November 30

Today's Reading

Daniel. Great mystery surrounds this chapter of Daniel's writing. He is obviously seeing things in the future, but how many of them have already taken place and how many are to come? Over what time period do these kingdoms rise and fall? Is he speaking of a world ruler we think of as the Beast (or Antichrist) or is he speaking about ancient Rome? This much is certain: we must keep these words near and refer to them as history unfolds. We may be alive as many of them come to pass. By the way, the Lion traditionally refers to England, the Bear to Russia and the Leopard to Africa.

1 John. John, called "the disciple whom Jesus loved", wrote three little letters that bear his name. They are far different than the Gospel account, which chronicles the earthly ministry of Jesus. They are different than Revelation, which we are nearing as we read. Each of them has a purpose and each is full of powerful words for those of us who want to know Jesus deeply. He opens the first letter with this truth: God is light and has no darkness in Him. On the other hand, we live in a dark world and often yield to the dark power. Amazingly, all that that is necessary is for us to confess our sins and He will for give. Wow!

Psalms. This longest chapter of the Bible keeps referring to God's commands and how they help us. It refers to our need to be revived sometimes. And it refers to afflictions and how they help us keep focus. I think it fitting that the chapter ends with, "I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands." We don't want to wander away and we feel guilty when we do, but the truth is, we do!

Proverbs. I have received many nice complements and have often been very grateful for the encouragement they brought me. On the other hand, I can remember a handful of honest criticisms over the years that linger on and on, constantly reminding me of my need to grow.

How are you growing? What is challenging you?