3-Day Bible Reading Plan - “Embracing Humility and Forgiveness”
We live in a world that celebrates self-sufficiency, independence, and pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. In this society, we believe the key to human flourishing is discovering ourselves and forging our paths. From a young age, we are encouraged to believe in ourselves and shape our own destinies. We think that strength is found in high self-esteem. Have you ever considered that the key to experiencing God's grace in your life might stem from embracing a posture of complete dependence, a position so vulnerable that it resembles that of a beggar? What if the Kingdom of God operates on an entirely different economy, one where our strength lies in admitting our weakness, and our riches are revealed through recognizing our poverty of spirit? - Pastor Paul Crandell, 4/6/25
Day 1
Featured Verse: Matthew 6:11-15 - “Give us this day our daily bread.”
How does the petition "Give us this day our daily bread" reflect humanity’s dependence on God’s provision, and what might it suggest about every provision in our lives?
What could the plea "deliver us from evil" reveal about the nature of spiritual warfare or the human condition, and how might it influence one’s perspective on God’s power over suffering and sin?
In what ways does Jesus’ teaching in verses 14-15 about unforgiveness as a barrier to receiving forgiveness challenge traditional notions of divine unconditional love, and how might this relationship between forgiveness and unforgiveness shape a theology of repentance as an ongoing process rather than a one-time act?
“We are taught to say ‘our daily bread,’ not ‘my daily bread,’ to show that we must not only seek our own good, but the good of others; and ‘this day,’ to teach us a constant dependence upon God’s providence, not looking anxiously to tomorrow, but trusting Him for each day’s supply.” - Thomas Manton
“Mark this well: if you forgive not, expect not to be forgiven; this is the condition of mercy, and without it, you shut the door against yourselves.” - John Wesley
“‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ If we pray this with an unforgiving heart, we are asking God to deal with us as we deal with others—think of that! It’s a dangerous prayer unless your heart is right.” - D.L. Moody
Day 2
Featured Verse: Proverbs 30:8-9 - “Feed me with the food that is needful for me.”
What does the request to "feed me with the food that is needful for me" imply about the balance between trusting God’s provision and human ambition, and how might this influence a theology of dependence on divine care?
How does the concern of being "full and deny you" and saying "Who is the Lord?" in times of abundance (verse 9) challenge common assumptions about prosperity as a sign of divine favor, and how might this tension highlight the fragility of human devotion when confronted with material excess?
How does the prayer to "remove far from me falsehood and lying" and for "neither poverty nor riches" in Proverbs 30:8 reflect a theological understanding of human contentment, and what might it suggest about the relationship between material wealth and spiritual integrity?
“This is the great danger of worldly abundance, that it fills the heart with self-sufficiency, and the soul, being lifted up, forgets its dependence on God; thus prosperity becomes a snare, leading men to atheism in practice, if not in profession.” - Jonathan Edwards
“‘Give me neither poverty nor riches’—this is the voice of one who has seen the evils of both: riches breeding pride and forgetfulness of God, poverty tempting to sin and irreverence; ‘feed me with food that is needful,’ a modest plea for what sustains life without endangering the soul.” - Albert Barnes
“That’s a prayer worth praying! Too much money, and we forget God; too little, and we’re tempted to take what ain’t ours. I’ve seen it: a man with just enough stays closer to the Lord than the rich man or the beggar.” - D.L. Moody
Day 3
Featured Verse: John 17:15 - “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
How does Jesus’ request to keep His disciples in the world rather than remove them reflect a theological perspective on the purpose of Christian presence in a fallen creation?
In what ways might the prayer for protection "from the evil one" deepen our understanding of spiritual warfare, and what does it suggest about the nature of divine safeguarding in human life?
How could the context of Jesus praying this just before His crucifixion enhance the theological significance of His desire for His followers to remain in the world, and what might this reveal about God’s redemptive plan?
“Our Lord here shows that true Christians must not expect to be taken out of the world and set free from its troubles, but must pass through it, bearing witness to the truth. Yet He prays they may be kept from the power of the evil one, that Satan may not overcome them. This teaches us that the believer’s life is a warfare, not a rest; and that our safety lies not in escape, but in God’s keeping power.” - J.C. Ryle
“The Lord does not ask for His disciples an exemption from the storms of life, for their work lies here, amidst the tossing waves; but He seeks for them a divine guardianship, that the evil one, who rules this world, may not touch them. It is a prayer that they may be in the world, yet not of it—kept pure and safe by the Father’s hand, as vessels fitted for His use.” - Alexander Maclaren
“Christ hath prayed, ‘Father, keep them in the world, and take them not out of it,’ and His prayer is heard; therefore, though the winds blow, and the floods beat upon us, yet we shall not fall, for the Son of David holdeth His hands under our head, and we lie upon His heart, even in the midst of the storm.” - Samuel Rutherford