Today's reading comes from Isaiah chapters 11, 12, & 13 for the Old Testament and from Mark chapter 4 for the New.  

Chapter 11 of Isaiah starts with some more Messianic prophecy pertaining to Jesus as the heir of the family of Jesse (the father of King David). After that, Isaiah returns to speaking about the coming destruction/judgment of Israel followed by the judgment of Assyria.  

In Mark chapter 4, we begin to hear many of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus, when addressing the large crowd by the Sea of Galilee spoke to them in "parables". Parables are loosely defined as 'earthly stories with a spiritual meaning'. There is a TON of wisdom that is there to be learned if we "have ears to hear" as Jesus says several times.

In today's reading of Isaiah chapters 9 & 10, I had some takeaways...  

Takeaways from Isaiah 9 & 10  

1) The promise of the Messiah in 9:6,7 "For unto us a child is born..." 

2) The promise of judgment through Assyria 

3) The promise of judgment OF Assyria 

4) The promise of the Remnant being preserved  That promise remains today for all of God's children.

In this video, we read from the book of Isaiah chapters 7 & 8 followed by Mark chapter 3.  

In the reading from Isaiah, we learn that God will be sending Assyria to take the people of Israel captive and to make desolate the land. Interspersed within those prophecies is a section of Messianic prophecy that tells of a son coming to the house of David to a virgin, namely Jesus.  

In the reading from Mark chapter 3, we see yet another series of interactions with Jesus, the crowds, and the scribes who continue to try to entrap Jesus. We also see a bit of rejection of Jesus' family who even go to the point of saying "he is out of his mind".   What would it have been like to have Jesus as your son or brother? I can't imagine that... He would have been so "different"! can you imagine him growing up today? How do you think he would have been treated? 

Food for thought for sure...

Today's reading comes from Isaiah chapters 5 & 6 followed by Mark chapter 2.  

The prophet Isaiah continues to communicate what is going to happen to the people of Israel and Judah because of their sin. The punishment for abandoning His laws by worshipping idols, being caught up in continual debauchery, and a long list of depraved activities is going to be a nearly clean sweep of the land and people. The description of calling "evil good and good evil" is certainly something we can relate to today is it not?  

In the book of Mark, we see an almost rapid-fire telling of many interactions that Jesus is having with people. Both His teachings and His miracles are recorded here for us to be in awe of. We also can learn how people are reacting to Him, especially the scribes and Pharisees.

Today we continue our reading from the book of Isaiah chapters 3 & 4 and start the book of Mark chapter 1.  

Out of the 4 "gospels" which consist of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the book of Mark is the shortest. With only 16 chapters, Mark tends to spend most of his time focussing on how awesome Jesus is and how many miraculous things He did. His focus is on the actions of Jesus and how the people reacted to Him/them.   He starts his book by referencing prophecies by Isaiah as well as Malachi who both spoke about the "messenger" who is sent to "prepare the way" for Jesus.   

This ties our readings together pretty well I'd say!

Day 21: The book of Isaiah chapters 1 & 2.  

Today begins a new book, the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is a prophet of God who is sent to prophesy to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Both of these kingdoms have failed to serve God as he commanded and have turned to idolatry and many other sinful acts. God in his holiness is going to punish them by sending the kingdoms of Assyria as well as Babylon to oppress them and ultimately take them into captivity.   But, although his punishment is great, there is hope. Isaiah also brings a strong message of hope, ultimately through the Messiah Jesus the Christ.

Today we finish both the books of Genesis and Romans!   

At the end of Genesis, the story of Jacob and his 12 sons concludes with the death of Jacob and the death of Joseph. They are all together in Egypt and the sons of Jacob and their families will continue to grow and flourish there. What comes next in the story of God's chosen people?  

The Apostle Paul concludes the book of Romans with some personal notes and admonitions. Have you taken time to think and be thankful for those in your life? Paul's example is a good one and should be an encouragement for us to do the same.

Today's reading comes from Genesis chapters 46, 47, & 48 for the Old Testament, and Romans chapter 15 for the New.  

In Genesis 46-48 we continue the story of Joseph and his family reunion. The big picture here is that God is making his promises come to life by bringing down Jacob (Israel) and his whole household into Egypt. They will settle in the land of Goshen and continue to multiply. God promises that they will become a great nation! Keep reading to see what happens next.  

If I were to sum up Romans 15 it would be to say that we are called to live in Harmony with our brethren. There should be nothing that divides us if we are in Christ. Our national heritage, our cultural differences, the color of our skin, the language we speak... If we are IN Christ, then we should live in peace. Vs 13 of this chapter says it well:   "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

Today's reading comes from Genesis chapters 43, 44, & 45.  These chapters continue the dramatic story of Joseph and his brothers. They are only on year 2 of the 7 year famine and Jacob (Israel) and his family is running out of food again. He tells his sons to return to Egypt and buy food. However, they remember very clearly what Joseph had said. Finally relenting, they return and bring Benjamin with them. After several interactions, Joseph can't take it anymore and finally reveals to them that he is their brother. Pharoah finds out and commands that they be honored and for them to go and retrieve the entire family and bring them down to Egypt. Jacob/Israel is in shock but is finally relieved that Joseph is alive and his spirit is revived.

Daily Bible Reading - Day 17 Genesis 41 & 42 and Romans 14