Listen to Nick read the Firestarter and Isaiah 48:17-22.

Fire can either destroy or purify. “I have tested you in the furnace of affliction,” says the Lord. God does not send pain our way; the sin of the world and the consequences of our personal sins result in our being afflicted. However, the Lord promises to be there to purify and transform suffering, with outcomes better than ever.

The action of the Lord teaches us how to grow from pain. The Hebrew word for teaching used in verse 17 is lamad. The root of the word is “to goad.” Likely, it comes from the way an animal learns by being prodded. Our sufferings goad us to learn from them, to be transformed by them. One way is to offer your suffering for others who are not doing so well in theirs. Teach others by the example of your enduring faith in the Lord’s fidelity and mercy to God’s people as Isaiah declares today.

Isaiah 48

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the Winder Season of Advent to Epiphany this year we read Isaiah 40 – 55.

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example:

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Nick read the Firestarter and the reading.

Not only being with Jesus, but being Jesus to the world—this is the meaning of the call of the first disciples. As they clean up their nets and receive the invitation to cast them over a broken, hurting world, they are to become an extension of Jesus himself.

As you “clean up” after your day of work and prepare for rest, ask the Spirit to deal with you about your lifework. Is there something that needs to change for you? Are you willing to get in touch with the pain of the discomfort that may well up with the words: “I’m just not doing what I really want to do!” Respect those feelings of disquiet; they are the beginning of being open to what the Lord is inviting you to do with your life.

What do you want to be when you grow up … in the Lord?

Mark 1:14–20

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Leaving all to follow You v.  20

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
During the Winter Season of Advent to Epiphany this year, we read the Gospel of Mark, chapters 1-2.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Nick read the Firestarter and Exodus 15:19-26.

Events move rapidly in the Exodus. After the Israelites cross the Red Sea, Moses leads the people in praise of God. Then the scene shifts to one of complaint about there being no water, and later, there being no food.

How easy it is to forget the major interventions of the Lord on our behalf, and complain! After the episode of grumbling about no water, God makes a promise: if there is in the people, a heart that listens and does what the Lord wants, then God will be Yahweh-Rapha, “The Lord Who Heals.” 15:26 has been called “The Old Testament Covenant of Diving Healing.” Return to it often in those circumstances that tempt you to complain. Greater than what besets you is the Lord who promises to lead you through the Red Sea of suffering to freedom and wholeness.

Exodus 14:15—16:10

This is the second of three parts of the Torah Portion Beshallah (Sent Out)
Conservative and Reform Jewish congregations read only this part this year,
as also in this Bible plan.
Here is the entire portion in all three parts.

Exodus 13:17—17:36

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Rescued from all Egyptians v. 30

The Saturday passages follow the reading list that Jewish people use in their synagogue worship
throughout the world. They are taken from
“The Torah,” the first five books of the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy
that are read each year beginning with autumn.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information