December 5   Amos 1-2 Psalm 137 Proverbs 29:1-3 3 John 1 The Blessing of Discipleship   “For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth.  I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”  3 John 1:3-4 LSB   When I was a college student at Auburn University, my Baptist campus minister, Clete Sipes, instilled in me a love for discipleship.  He impressed upon my heart the need to

December 4   Joel 2:12-3:21 Psalm 136:13-26 Proverbs 28:27-28 2 John 1 The Abounding Grace And Mercy Of Our God   “’Yet even now,’ declares Yahweh, ‘Return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping, and wailing;  and tear your heart and not your garments.’  Now return to Yahweh your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting concerning evil.  Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing

December 3   Joel 1:1-2:11 Psalm 136:1-12 Proverbs 28:24-26 I John 5 Overcome the World   “For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world—our faith.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  I John 5:4-5 LSB   When we think about overcoming something, we think about overcoming in a battle or a fight, gaining a victory.  In sports we overcome our rival by wi

December 2   Hosea 12-14 Psalm 135:15-21 Proverbs 28:22-23 I John 4 Jesus Christ Is The Test   “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you have

December 1   Hosea 10-11 Psalm 135:8-14 Proverbs 28:20-21 I John 3 Children Of God   “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  All who have this hope

November 30   Hosea 8-9 Psalm 135:1-7 Proverbs 28:18-19 1 John 2 Our God Is Greater   “For I know that Yahweh is great and that our Lord is greater than all gods.  Whatever Yahweh pleases, He does, in Heaven and on Earth, in the sea and in all deeps.  The One who causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the Earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His storehouses.”  Psalm 135:5-7  LSB    When I read this verse, I think of one of the songs my

November 29   Hosea 6-7 Psalm 134 Proverbs 28:16-17 1 John 1 Light   “And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  1 John 1:5-7  LSB   The wor

November 28   Hosea 4-5 Psalm 133 Proverbs 28:14-15 2 Peter 3 Trembling   “Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.” Proverbs 28:14 NIV   This verse explains that those who demonstrate reverence and respect for God will be blessed, but those who harden their hearts will face trouble.  We have discussed several times the idea of fearing the Lord. Recognizing the majesty and holiness of God is essential to a proper u

November 27   Hosea 1-3 Psalm 132:11-18 Proverbs 28:13 2 Peter 2 Spiritual Adultery   “And I will betroth you to Me forever; indeed, I with betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.  Then you will know Yahweh.”  Hosea 2:19-20 LSB   God used Hosea’s life as a symbol of the relationship between God and Israel.  The Israelites had turned to other gods and had forsaken the one true God.  G

November 26   Daniel 11-12 Psalm 132:1-10 Proverbs 28:12 2 Peter 1 Prophecy   “And we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.  Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one’s own interpretation.  For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”  2 Peter 1:19-21 LS

November 25   Daniel 9-10 Psalm 131 Proverbs 28:10-11 1 Peter 5 I Have Quieted My Soul   “O Yahweh, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised high;  and I do not involve myself in great matters, or in matters too marvelous for me.  Surely I have soothed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel, wait for Yahweh from now until forever.”  Psalm 131 LSB   This psalm is short, but profound.  It describe

November 24   Daniel 7-8 Psalm 130 Proverbs 28:8-9 1 Peter 4 Daniel’s Dream   “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his head as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and said the following summary of the matter.”  Daniel 7:1 LSB   This dream bears a striking resemblance to King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2.  Daniel’s role in these two chapters is very different.  In chapter 2, he was the interpreter of the dream, b

November 23   Daniel 5-6 Psalm 129 Proverbs 28:6-7 1 Peter 3:13-22 The Handwriting On The Wall   “Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand came out and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.  Then the splendor of the king’s face changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack, and his knees were knocking against each other.”  Daniel 5:5-6 LSB   Belshazz

November 22   Daniel 3-4 Psalm 128 Proverbs 28:3-5 1 Peter 3:1-12 He Will Humble The Proud   Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold…but whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”  Daniel 3:1, 6 LSB   “You will be driven away from mankind and your place of habitation be with the beasts of the field, and you will be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of Heaven; and seven periods

November 21   Daniel 1-2 Psalm 127 Proverbs 28:1-2 1 Peter 2:11-25   Dreams and Visions   “The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, ‘Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?’  Daniel answered before the king and said, ‘As for the mystery about which the king is asking, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.  However, there is a God in Heaven who reveals myst

November 20   Ezekiel 47-48 Psalm 126 Proverbs 27:25-27 1 Peter 2:1-10 Crave The Word   “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”  1 Peter 2:2-3 LSB   Looking back over the seasons of my life, I can see that the times when I was actively studying God’s Word and setting aside time to spend with Him every day, were the times when my life was characterized by greater

November 19   Ezekiel 45-46 Psalm 125 Proverbs 27:23-24 1 Peter 1:13-25 Fear   “And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourn, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”  1 Peter 1:17-19 LSB   The

November 18   Ezekiel 43-44 Psalm 124 Proverbs 27:21-22 1 Peter 1:1-12 Had It Not Been Yahweh   “If the Lord had not been on our side—let Israel say—if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.  Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.  We have escape

My new devotional book is ready for pre-order on Amazon! The delivery date currently says December 15. It may come before then, but it will defintitely be in before Christmas! It would make a great Christmas present to encourage your friends and family members to read through the Bible in 2026. It follows the same reading schedule as my first book with a passage in the Old Testament, a Psalm, a few verses in Proverbs, a passage in the New Testament and a devotional to go alon

November 17   Ezekiel 41-42 Psalm 123 Proverbs 27:19-20 James 5:13-20 Effective Prayer   “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  He is to sing praises.  Is anyone among you sick?  Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be fo