Daily Reading Week 3
Sunday
Matthew 5:21–24
Discover:
Today's passage from Matthew 5:21–26 shows just how broad and deep the sixth commandment really goes.
Jesus isn't abolishing or changing the commandment—He's helping us understand its true heart. Many in His day thought they were fine as long as they never physically killed anyone. Jesus says that's not enough.
The commandment isn't just about our actions; it's about our hearts too. As John Calvin put it, while the hand commits murder, the heart conceives it through anger and hatred.
Unjust anger, holding grudges, and nurturing bitterness all violate this commandment—even when they never lead to violence. The sixth commandment doesn't rule out all anger—righteous anger has its place (more on that next week!). But we need to be very careful. What we call "righteous" anger can easily slide into sinful bitterness. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us forgive quickly, guard our hearts, and be open when He convicts us of wrong attitudes.
Respond:
• How has anger (yours or someone else’s) affected your relationships?
• What would it look like to deal with anger before it deals with you?
Monday
James 1 (focus v.19–20)
Discover:
As Christians, we soon learn that not everyone who says they follow Jesus truly has a saving relationship with Him. Too many are Christians in name only—their lives don't show ongoing repentance and obedience to God's Word.
Simply professing faith isn't enough; we must actually possess genuine faith in Christ. True faith shows itself in both words and actions. The book of James drives this home clearly: saving faith always transforms how we live and leads to willing obedience—not to earn salvation, but as evidence that real faith is present.
James urges us: Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). Why? Because human anger doesn't produce the righteousness God desires. He's talking about the right living and obedience God wants from His people—not the perfect righteousness we receive through Christ, but the daily choices that please Him.
Authentic faith wants to honor God in everything. But when we're too quick to judge, jump to conclusions, or deny others the benefit of the doubt, we can easily slip into sinful anger and hasty words. James warns that rushing to speak without truly listening can spark unjust anger and actions that displease our Lord.
Respond:
• When do you tend to react before listening?
• How could you practice “slow to anger” this week in a tense situation?
tuesday
James 4 (focus v.1–2)
Discover:
James 4 contains some of James’s sharpest rebukes. Though some see a shift away from the earthly/heavenly wisdom contrast of 3:13–18, the chapter actually builds directly on it.
In 4:1–3, James confronts the quarrels and fights among his readers, driven by covetousness and selfish desires—the very hallmarks of earthly wisdom (jealousy and selfish ambition). Covetousness is essentially jealousy over what belongs to others; selfish ambition often stems from craving someone else’s power or status.
These desires even lead to “murder” (v. 2)—likely not literal killing, but the character assassination James elsewhere links to the tongue’s destructive power.
Instead of the peaceable fruit of heavenly wisdom, the community displays the “disorder” and “vile practices” that flow from earthly wisdom (3:16). The root problem? Many fail to ask for heavenly wisdom at all (1:5–8; 4:2b), while others ask with wrong motives, seeking to fuel their sinful passions.
The remedy is straightforward: ask for heavenly wisdom sincerely and purely, desiring it to better serve God.
Respond:
• What unmet desire most often fuels your frustration?
• How can surrendering that area to God bring peace?
Wednesday
Genesis 4 (focus v.6–7)
Discover:
Genesis 4 begins with hope that Cain might restore humanity to Eden, but his rejected offering quickly reveals a deeper problem. Rather than repent of his half-hearted, faithless worship, Cain hardens his heart and nurses angry resentment.
God mercifully confronts him: “Why are you angry?”. The question is not for God’s information but for Cain’s self-examination and repentance, just as with Adam.
Verse 7 offers clear instruction: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” (or “forgiven”). God urges Cain to soften his heart, abandon baseless anger, and offer true worship. “Do well” here points not to justification by works but to repentance as the path to forgiveness.
The verse ends with a grave warning: sin is “crouching” at the door, ready to master Cain if he does not master it. The term “crouching” echoes ancient Near Eastern imagery of demons, hinting at Satan’s desire to dominate through sin—beginning with Cain’s unrighteous rage.
That rage, already evil, soon erupts into murder. The New Testament cites Cain as a warning to believers (1 John 3:11–15). The Holy Spirit enables holiness (Rom. 8), yet we are foolish to think ourselves immune to grave sin. Evil desire is the first step toward worse acts (James 1:14–15); if we do not resist, we risk yielding control to the serpent.
Respond:
• What does it mean to “master” anger instead of letting it control you?
• What warning signs show you that anger is starting to take over?
THursday
Colossians 3 (focus v.12–13)
Discover:
Colossians 3:12–13 calls believers God’s chosen, holy, and beloved people, and commands us to put on “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Our treatment of others—especially fellow Christians—speaks far louder about the truth of the gospel than our doctrines, creeds, or moral efforts ever could. When we are self-serving, arrogant, grudge-holding, or unforgiving, we confirm the skeptic’s view that Christianity is mere moralism with no real power to transform hearts.
But when we are overwhelmed by the grace we have received in Christ, and when God’s love overflows into genuine compassion, humility, and lavish forgiveness—even at personal cost—the world encounters something radically foreign. Unbelievers live by the flesh, seeking self-gratification while robbing God of glory; self-centeredness is the norm they expect. Christian love and forgiveness that cost something—especially toward those who wrong us—stand out as supernatural.
Jesus taught that loving only those who love us is ordinary and earns no reward (Luke 6:32). He calls us to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and do good to those who hate us. Paul echoes this in Colossians 3:13: forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.
Such forgiveness and forbearance are humanly impossible. When they appear in our lives, the watching world sees something divine—the Spirit of Christ at work, breaking the power of selfishness and sin, and demonstrating the new life in the Spirit (Rom. 7:6). This is the witness that draws people to the One they know they need.
Respond:
• Who do you need to forgive to keep bitterness from growing?
• What “new clothes” (virtues) do you need to put on today?
Friday
Ephesians 4 (focus v.26–27, 31–32)
Discover:
Ephesians 4:26–32 confronts the reality of anger in the Christian life: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. … Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up. … Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Jesus remains widely admired in our culture, yet often for the wrong reasons. Many portray Him as a gentle, never-angry “flower child” of peace and love, stripped of any righteous indignation. The biblical Jesus, however, does become angry—at sin, even among His own disciples. Perfect holiness cannot coexist with transgression without responding in wrath. His anger is always righteous.
Discipleship does not require us to banish all anger. On the contrary, Paul assumes righteous anger is legitimate when he commands, “Be angry and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26). The issue is not anger itself, but whether it is righteous or sinful. We must be angry at heinous sin—yet human anger rarely stays pure.
John Calvin identifies three common ways anger becomes sinful:
1. It arises from trivial or imaginary causes, refusing to overlook minor faults (1 Pet. 4:8).
2. It exceeds proper bounds, exploding into disproportionate excess (Matt. 18:21–35).
3. It targets people rather than sin itself, fixating on the speck in another’s eye while ignoring the log in our own (Matt. 7:1–5).
Even potentially righteous anger can quickly give the devil a foothold if we let it linger. Paul urges us to resolve it swiftly: do not let the sun go down on your anger. By defusing resentment before bedtime, we prevent it from festering into bitterness, wrath, clamor, slander, or malice. Instead, we put on kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness—mirroring the forgiveness we have received in Christ.
Respond:
• What anger have you allowed to linger too long?
• How could you take the first step toward reconciliation today?
Saturday
Proverbs 15 (focus v.1)
Discover:
Picture a tense moment: your spouse confronts you with hard truths about your failure. Pride surges. Your inner lawyer urges retaliation—“That’s not fair,” “You’re the real problem,” “I’ve put up with worse from you.” The temptation is to defend, condemn, or lash out.
We all know this struggle. Harsh words feel natural, but they only fuel anger and destroy reconciliation.
The Proverbs 15:1 offers a better way: a soft answer. Gentleness, kindness, and humility de-escalate wrath rather than inflame it. In the heat of conflict, defending yourself, storming out, arguing logically, ignoring the issue, or merely absorbing the blow—all fail. A gentle, gracious response creates space for honest, hopeful, fruitful conversation and shows commitment to the relationship.
Yet we admit: in our flesh, harshness comes easier. True softness is impossible apart from Christ. He first loved us, transforming our hearts so we can love and speak like Him. Consider Jesus with grieving Martha and Mary, with the Samaritan woman at the well, or with the blind, mute, and outcast—each time responding with grace in difficult moments.
By His power, we can choose the soft answer that turns away wrath and reflects His love. Will we follow His example?
Respond:
• When could a gentle response change the tone of a tense situation?
• How can you let the Holy Spirit guide your words and tone this week?