The Ten Commandments are placed in the very center of the Book of Exodus. Meditate on them, especially the extended phrases that amplify the familiar summaries of the commandments. They are meant to convict you—never condemn. They are basic standards that ensure that there will be right relation between God and the human family.

As you pray over them, make your own extensions. For example, what was the particular “house of bondage” out of which the Lord brought you? Make the commandments personal; examine your conscience, gently, completely and honestly.

You need not be afraid, as the Israelites were, that God speak to you directly. Because of the freedom won for you on the cross, the Holy Spirit of Jesus can speak directly to your heart. What does the Spirit say?

Exodus 20

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Example: You the Lord: no other gods v. 3

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

The darkness of pride, jealousy, and unfaithfulness in the people are pitted against the humility, compassion, and fidelity of Jesus. Whether alone in the silence of the desert, or amid the crowds that want to throw him over a cliff, Jesus faces all the wiles of Satan in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Take comfort. Whatever be the evil that is coming against you, it cannot withstand the inner power of the Holy Spirit available to you just for the asking. The Spirit is alive, capable of completing every word of this chapter and the whole Bible in your hearing. This is especially true as you meditate upon these same words of the Lord along with the many who are living the Scriptures in these daily readings.

God wills to deliver you from evil so that you can pass through its midst and be on your way—the Lord’s way.

Luke 4

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Example: Anointed to bring good news v. 18

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In Advent through Epiphany this year we read Luke chapters 1 to 8.

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.

As shining embers amid the smoldering ashes of suffering, the word “glory” rises up four times in this brief passage. The word in Greek is doxa, whose root means “thought” or “opinion.” It comes to mean the good opinion of another, or their reputation. Applied to God, doxa is the radiance of God shining forth.

The word and its variations occur over two hundred and thirty times in the New Testament. In John’s Gospel, it is closely connected with the great suffering and death of Jesus as the moment of God’s glory. As with John, here glory joins suffering for Christ. God’s own glory shines through the shame and suffering inflicted upon those who follow Jesus.

Repeat the word often throughout your day, beneath your breath, as GLORY rests on you and shines forth from within.

1 Peter 4:12–19

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Example: Blessed when reviled for Your name v. 13

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the seasons of Advent through Epiphany this year,
we read the letters of Peter.

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