I've noticed changes in my life in the last few months. These changes are all for the better. My son clings to me a little closer. My wife and I get along even better than before. It's easier to forgive those who wrong me. I no longer want to listen to angry music. I've returned to the church I grew up in and brought my family. Some would say that I've just outgrown many of my former tendencies, but I say that this all began with this project to read the Bible faithfully.

I've been asked if the newsletter would continue once the Bible was completed, and I have to give it a resounding YES! I've been reading in the NIV and would like to do it again next year in the NLT. I had earlier thought that my project would be considered "done" but the project God has for our lives is never finished and I've seen that daily Bible reading is so important to our growth that I couldn't consider ending.

I've been expanding instead. If you have an interest in RSS feeds, you can read the weekly reading by checking out the same newsletter on an RSS feed and the newsletter will be available in a daily format on it's own feed. The daily version won't include my opening commentary for the week or the weekly link, but those will be available on the site and the newsletter as well.

RSS? What's that? It's a new way to get my newsletter rather than having something in your inbox for a spam blocker to attack or for the spam you undoubtedly receive to hide within all of the junk. There are RSS readers that can be downloaded from the internet, but for now, I'll recommend bloglines.com as a free way to keep current with my newsletter sans e-mail.

I did say that the project would expand, not be replaced. If you wish to continue with the e-mail option, great! No changes will take place in the distribution. This addition is in place for those who don't want to give out their e-mail address, those who are tired of separating wheat from chaff in their inbox and those who just want a more techie approach to the same newsletter they've been enjoying. For more info about just what this RSS stuff is all about, you can visit Lockergnome.com.

For more info on the lessons of Jesus in his final week, keep reading below. Especially keep reading your Bible!

Every Day,

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Notice that in the parable of the Vineyard Laborers, when they go in search of workers, the people they find are not lazily wasting time, but were waiting in the marketplace for work to do. Even to the eleventh hour, they watched for a job that could be done. Nonetheless, they were paid the same as the workers who had been at work all along. This means that the reward for those who believe in Him is not solely based on time. The rewards in Heaven will not be unilateral, but a deathbed believer has just much right to the glory of Heaven as one who preached all of their life, as long as both had accepted the gift Jesus gave to us all.

I know James and John had their redeeming qualities, and they were among the three to witness the transfiguration, but these brothers had just heard Jesus discuss his coming death and resurrection. Jesus was talking about the sacrifice He was about to make and they wanted to talk about riding His coattails to glory? I almost wonder if their mother didn't put them up to this, but the fact remains: they asked this very selfish question.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. That is my son's favorite Bible story at the moment. He was among the "sinners" in society as the taxes he collected went to Rome. Note that his gift of half of his fortune was enough for Jesus, but the earlier church leader was told to give all. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Zacchaeus understood that he was lost and knew that only the grace of Jesus could save him.

Day 2

Judas objected to the anointing of Jesus with expensive perfume, stating that the money could have been used for those who needed it. The Bible states pretty clearly, though, that the concern for others was low on Judas's list of priorities. Jesus made a good point to him about this. There always be people who are poor on this earth. This woman had a once in an eternity opportunity, though, to glorify God in person by reducing herself. Judas obviously didn't get it, for in a few days... I'm getting ahead of our reading, though.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people sang out to Him and celebrated Him. That puts a beautiful picture in my mind. One thing that isn't mentioned quite as often as the main story is the request of the Pharisees to Jesus, asking Him to quiet the crowds. That is a showing of their reduced power and influence right there. If they were in control of things, they could have calmed the people and dispersed them to their homes or to the temple. They didn't have that authority any longer, though. They had to go to Jesus. His reply to them is one that I cherish. He proclaimed that if the people were to withhold their praise, the very stones would cry out! That statement gives me a shiver every time I think of it!

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

Jesus was stating that His time had almost come to die for the sins of all, and that only with His death could atone for us all. He also was saying that with His victory over sin and death, we all could claim victory over the same things.

Day 3

Jesus wanted a fig, but the tree was out of season and with a command the tree withered. Jesus taught us all that faith is the power that puts authority into our prayers. But what else does this story have to say? When you are called upon to do His bidding, will you be ready? The tree wasn't in season and that wasn't its fault, but what's the excuse of people when He has promised to assist us in His work? When called upon, we need to be ready and willing to do His bidding.

The religious authorities were truly afraid at the power of Jesus and how the people flocked to hear Him speak. They tried to trap Him physically with the guards and they also tried to do it verbally on their own. Why did they try this? They had seen Him explain the most complex issues in ways that anybody could understand and knew that He could outmaneuver them whenever He chose in a conversation. I think they were frustrated with their failures and desperate to pin Him down any way they could, even if they just would get a lucky break. As usual, they ended up cornered in their own trap due to their own shortcomings.

Day 4

My father has agreed to another guest writing position for this day. Thanks Dad! Take it away, Ron!

When Jesus came into the world, He offered Himself as King of the Jews, however the Jewish leaders were very proud and self-righteous. Jesus did not fit the picture of the leader whom they were seeking. He offered his righteousness to the poor, the meek, the merciful and the pure in heart. The pride of the Jewish leadership didn't allow them to fit this same mold. Public opinion was what swayed their thoughts. This did not sway Jesus at all and that created a contrasting situation for them.

In the parable of the two sons, the father asked each son to work in the vineyard. At first the first son refused, but later did what his father asked. The second son agreed but then did nothing. The religious leaders claimed that the first son did the father's wishes. This was the son that Jesus compared to the tax collectors and prostitutes who had repented and chosen to follow Jesus. The second son was compared to the religious leaders who put on a pious show, but failed to follow Him.

The parable of the tenants shows a landowner sending servants to collect the rent from farmers on his land. The farmers abused and killed each servant until the farmer sent his son. Just as Jesus would be killed that week, the son was killed. In light of those events, the landowner came and took the land from the farmers and gave it to others who would honor him. We will see later this year that the primary emphasis of the gospel of Christ would shift from the Jewish people to the gentile believers.

Thanks again, Dad!

Day 5

The greatest commandment. That is something that our law looks into every day. While they try to remove the Ten Commandments from the courtroom, they are still enforcing most of them. Ironic, huh? What I mean about how the law looks at what degree of severity each law takes, I'm referring to murder, rape, theft and all of the other crimes they must judge. Each is a sin and each creates a barrier between us and God that only Jesus can penetrate. The courts, though, decide what laws are more important based on their rulings. Jesus has a simpler plan for us. Love God is number one. Love your neighbor is number two. If we all could keep those two laws, everything else would fall into place. Why don't we adopt these two laws and forget the rest? We all know that answer already.

The Powerball jackpot is getting up above a hundred million again and I'm thinking of what I could do with that much money. I'd make sure that my family members were all taken care of and donate at least a million dollars to my son's school and another million to our church. Sounds great, huh? If I had a hundred million dollars, though, what would two million dollars put to God's work mean to me? It wouldn't be a sacrifice at all, would it? This illustrates Jesus' show of respect for the small amount the widow gave over the large sums given by the rich people who were posturing their gifts to the temple. The spirit of the gift is greater than the gift itself. And in case you're wondering, I don't play the lotto. I'm uncomfortable with gambling in any form, unless it's a "hail mary" pass at the end of a football game!

Day 6

Jesus took the time to put some finishing touches on His work in these next readings. This day has to do with the future and how we could now that His second coming was near and I've got to say that many of these things have happened and are happening now. People do proclaim themselves as the Christ and deceive many. Wars and rumors of wars are so commonplace, that it's all over the news. Earthquakes and famines are worldwide, if only you pay attention. And Jesus says that these are the birthing pains of a new age.

It's a wonder to me also that missionaries go out into the world to teach the gospel to people who may only want them for the medical aid they bring, but lives are changed anyway. These missionaries go out at the risk of their lives, and many fall to that risk. Some die violent deaths, some succumb to the natural dangers in the lands they are in, and yet they continue to spread the word. These people need our prayers, for it is their works that cause the words of Christ to never pass away.

Day 7

When a woman goes into labor, she doesn't know how long she will have to endure it before her child is brought into the world. My wife was blessed with about two hours, my sister-in-law must have gone at least 12. That's how it is now with us awaiting the second coming. All we can do is keep our hearts prepared and wait patiently. We don't know when the master will return, so we must keep His house in order until he appears, so He will be pleased.

Our minds need to remain on the Lord at all times. He may return today, maybe tomorrow, maybe not in our mortal lifetime, but we must be ready for this eventuality. God will judge us all and separate us according to the decisions we make in this lifetime. The deciding factor will be our acceptance of Jesus as our savior and other matters of our kindness will also be weighed to determine the extent of our glory or torment. So in a sense, we are judged by our works, but that is not the deciding factor. The worst offender to reach Heaven will have glory beyond their imagination and the brightest saint in Hell will have torment beyond anything they can comprehend. That's why Jesus is so important to our eternity.

Weekly Link K-LOVE The idea for a full-time contemporary Christian music station was conceived in San Francisco in 1980 by a popular Bay Area radio personality, Bob Anthony. Anthony sensed that traditional Christian radio was not reaching the average person. His vision was to create a new, all-music station, featuring artists like Amy Grant, The Imperials, and Keith Green – a revolutionary approach in its day. Professional announcers would present the Gospel clearly through brief vignettes, without adopting the "Christian-ese" terms and phrases which would be difficult for non-believers to understand. K-LOVE also helps other ministries to grow. Free airtime and services are donated to numerous non-profit church and ministry organizations such as: Youth For Christ, the Gospel Mission, The Salvation Army, Focus on the Family, and others. I enjoy this station in the car and also on the internet. I suggest checking them out and if you're inclined, a donation wouldn't be out of the question, as they are listener-supported, not advertisement-based. http://www.klove.com

I hope you enjoyed this e-zine. If you know anyone else who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward this e-mail to them or direct them to http://www.coffeeswirls.com/weeklybible/
Thanks for sharing my goal of reading the Bible in its entirety this year!