Read To Me DAILYVoorbeeld

How can you get more out of your Bible reading this year? My top advice is to SLOW DOWN! One excellent way to do this is to read out loud when you are reading the Bible. Another way is to read along while listening to the recordings that are bundled in the YouVersion Bible app.

GENESIS 5-6:
In Genesis chapter 3, the Lord gave his judgment against the serpent. When speaking to the serpent, God talked about the woman’s offspring (which is a collective singular noun). And He said, “her offspring and yours (the serpent’s) will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring's[c] heel.” This is the very first prophecy looking forward to a Messiah and Redeemer who will crush Satan’s head. Just before that, there is another picture worth noting: God provided clothes for the man and woman made from animal skins. This is the first hint of the sacrificial system that prefigures Christ.

JOB 3:
Today in Job 3, we read Job’s first speech. In the Bible— and especially in Job and the Psalms, we find out that God thoroughly understands and takes into account the fact that humans suffer. This is shown in the fact that such deep expressions of suffering are found in God’s Word— right from the earliest writings.

MARK 2:
Yesterday in the second half of Mark 1, we read of Jesus miraculously healing people in Capernaum, and his refusing to stay only there. He preached and cast out demons all over the region of Galilee. The healing of the man with leprosy is notable because of the exchange between Jesus and that man, and also the results of the man’s not following Jesus’ instructions.

Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father and our Lord Christ Jesus, thank You again for your wonderful Word! Lord, what you said to Cain is certainly true. “Sin IS crouching at the door and wants to control” us, and we must learn how to overcome it. And the way we'll learn that is through your Word. Oh Lord, how sad it is that mankind so often follows Cain in escalating our sinfulness from simple disobedience, to disregard for what You say, and finally to murder. How we need You, Lord, to heal our land from so many murders. In our story in Mark’s Gospel, we note that even You, Lord Jesus, felt the need to pray. Lord, please deepen our desire to commune with You personally and daily through prayer. May our praying bring the result that we increasingly learn to know You.