Devotionals

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 1-2, Psalm 123-124, Luke 7:11-17, Colossians 1:1-14 1 Chronicles 1-2: These two chapters are unlikely to furnish the bestseller portions of Scripture (if such were allowed to be), and they seem to be hard work even for the most dedicated student of the Bible. But they are here for a reason—not purposelessly preserved for us—and it is our task to discern that reason. It is evident that these genealogies, filling in some gaps even in the genealogy of Christ, were written to encourage and assure those who might think that God’s work in them would fail after the experience of the exile. God had preserved his seed, and there would be a shoot that would arise again from the stump of Jesse, of the seed of David—Christ the Messiah. But what is the purpose for us? It tells us that even when it seems as…

In keeping with the Bible reading plan we are using, the last days of each month are designated as “free days.” June 26-30 then are intended to allow you to catch up on reading you may have missed or to study passages more in depth that intrigued you during the first 25 days of the month. With this in mind, God Centered Bible will not have a devotional for June 26-30, but will pick back up on July 1, 2016, with 1 Chronicles. We welcome your comments also during these days with insights you’ve found during the first 25 days. To receive God Centered Bible devotionals directly in your inbox, sign up here.

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 24-25, Psalm 122, Luke 7:1-10, Philippians 4:14-23 2 Kings 24-25: Now Judah is a vassal state of Babylon (24:1), but it does not yet know its place—nor accept the discipline that has come through Babylon. Jehoiakim rebels against Nebuchadnezzar (24:1), and so foreign armies are sent against Judah to destroy it, “according to the word of the LORD” (24:2). Continuing to do what is evil in God’s eyes, Jehoiachin then reigns, and Babylon besieges the city (24:8-10). Jehoiachin is taken prisoner, and all Jerusalem’s treasures are taken captive, too (24:11-16). His uncle is made king (by Babylon) in Jehoiachin’s place, with his name changed to Zedekiah to underline his allegiance to Babylon (24:17). He too does what is evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he too unwisely rebels against Babylon (24:19-20). This time Nebuchadnezzar comes and destroys Jerusalem (25:1-21). Desperately, tragically, Zedekiah watches…

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 22-23, Psalm 121, Luke 6:43-49, Philippians 4:8-13 2 Kings 22-23: The boy king Josiah is a model and example in his godliness, turning neither to the right nor the left out of the way of God (22:1-2). It begins with him showing good management, trustworthy dealing with others, and fair recompense to workers regarding the house of the LORD (22:3-7). He has a heart for God and his ways—and it shows from the start. But then Josiah is given a shock. The high priest tells the secretary sent by the king that he has found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD (22:8). Stop and consider: in this temple, it was astonishing news that a Bible was found. Who could have thought that things could have become so rotten that a high priest discovered a Bible and was surprised? The secretary takes…

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 20-21, Psalm 120, Luke 6:37-42, Philippians 4:1-7 2 Kings 20-21: Hezekiah becomes sick. God’s word comes to him that he will die (20:1). But he pleads to God to have mercy (20:2-3). And before Isaiah has even left the middle court, the word of the Lord returns to him saying that Hezekiah will have another fifteen years and be delivered from the hand of Assyria (20:4-7). While there is life, there is still time to pray. Ask God now to use you powerfully in whatever years remain to you, and restore you that you may serve him. God gives Hezekiah a powerful sign that his word will come true (20:8-11). Our God is a God of miracles. Hezekiah foolishly, though, shows off all his treasures to envoys from Babylon (20:12-15). Pride comes before a fall, and Hezekiah does not realize that while God has granted…

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 18-19, Psalm 119:169-176, Luke 6:27-36, Philippians 3:15-21 2 Kings 18-19: At last! A good king! Praise God for leaders who fear God. What a relief! What joy for those over whom such a leader has authority—authority he uses to bless, not revile, and for which he knows he is accountable to the living God. Hezekiah rules with righteousness, as none of the kings of Judah either before or after did (18:5). He even removes the high places, those popular strongholds of pagan worship (18:4). Note what he did: he trusted in the LORD (18:5); he held fast to the LORD (18:6); he kept the commandments of the LORD (18:6). He trusted, he persevered, he obeyed. Trust; persevere; obey. Not a bad trifecta of a watchword for a leader. Note also what happened as a result of this faithfulness: the LORD was with him; wherever he…

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 16-17, Psalm 119:161-168, Luke 6:17-26, Philippians 3:10-14 2 Kings 16-17: Wicked King Ahaz—a whole chapter of his disastrous choices and activities makes somber reading (2 Kings 16). His father did better than he (2 Kings 15:32-36), as did his son (2 Kings 18:1-8), but Ahaz was an evil king. He even burned his own son as an offering (16:3): human sacrifice, a pagan idolatrous tendency, was seen in Judah again. It goes on and on. Then the camera turns to Israel whose own evil deeds are about to be met with what God had long threatened through the faithful words of his prophets: exile. Assyria takes Israel into exile (17:6). Verse 7 to the end of chapter 17 explain why. Israel had not been faithful to God. They had worshipped and served other gods. Their deeds therefore had been wicked. God had warned them time and…

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 14-15, Psalm 119:153-160, Luke 6:1-16, Philippians 3:1-9 2 Kings 14-15: The list of kings carries on, and there is not much to cheer us up in this panoply of decay that covers all the occasional good deeds that are done. Every now and then we read of a king who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (14:3; 15:3, 34), but that is countermanded by the frequency of kings who “did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord” (14:24; 15:9, 18, 24, 28). And even those who do what is right in God’s eyes leave the “high places” untouched (14:4; 15:4, 35), thus passively encouraging centers of Canaanite pagan worship to continue. You can read through the list of kings yourself and come to your own conclusions about exactly where they are on the scale of doing what is right…

by Josh Moody Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 12-13, Psalm 119:145-152, Luke 5:33-39, Philippians 2:19-30 2 Kings 12-13: King Jehoash, son of Ahaziah (11:2), the boy king of Judah who began to reign at just seven years old (11:21), ruled for forty years (12:1). He did was right in the eyes of the Lord, fearing God and keeping his commandments, because the wise godly priest, Jehoiada instructed him (12:2). Those of us who have opportunity of influence over children or leaders have the God-given chance to influence many others through the lives of those we mentor. As part of Jehoash’s lifelong program of reformation, he rebuilds the temple (12:4-16). He begins a policy of gathering in finances, and then discovers that it is not working as he hoped (12:4-8). So he adjusts the approach, and the money comes in and is all put to use of the building, even to appropriately paying the…