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Article from the Christian Basics Bible

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.” 3 John 1:2-4, NLT

False teachers had infiltrated the churches for which John had responsibility. Some were even denying that Jesus had truly come in a real body (2 John 1:7)—a denial of the heart of the Christian faith. But not everyone had been deceived, and John commends the chosen lady and her children (1:1) for “living according to the truth” (1:4).

Living according to the truth is about holding firm to the Jesus revealed in the four Gospels and in the teaching of the apostles, which is based upon his life, death, and resurrection. It was this apostolic teaching that the first Christians devoted themselves to (Acts 2:42) and that we too should seek out —by reading the Bible on our own, participating in small groups where it can be discussed and applied, and listening eagerly to sermons in worship services.

But living according to the truth isn’t just about what we know; it is also about how we act. We may know many Bible doctrines and be able to quote many Bible verses; but if we aren’t actively seeking to live it out, then we are like the man who built his house on sand rather than on rock (Matthew 7:24-27) or someone who looked in the mirror, only to forget what they looked like ( James 1:22-25). Living according to the truth means both knowing it and demonstrating it in our actions.

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:1-5, NLT

Article from the NLT Study Bible

John raises the curtain on his Gospel with a stunning description of Jesus Christ as “the Word” (Greek logos, 1:1). Both Greek and Jewish listeners in the first century would immediately recognize the profound meaning of this title. Greeks would have thought of the seminal forces that sustain the universe. Jewish minds would have thought back to God creating the world with his word (Gen 1:3-28). In Jesus’ day, the word of God took on creative personal attributes (Ps 33:6, 9).

Jews viewed God’s word as personifying divine wisdom. Through Wisdom, God extended himself into the cosmos, creating the world (Prov 8:22-31). In John’s drama, Jesus shares the same essence as God; the Son existed before time, and he was the agent of all creation. John anchors the divinity of Jesus in this ancient Jewish concept of Wisdom. The divine Wisdom that has existed from before time with God can now be known in Jesus Christ. In perhaps the most outrageous verse penned by an apostle, John writes that this Logos, this Wisdom, became flesh and lived among us as a human (1:14).

What God is, the Logos is. The Logos is Jesus Christ.

Lord, thank you that Jesus stands and knocks. I pray that those who lead our government would throw the door wide open to welcome him. Dine with us, Jesus. Let us enjoy with you the blessings you’ve given us. Amen.

Prayer Prompt from the One Year Pray for America Bible

Amos 7:1-9:15

The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up. 2In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel* is so small.”

3So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.

4Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land. 5Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”

6Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign Lord.

7Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. 8And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”

I answered, “A plumb line.”

And the Lord replied, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins. 9The pagan shrines of your ancestors* will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end.”

10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable. 11He is saying, ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed, and the people of Israel will be sent away into exile.’”

12Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: “Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there! 13Don’t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!”

14But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one.* I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. 15But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ 16Now then, listen to this message from the Lord:

“You say,
‘Don’t prophesy against Israel.
Stop preaching against my people.*’
17But this is what the Lord says:
‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this city,
and your sons and daughters will be killed.
Your land will be divided up,
and you yourself will die in a foreign land.
And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile,
far from their homeland.’”

Chapter 8: 1Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. In it I saw a basket filled with ripe fruit. 2“What do you see, Amos?” he asked.

I replied, “A basket full of ripe fruit.”

Then the Lord said, “Like this fruit, Israel is ripe for punishment! I will not delay their punishment again. 3In that day the singing in the temple will turn to wailing. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

4Listen to this, you who rob the poor
and trample down the needy!
5You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over
and the religious festivals to end
so you can get back to cheating the helpless.
You measure out grain with dishonest measures
and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales.*
6And you mix the grain you sell
with chaff swept from the floor.
Then you enslave poor people
for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals.
7Now the Lord has sworn this oath
by his own name, the Pride of Israel*:
“I will never forget
the wicked things you have done!
8The earth will tremble for your deeds,
and everyone will mourn.
The ground will rise like the Nile River at floodtime;
it will heave up, then sink again.
9“In that day,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth while it is still day.
10I will turn your celebrations into times of mourning
and your singing into weeping.
You will wear funeral clothes
and shave your heads to show your sorrow—
as if your only son had died.
How very bitter that day will be!
11“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from border to border*
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.
13Beautiful girls and strong young men
will grow faint in that day,
thirsting for the Lord’s word.
14And those who swear by the shameful idols of Samaria—
who take oaths in the name of the god of Dan
and make vows in the name of the god of Beersheba*—
they will all fall down,
never to rise again.”

Chapter 9:1Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar. He said,

“Strike the tops of the Temple columns,
so that the foundation will shake.
Bring down the roof
on the heads of the people below.
I will kill with the sword those who survive.
No one will escape!
2“Even if they dig down to the place of the dead,*
I will reach down and pull them up.
Even if they climb up into the heavens,
I will bring them down.
3Even if they hide at the very top of Mount Carmel,
I will search them out and capture them.
Even if they hide at the bottom of the ocean,
I will send the sea serpent after them to bite them.
4Even if their enemies drive them into exile,
I will command the sword to kill them there.
I am determined to bring disaster upon them
and not to help them.”
5The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
touches the land and it melts,
and all its people mourn.
The ground rises like the Nile River at floodtime,
and then it sinks again.
6The Lord’s home reaches up to the heavens,
while its foundation is on the earth.
He draws up water from the oceans
and pours it down as rain on the land.
The Lord is his name!
7“Are you Israelites more important to me
than the Ethiopians?*” asks the Lord.
“I brought Israel out of Egypt,
but I also brought the Philistines from Crete*
and led the Arameans out of Kir.
8“I, the Sovereign Lord,
am watching this sinful nation of Israel.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,*”
says the Lord.
9“For I will give the command
and will shake Israel along with the other nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
yet not one true kernel will be lost.
10But all the sinners will die by the sword—
all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’

11“In that day I will restore the fallen house* of David.
I will repair its damaged walls.
From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.
12And Israel will possess what is left of Edom
and all the nations I have called to be mine.*”
The Lord has spoken,
and he will do these things.
13“The time will come,” says the Lord,
“when the grain and grapes will grow faster
than they can be harvested.
Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel
will drip with sweet wine!
14I will bring my exiled people of Israel
back from distant lands,
and they will rebuild their ruined cities
and live in them again.
They will plant vineyards and gardens;
they will eat their crops and drink their wine.
15I will firmly plant them there
in their own land.
They will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

Revelation 3:7-22

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:*

8“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

10“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11I am coming soon.* Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

13“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Psalm 131:1-3

Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
2Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—
now and always.

Proverbs 29:23

Pride ends in humiliation,
while humility brings honor.

Article from the Illustrated Study Bible

Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus is a study in contrasts. On the one side is the lowliness of the birth. A poor peasant couple makes their way to their ancestral home of Bethlehem to register for a census imposed on them by the oppressive Roman Empire. Their journey is a long and hard one from Galilee, and when they arrive they can find no place of lodging. They are consigned to a place reserved for animals. There is a sense of poverty, rejection and obscurity. At the birth of the child, announcements are sent not to great kings or to the rich and powerful, but to lowly shepherds watching their flocks in the field.

Yet beside this humble lowliness is a message of unspeakable power and grandeur. The child who is laid in a manger is the Messiah, the long-awaited descendant of King David. He will reign triumphant over the people of Israel and his kingdom will never end. He is the one spoken about by all the prophets. All of history has been pointing forward to its climax in him. An army of mighty angels comes from heaven to announce his birth.

These contrasts are a foretaste of things to come. In Jesus, the God of Israel and Lord of all the earth has come to visit and to save his people. The Divine One reaches down to meet them where they are. Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will show special concern for the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and sinners. These are the ones he has come to save because they recognize their need for him. They receive the message of salvation with joy and rejoicing.

The contrast between lowliness and exaltation also relates to Jesus’ mission. Though wicked people reject him and put him to death, Jesus is vindicated at his resurrection and exalted to the right hand of God, where he reigns as Lord and Messiah. From there he pours out the Spirit of God to guide and direct his church. Through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and exaltation Jesus provides forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all those who respond in faith to him.

“About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, ‘Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them. Then a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.’ When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen.” Luke 9:28-36, NLT

Peter, James, and John had such an amazing time with Jesus up on a mountain that they didn’t want to leave. Have you ever been to a youth retreat or had a time with God that was so cool you didn’t want it to end?

Being away from the reality and problems of our daily life can seem inviting. But we can’t stay on a mountaintop forever. Instead of becoming spiritual giants, we would soon become giants of self-centeredness.

We need times of retreat and renewal but only so we can return to help build up our family and friends. Our faith must make sense off the mountain as well as on it.

Note from the Girls Life Application Study Bible

Article from the NLT Study Bible

“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, NLT

The conclusion of many of the Teacher’s reflections is that we are responsible for enjoying life because it is God’s gift. “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever” Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1). The NT similarly encourages use to be joyful in all things, including trials and challenges.

Although there are conditions in which it would seemingly be better not to be alive, life is meant to be enjoyed with laughing, dancing, love, and peace. It is especially worth living when old age and death challenge that joy. We are to enjoy our food, drink, health, proper clothes, our loving spouse, children, daily work, and entertainment. Only when we treat the things of life and their enjoyment as ends in themselves are they deterrents to happiness. The Teacher speaks strongly against the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake as foolish without profit.

It may be surprising to hear such joy in a book that acknowledges such intense tragedy and frustration. But it is exactly this balance of joy and sorrow that characterize the wise person who reflects on all of life and understands its complexities in a fallen world.

“And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing.” Psalm 71:9, NLT

In the busyness of life, it can be easy to forget those who have walked in our shoes. We may get annoyed that our day is interrupted as someone slowly attempts to complete a routine task. And in a culture that idolizes youth and beauty, lines on a face or gray hair can make someone feel less valuable or that they no longer contribute to a world that seems to be quickly passing by. But to God, each person is of infinite value.

For 50 years, Doug and his wife, Helga, have lived out this truth. Though a tutor by profession, he found his calling bringing God’s love to people others might not even notice. Whether it’s to someone tucked away in a nursing home or rehab center or to a person in a halfway house or addictions program, Doug has devoted his life to bringing God’s Word to the often forgotten.

“It doesn’t matter who we are, God has a calling for each of us. He has a desire for us to become more like him and to share him with a world that needs to hear his Word,” said Doug. “Every Christian is called to be a blessing to others, and I have found my calling.”

Each month, Doug visits at least fifteen nursing homes. As he went from facility to facility, one thing he noticed was the lack of Bibles with text large enough for the residents to read.

“At one of the facilities, the activities cart had the largest Bible I had ever seen. It was enormous! I asked the activities person about it, and she said when a person requested a Bible they wheeled the cart into the room and read to him or her,” said Doug. “That day I knew I needed to do something. Many of these people needed the comfort of the Word of God right next to them and shouldn’t have to wait for someone to wheel in a cart to engage with God’s Word.”

With the help of Tyndale House Publishers, Doug was able to create a Giant Print New Testament and Psalms special edition. In less than two years, he has personally given out 8,000 of these Bibles and is working with nursing home ministers to distribute additional Bibles to people in residential facilities in several states.

“The New Living Translation really conveys the warmth and intimate love God has for each us. It is so well received by the residents everywhere I go. Not just the nursing homes but also the halfway houses and addictions and rehabilitation centers. People of all ages can relate and understand it. Throughout the text, you feel God’s persevering love for us,” said Doug.

Even at 78 years old, he doesn’t have plans to slow down. Doug is part of a softball team, and when he is on his way to tournaments, he brings several copies of the special edition Bible to drop off at nursing homes and centers he passes on his way.

“Every time I talk to a resident at a nursing home or share a Bible with a staff member, I know the privilege of being able to share God’s love with them. These are divine appointments, and I never take that for granted.”

His passion for sharing the Word of God is encouraging others to share God’s love too.

“There are several homes where the residents have started their own Bible studies since they each have a Bible they can read. Others feel more confident sharing what God is doing in their lives with a Bible right there next to them,” said Doug. “God’s Spirit is in each of us, and we need to be the funnel for God’s love to be shown to everyone we come in contact with.”

Taken from the Illustrated Study Bible

John raises the curtain on his Gospel with a stunning description of Jesus Christ as “the Word” (Greek logos, 1:1). Both Greek and Jewish listeners in the first century would immediately recognize the profound meaning of this title. Greeks would have thought of the seminal forces that sustain the universe. Jewish minds would have thought back to God creating the world with his word (Gen 1:3‑28). In Jesus’ day, the Word of God took on creative personal attributes (Ps 33:6, 9). Jews viewed God’s Word as personifying divine wisdom. Through Wisdom, God extended himself into the cosmos, creating the world (Prov 8:22‑31).

In John’s drama, Jesus shares the same essence as God; the Son existed before time, and he was the agent of all creation. John anchors the divinity of Jesus in this ancient Jewish concept of Wisdom. The divine Wisdom that has existed from before time with God can now be known in Jesus Christ. In perhaps the most outrageous verse penned by an apostle, John writes that this Logos, this Wisdom, became flesh and lived among us as a human (John 1:14). What God is, the Logos is, and the Logos is Jesus Christ.

One of the themes that we focus on during the Lenten Season is prayer. Though most of us have prayed do we truly understand what prayer is? Let’s explore by seeing what the HelpFinder Bible has to say about prayer. The following is taken from the HelpFinder Bible index.

Prayer:
The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences, prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest definition is communication with God. Yet so often we approach prayer like a one-way telephone conversation, forgetting that God also wants to speak to us. And how do we pray—on our knees or standing; silently or out loud; alone or with others; by rote or spontaneously? And does prayer really induce God to change events or otherwise act on our behalf? Prayer appears on almost countless pages of the Bible as the very essence of a faith relationship with the living God. Simple enough for a child to understand and yet so profound we spend a lifetime plumbing its depths, prayer assumes that it is possible for us to have an intimate relationship with a God who hears, cares, and is able to act.

What is prayer?
• 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 | “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven.”
Prayer is a conversation with God. It is simply talking with God and listening to him, honestly telling him your thoughts and feelings, praising him, thanking him, confessing sin, and asking for his help and advice. The essence of prayer is humbly entering the very presence of almighty God.

• PSALM 38:18 | But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
• 1 JOHN 1:9 | But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Prayer often begins with a confession of sin. It is through confession that you demonstrate the humility necessary for open lines of communication with the almighty, holy God.

• 1 SAMUEL 14:36 | But the priest said, “Let’s ask God first.”
• 2 SAMUEL 5:19 | So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines?”
Prayer is asking God for guidance and waiting for his direction and leading.

• MARK 1:35 | Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
Prayer is an expression of an intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, who makes his own love and resources available to you. Just as you enjoy being with people you love, you enjoy spending time with God as you get to know him better and understand just how much he loves you.

• PSALM 9:1-2 | I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart. . . . I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Through prayer we praise our mighty God.

• 1 CHRONICLES 17:16-18 | “Who am I, O Lord God . . . that you have brought me this far? . . . You know what your servant is really like.”
Prayer is humbly acknowledging our humanness in relation to God’s greatness and perfection.

• 1 SAMUEL 3:10 | And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
Good conversation also includes listening, so make time for God to speak to you. When you listen to God, he will make his wisdom and plan known to you.

Take a Look Inside the HelpFinder Bible

Do you have a closet where everything that has no place to go gets shoved? We do. And recently, the door didn’t close, which meant it was time for a purge. In addition to finding matchless gloves, some shoes no one in our house would claim, and an abundance of dust, I found my Bible from high school. Inside were photos with friends from Bible camp and items to remind tome of inside jokes long forgotten. But squeezed in the margins, next to highlighted text, and scribbled on the inside covers were notes, thoughts, and prayers that were important to me in those formative years.

There were areas and portions of the Bible you could tell were well-loved—read and reread—while in other places (I’m talking about you, 1 Chronicles),the pages looked like new. Sometimes it takes that extra something to get us out of the “these are my favorite verses” and into reading and understand the entire Bible as God’s revelation of love and truth to us—even 1 Chronicles.

For many, knowing where to start or how to get into reading the Bible can be difficult. Do I start at the beginning? Should I read the New Testament first or the Old Testament? Others want structure to help them stay on task, and still others are looking for a more interactive way to stay motivated. We all have unique roadblocks that hinder us from reading the Bible each day.

The One Year Bible was created to help people move beyond roadblocks into daily conversation with God through his Word. There are daily reading plan versions that have a portion from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day. Or,if you want to read the Bible in the order the events occurred, there are chronological plans. Note-taking, coloring, and journaling provide more options to help you engage in God’s Word each and every day of the year.

So this year I am going to be on the lookout for buried treasure. Whether buried in the often-ignored junk closet or in the pages of Scripture I tend to avoid.

Check out a few of TheOne Year Bible options:

Daily Reading

Daily Reading with Coloring

Daily Reading with Wide-Margins

Chronological Reading Plan