The 260 Journey

Day 137Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 4Children do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what Mom and Dad did for them yesterday, but what are Mom and Dad doing for them today, right now. The past is meaningless and so is the future. They live for the present. Whereas those who are mature are deeply appreciative for past, present, and...

Day 136Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 3In an old Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demanded that her brother, Linus, change television channels, and then threatened him with her fist if he didn’t.“What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asked Linus.“These five fingers,” said Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a...

Day 135Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 2 A friend of mine was just voted in as the new president of a Bible school in the Midwest. When I think of that school, I think of one of the most embarrassing things I did to appear impressive: I lied as I preached to them. I was supposed to speak to students who wanted to start a church, and because we’d just started ours in a very difficult spot in...

Day 134Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 1Sotheby’s in New York City had an Auction some years ago and sold some of the belongings of iconic people. Winston Churchill’s desk, C. S. Lewis’s pipe, and one sheet of Johan Sebastian Bach’s music all auctioned that day. Here are three items and their final auction prices that caught my attention.Napoleon’s toothbrush sold for $21,000.Jackie Kennedy...

Day 133Today’s Reading: Romans 16Occasionally on Sundays after I’d finished the sermon, we’d completed the last song, and I’d said the final amen, I’d realize I forgot to announce something to the congregation. I’d have to tell our sound technician to turn the mic back on so I could tell the people what I forgot.I’m in good company. Even Paul forgot something in Romans and had to essentially tell...

Day 132Today’s Reading: Romans 15In today’s reading the apostle Paul is about to tell us how legit the Old Testament is. We are going to be given a reason why we should think larger than 260. The New Testament has 260 chapters that we are reading through together. But we don’t have to stop there! The Bible has 929 other chapters that also have purpose. As Paul tells us, “Everything that was...

Day 131Today’s Reading: Romans 14Romans 14 is about personal convictions not a private faith. Nowhere does the Bible give anyone the right to a private faith, though it is a personal faith. Because not everyone is at the same place in their walk with God. And when we don’t take notice of where people are in the Christian walk, then the strong can become a stumbling block to the weak. Paul says it...

Day 130Today’s Reading: Romans 13In No Bad Dogs, British dog trainer Barbara Woodhouse claims that dogs understand love better than we do. She writes,"In a dog’s mind, a master or a mistress to love . . . is an absolute necessity. . . . Thousands of dogs appear to love their owners, they welcome them home with enthusiastic wagging of the tail and jumping up, they follow them about their houses...

Day 129Today’s Reading: Romans 12Romans 12:9-21 is some of the most powerful exhortations of the New Testament. I use the word exhort because it’s the right word to use with these verses. Exhort is a passionate urging to do something. Passion does not leave a lot of room for wordiness. Passionate words spill out of you because it has to come out of you. Paul starts the passionate pleas, and it...

Day 128Today’s Reading: Romans 11There is a fundamental difference between a pole vaulter and a high jumper. A high jumper runs as fast as he can and leap as high as he can, and if he is good, he can get about seven-and-a-half feet. If he wants the world record, he aims for eight feet. His human effort and strength can only take him so far. The pole vaulter is different. He has to run too, but he...