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 readings for that week and add the daily devotionals as time permits. 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 readings for this week are included below.
February 12 (Read: Genesis 35 & 36)
“As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.” (Gen. 33:10 NAS)
Jacob again finds himself in a difficult situation, but God intervenes for him because he has the blessing of Abraham. Jacob returns to Bethel where God first appeared to him and he builds an altar to worship God. There the Lord appears to him and confirms the promise to give his descendants the land as an inheritance. The first time Jacob came to Bethel, the Lord visited him in a dream. This time He appears and speaks to him, then something unusual happens. The Lord allows Jacob to see Him return upward after the encounter. This must have been quite an experience, but today we have received something even greater. In the Book of Hebrews, we read that the fathers of faith received the promises but only saw their fulfillment from a distance (Heb. 11:13). “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Heb. 11:39,40). What they were looking for, we have now come to (Heb. 12:22). We are the living stones being built into a spiritual house for God (1Pe. 2:5). We are the very house of God that Jacob had a vision of at Bethel.
Help me, Father, to understand, with the eyes of my heart, what You have accomplished for me in Christ. Help me to see myself as a part of the spiritual house that You are building. Thank You for fulfilling in these last days the promises You gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
February 13 (Read: Genesis 37 & 38)
“And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” (Gen. 37:11 NAS)
There are some circumstances we are responsible for, and there are some that are beyond our control. As in Joseph’s case, even when people do things to harm us, God can turn it to for our good (Rom. 8:28). That is why, in whichever situation we find ourselves, we should be thankful (1Thess. 5:18). It may seem at the time, that none of it makes sense, but when God’s plans come to fruition, we eventually see the signs God gave along the way. The dreams Joseph had were some of those signs, and Jacob hid them in his heart. In my difficult times of transition, the confirmations that I was in God’s will, helped me stay positive. If we maintain our trust in the Lord, regardless of what happens, He will continue to reassure us that all is in His control. We may not understand everything, but His peace will help us to continue to place our trust in Him.
Father, I commit my way to You. I trust that You are directing my steps. Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, will help my heart and mind to stay focused on You. (Ps. 37:5; Isa. 26:3; Phil. 4:7)
February 14 (Read: Genesis 39 & 40)
“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.” (Gen. 39:21 NAS)
Good things and bad things will happen to us; how we react to them will determine our future. After being sold into slavery, Joseph could have given up on faith, but instead, he trusted God to help him to serve his earthly master well. “So Joseph found favor in his sight, and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge.” (Gen. 39:4). But Joseph was still not where God needed him to be, so despite holding fast to his integrity, he ended up in jail. Refusing to give in to resentment and self-pity, he decided to serve the chief jailer the way he had served Potiphar. This allowed him to be where he needed to be when Pharoah’s chief baker and chief cupbearer were sent to jail. The time, however, had not yet come for him to be released from prison. How challenging this must have been for Joseph. He had received dreams of success. His character, gifts and abilities were maturing. Despite all this, he was still hidden away in obscurity! If Joseph was learning anything at all from these trials, it was perseverance (Jas. 1:2-4). He is one of those Paul exhorts us to imitate because through faith and patience he inherited the promises (Heb. 6:12). Like Joseph, we should let patient endurance produce in us the character we need to accomplish God’s plan for our lives. (Rom. 5:3-5).
Help me, Father, to be patient when my faith is tested. I thank You that perseverance will produce in me the proven character needed to make me mature and complete, lacking nothing. I am the work of Your hands, created for the works You prepared for me, even before I was born. (Jas. 1:2-4; Eph. 2:10)
February 15 (Read: Genesis 41)
“So Pharoah said to Joseph, ‘Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are’.” (Gen. 41:39 NAS)
The gifts and abilities God has given us will open opportunities for service. What will ensure our success in those situations is our character. Many highly gifted believers have failed in their calling because of poor character. Joseph was thirty years old when he became the Prime Minister of Egypt, and he was seventeen when he shared his dream with his brothers. This means he must have spent at least 10 years in slavery. We can tell by the names he gives his two sons that they were not easy years. One he called, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household”, and the other, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”. (vs. 51,52). It was during those difficult years that Joseph developed character. At the end of his afflictions, he knew that the gift to interpret dreams was not his own ability but God working though him (vs. 16). He also had learned that to abide in God’s favor, he could not hold resentments. Once in the position of his calling, he did not grow slack, but he carried out his responsibilities with faithfulness. If we want to succeed in our calling, we should allow godly character to develop in us during our times of preparation. The Apostle Peter lists eight qualities a believer should possess to be successful. “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Pe. 1:8).
Thank You, Father, that there is a reward for obedience. Help me to be ready to serve you in season and out of season. I want to be a clean and yielded vessel, ready for Your use. (Heb. 11:6; 2Tim. 4:2; 2Tim. 3:21)
February 16 (Read: Genesis 42 & 43)
“But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them.” (Gen. 42:8,9 NAS)
The dreams Joseph had as a youth were evidence to him that God’s plans were unfolding, although he did not fully understand what they were. All he could see was that God had sent him ahead to provide a means of deliverance through the coming famine (Gen. 45:7). God’s plan, however, was far greater than that. When God made a covenant with Abraham, He was preparing the way for the Messiah to come to earth. First, the sons of Jacob had to become a large nation which God would bring back into the land promised to Abraham. When God made a covenant with Abraham, He declared, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years, but I will judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” Through Abraham’s seed (the Messiah), all nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). Through the nation of Israel, we received the Law and the Prophets which spoke of the atoning work of the Christ and His kingdom. As a nation, Israel did not accept Christ, but we are nearing the time when they will accept Jesus as the Messiah (Rom. 11:25,26). When this happens, it will be time for the Lord to return (Rom. 11:15). “But when you see these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lu. 21:28).
Thank You, Lord God, that You planned, before the foundation of the earth, to bring all things into Christ. You chose us to be in Christ, and You have sealed us with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your abiding presence, always helping us to walk in a manner pleasing to our Father. (Eph. 1:4,10,13; Rom. 8:14; Phil. 2:13)
February 17 (Read: Genesis 44 & 45)
“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Gen. 45:8 NAS)
Joseph credits God with not only bringing him to Egypt but also making him ruler over all the land of Egypt. How many of us would give God full credit for our successes? In today’s world, when people have a measure of success, they want to go on speaking tours or write books about it. Too often I have heard an element of pride come out of the mouths of some successful ministers. It is difficult to balance the grace of God working through us and our own obedience of faith. When God accomplishes something through us, it does not mean that we are not participants; we are co-workers with Christ. Joseph certainly played a part in his success. He served his earthly masters faithfully, as onto the Lord. How he viewed his role, however, was minimized in his own eyes. It reminds me of what Jesus taught: “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded of you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’” (Lu. 17:10). Joseph was humble in heart. The Apostle Paul had the same attitude towards his own success. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” (1Cor. 15:10).
Forgive us, Lord, when to take credit for what You accomplish through us. We are Your servants, and faithfulness is what is required of us. You are the One working in us to will and to do what is pleasing in Your sight. We will speak what You inspires through us. We will serve with the strength You provides. Help us, Holy Spirit, to guard our hearts from pride. (Phil. 2:13; 1Pe. 4:11).
February 18 (Read: Genesis 46 & 47)
“And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (Gen. 46:2 NAS)
Travelling to Egypt to reunite with Joseph was wonderful, but it left some questions unanswered. When God makes promises to us, and the direction we take appears to be contrary to what it should be, we must seek God for confirmation. He is always willing to guide us. After beginning the journey, and while still in the land of Canaan, Jacob sought the Lord. He needed to know if God would bless his travels and allow him to see Joseph before he died. He was also concerned about his family returning to the land God promised to Abraham. The Lord heard Jacob’s prayer and spoke to him in visions of the night. When we walk with God by faith, He directs our steps and instructs us on the way we should go. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Ps. 37:5). We do not make our own plans, then ask God to bless them; we commit our way to Him and trust that He will direct our steps.
Father, Your Word says that if I place my trust in You, my steps will be ordered by You. I am Your disciple; my spiritual senses have been awakened to hear Your instructions. I trust in Your faithfulness as I commit my way to you. (Ps. 37:5,23; Isa. 50:4)
Highway in the Wilderness 