Category: HEAR Journal

My 2024 Bible Reading Plan

pastortravislv

I believe a major part of Christian discipleship is regular time spent in God’s word. I have also learned about myself that I do best when I have a plan to follow and a schedule to keep. So, each year, I select a plan to follow. I also find that I do best when I read along with others in a group. So, I try to share my reading plan with others who may join me in a discipleship group so that we can write about and talk about the same passages each week.

This coming year, I intend to continue what I started last year, combining two Bible reading plans for my daily reading schedule. Why two? I want to have an open door for some who are not convinced they can handle a full Bible-in-a-year plan to join me.

For New Testament reading, I’ll use the Navigators 5x5x5 reading plan. This is a plan that reads through the New Testament 5 days per week, one chapter per day. It’s short and simple—a great place to start for anybody who has never tried a reading plan before, or for someone who has struggled to stay on a schedule in the past. This plan is available in the YouVersion Bible app if you would like to use it for reading and for tracking your progress. Or we have a way for you to download it below.

For Old Testament reading, I will continue an Old Testament in 2 years plan that I put together on my own. This plan allows for reading on weekdays only covering one or two chapters each day. Alternatively, one can read a single chapter each weekday and two chapters daily on weekends if that better fits your needs. Over this past year, I discovered that I enjoyed reading a single Old Testament passage on the weekdays and reading two chapters on weekend days, keeping my daily reading at 2 chapters every day. I’m enjoying the use of a two-year plan which has allowed me to give a little more studied focus to the Old Testament instead of requiring as many daily chapters as other plans.

January 1, 2024 is when the New Testament plan resets, starting in Mark 1. The Old Testament plan picks up what is marked as year 2, week 1. 

For those who attend PRC, we have been putting the chapters for the week’s reading in the worship guide and the weekly email. You can also download your own copies of the plan. Here are a couple of links to versions of the plan:

PRC Old Testament in Two years

Here is a link to our OT and NT reading plan in portrait layout:
Old Testament Reading Plan
NT Bible Reading Plan
2024 Old and New Testament Reading Plan (all in one)

Don’t Bow to Overthrown Gods

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HEAR journaling is a method some of us at PRC use to help us to take a passage from our daily Bible reading and give it extra thought. Here is an example.

H – Highlight

Exodus 23:23-24

23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.

E – Explain

In this part of the law, God is spelling out for Israel in brief how they are to behave in keeping with the Ten Commandments as he moves them into their land. In this particular command, God warns the people against adopting the pagan religions of the nations they overthrow. Do not worship their idols. Do not take up their practices.

A – Apply

What grabs my heart is this: There is a tendency among people to see the victory of God and still desire to adopt the practices of enemies of God. On the surface, this is utter craziness. After all, this warning is for when God clearly drives out the inhabitants of the land. God will have shown his might over the false gods of the nations. Yet it is somehow part of who we are that we might still be tempted to turn to what God overthrew.

In life today, I see something similar. Christians are those who have seen god truly overthrow their sin. We have seen God grant us spiritual victory over the world and its ways. Yet many are the churches that are tempted to seek the approval of the world that Christ has overthrown. Many are the Christians who desire the approval of people who hate the Lord and who are, unless saved, objects of wrath as Ephesians 2:3 tells us.

A right application, then, would be for us to realize that Christ has overcome the world. Jesus is victorious. We do not want to then bring to ourselves the implements of worship from those Christ has overthrown. We do not want to adopt the sinful ways of the world. We do not want to bow down to try to gain the approval of the world. We want to rejoice in our King and his victory.

R – Respond

Lord, I pray that you will reshape my heart so that I have no desire for the things the world treasures. Let me not compromise for the approval of the world or for the dainties this life could offer. Let me instead rejoice that Christ is King.

Stop Regarding Man

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Here is a HEAR journal entry from my daily reading.

H – Highlight

Isaiah 2:22

Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he?

E – Explain

For a good portion of this chapter, the Lord has shown us the evil and pride of a people who are supposed to be his people. They rejoice in their wealth, in their strength, and eventually in their idolatry. But God promises a day will come when all those godless things will no longer matter.

In verse 22, the chapter ends with God calling on us simply to stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath. The point here is not to devalue life. Instead, the point is to stop thinking that the opinions of men are more important than the righteousness of God. Stop thinking that winning in this life is the end-all-be-all of your existence. You do not even own your own breath. God gave you that breath. God gave the movers and shakers their breath. Stop regarding them. .Worship God.

A – Apply

The Lord reminds me here not to live for comfort, not to live for supposed stability in this life, and not to live for the approval of others. It really is easy to want people to think I’m something else. I naturally want them to think I’m smart or clever. I naturally want to know people who are supposedly important. But what matters is knowing the Lord. What matters is resting in his strength and not my own. What matters is his approval and not the approval of others.

R – Respond

Lord, I would ask that you help me to find my hope and my joy in you and in your presence. Do not let me love this world. Change my heart and sanctify me that I might long for you and your glory most of all.

A Genesis 1:1 HEAR Journal Entry

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I will not share every one of these I write, but I will, for a bit, share some examples of my HEAR journaling as I get started with the 2023 reading plans. Perhaps this model will help you to pick up a way that you too could take your reading a step deeper.

H – Highlight

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

E – Explain

Not much explanation is needed here. There used to be nothing except for God. God made everything. He did not use existing materials—there were none. He did not borrow from somebody else’s stuff—there was nobody else. God, by his power, for his purpose, made all that exists.

A – Apply

There are some days when the simplest thoughts are the strongest. Here, I look and am reminded of the simple point that, if this verse is true, everything changes. If it is false, nothing matters.

If God did not make everything, then a human being is only a bag of chemicals bouncing through the world. We move. Electrical impulses fire in our brains, we do what we want. We die. There is no basis for truth, for beauty, for morality. What does it matter if one set of chemicals changes the structure of another set of chemicals?

But, if this verse is true, and it is, then our world is not our world. God made it. God is in charge. God has the right of ownership over us all. God determines truth, beauty,. Morality, meaning, everything. Because God made us, we have a reason to live. Because God made us, we know what is allowed and what is not. Because God made us, it matters what we do.

R – Respond

Lord, as I begin this new year of Bible reading, I pray that you will help me to keep in mind the

truth of the first verse of the Holy Scripture. Help me remember that you made everything, and that is what gives us meaning. Help me keep my life centered on the fact that I exist to serve you, to live as an image of God on earth. You are God. I am not. You are Lord. I am your servant. Help me to live under your grace and to your glory.

A HEAR Journal from Luke 1

pastortravislv

As I wrap up the year in my Bible reading, I’ve returned to doing a little HEAR journaling. This is a technique that helps me to focus on something from the daily readings and unpack it a bit. HEAR stands for highlight, explain, apply, and respond. I find this pattern helpful, and perhaps you will too.

H – Highlight

Luke 1:76-79

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

E – Explain

Here Zechariah speaks a word of prophecy over his newborn son, John—later John the Baptist. John will prepare the way for Jesus to come. Even more, he will prepare the people of Israel to have something greater than they have known before. John is not going to simply prepare the way for the nation to have general success, land promises, and the rest. John will help the people toward knowledge of God and forgiveness of their sins.

Because of my recent work in the covenants, the topic of forgiveness coming to the people from the promised one rings in my mind. Much of the Old Covenant made room for the nation of Israel to live in the presence of God in the land. The forgiveness achieved in the sacrificial system was first a forgiveness that kept God from having to destroy the nation. God, of course, would not destroy the whole nation, because he intended to bring the Messiah through the nation of Israel. But personal forgiveness of sins and personal relationship with God was not achieved through animal sacrifice. Instead, relationship with God was achieved by God’s grace through faith as the faithful Israelites believed the promises of God. The sacrifices pointed toward the work God would achieve when he finally sent his Son.

Thus, what grabs me is just how much greater the salvation is that we see promised in Luke 1. What John will point the people toward is greater than the Old Covenant. It is sweet and merciful. It is glorious and gracious.

A – Apply

I think the best way to apply this passage is to again stop, think, and be very grateful for life in the New Covenant. We do not look at a bloody animal sacrifice and long for the fulfillment of a promise of a sacrifice that will give us true forgiveness. Instead, in Christ, our forgiveness has been achieved. Our hope is now in his return. So, right response is gratitude, faith, hope, and worship. Right application is a call to love the gospel and be sure to proclaim it.

R – Respond

Lord, I thank you for forgiveness in Christ. I know that I could never achieve anything that would earn me your favor. I know that I deserve death a million times over. That you would send your Son to be my salvation is glorious. I pray that you will make me faithful to you, to your worship, to your church, and to the spreading of your gospel for your glory.

God is Still Sovereign

pastortravislv

I thought I’d post this entry from my HEAR journal, as it gives me hope from a strange passage.

H – Highlight

1 Kings 19:35 – And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

E – Explain

During the days of Isaiah and Hezekiah, the Assyrian army threatened Jerusalem. This force was insurmountable. There was simply no way that Judah should have been able to survive. The northern kingdom had already fallen to this empire.

But, in the verse above, we see the supernatural hand of God at work. The Lord sent an angel and wiped out a massive force outside of Jerusalem.

A – Apply

God is able to change the world by his will and for his glory. There is no army he cannot defeat. There is no force that is great enough to stop his plan. For me this morning, I find comfort and hope in the fact that God is mighty enough to defeat armies and change the course of history. Obviously we are living in a strange and frightening political time. But knowing that the Lord is almighty and glorious reminds us that he is not going to be defeated. Our election, our laws, our national strength or weakness have nothing to do with the greatness or the glory of God.

R – Respond

Lord, I see in this text that the greatest of enemy armies and the mightiest of empires do not threaten you. You are the Lord over all. No king and no army, no president and no election, can change who you are. Help me, I pray, to remember your greatness and that my purpose is to glorify you. I do pray for your mercy on our nation. But I will not, or at least I should not, allow myself to fret over the plots of men. You are God, and that is the great and final truth.

My Way or God’s Way

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H – Highlight

1 Samuel 28:5-7 – 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”

E – Explain

On the day before the death of Saul in a battle with the Philistines, the king is afraid and seeks God’s counsel. But God will not speak to him in any form, so Saul seeks guidance through forbidden means.

A – Apply

It is a temptation for people to seek things in God’s way so long as we get what we want. But, when we do not get what we want, it is often the case that people will turn from the ways of the Lord to try to accomplish things in whatever ways we can find. This is evil.

R – Respond

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that there is a temptation to do things in my way or in ways that dishonor you when I do not get what I want from you. I confess that this is sin. You are perfect, and your ways are best. I pray that you will help me trust you and to totally find my freedom from within the bounds of your perfect commands.

A Need for Margin

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H – Highlight

Leviticus 23:22 – “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”

E – Explain

In Leviticus 23, we see God give instructions for the Sabbath and for the 3 major feasts of Israel. As God gives the direction for the feast of first fruits, also called Pentecost because it was held 50 days after Passover, he reminds the people of their requirement not to fully harvest their fields. The people were to leave the corners of the fields unharvested for the good of the poor. Note that they were not merely to give the poor a handout but were to make it possible for the poor to work to get food. At the same time, the owners were not to try to squeeze every last bit of profit out of their property. They were to leave a margin to be able to care for the needy.

A —Apply

First, I apply this by recognizing that God’s system for living is the best. That makes sense. God is wiser than man. His plan to govern a nation would be the best.

Second, I see that God reminds us that those with work ought not spend to the last penny. Instead, we are to leave margin for giving and caring for others. This would be true for those who should be sure they are able to give to the church.

I also think the idea of not harvesting the whole field would bring me a principle of scheduling too. I should not fill my time to a point that I cannot take a phone call or meet a need.

Finally, I see that it is good for the poor to work for their food instead of just receiving it. It is a trap to have a person handed food without labor. Of course, there are those incapable of work, and we want to care for them. But there are also those who could work, but who, in our system, understand that doing work would actually be less productive and provide less for their families.

R – Respond

Lord, I first thank you for showing us how things should be. I know that your system is better than any other. I pray that you will help me to live with enough margin in my life that I can care for others around me. I pray that I will not spend time or money until I have nothing left.

Bloody atonement

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H – Highlight

Leviticus 9:7 – Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”

E – Explain

In Leviticus 8-9, we see the ordination of Aaron as high priest and the first offerings made for the people in this new priesthood.

A – Apply

I think what grabs my attention is not so much the verse that I have highlighted as the detail and bloodiness of the whole affair. The commands that Aaron needed to follow were meticulous. As Hebrews 9:22 reminds us, almost everything was purified with blood. This was a messy, ugly thing that had to be done so that the sins of people could be covered and so they could approach the Lord.

The application for me is one of awe and gratitude. My sin is such a thing that I should not be allowed to approach the Lord. But God has done what needed to be done. No bull, no goat, no birds can shed their blood for my sin. The spotless Son of god died to pay the price for my sin so that I can approach the Lord.

R – Respond

Lord, I thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus for my sins. I thank you for the picture, here in Leviticus, of the need for blood to cover my sin. I confess my failure and fallenness. I pray that you will help me live now to honor you, living forgiven. Help me to be changed to be more given to you in all things.

In Accord with the Design

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H – Highlight

Exodus 26:30 – Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.

E – Explain

This section includes the instructions that God gave to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle.

A – Apply

There are a couple of places in this instruction set where God reminds Moses that he will do all these things in accord with the design that God showed him on the mountain. Moses was to follow instructions. Moses was not to design a tabernacle. Moses was not to come up with a plan for how God would be worshipped. Moses certainly was not to design a plan for the people to gain forgiveness. He was to listen to and communicate God’s plan to the people.

We must not be silly enough to think that we design what the church does. We are to listen to God’s instruction and obey it. Nor do we need to defend the word of God to the world. God has told us his way. We do not owe anybody an explanation for God’s standards or his worship. God has said what we are to do. We obey.

R – Respond

Lord, I pray that you will help me to be faithful to your word. Help me not to try to make up anything you have not commanded. Help me hear your instructions and follow them. Help me trust you and rely fully on your word.