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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
April 4 - Old & New Testament
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Deuteronomy 30,31
Returning to the Lord
1 "When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing[a] everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore your fortunes,[b] have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.(a) 4 Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth,[c] He will gather you and bring you back from there.(b) 5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it.(c) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart(d) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands(e) with children,[d] the offspring of your livestock, and your land's produce. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.
Choose Life
11 "This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?' 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?' 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.(f) 15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.(g) 16 For[e] I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live[f] and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life(h) so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful[g] to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers(i) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
Joshua Takes Moses' Place
1 Then Moses continued to speak these[a] words to all Israel, 2 saying, "I am now 120 years old; I can no longer act as your leader.[b] The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross this Jordan.'(a) 3 The Lord your God is the One who will cross ahead of you.(b) He will destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them out. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the Lord has said.(c) 4 The Lord will deal with them as He did Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when He destroyed them.(d) 5 The Lord will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous;(e) don't be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you;(f) He will not leave you or forsake you."(g)
7 Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you will go with[c] this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their fathers.(h) You will enable them to take possession of it. 8 The Lord is the One who will go before you.(i) He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.(j) Do not be afraid or discouraged."
9 Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the Lord 's covenant, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation,(k) during the Festival of Booths,(l) 11 when all Israel assembles[d] in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He chooses, you are to read this law aloud before all Israel.(m) 12 Gather the people—men, women, children, and foreigners living within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear(n) the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law. 13 Then their children(o) who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
14 The Lord said to Moses, "The time of your death is now approaching. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting so that I may commission him." When Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting, 15 the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.(p)
16 The Lord said to Moses, "You are about to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon commit adultery with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon Me and break the covenant(q) I have made with them. 17 My anger will burn against them on that day; I will abandon them and hide My face from them so that they will become easy prey.[e] Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say, ‘Haven't these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us?' 18 I will certainly hide My face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. 19 Therefore write down this song(r) for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it,[f] so that this song may be a witness for Me against the Israelites. 20 When I bring them into the land I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey,(s) they will eat their fill(t) and prosper.[g] They will turn to other gods and worship them, despising Me and breaking My covenant.(u) 21 And when many troubles and afflictions come to them, this song will testify against them, because[h] their descendants will not have forgotten it. For I know what they are prone to do,[i] even before I bring them into the land I swore to give them." 22 So Moses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun, "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you."(v)
Moses Warns the People
24 When Moses had finished writing down on a scroll every single word[j] of this law, 25 he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord 's covenant, 26 "Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the Lord now, while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after I am dead! 28 Assemble all your tribal elders and officers before me so that I may speak these words directly to them and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.(w) 29 For I know that after my death you will become completely corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. Disaster will come to you in the future, because you will do what is evil in the Lord 's sight, infuriating Him with what your hands have made."(x) 30 Then Moses recited aloud every single word[k] of this song to the entire assembly of Israel:
Luke 8:1-25
Chapter 8
Many Women Support Christ's Work
1 Soon afterward He was traveling from one town and village to another,(a) preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God.(b) The Twelve were with Him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses:(c) Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out(d) of her); 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.
The Parable of the Sower
4 As a large crowd was gathering, and people were flocking to Him from every town, He said in a parable:(e) 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on the rock; when it sprang up, it withered, since it lacked moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground; when it sprang up, it produced a crop: 100 times what was sown." (f) As He said this, He called out, "Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!" (g)
Why Jesus Used Parables
9 Then His disciples asked Him, "What does this parable mean?"(h) 10 So He said, "The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you(i) to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that
Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.
(j)[a]
The Parable of the Sower Explained
11 "This is the meaning of the parable: [b](k) The seed is the word of God. (l) 12 The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, welcome the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and depart in a time of testing.(m) 14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life,(n) and produce no mature fruit. 15 But the seed in the good ground—these are the ones who,[c] having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring,(o) bear fruit.
Using Your Light
16 "No one, after lighting a lamp,(p) covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see its light.(q) 17 For nothing is concealed that won't be revealed, and nothing hidden that won't be made known and come to light.(r) 18 Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him;(s) and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."
True Relationships
19 Then His mother and brothers(t) came to Him,(u) but they could not meet with Him because of the crowd. 20 He was told, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You."
21 But He replied to them, "My mother and My brothers are those who hear and do the word of God." (v)
Wind and Wave Obey the Master
22 One day He and His disciples got into a boat,(w) and He told them, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." (x) So they set out, 23 and as they were sailing He fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger. 24 They came and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to die!" Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm.(y) 25 He said to them, "Where is your faith?"
They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, "Who can this be?[d](z) He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him!"
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