One Year Bible Reading Plan and Devotional
Today’s Bible Reading: May 10
Download the full one-year Bible reading plan here:
One Year Bible Reading Plan
Clicking on the Scripture links above will open a new window where you can read the scripture from the Holman Christian Standard Bible at Biblegateway.com or choose the Bible version you prefer to read. Check back each day to get the Scripture to read in the One Year Bible Reading Plan.
Saved by Faith for Eternal Life
In Numbers 21, the Children of Israel were once again discourage and spoke against God and Moses, saying, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So God sent fiery serpents and they bit the people, causing many of them to die. When they repented, God told Moses to make a bronze fiery serpent and set it on a pole and whoever looked at it, would live. It wasn’t the bronze serpent that brought about healing. It was the people’s faith in God and his provision that brought healing. They were saved by faith.
God was teaching the people something about faith. It is totally illogical to think that looking at a bronze image could heal anyone from snakebite, but that is exactly what God told them to do. It took an act of faith in God’s plan for anyone to be healed, and the serpent on the stick was a reminder of their sin which brought about their suffering. There is no connection between this serpent and the serpent which Satan spoke through in the Garden of Eden. This serpent was symbolic of the serpents God used to chastise the people for their unbelief.
The bronze serpent and the cross of Jesus
There is a spiritual application to what took place in the days of Moses. And it is this: we have sinned against God. God has pronounced death upon us all, because of the sin of Adam and our own sin. However, as Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the desert, Jesus was lifted up on the cross. He died our death – paying our debt, the wages we earned for our sin – so that we can now be forgiven. The challenge that comes to us today, therefore, is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as in Moses day, the people had to look on the bronze snake with faith to be healed physically form the poisonous snake bites, so we must look to Jesus with faith that He alone has the power to save us and cleanse us from our sin.
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus uses this Old Testament story as a metaphor for Jesus’ future crucifixion. Just as those in Moses’ day looked upon the bronze serpent and were healed, those who look in faith to Jesus who was lifted up on a cross to pay our sin debt will be healed of their sins and have eternal life. Just like it wasn’t the actual bronze serpent that brought healing and life, looking upon a crucifix will not save us from our sins. It was the people’s faith in God that healed them of the snake bites and it is our faith in Jesus that gives us eternal life.
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?
This faith in Jesus starts with believing that He is who He said He is – the only begotten Son of God. As such Jesus is fully God. While He lived on earth, He was both 100% God and 100% man.
The next step of faith is to realize that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life while on earth, which makes it possible for Him to pay our sin debt. If He had sinned even once, then we would have no hope of salvation.
The next step is to realize our lostness in sin. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There is not one single person, other than Jesus, who has lived a sinless life. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages or penalty for our sin is death but that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. The gift God gave us was allowing His only Son to suffer the torture of being beaten, mocked, scourged, and crucified in our place. Jesus paid our sin debt.
The next step of faith is to believe that Jesus did rise from the dead three days later. If Jesus were still in a tomb, then death and the grave is not defeated and there is no eternal life. Today, Jesus is alive and sits at the right hand of God waiting for the day that God tells Him to come to earth again – but this time as a triumphant king.
The last step of faith is believing that the blood Jesus shed on the cross will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn salvation. It is only by faith and through God’s gracious gift that salvation is possible.
Faith is the way to eternal life
For those who accept these truths by faith and come to Jesus and confess they are a sinner and ask for His forgiveness and ask Him to be the Lord of their life, then that person will have eternal life. Jesus was lifted up for you – will you by faith accept the eternal life He offers you?
#ReadYourBible #1Kings #John #faith #eternallife
Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
Week 19: May 9-15, 2022
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Romans 8:37 says, “No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.” Our victories come when we are on our knees praying.
Scatter Kindness
Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Kindness never goes out of style. Scatter some wherever you go.
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God, Love, and Marshmallow Wars
by Julia M. Bruce
What’s Inside God, Love, and Marshmallow Wars?
This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
- Scripture to memorize and meditate on
- Conversation Starters
- Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
- Romance Builders
- Relationship Builders
- Personal reflections
- Date ideas
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