Today’s reading is Romans 15:1-16:27.

I needed the reminder of Paul’s ending today.

“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith–to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen” (Romans 16:25-27).

First, there is the reminder that today I need to glorify God. That is my job today, no matter what else my life is about, it should be governed by this overarching principle that everything I do should be to the praise of God’s glory.

Second, the passage describes God and God’s work. God is a strengthener. God will strengthen me. I don’t need to strengthen myself. I don’t need to be strong on my own. God will work in me to strengthen me. However, notice by what means God will strengthen me. It is not simply a sit on my thumbs and wait for God to drop some strength into my body. God strengthens me through the gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ. God strengthens me by that mystery which can now be found in the New Testament. God strengthens me by the message that was kept hidden for so long but has now been made known in the prophetic writings. Through that means, God will strengthen me to bring about the obedience of faith. 

In other words, having the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus is not merely a mental assent to the person of Jesus, it is not merely a happiness with the concept of Jesus, it is not even merely a familiarity with the ideas of Jesus. God will only strengthen me to have His righteousness that comes by faith if I spend time in the gospel and preaching of Jesus revealed by the apostles and prophets that has become our New Testament. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). 

This daily reading must not ever become a homework assignment. If it is nothing more than getting through the text so I can check it of my to-do list, then it won’t don me any good. However, if I’m in the word because I know that is how I can connect to the God who will strengthen me and produce His righteousness in me, then it might do me some good today as I fight the good fight of faith.

Thanks for joining me in this journey to faith.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

We are wrapping up our trek through the New Testament this week. Never fear, there is more to learn and more comfort to receive out of God’s word. We’ll be starting again on January 4. 

Please tell your friends about our reading together and invite them to join us as we are comforted, encouraged, challenged by God’s word every day. 

Feel free to purchase the book that goes along with this reading. It will definitely be a benefit to you to take your own notes and keep them all in one place for the whole journey.

Enjoy this final week and pass the word about our new journey beginning on Monday, January 4.

***Question: Who are you going to invite to join us in the New Year?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for keeping up with this blog. I hope it continues to be helpful for you. I just wanted to give you a head’s up on why I’m sporadic on posting right now. 

I have a major lesson I’m preaching tomorrow evening that is taking a lot of research. I’m preaching a series of lessons in Ohio beginning this Sunday and the in Indiana beginning next Friday. On top of all that, I am officially behind on getting my classbook ready for the Bible class I’m starting in December. 

All that together means that while I’m still reading my Bible, I just have to put my posting here on the back burner. 

Please keep up the Bible reading and I’ll post as soon as my schedule settles back down.

By the way, if you don’t want to keep coming back to check, you can put your e-mail address in that box at the top left of the blog and subscribe. That way, when I can get back to regular posting, it will come directly to you in your e-mail.

Hopefully I’ll be back in full swing before Thanksgiving. If not, Happy Thanksgiving.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Acts 19:1-20:38.

Today’s post is brief. It is just a reminder that what we are doing on this blog is really, really important. Acts 20:32 says, “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Clearly, you don’t have to be on this blog to be in the word of God’s grace. But part of what we are doing here is helping each other stay in that word. Keep it up. If you’ve let your habit slip. That’s okay. Just pick it back up again today. This is really important.

***Question: How does reading the Bible regularly help you?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

I’m so excited. Beginning this Monday, July 6, we have the opportunity at Give Attention to Reading to go through the entire New Testament again. I can’t wait to see what we’ll find this time.

Let me encourage you to tell your friends about this opportunity. 

I’m going to make one major change. I’m going to try each day to end with a question to get feedback from you about the day’s reading. Feel free to talk about whatever the passage meant to you, but also, let everyone involved in this discussion know your answer to whatever questions may come up.

Let’s see if we can’t get a record number of people reading their Bibles with us.

Please, hit the “Share” button at the bottom of this post or e-mail if you are subscribed by e-mail and let others know about this great opportunity.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

***Question: What helps you keep up your habit of Bible reading?

Sorry guys. I’m on vacation and have no Internet access. I’m able to comment now via my phone because we drove into town for groceries.

I’ll be back in the saddle on June 8th.

Keep reading and keep the faith.

Hey everyone. I want to wish you the happiest of New Years and I hope giveattentiontoreading.com can be a real source of encouragement to help you with that Bible reading resolution you set.

Don’t forget, on Monday, January 5, we are going to start working our way through the New Testament. We’ll be reading Luke 1-2 on that day and then heading through the whole New Testament over the next six months.

In case you missed my new introductory video on the right side of the site’s homepage and in the updated “What’s Going On Here?” page, here it is. It takes less than five minutes and let’s you know exactly what is going on on this site.

For my e-mail readers, here’s the link.

By the way, if you want to maximize your experience, get your book at this link.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

See you on January 5.

To those who have read through the New Testament with me for the past six months, I want to say thank you. I hope this journey has been helpful to you as it has been to me. If you joined us in the middle, that’s great. I hope you have been edified by all we have studied together.

We’re going to take a break this week and start again on January 5. As is always the case, the more we read the more we learn. The New Testament is not something to read once and then put down. It is something read over and over again. I look forward to making this journey with you again throughout 2009.

By the way, I am actively working on a “Give Attention to Reading” schedule and book for the Old Testament, my goal is to have it ready so that when we finish this trek through the New Testament we can go through the Old. I’m excited about it and hope you are as well.

I’ll see you next Monday, January 5 as we start reading Luke and begin our new journey through the New Testament.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

It is Sunday afternoon (October 12) and the fam and I are heading out of town to have a week of relaxation. The problem is, I don’t know if where we are going has internet access. I normally try to schedule the posts ahead of time if I’m away from the web, but the past week was very busy and the one thing I just didn’t have time to get done was this week’s posts.

If I have internet access, I will post as usual. If not, well, I’ll be back here next week and try to catch up and then move forward as scheduled.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in every good work. As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”

II Corinthians 9:8-12 (ESV)

God has not blessed me so I can hoard what I have been given. Certainly, as Ecclesiastes taught, I am allowed to enjoy my blessings. But, I must remember that the main reason for which God has blessed me is so I may be a blessing to others. 

This is not the health and wealth gospel that performs good deeds selfishly only to receive more. No. This is the true gospel that points out God entrusts more to those with whom He can actually trust more. So often, we want and want and do not have because we only want for ourselves. We will be amazed how much God will bless us if we simply become channels for blessings to others. 

Of course, when I am not selfishly concerned about what I have and only about how I can help others, if God is not blessing me with something, I’m still content. The question is not how much I have, but how am I helping others.

I know this is tough to remember when every newspaper and television show is warning us that the sky is about to fall in financially. But this is God’s will for us no matter what our nation’s economy.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC