another was greater than mere

Lasting respect; it revealed admiration for

the godly qualities that Scripture
Friendships commends.

Mutual love, respect, and Consider the question asked earlier

commitment are the —about the people you think of as
foundation of genuine “true friends.” Do they exhibit
friendship. godly attributes that you respect?
And do they, in turn, admire the
righteous characteristics they see
October 2, 2024 in you? This mutual, scriptural
respect is a necessary foundation
for lasting friendship.
Romans 12:10-13
Bible in One Year: Malachi 1-4
How many true friends do you
have? Does the question bring a lot
of names to mind? Or only a few?
The reality is, most of us don’t How to Foster
have many genuine friends—ones
who remain loyal no matter what. True
This dependable, intimate Friendships
closeness is what God wants for us,
but it’s a rare treasure. Let’s look Friendships don't just happen—
at the biblical account of David and they require time and effort.
Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:1-30; 1
Samuel 19:1-24; 1 Samuel 20:1- October 3, 2024
42). Their story demonstrates that
genuine friendships are built on a
foundation of mutual respect, love,
and commitment. Today, let’s 1 Samuel 18:1-3
explore the first component.
Most of us long to be in genuine
True companionship starts by relationships. God created us with
valuing all people, knowing they this need, as we were not meant to
were lovingly created in God’s live in isolation. But healthy
image. After all, if Jesus chose to friendships don’t just happen. They
die in their place even before any require effort.
of them acknowledged Him as
Savior (Romans 5:8), they must Yesterday, in looking to Jonathan
certainly have great worth. But at and David for a biblical model of
the same time, the high regard that godly companions, we saw how
David and Jonathan had for one mutual respect is vital in a healthy
friendship. Now, let’s look at two October 4, 2024
more aspects of their relationship.

First, they had a deep bond of love

—described as souls that were Hebrews 4:14-15
“knit” together (1 Sam. 18:1 KJV).
Second, they exhibited profound Whenever disaster happens in a
devotion, which is a type of friend’s life, it is natural to try and
commitment that involves giving. offer comfort. But do you ever feel
To show loyalty, Jonathan gave his as if you’ve said the wrong thing?
friend gifts of his robe and military Sometimes expressions of
gear. But both men selflessly consolation create even more pain.
offered more: Jonathan even risked For example, “I understand” can
his life and future kingship to save feel empty if you haven’t actually
David from execution. Notice, too, experienced a comparable
that Jonathan was often the situation.
initiator and the one who gave
more. He was a prince, whereas Yet most of us long to feel
David was a shepherd. Social understood. And it helps to know
status shouldn’t interfere with other people who have faced
cultivating a true friendship. similar circumstances (2
Corinthians 1:3-4). Today’s
We were designed for true passage reassures us that Jesus
companionship based on mutual truly understands since He
respect, love, and commitment. experienced struggles like ours.
This requires not only time and
selfless devotion but also In today’s passage, the writer of
transparency—which means being Hebrews refers to Jesus as our High
real, even about our faults. Taking Priest. The priest—the Jewish
such a risk requires trust, but the people’s bridge to God—offered
blessings are well worth the effort. sacrifices for their sins. Christ not
only took on this role, but He
Bible in One Year: Matthew 1-4 also became the sacrifice when He
died on the cross. By doing so and
dying in our place, Jesus endured
great suffering on our behalf. Now
Understood by He sits at the right hand of the
Father in heaven and intercedes for
Jesus us. What’s more, Jesus truly
understands our pain and
You are never alone in the weakness. Though fully God, He
was also fully human and faced the
hardships you face, because
very temptations, needs, and hurts
Jesus truly understands and we experience.
offers comfort.
If you feel alone in the hardships create “a spiritual house for a holy
you’re facing, recall Jesus’ trials priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5).
and suffering. You’ll find comfort in
His understanding. The church is not merely a place
for social action or fellowship,
Bible in One Year: Matthew 5-7 though these are important aspects
of its ministry. Rather, the church is
the entire body of Christ,
corporately and individually filled
What Is the and enabled by the Holy Spirit to
carry out the task designated by
Church? Jesus Himself. In other words, the
church’s purpose is to bring people
Every member of Christ's body to a saving knowledge of the Lord
is filled and enabled by the Jesus Christ and to make disciples,
instructing them and growing them
Holy Spirit to go and make
up in the things of God (Matthew
disciples.
28:19-20).
October 5, 2024 This week, spend some time asking
the Lord what role you should be
playing in the ministry of the
Colossians 1:18 church.

When most people hear the word Bible in One Year: Matthew 8-10
church, the first thing they think of
is a certain type of building. But it’s
so much more than that.
The Purpose of
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will
build my church; and the gates of
Life
hell shall not prevail against it”
(KJV). He had something much God created each person with a
greater in mind than a mere thirst that is satisfied only in
architectural structure. He was knowing Him.
referring to the whole body of
Christ, which is composed of all October 6, 2024
believers. The church began on the
day of Pentecost, when the Holy
Spirit came and anointed a group
of Jesus’ followers (Acts 2:1-47). John 17:1-3
And it has continued ever since
then as the Lord has been adding Believers do many wonderful things
more believers—“living stones”—to for God. Sometimes, though,
service can seem more important
than the Master Himself. Hosea
6:6 makes God’s priorities clear: “I Saying Yes to
desire loyalty rather than sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God rather God
than burnt offerings.” He wants our
attention more than any gifts or Our greatest blessings often
works. flow from choosing to follow
the Lord in small, simple ways.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t
press beyond an occasional good October 7, 2024
work or Bible reading. We ignore
the Holy Spirit’s nudges about
spending time in prayer. We
worship out of a sense of duty. Luke 5:1-11
Does this sound familiar? If so,
remember that your relationship God’s simple requests are often
with the Lord requires time and stepping stones to life’s greatest
commitment but is immensely blessings. When Peter said yes to
rewarding. Jesus’ two small requests, his
whole mission changed from
God instilled a thirst in us that fisherman to fisher of men.
won’t be satisfied except through
Him (John 4:14). Paul made this An unproductive and backbreaking
passion clear when he wrote, night’s work no doubt left Peter
“Whatever things were gain to me, weary (Luke 5:5). Yet he willingly
these things I have counted as loss accepted Jesus on board and
because of Christ. More than that, I pushed his boat out from shore so
count all things to be loss in view of the Lord’s words would carry to the
the surpassing value of knowing crowd. After delivering His
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I message, the Lord told Peter to
have suffered the loss of all things, head out to deeper water, even
and count them mere rubbish, so though the timing was wrong.
that I may gain Christ” (Philippians Despite the unlikely hour for
3:7-8). success, Peter obeyed and was
blessed with not one but two loads
We were created to have a of fish.
relationship with God and to bring
Him glory. Service and good works Often God’s blessings result from
are a natural extension of that, but our compliance with seemingly
our foremost responsibility is to insignificant requests. If we refuse
spend time with Him. His prompting to perform minor
actions, what reason have we given
Bible in One Year: Matthew 11- Him to trust us with a more
12 important responsibility?
Had Peter refused to lend Jesus his You may think, No way. God
boat or risk a midday fishing protects me from such things. But
expedition, he’d have missed the maybe, just maybe, God is trying to
blessing of a big catch—and tell you something—and He first
perhaps even the opportunity to be needs to get your attention.
an apostle. Over the next few
years, Peter personally witnessed Time and again in Scripture, we see
miracles more spectacular than that God uses difficulties to build
any he saw that first day. Honoring faith. It’s easy to trust Him when
Jesus’ first request eventually led things go our way. However, He
to the disciple’s sermon at often removes comforts and false
Pentecost—and the salvation of securities from our life to remind us
3,000 souls (Acts 2:14-41). that He alone is the source of our
strength.
Bible in One Year: Matthew 13-
15 Consider today’s passage. Gideon
was ready to lead an army of
32,000 men into battle. However,
God stepped into the situation two
When the Odds different times, whittling the
Israelite army down to less than
Are Against one percent of its original size. We
may have replied, “What? It’s
You impossible to defeat enemy forces
with just 300 men!” That’s
When your circumstances probably true; 300 men alone
seem overwhelming, stay couldn’t do it. But the Lord can—
focused on God—He is doing which is the lesson Gideon learned
firsthand.
something good for you.
When the odds aren’t in your favor,
October 8, 2024 don’t think that God has
abandoned you. Stand your ground
and stay focused on Him. You’ll be
Judges 7:1-8 amazed at what your heavenly
Father will achieve.
Have you ever felt backed into a
corner, with the odds stacked Bible in One Year: Matthew 16-
against you? In situations like that, 18
Christians often fail to acknowledge
an important truth: that God may
actually be orchestrating their
challenging circumstances
(Romans 8:28).
 need it. These are not “happy
God’s accidents.” They are precious
confidence builders from God. He
Encouragement sees your doubts and takes steps
towards weakening their hold on
in Tough Times you.

God kindly sends the Our challenge is to remember the

encouragement we need in times in the past when God has
moments of fear and doubt. encouraged us. Standing on the
evidence of His faithfulness, we can
boldly face the future, knowing that
October 9, 2024
we are not alone.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 19-

Judges 7:9-25 21

Yesterday, we read about how God

reduced Gideon’s army from
32,000 men to just 300 before an Defend Against
important battle. Let’s see what
happened next. Temptation
Naturally, Gideon was anxious. He Temptation comes to all; the
was about to attack an enemy wise prepare for it.
camp of more than 130,000 trained
soldiers—with just a handful of October 10, 2024
men. Out of kindness, God gave
Gideon some encouragement by
allowing him to overhear an enemy
soldier recounting a frightful James 1:12-16
dream: a vision of Israelite victory
(Judg. 7:13-14)! God used that When we struggle with temptation,
incident to demonstrate His understanding how it works can be
sensitivity to one man’s feelings helpful. Every sin originates as a
and fears. And He still operates thought (James 1:14-15). If we hold
that way today. on to the thought, it becomes a
fantasy—the chance to imagine
Consider the power of a friend’s what pursuing that notion would be
encouraging words. Think about like, without actually doing so.
how meaningful it is when an Fantasies can easily become
unexpected blessing seems to entangled with our emotions. This
come right at your darkest creates a desire, which brings us to
moment. Ponder the impact of the point where a choice must be
reading a verse when you most made. And we must either consent
to the sin or refuse. This process is Sometimes a sleepless night is
quite dangerous, as the a sign that God has something
progression from thought to choice to say.
can be almost instantaneous.
October 11, 2024
Wise believers determine ahead of
time to resist temptation. They
build the defense before the
offense happens. There are two Esther 6:1-11
cornerstones to a good defense:
the recognition that God’s in When we’re too preoccupied to
control and the commitment to hear God’s voice, He may get our
obey Him (1 Corinthians attention by giving us a restless
10:13; James 4:7). spirit. The book of Esther gives us a
wonderful example of this. In the
We can further fortify our defense sixth chapter, we see that King
when temptation actually comes. Ahasuerus “could not sleep, so he
Satan has a way of spotlighting the gave an order to bring the book of
pleasure of sin until it’s all we see. records” (Est. 6:1). As a result, the
But with prayerful effort, we can king became aware of an
retrain our focus to take in the assassination plot against him that
bigger picture: Is this choice a had been foiled by a man named
violation of God’s Word? What are Mordecai. The ruler made plans to
the consequences? honor him.

No one can resist temptation What the king didn’t know,

perfectly—we’ll all continue to however, was that Haman—one of
struggle with sin. But the more we his royal advisors—had targeted
meditate on Scripture and the hero Ahasuerus wanted to
communicate with God, the celebrate. Not only had Haman
stronger our defense will be. plotted to hang Mordecai (Esther
5:14), but, as this month’s Bible
Bible in One Year: Matthew 22- study explains, he’d also planned
24 to kill all the Jews. Because of
Esther’s request (Esther 7:2-4), the
king intervened, saving not just
Mordecai but the entire Jewish
Listening population.

Through Now, what started this process? It

was a restless night. The king did
Restlessness not know why he couldn’t sleep,
but we know—he had insomnia
because God was trying to get his
attention. The Lord had something
important to say to Ahasuerus, and easy to get sidetracked into
His way of getting through to him laziness. This sin is dangerous in a
was an unpleasant night of Christian’s life because of the
sleeplessness. potential harm that can result—it
can hurt our witness for Christ,
How often has this happened to damage our relationships, and
you? In such moments, ask the waste the time and gifts the Lord
Lord, “What is it that You want to has given us.
tell me?” You’ll discover that God
can and will speak to you. Laziness frequently shows up as
procrastination. Surely, if a believer
Bible in One Year: Matthew 25- is known as unreliable, it harms his
26 or her testimony. We’re also a poor
example if we attempt to carry out
responsibilities but do so in a
haphazard or incomplete way.

The Danger of Irresponsible behavior doesn’t fit

who we are in Christ. If you realize
Laziness you’ve been careless in some area
of your life, take heart: Scripture
promises that when we confess our
As Christ's ambassadors in a wrongdoing, He is faithful to forgive
hurting world, we should us (1 John 1:9). Pray, “Lord, I have
represent Him by the way we not lived as I should, and I ask You
live and interact with others. for Your forgiveness. I choose to
turn away from my lazy and
October 12, 2024 neglectful attitudes. Please help
me to follow through and become
someone who is industrious for
You.”
2 Thessalonians 3:7-10
Bible in One Year: Matthew 27-
The Lord has appointed believers 28
to be His ambassadors to a lost and
hurting world. As His followers, we
are to represent Him in our
character, conduct, and The Problem of
conversation whenever we interact
with family, friends, neighbors, or Laziness
coworkers.
When we avoid work, we cheat
God expects us to be diligent in our ourselves and others of
work and faithful to complete it blessings God wants to give.
(Colossians 3:23). However, it’s
October 13, 2024 patience, and be an example of
Christ to those around you (1
Timothy 4:12).

Proverbs 6:9-11 Bible in One Year: Mark 1-2

The book of Proverbs has much to

say about individuals who are lazy.
They do not think beyond today A Heart of
(Proverbs 20:4), wrongly consider
themselves wise (Proverbs 26:16), Gratitude
and are on a path leading to future
poverty (Proverbs 10:4). We can be thankful because
the blessings we have through
When people develop a habit of
laziness, there is a tendency to
Jesus far outweigh life's
avoid tasks they don’t like. This difficulties.
might involve offering excuses or
simply failing to seek clarification October 14, 2024
when a request isn’t clear. Sadly,
individuals who act this way often
have trouble recognizing what they
Psalms 100:1-5
are doing wrong.
The Bible says, “In everything give
People may fool themselves and
thanks; for this is the will of God for
even each other, but God is not
you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That
pleased by shoddy efforts. He has
might seem easy when life is going
prepared work for us to do and
well. But when it’s not, expressing
expects it to be handled
gratitude can be difficult.
conscientiously. The Lord knows
that the consequences of laziness
are serious. At work, there is the It’s interesting to note that this
possibility of frequent correction instruction to thank the Lord in all
and even probation or termination. things was written by Paul—the
At home, carelessness can add apostle whose loyalty to Christ
tension to the atmosphere and earned him severe persecution.
build frustration—and in a trickle- You might wonder how he was able
down effect, children may start to be grateful to God. The answer is
copying their parents’ undesirable that Paul knew His riches in Christ
habits. far outweighed any earthly
discomfort.
If you’re already a disciplined
worker but must interact with Consider the blessings he so
people who are not, continue to do valued, which are available to all
your work with diligence and believers. First, we are invited to
excellence. In addition, pray for have a personal relationship with
the one true God. Second, the communing with God and
Father loves us with an everlasting discerning His will for our life.
and unconditional love. Third, He Because communication with Him
sent His Son to die as payment for is so vital, it’s wise to step back at
our sins so we could spend eternity times and ask yourself these
with Him. questions:

And the list of blessings keeps  What are my prayers

going: God adopts believers as His accomplishing in me? Does
children and seals them with His praying make you feel closer
Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). He has a to the Lord or is it more of a
plan for each of His followers—and “have to”?
bestows special gifts and  Who am I praying for? Are
empowerment to make it happen. most of your requests for
He promises to meet every need yourself or others?
through His limitless resources  What am I asking God to
(Philippians 4:19) and provides His do? Have you looked in His
Word and indwelling Spirit to guide Word to see what He wants,
us. or are you trying to get Him
to intervene according to
No wonder Paul was grateful! your plans and desires?
Count his blessings as your own,  When do I pray? Do you call
and let God know how appreciative on the Lord only during
you are. emergencies or when you
need something?
Bible in One Year: Mark 3-5
If you discovered any selfishness in
your answers, you’re not alone.

Praying With Most of us struggle to enter God’s

presence with our eyes focused

Impact solely on Him. Your prayer life can

become energizing and potent if
you approach the Lord with a clean
Communication with the Lord is heart (Psalm 66:18), align your
a vital part of the Christian life. requests with His will (John 14:13),
and believe He will do what He
October 15, 2024 says (Numbers 23:19). We won’t be
able to do these things perfectly,
but the more we try, the more
confident we’ll be in our prayers to
1 John 5:14-15 God.”

Prayer is a common practice for Bible in One Year: Mark 6-7

believers, but we can easily lose
sight of its greater purpose—
 our understanding of Him will
A Prayer for deepen.

Everyone  To be strengthened with His

power so we remain
steadfast. The Christian life
To pray according to the will of can be lived only with the
God, begin with His Word. Holy Spirit’s power.
 To joyously give thanks for
October 16, 2024 all God has done for
us. Believers should be
characterized by joy and
gratitude.
Colossians 1:9-14
Imagine how effective your prayers
Sometimes we want to pray for will be when you shift the emphasis
another person but aren’t sure of your petitions to the Lord’s
what to say. Let’s look at Paul’s desires. He will transform you and
prayer in Colossians 1:9-14. Every the people for whom you intercede.
word fits perfectly with God’s will,
so you can present these requests Bible in One Year: Mark 8-9
with confidence—both for yourself
and for others:

 To be filled with the The Best

knowledge of His will in all
spiritual wisdom and Friend You Will
understanding. We need to
follow God daily, and we also Ever Have
need discernment to
distinguish His guiding voice. Our Savior is forever faithful
 To walk in a manner worthy and will meet our every need.
of the Lord, pleasing Him in
all ways. Our life should be October 17, 2024
patterned after the One we
follow.
 To bear fruit in every good
work. Instead of being John 15:12-17
wrapped up in our own
circumstances, we should Many of us are familiar with the
have a productive kingdom hymn “What a Friend We Have in
mindset. Jesus.” We know that our Savior is
 To increase in the knowledge a great friend (John 15:15), but
of God. When we read His let’s consider some specific aspects
Word and apply its principles, of His relationship with us. He is ...
  Committed to us. This Consistently spending time
commitment is for more than with the Lord brings joy to the
a lifetime—it’s eternal. And believer.
though life is bound to hold
some disappointments, the
October 18, 2024
Lord Himself will never let us
down.
 Open and transparent at
all times. Jesus will Psalms 63:1-11
continually show us more
about Himself as we desire to When we fall in love, we want to
learn. spend time with the object of our
 Sensitive to our wants as affection. Falling in love with Jesus
well as our needs. He should be no different, but
knows how to meet our believers will often hurry through
deepest longings and lovingly Bible reading and prayer. The
invites us—over and over—to result is a superficial faith kept
connect with Him. alive by habit rather than worship.
 An inspiring, comforting To attain lasting intimacy, we must
listener who’s never quick approach the Lord with a sense
to criticize. He doesn’t of ...
interrupt, and His eyes are so
lovingly fixed on us that His Purpose: King David advised the
heart hears exactly what we leaders of Israel, “Set your heart
are saying. and your soul to seek the Lord your
God” (1 Chronicles 22:19).
What kind of friend is Jesus? John Likewise, if we desire intimacy with
15:13 answers that question: the Lord, we should approach
“Greater love has no one than this, spiritual disciplines intentionally.
that a person will lay down his life Before opening Scripture, for
for his friends.” Because He gave example, we can ask God what He
Himself for all people, we as His wants to say to us. We can also
followers can certainly offer our pray to understand His ways—He
friendship to someone else. Who in loves answering that request.
your circle of influence needs the
sacrifice of your time or care? Determination: Isaiah told
Yahweh, “Indeed, my spirit within
Bible in One Year: Mark 10-12 me seeks You diligently” (Isaiah
26:9). Even when we might not feel
like putting time into our
relationship with Christ, we must
Falling in Love determine to do so. Those who
diligently seek the Savior
With Jesus experience His presence frequently
in their worship.
Getting to know Jesus brings pure (Matthew 7:24-26). Why? Because
joy into a believer’s life. Giving God for most of us, no matter how
attention and spending time with much we have, it simply never
Him are ways to show the Lord we feels like enough.
love Him. God gives us His best; we
should put forth no less in return. Also, when we focus on money, we
open the door to uncertainty and
Bible in One Year: Mark 13-14 anxiety. What if we lose our job?
Miss the promotion? Get a long-
term illness? Witness a stock

Our Financial market decline? When our finances

suffer, we feel insecure. But if our

Security security is in our relationship with

Christ, then we’ll be thankful for
what we have and will trust Him for
Trust God to provide all you the future.
need—then the joy of lavish
generosity can be yours. Finances are given to us by the
Lord to be used for His purposes,
October 19, 2024 not ours. By keeping a right
perspective on wealth, we can
experience God’s peace in a true
and tangible way.
2 Corinthians 8:1-7
Bible in One Year: Mark 15-16
Sharing is a learned behavior;
generosity simply isn’t a natural
characteristic. Look at young
children. They squabble over who The Greatness
goes first, whose piece of cookie is
bigger, and who plays with which of God
toys and for how long. As adults,
we struggle as well, especially Are you getting to know the
when it comes to our finances. The one true God—or has your view
choices we make with our money— of Him been based on an
how much we hold, how much and
unreliable source?
how often we give—reveal where
we truly place our trust.
October 20, 2024
The Lord calls His followers to a
lifestyle of generous giving (Luke
6:38), not of accumulating and Isaiah 40:12-31
hoarding. He tells us to find
security in our relationship with If you ask a group what God is like,
Him rather than in our assets you’ll likely get different replies.
Most of the time, the answers
reveal more about the speakers Grace: God’s
than about God. In fact, the truth
about God might surprise you. Second Chance
As the Father reveals Himself in When we trust Jesus, He pours
Scripture, one word that’s never out His unconditional love upon
used in referring to Him is “it.” God us.
is a person; in every reference, He
is given a name (Yahweh, Elohim,
October 21, 2024
Lord) or referred to by masculine
pronouns (He, Him). He has all of
the attributes of personhood—
intelligence to reason, emotions to Romans 5:1-6
feel, and the will to make decisions.
Scripture paints a grim picture of
Scripture also shows God’s mankind apart from the Lord: dead
immutability. Neither the Lord’s in our sins, under God’s wrath, and
nature nor His character ever subject to eternal separation from
changes—He is always Spirit, and Him (Ephesians 2:1-3). Through the
His love remains constant. We can cross, we are given a second
all expect that God’s principles will chance to be in a relationship with
hold true and that He will act the Lord. When we trust in Christ,
exactly as He has promised. He pours out His unconditional love
Delight, anger, and other feelings —and grace—upon us.
are not new traits but part of His
being, and His emotions are always Because of grace, we have been
an appropriate fit for each justified by faith. Justification is a
situation. declaration by God that we are not
guilty in His sight. At salvation,
God is eternal—He has no Jesus died on the cross and rescued
beginning or end (Psalm 90:2) and us from the penalty for our
is the same yesterday, today, and transgressions. All our
forever. No one created Him; He disobedience—past, present, and
simply is. That’s hard for humans future—is fully forgiven.
to understand, as His ways
sometimes are (Romans 11:33). We gain this remarkable pardon
But we should be thankful our God through genuine faith in Jesus
is far greater than what we are Christ—in other words, by
able to grasp. acknowledging God’s judgment
that we are sinners who need a
Bible in One Year: Luke 1 Savior because we’re unable to
save ourselves. True faith rests on
the belief that Jesus’s death atoned
for our sins, God accepted His
Son’s sacrifice on our behalf, and
we are fully forgiven. Grace gives
us peace with God. Because we’ve
trusted in Christ, we’ve been
adopted into the heavenly Father’s
family (John 1:12-13) and have His
favor forever.

Through grace, we have been

offered a fresh start. May we make
full use of this opportunity by
passionately pursuing God with all
our heart.

Bible in One Year: Luke 2-3