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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12:1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
[1] 12:7
(ESV)
"It's no big deal if I don't get this." That is what I kept telling myself after I went in for an interview at KASE 101, a country radio station in Austin. "There are other jobs out there. It's no big deal." But the fact of the matter was, it was a big a deal. It was my second year in college and I was in desperate need of a job to pay my bills. And I didn't really want to work at Taco Bell, even though it was a staple of sustenance during my college career. And so outwardly, I played it cool: "It's no big deal if I don't get this." Inwardly, however, I was crying out to God in prayer: "Please! Please! Please! Please! I need this, God!" And mercifully, I got the job. On my birthday, nonetheless. At 19, I began working as a DJ at Austin's number one radio station, KASE 101.
Perhaps you can relate to this experience. You say it's no big deal. But really, it is. Your hands are shaking as you think to yourself, "If I ask her out and she says, 'No,' it's no big deal. There are other fish in the sea." But really, you know that if she says "no," you'll be emotionally shattered. Or, your body is aching after you take a fall flat on your face, all while saying to concerned bystanders, "It's no big deal. I don't need to go the doctor. I'm fine." But really, you know that you can barely contain a yelp of pain. No matter what we may say, to others or to ourselves, things which we oftentimes say are "no big deal" are precisely that.
In our reading for today from 2 Corinthians 12, Paul does not even try to pretend that his love, longing, and concern for the Corinthians is "no big deal." He writes to them, "What I want is not your possessions, but you" (verse 14). Paul has a deep desire for the hearts, minds, and souls of his beloved congregation. The Christians of Corinth are a big deal to him. He goes on to speak as a love-sick father, yearning for the Corinthians to love him in return: "If I love you more, will you love me less" (verse 15)? Clearly, Paul's passion and compassion for the Corinthians is a big deal. And Paul makes no effort to hide that.
One of the beauties of our heavenly Father is this: in the same way that Paul, as the Corinthians' spiritual father, has deep passion and compassion for his beloved congregation, our heavenly Father has deep passion and compassion for us. He speaks to us as our love-sick Father, eager for us to love him even as he has loved us. What he asks of Peter, he asks of us: "Do you love me" (John 21:17)? Our answer is a big deal to him.
In ancient Greek philosophy, God was conceived of as immoveable, aloof, and unfeeling. No less than Aristotle called God the "Unmoved Mover." In other words, while God may have been the one to move the cosmos into existence, God himself could not and would not ever be moved by a mere mortal. The Scriptures, however, paint a very different picture of God from that of Aristotle. The Scriptures remind us that we serve, believe, and hope in a God who is always on the move and on a mission, driven by his love for us, so that we too may move toward him and be on a mission for him. Indeed, when necessary, God even moved across the infinite to the finite to redeem us and capture that which is most precious and valuable to him: our hearts. Why? Because we're a big deal to God. So today, pray to God, "Where will your plan take me? Where would you like to move me?" And then follow. After all, God has already moved all the way from heaven to earth... because you're a big deal.
14 Thus says the LORD:
“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
no god besides him.’”
15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 All of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the LORD
with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded
to all eternity.
18 For thus says the LORD,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it empty,
he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the LORD, and there is no other.
19 I did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek me in vain.’1
I the LORD speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
20 “Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together,
you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge
who carry about their wooden idols,
and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the LORD?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.
22 “Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’2
24 “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
all who were incensed against him.
25 In the LORD all the offspring of Israel
shall be justified and shall glory.”
46:1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
as burdens on weary beasts.
2 They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden,
but themselves go into captivity.
3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
4 even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.
5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
6 Those who lavish gold from the purse,
and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!
7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
or save him from his trouble.
8 “Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.
12 “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
you who are far from righteousness:
13 I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.”
(ESV)
Isaiah tells God's people that even the surrounding nations will recognize that the God of Israel is the one true God, and will bring their wealth to Israel. Yes, there are times when God seems to be hiding, times of defeat and captivity, but the repeated refrain of this section is that the LORD is God alone and He is Israel's Savior. There is no other! Those who make and worship idols will be ashamed, because the LORD is the true Creator who made the earth and filled it with inhabitants to declare His glory. God, the only Savior tells all people, "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." God looks ahead to the day when the Messiah will return in glory and all mankind will be forced to acknowledge that the God of Israel is the only Savior of the world. "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance." Paul used this verse in Philippians chapter 2. Isaiah continues, "In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory." This promise is fulfilled by us, and by all true believers in Jesus, who are justified because we glory in Christ alone, and not in our own righteousness. Isaiah declares that the idols of Babylon cannot save. Instead their images are a heavy burden carried around by beasts during the Babylonian festivals. The LORD, on the other hand, has borne His chosen people from before their birth, carried them from the womb. These verses also declare the truth that life begins in the womb and must be protected even before birth. God promises that just as He bore his people from before birth, even to old age He will carry us. God repeats his condemnation of the fashioning of idols from silver and gold, because He knows how stubborn and hard-hearted we are. He knows that our idols are not easily overthrown. But there is none like the LORD who declares the end from the beginning. Thus, Isaiah His prophet, tells Israel about Cyrus the Great in 700 BC, although Cyrus was not even born until 600 BC! What God prophesies He will do. "I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." Therefore, God would bring against the unrighteous Babylonians, Cyrus the Great, who would return Israel to Zion, and this salvation would display God's glory in His chosen ones.
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance1
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
[1] 40:9
(ESV)