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For the Love of God
For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word
In a world that views absolute truth, right and wrong, and salvation as being subject to individual interpretation, the Bible's unwavering proclamations and miraculous stories seem obsolete in modern times. But it is not God's Word that has changed. Indeed, its relevancy and its power to transform lives are intact. What has changed is the number of people who consult it. Now more than ever the need to read the Bible, to understand the big picture of its storyline, and to grasp the relevance this has for your life is critical.
As with its companion volume, For the Love of God-Volume 1 , this devotional contains a systematic 365-day plan, based on the M'Cheyne Bible-reading schedule, that will in the course of a year guide you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Old Testament once. In so doing, D. A. Carson completes the work he began in the first book.
In an effort to help preserve biblical thinking and living, D. A. Carson has also written thought-provoking comments and reflections regarding each day's scriptural passages. And, most uniquely, he offers you perspective that places each reading into the larger framework of history and God's eternal plan to deepen your understanding of his sovereignty-and the unity and power of his Word.
614 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 1998
156 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
D.A. Carson
339 books738 followersDonald A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he also served for two years as academic dean. He has served as assistant pastor and pastor and has done itinerant ministry in Canada and the United Kingdom. Carson received the Bachelor of Science in chemistry from McGill University, the Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, and the Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. Carson is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world. He has written or edited about sixty books. He is a founding member and currently president of The Gospel Coalition. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois. They have two adult children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 31, 2023
2011-A great little guide with short commentary to the M'Cheyne bible reading plan.
2023-A good help for the Robert Murray M'Cheyne plan. Lowered one star as I found more interpretative issues I disagreed with. But it is still the best 'read through the year' type of commentary/devotional that I've read.
2023-A good help for the Robert Murray M'Cheyne plan. Lowered one star as I found more interpretative issues I disagreed with. But it is still the best 'read through the year' type of commentary/devotional that I've read.
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December 31, 2021Daily devotions/commentary from D.A. Carson to read alongside read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. Can’t recommend these two volumes highly enough! Transformed my quiet times. Perfect (short!) length to give a little insight to daily Bible reading.
January 1, 2010
Here is a devotional companion that I can stick to! And better yet, it is currently one of two volumes, and word has it that Carson is working on Volumes 3 and 4.
As Carson notes in the preface, many devotional guides will have you read a handful of verses here and some personal gems there. Both the selection of readings and the application comments made on them may well provide encouragement to the Christian, “but they do not provide the framework of what the Bible says—the ‘plotline’ or ‘storyline’—the big picture that makes sense of all the little bits of the Bible” (p.x). Carson continues:
“Wrongly used, such devotional guides may ultimately engender the profoundly wrong-headed view that God exists to sort out my problems; they may foster profoundly mistaken interpretations of Scripture, simply because the handful of passages they treat are no longer placed within the framework of the big picture.”
After exposing the needs of the hour, this devotional seeks to meet them. First, by its reading plan: an average day’s allotment is four chapters, all from four different books of the Bible (a slight modification of the plan devised by the great Scottish minister, Robert M’Cheyne). After a year the reader has read the entire Bible once, and the NT and Psalms twice. Second, by the comments, which generally focus on just one of the four readings for the day. I will review the reading scheme and the comments in turn.
Reading Plan
As previously mentioned, an average day calls for the reading of four chapters from four different parts of Scripture. So on January 1st, for example, one would read Genesis 1, Ezra 1, Matthew 1, and Acts 1. This example of readings illustrates the potential this plan has for meeting Carson’s end, for one realizes that each of these chapters tells the story of a distinct ‘beginning’ (a fitting theme for the first day in a new year) in the Bible (in reverse order, the beginning of the church, of Jesus Christ, of God’s people’s return to Jerusalem, and of the universe). Reading the chapters against each other leads one to discover legitimate links throughout the canon, links which make up the “framework” of Scripture.
Reading consecutively from different sections of Scripture not only helps the Bible ‘stick’ to the reader, but it helps the reader stick to reading Scripture! Reading multiple chapters from the same book of the Bible might be great when you’re in Esther, but what happens to your motivation when you’re faced with three days in a row of 1 Chronicles 1 – 12? Reading across Scripture rather than through it guarantees that what seems (at first, at least) to be leaner sections are supplemented by scriptures whose nourishment is more easily gleaned.
Comments
Like the readings, these too are committed to “helping the reader keep the big picture of the Bible’s ‘story line’ in mind, and to see what relevance this has for our thinking and living” (p.13). Carson’s commitment to showing the big picture edges out concerns of always providing a personal, individual, ‘boost’ to the reader: “although I want the comments to be edifying, this edification is not always of a private, individualized sort. My aim is to show, in however preliminary a way, that reading the whole Bible must stir up thoughtful Christians to thinking theologically and holistically, as well as reverently and humbly” (p.13).
I know of no other devotional whose comments are as faithful to context and yet stirring to the imagination. Carson never (I dare say) makes an application at the expense of context. And for him, unlike many others, context is not restricted to the historical and literary, but also includes the canonical. Thus reflection on Psalm 68:11 (“The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it”) begins at the historical contextual level, where “the ‘word’ that the Lord announced is the word of [battle:] victory”, and legitimately winds its way to the canonical level, to Jesus Christ himself:
“The ultimate end of the exile, the ultimate triumph of God, lies in the gospel itself. As in the case of the beautiful feet pounding across the mountains to bring the good news, and as in the case of the company of those who proclaimed the word the Lord announced, so also with us (and how much more so!): the only right response to the word of the glorious victory of God in the cross of Jesus Christ is that there be a great company to proclaim it.”
In this volume Carson frequently comments on the readings that lie in the minor and major prophets. Most of us would admit that at times these books of the Bible can be tough slogging. Carson’s comments not only furthered my understanding of these important books, but they also kept me coming back each day for more!
Tune in a year from now, Lord willing, for a review of Volume 1. And in the meantime, pick up one of the volumes yourself and enjoy!
As Carson notes in the preface, many devotional guides will have you read a handful of verses here and some personal gems there. Both the selection of readings and the application comments made on them may well provide encouragement to the Christian, “but they do not provide the framework of what the Bible says—the ‘plotline’ or ‘storyline’—the big picture that makes sense of all the little bits of the Bible” (p.x). Carson continues:
“Wrongly used, such devotional guides may ultimately engender the profoundly wrong-headed view that God exists to sort out my problems; they may foster profoundly mistaken interpretations of Scripture, simply because the handful of passages they treat are no longer placed within the framework of the big picture.”
After exposing the needs of the hour, this devotional seeks to meet them. First, by its reading plan: an average day’s allotment is four chapters, all from four different books of the Bible (a slight modification of the plan devised by the great Scottish minister, Robert M’Cheyne). After a year the reader has read the entire Bible once, and the NT and Psalms twice. Second, by the comments, which generally focus on just one of the four readings for the day. I will review the reading scheme and the comments in turn.
Reading Plan
As previously mentioned, an average day calls for the reading of four chapters from four different parts of Scripture. So on January 1st, for example, one would read Genesis 1, Ezra 1, Matthew 1, and Acts 1. This example of readings illustrates the potential this plan has for meeting Carson’s end, for one realizes that each of these chapters tells the story of a distinct ‘beginning’ (a fitting theme for the first day in a new year) in the Bible (in reverse order, the beginning of the church, of Jesus Christ, of God’s people’s return to Jerusalem, and of the universe). Reading the chapters against each other leads one to discover legitimate links throughout the canon, links which make up the “framework” of Scripture.
Reading consecutively from different sections of Scripture not only helps the Bible ‘stick’ to the reader, but it helps the reader stick to reading Scripture! Reading multiple chapters from the same book of the Bible might be great when you’re in Esther, but what happens to your motivation when you’re faced with three days in a row of 1 Chronicles 1 – 12? Reading across Scripture rather than through it guarantees that what seems (at first, at least) to be leaner sections are supplemented by scriptures whose nourishment is more easily gleaned.
Comments
Like the readings, these too are committed to “helping the reader keep the big picture of the Bible’s ‘story line’ in mind, and to see what relevance this has for our thinking and living” (p.13). Carson’s commitment to showing the big picture edges out concerns of always providing a personal, individual, ‘boost’ to the reader: “although I want the comments to be edifying, this edification is not always of a private, individualized sort. My aim is to show, in however preliminary a way, that reading the whole Bible must stir up thoughtful Christians to thinking theologically and holistically, as well as reverently and humbly” (p.13).
I know of no other devotional whose comments are as faithful to context and yet stirring to the imagination. Carson never (I dare say) makes an application at the expense of context. And for him, unlike many others, context is not restricted to the historical and literary, but also includes the canonical. Thus reflection on Psalm 68:11 (“The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it”) begins at the historical contextual level, where “the ‘word’ that the Lord announced is the word of [battle:] victory”, and legitimately winds its way to the canonical level, to Jesus Christ himself:
“The ultimate end of the exile, the ultimate triumph of God, lies in the gospel itself. As in the case of the beautiful feet pounding across the mountains to bring the good news, and as in the case of the company of those who proclaimed the word the Lord announced, so also with us (and how much more so!): the only right response to the word of the glorious victory of God in the cross of Jesus Christ is that there be a great company to proclaim it.”
In this volume Carson frequently comments on the readings that lie in the minor and major prophets. Most of us would admit that at times these books of the Bible can be tough slogging. Carson’s comments not only furthered my understanding of these important books, but they also kept me coming back each day for more!
Tune in a year from now, Lord willing, for a review of Volume 1. And in the meantime, pick up one of the volumes yourself and enjoy!
January 3, 2024
Along with Volume 1, For the Love of God Vol. 2 is the best Bible reading plan supplement I have come across. I love the M’Cheyne reading schedule which walks one through the OT fully in a year plus through the NT and Psalms twice. D.A. Carson adds one page of commentary and life application to this - extremely rich in content and truth.
I’m a big advocate of using a reading plan that mixes in Old and New Testament passages daily rather than trucking straight through the Bible cover to cover. And I don’t think one can do better than supplementing that type of reading than with these books.
I’m a big advocate of using a reading plan that mixes in Old and New Testament passages daily rather than trucking straight through the Bible cover to cover. And I don’t think one can do better than supplementing that type of reading than with these books.
December 27, 2022
Took me two-ish years, but I found it helpful in a season of going through big chunks of the Bible at a time, to force myself to notice some little details I may have otherwise missed.
Next year though I think I’m going to slow down and just do some manuscript discovery on whole books at a time over and over to really go a bit deeper. I feel a danger with 4 chapters a day is that I kept skimming through and not engaging slowly with each part of the Bible.
Next year though I think I’m going to slow down and just do some manuscript discovery on whole books at a time over and over to really go a bit deeper. I feel a danger with 4 chapters a day is that I kept skimming through and not engaging slowly with each part of the Bible.
October 26, 2018
For the Love of God is the best devotional out there. 2016 was volume 1, 2017 volume 2. Honestly, nothing beats the M'Cheyne reading plan. I felt motivated every morning to read the Bible because of it. Some mornings felt quite lengthy to sit down and do the readings and then read Carson's meditation. Nevertheless, his mediations are full of so much wisdom and elaborate research.
December 25, 2019
Excellent in every way: daily devotional readings based on scholarly exegesis, grounded in biblical & systematic theology, focused on personal edification, and organized around the M’Cheyne bible reading plan.
December 31, 2021
My companion through this year's bible reading, it's helpful though I think it may be a little over-rated.
January 1, 2016
**Update** 1/1/16 Now beginning my second year of reading this devotional and the assigned bible readings each morning. This greatly enriched my studying of the Bible last year -- look forward to learning even more from it this go-round!
2/10/15: This is a daily devotional which involves a brief lesson from the author before a reading assignment of either two or four different passages, depending on how much of the Bible you wish to read within a year. I'm taking the four-passage path, so I'll be reading the Old Testament once, and the New Testament and Psalms twice over the course of the year. For example, today's assignment for Feb 10 is Genesis 43, Mark 13, Job 9, Romans 13. There is something about this format of reading four different chapters, from different books together that seems to enrich the message and my understanding of it. The author's commentaries are refreshing as they are factual, historical.
2/10/15: This is a daily devotional which involves a brief lesson from the author before a reading assignment of either two or four different passages, depending on how much of the Bible you wish to read within a year. I'm taking the four-passage path, so I'll be reading the Old Testament once, and the New Testament and Psalms twice over the course of the year. For example, today's assignment for Feb 10 is Genesis 43, Mark 13, Job 9, Romans 13. There is something about this format of reading four different chapters, from different books together that seems to enrich the message and my understanding of it. The author's commentaries are refreshing as they are factual, historical.
December 30, 2013
I loved having DA Carson as my constant companion each morning as we read through God's Word! In hindsight I would have read the Bible on the two year plan instead of the one year plan in the book, but that's my fault not this book's fault. Each day you get a short reading about one of the assigned passages, very helpful and insightful!
December 31, 2016
A Great Companion
This book puts you on a great reading plan for the Bible and then encourages, clarifies and convicts you through pointing you back to the text and the history surrounding the text.
This book puts you on a great reading plan for the Bible and then encourages, clarifies and convicts you through pointing you back to the text and the history surrounding the text.
December 31, 2019
This is the second volume and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. It has the same readings listed at the top, but whereas the first volume you just read the first pair of Scriptures, the second volume you read the second pair and the commentary is associated with those two sections instead. After reading both volumes I have now read the entire OT once, the NT twice, and Psalms twice in the span of two years. The pace really isn’t too bad; it’s not too hard to catch up if you miss a few days. Carson’s commentary is solid and very helpful. There are a lot of passages that are confusing or just kind of boring and it’s easy to just read it and forget about it and be done with it, but with Carson’s commentary he offers context, perspective, background, cross-references, or reflective questions that help you stay focused and meditative on even the hardest books of the Bible. I would highly recommend both volumes- especially if you are like me and struggle to make reading the Bible a habit.
December 29, 2020
Carson is one of my favorite commentators and theologians, so my review will be a bit biased. This daily devotional is designed to supplement a through the Bible in one year reading plan created by Robert Murray M'Cheyne. This is my second year using that plan and also the second volume of Carson's companion work I've read. I truly enjoy the devotionals and found many days that were right on point with what I was reading in Scripture and the way I was being lead to meditate and assimilate them. Not sure how much of a help this book would be to those who are not using the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, but if you are I can highly recommend Carson's contributions. Plenty of nuggets to be mined from one of the sounder theologians out there.
January 11, 2019
Best One-page Devotion Out There!
If you have ever been around someone whom you can tell has FAR more to say about something than they have time, not just to impress with knowledge, but because of passion for the subject, then you know how I find Carson’s devotional to be. If you are a consistent reader of the Bible, I highly recommend this volume to you as way of interacting with a great man’s insights into the Word that might otherwise be missed. Additionally, you may, as I have, feel super cool on those days when you read his insight and excitedly say, “I saw that also!” Ah, to think like D. A. Carson, now that is a dream worth pursuing!
If you have ever been around someone whom you can tell has FAR more to say about something than they have time, not just to impress with knowledge, but because of passion for the subject, then you know how I find Carson’s devotional to be. If you are a consistent reader of the Bible, I highly recommend this volume to you as way of interacting with a great man’s insights into the Word that might otherwise be missed. Additionally, you may, as I have, feel super cool on those days when you read his insight and excitedly say, “I saw that also!” Ah, to think like D. A. Carson, now that is a dream worth pursuing!
December 31, 2021
Wow, I can't believe I finished this year long devotional! Most of the daily entries helped me understand the day's M'Cheyne Bible study text a little more. I particularly appreciated the sections on the book of Job. But the entries on the major and minor prophet texts....not so much. It's not him, it's me. The book of Ezekiel just need a lot more attention to details, so I often read it and think I got it, and then read the analysis provided by the devotion and think: wow, I don't remember the text saying that lol
I think I would be interested in reading a commentary of an entire book of the Bible written by Dr. Carson.
I think I would be interested in reading a commentary of an entire book of the Bible written by Dr. Carson.
March 18, 2023
I cannot recommend this daily companion for discovering the riches of God's word highly enough! I use it, and its sister volume, Volume 1, every 3 years or so, and have done since they were gifted to me by my children for Father's Day in 2004.
Following Robert Murray McCheyne's daily reading schedule, which takes the reader once through the Old Testament and twice through the Psalms and the New Testament, DA Carson's notes per daily reading provide additional insight and help on the passages read.
This 2-volume set is really a must for any serious reader of Scripture and once obtained and used, you will return and return again and again to it.
A truly 5-star read! SDG!
Following Robert Murray McCheyne's daily reading schedule, which takes the reader once through the Old Testament and twice through the Psalms and the New Testament, DA Carson's notes per daily reading provide additional insight and help on the passages read.
This 2-volume set is really a must for any serious reader of Scripture and once obtained and used, you will return and return again and again to it.
A truly 5-star read! SDG!
December 31, 2022
Carson's notes to go with M'Cheyne's yearly reading plan have been a welcome accompaniment to my bible reading this year. He's brilliant at not only getting you to prioritise the scripture, but also pointing you to other places and linking passages to one another in a way that makes you reflect on your reading in a whole different way. Both volumes have been great this year. I feel I could start them again tomorrow and glean just as much. M'Cheyne's reading plan of OT once and NT twice is a great way to make sure you're getting enough scripture each day, too.
December 10, 2024
I’ve used this off and on over the past 5-ish years, depending on my involvement in other Bible studies. I generally go through the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan at half speed, so I read the entire Bible in two year’s time (which gives me bandwidth for other Bible studies and personal studies while keeping me broadly studying the entirety of scripture). I appreciate Carson’s clarity, scholarship, and devotion. These daily devotions assume you’ve read the Word, so they launch from that perspective, avoiding the “fluffy” devotions often found elsewhere.
December 31, 2024
365 insights into Scriptural truths!
Carson wrote two of these volumes, giving varied short lessons on the daily Bible readings. I will alternate these devotions every couple of years, as Carson delivers these as a superb theologian yet with a pastoral heart. What I mean is the theological/historical insights are apt, but Carson also gives me something to apply to my own relationship with God and man.
Carson wrote two of these volumes, giving varied short lessons on the daily Bible readings. I will alternate these devotions every couple of years, as Carson delivers these as a superb theologian yet with a pastoral heart. What I mean is the theological/historical insights are apt, but Carson also gives me something to apply to my own relationship with God and man.
January 9, 2019
I have read through this book twice now as my daily devotional and guide for reading through the Bible in a year. It is an excellent commentary; each day's content is only one page but give a depth of analysis, background, and application. I appreciate Carson's knowledge, conciseness, and faithfulness to the Word.
December 31, 2020
Great all around companion to daily scripture reading
This is a great small read each day to go along with the scripture reading. It’s a good pace, theologically sound, and provides some good context to the assigned reading. This is my second read through the two volume set. I highly recommend both.
This is a great small read each day to go along with the scripture reading. It’s a good pace, theologically sound, and provides some good context to the assigned reading. This is my second read through the two volume set. I highly recommend both.
December 30, 2022
Great pace, great commentary!
D A Carson is an insightful theologian. His observations and comments are packed with wisdom and weighty conclusions. The pace of this study … two years … is perfect for reading the daily chapters from the Bible and then having time to listen to God speak even while reading the comments by Carson. Ready for my third time through!!
D A Carson is an insightful theologian. His observations and comments are packed with wisdom and weighty conclusions. The pace of this study … two years … is perfect for reading the daily chapters from the Bible and then having time to listen to God speak even while reading the comments by Carson. Ready for my third time through!!
December 31, 2021
A good strong Bible reading plan in a place where you can keep track of it, as well as usually interesting, often informative commentary from a respected name in the field. A good strong practical book for being a better, more disciplined and thoughtful, Bible reader.
December 30, 2023
A wonderful companion to M’Cheyne reading plan, Carson’s applications, observations, structural analysis, & overall commentary are invaluable. Thoroughly enjoyed this throughout the year & eagerly anticipate Volume 1 for 2024.
January 12, 2021
This was a great companion to reading through the Bible during 2020.
May 13, 2022
If the exposition was not keep jumping around, I would give this 5 stars. Hope there is a third or fourth book, and by the end all of these compiled in a long single Volume.
December 31, 2023
Thank God for His word and His work in this book that accompany and bless me through this year :)
May 1, 2015
Don Carson's sequel
17 December 2012
This is the second volume of Don Carson's daily Bible reading plan based on the the same complex system that the previous volume was based upon. The only difference between the two books is that he writes a brief outline of a different passage from the previous book. I sort of wondered why he did not write a third and a forth book in the series, but then since Carson is one of those academics that seems to constantly churn out books it is likely that once he finished one project, he immediately moved onto another. I do wonder whether these super-pastors who write Bible reading plans set up a plan for themselves, and instead of reading a short commentary, write one instead.
The problem with Bible reading plans though, as with any religious text, is that you can pretty much write any rubbish, and as long as you stay away from the taboo subjects you can get away with it. When I say taboo subjects, I am generally referring to sex before marriage, abortion, and homosexuality, though they are not so taboo if you are condemning people for even passively accepting such practices.
As I have said before, and as I will say again, religion is all about control of people, namely people who desire to be led and have no purpose or direction in life. Now, I am not saying that being a spiritual person is a bad, or unsophisticated, thing; by no means, but I am suggesting that one has to be very careful when one gets caught up in religion, and the use of Bible reading materials can add to that danger. Now, once again, I must suggest that there are a few conditions that I must put on this commentary, and that is that not all Bible reading material is bad, and it can be very helpful to use such plans to assist you in your daily reading, but when doing so you should be discerning at what is being said, and just because a commentary is linked to a Bible passage does not necessarily mean that what the writer is saying is collect.
One of the big things involves money, and in that regard, we should be discerning as to where we are sending our money. Pastors love to play the money card to guilt people into giving to them. Okay, as Christians, we should be generous with the wealth that God has given us because in reality everything that we have, whether we have earned it or not, has been given to us by God. However, whenever somebody asks us to part with our cash we need to prayerfully and discerningly consider what that money is going to be used for, and in that regard I will outline a couple of areas where we need to be careful.
First of all we have the pastors who live extravagant lifestyles. Truth be told, the pastor should really be living in a humble home with an average car, and be on a modest salary. The trappings of his life should really be such that he has a living that is not too hard, and if the pastor has a family, it should be enough to comfortably support the family and to offer the children a good education. However one should be careful where a pastor has a wife who is working fulltime. Ideally, a pastor should not be drawing a wage, however some argue that he Bible does support the idea of full time pastors, and once again, the job of a pastor can be very time consuming.
Then we need to consider what the pastor is doing, and how many pastors the church has. In reality, a church should have no more than one full time pastor per two gatherings. Yes, granted, there may be need of support staff, but I suspect that there are a lot of people in the gathering that may be able to provide those services free of charge. Many of these positions should be offered on a part time basis, and the people performing those tasks should be doing it as a part of their tithe. Further, once a church reaches two gatherings on a Sunday, then if the church wishes to start up further gatherings, the church should consider creating another church plant, and in fact should be looking at doing that prior to actually reaching capacity.
Also, let us question what the pastor is doing? Is all the pastor actually doing writing sermons, meeting with leaders, and wondering around the city talking to people. Well, in reality one does not need to actually be paid to do that. A pastor is actually not an evangelist, that should be left to the gifted people within the church. Rather, a pastor is a teacher and one who supports the people in the church. They are also the leader of the church. Sometimes Pastors seem to feel that everything in the church must be done by them, but in reality, if somebody is a gifted evangelist, they should not be writing sermons and locked away in the church, but should be out in society talking to people, and guess what, you can do that with a full time job. To be perfectly honest, if you are a gifted evangelist and are not working full time, then I am afraid that you may be wasting your gift.
17 December 2012
This is the second volume of Don Carson's daily Bible reading plan based on the the same complex system that the previous volume was based upon. The only difference between the two books is that he writes a brief outline of a different passage from the previous book. I sort of wondered why he did not write a third and a forth book in the series, but then since Carson is one of those academics that seems to constantly churn out books it is likely that once he finished one project, he immediately moved onto another. I do wonder whether these super-pastors who write Bible reading plans set up a plan for themselves, and instead of reading a short commentary, write one instead.
The problem with Bible reading plans though, as with any religious text, is that you can pretty much write any rubbish, and as long as you stay away from the taboo subjects you can get away with it. When I say taboo subjects, I am generally referring to sex before marriage, abortion, and homosexuality, though they are not so taboo if you are condemning people for even passively accepting such practices.
As I have said before, and as I will say again, religion is all about control of people, namely people who desire to be led and have no purpose or direction in life. Now, I am not saying that being a spiritual person is a bad, or unsophisticated, thing; by no means, but I am suggesting that one has to be very careful when one gets caught up in religion, and the use of Bible reading materials can add to that danger. Now, once again, I must suggest that there are a few conditions that I must put on this commentary, and that is that not all Bible reading material is bad, and it can be very helpful to use such plans to assist you in your daily reading, but when doing so you should be discerning at what is being said, and just because a commentary is linked to a Bible passage does not necessarily mean that what the writer is saying is collect.
One of the big things involves money, and in that regard, we should be discerning as to where we are sending our money. Pastors love to play the money card to guilt people into giving to them. Okay, as Christians, we should be generous with the wealth that God has given us because in reality everything that we have, whether we have earned it or not, has been given to us by God. However, whenever somebody asks us to part with our cash we need to prayerfully and discerningly consider what that money is going to be used for, and in that regard I will outline a couple of areas where we need to be careful.
First of all we have the pastors who live extravagant lifestyles. Truth be told, the pastor should really be living in a humble home with an average car, and be on a modest salary. The trappings of his life should really be such that he has a living that is not too hard, and if the pastor has a family, it should be enough to comfortably support the family and to offer the children a good education. However one should be careful where a pastor has a wife who is working fulltime. Ideally, a pastor should not be drawing a wage, however some argue that he Bible does support the idea of full time pastors, and once again, the job of a pastor can be very time consuming.
Then we need to consider what the pastor is doing, and how many pastors the church has. In reality, a church should have no more than one full time pastor per two gatherings. Yes, granted, there may be need of support staff, but I suspect that there are a lot of people in the gathering that may be able to provide those services free of charge. Many of these positions should be offered on a part time basis, and the people performing those tasks should be doing it as a part of their tithe. Further, once a church reaches two gatherings on a Sunday, then if the church wishes to start up further gatherings, the church should consider creating another church plant, and in fact should be looking at doing that prior to actually reaching capacity.
Also, let us question what the pastor is doing? Is all the pastor actually doing writing sermons, meeting with leaders, and wondering around the city talking to people. Well, in reality one does not need to actually be paid to do that. A pastor is actually not an evangelist, that should be left to the gifted people within the church. Rather, a pastor is a teacher and one who supports the people in the church. They are also the leader of the church. Sometimes Pastors seem to feel that everything in the church must be done by them, but in reality, if somebody is a gifted evangelist, they should not be writing sermons and locked away in the church, but should be out in society talking to people, and guess what, you can do that with a full time job. To be perfectly honest, if you are a gifted evangelist and are not working full time, then I am afraid that you may be wasting your gift.
January 1, 2018
Helpful and insightful companion to the Bible. Uses the M'Cheyne reading plan which takes you through OT and Psalms+NTx2. D.A. Carson is grounded and sober-minded and I learn a lot by reading his thoughts. The plan itself is very good and it's quite something to end the year on the end of the kings (2 Chron 34), the end of the prophets (Mal 4), the immediate aftermath of the resurrection, or the end of the old covenant (John 21), and the restoration of all things, or the end of days (Rev 22). I recommend, though next year I'll be slowing down - would like to digest the Scriptures more slowly and carefully (using Tim Keller's The Songs of Jesus!).
Both vols 1-2 contain some profound help for the day. I hear vol 3 is coming out at some point and if so, I'll probably get to it in 2019 or 2020.
Both vols 1-2 contain some profound help for the day. I hear vol 3 is coming out at some point and if so, I'll probably get to it in 2019 or 2020.
January 12, 2015
This devotional offers you an in depth read through God's word and the historical events taking place surrounding the scripture. The American Theology experience can lead one to read the bible in a quest for what's in it for "me" (the m&m gospel - more and more for me and mine) but this takes that m&m gospel and flips it upside down to form the w&w gospel (God's word for the world). In order to follow and obey God, one must come to know Him. This devotional will take you through the entire bible once and the Psalms and New Testament twice. It requires discipline to complete. God is love, He is merciful, He gets angry and dissapointed. I personally think He has a sense of humor, after all we are created in His image. Take the time to get to know Him. It's time well spent!
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