Read To Me Daily Semester 2Sample

1SAMUEL 20:
In yesterday’s story from 1st Samuel, we heard the slow escalation of David's problems stemming from Saul's jealousy. Saul made David his son-in-law, but only because of the hope that David would be killed by the Philistines. For only the first time in yesterday's reading, we heard how Saul was humbled because of the results of acting on his jealousy. But he doesn't learn from it.

PSALM 103:
Today we’ll enjoy Psalm 103. How it must please the Lord when we pray this psalm, which is another favorite! Note that the psalm starts and ends with the same line.

ROMANS 7:7—8:4:
The second key to being released from the power of sin that we have heard about in Romans is God's Spirit! (7:6) Paul then launched into an exposition of what he meant in chapter 7, verse 5: “When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.” The explanation that extends from verse 7 to the end of the chapter should NOT be construed to negate what he said in verse 6, in the preceding chapters, and in chapter 8!

Notice that in the second half of chapter 7, Paul stops mentioning Christ. That’s a hint that he is no longer talking about our life in union with Christ. Also, I found it interesting to do a search of Romans searching for the word ‘Spirit’. Look at the pattern of where the word ‘Spirit’ is used!

Let’s pray.
Our dear Lord Jesus, help us to understand and correctly interpret what Paul has written. We see in this book that our salvation is based on your blood shed on the cross, not on any good works that we do or our attempts to lead a sinless life. Our union with you brings new life and we are born again. But how does this really happen? I pray that you would help my reader to meditate on today’s reading to find the key that I mentioned. In the process, Lord, help me and my listener to avoid these errors:

• Let us never seek to take advantage of your generosity and kindness to us, taking that as a license to sin.
• Let us never take Paul’s words at the end of chapter 7 as an excuse for our own sin.
• Let us never give up on our pursuit of personal holiness, saying that we have become ‘good enough’. This means we have fallen for the sin of pride.
• Let us never look down on others who don’t seem to measure up to our standard. 
• Let us never think that we have earned enough good points our service of you that we can trade in a few on a big moral failure.

Instead, Lord, help us to focus on our union with You, maintaining that precious bond with you at all cost. 

“You're our all, You're the best
You're our joy, our righteousness
And we love You Lord.”

(The closing words of this prayer are taken from the worship song, “You are my all in all.”)