Jesus, Day by Day: A One-Year, Through-the-Bible Devotional to Help You See Him on Every Page
384
Jesus, Day by Day: A One-Year, Through-the-Bible Devotional to Help You See Him on Every Page
384Hardcover
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Overview
Jesus is the very essence of the Scriptures. The Old Testament points to Him and the New Testament reveals Him. If we look for Him, we will find Him on every page and in every story. When reading through the lens of Jesus, we find purpose in the Old Testament sacrifices; pictures of our Savior in the rejection and heartache of Joseph; a future hope pointing directly to Christ in the sweet love story of Ruth and Boaz; and meaning to even the deepest sorrows in Job.
This daily devotional will help you learn to recognize Jesus written on every page of God's story. Come along on a journey that will...
Jesus, Day by Day will bring renewed life to your devotional time as you learn to recognize God's plan of love, mercy, and grace woven through every page of Scripture.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780735291683 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The Crown Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 09/17/2019 |
| Pages: | 384 |
| Sales rank: | 662,257 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.30(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Come and See Jesus
I remember it like it was yesterday. I sat on my bed, a typical 1980s teenager, my Bible laid out in front of me. An industrious kid with a hint of mischievousness, I wasn’t older than eight when I started a “private school” for the neighborhood kids one summer. I even charged tuition! But there was a problem. I could barely read and hated trying. I’d been diagnosed with a plethora of learning disabilities, and my reading comprehension was dismal. I’d recently become aware of another big problem: my heart was full of sin.
I sat there on my bed that day with a decision to make: whether I would give my life fully to Christ or live for myself. I had one request and prayed, Lord, I’ll follow You. Just please let me read Your Word and understand it. I opened up my Bible, and for the first time I understood what I was reading! Even more miraculous was the fact that I loved it.
Over time God began to transform my mind. Through Bible college, undergraduate school, law school, and into my law career, I considered God’s Word my anchor, but I often meandered through devotions, wondering where to read. Then in 2001 I was introduced to the One Year Chronological Bible. This reading plan went through the entire Bible in one year and put the Scriptures in the order the events occurred. My devotions were revolutionized. I no longer wondered what to read; it was mapped out. I no longer got lost in the order of events; they were organized. I no longer left parts of God’s Word unread; they were all part of the reading plan. Even if I skipped days or weeks, I could jump right back in and know where to pick up. And I was reading through the Bible each year! A glorious accomplishment.
What truly transformed my relationship with God’s Word, however, was learning to read it not as a collection of stories or principles but as a single narrative focused on one vital truth. In Bible college I learned theology. In law school I learned to look at things analytically. Both are useful in life as well as when approaching the Scriptures. But what you and I need most of all is Jesus! If we approach life without Him, we will be lost. If we approach His Word without looking for Him, we will miss the point. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me” (John 5:39, NASB).
Jesus is the very essence of the Scriptures. The Old Testament points to Him, and the New Testament reveals Him. If we look for Him, we will find Him on every page and in every story. After all, He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14). As we approach His Word looking for Him, we find purpose to even those “boring” chapters in Leviticus. Seeing Jesus gives meaning to the Old Testament sacrifices, purpose in the rejection and heartache of Joseph, hope pictured in the sweet love story of Ruth and Boaz, and a reason for even the deepest sorrows in Job. Truly, Jesus Christ is the focal point of the Bible from the beginning to the end. He is our beloved hope.
The power of reading with this one vital truth in mind is what I’m excited to share with you in the pages that follow.
Let’s Begin
This devotional follows a chronological reading plan, which means the Scripture readings are organized into the order that the events historically took place. If you read each of the assignments in these daily devotionals, in one year you will have read through the entire Bible!
These 365 daily readings are designed to help you
~ create a pattern of looking for Jesus throughout the Scriptures
~ develop a love for the Bible as you study the purpose of the Old Testament and how it correlates with the New Testament
~ maintain interest throughout the year by highlighting prophecies of Jesus’s birth, death, resurrection, and return
~ grow in your love for Jesus as you read the testimonies of His saints and understand how God used their lives to foreshadow Christ
Your journey through the Bible will lead you from the perfect creation in Genesis to the perfect restoration in Revelation, as you learn to recognize Jesus on every page.
Having read through the Bible using this format for nearly two decades, my love for Jesus Christ has deepened beyond words and my appreciation for His Word has grown exponentially. My desire is to share that with you. So let’s begin!
January 1
In the Beginning
Today’s Reading: Genesis 1–2
In the beginning God created.… And God said… Genesis 1:1, 3
For those with eyes to see, Jesus’s first appearance in the Bible is right here, at the very beginning. In the beginning God created. He created simply by speaking. God spoke and it was. In creation He revealed to us the power of His word and introduced us to His Son!
God said, “Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26). Here we find the first reference to the Holy Trinity. Jesus is here in the “us.” Jesus, God the Son, who holds the creator rights, has been from the beginning (Prov. 8:22–23; Isa. 43:13; Col. 1:17).
We can liken the Old Testament to a picture book that sketches out sweet shadows and presents powerful portraits of our Prince of Peace. We find Jesus revealed in its pages as the “wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24), the “redeemer” (Job 19:25), “Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14), the “righteous Branch” of David (Jer. 23:5–6), and the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). But the New Testament reveals the image of the invisible God who became flesh and lived among us:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.… All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 3, 14)
Jesus—the Word made flesh, the creator, our lord and savior—is here in Genesis. He is here from the very beginning!
January 2
God’s Remedy
Today’s Reading: Genesis 3
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15
Adam and Eve had everything anyone could ever dream of, but then they sinned. They rebelled against God. The Bible says that because of Adam’s sin, all mankind was born into sin (Rom. 5:12). But God, who is rich in mercy, provided a remedy in the form of a redeemer who would take the punishment for sin—the sin of the whole world. That redeemer is promised right here in Genesis 3:15.
Jesus Christ is the seed of Eve, the one who would crush the head of the serpent. Because of Christ’s atoning work through His death and resurrection, we are no longer under the curse of sin but are instead children of God. We are joint heirs with Christ, and our Enemy has been defeated!
God saw Adam and Eve in their exposed state of sin and divinely provided them coverings from a sacrifice (Gen. 3:21). Those animal skins pointed to God’s ultimate sacrifice, His promised remedy—Jesus Christ.
God’s grace covered Adam and Eve. This is good news for us, friend, because that same grace covers you and me. The blood of Jesus washes us clean. He covers our every sin, and we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness (Rev. 19:8). So as you start a new day, no matter your situation, remember that God keeps His promises. He provided a redeemer who crushed the head of Satan, and that redeemer—your redeemer—lives! He is God’s promised remedy.
January 3
His Story Written in History
Today’s Reading: Genesis 4–5
This is the document containing the family records of Adam. Genesis 5:1, CSB
We serve a God who breathes life into the mundane. Today’s reading is a great example. In Genesis 5 we find the first genealogy, listing the descendants of Adam. What appears to be an insignificant list of names becomes a masterpiece of intent and design when read through the lens of the gospel. Consider the Hebrew meaning of the names listed in Genesis 5:3–29.
Name Hebrew Meaning
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enos Mortal
Cainan Possession or possesses
Mahalaleel Praise of God
Jared Descend or come down
Enoch Dedicated or to train
Methuselah Men or friends
Lamech Powerful
Noah Rest
And so it reads…
Man, although appointed mortal, through God’s grace possesses the praise of God, who is His Son, Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:17; Col. 2:9; Matt. 3:17; Heb. 1:3; 2:9; John 14:7–9; 17:24), who descended and came down. He was dedicated to teach men (Luke 4:23; Matt. 7:29; John 7:16), His friends, (John 15:13–15) powerful rest.
You see, God is a God of details, and right here in the middle of a genealogy, He omnisciently orchestrates a glimpse of His plan of redemptive hope. God was writing a story throughout the generations that pointed to His Son.
Keep reading: 1 Chronicles 1:1–4
January 4
The Master Carpenter
Today’s Reading: Genesis 6–9
Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me. Genesis 7:1
What a powerful picture of our salvation we find in the story of Noah’s ark! God extended glorious grace to Noah by giving him a way to escape His righteous judgment on a wicked world. Noah, however, first had to pick up his hammer and do the job God called him to do.
Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. (Gen. 7:5)
Later in the Bible we read of another carpenter who finished the work God gave Him to do. Our precious Jesus is the master carpenter who took the nails meant for us and built a bridge to redemption.
Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us…He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Col. 2:14, NASB)
By obeying God’s plan and finishing the work God gave him, Noah escaped the judgment of the flood and was kept safe through the storm. Through Christ’s obedience in finishing the work God gave Him, we, too, have escaped judgment.
So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom. 5:19)
Dear reader, as you pick up whatever “hammer” or tool the Lord has put in your hand today, be faithful and obedient to do the work God has called you to for His glory. But remember, Christ has finished the ultimate work—the work of redemption. It is finished!
January 5
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand
Today’s Reading: Genesis 10:1–11:26
They said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Genesis 11:4, ASV
In the Bible stones often signify God’s unchanging truth (1 Cor. 10:4; Isa. 8:13–14; Rom. 9:33; Matt. 7:24), whereas bricks often represent human effort. Bricks are crafted to replicate, replace, or provide an alternative to God’s provision of stone, and therefore bricks represent a counterfeit.
The Tower of Babel provides a poignant look into our human nature and our propensity to build our own kingdoms using our own wisdom, ideas, and efforts, resulting in a false religion. We humans tend to prefer to chart our own course and map our own way, but if our plans are not God’s plans, then we’re building with bricks instead of stone.
Humanity’s stubborn determination to do our own thing apart from God’s will always leads to confusion, or as we see in today’s reading, babbling. These people in Genesis 11 started out with what seemed to be a reasonable plan. But they ended up confused and scattered. Sin nearly always looks like a great idea at first, but it inevitably leads to a mess of confusion.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Prov. 16:25, NKJV)
You and I are God’s workmanship, living stones He is building up (1 Pet. 2:5). Rather than building with our own bricks for our own glory, let’s determine today to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit, follow His plans, and walk in obedience to His Word. May our lives echo that old hymn: “On Christ, the solid Rock I stand”!
Keep reading: 1 Chronicles 1:5–27
January 6
Blameless
Today’s Reading: Job 1–4
Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Job 1:8, NIV
Since we’re reading through the Bible in chronological order (the order in which the events happened), we’re leaving Genesis to spend several days in Job, one of the most ancient books of the Bible. Biblical scholars believe that Job lived during the time of the patriarchs, specifically Isaac.
Job is presented as a man of outstanding character, a prominent figure renowned for his wisdom and wealth, blessed by God. But Job’s world was undone in a moment’s time. He lost his family, his health, and his wealth, and he was shunned by his friends before God stepped in and restored his life. Some would say the main lesson of Job is that God can bring good out of the worst of situations (Rom. 8:28).
But even sweeter than when pain turns to profit, burdens to blessings, or a trial to a testimony is when Jesus is revealed in the midst of the difficulties. That is the treasure found in the book of Job. This book holds profound revelations and shadows of Jesus.
In the first chapter, for example, God refers to Job as “blameless and upright” (v. 1, NKJV). Yet we know that none are righteous, that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:10, 23, NKJV). Herein lies the glorious grace and mercy of our Lord. Just as He declared His servant Job blameless and upright, so, too, He declares that over you.
You can stand before God in full confidence that your sins are forgiven, you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and the blood of Jesus cleanses every spot and blemish (1 John 1:9; Eph. 5:27). Like Job, you have found favor with God.
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