Read To Me Daily Semester 4Sample

NEHEMIAH 10-11:
As we heard yesterday in Nehemiah, the returned exiles showed how sincere they were in following the Lord! They gathered together for the express purpose of hearing the Law. By this time their language had changed so much that they needed 13 Levites to explain what was said in the readings. The people wept because they realized how far they were from obeying the Law of Moses, and also for joy of hearing it. One month later, the leaders gathered to explore the Law in more detail, and they found that Israel had always neglected celebrating the Festival of Shelters. Then, with great joy, they celebrated that festival for the prescribed week. Ezra read the Law to the people every day. Then afterward, there was a meeting for confessing their sins including the long prayer in chapter 9. This seems to have been an extra event, about one week after the Festival of Shelters was over. After that prayer,

Neh. 9:38 NLT The people responded, “In view of all this, we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing. On this sealed document are the names of our leaders and Levites and priests.”

ISAIAH 39:
After the prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah that he would die, we are told in 2nd Kings 20 that Isaiah only managed to get to the middle courtyard when the Lord’s message came answering Hezekiah’s prayer. Fifteen years were added to Hezekiah’s life, and he received the promise that the Assyrian king would not conquer Jerusalem. In his poem of thanks, Hezekiah said:

Is. 38:15 NLT But what could I say?
For [God/he] himself sent this sickness.
Now I will walk humbly throughout my years
because of this anguish I have felt.

COLOSSIANS 3:
Note the distinction that Paul made in Colossians chapter 2 about following the Jewish religious laws, comparing them with the right standing true believers now obtain by union with Christ. We’re not following a religion anymore! We’re in a new relationship with God through Christ. Those old religious regulations had no ability to help one conquer our persistent evil desires. Following the teachings in the New Testament does indeed allow us to be freed from bondage to evil desires. One important way this deliverance happens is when we understand, believe, and meditate upon spiritual realities such as those those found in 2:13-15, and 20-23. We read other keys to spiritual victory recently in Philippians chapters 3-4. And if you are interested in more on this topic, I encourage you to follow the reading plan available in the YouVersion app called Buckling the Belt of Truth.

Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, help us to understand what we have been reading in Colossians! Please send your Holy Spirit to teach us! We want to live as one with You, joined just like a branch is joined to a vine. Or changing figures a little, help our roots to sink deep in You. May we keep growing ever stronger in our trust in You, and keep us away from any teaching that would lead us away from single-mindedly holding onto You. There should be a change that we can see in us, which can be described as a spiritual circumcision, in which we are released from the tyranny of our sinful passions. Then when we were baptized, we acted out the symbolism of our being buried with Christ and then raised to a new life. May this idea sink into our hearts. Heavenly Father, we believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is living and active in us! So Lord Jesus, may we continue to count ourselves as crucified with You— made complete by our union with You, Jesus, and living in the glorious freedom that the Holy Spirit gives. May our eyes stay on You today, Lord!