Daily Reading Week 4
Sunday
Matthew 5:27–30
Discover:
Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:27–30 that the seventh commandment (“You shall not commit adultery”) goes much deeper than most people think. In our culture, few have actually had an affair, and singles can’t commit adultery in the strict sense unless they’re involved with a married person. But almost everyone must admit they’ve looked at someone with lustful thoughts.
We live in a world that constantly promotes and celebrates all kinds of sexual sin. Jesus makes it clear: the commandment also forbids lust in the heart.
This doesn’t mean lust is exactly the same as acting on it—an actual affair causes much greater harm (broken marriages, shattered trust, etc.). But every affair starts with lust that’s fed instead of resisted. As James 1:14–15 shows, sin begins in the heart—so lust falls under what God forbids here.
Lust isn’t the same as normal, God-given sexual desire (which is good and beautiful within marriage—see Genesis 2:23–24). It’s also not just noticing someone is attractive (Scripture describes beauty without sin).
Lust is the desire to pursue or enjoy any sexual activity God calls wrong—whether that’s pornography, fantasies about someone who isn’t your spouse, or any other forbidden behavior.
We should be doing all we can to build homes and churches where purity is valued and sin has no easy place to hide. Let’s keep returning to God’s good design for sexuality so we can recognize and resist the lies our culture tells us every day.
Respond:
• What steps can you take to guard your heart and mind from temptation?
• How does Jesus’ teaching here challenge today’s definition of “normal”?
Monday
Genesis 2 (focus v.24) / Matthew 19 (focus v.6)
Discover:
As Moses wraps up the story of Adam and Eve’s creation, he shows us that God Himself designed marriage when He created woman. This beautiful passage in Genesis 2:24 lays the foundation for understanding marriage—the very one Jesus pointed to when He taught about God’s heart on divorce (Matthew 19:1–9).
Genesis 2:24 gives us four key elements of the marriage bond:
1. One man and one woman Marriage is fundamentally between a man and a woman. In a time when culture often redefines marriage, Scripture’s clear design remains unchanging and good.
2. Leaving A man leaves his parents—not abandoning them or moving far away, but shifting his primary loyalty. Before marriage, his main responsibility is to his parents; after the wedding, caring for and prioritizing his wife becomes his first calling.
3. Holding fast (or cleaving) He clings to his wife in a permanent, exclusive commitment. This “holding fast” carries a sense of deep affection, passion, and lifelong faithfulness—no one else takes her place.
4. Becoming one flesh In marriage, husband and wife become one in a profound, God-given union. This “one flesh” bond includes emotional closeness, spiritual unity, and joyful sexual intimacy—all within God’s beautiful design. To experience this oneness, each spouse follows the roles Scripture gives, treats the other with honesty and respect, and actively supports the other’s growth in godliness.
Marriage is God’s gracious gift. When we honor His plan for it, we experience the joy, security, and intimacy He intended from the beginning. Let’s give thanks for this good gift—and live it out faithfully!
Respond:
• How does viewing marriage as a covenant change the way you see commitment?
• What can you do today to strengthen faithfulness—whether in marriage, dating, or singleness?
tuesday
Psalm 119 (focus v.9-11)
Discover:
God has written His moral law on every human conscience, but when the Reformers talked about the proper use of the law, they focused especially on the moral law as it’s clearly revealed in Scripture—part of the Mosaic law.
This written law (and even the law on the conscience) does two key things:
• It restrains sin, keeping people from becoming as evil as they could be (1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Timothy 1:8–11).
• It reveals our sin, showing us how much we need Christ’s righteousness to be right with God (Romans 7:7–25; Galatians 3:24).
But there’s one more vital use of God’s law that the Reformers treasured—and for some, like John Calvin, it was the most important: the law as a guide for living in a way that pleases God and grows in holiness.
Scripture is full of this truth. Psalm 119:9–11 tells us the best way to keep from sinning and dishonoring God is to treasure His law in our hearts—to know it so deeply that it shapes who we are at the core.
Jesus Himself affirms this in Matthew 5:17–20: not even the smallest part of God’s law will pass away until everything is fulfilled. Since full fulfillment comes only when Christ returns and we receive glorified bodies free from sin, the moral law remains our faithful guide as long as we live in this fallen world.
True believers are no longer under the law as a covenant of works for justification or condemnation. Yet the law is of great use to us—it serves as a rule of life, showing us God’s will and our duty.
God’s law:
• Corrects our wrong ideas about right and wrong.
• Teaches us that truly good works involve both the right action and the right heart motive.
• Helps us make wise, God-honoring decisions every day.
It’s God’s gracious gift to equip us to please Him in everything we think, say, do, love, and believe.
Respond:
• What is God highlighting in your heart that may be pulling you away from His path?
• How can you invite the Holy Spirit to strengthen you in choosing what honors God?
Wednesday
Job 31 (focus v.1)
Discover:
This single verse reveals a principle for guarding our hearts in a world full of temptation. Job understood that purity begins not with our actions, but with what we allow our eyes—and our minds—to linger on. Long before Jesus taught that lustful looks are already adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:27–28), Job recognized that the battle for holiness is won or lost in the quiet, private choices of the gaze.
Making a “covenant with my eyes” means deliberately choosing to look away from anything that stirs sinful desire. It is an active, intentional vow before God to protect the purity He calls us to. In Job’s day, as in ours, the eyes are gateways to the heart. What we choose to fixate on shapes what we treasure, what we crave, and ultimately what we become.
This commitment is not about denying beauty or suppressing all attraction—God created us to notice and delight in what is good. Rather, it is about refusing to feed lustful thoughts, refusing to entertain fantasies, and refusing to let our eyes wander where they have no right to go.
Job’s example challenges us today:
• Will we make the same covenant with our eyes in an age of endless images and instant access to temptation?
• Will we guard our screens, our thoughts, and our glances the way we guard a precious treasure?
• Will we train our hearts to say “no” quickly and firmly when temptation knocks?
The good news is that God does not leave us to fight this battle alone. Through His Spirit, His Word, and the accountability of His people, He gives us strength to look away, to look upward, and to find our deepest satisfaction in Him alone.
Respond:
• Where do your eyes and thoughts need stronger boundaries?
• What could you “cut off” this week to protect your heart and mind?
THursday
Romans 1:18-32
Discover:
Abraham gets more attention in the New Testament than almost any other Old Testament figure. Jesus points out how Abraham rejoiced looking forward to the Messiah’s day (John 8:56). James calls his faith a perfect example (James 2:21–23), and Hebrews gives him the most space in its famous “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:8–19).
Called out of a pagan nation and justified before receiving any Israelite marks, Abraham is the ultimate picture of God’s amazing grace. That’s why Paul—the apostle to the Gentiles—keeps pointing back to him.
In Romans 1:18–32, Paul first shows the universal problem: everyone is under sin’s power and desperately needs a Savior. Only then will he introduce Abraham’s faith.
In verse 18, Paul says God’s wrath is being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. This “wrath” emphasizes the serious, ongoing judgment against sin.
While God judges every kind of ungodliness, Paul highlights idolatry as the root sin that leads to everything else. People knowingly suppress the truth God reveals through creation and choose to worship idols instead (vv. 19–23). All sin flows from our stubborn refusal to give God the honor and glory He deserves as Creator. In response, God “hands people over” to their sinful desires (vv. 24–32). The deeper the idolatry, the more openly sinful a society becomes.
Paul points to homosexuality as one clear sign of this downward spiral—when people commit the unnatural act of worshiping false gods, they’re given over to other unnatural acts. But God’s wrath also shows up in many other sins: murder, gossip, deceit, and even rebellion against parents. What seals humanity’s guilt is that people don’t just commit these sins—they approve of those who do (vv. 28–32).
This sobering picture sets the perfect stage for the good news Paul is about to unfold!
Respond:
• How have modern “norms” about sex and relationships distorted God’s truth?
• How can you refocus your worship and desires toward God this week?
Friday
Malachi 2 (focus on v.15–16)
Discover:
False worship comes in two main forms:
1. Worshiping false gods — that's usually the obvious one.
2. Worshiping the one true God in ways He hasn't approved — this one's often harder to spot.
Sadly, the people who should be protecting true worship (like priests and leaders) can sometimes be the biggest promoters of the wrong kind. In the mid-5th century BC, post-exilic Jews in Jerusalem faced this exact issue. Priests were allowing defective animals to be sacrificed, even though God clearly commanded that offerings must be perfect and blemish-free.
God’s response was a strong warning through Malachi:
In Malachi 2:1–9, He tells these priests that if they keep failing in their duties:
• Their words of blessing would backfire and become curses instead.
• The people they “blessed” with improper sacrifices would face serious loss, since God’s blessings were tied to prosperity.
• If they persisted in sin, God would remove them from office — dramatically pictured as animal dung smeared on their faces, a symbol of utter shame and disgrace.
History shows this wasn’t just a threat: the reforms in Ezra 7–10 and Nehemiah 8–13 suggest these priests didn’t repent, and God did indeed remove them.
Another big problem was religious intermarriage (Malachi 2:10–16). Jewish men were divorcing their faithful Jewish wives (the “wife of your youth”) and marrying foreign women from other faiths. Money was the most likely cause. Judah was economically devastated after the exile. Marrying into a foreign family offered financial security and a way out of poverty, while staying with their original wife often meant hardship. In short, they chose earthly wealth over covenant faithfulness — trusting in money instead of their heavenly Father’s provision.
These examples remind us how seriously God takes worship that honors Him on His terms, not ours. He calls His people to wholehearted, faithful devotion — in sacrifice, in marriage, and in every area of life.
Respond:
• How can you bring healing to broken relationships through grace and forgiveness?
• What would it look like for God’s love to rewrite your story?
Saturday
John 8 (focus on v.3–11)
Discover:
One of the most moving encounters in the Gospels involves a woman caught in adultery. Dragged before Jesus by the religious leaders, she stood humiliated in the temple court—surrounded by scribes, Pharisees, the crowd, and Jesus Himself—while they tried to trap Him.
Their plan was clever:
• If Jesus said, “Let her go,” they could accuse Him of breaking Moses’ law (which called for death).
• If He said, “Stone her,” they could report Him to the Romans, who reserved executions for themselves.
Jesus seemed cornered. But He answered in a way no one expected. He agreed the law stood: she deserved death. Then He quietly added, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” He bent down and wrote on the ground—perhaps listing their own hidden sins, known perfectly to Him.
One by one, convicted by conscience, the accusers slipped away, starting with the oldest, until the courtyard was empty except for the woman and Jesus.
The only truly sinless person there was Jesus—the very Lawgiver Himself. He had every right to condemn her. Instead, He looked up and gently said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.”
In that moment, she experienced the breathtaking compassion of Christ. Her guilt was undeniable—she’d been caught red-handed. Yet before the holy Son of God, she found mercy instead of judgment.
This story reminds every one of us: no matter how obvious our sin, Jesus offers real forgiveness to anyone who comes to Him in repentance. There is always hope in His presence.
Respond:
• How have you personally experienced both God’s truth and His grace?
• What would it mean for you to “go and sin no more” this week?