Read and Heed The Word!

Proverbs 31

2012-01-31T23:13:00.002-06:00

"Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." Proverbs 31:29

These are the words that resonate in my mind as I read this chapter of Proverbs. Certainly the chapter is filled with the description of an amazing woman, but these words include some significant instruction for we men as well.

This wonderfully blessed man, (blessed to have a wife like this to be sure), in turn blesses his wife! He blesses her by heaping upon her words of praise and affirmation. We as men need to remember to build our wives up with our words. We need to remember to express to them how much we appreciate all that they are and all that they do! It is the responsibility, no rather the privilege, of the husband to affirm his wife day by day.

We as husbands need to let our wives know that to us, they are Proverbs 31 woman. They need to know that in our eyes, though many daughters have done well, they have excelled them all! Make sure that your wife knows that you feel that way about her today!

Blessings all,

Read and Heed The Word!

How to respond to correction....

2012-01-10T16:09:00.003-06:00

The following is taken from Our Daily Homily by F. B. Meyer (page 253).

"He is in the way of life that heedeth correction." Proverbs 10:17

It is a wise prayer, "Correct me, O Lord, but with judgment." Happy is the man whom God correcteth; for whom the Lord loveth He correcteth. Sometimes God corrects us with rebukes, making our beauty to consume away as a moth before the stroke of illness or physical weakness. At other times we are corrected by the faithful rebuke of a friend, or the question of a little child. And yet again, correction comes to us through the sore discipline of having to reap the results of our sins. Some heed correction; others resist and refuse it. Many get weary of it, and for their sakes it is written, "We have had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?"

Do not be weary of God's correction, my chastened friend. He does not expose you to the searching trial for his pleasure; but for your profit, and that you may be a partaker of his holiness. Heed correction. Ask why it has come, and what it is designed to teach. Set yourself to learn the lesson quickly. Above all, let us heed more carefully god's Holy Word, which is profitable for correction, as well as for teaching, reproof, and instruction. How often might we have been spared the searching correction of trouble if we had allowed our lives to be pruned by God's Word!

Our behavior under correction will show whether we are in the Way of Life or not. If the Life of God be truly within us, we will meekly accept adn profit by the correction, from whatever source it comes. Otherwise we will murmur and fret, till the wine becomes vinegar, and the milk sour.

Some thoughts on Proverbs, our book of the month.

2012-01-04T10:52:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 4:7 says, "Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding." People focus a lot on "getting" these days, but in all our getting, do we really get what matters most? The scriptures tell us to get understanding, for understanding and wisdom are more precious than all the material goods we could acquire. vs. 10 goes on to say, "Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many." That sounds like something worth pursuing to me! Hope you agree! Seek out His wisdom in the scriptures today!

A New Approach in the New Year

2012-01-01T14:44:00.003-06:00

Greetings all, and happy New Year! As I mentioned in my previous post we are going to take a slightly different approach to our Bible reading this year. First of all I want to encourage each of you to commit to a personal Bible reading program of your own choosing. Good Bible reading plans can be found in the back of many study Bibles, in Bible study software programs, on-line, or even via smart phone apps. I want to encourage you to take a systematic approach to your Bible reading including both the Old and New Testament in your regular reading plan. If you don't have a good plan in mind, feel free to check out the first page archived on this blog to help you develop a plan of your own.

In addition to your own reading plan, I would like to invite you to join me in focusing on a specific book each month of the year for closer study and discussion. Each month a new book from a different part of the Bible will be assigned. One month it will be one of the poetic books, another month one of the epistles, then something from the Old Testament and so forth and so on. Questions for discussion will be posted on this site throughout the month and your comments and questions are welcome.

In order to participate in the discussions on the blog you will need to log in with a g-mail address. These are free and easy to obtain by going to www.gmail.com. It is my hope that this year we will be able to engage in some interesting discussions on this site as we seek to encourage one another to both read and heed the word!

As I considered which book to begin our year with I was reminded of the passage from Proverbs 3:5,6 which says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (KJV). What wonderful wisdom with which to start the new year! In keeping with that sentiment our book for special study and discussion for this month is going to be the book of Proverbs. Join me this month in reading one chapter a day in this wonderful book of God's revealed wisdom! Feel free to post your thoughts, favorite verses, or questions for discussion and I will do the same. Today's reading will be Proverbs chapter 1, tomorrows will be Proverbs chapter 2 and so on through the rest of the month! I look forward to hearing from you as we read this wonderful book together!

God Bless You, and Have a Happy New Year!

Ken Davis/Read and Heed The Word!

2011-12-29T11:40:00.003-06:00

Greetings all,

Well, I for one, got blown away in December! Finals, reports, a family wedding and the holidays to boot and I'll confess I found myself sinking fast. Needless to say I never posted a reading plan for December. So here we are at the end of the year, just days left and 2011 will be in the history books with 2012 a present reality!

If you haven't done so already, now is the time to start thinking about next years reading program! I really want to encourage you to be systematic in your handling of this plan. Reading the Bible is one of the most important things that we can do as believers to continue growing in Christ. In fact, in John 8:31 Jesus says to those who believed in Him, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (KJV). So let's not be haphazard in our reading of God's word, but let us be diligent in our study. It is tempting to be sure to focus only on our favorite books or passages, or perhaps to read randomly as we find opportunity or occasion, but this approach will lead to a very unbalanced diet. Be sure to partake regularly of all the different parts of the word, Old and New Testaments alike. Histories, poetry, epistles and prophecy should all have their place at our table. Let's feed on the richness of God's word this year!

So what about this site? What are we going to do here at Read and Heed The Word? The approach this year is going to be a little different than in the past. Rather than posting weekly reading assignments I am going to encourage that you find your own reading program. These are abundantly available! You can find them on line of course, but you can also find them in the backs of many Bible's, in Bible study software programs, or more recently even in smart phone aps! So decide how slowly or quickly you want to read through the word and get at it! But remember to not only read, but also to heed the words that you are reading.

In addition to encouraging you to find your own reading program we are also going to focus on a book of the month. Each month of this year, I will select a different book of the Bible for us to focus on together. Work this book into your own reading plan and then come onto this site to make comments about your reading. Questions will be posted for discussion. This year, I'm hoping that we can have a lot more interaction over the reading that we do. Look for more information on this in the coming days!

In the mean time, have a happy and blessed New Year! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Blessings all,

Read and Heed The Word!

Reading Assignments for the Rest of November

2011-11-08T21:46:00.002-06:00

November 6th-12th:
Philemon 1
Hebrews 1-4
Job 18-29

November 13th-19th
Hebrews 5-9
Job 30-42

November 20th-26th
Hebrews 10-13
Isaiah 1-12

November 27th-December 3rd
James 1-5
Isaiah 13-24

The assignments listed above will take us through the month of November. At this point it is time to begin thinking about future reading programs for the coming year. We will continue with our weekly assignments until we finish the New Testament and then focus on finishing out the Old Testament. Unfortunately we won't make it all the way through by the end of they year, but it will be close! I suggest finishing up whatever is left in January while beginning your own individual program.

Once we have finished this course of reading we will be making some changes to the blog in both its appearance and use. I want to encourage you to keep reading and keep heeding the Word as we finish this journey together and look into the future.

Blessings all, and have a Happy Thanksgiving,

Read and Heed The Word!

Reading Assignment for October 30th-November 5th

2011-10-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

II Timothy 3-4
Titus 1-3
Job 6-17

Reading Assignment for October 23rd-29th

2011-10-24T18:58:00.001-05:00

Esther 6-10
Job 1-5
II Thessalonians 1-3
I Timothy 1-2

Reading Assignment for October 16th - 22nd

2011-10-18T00:16:00.002-05:00

Nehemiah 9-13
Esther 1-5
I Thessalonians 1-5

Oops! Apparently I added a few extra chapters to the end of Colossians last week! Sorry about the error! Happy Reading!

Reading Assignment for October 9th-15th

2011-10-10T12:28:00.002-05:00

Song of Solomon 3-8
Philippians 4 and Colossians 3-7
Nehemiah 4-8

This week will will finish Song of Solomon and rather than restart this section again in Psalms, the balance of our time in future assignments will be focused on the completion of the balance of the Old and New Testaments by the end of the year.

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for October 2nd-8th

2011-10-03T11:58:00.001-05:00

Ecclesiastes 10-12 and Song of Solomon 1-2
Ephesians 5-6 and Philippians 1-3
Ezra 9-10, and Nehemiah 1-3

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for September 25th-October 1st

2011-09-25T22:36:00.002-05:00

Ecclesiastes 3-9
Ezra 4-8
Galatians 6 and Ephesians 1-4

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." (KJV). Right now I'd say it's time that we spend some time reading the Word! May the LORD bless you richly as you read and heed His Word this week!

Reading Assignment for September 18th-24th

2011-09-18T20:26:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 27-31
Ecclesiastes 1-2
II Chronicles 35-36
Ezra 1-3
Galatians 1-5

Greetings all, I know that the reading assignment seems like an odd mix this week, but rest assured it is the same number of chapters as usual, just spread over a few more books. May the Lord bless you all as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for September 11th-17th

2011-09-13T22:10:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 20-26
II Chronicles 30-34
II Corinthians 11-13
Galatians 1-2

Reading Assignment for August 28th - September 3rd

2011-08-29T07:48:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 13-19
II Chronicles 25-29
II Corinthians 6-10

May the Lord bless you as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for August 21st through 27th

2011-08-22T08:40:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 6-12
II Chronicles 20-24
II Corinthians 1-5

Reading Assignment for August 14th-20th

2011-08-14T00:48:00.002-05:00

Psalms 149-150 and Proverbs 1-5
II Chronicles 15-19
I Corinthians 12-16

Reading Assignment for August 7th-13th

2011-08-07T20:02:00.001-05:00

Psalm 142-148
II Chronicles 10-14
I Corinthians 7-11

Last week found me out of state and away from my computer. No reading assignment was posted for last week, so we will pick up where we left off. If you continued to read on pace, then good for you! For others perhaps this was a chance to catch up. May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek Him in His word!

blessings,

kd

Reading Assignment for July 24th-July 30th.

2011-07-24T23:55:00.003-05:00

Psalms 135-141
II Chronicles 5-9
I Corinthians 2-6

Excerpt taken from OUR DAILY HOMILY by F. B. Meyer

"His mercy endureth for ever." Psalm 136:26

"TWENTY-SIX times in this Psalm we are told that God's mercy endureth for ever. The psalmist had been reviewing the history of the past. As far back as the Creation his eye had traveled, and all through the stormy, troublous days he could detect the silver thread of mercy. Oh that we had his eyes to see always the love of God! Amid the murky gloom of chaos there is a silver gleam; it is his mercy. When sun and moon appear, there is a brighter light than theirs; it is his mercy. Above the roar of the Red Sea and the rattle of the thunder-storms, are the flute-like notes of his mercy. Through all the strife and horror of the conquest of Canaan there glides the white-robed angel of his mercy. Deeper than the darkest shades of sin, higher than the highest floods of transgression, is the love of God, in the hand of which the round world and all its inhabitants lie, as a drop on the palm. Look back on your life, and say whether you cannot see the thread of mercy linking all its beads.

"A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy we sing."

And do you suppose that such mercy is going to fail you? It endureth for ever! You fret and chafe like a restless little child; but you cannot fall out of the arms of God's mercy. Lie still, it canopies you like a mother's face; it breathes about you as a mother's embrace. O love that will not let us go! O mercy that hath neither beginning nor end! O God, who hast loved, who lovest, and who wilt love, when the sun is no more, and the things that are now shall have passed away as a dream! O grace of God, exceeding in thy abundance the highest mountains of our sin!"

Reading Assignment for July 17th-23rd

2011-07-17T22:53:00.001-05:00

Psalms 128-134
I Chronicles 29-II Chronicles 1-4
Romans 13-16 and I Corinthians 1

Reading Assignment for July 10th - July 16th

2011-07-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

Psalms 121-127
I Chronicles 24-28
Romans 8-12

Greetings all,

As you may have noticed there was no reading assignment posted last week. I had the privilege of spending most of last week at youth camp with some precious brothers and sisters in Christ. Unfortunately there was no internet access and I had forgotten to update the reading assignment before I left. So, we'll pick up where we left off. If you were a bit behind perhaps this gave you a chance to catch up a bit.

Blessings all,

kd

Reading Assignment for June 26th-July 2nd

2011-06-26T21:18:00.001-05:00

Psalms 114-120
I Chronicles 19-23
Romans 3-7

May the Lord bless you as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for June 19th-25th

2011-06-20T13:06:00.003-05:00

Psalms 107-113
I Chronicles 14-18
Acts 26-28
Romans 1-2

In Romans 1:16 Paul declares, "...I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..." What glorious words are recorded here! Paul is not ashamed, and what is there to be ashamed of? So many these days hold the faith in contempt, and those who profess it. We have nothing to be ashamed of but our sin, and the gospel should arouse in us, not shame but glorious thanksgiving, for this gospel is the power of God revealed for the purpose of securing our salvation!

Salvation from what? Salvation from the penalty, power, and presence of sin! Death was our due, but it was paid in full upon the cross! Bondage to sin was our lot, but he whom the Son has made free is free in deed! And though we still abide with this body of death the day is coming when we will see Him, and when we see Him we will be like Him! In that day sin will be banished as we stand in His glorious presence!

To whom is this offer of Salvation made? To any and all who believe! Will you believe today? Will you be freed from the penalty, power, and presence of sin? Will you stand unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ? It is the power of God, the glorious power of God, unto salvation!

Reading Assignment for June 12th - 18th

2011-06-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Psalms 100-106
I Chronicles 9-13
Acts 21-25

Reading Assignment for June 5th-11th

2011-06-06T01:22:00.000-05:00

Psalms 93-99
I Chronicles 4-8
Acts 16-20

Reading Assignment for May 29th-June 4th

2011-05-30T14:35:00.002-05:00

Psalms 86-92
II Kings 24,25 and I Chronicles 1-3
Acts 11-15

Reading Assignment for May 22nd-28th

2011-05-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

Psalms 79-85
II Kings 19-23
Acts 6-10

Rading Assignment for May 15th-21st

2011-05-17T10:36:00.000-05:00

Psalms 72-78
II Kings 14-18
Acts 1-5

Reading Assignment for May 8th - 14th

2011-05-08T23:01:00.001-05:00

Psalms 65-71
II Kings 9-13
John 18-21

Only four chapters in John will finish out that book this week. We'll save Acts for next week.
I hope and pray you all had a blessed Mother's Day with your loved ones!

Reading Assignment for May 1st - 7th

2011-05-01T16:42:00.002-05:00

Psalms 58-64
II Kings 4-8
John 13-17

The following is an excerpt from Our Daily Homily, by F. B. Meyer

"If ye abide in my word." John 8:31 (R.V.)

1. WE SHALL BE APPROVED AS CHRIST'S DISCIPLES. "Then are ye truly my disciples." Of some the Master asks, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" And He drives these from Him, saying, "I never knew you." His words are the supreme test- the fire which detects the ore; the winnowing fan that finds out the wheat. Our treatment of our Lord's words discriminates us: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, is he that loveth Me.

2. WE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH. God teaches us differently from men. They deal in per-adventures and surmises; He with certainties- "Ye shall know the truth." They talk about the truth; He gives us the thing itself, and we know because we possess. They deal with circumstances and externals; He with the heart and root of matters. They give to the mind and soul; He to the spirit. We know the truth, because the Truth is in us, and we are in the Truth. "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true.

3. WE SHALL BE FREE. "The truth shall make you free." Just as we are free from the terrors which belief in witchcraft and ghosts was wont to breed, because we know that the spirits of the dead do not haunt dark and dangerous places; just as we no longer fear the fatuous light over the marsh, or the death-tick, because science has attributed these to natural causes; so, as Jesus teaches us the truth about God, and the future, and the forgiveness of sins, and the broken power of Satan, and the impotence of death, we are delivered from the bondage of fear and walk with God in perfect peace.

Meyer, F. B. Our Daily Homily. Westwood, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1966. Print. page 397.

Reading Assignment April 24-30th

2011-04-24T22:36:00.002-05:00

Psalms 51-57
I Kings 21-22, II Kings 1-3
John 8-12

As the sun sets on another Resurrection Sunday, may we say with David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." Psalms 51:10-12 (KJV). It is my hope and prayer that each of you experienced the wonderful blessings of God's love and Spirit this day, and that you continue to enjoy His wonderful presence in the days to come.

Reading Assignment for April 17th-23rd

2011-04-18T02:22:00.001-05:00

Psalms 44-50
I Kings 16-20
John 3-7

Well, I'm sorry to say that I was out of the loop last week and was unable to post the reading assignment. As such, we'll count it as a catch up week and pick up where we left off. If you anticipated the assignment and read ahead on your own, good for you! For the rest, perhaps this is just the chance you needed to catch up. Either way, may God bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for April 3rd - 9th

2011-04-03T22:25:00.002-05:00

Psalms 37-43
I Kings 11-15
Luke 22-24, John 1,2

Reading Assignment for March 27th - April 2nd

2011-03-27T19:05:00.001-05:00

Psalms 30-36
I Kings 6-10
Luke 17-21

May the Lord richly bless you as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for March 20th - 26th

2011-03-20T22:34:00.002-05:00

Psalms 23-29
I Kings 1-5
Luke 12-16

"The Lord is my shepherd..." To whom does the Psalmist refer? To The Lord! The ruler and creator of all that is! The ONE who spoke the worlds into existence, the ONE who knew us before ever we were! THE LORD, there is no other. The Lord IS! The Psalmist says not only that the Lord was, but that the Lord IS! He is ever present, ever existent. The Lord is MY... There is a personal relationship that we enter into with Him in which we are His and He is ours. The Lord is my SHEPHERD! The One who cares for us, protects us, provides for us, loves us! He is the One who laid down His life for us! The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. What more could I possibly need?

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for March 13th-19th

2011-03-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

Psalms 16-22
II Samuel 20-24
Luke 7-11

The Following Excerpt is taken from page 199 of Our Daily Homily by F. B. Meyer

Cleanse Thou me from secret faults. Psalm 19:12

"It is not likely that we shall be kept from the great transgression unless we are preserved from presumptuous sins; and these in turn will befall us unless we have been cleansed from hidden faults. Just as the germ of disease taken into the system will presently reveal itself in an outburst of malignant fever, so hidden faults flower out into presumptuous sins, and these into great transgression. "Then lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin; and the sin, when it is full-grown bringeth forth death."

First, we need forgiveness for secret sins. The Jewish law made large provisions for sins of ignorance. A man might unawares walk across a grave, or touch some article of furniture which was ceremonially unclean, and so become defiled. Even though unconscious of actual transgression, he would find his communion with God broken. Thus, after the holiest day we have ever spent we need to ask for cleansing in the precious blood, for sins which God has discerned, but which in the twilight of our ignorance, and because we compared ourselves with those beneath us in spiritual attainment, have escaped notice.

Next, we need deliverance from the love and power of sin, in lower depths than we have ever realized. We desire to pass muster at the bar, not only of our neighbors and ourselves, but of God. Wee desire that the Spirit should antagonize the flesh in depths below the reach of the plumb-line of our consciousness. We desire the inner purity of heart. But this is peculiarly God's prerogative. It is his work to cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. "Cleanse THOU me."

Reading Assignment for March 6th-12th

2011-03-07T12:46:00.001-06:00

Psalms 9-15
II Samuel 15-19
Luke 2-6

Sorry about the delay in posting this. I had a very busy/productive weekend and didn't get a chance to post the assignment until this morning. Have a blessed week!

Reading Assignment for February 27th-March 5th

2011-02-27T16:32:00.002-06:00

Psalms 2-8
II Samuel 10-14
Mark 13-16 + Luke 1

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for February 20th - 26th

2011-02-20T16:53:00.003-06:00

Song of Solomon 5-8
Psalms 1
II Samuel 5-9
Mark 8-12

Greetings all, if you checked earlier you'll notice I assigned Isaiah 1 by mistake. It should have been Psalms 1. I have corrected and re posted, have a blessed week!

Reading Assignment for February 13th-19th

2011-02-13T23:38:00.002-06:00

Ecclesiastes 12, Song of Solomon 1-4
I Samuel 31, II Samuel 1-4
Mark 3-7

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for February 6th-12th

2011-02-06T22:51:00.001-06:00

Ecclesiastes 5-11
I Samuel 26-30
Matthew 26-28 and Mark 1-2

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for January 30th - February 5th

2011-01-29T18:29:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 29-31
Ecclesiastes 1-4
Matthew 21-25
I Samuel 21-25

May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for January 16th-29th

2011-01-16T22:23:00.002-06:00

The following reading assignment is to cover the next two weeks as I anticipate being away from internet service next weekend. Happy reading until then!

Proverbs 15-28
Matthew 11-20
I Samuel 11-20

Your posts are welcome as always! May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word!

Reading Assignment for January 9th-15th 2011

2011-01-09T19:45:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 8-14
Matthew 6-10
I Samuel 6-10

In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus instructs us in the principles of prayer. He says in vs. 9 "In this manner, therefore, pray..." The presupposition is that we, as His disciples, will be praying. If we are to "read and heed the word", then prayer is a vital element of our devotional life. As you read through these verses allow them to shape the manner of your conversation with the Lord.

"Our Father in heaven," presupposes a relationship with God. We can come to Him in prayer because we are His children.

"Hallowed be Your name." We are to come to the Lord in a reverently, seeking to glorify Him.

"Your kingdom come," We are to pray with an attitude of expectation. We know that His kingdom is coming and we long for the day when it will be established upon the earth.

"Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." As you pray ask the Lord to manifest His will in your own life. When we pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven we need to remember that we are on the earth, and the one part of the earth that we have some control over is that part of it upon which we ourselves exist! Are we willing to submit our own will to His? When we pray this prayer we need to recognize that it is a prayer of submission. Lord, Your will be done in my life, as it is in heaven, should be the flavor of this petition.

"Give us this day our daily bread." We are to recognize that the Lord is the source of all our supply. He is the one to whom we should look for sustenance and provision. He opens the doors that we are to walk through, He is the one who enables us to do the things that we need to do to provide for ourselves and our families. If we are in need, He is the answer.

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Of all our needs, the greatest is forgiveness. Inherent in this petition however is the expression of our willingness to forgive those who have wronged us. We cannot expect God to forgive us, if we hold aught against others. Forgiving others is not always easy, but by the grace of God we can purpose in our hearts to obey the Lord in this matter.

"Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." There is and should be, an element of spiritual warfare to our prayer. We must recognize that we are in the midst of a great spiritual battle and that though Jesus has already won the victory, we still need to enter into the victory that He has won! In this petition we are asking God to give us the strength day by day to resist the temptations that we are facing and to deliver us from the snares and traps of an enemy that seeks to destroy us.

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." We end as we have begun, hallowing the name of the Lord. We begin in praise and we end in praise, for the Lord is worthy of the kingdom, the power and the glory, not just today, but every day!

This prayer, is a model prayer. It is not a prayer to be mindlessly recited, but meditatively contemplated. Each petition represents an aspect of our conversation with God and introduces a topic that is worthy of our attention as we commune with the one who made and loves us. May the Lord richly bless you, as your read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for January 2nd - 8th

2011-01-02T00:34:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 1-7
Matthew 1-5
I Samuel 1-5

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2011 and welcome to Read and Heed The Word, the weekly Bible reading forum for Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro in Burleson, Texas. We are glad to have you with us!

It is my hope that as we read God's word together this year that you will be blessed by sharing the experience together. As we begin this second year of reading I would like to encourage you to divide the weekly assignments into manageable daily assignments. The reading assignments will continue to be broken down into three separate sections each week.

Section 1 includes Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. We will be starting in Proverbs this month and working our way back around through Psalms. There will be seven chapters a week in this section and I recommend reading one per day as part of your morning devotions and prayer time.

Section 2 is the New Testament and Section 3 the Old Testament. We will have five chapters of each starting with Matthew in the New Testament and I Samuel in the Old. These can be done all at once on one day of the week, or spread out throughout the week as best fits your schedule.

Another valuable part of this reading plan is the interaction that is available on the blog site. Each week I will try to include a devotional thought or two and invite your comments and questions. Last year we did not take full advantage of this function of the blog but I hope that this year it will prove to be a more meaningful part of the over all experience. Don't worry about trying to be profound, just be willing to share about what the Lord is revealing to you as you read His word this year, it is sure to be a blessing to us all! I'm looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses this in each of our lives as we seek to read and heed His word together!

Reading Assignment for The Remainder of 2010

2010-12-19T23:02:00.003-06:00

December 19th - 25th December 26th-January 1st
Revelation 13 - 17 Revelation 18 - 22
Luke 1-2 (For Christmas) Psalm 139 (For New Years Day)

As you can see, we have a bit of a change for the last two weeks of this year. The assignments are shorter for two reasons. First of all it will provide a shorter assignment in deference to the busyness of the season while allowing those who may have fallen behind to catch up a bit. Secondly, it will allow us to make a good start of 2011 by starting with Proverbs 1, Matthew 1, and our assignment in the Old Testament will back up a few chapters as we will start again in I Samuel 1. Now if you have already done the reading for the first few chapters of I Samuel, great! You have a head start, but starting at the beginning of these books will be better for those who may just now be joining us in 2011.

I hope that our journey through the Bible this year has been an encouragement and a blessing to you and that you will continue to read along together in the year to come. I would welcome your comments and posts over these next two weeks to share about how reading God's word together has blessed you this year, and I would like to encourage you to invite others to join us in the year to come! May the Lord bless you richly, as you continue to read and heed His word in the coming year!

Reading Assignment for December 12th - 18th

2010-12-12T22:40:00.003-06:00

Psalms 144-150
I Samuel 11-15
Revelation 8-12
May the Lord richly bless you as you read His word this week!
May this Christmas season find you reflecting on the blessedness of knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!

Reading Assignment for December 5th - 11th

2010-12-05T22:41:00.001-06:00

Psalms 137-143
I Samuel 6-10
Revelation 3-7

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless and keep you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for November 28th - December 4th

2010-11-28T16:30:00.003-06:00

Psalms 130-136
I Samuel 1-5
II John 1, III John 1, Jude 1, Revelation 1-2

May the Lord bless you abundantly as you read His word this week! Happy Holidays to all! May your preparations for this Christmas be filled with family, friends, and fellowship!

Reading Assignment for November 21st-27th

2010-11-21T23:46:00.002-06:00

Psalms 123-129
Judges 20-21, Ruth 1-4
II Peter 3
I John 1-5

Greetings all,

As you may have noticed, there are a couple extra chapters that have been assigned this week. II Peter 3 should have been included on last week's assignment but I miss typed the information, sorry about that. If you were paying attention you may have already noticed my oversight and read II Peter 3 on your own. If you did, good for you! If not, don't feel bad, just make it up this week, and please pardon my mistake. Now, Judges 20-21 will finish up that book and if we read only chapters 1-3 of Ruth that will leave one chapter to finish next week. It just makes sense to finish off the book this week.

Honestly, I recommend reading Ruth in one sitting. It is a beautiful story that flows very nicely from beginning to end and gives us not only a wonderful love story, and the family history of King David, but also gives us a beautiful illustration of Jesus Christ as the kinsman redeemer. I would love to year your thoughts on this wonderful book as we read it together this week!

May the Lord bless you richly as you read His word, and have a truly wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

In His service,

Ken Davis
Read and Heed The Word!

Reading Assignment November 14th - 20th

2010-11-14T15:46:00.001-06:00

Psalms 116-122
Judges 15-19
I Peter 4-5, II Peter 1-2

May The Lord bless you as you abide in His word this week!

Reading Assignment for November 7th - 13th

2010-11-06T22:11:00.001-05:00

Psalms 109-115
Judges 10-14
James 4-5, I Peter 1-3

May the Lord bless you richly as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for October 31st - November 6th

2010-10-30T23:04:00.002-05:00

Psalms 102-108
Judges 5-9
Hebrews 12-13, James 1-3

James 1:17 reminds us that, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.(NKJV) How fitting a verse to read this first week of November. As the time for Thanksgiving celebrations draws near let us remember who it is that we are "giving thanks" to! Let the attitude of our hearts truly be one of thanksgiving as we recognize all that God has done for us, and all that He has promised to do, for as the very next verse of James 1 tells us, "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures." (NKJV) May the Lord richly bless you as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for October 24th-30th

2010-10-25T00:18:00.002-05:00

Psalms 95-101
Joshua 24, Judges 1-4
Hebrews 7-11

(Hebrews 7:24-25) "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (NKJV) How awesome it is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God lives to make intercession for.....US! The fact that Jesus is interceding for you, today, should fill your heart with joy and hope! Praise God that He has given us such wonderful assurances in His word! May you be wonderfully blessed as you read it this week!

Reading Assignment for October 17th-23rd

2010-10-16T15:16:00.002-05:00

Psalms 88-94
Joshua 19-23
Hebrews 2-6

I have noticed that there are a number of you who are visiting the site from overseas, welcome! We are so glad to have you checking in on the site and hope that you are reading along with us. Please know that your comments and questions are welcome. Also I noticed that there may be a few of you checking in from other parts of the U.S. We would love to know where you live and how the Lord is working in your life through His word. Where ever you are from, please feel free to leave a comment on the site letting us know what state, or country is home to you. We look forward to the opportunity to get to know you a bit as we enjoy God's word together. May God bless you richly as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for October 10th - 16th

2010-10-09T23:36:00.002-05:00

Psalm 81-87
Joshua 14-18
Titus 1-3, Philemon 1, Hebrews 1

This week will bring us to some of my favorite passages in the Bible pertaining to our Lord Jesus Christ. On Friday we will be reading Hebrews chapter 1 in which we read that God communicated in times past in a variety of ways with His people but in these last days has communicated with us by His Son! Jesus is the divine revelation. He is the express image of the Father! What glorious passages we find here! What an awesome revelation of the Glory of God! I pray that you are as blessed by reading these words as I am. May the Lord abundantly bless you as you read His word this week.

Reading Assignment for October 3rd - 9th

2010-10-03T00:17:00.005-05:00

Psalm 74-80 / Joshua 9-13 / II Timothy 1-4

We read six chapters in the New Testament last week, so I'm only going to assign four this week, that will give us all of II Timothy this week and save Titus for next week. May the Lord bless you richly as you read His word!

Reading Assignment for September 26th - October 2nd

2010-09-26T08:55:00.002-05:00

Psalms 67-73
Joshua 4-8
I Timothy 1-6

I know that this gives us one more chapter in the New Testament than usual but seeing as how I Timothy has only 6 Chapters it makes sense to read it all in the same week. Hope you don't mind the extra assignment. May the Lord bless you richly as you read His Word this week!

Reading Assignment for September 19th - 25th

2010-09-19T18:11:00.002-05:00

Devotional Reading:
Psalm60-66

Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 33-34, and Joshua 1-3

New Testament:
I Thessalonians 4-5 and II Thessalonians 1-3

"A Word of Advice"
Welcome to "Read and Heed The Word!" If you are joining us for the first time, or if you have fallen behind and don't think that you can catch up within a week, then I would suggest the following strategy.

This week we are transitioning between two books, we are leaving behind both Deuteronomy and I Thessalonians and moving into Joshua and II Thessalonians. This would be a great time to jump right into the reading. I would suggest reading all of the assigned chapters from Psalms this week. One per day, starting Sunday and working your way through. As for the Old and New Testament assignments, I would recommend reading the assigned chapters from Joshua and II Thessalonians and then keeping pace, one chapter per day from each book Monday through Friday. This will allow you a few days grace to ease into the reading plan.

As for the parts that you have missed, not to worry! Reading the Bible is a life long process that should be repeated many times over. What we have already read you can get on the next time through! By joining us where we are and working forward from here you have the benefit of being able to leave your questions and comments and interacting with the others on this site, as well as the occasional devotionals that are left relating to the chapters that we are reading.

One other strategy, for those who like to do things in order, would be to go back to earlier posts from the beginning of the year and start your reading plan from the beginning! Either way, the important thing is that you start reading your Bible today, and heeding the word of God by applying it to your daily life. Feel free to leave questions or comments about the Bible on the site whether you are reading along with us or on your own! We would love to hear from you.

Blessings all!

Ken Davis

Reading Assignment for September 12th-18th

2010-09-12T23:15:00.002-05:00

Psalm 53 - 59
Deuteronomy 28 - 32
Colossians 3 - I Thessalonians 3

Greetings All

The last month or so for me has been pretty busy! How about for you? I for one have fallen a bit behind in my reading plan and this is the week I plan to catch up! How about you? I am right on track with the Psalms but have fallen a bit behind in the other two sections. I have high hopes of being able to correct that this week. How about you? Are you right on track, or have you fallen behind a bit. If you have, which area has bogged you down? Is there a particular section that you are really enjoying and are finding easier to read? All of these are potential topics to discuss in the comment section of our blog this week.

When we began this reading program at the beginning of the year it had a two fold purpose. The first goal was to encourage regular Bible reading with a balanced diet of Old and New Testament reading. That first goal I believe that we have accomplished. The second goal was to provide a forum for discussions, questions, and encouragement. I don't think we have achieved that goal as of yet. I want to encourage you this week not only to do the assigned reading but also to leave a comment to encourage your brothers and sisters in their efforts to read and heed the Word. I will be checking periodically this week to see how we are doing. May the Lord bless you as you read and heed His word this week!

Reading Assignment for September 5th - 11th

2010-09-05T23:20:00.002-05:00

Psalm 46-52
Deuteronomy 23-27
Philippians 2 - Colossians 2

May the LORD bless you richly as you read His word this week!

Update

2010-08-21T18:55:00.003-05:00

Greetings all! Well, we tried a new format this month by listing all of the reading assignments in the top section of the blog instead of in a weekly post. I'm not really pleased with how it looked or with the results so there are going to be a few changes come September. It is my hope and prayer that you have all continued with your reading of the word and are well on your way to having completed the New Testament. I look forward to hearing from you as you continue spending time daily in the word. Blessings All!

Reading Plan for July 25th-31st

2010-07-25T23:23:00.001-05:00

I Corinthians 13 - II Corinthians 1
Numbers 29-33
Psalm 4-10

May God bless you richly as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for July 18th - 24th

2010-07-19T17:19:00.002-05:00

I Corinthians 8-12
Numbers 24-28
Song of Solomon 4-7 and then Psalm 1-3

The year half spent,

Benjamin Franklin said, "One today is worth two tomorrows." 2010 is now more than half spent and you may find yourself falling behind in the reading that you planned to do. Do not worry about those opportunities that you have missed but rather follow the example of the Apostle Paul who wrote in Philippians 3:12-14, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

So spend no more time worrying about the days that are past but neither put off until tomorrow the reading that you can do today! Pick up your Bible, find that quiet spot, and begin reading. If you are behind, don't worry about catching up just join us where we are and keep going from there. The treasures of God's word await you. May you be blessed as you read!

Reading Assignment:

2010-07-14T19:07:00.002-05:00

July 11th-17th

I Corinthians 3-7
Numbers 19-23
Ecclesiastes 9 - Song of Solomon 3

My apologies for the tardiness of this post. I have been unable to access the internet over the last few days as I have been at summer camp with the youth. I had not expected to attend the camp myself this year but the Lord had other plans. The last few days have been incredible as I have seen the Lord moving upon the hearts of our youth in phenominal ways. It has been a great blessing to witness all that He has done. I invite you all to join us at the church on Friday, July 23rd for a time of worship and testamonies as the youth share about their experiences from this year at camp! May the Lord bless you as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for July 4th - July 10th

2010-07-05T13:42:00.002-05:00

Romans 14- I Corinthians 2
Numbers 14-18
Ecclesiastes 2-8

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Independence Day! May the Spirit of the Lord fill your life with Liberty this week as you seek Him daily in His Word!!!

Reading Assignment for June 27th-July 3rd

2010-06-28T12:46:00.002-05:00

Romans 9-13
Numbers 9-13
Proverbs 26 - Ecclesiastes 1

Faithful are the wounds of a friend...we are told in Proverbs 27:6. Those wounds are perhaps the means of the sharpening that is referred to in verse 17, "As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." In order for iron to sharpen iron there must be a point of conflict, and for there to be a wounding however faithful it may be, there must be a point of contention. The strength of a friendship is not determined by the absence of conflict or disagreement, but rather by how that conflict and disagreement is manifested and managed within the friendship.

A true friend is someone who can see you as you are, tell you what you don't want to hear, and keep loving you in spite of it all. A friend tells us the truth, not out of spite, but out of love for who we are and who we are becoming in the Lord. God uses faithful friends in our lives to administer to us the love, grace, and council that we need to receive from Him. A true friend is a channel of God's truth, love, and wisdom in our lives, as verse 9 of this Proverb tells us, "Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel." Thanks be to God for faithful friends! May we both have, and be them.

Reading Assignment for June 20th-26th

2010-06-21T12:21:00.002-05:00

Romans 4-8
Numbers 4-8
Proverbs 19-25

As we delve into Romans this week I am amazed all over again by the beauty of the gospel! How incredible it is that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 May you be changed this week, as you spend time reading the word of God!

Reading Assignment For June 13th-19th

2010-06-15T13:33:00.002-05:00

Acts 27-Romans 3
Leviticus 26-Numbers 3
Proverbs 12-18

May The Lord bless you as you read, and heed His word!

Reading Assignment for the week of June 6th-12th

2010-06-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

Acts -22-26
Leviticus 21-25
Proverbs 5-11

May The Lord richly bless you as you read His word this week!!!!
Your comments, as always are a welcomed blessing.

Reading Assignment For May 30th - June 5th

2010-05-30T21:49:00.003-05:00

Acts 17-21
Leviticus 16-20
Psalm 148-Proverbs 4

May your joy blossom,
As you spend time in The Word this week!

Reading Assignment for May 23-29th

2010-05-24T00:03:00.002-05:00

Psalm 141-147
Acts 12-16
Leviticus 11-15

May the Lord bless you as you read His word this week!

Reading Assignment for May 16th-22nd

2010-05-18T00:11:00.002-05:00

Psalm 134-140
Acts 7-11
Leviticus 6-10

This week I invite each of you to write the comments. Take a moment to record here your thoughts and or observations regarding the verse that stood out the most to you during your devo time, even if it wasn't from the current assignment. I look forward to reading what each of you have to say. Don't worry about sounding profound or eloquent; just share your thoughts and feelings regarding what the Lord is saying to you through His word, and may God bless you richly as you partake of His word this week!

Reading Assignment for May 9th-15th

2010-05-09T22:39:00.002-05:00

Psalm 127-133
Acts 2-6
Leviticus 1-5

As we venture into Leviticus this week we are going to be reading about the various offerings that the children of Israel were to offer to the Lord. As you read these chapters do not be blinded by the repetitious nature of the various offerings, take each chapter in stride. To the careful observer the foreshadowing will be evident. In these chapters we have a picture of the sacrifice that was to come so many centuries later. Whether priest or peasant, king or commoner all needed the benefit of the atoning sacrifices.

In these pages we are reminded that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Praise the Lord that the sacrifice for our sins has been made once and for all in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord, for as we are told in Hebrews 9:11-14, "...Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (NKJV) May this time in God's word be a blessing to you all. Your questions and comments, as always, are welcome.

Reading Assignment for May 2nd-8th

2010-05-04T11:01:00.002-05:00

Psalms 120-126
Exodus 36-40
John 18-Acts 1

2010-04-26T10:18:00.006-05:00

Reading assignment for the week of April 25th-May 1

Psalm 113-119
Exodus 31-35
John 13-17

May the LORD bless you richly as you read His word this week!

Thy Word!
This week our reading in the book of Psalms will bring us to the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119. Psalm 119 in the Hebrew language is an acrostic poem, with each section containing eight lines and each line in the section beginning with the same Hebrew letter. For example, in Hebrew each line in the first section begins with the letter Aleph, and in the second section every line beings with the letter Beth, and so forth and so on until the end of the twenty second section accounting for each of the letters in the Hebrew Alphabet in order.

This could have made it a sort of ABC book for the children of Israel. It would have been very wise to use it in this way as each line extols the great value of God's word. In fact in the New King James Version of the Bible the Word of God is mentioned in all but four verses, and given the fact that there are 176 verses in this Psalm it is safe to say we have identified the writers theme! The terms that are used to describe God's word in this chapter are words like law, testimonies, precepts statutes, ways, commandments, words, ordinances, judgments and things of this sort. Be sure to let these verses sink in section by section as each one communicates different facets of God's word to our hearts. As we read this chapter this week let us join with the Psalmist and make our request to God, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statues, And I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart." vs. 33-34 And may the LORD Bless you as you meditate on His Wonderful Word!

Ken Davis

2010-04-19T11:45:00.002-05:00

Greetings all, here is our reading assignment for the week of April 18th-24th

Psalms 106-112
Exodus 26-30
John 8-12

Happy reading! As always, your comments and questions are welcome!

2010-04-13T10:53:00.002-05:00

Reading Assignment for April 11th-17th
Psalms 99-105
Exodus 21-25
John 3-7

Five loaves and two fish, but what were they among so many? Have you ever felt like you just didn't have what it takes? Have you ever felt like you just didn't measure up? Have you ever felt as though your best efforts just weren't enough? If you are like most people, the answer to these questions is a resounding YES! All of us face feelings of inadequacy from time to time, and to tell the truth, we're right; we aren't enough. Isn't it liberating to know that God realizes that we aren't enough as well? Psalm 103:14 says, "...He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." I am blessed to serve a God who knows my limitations!

The amazing thing however is this, despite our limitations, God still wants to use us to meet the need at hand. So what do we do when the task at hand seems far beyond our powers? The answer is this; we give what we do have to the Lord. When we give ourselves to Him, insufficient as we are, He receives us to Himself. Just like the five loaves and two fish He will take us, break us, bless us, and make us enough. If you find that you are discouraged by your own limitations, remember that you serve an limitless God. Give all that you are to Him, and He will accomplish through you all that He desires to do, by His power! The Lord bless and use you this week.

2010-04-04T23:40:00.002-05:00

Reading Assignment for the week of April 4th-10th
Psalms 92-98
Exodus 16-20
Luke 22-John 2

I hope that you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday! What an awesome time to celebrate the Risen Savior together! This week as we finish the last few chapters of Luke we will be reading once again about that first resurrection morning. May your meditations on these scriptures keep the reality of the risen Savior fresh in your hearts and in your mind as you head into this new week!

Reading Assignment for March 28th-April 3rd

2010-03-29T10:51:00.005-05:00

Psalm 85-91
Exodus 11-15
Luke 17-21

Your comments and questions are welcome.
Have a great week!

2010-03-23T01:11:00.000-05:00

Reading Assignment for March 21st-27th

Psalms 78-84
Luke 12-16
Exodus 6-10

Restore Us!
Where does restoration come from? It comes from God! In Psalm 80:3 the Psalmist cries out, "Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!" Remember Christian, your hope is not in politics. Your hope is not in financial success. Your hope is not in the powers and the policies of man. Your hope, if hope it is, is to be found in God and in God alone! "Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, and we may be saved? No! We SHALL be saved! The favorable gaze of God upon us is Salvation! That favorable gaze can only fall when we are found in Christ Jesus our Lord! The Father sent the Son to restore us to Himself, and when we stand in Him, the face of the Father shines upon us, and we are saved! May you be found in Him today!

2010-03-15T20:03:00.002-05:00

Read and Heed The Word Reading Assignment For March 14th-20th:

Psalms 71-77
Exodus 1-5
Luke 7-11

Sometimes in the business of life we can lose site of the things that are really important. Don't let the business of life keep you from spending time in the Word of God. Make time for reading and meditating on His word every day; and if a day, or two, or even three go by and you haven't taken the time to be in His word, don't become discouraged. Just pick up your Bible and start again. Remember, each day is a gift from God. As someone once said the past is gone forever, the future is yet to be, but today is a gift from God, that is why they call it the "present". So don't be discouraged by the missed opportunities of the past, and don't fret about the future, just pick up your Bible, and make the most of today! May God bless you as you read and heed His word! I look forward to hearing from each of you this week regarding the things that God is speaking to you as you spend time in the Scriptures. Have a blessed week!

2010-03-08T16:38:00.000-06:00

Reading Assignment For March 7th-13th:

Psalm 64-70
Genesis 46-50
Luke 2-6

Your comments are welcome! Have a great week in His Word!

2010-02-28T23:09:00.000-06:00

Reading Assignment March 1st-7th
Psalms 58-64
Mark 13-Luke 1
Genesis 41-45

2010-02-21T23:18:00.000-06:00

Read and Heed The Word
Monday February 22nd - Sunday February 28th
Psalms 51-57
Genesis 36-40
Mark 8-12

Taking a Journey With Joseph
Now here is a young man who went from riches, to rags, to riches. In the beginning we find Joseph the favorite son of a very wealthy man. Jacob's parents had played favorites with their children and the bad habit had been passed on to the next generation. Joseph was the golden child in his father's eyes, and his brothers were plenty jealous! To make matters worse, Joseph did not endear himself to them. He wore a coat that set him apart, and was very vocal about some amazing dreams that suggested that he would one day rule over them. Not exactly a recipe for sibling harmony!

One day, his brothers found the opportunity to do him in, but rather than kill the little guy they figured they could make a quick buck by selling their brother into slavery. The young favorite of his father would find himself in the slave trader's caravan. It wouldn't be long before he was purchased by Potiphar and through his faithful service rose to power within the household of this Egyptian officer. His favor however would be short lived as he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. Amazingly enough we never hear Joseph complain. Through it all his trust in the Lord and his faithfulness to his God never seems to waiver. Would we do as well? In time the Lord would see that Joseph was released from prison and made second in command of the nation of Egypt. His brothers had intended to do him evil, but the Lord was at work in it all!

In the trials of life, do we remain faithful? When things go wrong, do we look for the hand of God? Do we hold back our tongue from complaining and trust that the LORD is directing our path? Do we honor God in our suffering as well as in our success? If not, then we can learn from the example of Joseph! May the Lord bless you as you read his story this week!

2010-02-15T10:28:00.000-06:00

"As Many as touched Him were made Well"
Reading Assignment For February 15th -21st
Psalms 44-50, Genesis 31-35, Mark 3-7

Our reading this week will take us at some point to Mark 6:53-56. In verse 56 we read that, "Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well." If we want to be made well spiritually, let us draw near day by day and touch the hem of His garment through reading His word!

In Romans 12:2 we are told to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds." And in chapter 9 of Mark next week we will see that same word used in verse 2 which says of Jesus, "and He was transfigured before them." This signifies a dramatic change in our way of thinking, a metamorphosis that takes us from a worldly to a heavenly perspective just as Jesus was changed from his earthly to a glorified appearance there on the mountain. When we touch the hem of His garment through our daily reading of His word may this metamorphosis begin in us!

Read and Heed the Word!

Reading Assignment for February 8th-14th

2010-02-07T23:00:00.000-06:00

Psalms 37-43
Genesis 26-30
Matthew 26-Mark 2

May the Lord bless you richly as you read and heed His word!

February 1st - February 7th Reading Assignment

2010-01-31T23:56:00.000-06:00

Monday through Sunday: Psalm 30-36
Monday through Friday: Genesis 21-25 and Matthew 21-25

Thanks for checking in on this weeks post. This week, instead of my writing a long post, I would like to invite each of you to leave a comment sharing your thoughts. Let us know how you are doing, and how the Lord is speaking to you through His word. Just a sentence or two would be great! Don't worry about being profound, just be real. We would all love to hear how God is blessing you this week!

Thanks,

Ken

2010-01-24T22:54:00.000-06:00

Eye have an idea.

By this time some of you have possibly fallen behind in our reading plan, or perhaps you are joining us for the first time and feel like it is too late to start because we are already too far ahead of you. Let me present another way of looking at things. Reading the Bible is the business of a lifetime. We should never be done with the Bible because the Bible will never be done with us! Once we finish reading it through, the best thing to do is to start again. Each time we read it be it the first or the fiftieth new insights are revealed, new layers of God's unsearchable love come into focus, and we are amazed all over again! So if you are just now joining us, or have fallen more than a week behind, rather than stressing out about trying to catch up, just cut your losses and join us where we are. It would be better for you to keep reading and stay with the group, than be overwhelmed and give up reading all together! So pick up your Bibles and starting reading! Our assignment for this week is as follows:

Monday-
Psalm 23, Matthew 16, Genesis 16.

Tuesday-
Psalm 24, Matthew 17, Genesis 17.

Wednesday-
Psalm 25, Matthew 18, Genesis 18.

Thursday-
Psalm 26, Matthew 19, Genesis 19.

Friday-
Psalm 27, Matthew 20, Genesis 20.

Saturday-
Psalm 28

Sunday-
Psalm 29

So start where we are and get reading today! I look forward to hearing from you!
May God bless you all as you spend time in His word every day.

2010-01-17T02:00:00.000-06:00

The heavens declare...
The firmament shows....

This week our reading in the scriptures will bring us to the 19th chapter of Psalms. This Psalm begins with the glorious words, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." The chapter ends with the prayer, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

When we recognize the glory of God in His creation it is like seeing a beautiful painting. When we see the painting we are amazed at the skill of the artist. The beauty and creativity of the work that we see makes us appreciate the skill of the one from whom that beauty flowed. The difference however is in this, when we consider the fact that the one who created the firmament also created us, appreciation for His creative power is no longer sufficient, appreciation becomes gratitude and our hearts move from being pleased by His creation to being filled with a desire to become a creation that is pleasing to Him; thereby eliciting the response, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

2010-01-11T11:48:00.000-06:00

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

This week's reading from the Old Testament takes us through the life of Noah, a man who found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Noah's generation was very wicked, verse 5 of chapter 6 tells us that "...the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." This resulted in a world that was filled with violence and evil imaginations. Does this scenario sound familiar? How like our world today! In the midst of this wicked generation the LORD found a man who's heart was right toward Him, a man who would do "...according to all that the LORD commanded him." Genesis 7:5. Are you willing to become such a man or woman in your generation? I pray that you are!

2010-01-09T09:14:00.000-06:00

Time to catch up!!!!!! If your reading program is still in park it is time to bump up the rpm's! Now is your chance to make up any reading that you may have missed this past week. Today your reading assignment is Psalm 7. That's it! Tomorrow your reading assignment is Psalm 8, and if you are at church on time I will read that one for you! It couldn't get much easier than that could it? So here is your chance to make up any reading you have fallen behind on. At this point you should have read Matthew chapters 1-5 and Genesis Chapters 1-5. Take some time today to make up any chapters you have not read so that you don't fall any further behind. I hope that you have enjoyed this last week of Bible reading as much as I have! Remember to tell your friends and family members about the reading program and about the blog site. It isn't too lat for them to join in on this wonderful blessing of reading God's word together! Amen? Amen!

On your mark...get set...

2010-01-02T12:07:00.000-06:00

2010 has arrived!!! The time has come for us to begin this wonderful adventure together in God's Word! We begin this Sunday, January 3rd with Psalms chapter 1. How fitting that the word tells us how blessed we will be if we "delight...in the law of the LORD..." and "meditate day and night" in it.

I have recommended that we use this portion of our reading as a launchpad into prayer. Each day, every day, it is important that we spend time with the LORD in His word and in prayer and the Psalms can be an excellent way to enter into that time of worship and communion with the LORD!

Some of you might ask the question, "How can we use the Psalms to enter into prayer?" That is an excellent question and I would like to take a moment to offer up one example. As you begin find a quiet place if you can where you can be alone and avoid interruption. Determine to turn off your cell phone, or any other distraction if you can. Once you have found your spot you might begin something like this, "Heavenly Father, thank You for this time, thank You for allowing me to meet You here. Please bless this time and help me to draw near to You in it, communicate Your heart to me, and help me to be open to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Amen." The exact words are not important, use your own, but ask God to lead and direct your heart as you read His word. Then read the Psalm, in this instance Psalms 1. After reading and thinking about what you have read, you can then use the Psalm as a launch pad into prayer. That might look something like this, "LORD, thank you for Your blessings. Please help me to be a person who does not listen to the council of ungodly people, please help me not to stand in the path of sinners, or to associate with the scornful! Please help me LORD to delight in Your law, help me to meditate on it and understand it. May it be in my heart and in my mind both day and night. LORD please make me like that tree that is planted by the rivers of water, may I drink deeply of Your Holy Spirit. Please LORD, make me fruitful in your service and prosper my way that I may be both blessed, and a blessing to others. Thank You Lord that You know my way, and that You have declared me righteous in Christ Jesus my Lord." Then from there, just continue in prayer lifting up to the LORD those things that are on your heart.

So there is your example, I encourage you to apply it as the LORD directs you in your prayer and Bible reading time this year. I am eager and excited to see all that the LORD is going to do in our hearts as we look deeply into HIS WORD together this year! May the LORD continue to bless you as you continue to seek His face!

2009-12-14T23:16:00.000-06:00

"...as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby..." I Peter 2:2

Welcome to "Read and Heed the Word" my first venture into the blogosphere! I am still not quite certain how all this is done so please forgive me if these early efforts are a little rough around the edges!

As we begin, I would like to invite you to join me this year in an exciting Bible reading program that is designed to give us a balanced diet of the word and to encourage us to interact with one another and with the Lord as we spend regular devotional and reading time in the Word of God. As you read remember the exhortation of James 1:22 which says, "...be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Hence the name of our Blog, "Read and Heed the Word". This year our goal is going to be to not only read God's word, but also to be transformed by it. So join me! And let's see what the Lord will do in our hearts and lives as we seek to know Him better through His word!

Our reading plan begins on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 and is devided into three parts:

Part 1. This first part is very devotional in nature. It is very important to spend some time each day, 7 days a week, with the Lord in prayer and meditation. By meditation I simply mean quiet reflection upon God's word, and by prayer I mean, talking and listening to God. It is best to do this at a regular time each day, perhaps in the morning before your day gets underway, or for some their lunch hour might be a better time. Whenever you do it, make sure that you do it. You can start your devotional time with a short prayer asking God's blessing upon the reading of His word and giving thanks for all that He wants to speak to you that day. Then read one chapter from the following books: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Start with Psalm 1 and read one per day during your "Devo" as I like to call it, and keep going with one more each day until you finish Song of Solomon. After you have read your chapter, continue in prayer using the chapter you have just read as a springboard into prayer and worship during this special time with the Lord. If you do this you will have read through these "Poetic" books twice in the span of one year. I think you will be richly blessed in this and your prayer time will be enriched with the beautiful praises and wisdom of God's word.

Part 2 is your Old Testament reading. This can be done at the same time as your Devo, or it can be done at any other convienient time during the day. Read 1 chapter from the Old Testament each day, five days a week, Monday - Friday. Start in Genesis Chapter 1 and work your way all the way through Malachi, skipping the Poetic books as you will have already read these during your "Devo" time. If you do this you will have read all the way through the Old Testament in the span of two years.

Part 3, like part 2 is to be done Monday through Friday. This is your reading of the New Testament. Here you have a choice to make. Starting in Matthew Chapter 1 read either 1 or 2 chapters per day and work your way through to the end of Revelations. If you read one chapter per day you will make your way through the New Testament once this year. If you read two chapters per day you will have read it twice.

To sum up the plan, Monday through Friday you will read one chapter in the poetic books during your "Devo" time, 1 chapter of the Old Testament, and 1 or 2 chapters of the New Testament. That means that Monday - Friday you will be reading 3 or 4 chapters of your Bible. On the weekend, you will read only 1 chapter per day during your Devo time. However, if you did not keep up with your Old and New Testament reading during the week you can use the weekend to catch up!

One or two last things before I close today. First, don't get discouraged, even if you fall behind, just pick up that Bible and try again. It isn't nearly as important that you keep up as it is that you keep trying. Keep reading your Bible and spending time in prayer and trust God to bring the Spiritual growth in your life. Lastly, I really recomend that you use a journal or notebook of some kind to write down your observations as you go. Feel free to use this blog site to share your thoughts and insights as we go. I hope that you are looking forward to this as much as I am! May the Lord bless you as we read His word together!