Posted on

Bible in 90 Days Challenge!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Who doesn’t love a good challenge? I sure do! So I am challenging you to read the Bible in 90 days!

Some of us need goals to accomplish anything at all. Goals are good for us!

The Challenge:

90-Days-BIble

Start reading! Why not start today?

Download this Bible In 90 Days Reading Schedule!

There is nothing like experiencing the word of God for yourself! Here are a few thoughts as you begin this journey:

  1. Read prayerfully asking God to reveal himself to you by the Holy Spirit through his book. There’s nothing like having the author of the Word whispering in your ear along the way revealing himself to you and showing you how you fit into the story he is still telling.
  2. Join a group! Like this one hosted by Sozo Talk Radio: Bible in 90 Days Group
  3.  Obey what you read. This is by far the most important part of the process. We must obey what God would have us do.
  4. Blog about it! Why not? Perhaps you will inspire others to dig into the word for themselves. The blog doesn’t have to fit any mold. God made you unique and you have something to contribute in a way that no one else ever could. (Perhaps you are a musician and want to write a song about what your reading, or paint a picture, or write a poem). You have insights that no one else would see, so why not share them?

Your Time is Your Life

Your time is your life. What are you spending the currency of your time on?

Are we willing to devote 30 minutes a day to marinating your mind and spirit in Scripture? I am excited about what God is going to do in our lives through this!

I once met a lady named Martha at a local nursing home who had carved out two weeks of her life to read through the Bible. She said it was the best choice she had ever made. This is so inspiring. So what is keeping you from the most important thing you could be doing with your time?

Seeking Jesus is the most valuable use of your life.

Please leave me a comment (at the group page) about how this journey is impacting you or if you’ve read through the Bible how it has changed your life!

Posted on

Philippians, Read by Daniel Lovett – Sozo Talk Radio

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy this reading by Daniel Lovett of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians from the WEB translation with electric and acoustic guitar instrumentals in the background.

Follow along here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+1&version=WEB

Philippians 1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ;

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers [a] and servants[b]: 2 Grace to you, and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God whenever I remember you, 4 always in every request of mine on behalf of you all making my requests with joy, 5 for your partnership[c] in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now; 6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.

9 This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ; 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (keep reading here!)

I was reflecting on how Jesus made himself of no reputation. There is a tremendous freedom that comes when we decide to have no reputation. No one can hold something over us when we are completely open and transparent about who we truly are.

Consider the ways Jesus had no “reputation”. He was born in a barn to poor peasants from Nazareth. He had the stigma of being a bastard (Who really believed his mom was a virgin?) The Scriptures tell us he was average looking or even ugly! He wandered about during his ministry homeless and dependent on charity from women and on the welfare of his day. At his death he was publicly whipped and mocked and crucified naked.

God truly chooses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27).

Here is an excerpt from Philippians 2:

“If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, 2 make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Posted on

Ephesians, Read by Daniel Lovett – SOZO Talk Radio

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Enjoy this reading by Daniel Lovett of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians from the WEB translation with acoustic guitar instrumentals in the background.

ephesians who you are in Christ

Follow along here if you wish: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+1&version=WEB

From chapter one:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love; 5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved, 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; 11 in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will; 12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. 15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

This first chapter of Ephesians contains the longest run-on sentence in all of Scripture! Paul was no doubt bursting with excitement and joy to share how good this “Good News” of being “in Christ” truly is! You can sense Pauls delight as he unpacks for us the endless treasures and our rich inheritance in Christ!