Bible Reading Plan

Word for Today

This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:

• The first reading is a chapter from the New Testament.
• The second reading is a section from Old Testament history.
• The third reading is from the books of Psalms and Proverbs.

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

Sign up to get the readings sent to your email daily here.

New Testament Reading

Acts 3

The Lame Beggar Healed

3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.¹ 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant² Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus³ has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

(ESV)

Pastoral Commentary for Acts 3

Commentary from Pastor Zach McIntosh

One of my favorite photos of all time was taken by a pioneer in photojournalism, Margaret Bourke-White. Bourke-White began her work as a photojournalist at the dawn of the Great Depression in 1929. She began her career with Fortune magazine, but later moved to Life magazine when one of her photos landed on the cover of Life's inaugural edition in 1936. My favorite photo from her is the one shown here, published in Bourke-White's book, You Have Seen Their Faces. The book chronicles the difficult and even severe conditions so many faced during the turmoil of the Depression. This particular picture shows people waiting in a soup line following a devastating flood. What makes this picture so striking, obviously, is its sad irony. For those who have been left with nothing are standing in front of a billboard declaring that Americans should have everything.

In our reading for today from Acts 3, we encounter another strange sight, similar to that of Margaret Bourke-White's Depression-era photo. The chapter opens:

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer - at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. (verses 1-2)

Now isn't this an ironic sight? A man, crippled from birth, his body hideously deformed by a dreaded and incurable disease, begging for money, and lying next to a gate in Jerusalem named "Beautiful." What an odd combination. But this odd combination is about to be transformed. For on this day, Peter and John have come to the temple for their afternoon prayers.

According to Jewish tradition, a person was to pray three times a day - he was to pray a morning prayer called the shacarit, an afternoon prayer called the mincha, and an evening prayer called the ma'ariv. In Acts 3, Peter and John are on their way to pray the mincha, where according to its traditional liturgical form, they would recite these words from the Psalmist: "The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14). And on this day, the LORD does exactly this. For on this day, Peter and John behold the maligned man at the gorgeous gate. And Peter, repelled by this sad sight, says to the man, "Look at us" (verse 4)! As they lock eyes, Peter continues, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (verse 6). And the man does. In fact, he does more than simply walk, he jumps: "He went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God" (verse 8).

The Greek word for "jumping" here is hallomai, an extremely rare word that also happens to be found in Isaiah 35:4, 6 to describe the coming of God:

Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the lame jump like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.

When God comes, Isaiah prophesies, the lame will jump. And in Acts 3, we find that God had come. He had come in Jesus.

The promise of Christ is that one day - on the Last Day when Christ comes again - the sadly ironic pictures of our broken world will fade from our film rolls. Poverty will no longer beg at the feet of riches. Sickness will no longer be strewn about next to health. And death will no longer stare down those who are alive. For God's creation will be perfectly renewed and restored. And it will be perfectly renewed and restored in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And so we pray not only the prayers of the mincha as Peter and John did on that day in Acts 3, we pray much more. We pray, "Come, Lord Jesus."

---

Old Testament Reading

Ezekiel 43

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

43:1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he¹ came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4 As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, 7 and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies² of their kings at their high places,³ 8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

10 “As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. 12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

13 “These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth):⁴ its base shall be one cubit high⁵ and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span⁶ around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; 15 and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns. 16 The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. 17 The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east.”

18 And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord GOD, a bull from the herd for a sin offering. 20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. 22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. 25 For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.⁷ 27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord GOD.”

(ESV)

Pastoral Commentary for Ezekiel 43

Commentary from Pastor Bob Nordlie

In Ezekiel 11:23 the prophet had seen the glory of the LORD leave the temple. In this vision, Ezekiel witnessed the glory of the LORD coming from the east and returning to fill the New Temple. The vision he saw was like the one he witnessed when God had placed His hand on him and called him in Ezekiel chapter 1. Unlike the previous temple, which now lay in ruins, this temple would not be defiled by Israel's spiritual adultery, or by the dead bodies of their kings buried on the temple premises. God commanded Ezekiel to share the plans for the New Temple with the people. The contrast of this glorious vision with the defiled and destroyed temple in Jerusalem, would cause God's people to repent of their sin, and motivate them to avoid the sins that would defile His holy name in His place of worship. A detailed description of the altar of burnt offerings in the inner court of the temple followed. Its height was just over 19 feet and the lowest platform was 31½ feet square. The hearth of the altar at the top was 21 feet square. When the rebuilt altar was complete it was to be purified by the sprinkling of blood on the horns of the altar and elsewhere. An unblemished bull and ram were to be the first offerings placed upon the altar. The sacrifices were to continue for seven days, including a goat in the offerings as well. From then on, God would receive the peace offerings of the people placed upon the altar by the priests. When the Messiah would come to institute the New Covenant of peace, animal sacrifices would cease, because He was the perfect sacrifice. "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:19-20).

---

Psalms/Proverbs Reading

Psalm 145:1–9

Great Is the Lord

¹ A Song of Praise. Of David.

145:1   I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2   Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3   Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
4   One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
5   On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6   They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
7   They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8   The LORD is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9   The LORD is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

(ESV)