Resting at the River’s Edge in August with Jeremiah…and a few other guys
Posted by Sandy in Reading through the Bible in a Year, tags: 1 Peter, 2 Peter, James, Jeremiah, Mark, Psalms, Reading through the Bible, Resting at the River's Edge
Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet
In August, we’ll spend most of our time at the River’s Edge with Jeremiah. I’ll be honest with you…there are some books of the Bible that don’t make me excited when I think about reading them. Known as the “weeping prophet,” Jeremiah is one of those books. Let me be more honest…I’m so wrong! The book of Jeremiah is full of great material and reveals the heart of God tremendously. Here’s a quote that I love. God is speaking to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah.
This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
Jeremiah 2:5 (NIV)
Do you hear the Lord’s broken heart? “What fault did your fathers find in me…” Now obviously there is no fault with God, just as there is often no fault with parents when their children choose rebellion. And the parents’ hearts break. God’s heart breaks when we stray far from Him. He watches as we follow worthless idols, knowing that doing so we will be come worthless ourselves.
I bet there are other verses in this book that you know but perhaps don’t know the reference. Check these out:
[The Lord is speaking] “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5a)
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 29:13-14a)
Someday my emotions will catch on that the weeping prophet knows the heart of God and I’ll rejoice at the thought of reading the book of Jeremiah.
Mark, James & Peter
Our New Testament reading will have us in these books:
- Gospel of Mark – We’ll finish the Gospel of Mark, reading chapters 8 through 16.
- James – The book of James is a favorite of many. It was written by James, the brother of Jesus, and many people believe it was the first New Testament book written.
- 1 Peter – This book of encouragement was written to Christians facing persecution. We’ll be exhorted to live a holy lifestyle and submit to authority (and who doesn’t need those lessons?).
The month holds some great opportunities for learning and reflecting as we rest by the river’s edge with God’s Word. I pray that you will come to know God’s heart in a greater way as you read during the month of August.
Blessings, Friends!
Sandy
The recommended reading schedule for August is below.
To download a PDF of the August 2011 recommended reading plan, click here.
Watching the Church Grow & Develop and Reading some Poetry
As we Rest at the River’s Edge in May, we’ll spend most of our time doing two things:
Watching the church grow and develop as we read through the book of Acts
Enjoying poetry as we read some Psalms and the Song of Songs (often called Song of Solomon)
As spring develops, don’t lose focus on what’s important, but feel free to take your Bible and notebook outside and enjoy some spring weather!
Blessings,
Sandy
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this is such a wonderfully engrouacing post. both my husband and I are out of work right now going on 3 months and we’ve been trying to seek the Lord’s guidance. We both have dreams we want to pursue but have no idea how to get there. Neither one of us wants to get stuck in a life-sucking job even temporarily. We’ve been learning that we must put God first, above jobs, family, finances, even each other. It’s been such a wonderful blessing to have so much time together and to grow closer in the Lord, but still have these dreams on the horizon. Thanks for your godly encouragement!