Read To Me Daily Semester 4Sample

HOSEA 1-2:
Today we begin reading the book of the prophet Hosea. Already in other readings we have heard that God considers the sin of idolatry to be parallel and just as offensive as a wife being unfaithful to her husband. Hosea is told by God to actually live out this situation. He is told to marry Gomer, a prostitute. Through Hosea, God shows just how ready He is to restore and be reconciled with His wayward people. Hosea prophesied to the Northern kingdom during the same time that Amos, Isaiah, and Micah were prophesying in the Southern kingdom. This was during the reign of Jeroboam the 2nd. Hosea was not a professional prophet trained in a school for prophets, but an ordinary man. I imagine his ministry must have been very lonely.

PROVERBS 23a:
The book of Proverbs doesn’t always support that being rich is better. Consider v.4 in the NLT:

Pro. 23:4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.

MATTHEW 4:
Yesterday in Matthew we heard of the ministry of John the Baptist, and Matthew is the only Gospel that records Jesus’ reply to John when he didn’t want to baptize Him, “This should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.”

Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, even though John the Baptist was a prophet, he didn’t exactly know what You would do when You came. That part about the ax being ready to cut down trees at their roots, is not what You did in John’s day, but what You will do very soon when You come again. Similarly today, people get it wrong when they assume that at your second coming you will be gentle, forgiving, and harmless. Instead, You are ready to thresh out the wheat and throw the chaff in the fire. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So now, Lord, this is the time (we your people, who are like trees or vine branches) to bear good fruit. You have already baptized us with the Holy Spirit, so we pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in bearing all the various fruits of the Spirit. Also, Lord Jesus, we ask for the Holy Spirit’s fire, so that we may bear fruit in bringing people to become your disciples. When You come, You won’t be impressed by a bunch of fakers. Instead, lead us so that we will bear fruit that shows that we have turned from our sins.