February 6, 2017 

READ: 1 John 2:15-17 

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do (Joshua 1:7).

As we travel country roads observing fields and farms, my husband and I marvel at the beauty we see and also the potential dangers involved in driving down these lanes. On either side of the roads are deep ditches. I imagine their purpose is to drain the fields of water and keep the roadways from being flooded or washed away. If drivers should slide off the icy pavement into a ditch or for a splitsecond take their eyes off the road, however, it could prove to be fatal.

There can be ditches in life that aren’t as obvious but can prove to be even more deadly. Fortunately, we don’t need to fear these potential pits, for Scripture reveals that by following God in obedience we can avoid them (Joshua 1:7).

We’re to be “as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Wisdom demands we acknowledge that allowing ourselves to be distracted from Jesus’ way could leave us and others in spiritual, emotional, physical, or financial danger. Our distractions aren’t ours alone.

There are distractions or temptations common to all of us (1 Corinthians 10:13). In His explanation of the parable of the farmer scattering seed, Jesus names two of them, “worries of this life and the lure of wealth” (Matthew 13:22). The apostle John picks up on Jesus’ teaching and names these distractions as “a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions” (1 John 2:16).

We’re tempted throughout our Christian lives, not just at the outset. But by God’s power, we can resist the temptations of this world and please the One who promises “a rich and satisfying life” that lasts forever (John 10:10; 1 John 2:17).

—Marlena Graves

365-day plan: Exodus 7:1-14

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February 5, 2017 

READ: Proverbs 16:1-9 

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (v.9).

A friend and I once did an eight-day hike from Lindisfarne Island to Durham in north England. We went to learn about the godly men and women who had brought Christianity to the region—people like Aidan, Cuthbert, and Bede. I also took the pilgrimage because I was searching for direction.

Our goal was to arrive at Durham Cathedral in time for the Sunday afternoon service. Six miles out, we nearly gave up. Our backs ached and our feet were covered in blisters. But we managed to limp into the service twenty minutes late— just in time to hear the bishop speak.

“Some of you have been on pilgrimage this week,” he said. “Some of you have made the long trek from Lindisfarne Island to be here. Some of you have been learning about Saints Aiden, Cuthbert, and Bede.”

It felt like someone knew we were coming! Actually, we had stumbled into the cathedral’s one and only service dedicated to pilgrimage. If we’d come a week earlier, or twenty minutes later, we’d have missed it. It was a beautiful moment of serendipity.

Scripture is full of pilgrimages. Abram trekked to his God-given land (Genesis 12:1-9). The wise men searched for the newborn King (Matthew 2:1-12). Cleopas’ eyes were opened wide along the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-34). In each case, those who walked discovered that Someone else was guiding their journey. As Solomon put it, the Lord was directing their steps (Proverbs 16:9).

I learned something in the cathedral that day. While I’d been stressing about my life and where it was going, the God I’d given my life to knew exactly where it was heading (vv.1,4). Through life’s hills and valleys, through its blisters and beauty, we can trust He’s leading us somewhere good.

—Sheridan Voysey

365-day plan: Exodus 6:1-13

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February 4, 2017 

READ: Acts 16:16-40 

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God (v.25).

Keith Getty, cowriter of the classic modern hymn “In Christ Alone,” says that believers in Jesus “want to sing deep things about God.” He would like to see local churches using a rich repertoire of both traditional and new songs—music that can truly carry us through life and its challenges. Getty encourages pastors to select forty to fifty songs they want their people to grow old singing, then make sure they sing them at least twice each year.

We pray when we’re in trouble. But when we’re in deep trouble, either depressed or physically weak, it can be hard to muster the energy to pray. So God gave us songs.

Paul and Silas knew when to lift a tune. They’d been “severely beaten” by a mob armed with “wooden rods.” They were then thrown into “the inner dungeon” and had their feet clamped “in the stocks” (Acts 16:22-24). Their bruised bodies slumped against the wall in the damp darkness while blood trickled from gashes they couldn’t see. Yet, praise for God filled their hearts and they began to sing.

There’s a reason why athletes pump themselves up with music. Music touches our heart and lifts our spirits. It’s a boost for the soul. Though the bodies of Paul and Silas were shackled in a cold dungeon, their souls grabbed hold of a melody and were lifted above the pit of despair. And so, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (v.25).

What are your favorite worship songs? We should choose our songs carefully, for they’re essentially sung prayers. We should sing only what we would pray, because that’s exactly what we’re doing. May God lift us as we lift a tune to Him today!

—Mike Wittmer

365-day plan: Exodus 5:1-23

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February 3, 2017 

READ: Micah 6:1-8 

The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (v.8).

Many years ago, a poor orphan advertised her piano recitals in order to raise funds. Posters boldly declared that she was a pupil of the celebrated Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt—a blatant lie. To her horror, she discovered that Liszt was coming to the village where she was giving the concert. With trepidation she requested an interview with him, sobbed out her confession, and awaited his stern rebuke. Liszt acknowledged that she had been wrong, but recognized her repentance and asked her to play for him. At first she stumbled over her notes, but as she grew in confidence, she played well. He corrected her a few times and said, “My dear, now I have given you a lesson. You are a pupil of Liszt. Go on with your concert and put on the program that the last piece will be played, not by the pupil, but by the master.”

Franz Liszt had every right to expose the girl as a liar; yet he showed mercy, covering her shame and celebrating her. In the same way, God showed us His mercy as Jesus bore all our sins on the cross. He even went so far as to delight in us (Romans 8:3; Zephaniah 3:17).

When a defiant and rebellious Israel questioned God’s faithfulness, He urged them to recall the many stories that proved otherwise (Micah 6:1-5). Micah the prophet, lamenting the misguided views of his people, rattled off some wrong ways they thought they could appease the Lord (vv.6-7).

Sin exposes us to guilt, and the more we try to make amends in our own strength, the worse it can get. The prophet Micah reminded Israel, however, that all God requires of us is “to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (v.8). Just as we’ve received God’s mercy, may we show mercy to those who have wronged us.

—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith

365-day plan: Exodus 4:1-17

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