September 18 – Ezra 4-6 & Psalm 126

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezra 4-6 & Psalm 126. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

When I see churches that are struggling or even dying, I believe one thing that is missing is a common goal. Somewhere along the way the common goal, the drive that brought them together, has been lost. No longer are they working to bring new people in. No longer are they working to for the same cause. Sometime the only cause is to keep the doors open one more week. When we operate that way no real growth can happen.

There is power when we work together, all pushing for the same goal. That is what we see play out in our reading today. The Jews who have returned to rebuild the Temple of God are faced with persecution. Once Haggai and Zechariah encourage them to begin rebuilding, they work together and finish the task. Because they worked together they are able to succeed and even celebrate with a Passover Feast. What a powerful lesson for our churches to learn.  West Side, I know this is one area I believe we have been missing for a while, and I am going to get busy working this issue out. Please pray for our leadership as we listen to God’s teaching and leading.

Some bonus material …

One of the purposes of this chronological reading of the Bible is to help us associate the Biblical narrative into one flowing story as it happened in history. As I have shared before, the Bible is not organized in a chronological system, but grouped together in many ways by topics. We see the Old Testament break down into four main areas … The Pentateuch – the first five books of the Bible often called “The Law.” This section shows God establishing His people. From there we move into the books of history. These books show us the history of the nation(s) of Israel and later Judah in the land God had promised to Abraham. For the most part these first two sections follow the chronological history of God’s people. The third section is the where we begin to see a mix up of history. That is because they are often not history books but writings of the people who lived in that history. These are known as the writings; books like Job, Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs to name just a few. The final section of the Old Testament we see is the Prophets. These books again do not follow the chronology of the Bible. These prophets spoke and wrote to the people mostly recorded in 2 Samuel, 1^st and 2^nd Kings, and 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles. Some of these prophets lived and wrote at other times. Our reading today indicates two of these prophets, whom we will read from in the coming days. In Ezra 5:1 we see that the work of the temple is spurred to restart by the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah. Here the Bible gives us internal clues as to its own chronology. 

May 25 – 1 Chronicles 23-25

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Chronicles 23-25. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Every month a group from our church volunteers at the Lebanon Food pantry. The food pantry is supported by churches that are within the Lebanon School District and help families in the district. Our group that serves always serves on Wednesday mornings. On Wednesday nights there is always a group that comes in during the pantry’s open hours to help distribute food. Each time I have helped our group I am always amazed at the work they put into helping the group for that evening. They spend all of their down time stocking the shelves and cleaning the room all so that it is ready to go for the next group to come in. No matter how they find the pantry, it is their goal to leave it better than they found it ready for the next group to go right to work.

Our example above is exactly what we see David carrying out in our reading today. David knows that God is going to let someone else build the temple, but that doesn’t mean he can’t prepare for it. When he came in as leader of Israel their worship of God was certainly lacking. David corrected those issues within the nation. By the time of his death David left the nation of Israel in much better shape than he found it. I think that is a wonderful lesson for us to learn as well. How can we do that in our families, our churches, our schools, our workplace, and wherever it is you have the privilege of spending time?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 23 – 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, & Psalms 57

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, & Psalms 57. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When God is bringing judgment upon Israel in the form of a plague of death God instructs David to offer a sacrifice and he gives him the precise place to do this. The site is the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, and Araunah wants to give it to the king free of charge plus everything needed for the sacrifice. I think we learn a very valuable lesson from David’s response … “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24 NLT) Wow, does that not cut you to your core?

How often do we give God what cost us nothing? Many times our churches are full of these types of gifts … hand me down toys for the nursery, used playground equipment, tattered books for the library, and all sorts of various decorations. Now giving the churched used but still good gifts is nice and appreciated if it is something the church really needs. But how often do we replace our TV with a new one and give the old one to the church. That gift, while appreciated did not really cost the giver. If our gifts really cost us, too many churches would not be feeling the budgets grow smaller and smaller.

I wonder what the church could do if its members gave an offering to their church like David did; offerings that caused them to stretch their faith, offerings that caused them to rely on God, offerings that really caused them to sacrifice. If this was the type of giving our churches experienced more mouths could be fed, more poor could be clothed, more life skills could be taught, but most importantly the reach of the gospel would go much further and much deeper.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 13 – 2 Samuel 11-12 & 1 Chronicles 20

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 11-12 & 1 Chronicles 20. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Today’s reading gave me several observations that I would like to make more so than teaching a devotional thought. Here are just two …

Did you notice the contrast between 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles today? Both accounts talked about the Israelite army going off to war. Both talked about how David stayed back in Jerusalem. But only one mentioned David and Bathsheba. Technically both books mention David’s relationship with Bathsheba. 1 Chronicles mentions Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba in chapter fourteen verse four. But only 2 Samuel tells the whole story. That’s because 1 Chronicles is more of a history book documenting what takes place during Israel’s history from the time of the kings onward. The books of Samuel are telling a narrative, connecting us the reader to people who really lived. In this take on the story we are given more glimpses into their character and actions as people.

The second observation I want to make is how far David falls in this encounter with Bathsheba. One moment of weakness allowed him to cascade severely away from God. And what makes this even more impressive is that Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, is one of David’s Mighty men (1 Chronicles 11:41). This understanding of who Uriah was to David makes the narrative told by Nathan all the more powerful.

Were there any observations you had as you read today?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 11 – 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalm 20

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalm 20. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you easily buy into every conspiracy theory out there? I would strongly dislike living my life that way. I have known people that feel everyone and everything is out to get them. I have known people that see a COP and believe that police officer just because of his job is a mean out to get them type of person. It would be horrible to live life that way.

That is sort of what we see in Hanun’s advisors this morning. David is sending a good will delegation to Hanun after his father’s death. David want’s to keep the good relationship between him and the Ammonites alive. But Hanun listen’s to the pessimist around him, humiliates David’s men and angers Israel.

Let me encourage you to proceed cautiously with people, but always look for the best intentions. Do not immediately assume people are going to wrong you, cross your back, and be evil. Be on guard, do not be a door mat, but balance that with grace, kindness, and welcoming arms.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 9 – 2 Samuel 8-9 & 1 Chronicles 18

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 8-9 & 1 Chronicles 18. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Office Clip Art

In the book of Acts we learn an interesting bit of information about the way God viewed David … God testified about David saying … “I have found David son of Jesses, a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22 NLT) What an awesome achievement for any person to accomplish, to be considered by God to mold and shape your heart and desire after His. Isn’t that what all Christians are called to be striving for?

I think we see an example of this in our reading from today. David is now firmly established on the throne. God has delivered Israel from their foreign enemies under the leadership of David. Now David wants to make sure that Saul’s decedents, especially those of his good friend Jonathan are taken care of. One such son remains, the cripple son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth. Normally a new king from a different family would completely kill the previous king’s entire family so there would be no heir who could claim the line to the throne. But David is not concerned about his throne, but more about the people he is serving. David does the right thing by Mephibosheth and even makes him a part of his household by inviting him to his table.

I think this example, while only one of many, gives us a glimpse of what God meant by calling David a man after His own heart. To be a man or woman after God’s own heart means you are seeking in all situations to do the right thing.  To honor your enemies. To sit down and wait until the game is over to talk to the referee who called that obvious ball a strike. To not be the grumpy neighbor who all the kids are afraid of. I firmly believe doing the right thing is one step in being like David, a man or woman after God’s own heart.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 7 – 2 Samuel 6 – 7 & 1 Chronicles 17

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 6 – 7 & 1 Chronicles 17. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

After David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and reestablishes its role amongst the Israelites, David has a stark revelation. I can just imagine him sitting in his palace, looking around at the sturdiness, the protection, the comfort that it provided him, and realizing God’s “physical” home amongst the Israelites did not compare. When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he erected a tent. He did this because this is all they ever knew as a home for the Ark.

A tent is all the Tabernacle was. A tent was the only practical choice for their place of worship during the days of the wilderness when they would be moving around. This was still a perfect choice during the days of the conquest when they were still occupying the land. Even during the judge’s period, when no central “king” or capital city was established. But now, life was different, a monocracy had been established, and David had selected a capital city for Israel.

So David compares and contrasts his home to the home of God amongst Israel and he says something is not right. He decides he wants to build a permanent home for God, one that would protect the Ark of the Covenant which was the physical representation of God. This is a noble thing, but because of David’s past, God says he will not get the privilege, that privilege will come to one of his children.

Now in our culture and world today there is no temple, at least not one made by brick and mortar. Upon Jesus death on the cross, the Temple in Jerusalem was vacated by God because he had found a new home. He had found a home in the heart of every immersed believer of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, who now serves as a living temple for the Living God I think its wise for us to ask the same question David asked … What kind of temple are we? Is the temple where God resides today up to the standards it should be? Does God’s temple, your body, reflect the home He should have?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 1 – 2 Samuel 5 & 1 Chronicles 11-12

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 5 & 1 Chronicles 11-12. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Welcome to May, where has this year gone already?

Every good leader needs support. Show me a leader with out people behind them, and I will show you a leader that will not succeed. There is too much to do without the proper people supporting and helping a leader become successful. Supportive people are critical.

On the battlefield David had his mighty men; roughly thirty men who were willing to do almost anything for their leader. When Saul was still alive and David was his general the chants the people sang out, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands,” was only possible because of the men surrounding and following David. When David was on the run, he remained alive, productive, and even prospered because of the men around him. When David became king, the order and strength of his kingdom was the direct result of his men.

Leaders need support. Let me ask you, in your church are you seen as a supportive person or are you seen as a thorn in the flesh to your leaders? When I mean a thorn in the flesh, I am not talking about someone who asks honest questions? I am talking about someone who complains because they do not like anything, and instead of trying to have a productive conversation, they instead simply wine. Are you helpful to your leaders, giving them needed advise, lending a hand, sacrificing time and energy all to help fulfill the task they have been given to do? Let me encourage you to be helpful, insightful, and an arm to lean on to those given the task to lead you and your church.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 29 – 1 Chronicles 7-10

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Chronicles 7-10. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

In our chronological reading plan we are now entering a section where the same story is going to be shared in multiple places. We see that for the first time here with Saul’s suicide and the end of his kingdom. Let me encourage you to be careful not to gloss over these various accounts.

When you want to understand a situation you typically talk to as many people as you can, who were there, to get all sides. Why do we do this? Because we understand that one perspective does not paint a full picture. If I watch a car wreck happen, I am going to see something different from one street corner than the person who was on the opposite corner. I am also going to see something different because I possibly focused on a different aspect, maybe the face of the driver at fault, while another focused on the face of the driver blindsided. Multiple perspective help paint an accurate picture of what took place.

That is exactly what we will find as we read these various accounts from different books of the Bible. The chronological plan helps organize them so we come across them in the right order. But the different books give us a full understanding of what has played out, giving us a complete picture. So remember, just because it is a story you have read before in 1 Samuel, what we have here in 1 Chronicles might give a little bit more insight or a different insight.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 27 – 1 Chronicles 6

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Chronicles 6. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

I think we are about done reading through the listing of names, at least here in Chronicles. I have admitted, and I will admit today that sometimes it is hard to read these lists. They certainly serve a purpose. One of the greatest things they show is how the nation of Israel was exactly as God promised it would be … all descendants of Abraham. Each Israelite can trace their heritage back through their tribal clan. It is then through there they go back through to their fathers Jacob, Isaac and to Abraham.

God has certainly fulfilled part of the promise he made to Abraham. His decedents are as numerous as the sand on the sea shore. Now while that part of the promise has found fulfillment God is still working out the larger promise … to bless all peoples on earth through him. That will come in partiality when Solomon is king. It will be during his day that Israel will rise to its greatest power. They are placed as a nation in the Promised Land at the cross roads of the ancient world. They will bless all people on earth. However, the greatest fulfillment of that promise is yet to come. At this point in our narrative we are nearly one thousand years away from the birth of Jesus.

Let me ask you a few questions as you read these names … is it interesting to you to see how God has worked in the life of the Israelites? Do you find the chronological reading plan of the Bible helping you to understand the entirety of the story of God? I hope so. I hope you have enjoyed doing it this way even if it seems very scattered.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 25 – 1 Chronicles 3-5

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Chronicles 3-5. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Our reading today was another one of those difficult ones filled with mostly names. Many of the names though have some meaning, especially to the original readers of the text. These chapters serve as an introduction to the books of Chronicles. These two books serve as a history of the Nation of Israel and later Israel and Judah. This list lays out the names of important people as well as their kings and leaders.

What I find fascinating is two things. We are given names that their indicate history. For us American’s this list would be similar to reading the names of all forty-four presidents of the United States. It is from history we learn the lessons are ancestors did. It is from history, if we pay attention, we learn not to repeat their mistakes. It is from history that we define tradition, values, and memories to cherish. For us reading these names can be hard, because outside what we read in the Bible we have emotional attachment. But for the original readers, memories, thoughts, and emotions conjure up just as when we read a list of US presidents.

The other thing this list does for the reader is provide some foreshadowing. In our chronological reading of the Bible we are only at the point where David is becoming king. We have not experienced the majority of his kingship let alone his sons, their reign or anything that follows. But here in these chapters we see that the nation is ripped in two. How does that happen? We will soon find out. So hopefully for you this is a great introduction into what is about to happen.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 23 – 1 Chronicles 1 & 2

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Chronicles 1 & 2. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Let me just say congratulations and mad props to you if you completed today’s reading. Readings like today’s can be challenging. For the past couple of weeks I have not actually been “reading.” For the last couple of weeks I have been completing my reading while in the shower and while cooking my breakfast. As I have shared before I use the YouVersion Bible app to do my reading from and this app allows you to use the listener’s version. So instead of actually reading I have listened to it. And let me tell you, while I was listening this morning I was thinking about all you who would be reading.

The reason I think all that is because all we had today were a list of names. And I will be honest it is hard to keep all that straight. But here is the cool thing, the author of Chronicles is beginning his book by introducing all the characters of the story who have brought us to where we are and some of the characters who will soon enter our story. While we may see a bunch of names, those names are the people who have made up the story of the Bible. Did you recognize the names you read as we have went through the story?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.