I have this little tradition that I started a few years ago. I learned of it on Facebook of all places.
It was someone's tradition to read through the book of Luke. They would read one Chapter a day beginning on December 1st. They explain that they chose Luke for a few reasons. The first was it gives us the most known story of Jesus' birth in Luke Chapter 2. Then we get to know Jesus from the prospective of Luke in his gospel as information gathered from many sources. The last reason is that Luke is 24 Chapters long. We finish the reading on Christmas Eve.
Last year was the first year I missed doing this. I was at a loss for the entire Christmas season. I don't want to miss it this year.
I have don't the readings each night. My home fellowship has often read Luke with me. We hold each other accountable. There is no shame in falling behind either. We encouraged each other to catch up and finish strong. Just like running a race. I don't do this as a mindless devotion. I pray before I read the scripture. I want the Lord to show me something new. And he has each time I did this. I think that is why I was at a loss of missing something when I didn't read Luke last year.
Would you like to join me, we can post here how we are doing, in my little Christmas Tradition? I think it brings me closer to the Lord.
The Best Plans
Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular verse that’s often slapped onto journals, etched into coffee mugs, and printed on t-shirts.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
And God does have a plan for you.
God does want to bless you.
God does want to give you hope and a future.
But, we should also pay attention to the original context …
In this case, God was speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah—people who’d recently been exiled to Babylon for 70 years.
The Jewish people were banished to a foreign land because of their insatiable appetite for sin. In fact, for 23 years Jeremiah had been warning them to stop rebelling against God or prepare to face the consequences.
God is patient, but He is also just.
In other words, the Jews were sent to timeout. And as you can read in the preceding chapters, God made a case against His ...