Bible Reading Plan

When Paul declared that on his body were the marks of Jesus, he referred to the scars that had been left by the scourgings, stonings, vigils, and turmoil Paul endured for the sake of Christ. They showed that he belonged wholly to Christ, his Master. Standing up for Jesus may take us out of our…

Jacob’s name means deceiver or schemer, and we see that his name rang true by the choices he made. But God, the Redeemer, interceded through a wrestling match and showed Jacob a whole new way to live, under God’s blessing. At the end of the match, God not only gave Jacob a new name, He…

A Samaritan woman goes to the well in the heat of the day to avoid running into others who will look on her as a tainted woman. Jesus willingly meets with her, and filled with His acceptance, she runs to others to spread the good news. It must have taken boldness and courage for her…

After His resurrection, Jesus showed his scars to His disciples as evidence that it was truly Him. Initially, scars seem like a surprising feature of Jesus’ perfected risen body; scars seem like a defect. But God did not choose to remove the scars from his Son’s eternal glorified flesh—the scars were God’s idea to begin…

Peter’s denial and restoration is a vibrant picture of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection in one person’s life. We can see ourselves in Peter’s self-protective denial, his grief over his sin, and the pain and joy of Christ’s redeeming work in his life. Peter’s story is a powerful one, because it shows us…

As we come closer to the narrative of Jesus’ death, we are introduced to two criminals, one who bears the name Jesus Barabbas, and one we simply know as the criminal on the cross. Both of these men experienced the redemption that comes through Jesus. These two criminals represent all of us. Barabbas is freed…

When the religious crowd of Jesus’ day complained that He was spending too much time with the sinners of society, Jesus told a few redemption stories. He started with the story of a lost sheep, then of a lost coin, and ended with the story of a lost son—all of which were redeemed. Jesus’ application…

In the city of Decapolis in Gerasenes, there lived a man who was filled with unclean spirits. He no longer lived at home but in the graveyard. Nothing—no chains or shackles—was strong enough to restrain him or to keep him locked up for his own safety and the safety of others. He would cut himself…

Ruth is the story of a young Moabite woman who comes to the love of God and the joy of belonging to His people through her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi. As these two women navigate the battles of life, there is unmistakable evidence of God’s good purposes. God is at work to redeem Ruth and His…

The Old Testament book of Hosea talks about a prophet whose life no one would want to imitate. He was called to marry Gomer, a prostitute, whom even after they were married, was unfaithful and deceptive. Each time she was unfaithful, Hosea welcomed her back, and even went to purchase and redeem her. While acknowledging…