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
1:1 James, a servant1 of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers,2 when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass3 he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.4 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
[1] 1:1
[2] 1:2
[3] 1:10
[4] 1:17
(ESV)
I am not a fisherman. Or, I should say, I am not a skilled fisherman. I do, however, enjoy fishing from time to time. There is just something about a line in the water and a lazy morning that refreshes and refills my soul in a way that little else can.
In college, one of my favorite places to go fishing was in Lee County, Texas on a friend's property that had a bass tank on it. My buddy and I would wake up early - at least by college student standards - hop in his truck, and travel the dirt back roads to the secluded spot. The fishing was always great. Fish after fish, bite after bite, the experience was never disappointing.
Because we hardly ever kept the fish we caught, the fish we hooked were often ones that had been hooked before. More often than not, we would reel in a fish only to discover one, two, or even three hooks in his throat, swallowed from his previous run ins with fishing lures. And yet, he kept on biting. "Shouldn't the fish have learned by now?" I would wonder to myself. "Hasn't he learned how to recognize a hook? Doesn't he know that the wiggly worm being dangled in front of his face is merely a trap set by a fisherman with nefarious intent?" Alas, the fish never seemed to learn. And so we kept on hooking him.
In our reading for today from James 1, James says that, like a bass in a tank enticed by a worm, we swim through our lives enticed by our sinful desires. James writes of our temptations:
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (verses 13-15)
The Greek word for "enticed" at the end of verse 14 is deleazo, a word borrowed from the world of angling meaning "to lure" or "to bait." Like a fish with a worm, we persistently and repeatedly swim toward our own sinful desires, never bothering to notice or discern that those desires have Satan's hook lodged in them.
How do we avoid being hooked by such sinfulness? James offers two thoughts. First, we should be slow to speak. James writes, "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (verses 19-20). Our careless and thoughtless words are often Satan's hook to reel us into a life of wickedness. Therefore, James warns, gauge your words carefully. Speak only as Jesus would speak. Second, we should be quick to help. James continues, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (verses 22, 27). Helping widows and others in need, James says, has a funny way of steering us clear from evil because we are so busy with charitable acts that we don't have any time for evil acts.
Be slow to speak and quick to help. This is James' practical guidance to avoid Satan's hooks of sin. And this is guidance we can put into practice today. What hooks of sin tempt you? What word from Jesus can you carefully and deliberately speak which would steer you clear from what tempts you? And who can you help in Jesus' name so that you are not left alone, tempted by your sinful desires? Satan's hooks need not hook us! For, instead of being harangued by Satan's hooks, we can be healed by our Savior's heart. And that's no illusive lure, that's a perfect promise.
10 “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, 13 lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.
14 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: 15 he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 16 does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, 17 withholds his hand from iniquity,1 takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.
19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.2 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
[1] 18:17
[2] 18:30
(ESV)
God's justice was summed up in a simple formula: "The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." A righteous father who bore a son that chose wickedness would not be punished for the sins of his son. And the righteous son of a wicked man would live, in spite of his father's wickedness, because by faith he chose the right. But even a wicked person's fate could be changed from death to life by genuine repentance, and the resulting change from wickedness to righteous living. God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but would much rather see that person turn from their sin and live. Furthermore, a righteous person who turned away from God and chose wickedness and the abominations of idolatry would gain nothing from his former righteousness. Rather, because of his sin, he would die. Thus, there is no fault in God's justice. The only fault lies in us, sinful people that we are, and the only way we can be saved is by turning away from our sin and returning to God, so that we might live. We too must heed God's call to Judah: "Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin." When we do repent, God will cleanse us and give us a new heart and a new spirit. This is what God promised in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." And later on in Ezekiel Chapter 36 God would promise: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." God is just to punish unrepented sin, but He is faithful to forgive all who repent and trust in Him, and He can do so justly, because of the price Jesus paid on the cross for our sins.
117:1 Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
118:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard,1 so that I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
[1] 118:13
(ESV)