A Catch-Up Day Promise

I'm currently on day seven of a ten week plan to read through the first five books of the Bible written by Moses. Every week the plan has built in a catch-up day. Here's a bit about the reading plan and an invitation to join me. For today's Bible thought skip to the passage from 2 Timothy. On this catch-up day I decided to add in another reading plan and I have included information about it and have written today's note in response to it. I'll plan to read this plan once a week on the catch-up days if I'm not behind.
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Info and invite
Old Testament – The Books of Moses

10 Weeks

This simple plan will lead you through the first five books of the Old Testament. With just a few chapters to read each day, this is a great plan for individual or group study.

This plan was created by YouVersion. For more information, visit: www.youversion.com

bible.us/r/3a Join me in reading Old Testament – The Books of Moses:

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2TI 4:16-18 ESV

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Pray: God, connect with me here, as I seek you in your Word. Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you.

Read: the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of intriguing words and phrases and read them a second time.
Reflect: on what strikes you as you read. Think through what God is communicating to you at this point in your life.

Respond: to the passage. Speak to God directly about what's on your mind and heart. Look for ways to live out what you've uncovered.

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Info about the 7 Days of God's Promises plan below

God's Promises

7 Days

Friends and loved ones will occasionally let us down; nobody's perfect. But when others disappoint us, we can take comfort in knowing God never fails.

We would like to thank American Bible Society for their generosity in providing this Uncover the Word reading plan.
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William's thoughts on today's passage.
Paul is writing to encourage his young coworker in the gospel work, Timothy.

Both Timothy and Paul faced opposition from evil men who opposed the message about Jesus being talked about.
Any one who makes it thier aim to spread the good news about Jesus will have opposition from people like the ones opposing Paul and Timothy.
So you too should read these promises and find encouragement because it will happen to you.

Share it if it's good!

If you are a believer, you will be compelled by the Holy Spirit of God to tell others. It only makes sense. Who could keep it to themselves? Once I heard it is like one beggar telling the other beggars where he found free bread. I'm sure you are aware of the terrible wrath of God coming to this world and you can not let your friends, family members, neighbours and colleagues race headlong into such a hideous end if in fact you know how they can be saved. You wouldn't let a group of children walk around the corner and plunge into a fresh sinkhole leading to a volcanic pit of fire? You'd warn them. You'd offer to lead them to safety.

So the christian must tell about Jesus' being the way the truth and the life. But evil people will oppose you.

Paul says to Timothy here in the passage above, When you face opposition although people may fail you, Jesus will strengthen you. God will come to your aid.
You will be able to keep proclaiming the good news that Jesus saves us from the coming wrath of God. Jesus will stand by you strengthen you and rescue you so that you can keep telling others even when you are opposed or abandoned.

Jesus will save you too!

So keep telling unbelievers, keep telling each other, keep telling yourself, Jesus saves!

A heart to know me.-- A Tale of Two Figs.

Audio Blog

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Jeremiah 24:6-8 NIV

My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord .

They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

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Lost Baby Boot on Rustlings Road, Sheffield.

The prophet Jeremiah had a difficult job. God wanted him to deliver a lot of bad news. Thankfully for us, and God's people then, God's message of judgement always has little moments of hope. (Just as an aside, today's daily Bible reading, for me, includes the famous 70 years passage that gets Daniel all worked up, but that's for another time.)

God uses a couple baskets of figs to make a point. And for me today, I've chosen to focus on the hopeful message pictured in the tasty figs.

This basket is a variable cornucopia of promises. Anybody reading this would be a bit confused but would want the good fig deal offered in basket number 1.
The confusion comes in having to leave the land and go into exile to be blessed. But there it is, the exiles are the ones God is going to do the good to. We'll not explore the bad fig basket's scenario today but suffice it to say, it stinks!

So let's look at the promises for the exiles.

God's eyes will watch over them for their good--not just a negative big brother but a benevolent Father.

God will bring them back. Sometimes it seems you've got to leave a good thing to get it. Grasping does but result in anything positive. Don't try and force God's hand in promise fulfilment.

There is a promise to build them up!
There is a promise to plant them!

And maybe the biggest promise of all: God will give them new hearts!

And the new heart is expressly so they can know God!

These promises might seem remote and unrelated to us, but they are not. From Genesis to Revelation some form of these promises is repeated and expanded upon. And so we are definitely inheritors of the promise of a new heart that knows God. 

Read how Paul says it to the believers in Rome, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (NLTse)

Now that is a fulfilment of a new heart that can know God! 

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Jeremiah 24:1-10 NIV

After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord . One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.  Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”  Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.  My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.  “ ‘But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord , ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.’ ”

Audio Blog

https://soundcloud.com/wkbode/consider-the-following-a-heart

Now on iTunes as a podcast :

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/william-bode/id635644278