Digging Deeper Daily: By Daily Bible Reading PodcastSample

2SAMUEL 3-4:
In yesterday's story, David was anointed as king over his own tribe of Judah, while all the rest of Israel followed Saul's son, Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth was not a strong leader, but was put in place by Abner, the general. Joab was David's military commander. In the first battle, it is significant that Abner killed Joab's brother Asahel. David's troops decisively won their first battle in the civil war.

PSALM 108:
This is a psalm of exalted praise, and a song asking God for military victory.

ROMANS 12:
Yesterday at the end of Romans 11, we came to the end of the long parenthesis. God is seen as both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who refuse to believe. Belief is not something that just happens without our control. It is an act of the will to believe. That is why the stubborn disbelief of the Israelites is called 'disobedience'.

This chapter marks the beginning of the practical section of Romans. In other words, this part shows the way we should live based on the teachings given in the chapters before.

Translation notes:
God works a miracle in us by renewing our minds. What must we do first? Our PET translation helps helps readers make the connection:

12:1 Therefore, because of all the ways God has been so incredibly kind to us, it is only proper that we return His kindness! We should all think like this, “Lord, I give my body to you as a sacrifice”— even though we actually continue to live. A decision like that amounts to a holy sacrifice which pleases the Lord.
2 This means that we can no longer follow a bad lifestyle like what has become the habit of worldly people. But let's surrender our bodies as sacrificial offerings to God, and He will renew our minds— so that we can know what God's will for us is, and what is best in every situation. By that I mean we can understand and choose what is good and what is most proper for us, along with whatever pleases the Lord. The PET (Plain English Translation) is how our Plain Indonesian Translation (TSI) sounds if translated into English.