Wednesday, May 1, 2013 – Day 122
1 Kings 10-12
Psalm 101
Acts 16
Do you find the desire to meet the expectations of others gets in the way of your dedication to God? In what ways does your community of faith help you to walk in the way of the Lord? Have you experienced Jesus closing a door that you felt called to walk through? Have other opportunities for ministry opened unexpectedly?
Thursday, May 2, 2013 – Day 123
1 Kings 13-15
Psalm 102
Acts 17
As you look back on your Christian life thus far, what are the “Ebenezer stones” that you recognize? Reflect on how these have spurred you on in your own faith, recall the impression that they have left with you, and be grateful for how they have shaped your journey thus far.
Friday, May 3, 2013 – Day 124
1 Kings 16-18
Psalm 103
Acts 18
How will the realities of the complex relationship you have with God manifest itself today in what you say and do? Are there some things that might need to change?
Saturday, May 4, 2013 – Day 125
1 Kings 19-21
Psalm 104
Acts 19
Think back to a time in your life (it may be now) when you felt as though God was calling you to swim against the popular tide. How close to God did you feel, and what were the hallmarks of your relationship with him? What would you want to remind yourself of today as you think back to that time?
Sunday, May 5, 2013 – Day 126
A day of rest and to ruminate on liturgy from the worship service.
Monday, May 6, 2013 – Day 127
What happens when different people disagree about what God’s call really is? How do you decide between alternatives you have to choose between?
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 – Day 128
How do we manage when we have to be part of a change of leadership? Do we fight it? Do we help the change take place and support the new leader?
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 – Day 129
How is Paul’s story of his background like or unlike Naaman’s pride in his authority and lineage? What is your testimony of how you “found” yourself in Christ? Where did you begin, and where are you now?
Thursday, May 9, 2013 – Day 130
Where is your heart “firmly fixed” in your life? Who are the prophets that point you toward truth and trust? Where is God calling you to move on in your faith? What is one way that you can grow in trusting the love of God?
Friday, May 10, 2013 – Day 131
2 Kings 10-12
Psalm 109
Acts 24
When have you experienced opposition in your life? What are the challenges that face you now? How do you attempt to deal with them: denial, anger, sadness? Where do you perceive God’s gift of hope for you? How might you embrace and enter that hope more fully?
Saturday, May 11, 2013 – Day 132
2 Kings 13-15
Psalm 110
Acts 25
What claims sovereignty in your life? How do you live amidst the powers of modern life that claim attention and allegiance? Where do you see the sovereign love of God in your daily living?
Sunday, May 12, 2013 – Day 133
A day of rest and to ruminate on liturgy from the worship service.
Monday, May 13, 2013 – Day 134
2 Kings 16-18
Psalm 111
Acts 26
What are the sociopolitical issues raised by the Old Testament text? Who are the main characters? Is God at the center of their activities? How does Psalm 111 demonstrate the centrality of the divinity? What can we learn from Paul’s defense of the faith?
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 – Day 135
2 Kings 19-21
Psalm 112
Acts 27
How do we react as men and women of God in the face of adversity? What can we learn from King Hezekiah? What lessons does Psalm 112 teach about our commitment to live by the word of God?
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 – Day 136
2 Kings 22-24
Psalm 113
Acts 28
What examples can we learn from the lives of Josiah, Hezekiah, and Zedekiah? What can we learn from Paul’s experiences in Malta?
Thursday, May 16, 2013 – Day 137
Have you ever experienced a glimmer of light in situations that seem beyond hope? What resources do you have in your own life to help you move forward? Where do you find your power?
Friday, May 17, 2013 – Day 138
1 Chronicles 1-3
Psalm 115
Romans 2
It’s been said that in the journey of faith, we don’t need so much to be instructed as reminded. In what ways has God acted in your own history and in the history of those you love? Who are the people you have known, who have paved the way for your own forward movement?
Saturday, May 18, 2013 – Day 139
1 Chronicles 4-6
Psalm 116
Romans 3
Why are these genealogies important for a community of faith? Do we have a comparable resource in our own time? Sin has been described using the metaphor of archery; that is to say, it is a matter of missing the mark. How do you understand the meaning of sin? What can we do about its power in our lives?
Sunday, May 19, 2013 – Day 140
A day for rest and to ruminate on liturgy from the worship service.
Monday, May 20, 2013 – Day 141
1 Chronicles 7-9
Psalm 117
Romans 4
Who among your ancestors do you “reckon as righteous” (Romans 4:22), and how does that person assist you in your own journey of faith? Paul, quoting Genesis 15:6, says that Abraham’s “faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’” If you look at the whole of Abraham’s life as told in Genesis 12-25, what else might you learn about the life of faith, its valleys as well as its peaks?
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 – Day 142
1 Chronicles 10-12
Psalm 118
Romans 5
What’s the song in you that wants to be sung aloud? How do you give voice, as the psalmists do, to your excitement or remorse or pain or exaltation? What does it mean to you that God loves you, even on the days when you are your most curmudgeonly, unhelpful self?
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 – Day 143
1 Chronicles 13-15
Psalm 119: 1-32
Romans 6
How do you “remember who you are” and “who lays claim” to you? The Baptismal Covenant—in spite of Paul’s enthusiasm— assumes that we will “fall into sin” from time to time. How is that a moment of grace for you?
Thursday, May 23, 2013 – Day 144
1 Chronicles 16-18
Psalm 119: 33-72
Romans 7
Recall an instance from your own experience of mixed motives and misplaced priorities. Who was your Nathan, who dared to bring you clarity of purpose?
Friday, May 24, 2013 – Day 145
1 Chronicles 19-21
Psalm 119: 73-112
Romans 8
Have you ever felt caught in a web of complications resulting from your own good intentions? Can you empathize with Paul’s torturous struggle to articulate the frustration of such entanglement?
Saturday, May 25, 2013 – Day 146
1 Chronicles 22-24
Psalm 119: 113-144
Romans 9
David goes to considerable lengths to ensure his legacy. What is the one principle you wish to leave behind at your death?
Sunday, May 26, 2013 – Day 147
A day for rest and to ruminate on liturgy from the worship service.
Monday, May 27, 2013 – Day 148
1 Chronicles 25-27
Psalm 119: 145-176
Romans 10
From your reading of the Bible, how would you say that God responds to those who are proud of them? To those who become humble?
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 – Day 149
1 Chronicles 28-29
Psalm 120
Romans 11
Do you recall a time when you were certain God answered your prayer? Stewardship is often thought of as giving over to God some of what is ours. All that we have—time, skills, money, relationships, the Good News—are gifts. How can we steward them in ways that would bring us to great rejoicing?
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 – Day 150
2 Chronicles 1-3
Psalm 121
Romans 12
Do you find coherence in the practical wisdom and political savvy of Solomon and in Paul’s teachings on faithful response to enemies? How do they seem alike to you? Different? Have you ever been brought up short by someone else’s kindness or wisdom? What effect did it have on you?
Thursday, May 30, 2013 – Day 151
2 Chronicles 4-6
Psalm 122
Romans 13
When have you experienced worship that had the quality of God’s presence “filling the temple”—the temple of your own mind and heart?
Friday, May 31, 2013 – Day 152
2 Chronicles 7-9
Psalm 123
Romans 14
Prayerfully reread 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. Think of a group of people whose relationship with God needs restoring (e.g., your family, your faith community, your coworkers). How could you, as a part of these communities, begin to contribute to a restored relationship with God?
Dear God,
You lovingly hold us in the palm of your hand as we enter in and unravel the Old Testament stories, hear the lyrical melodies from the Psalms, and journey in the footsteps of Apostle Paul. The Bible Challenge remains our daily bread, and for these moments of your Holy Grace, we humbly pray,
Amen.
