldier escorting Jesus' along the Via Dolorosa to his crucifixion. At the time I signed up, I really didn't consider what this would be like. It turned out to be a very emotionally difficult situation.
For two hours I found myself shouting commands, taunts and jeers at the actor portraying Jesus. With the whip in my hand I repeatedly struck the cross with lashes (so as not to injure the actor himself). In a way, the scene became all too real. The actor's bare feet and legs were gouged by the gravel on the path. His shoulder was bruised by the heavy cross. And my taunts and lashes only added to his discomfort (as he told me during a break). I found my stomach in knots and my heart heavy as I acted out this evil toward our Savior. I felt a twinge of guilt as car after car drove by and people looked at the scene, observing my mistreatment of our Lord. I woke up the next morning with a sore neck and shoulder from repeatedly lashing the cross. I was glad. The pain was a reminder of what an awful thing it would be to turn against our Lord Jesus Christ, even though it was only the result of an acting assignment.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul warns: "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" In a sense my portrayal of that Roman soldier gave me a glimpse of what it feels like to be unequally yoked with darkness. It's very uncomfortable for anyone who truly loves the Lord. And yet, in this wicked world there are far too many ways and opportunities for us to get tangled up with unrighteousness. It's far too easy to find ourselves partnering with Satan.
When you find yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable because you sense that it involves compromise with evil, make sure to stop and consider carefully what you are doing. Your sense of unease may be a blessed reminder that this is not a partnership you should be involved in. If thoughtful reflection, prayer and meditation on God's Word confirms your suspicions, then get out. As Paul says in verses 17-18: "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." Let's partner only with our living God. We will find blessing in seeking his glory.
40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare1 is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries:2
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said,3 “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty4 is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
9 Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;5
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;6
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has measured7 the Spirit of the LORD,
or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18 To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood8 that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.
21 Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
and because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
[1] 40:2
[2] 40:3
[3] 40:6
[4] 40:6
[5] 40:9
[6] 40:9
[7] 40:13
[8] 40:20
(ESV)
Chapter 40 begins a new section of Isaiah's writing, dealing with the future Babylonian captivity and beyond. Because of the differences between the two sections, some have argued that there are two separate authors for chapters 1-39 and 40-66. The New Testament writers, however, all attribute the entire book to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah addresses words of comfort to God's people who have just heard the first prophecy of the Babylonian captivity in chapter 39. Judah and Jerusalem paid a price for their sins. That price is referred to as "warfare," a term used to describe the terrible hardships of their captivity in Babylon. But now her sin has been pardoned and God promises double the blessings for her sin. The voice crying, "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord," is a prophecy of the ministry of John the Baptist. Truly, the glory of the LORD would be revealed in the coming of Jesus Christ, for whom John prepared the way. None of the evil that Israel has done could prevent God's plan of salvation from going forward, because "the word of our God will stand forever." God commands His people to go up to a high mountain and tell the good news, "Behold, the LORD God comes with might... He will tend His flock like a shepherd." These are clear references to Christ's coming. Isaiah compares God's creative power and His vast understanding to the nations, which are "like a drop from a bucket." He then shows the foolishness of considering an idol carved from wood and covered with silver or gold to be like God. God is the creator of the universe. Verse 22 reveals that Isaiah and the ancient Israelites did not believe in a flat earth, as some skeptics mockingly contend today. Rather, God "sits above the circle of the earth." He raises up and brings down all the kings of the earth. He is the everlasting God who needs no creator for He is the Creator of everything. His power is limitless and He never grows weary. Therefore we can look to Him whenever we are in need of strength. God's people should never think that He has forgotten them, "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." These beautiful words of promise align perfectly with Jesus' own words: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the LORD1 shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
[1] 37:22
(ESV)