DAILY READING WEEK 36
Sunday
Jude 1 (focus v.22-23)
Discover:
Luke 15 gives us some of the clearest pictures of God's love for sinners. In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, Jesus shows both God's eagerness to seek those who have wandered away and His great joy when they repent.
As God's people, we are called to reflect that same heart (Eph. 5:1). Jude reminds us, however, that before we can help others, we must first be grounded in the faith ourselves (Jude 20-21). A deep knowledge of God's Word equips us to gently lead others back to the truth.
Jude also teaches that not everyone should be approached in the same way. Wisdom requires us to respond according to each person's situation. Some people are struggling with sincere doubts. These individuals need compassion, patience, and understanding, not criticism or condemnation.
Others are in greater danger, drifting toward false teaching and away from Christ. They need loving but urgent warnings before they wander further from the truth.
Still others may have fully embraced false teaching. Jude calls us to show them mercy as well, but with caution. As we seek to help them, we must remain watchful so that we are not influenced by the very errors we are confronting.
Respond:
1. What stands out to you about Jude’s picture of rescuing others?
2. Why do you think sharing faith can feel intimidating?
3. Who in your life needs the hope of Jesus?
4. What would it look like for you to live on mission this week?
Monday
1 Kings 19 (Focus v.1-18)
Discover:
The dramatic events on Mount Carmel should have settled the question of who the true God was. Fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice, hundreds of Baal's prophets were defeated, and rain returned to Israel after Elijah prayed. Yet instead of repenting, Queen Jezebel responded with greater hostility and sought Elijah's life (1 Kings 18-19). This is often how hardened hearts react to God's work. Rather than surrendering, they resist Him even more.
Fearing for his life, Elijah fled south to Mount Horeb (Sinai), where God had given His law to Israel. Along the way, God miraculously sustained him with food provided by an angel. Elijah's forty-day journey echoes both Israel's wilderness experience and Moses' forty days on Sinai. In this sense, Elijah served as both a new Moses and a faithful representative of Israel. Ultimately, these patterns point forward to Jesus Christ, the greater Moses and the true Israel, who also spent forty days in the wilderness and faithfully proclaimed God's Word.
At Horeb, Elijah lamented Israel's unfaithfulness and called attention to the nation's covenant-breaking. God assured him that judgment would come upon Ahab's house, but not through dramatic displays of power like wind, earthquakes, or fire. Instead, the Lord revealed His plan through a gentle whisper and would accomplish His purposes through ordinary means, using leaders such as Hazael and Jehu.
This passage reminds us that while God sometimes works in extraordinary ways, He often carries out His will through the ordinary means of His Word and through the actions of people. The same God who judged Ahab also preserved a faithful remnant, proving that He is always at work, even when His activity is less dramatic than we might expect.
Respond:
1. When have you experienced God’s mercy during a difficult season?
2. Why is compassion important when helping others?
3. Who in your life may need encouragement right now?
4. How can you show God’s mercy to someone this week?
Tuesday
JONAH 3 (FOCUS V.1-10)
Discover:
One of the most encouraging truths in Scripture is that God is a God of second chances. When we fail, He does not immediately cast us aside. In His grace, He often restores us and gives us new opportunities to follow and serve Him. David received mercy after his sin with Bathsheba. Peter was restored after denying Christ. Jonah was given another opportunity to obey after running from God’s call. The same is true for many believers today. While God never owes us a second chance, He often graciously provides one.
After rescuing Jonah from the sea, God again called him to preach to Nineveh. This time, Jonah obeyed. He traveled to the great Assyrian city and delivered God’s warning of coming judgment (Jonah 3:1-4).
What happened next was remarkable. The people of Nineveh believed God’s message and responded with genuine repentance. Their faith was more than simply acknowledging God’s existence. They accepted His Word as true and changed their behavior accordingly. From the common people to the king himself, the entire city humbled itself before God. The king even called for a citywide fast and urged everyone to turn from their evil ways (Jonah 3:5-9).
When God saw their repentance, He withheld the judgment He had announced (v. 10). This demonstrates an important biblical principle: God delights in showing mercy to those who turn to Him in faith. His warnings are often intended to lead people to repentance rather than destruction. Nineveh’s response did not surprise God. From eternity He knew they would repent, and He used Jonah’s message as the means to awaken their hearts and draw them to Himself.
Respond:
1. Have you ever felt reluctant to share your faith with someone?
2. Why do people sometimes assume others are beyond God’s reach?
3. How does Jonah’s story encourage you?
4. Who is someone you need to stop giving up on?
Wednesday
GENESIS 18 (FOCUS V.16-33)
Discover:
This passage teaches us an important lesson about prayer and God’s sovereignty. At first glance, it may seem that Abraham changed God’s mind as he pleaded for Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham repeatedly asked whether the cities would be spared if righteous people could be found there, and God agreed not to destroy them if even ten righteous individuals remained (Gen. 18:32).
But Scripture makes clear that God does not change His mind as people do (Num. 23:19). He knows the end from the beginning and has eternally ordained all that comes to pass. Nothing surprises Him, and nothing can alter His sovereign plan.
Rather than discouraging prayer, however, this truth gives us confidence to pray. God’s hidden purposes belong to Him alone (Deut. 29:29), but He has revealed that He works through the prayers of His people. Prayer is one of the means God has appointed to accomplish His will.
When we pray, we are not informing God of something He does not know or persuading Him to adopt a better plan. Instead, we are participating in His purposes, bringing our requests before Him with the confidence that He hears us and delights to answer prayers that align with His will (1 John 5:14).
Abraham’s example reminds us that God’s people should pray boldly, persistently, and reverently. We can confidently bring our concerns before the Lord, knowing that our prayers matter and that He sovereignly uses them to accomplish His good purposes.
Respond:
1. Who are you consistently praying for right now?
2. Why is prayer an important part of sharing your faith?
3. How has someone else’s prayers impacted your life?
4. What would it look like to become more intentional in praying for others?
Thursday
MARK 2 (FOCUS V.1-5)
Discover:
True faith is determined to reach Jesus, no matter the obstacles. We see this in the first chapter of Mark with the leper who pushed past social stigma and ceremonial restrictions because he believed Jesus could do what no one else could (Mark 1:40-45). His faith led him directly to the One who fulfilled everything the law pointed toward.
We see that same determination in the story of the paralyzed man. Jesus had returned to Capernaum, and a large crowd gathered to hear Him teach. Four friends carried a paralytic to the house, hoping Jesus would heal him. But when they arrived, the crowd was so large that they could not get through (Mark 2:1-4).
Most people would have given up and tried again another day. Not these men. Convinced that Jesus was their friend’s only hope, they climbed onto the roof, dug through it, and lowered the paralytic down into Jesus’ presence. Their actions revealed a faith that refused to let obstacles stand in the way of meeting the Savior.
Jesus immediately saw the reality of their faith. Unlike us, He can look beyond outward actions and see the heart itself. Yet their persistence demonstrated the confidence they had in Him. In response, Jesus did something unexpected: before addressing the man’s physical condition, He forgave his sins (v. 5), revealing that our deepest need is spiritual restoration.
This account reminds us that genuine faith is not passive. It actively seeks Christ, perseveres through difficulties, and trusts Him as the only source of true healing and salvation.
Respond:
1. What impresses you most about the faith of these friends?
2. Who has helped bring you closer to Jesus?
3. What obstacles might be keeping someone from Christ?
4. How can you intentionally invest in someone’s spiritual journey?
Friday
ACTS 8 (FOCUS V.26-40)
Discover:
The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch highlights the expanding reach of the gospel and the inclusive nature of God’s kingdom. Under the old covenant, a eunuch could not fully participate in Israel’s assembly (Deut. 23:1). These restrictions served a symbolic purpose, pointing to the holiness God required of His covenant people. But with the coming of Christ, those symbols gave way to the greater reality they anticipated.
As the gospel spread, the Holy Spirit demonstrated that barriers once separating people were being removed. Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, and now even a eunuch were welcomed into God’s family through faith in Christ.
Directed by an angel, Philip met an Ethiopian official traveling home from Jerusalem. The man was reading Isaiah 53, a passage describing the suffering Messiah, but he struggled to understand its meaning. His response to Philip reminds us that God often uses other believers and the fellowship of the church to help us understand His Word. Scripture is not meant to be studied in complete isolation.
Beginning with Isaiah 53, Philip explained how Jesus fulfilled the prophet’s words. He likely also showed how God’s salvation would extend beyond Israel to the nations, just as Isaiah had foretold. As the eunuch grasped the good news of Christ, he recognized that the blessings of the gospel were for him as well.
When they came to water, the eunuch asked to be baptized. Nothing stood in his way. Through faith in Christ, he was fully welcomed into the covenant community, regardless of his nationality, background, or physical condition. Philip baptized him, and the eunuch continued on his journey filled with joy (Acts 8:39).
This passage illustrates that the gospel breaks down barriers and welcomes all who trust in Jesus. In Christ, our standing before God is not determined by ethnicity, social status, background, or personal history, but by faith alone.
Respond:
1. Have you ever sensed God prompting you to talk with someone?
2. What fears keep people from sharing their faith?
3. How does Philip’s example encourage you?
4. How can you become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading?
Saturday
JOHN 1 (FOCUS V.40-42)
Discover:
Andrew may not be one of the most prominent disciples in the New Testament, but he consistently brought people to Jesus. After becoming convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the first person Andrew sought out was his brother Simon Peter (John 1:41). In fact, whenever Andrew appears in John’s Gospel, he is often introducing someone to Christ. His example reminds us that one of the simplest and most important acts of discipleship is helping others meet Jesus.
Andrew’s introduction of Peter to Christ would have far-reaching consequences. Jesus immediately gave Simon a new name, Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Greek), both meaning “rock.” This name pointed ahead to Peter’s unique role in the early church. Long before Peter’s famous confession of Christ at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus knew the part he would play in God’s plan. Peter would preach at Pentecost, help open the door of the gospel to the Gentiles, and contribute to the New Testament through his letters.
Yet there is an important lesson in the relationship between Andrew and Peter. Though Peter would become more widely known and influential, it was Andrew who first brought him to Jesus. God often uses people who seem less prominent to shape those who later have a greater public impact.
This should encourage and humble us. We may never know the full effect of our witness, encouragement, or teaching. A conversation, invitation, or act of kindness may be used by God in ways far beyond what we can imagine. It also reminds us that no believer is above learning from others. God frequently teaches us through people we might overlook.
Andrew’s story shows that faithfulness is often more important than prominence. He may not have preached to thousands like Peter, but without Andrew’s willingness to bring one person to Jesus, Peter’s story might have begun very differently.
Respond:
1. Who is your “one more” right now?
2. What keeps people from extending simple invitations?
3. How did someone help you meet Jesus?
4. What invitation can you extend this week?