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 daily readings for this week are included below.
Aug 20 (Read: Ps. 97, 98, 99 & 100)
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” (Ps. 100:4 NASB)
If we want to be ministered to by the Lord, we must first minister to Him. That is what the leaders in Antioch were doing when the Holy Spirit instructed them to set Paul and Barnabas apart for their apostolic ministry. God’s desire to bless us is greater than our desire to be blessed, but the way we approach Him has a lot to do with how we will be blessed. We must enter the Holy place with confidence and a sincere heart, through the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19-22). We cannot approach His throne because of our good deeds.
The psalmist uses the illustration of the temple in the verse above. When we enter by a gate, we pass through the courtyard, where sacrifices are made. This is why we approach God with praise and thanksgiving. We offer a sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15,16). To our spirit man, praise is not a sacrifice, but to our flesh it is (Matt. 26:41). As we begin with praise and thanksgiving, our soul comes under subjection to our spirit. Our goal is not to remain in the courtyard, but to ascend to the throne room. In temple, this would be in the Holy of Holies, with the curtain removed between the holy place and the most holy place. To ascend to God’s throne in the third heaven, we must go through the second heaven where the devil’s tries to rule. As we go through the second heaven, we do spiritual war with our praises. Breaking through the second heaven may not take very long if there is no resistance in our soul, but sometimes the battle may be difficult. Once we break through and enter the third heaven, our praises must turn to worship. This is communion with God. In the holy place is where we cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us (1Pe. 5:7). This is where we minister to Him with words of love and adoration. And, this is where He speaks and ministers to us.
“Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” (Ps. 95:6,7).
Aug 21 (Read: Ps. 101, 102 & 103)
The daily devotion will be added later. Until then, please ask the Lord to give you a “wonderful thought” from today’s reading.
Aug 22 (Read: Ps. 104 & 105)
The daily devotion will be added later. Until then, please ask the Lord to give you a “wonderful thought” from today’s reading.
Aug 23 (Read: Ps. 106)
The daily devotion will be added later. Until then, please ask the Lord to give you a “wonderful thought” from today’s reading.
Aug 24 (Read: Prov. 21)
“He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.” (Prov. 21:23 NASB)
So much has been said about the power of words as it relates to faith. Very little, however, is taught concerning the effect of words on our soul. This verse tells us that we can guard our soul from troubles by controlling our tongue. Does that not sound a lot like the Epistle of James? “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” (Jas. 3:2). James applies this principle first to teachers. We should not be too quick to teach others what we are learning ourselves. The enemy of our souls is sure to test us on what we declare to be right. If we fail, he accuses us before God (Rev. 12:10). We should only teach what we are putting into practice. James applies this principle also to blessings and curses. From the fountain of our heart should flow only fresh water, not bitter water (Jas. 3:11). God wants us to bless people, but instead we curse them by judging them. When we pass judgment on people, we condemn them to punishment. This hurts our soul because Jesus said, “Do not judge lest you be judged.” (Matt. 7:1). Another way that words can hurt us is by complaining. What happened to the Israelites in the wilderness was written for our instruction. Among other things, we are told not to “grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” (1Cor. 10:10). Instead, we should “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thess. 5:18).
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for the fruit of self-control which helps me to guard the words of my mouth. I choose to exercise faith through my words, even with the giving of thanks in every situation, because You can make all things work for my good. I also choose to bless and not to curse. Help me, Lord, to be merciful so I can obtain mercy. Help me also to be quick to hear, and slow to speak. With Your help, Lord, I will put into practice what You teach me before I teach it to others. (Gal. 5:23; 2Cor. 4:13; Matt. 5:7; Jas. 1:19).
Aug 25 (Read: Deut. 1 & 2)
The daily devotion will be added later. Until then, please ask the Lord to give you a “wonderful thought” from today’s reading.
Aug 26 (Read: Deut. 3 & 4)
The daily devotion will be added later. Until then, please ask the Lord to give you a “wonderful thought” from today’s reading.
Highway in the Wilderness 