This plan provides a good balance between Old Testament readings and New Testament Readings because it guides you through the New Testament twice as you read through the Old Testament once. To allow time for reflection, it follows a two-year plan.
Every week I will post the devotional readings for that week. If you wish to print a copy of the plan without the devotions, you can find copies of it in pdf format at the link below. I like to print and use them as bookmarks in my Bible.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TQs0_oejNJO8HInVlN1JmSClMhWcEbiG?usp=sharing
The daily devotions for this week are included below.
January 8 (Read: Luke Chapters 4 & 5)
“And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…” (Lu. 4:14 NAS)
When Jesus went into the wilderness, He was already “full of the Holy Spirit”, but He came out in the power of the Spirit. As He was, so were we promised to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but that experience alone does not release through us the power of the Spirit. After receiving the Spirit, we must be yield to Him.
Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for forty days. It is a common interpretation to view the temptation by the devil as covering the entire forty days, but that is not true. It is not until after He was hungry that the devil came to tempt Him. I believe the first four weeks were spent in fellowship with the Father in the Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit was Jesus’ anointing for ministry, but before He could begin His public ministry, He needed to spend some time with the Father in prayer. Jesus had to strengthen Himself in the Spirit before being tested, and to prepare for His public ministry. More important than overcoming the devil was developing His ability to hear and see what the Father was doing. We forget, sometimes, that Jesus put aside His divinity to take on a human form. He lived on this earth as a man without sin, anointed with the Holy Spirit to fulfill the ministry of the Messiah. So important, to Jesus, was the need to spend time with the Father, that even after His time in the wilderness, He continued to spend many nights alone in prayer. His bread was to do the will of the Father.
Jesus, if You had to spend time in communion with the Father, how much more do I need to fellowship with You and our Father. You demonstrated to us what it means to be full of the Holy Spirit. You only did what You saw the Father do. We also want to only do what we see You do. Help us to live in the fulness of our calling, full of the power of the Holy Spirit.
January 9 (Read: Luke Chapter 6)
“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” (Lu. 6:40 NAS)
It is encouraging to hear Jesus say that we can be like Him. He spoke these words while giving instructions that seem too difficult for us to follow. How can we, in our own strength, bless those who curse us, give to all who ask, love our enemies, etc. The possibility of being like Jesus is found in the words “and you will be sons of the Most High”. All who receive Jesua receive the right (the power) to become children of God (Jn. 1:12). This power is in the fulness of grace that comes to us through Him (Jn. 1:14-16). We can be partakers of the divine nature, through faith, because “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2Pe. 1:3,4). Those promises are not just for this natural life, but also for godliness, which is our devotion to God. These verses give us hope, but Jesus has made a way, through the heart, for this hope to become our reality. As we open our hearts to Him and His words by faith, we are transformed into His image. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good…” (Lu. 6:45a).
Jesus, I thank You that it is possible to become like You. Your grace is sufficient for me to obey Your commandment to love. Your words give me hope. Help my faith turn this hope into what is seen. I treasure Your presence and Your words in my heart.
January 10 (Read: Luke Chapter 7)
“I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” (Lu. 7:9 NAS)
Seeing someone with great faith made Jesus marvel (vs. 9). We have heard of little faith, and strong faith. What was it about the centurion’s faith that made it great? First, we find that the Jewish elders had a high regard for him since he loved the Jewish people (vs. 5). Certainly, Jesus was aware of his generosity, just like that of the centurion in the book of Acts: “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:4). Next, we discover that even if the Jewish elders felt he was worthy of having Jesus come to his house, the centurion did not feel that way. Besides generosity, he had humility. These are valuable traits, but they are still not what made his faith great. The greatness of his faith was in recognizing spiritual authority. He believed that Jesus could heal his servant by just speaking from a distance (vs. 7). Too often we need to see or hear something to help our faith. The centurion did not need for Jesus to lay hands on his servant to heal him. “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me” (vs. 8). In humility and faith, the centurion understood that to be “in authority” you also had to be “under authority”. He felt he had authority to ask on behalf of his servant, and he recognized that Jesus had authority to heal because He was sent by God. His faith did not need anything more than for Jesus to “just say the word, and my servant will be healed”.
Heavenly Father, help us to have great faith. The centurion understood the authority of the One sent by God. We also want to believe, simply because You say it, not because of any accompanying signs. Jesus, all authority has been given to You in heaven and on earth, so we can go in the authority of Your Name. Help us, Lord, to understand that we can be “in authority” because we are “under authority”.
January 11 (Read: Luke Chapter 8)
“Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” (Lu. 8:18 NAS)
Every word the Lord speaks to us carries with it a responsibility to bear fruit. We must be careful how we receive the spoken word. Unless we provide it with a good and honest heart, it will not grow to maturity. A seed that is planted in good soil must also germinate before it grows. In the same way, we must receive understanding for the words we receive (Matt. 13:23). This understanding comes by revelation of the Holy Spirit as we meditate on what we hear. To us has been given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God (vs. 10). If we are faithful to bear fruit with what He gives us, we will be given more. God rewards faithfulness. The goal is not to obtain knowledge; it is to walk in love. We are often too quick to share the understanding we receive, but that is not its primary purpose. Yes, we should share with others from the treasure in our heart, but our first responsibility is to live it.
Thank you, Father, for Your Word which is living and active. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for spiritual wisdom and revelation. Thank you, Jesus, for Your life in us which is the Word bearing fruit.
January 12 (Read: Luke Chapter 9)
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Lu. 9:23 NAS)
There are Scriptures, like the one above, that are foundational to our walk with the Lord. If you are new to salvation, it is important to write Scriptures like these on your heart. Even if you are familiar with them, it is always good to be reminded of them. There is a cost to discipleship. The preaching of the gospel is to make us disciples (Matt. 28:19), not merely converts. We must deny ourselves; being willing to lose our life to save it. We must also be willing to suffer for the sake of righteousness. To bear our cross is not blind submission to everything the devil throws at us, like sickness. As the apostles were learning, the preaching of the gospel included healing the sick. Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). He did, however, endure persecutions, and as His followers, we must bear the same cross.
Help me, Lord Jesus, to deny myself. I reject every form of selfishness. I choose to place the needs of others ahead of my own (Phil. 2:4). I accept also to suffer for the sake of seeing Your kingdom extended on this earth. You suffered rejection at the hands of men, and as Your follower, I can expect nothing less. I thank You that You do not leave me to bear this cross alone, but when I am persecuted for Your name, I am comforted by the presence of the Holy Spirit (1Pe. 4:14).
January 13 (Read: Luke Chapters 10 & 11)
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.” (Lu. 10:19 NAS)
This authority was not just given to the twelve apostles, but also to seventy others. The same authority has been with His followers throughout history, but we have not always been walking in it. The times I have seen it demonstrated the most is when we have been experiencing a move of the Holy Spirit. I am not saying that the execution of this authority should only occur when there is an outpouring of the Spirit, only that we are more likely to respond in faith when the Spirit helps us. I believe that the Holy Spirit is always present to help us, but we are not always sensitive to His voice. In these last days, we will come into a time where the manifestation of God’s Spirit will be greatly increased upon this earth, as a latter rain before the great and final harvest. When we see that “even the demons are subject to us”, we need to guard hearts. It is easy for pride to deceive us into thinking that we are doing the works, rather than God through us. We should always keep our focus on the Lord, rejoicing that our name is written in heaven. God loves us, and we have come to know and to believe in His love (1Jn. 4:16).
Thank You, Father, for Your great love. Lord Jesus, all authority has been given to You, and You have given me authority in Your Name. Help me Holy Spirit to know how to walk in this authority, with a humble heart. It is not because I have achieved something great on my own that demons are subject to me, but because my name is written in heaven. I am know by You, Father, and my life is hidden with Christ in You (Col. 3:3).
January 14 (Read: Luke Chapter 12)
“Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Lu. 12:7 NAS)
First, the Lord tells the disciples not to fear those who can kill the body, but rather to fear the One who has authority to cast them into hell (vs. 5). Then, He tells them that they should not be afraid because they are precious to God (vs.7). Should we, or should we not fear God? The answer depends on where we stand. If we are faltering in our faith, He warns us that the consequences of forsaking the Lord are worse than the pain of suffering. Only judgment remains for someone who forsakes the mercy offered in Christ. To fear God is better than to fear man, but even better is to not fear at all. If we walk in the fear of punishment, we will keep away from sin, but we will not mature in love. Psalm 111:10 tells us that the fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The beginning is not the fullness of it. If we walk in love, instead of in fear, we will mature in godly character. There is no need to fear God if we are walking in love because His love for us will cast away any fear of punishment (1Jn.4:18). There is also no reason to fear what man can do to us because even if they were to kill the body, we would immediately be with the Lord. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2Cor. 5:8).
Thank You, Father, that I am precious to You. I have passed out of judgment into life. Your love is rooted in my heart. I commit to obey Your commandment to love. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your precious blood. I open my heart to receive Your mercy, Father. Your grace is sufficient to help in my time of need. (Heb. 4:16)
Highway in the Wilderness 