SWHW Bible Reading Plan - Year 2 January 2021Sample

January 1

Top Takeaway from Somer Phoebus:

Here it is: 

It might be a new year, but it’s the same story for us down here . . . we are terrible, we’ve always been terrible, and yet God somehow manages to still love us. (I know, I know; I should be a motivational speaker with all that fun I just shared right out of the gate. Happy New Year to us!)

But for real . . .

Reading sections of Scripture like this is what makes it so hard for me when someone wants to argue that God is not kind or good or loving. 

So many of us today picture God like He’s a slightly bigger version of one of the many cynical, mouthy TV judges just waiting to cut us down or prove us wrong, and it’s SO dangerous. 

Yes, He “judges,” but He is the only judge that we know of that has PROMISED to work things out for our good, not to mention He is the only being with an exact and perfect moral compass with which to judge us. 

Some will say, “Wow you’re giving God a lot of credit, Somer.” 

Okay, how much credit would you give to the One who created you, loved you, sent His only Son to die for you, and has promised to return for you someday so that you could spend eternity with Him in Heaven? 

I think if we truly believed, like TRULY believed, in the very basic truth of our salvation, we’d probably be okay with God’s standard for things as well as His plan for our life.  

Back to Psalms though, particularly Psalm 78—I would challenge you as you move away from what many of us would describe as the most unfortunate year ever, and into 2021 with new goals, expectations, and maybe an ignited motivation to serve the Lord well, that when it gets hard (because you know it will) you remember God did not break the earth or humans. We broke it back in Genesis when we couldn’t resist the one thing God told us to resist and when we decided that we’d rather be our own god than be loved and taken care of by the one true God. 

Psalm 78 highlights a people group, the Israelites, that were generations removed from Adam and Eve, but their hearts were just the same. And unfortunately, I’m afraid it’s not gotten much better. 

This year let’s make sure our motivation is rooted in more than the goals that our human mind can dream up. Let’s make sure it’s rooted in the deep understanding of who God is and the promise He’s made to love and take care of us regardless of our sin—even if His “taking care” of us looks differently than we expect. 

He IS faithful—He’s God, so He can't not be. 

(Bad grammar, yes, but it's just the best way to say it.)

He is for us. The entire book of Psalms is a reminder of that truth. When you feel like He’s absent or making your life more difficult than it needs to be, look back. Look at the Israelites and the way they treated God. Look at how quick they were to complain and how slow they were to remember His gracious faithfulness, and then fight to be different from them. Fight hard! 

So here's to seeing God's faithfulness in 2021. May we look for it, remember it, and be a living testimony of it . . . so that the world may believe! 

God, You are so good, and we are so broken. Thank You for loving us despite our sin. God, help us to see You both as a righteous God who judges and a loving God who forgives. Let it not be one or the other that we lean towards—we want to experience ALL of You. We love You, God, and we give You 2021—all of it. Things aren’t easy down here and they certainly aren’t glorifying to You, so help us to be a light in this dark world. Help us to be more consumed with leading others to You than any other dream or goal that might be on our New Year's resolution list. God, YOU ARE the purpose of life—help us live our life on purpose. We love You! Amen.