The Daily Reading

The Daily Reading is where we as a group read the same bible passages every weekday. Our thoughts about the readings are emailed daily to thedailyreading@gmail.com and then are complied into one email and sent out as a group reading. No other method of reading has done what these daily readings have done for me. I now have a better understanding of the bible and I am closer to God. Our differences coming together in one reading is what makes this group fantastic. New members are always welcome.

September 30, 2020

Ephesians 6:18-24

Rachel Workman: 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

¹⁹And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.^[h] ²⁰I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

²¹To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. ²²I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

²³Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,^[i] and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. ²⁴May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Stay alert. Now more than ever we need to stay alert. And we need to pray. For ourselves and for others. Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor and wield the sword. We cannot fight the battle in our own power, no matter how strong or talented we may think we are.

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John Burnett: 18 [a]With all prayer and petition [b]pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, [c]be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 **and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in [d]chains; that [e]in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.** He asked the Christians in Ephesus to pray for him and be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. He called them to pray and be on the alert. Many Christians are clueless when it comes to the ways Satan distorts the Gospel. We should pray for ourselves, that when the opportunity comes, the Spirit will give us the words to say and give us boldness in saying it.

21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, [f]how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. 22 [g]I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know [h]about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ [i]with incorruptible love.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Proverbs 7:1-5

My son, keep my words
    and store up my commands within you.
²Keep my commands and you will live;
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
³Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and to insight, “You are my relative.”
⁵They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words.

September 29, 2020

Ephesians 6:10-17

Rachel Workman: ¹⁰A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹²For we^[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. I feel this more than I've ever felt it.

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.^[e] ¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.^[f] ¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

In one sense, the “whole armor of God” is a picture of Jesus Christ. Christ is the Truth (John 14:6), and He is our righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) and our peace (Eph. 2:14). His faithfulness makes possible our faith (Gal. 2:20); He is our salvation (Luke 2:30); and He is the Word of God (John 1:1, 14). This means that when we trusted Christ, we received the armor.

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John Burnett: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 [b]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This is a battle for the minds of all people. If we don't prepare for battle by knowing the Word of God, we will lose the battle and fall for any false teaching that comes along. Basically, the second half of the New Testament is a warning against false teachers and their schemes and this passage tells us why it is important that we know who our enemy is, we know the truth of the Gospel and have Christ's righteousness to protect us, and we have God's peace in knowing that we can defend against the devil and that we are saved.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ephesians 6:18-24

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.^[g]

September 28, 2020

Ephesians 6:5-9

Rachel Workman: ⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

⁹Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

One of the fastest ways for a leader to divide his followers and lose their confidence is for the leader to play favorites and show partiality. We should treat everyone the same. I have no doubt God knew how hard this would be for us being human when he spoke it. The fruit of the Spirit is love. We are to love regardless.

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John Burnett: 5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your [a]masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not [b]by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the [c]heart. 7 With good will [d]render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, All of our work should be done as we work for the LORD. This is not easy to do. 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. It is important that remember that Paul was writing to the true believers in Ephesus and thus it only applies to true born again believers today. Good deeds will condemn you if you think that they have anything to do with your salvation. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus plus a good work is not Christ alone and thus will not produce salvation.

9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. In a leadership position, I work very hard to show no partiality and this verse is one of the reasons why.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ephesians 6:10-17.

¹⁰A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹²For we^[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.