Week 42

October 13-17
[M] Lamentations 1-5; Ps 137; 1 Pet 4
[T] Obadiah 1; Jer 40-42; Ps 147; 1 Pet 5
[W] Jeremiah 43, 44, 46; 2 Peter 1
[T] Jer 47, 48, 49; Ps 80; 2 Peter 2
[F] Jer 50-51; 2 Peter 3

Dwell Plan Day 206-210 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Lamentations 3:22–23 | The book of Lamentations is a poetic funeral dirge for Jerusalem, written in the aftermath of Babylon’s destruction of the city in 586 BC. Most scholars attribute it to Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet,” who witnessed the devastation firsthand. The Temple burned, the people exiled, and the streets once filled with worship now silent with grief. But Lamentations is not chaos on a page. It’s meticulously structured: five poems, each forming an acrostic in Hebrew (except the last, which deliberately breaks the pattern). This discipline amid anguish is itself theological. The poet’s grief is real, but it’s ordered before God, a reminder that sorrow doesn’t have to be formless to be honest.
What’s even more profound is that the book is shaped like a chiasm—a literary mirror. The outer chapters echo each other (1 and 5, 2 and 4), with the center (chapter 3) serving as the hinge point, the heart of the lament. And right at that heart are these verses: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” This is not a sentimental moment; it’s a defiant confession. Jeremiah doesn’t say this when life is good but when everything is rubble. The structure itself preaches: grief surrounds hope, but hope holds the center. In God’s design, mercy is not the afterthought of suffering; it is the midpoint through which suffering is interpreted.
In a modern world that reads from left to right, always chasing progress and resolution, Lamentations reminds us that biblical faith often circles back to the center—to God’s unchanging character. The chiasm is not just poetic symmetry; it’s a worldview. Everything—pain, loss, exile—folds inward toward the faithful God who governs history. Jeremiah teaches us to trust not in the line of our story but in the center of God’s. His sovereignty doesn’t erase grief, but it anchors it. When the city falls, the poet still sings: morning mercies are certain, even in the dark.

Psalm 137:1 | This psalm gives voice to the ache Jeremiah foresaw. The people who once ignored his warnings now find themselves exiles in Babylon, sitting by foreign rivers, haunted by memories of their ruined city. Jeremiah had told them that this exile was not abandonment but discipline; that God had plans even in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10–14). Psalm 137 captures the human side of that truth: faith feels fragile when songs of worship are demanded in a strange land. Yet beneath the sorrow runs the same conviction Jeremiah proclaimed—the covenant Lord has not ceased to be their God. The rivers of Babylon are not the end of the story, but the place where lament becomes longing, and longing becomes hope, as God begins to re-form His people’s hearts for home.

1 Peter 4:1 | Ceased from sin? This is a confusing phrase. THe ESV Study Bible has a helpful note:
Concerning the phrase, “whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” three different interpretations have been suggested: (1) Some suggest that this could refer to the suffering of Christ (“the one who has suffered”)—who, though he was not himself a sinner, took sin upon himself and then triumphed over it forever through his suffering and death. This interpretation seems unlikely, however, because “whoever” seems too broad and imprecise to be a clear reference to Christ. (2) Others have suggested that this is a reference to the believer being dead to the power of sin, as a result of having died with Christ (similar to Paul’s concept in Rom. 6:1–11). (3) More likely, Peter’s point is that when believers are willing to suffer, the nerve center of sin is severed in their lives. Although believers will never be totally free from sin in this life (cf. James 3:2; 1 John 1:8), when believers endure suffering for the sake of Christ they show that their purpose in life is not to live for their own pleasures but according to the will of God and for his glory.

1 Peter 4:6 | Preached to those who are dead? That's another confusing phrase (when we read it in English). What's going on here? Again, the ESV Study Bible has a helpful note:
Although some maintain that Peter offers a second chance after death for those who rejected Christ, this view is untenable since it contradicts both the clear teaching of Scripture throughout the rest of the Bible (e.g., Luke 16:26; Heb. 9:27; see note on 1 Pet. 3:19) and the immediate context, concerning the importance of perseverance of believers (4:1–6) and the coming judgment of “the living and the dead” (v. 5). Given the immediate context, “those who are dead” refers to Christians to whom “the gospel was preached” when they were alive but who have since died. This fits with the meaning of “dead” in v. 5. Even though believers will experience physical death (i.e., they are judged in the flesh the way people are), believers who have died live in the spirit the way God does (that is, they live in heaven now, and they will live as well at the resurrection when Christ returns).

Tuesday
Obadiah 1:15 | The book of Obadiah is the shortest in the Old Testament, but it delivers a heavy amount of God's judgement and justice. It’s not addressed to Israel or Judah, but to Edom—the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother—who stood by and even gloated as Jerusalem fell to Babylon. God’s word through Obadiah is a judgment oracle against those who delighted in His people’s pain. But what’s striking is that this message of wrath is not primarily for Edom’s ears; it’s for Judah’s. God’s people, humiliated and displaced, needed to know that their suffering had not escaped His notice. Even when they were powerless, the Lord remained sovereign, and His justice was not delayed, but is certain.
Like Revelation, Obadiah lifts the eyes of the faithful to the horizon of God’s final victory. The message is not “you will escape suffering,” but “your God still reigns.” The nations rage, empires rise and fall, but none can outrun the justice or mercy of the Lord. For exiles wondering if God had forgotten them, Obadiah was a whisper of comfort wrapped in thunder: The kingdom shall be the Lord’s (v. 21). That promise—of a world made right, of evil finally reversed—is the same hope that sustains believers today. God’s sovereignty is not just a doctrine; it’s the solid ground beneath our waiting.

1 Peter 5:1 | You can finally see what an effect Christ’s teaching on leadership had on Peter. It’s what Christ modeled Himself in becoming a human: humility! For God to choose to become a man, in order to rescue humanity, He had to humbly give up power, glory, knowledge, etc.  In the gospels, the disciples don’t really understand this, and they stumble around trying to build org charts, fighting about who’s going to be in charge. We see Peter jostling for control, standing out, quick to speak and lead. But the difference here in this letter, in this verse! He’s an apostle, by all accounts the lead apostle, and how does he approach and encourage and come alongside these elders he’s writing to? As a “fellow elder.” He understands Jesus’ kingdom now. Can you imagine the thrill and excitement of those first elders in their first reading? “Peter thinks of himself like one of us?!” There’s no posturing or need to claim the authority that Jesus had given him. No, instead he leads by example, finally applying what he had heard all those years ago from Jesus “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” In the stiff hierarchy of old systems, authority and submission are a big deal. It’s how you navigate your obligations, and it’s usually seen as the glue that holds a culture together. Christ breaks all that glue in His kingdom, and He invites us to do the same. 

Wednesday
2 Peter 1:21 | Peter’s words remind us that Scripture is not the product of human invention but divine inspiration. The prophets did not wake up with good ideas about God—they were “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” This image of wind filling a ship’s sails, reveals both human participation and divine authorship. God used real people with real voices, yet what they spoke was His Word. From a Reformed perspective, this is the foundation of our confidence: Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). It carries the authority, clarity, and sufficiency of the God who cannot lie. In an age of competing opinions and shifting moral ground, we do not stand on speculation, but revelation.
Peter’s next chapter shows why this truth matters. False teachers had begun twisting Scripture, blending God’s Word with human greed and desire. That pattern hasn’t changed. The danger of our time is not usually the outright denial of the Bible, but its quiet distortion, when the voice of culture or preference begins to speak louder than the voice of God. The authority of Scripture is not an abstract doctrine; it’s the only safeguard against deception. When we anchor our faith, our teaching, and our lives to the Word inspired by the Spirit, we are moored to truth that does not drift.
That’s why our Bible reading plan in 2025 is more than a discipline—it’s an act of resistance. In a world flooded with noise, we are training our ears to hear the Shepherd’s voice. Each chapter read is an act of worship, declaring that God still speaks and that His Word still rules His people. As we move through Scripture together—Genesis to Revelation—we’re not just reading ancient pages; we’re being carried along by the same Spirit who inspired them, growing as a people shaped by truth and sustained by grace.

Thursday
Psalm 80:3 | Three times in Psalm 80, this prayer rises like a refrain: “Let your face shine, that we may be saved.” It’s the heart-cry of a people who know that salvation is not merely escape from judgment, it is restoration to fellowship. To see God’s face is to experience His favor, His presence, His delight. Throughout Scripture, the shining face of God symbolizes life itself: the blessing of Numbers 6, the intimacy lost in Eden, the glory Moses glimpsed only in part. When the psalmist pleads for God’s face to shine again, he’s longing not just for relief from suffering but for communion with the living God. This is what sin has fractured: not just our moral standing, but our relationship, our nearness to the One whose presence is our home.
The gospel answers that longing in full. In Christ, the face of God no longer turns away but shines upon us with steadfast love. Salvation, then, is not a ticket out of hell—it’s the invitation into His presence forever. The joy of eternity will not be in golden streets or endless leisure, but in union with Christ, the One in whose face we see the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:6). And there, in that light, every redeemed heart will finally be satisfied, not alone, but in perfect fellowship with the multitude of God’s people, beholding Him together, and finding that the sight of His face is the fullness of joy.

2 Peter 2:17 | Peter paints false teachers as “springs without water,” a haunting image of promise without substance. They appear to offer refreshment, but when the thirsty soul draws near, there’s nothing there. Their words may sound spiritual, but they lack the living water of Christ and the truth of His Word. In Jeremiah’s day, the people forsook “the fountain of living waters” for cracked cisterns that could hold none (Jeremiah 2:13), and the same tragedy repeats whenever teaching detaches from Scripture. Real life, real nourishment, comes only from the gospel that flows from God’s Word. That’s why the church must be vigilant, not chasing the shimmer of an empty oasis, but continually drinking from the deep unchanging truth of Christ.

Friday
Jeremiah 51 | This is a sweeping vision of Babylon’s downfall, a city once proud now crumbling under the weight of divine justice. What seemed invincible is shown to be fragile in the hands of the Sovereign Lord. The prophet describes its fall in poetic detail: walls broken, idols shattered, rivers dried. This is not random vengeance but the deliberate act of a God who rules history. Babylon had lifted itself up in arrogance, boasting in its strength, but now it becomes a warning to every empire that exalts itself against heaven. God’s justice is not hasty, but it is sure. The kingdom of man always collapses under the illusion of its own permanence.
Through a biblical-theological lens, Jeremiah 51 becomes a shadow of Revelation 18, the fall of the final Babylon, the symbol of every worldly power opposed to Christ. From ancient Mesopotamia to modern empires, the pattern repeats: humanity builds towers, and God brings them down. Yet for the people of God, this is not a message of fear but of hope. The destruction of Babylon means the rise of Zion. What a glorious day it will be when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever. The pride of Babylon will give way to the peace of the New Jerusalem, where the Lamb reigns and His glory fills the earth.

2 Peter 3:11-13 | Imagine sitting down at a five-star restaurant and spending fifteen hundred dollars on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You’d think, that’s crazy—why pour that much into something so ordinary, so fleeting? Yet that’s exactly what we do when we pour our hopes, energy, and identity into the things of this world. Peter reminds us that everything around us—our possessions, reputations, comforts—will one day dissolve. It’s not that these things are evil, but that they’re temporary. Investing your life in them is like paying a fortune for something that won’t last past lunch. The wise person looks at the menu of this life and chooses differently, storing up treasure where moth and rust can’t touch it.
Christ calls us to live with eternity in view. One day, sooner than we realize, we’ll stand before Him, and everything we once thought was valuable will be seen for what it really was—temporary scaffolding around an eternal soul. Peter’s question presses home: What sort of people ought we to be? When we grasp the shortness of this life, holiness becomes not a burden but common sense, and generosity becomes joy. The person who lives with heaven in view will never regret what they gave away for Christ, but the one who lived for peanut-butter sandwich pleasures in a perishing world surely will. The call of 2 Peter 3 is simple: live today for the world that will last forever.

Week 41

October 6-10
[M] Jeremiah 27, 28, 29, 24; James 4
[T] Jer 37, 21, 34; Psalm 79; James 5
[W] Jer 30-33; 1 Peter 1
[T] Jer 38, 39, 52; 1 Peter 2
[F] 2 King 24-25; 2 Chr 36; Ps 126; 1 Pet 3

Dwell Plan Day 201-205 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Jeremiah 28:15 | In Jeremiah’s day, the people were desperate for good news. Hananiah gave them exactly what they wanted: a message of peace, quick deliverance, and an end to their troubles. But that message of encouragement wasn’t from God. Jeremiah, on the other hand, carried the heavy word of the Lord—a word that cut against the grain of their desires. Faithful prophets, then and now, are not called to echo cultural optimism or consumer preferences, but to deliver God’s truth, even when it stings. The history of Israel shows that false prophecy thrives when people crave comfort more than truth, but it always leads to disappointment and judgment.
This is a sobering reminder for the church today. In a culture that constantly encourages us to “shop around” for voices that affirm our desires, true shepherds of God’s people are called to give us what our souls actually need—the Word of God—even when it challenges us. That’s why Chris and I need your prayers. Pray that we would have courage like Jeremiah to resist the pressure of popularity and faithfully proclaim Scripture. Pray that we would not be swayed by fear of man but strengthened by the fear of the Lord. And pray that God would give you ears ready to receive His Word, even when it confronts the flesh, knowing that His truth always leads to life.

Jeremiah 29:7 | When Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon, he shocked them by telling them not to resist or withdraw, but to settle in, plant gardens, raise families, and even pray for the very city that had conquered them. This was a radical call to live as God’s people in a foreign land—not by assimilation, but by faithful presence.
That theme runs through the whole Bible: Israel in exile, Jesus calling His disciples “not of the world” yet “sent into the world” (John 17:14–18), and Paul describing the church as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20), embassies of God’s kingdom planted in foreign soil. For the early church scattered across the Roman Empire, their gatherings were like outposts of heaven, living under Christ’s reign in the midst of a pagan world. And so it is with us in San Francisco: our churches are not fortresses to hide in, nor mirrors of the city’s idols, but embassies of Christ’s kingdom—seeking the good of our neighborhoods, praying for their peace, and showing with our lives that the true King has come.

Jeremiah 29:11 | This verse is often stitched onto pillows, printed on coffee mugs or wall art as if it were a simple promise that life will go smoothly. But the real context is far more sobering. God had just used the Babylonian army to lay waste to Jerusalem—His own city—because of His people’s rebellion, idolatry, and injustice. Families were torn apart, homes destroyed, and survivors carried off into exile. In that chaos, you can imagine the questions echoing in the hearts of the exiles: Has God abandoned us? Is He finished with His people? And it is into that devastation that Jeremiah brings this word: not of quick rescue but of God’s long-term sovereign plan. Even through judgment, destruction, and exile, God was weaving together a future and a hope for His covenant people.
The apostle Paul makes the same point centuries later in Romans 9, reminding us that God is sovereign over vessels of wrath and mercy alike, using even rebellion and disaster to magnify His glory and fulfill His promises. Paul’s point is not to make light of suffering but to lift our eyes above it. When the people of Judah saw Babylon’s armies marching through their gates, they couldn’t imagine how God could still be at work. Yet the Lord says, “I know the plans I have for you.” His people’s sin didn’t derail His purposes, and Babylon’s cruelty didn’t dethrone Him. In His sovereignty, He rules over even the darkest events of history.
The cross is the ultimate example. For the disciples, the crucifixion must have felt like the end of all their hopes: their Teacher betrayed, arrested, mocked, beaten, and executed. Surely in that moment, they were asking, “God, what are You doing?” And yet Peter would later declare in Acts 2 that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” and that the very act of wicked men nailing Him to the cross was part of God’s design for salvation. That means we can trust Him, even when life feels like Babylon, when we can’t see the purpose and when our world seems broken beyond repair. God is always sovereign, always working for His glory and our ultimate good. What looks like tragedy may, in His hands, be the pathway to redemption.

James 4:10 | In an age when you get compliments on your narcissism, this truth seems absurd. God’s grace flows downhill; it’s like water in that way. Tracing a water leak in your house can be quite a headache. Finding a small leaky pipe or drain can be almost impossible. But if you want to find out where the water goes, that’s much easier. It always finds the lowest point. That’s what liquids do, running wherever gravity sends them. It’s a natural and inescapable process, and it’s what God’s mercy does too. It also finds the lowest point and fills that place. And as inevitable and necessary as that process is in God’s work to make us holy, we fight it and resist it and fear it. We don’t want to be humbled. To us it only looks and feels like our humiliation, so we run from it. Who wouldn’t?
But at what cost? The context here says everything. It’s our pride that keeps us fighting and hurting and destroying one another. It’s our pride that makes plans as if God doesn’t exist. It’s our pride that drives our prayers to seek our own passions. And God is opposed to all of this. Are you working in opposition to God? Are any of us? Cry out for this work: make me submit to You, my God! Draw me in and take me over, and do what I cannot even really begin to do: make me humble in You. That’s not a prayer you can spend on your passions. Praise Him; He gives such prayers!

Tuesday
Jeremiah 37:2-3 | What an odd and common mix these two verses are in what they describe. Verse 2 is very plain: no one listens to what Jeremiah says. But Jeremiah says more directly: that it isn’t personal—no one is actually listening to God. In this little verse is much of the experience of many prophets, pastors, evangelists, and parents: no one is listening to you. You’re just being ignored. But then comes the next part. In verse 3, King Zedekiah stops ignoring Jeremiah and what does he do next? He asks Jeremiah to pray for him! And so you come to the next common experience of prophets, pastors, etc., when folks are scared and needy they suddenly want your undivided attention to their problems. This little passage, and the saga of Jeremiah’s suffering as God’s prophet, are still the same sorts of stories in God’s kingdom today. Our stories. May our Father rescue us from the blindness that doesn’t seek or listen to Him!

James 5:1 | When most Americans read a verse like this, we instinctively imagine someone else—the ultra-wealthy billionaires with private jets and endless luxury. But James wasn’t writing only to the super-rich. Compared to the majority of people who have lived throughout history, and even most of the world today, we are the wealthy. We have homes with running water, food in refrigerators, clothes in closets, and technology in our pockets that kings and emperors could never have dreamed of. The temptation of our hearts is to always compare, so that God’s warnings to the rich feel like they don’t apply to us. But the truth is, these verses do apply to us.
James warns that wealth has a way of deceiving us into false security and of lulling us into forgetting God. That’s why we need to let passages like this search our hearts instead of sidestepping them. The Spirit is reminding us not to put our hope in riches that will one day rot but in Christ who never fades. These words are not meant to crush us but to wake us up, so that our wealth becomes a tool for blessing others rather than a trap for our souls. The call is to hold our money with open hands—using it for generosity, for mission, for the good of our neighbors—because everything we have has been entrusted to us by the Lord. In that way, the warning becomes an invitation: to live free from greed, anchored in Christ, and rich in the things that truly last.

Wednesday
Jeremiah 30:1–3 | God’s promise to “restore the fortunes” of His people was not just about returning from Babylon—it pointed forward to the far greater restoration in Christ. The exiles longed for home and peace, but their deepest need was for a Savior who could restore their broken relationship with God. In Jesus, the true Israelite, the promises of Jeremiah 30 reach their fulfillment: He brings us back not merely to a strip of land but into the kingdom of God itself, not just to rebuild ruined cities but to raise the dead and make all things new. When we read these words as Christians, we see that the ultimate “restoration of fortunes” is found in the cross and resurrection, where our sin was dealt with and eternal life secured.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 | Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. | Here God promises something entirely new: a covenant grounded not in our weakness but in His grace. His people, burdened by sin and exile, are given hope that one day He would do what they could not: forgive their sins completely and write His law on their hearts. This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection secure for us an unbreakable relationship with God. The new covenant is not about what we bring to God, but about what He has done for us—mercy freely given, hearts transformed, and sins remembered no more. This is the hope of grace: that we are God’s people forever because of Christ.

Jeremiah 33:6–8; 11; 14; 22; 26 | In this passage God piles up promise after promise, repeating “I will” again and again: I will bring healing, I will restore, I will cleanse, I will multiply, I will not reject. The emphasis is unmistakable—the hope of God’s people rests not on what they do for Him, but on what He does for them. This is the heartbeat of the gospel: salvation is God’s work from beginning to end. Just as Israel’s future depended on His initiative, so our hope depends entirely on His grace in Christ. The cross and resurrection are the ultimate “I will” of God—His declaration that He Himself will heal, forgive, and redeem His people forever.

1 Peter 1:12 | It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you… things into which angels long to look. | Peter reminds us that even the angels—those who dwell in the presence of God, who see His glory unveiled—long to peer into the mystery of the gospel. That means the salvation we so often take for granted is something so glorious that heavenly beings are eager to marvel at it. But our sin has dulled our vision. We get used to grace, numb to mercy, distracted by lesser things. Instead of treasuring the gospel as the greatest reality in the universe, we skim past it as though it were ordinary so that we can go home and look at our phones. The angels see what we too easily miss: that the good news of Christ crucified and risen is the most breathtaking display of God’s wisdom, love, and power the world has ever known.
When we lose that perspective, we settle for cheap substitutes. Imagine a kid given the choice of  a lollipop or a hundred dollar bill. You know the kid would choose the immediate sweet distraction over lasting treasure. Without gospel perspective, we live small lives, consumed by ourselves and blind to the riches of God’s grace. But when the Spirit lifts our eyes to see the gospel as the angels see it, we realize we have something far better than fleeting pleasures: we have Christ Himself, forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance that never fades. That is worth more than all the lollipops in the world.

Thursday
Jeremiah 38 | The back and forth between King Zedekiah and Jeremiah is sad. Time and time again (three times in our story) Jeremiah preaches God’s grace to Zedekiah. All Zedekiah has to do is trust God’s words. God has Jeremiah keep repeating to him: “don’t look at the power of Egypt or the awesome mighty empire of Babylon and be intimidated by them. God is greater and He’s already decided on His judgment. Submit and you’ll be fine. Don’t be so scared.” And Zedekiah just doesn’t listen. He’s pushed around by others, he swears secretly out of fear, he’s terrified of torture and suffering, and he’s determind to be practical. And all of that is a death sentence. He doesn’t seem to really be concerned about Jeremiah being beaten, imprisoned, and thrown into a pit. He doesn’t even do anything about those horrible sufferings until someone else brings it up. He’s weak and he’s faithless, and God still keeps sending him words and promises from Jeremiah. What a picture of tender mercy and what a horror of hardness of heart. Here is God’s judgment at its worst, with a man both unable to receive grace freely offered and unable to turn from his slavery to fear. May God protect us from such a complete condemnation. 

Friday
2 Kings 25:27–30 | The book of Kings ends in a surprising way: Jehoiachin, the captive king of Judah, is lifted from prison and given a seat at the table of Babylon’s king. After pages of judgment, destruction, and exile, this small detail shines like a flicker of hope. It’s not just a random kindness—it’s a reminder that God had not abandoned His covenant. Even in exile, the line of David was preserved, because God had promised in 2 Samuel 7 that a son of David would reign forever. This strange ending whispers that the story isn’t over—that God’s mercy still has the final word. And centuries later, through this same line, Jesus the Messiah was born, proving that even when everything looks lost, God is still faithful to His promises.

Psalm 126:6 | This verse captures the paradox of the Christian life: sorrow in the sowing, joy in the reaping. It reminds us that the tears we shed in the work of faith are never wasted, because God Himself ensures the harvest. Ultimately, this points us to Christ, the true Sower, who went out weeping to the cross, bearing the seed of His own life. His death looked like loss, but it produced a harvest of salvation beyond measure. In Him, our labors and our tears are gathered up into God’s redemptive plan, so that even the hardest seasons will one day end in joy. The gospel promises that our sowing in weakness will be crowned with His resurrection power, and we too will come home rejoicing, our arms full of His gracious harvest.

1 Peter 3:19-20 | Have you ever heard of the “harrowing of hell”? As early as the second century, we see this teaching, and sometimes you’ll see it omitted from the Apostle’s Creed in modern churches, or changed to read “He descended to the dead” or something like that. The claim is made that this is what this verse actually teaches. Jesus went, after He died on the cross and before He rose on Easter Sunday, down on a little road trip to hell itself. What He was up to down there depends on the church tradition you come from. But is that what this verse actually means?
Remember the Emmaus road and what the two disciples learned from Jesus after the resurrection: the Old Testament is chock full of Jesus. How so? It doesn’t use the name Jesus. The Old Testament is full of Him in this way: the work and kingdom of Jesus are described and predicted in stories, rules, poems, and rituals. That’s what the Old Testament is, a preparation and prelude to the work and person of Jesus. Peter is saying here that Noah’s ark was a picture of the cross of Jesus. In the same way those folks were rescued from death by being safe inside the big boat God had prepared, we also are rescued from death by faith in the person and work of Jesus. Faith in Jesus puts us inside of Jesus, sheltering us from the anger and judgment of God. In this way, the flood and the ark were mini sermons about Jesus and the cross. Those mini sermons were heard by the folks in the ark, in one sense. They were living out a sermon about God’s rescue of sinners. They’re experiencing Jesus’ going to “proclaim to the spirits in prison”. They’re watching the previews, the redemption trailers of the upcoming salvation show that Jesus is starring in. Peter is eager for us to see and track how God is unfolding this message of His redemption through Jesus and then on through us.

Week 40

September 29-October 3
[M] Jeremiah 11-13; 2 Corinthians 12
[T] Jer 14-16; Psalm 76; 2 Cor 13
[W] Jer 17-20; James 1
[T] Jer 22, 23, 26; Psalm 77; James 2
[F] Jer 25, 35, 36, 45; Ps 133; James 3

Dwell Plan Day 196-200 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Jeremiah 11:14 | This is a hard verse to read. God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people because judgment is already set. It jars us—how can the God who invites prayer ever forbid it? Yet this difficulty presses us to see both God’s holiness and His faithfulness to His covenant. Judah had broken their vows again and again, despising the God who loved them, and justice had to come. But here’s the wonder of the gospel: in Christ, God has fulfilled the covenant we broke. The judgment we deserve fell on Him at the cross, so that now the Father never says “don’t pray” to His people. Instead, He delights to hear us, because Jesus intercedes for us perfectly and eternally. Even in the hardest passages, God is showing us that His faithfulness is so great, He Himself would provide the way of covenant-keeping through His Son.

Jeremiah 12:1 | Righteous are you, O LORD | After a whole chapter of judgment in Jeremiah 11, our instinct is to recoil. The warnings feel harsh, the finality unnerving. Our modern ears are quick to ask: “Isn’t this too much?” But Jeremiah does something surprising. He doesn’t accuse God of being unfair, he confesses God’s righteousness. Even while struggling, Jeremiah anchors himself in the truth that God is just, even when His judgments are hard to accept. Where we are tempted to put God on trial, Jeremiah bows before His holiness.
That posture points us to the cross. The judgment Jeremiah spoke of finds its fullest expression when Jesus bears the wrath we deserve. God’s righteousness is not compromised there; it is displayed with terrible clarity. But at the same time, His love is revealed in its deepest depth: the Judge Himself takes the judgment on our behalf. What once felt like “too much” becomes the very place we see how far God was willing to go to save His people. Judgment and mercy meet in Christ, and only there can we confess with Jeremiah: “You are righteous, O LORD.”

2 Corinthians 12:7 | So what was Paul’s thorn? What is he talking about? He uses this metaphor because it’s actually a biblical one. From the very beginning, when God cursed the ground because of us, He promised us thorns. Plants that hurt you and wound you are intentional in this world. They aren’t a bug, they are a feature of God’s creation used in response to human sinfulness. The image is used a number of times to describe all the folks that were left over in the promised land after the Israelites were supposed to take it. They didn’t follow God’s instructions on His judgment, and instead enslaved the local peoples. This led them into idolatry. Those left over people became thorns to the people of God. We all get that image about people—some folks are pretty thorny! God describes His intentions: to use these thorns to chasten and discipline His people. Paul has those thoughts in his mind when he uses this to describe his own condition, and then never tells us explicitly what his thorny “condition” is. Lots of interpreters and theologians have debated what Paul’s metaphor meant to him. What was it specifically referring to? But that’s probably a fairly useless line of investigation. We’d just be guessing.
But using the biblical metaphor is a clue for us: Paul is intentionally staying vague about his specific thorn. Why? Two reasons seem important. First, it isn’t really about Paul and what his particular thorn was. Details about our suffering and our sins are not the point—it isn’t about us! Paul wisely keeps the focus off of himself, something he’s teaching us to do by example. And secondly, it’s God’s purposes that we need to know, trust, and understand. Paul is experiencing something he knows that God has always done with His people. God uses difficult circumstances and events and people in our lives as tools for our benefit. We can get frustrated and ask God to remove those circumstances, events, or people, and we often find He doesn’t take them away. In our frustration we don’t understand what He’s doing. Paul is letting us in on the love and intention that drives our God, so that all the weakness exposed only exposes more and more of His power. 

Tuesday
Psalm 76:10 | What do you do with verses in the Bible like this? The poet seems absolutely and clearly convinced of one thing above all others: that whatever happens in this world happens because God allows it. Period. End of all discussion.
God does not create or choose any evil. He cannot. He has defined Himself for us as absolute good, and the Bible is very clear on this teaching. But this brings up some serious questions. When you double down on this idea of God, it begins to create a crisis. There’s a mental dissonance, a kind of “thinking static” that builds up in us. We see lots of evil in this world. Lots and lots of violence and horror. The nightly news has image after image of wars around the world. So how does this sync up the teaching of God’s goodness? What is God’s connection with all of this violence? There are two responses to this.
First, this isn’t abstract to God. This poet doesn’t have the info we do: we know how Jesus, the Son of God as fully man, personally suffered intense human violence. And this violence that He suffered is what saves us. He suffered for us, for what we deserved. And so these words were fulfilled in Him, and violence has brought glory to God. Second, God is judge of the world and His judgment is that each and every sin deserves death. Any offense, however small and seemingly insignificant, is a capital offense against God. And so all violence serves His justice in this world, revealing to all humankind that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And we can be absolutely and clearly convinced of this: God will get His justice out of our anger, despite the evil violence of man.

2 Corinthians 13:4 | The Christian faith holds together a strange and beautiful tension: weakness and power. On one hand, Paul says Jesus was “crucified in weakness.” The Creator of the universe—by whom all things were made and in whom all things hold together—allowed Himself to be bound, mocked, pierced, and killed. There is no greater display of vulnerability. Yet at the same time, this weakness was not failure but the chosen path of redemption. Through His cross, He disarmed the powers and authorities, exposing their impotence. What looked like weakness to the world was in fact the wisdom and strength of God.
This pattern becomes the shape of the Christian life. We too are “weak in Him,” and our frailty is not a liability but a channel for divine power. Just as Jesus, the all-powerful Creator, willingly embraced weakness at the cross, His people embrace dependence, humility, and suffering, not as defeat, but as the place where God’s strength is made perfect. The resurrection assures us that weakness never has the last word: the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us. This is the paradox of our faith: our weakness becomes the stage on which God’s power is displayed, and the cross of the Creator remains the ultimate proof.

Wednesday
Jeremiah 17:5–8 | Jeremiah paints a clear contrast between two ways to live: trusting in the flesh leads to dryness and death, while trusting in the Lord leads to life and fruitfulness. On the surface, the choice seems obvious, but the very next verse reminds us that “the heart is deceitful above all things.” Left to ourselves, we will always drift toward the curse rather than the blessing. Our problem is not just wrong choices but a broken heart that cannot love God rightly. This is why we need divine intervention—God must give us a new heart. In Christ, that is exactly what He has done, sealing us with His Spirit and rooting us in living water. Because of Jesus, we are no longer shrubs in the desert, but trees planted by streams of grace, bearing fruit that lasts.

Jeremiah 20:7 | This may be one of the most difficult verses in the Scripture. The translation is toned down, which is pretty ironic. The verb for “You are stronger than I and You have prevailed” is used to describe rape in Hebrew. That’s some of the harshest language towards God in our Bibles.  It would be hard to overstate how desperate and hurt and confused Jeremiah is in this whole chapter. He even curses his own birthday. How much hatred of life and desolation of any joy can a believer in God experience? There’s no script for this kind of pain and horror in his heart. This is the sort of suffering where you keep saying to yourself: there’s no way I can survive this kind of pain. And then you do survive, and it’s all still there. More than any other person in scripture, Jeremiah seems to touch the raw sorrows and grief of Jesus, especially in Gethsemane. But that makes these sorts of verses so much more important for us. In the moment of horror, when death and pain seem so large that they will destroy us, we can know that our God meets us there and listens to our thrashing hearts. We know the One who is greater than the greatest terrors of our hearts. Praise Him. 

James 1:27 | James reminds us that real faith is never abstract but always embodied in love and holiness. This ties directly to the message of the prophets, who condemned Israel for honoring God with their lips while their hearts were far from Him. They kept the sacrifices and festivals, but their lives were marked by injustice, oppression, and idolatry. God’s judgment fell on them because outward religion without inward devotion is a sham. James picks up this same theme, showing that genuine faith expresses itself in care for the vulnerable and a life distinct from the world’s corruption. The gospel frees us from dead religion by giving us new hearts that beat with God’s compassion. Jesus Himself fulfilled this perfectly, drawing near to the broken while remaining perfectly holy. Now, united to Him, we are called to reflect His love in action and His purity in conduct as the fruit of a living faith.

Thursday
Jeremiah 23:23-32 | Lying prophets stink. Be on the lookout—Peter, Paul, and all of these OT prophets agree: false prophets are a problem in this world. Lots of folks like to claim that they “speak for God” but it’s all to get control, money, and attention. The way to get all of that is to say the things people like to hear! Are these false prophets aware that they’re false? We don’t know. Self deception is pretty easy to do, so perhaps that’s part of it. But the caution never lets up. A part of the price we must pay for having the words and wisdom of our God is dependence on the Holy Spirit and vigilance with God’s words. Both the human heart and evil forces in the universe will corrupt the prophetic voice, so we must remember that a true prophet will call us to test them against God’s words. 

James 2:18–19, 24 | But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! … You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. | The tension between James and Paul has long been noticed. Paul insists, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28), while James says, “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). Martin Luther himself struggled with this, even calling James “an epistle of straw” because it seemed to undercut the heart of the gospel he rediscovered. But in truth, James and Paul are not enemies, they are allies looking at the same truth from different vantage points. Paul is addressing how a sinner is brought into right standing with God: by faith alone, resting on the finished work of Christ. James is describing how that true faith shows itself on the other side of conversion: in a transformed life of obedience and love. Both affirm that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
This is why the Reformers helpfully summarized the tension with the famous saying: “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” Paul demolishes any idea that we can earn God’s favor by our deeds, insisting that “by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20). But James confronts the lazy distortion of Paul’s teaching that might say, “I have faith, so it doesn’t matter how I live.” Against this, James thunders that even demons “believe”; they know the truth but do not love or obey God. Real faith is always living and active, producing fruit in keeping with repentance. In that sense, James is not contradicting Paul; he is protecting Paul’s gospel from being twisted into cheap grace.
The cross of Christ holds these truths together. Jesus did the work we could not do, fulfilling the law and bearing the penalty of our sins, so that we are declared righteous by faith in Him alone. But the same Spirit who unites us to Christ also makes us new, giving us a faith that breathes, acts, and loves. Works are not the root of salvation, but they are the inevitable fruit. Paul himself echoes this when he says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Far from being at odds, James and Paul join hands to show us the whole gospel: faith that saves us and faith that transforms us, all by the grace of God in Christ.

Friday
Jeremiah 25:15 | The cup image is all over the Bible. Often it’s a cup of blessing, a cup so full it’s spilling and overflowing. But other times it isn’t blessing, it is punishment and judgment. One of the cough syrups my mother used was so awful that I remember pinching my nose when I had to drink it. I hated the taste so much. Afterwards I’d be spitting in the sink and drinking cup after cup of water to get rid of the nasty aftertaste. It’s one of those universal human experiences: having to drink something we don’t really want to. It happens to all of us. The prophets use this cup image to imagine having to endure something very very unpleasant, like the ferocious and eternal judgment of a holy God. Christ asks His Father if this cup can pass Him by in the garden at Gethsemane. He’s referring to this cup that Jeremiah is describing here. The cup then becomes an amazing picture of the cross, where Jesus is swallowing up death, sin, and judgment in His sacrifice of Himself. He drinks this cup all the way down and empties it. There’s none left for us to even taste. Our cup is the cup of salvation, offered to us in communion every week and received by faith at His table. The nations are still waiting at the bar for their cup, and the bartender is serving them up a tall glass just for them, and He’s going to make sure they drink it.  

James 3:1 | This verse is tattooed on my (Jon's) right arm—it was actually my first tattoo. I put it there because I never want to forget the weight of what it means to stand before God’s people and open His Word. Preaching isn’t just about giving talks, or sharing ideas, or even motivating people. It’s about speaking on behalf of the living God, declaring His truth, and pointing people to Jesus. That’s terrifying when you think about it. James reminds me that I will be held to account for every word I say, and that humbles me deeply. It keeps me from ever thinking that this calling is about me or my own wisdom.
At the same time, this verse doesn’t crush me, it drives me back to grace. I know I’m weak, I know I stumble, I know I don’t have it all together. But the God who calls is also the God who equips, and His Word is powerful even when His messenger is not. That tattoo is a daily reminder to come to the pulpit with fear and trembling, but also with confidence in the gospel. My words won’t change hearts, but God’s Word will. And that’s why I keep preaching—because even though the calling is heavy, His grace is greater still.

Week 39

September 22-26
[M] Habakkuk 1-3; 2 Corinthians 7
[T] Zephaniah 1-3; Psalm 74; 2 Cor 8
[W] Jeremiah 1-4; Psalm 130; 2 Cor 9
[T] Jer 5-7; Psalm 75; 2 Cor 10
[F] Jer 8-10; 2 Cor 11

Dwell Plan Day 191-195 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Habakkuk | Habakkuk is a rare glimpse into the back-and-forth between a prophet and God. It begins with the prophet crying out in frustration: “How long, O Lord?” He looks around at the violence and injustice of his day and cannot understand why God seems silent. And in a very real sense, the whole book is God patiently listening to one of His kids complain. That’s good news for us: our Father really does listen when we pour out our hearts to Him. But the harder truth is that He doesn’t always answer the way we want. God tells Habakkuk that He will bring judgment through the Babylonians, which is not at all the solution Habakkuk had in mind. Yet even in that unwelcome answer, God is showing His justice and His faithfulness.
The book moves in three steps. First, Habakkuk voices his complaint about injustice. Second, God answers with His plan, declaring that “the righteous shall live by faith.” Third, Habakkuk responds in chapter 3 with one of the most beautiful prayers of trust in all of Scripture: though everything around him may collapse, yet he will rejoice in the God of his salvation.
That is where his complaining leads—not to despair but to faith. And that’s the invitation of this little book: when God’s answers don’t fit our expectations, we can still cling to Him with confidence, because He is always good and always listening.

Habakkuk 1:3, 13 | In these two verses, the prophet asks God why He is idle, why He isn’t taking action and responding to wickedness. The tone and words are stunning. But this isn’t an accusation from unbelief. This is someone asking these tough questions because the Holy Spirit is asking these questions. We’re confronted with a living faith here, an intense intimacy with God that won’t shy away from the difficult questions and at the same time is absolutely sure that God will answer. He’s so sure that God will answer he actually schedules his waiting for God’s response in 2:1. And God does. This aggressive “wrestling” with God’s justice gets even more startling in this little book. The prophet commits himself utterly to God at the end and to the joy of God’s salvation. In 3:16-19 he poetically recounts the extent of his resolve to worship and trust God. Even if his own heart is rotten with fear, even if every data point in his life is negative, without harvest or success, he will still worship God. The accusations that began in chapter 1 are coming from a sold out heart. And in the end, in the final verse, the prophet can navigate the hard geography of his life and God’s judgments, because God makes him surefooted like a mountain deer. Praise Him.

2 Corinthians 7:3 | Just how committed are we to each other? Is it like this? Statements like these from Paul about his affection and love for the churches that he planted reveal a work of God’s Spirit in him. It’s a passion and connection that we should pray for, that we should seek God to build in us, and that we should strive to live in. It reveals the true depths of what God is building in His church and what is possible in our intimacy and friendship together in Him.

Tuesday
Zephaniah 1-3 | This little prophetic book is best to read in one sitting, so you can trace the path of the book from beginning to end. That path starts in judgment and horror, and then ends in glory and promise. This combination of mercy and judgment is all over the prophets, but in Zephaniah we get the extremes compacted into three short chapters.
It begins with a vision of total judgment, personal and complete: “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth.” The prophet begins with the final judgment of God. It’s absolute and terrible, including us and all of nature itself. The judgment on Jerusalem in verse 4 is just one part of the larger scene, as the following verses become a tour of suffering and punishment for sin. The list of their crimes is blistering in its attack, matched only by a description of desolation and destruction for every nation around them too. But then it changes at the end. As bitter and horrible as the descriptions of God’s anger have been so far, we’re suddenly confronted with God’s joyful singing over those He saves. It breaks out with a prophecy of new worship and obedience created by God. The darkness turns to exuberance and the dread becomes delight. This journey through Zephaniah captures the Biblical tension in our salvation, inviting us again and again to consider the goodness and severity of God.

Zephaniah | In the book of Zephaniah, God announces a sweeping day of judgment that will fall on all nations, including His own people, justice that is fierce and unavoidable. Yet woven into those warnings are tender promises: God will gather the humble, purify their lips, and rejoice over them with singing. The tension between God’s holy justice and His steadfast love pulses through the book, unresolved within its own pages. But at the cross of Christ that tension is finally satisfied—where justice against sin is carried out fully and love for sinners is poured out completely, securing salvation for all who trust in Him.

2 Corinthians 8:9 | Paul motivates the Corinthians to give not by guilt or pressure but by pointing them to the gospel itself. His appeal is rooted in love, not law. Generosity flows naturally when we grasp the sheer wonder of what Christ has done—He emptied Himself, taking on poverty, weakness, and even death, to make us rich in mercy and eternal life. Paul is showing that true giving isn’t about meeting a quota or avoiding shame, but about hearts so captivated by Jesus’ sacrifice that we can’t help but give freely and joyfully.

Wednesday
Jeremiah 2:4 | “The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love. He who loveth mean and sordid things doth thereby become base and vile, but a noble and well-placed affection doth advance and improve the spirit into a conformity with the perfections which it loves.” Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man.
It’s worth reading this wonderful little old book. His whole argument is that what you love and focus on is what makes you who you are. If you go after worthlessness, you will become worthless yourself. If you chase after God, you will become more and more like Him.

Psalm 130:4 | This verse shows that even the forgiveness we receive is ultimately about God’s glory. The psalmist reminds us that the end goal of mercy is not simply our relief, but reverence for God. That ties directly to what we saw a few weeks ago in my (Jon) sermon on Isaiah 37: salvation and deliverance are not mainly about us, but about God’s name being exalted. When God forgives, He is putting His glory on display—His holiness is upheld and His grace is magnified. The cross makes this crystal clear: Jesus bore our guilt so that we could be forgiven, and that forgiveness moves us to awe, worship, and lives oriented toward the glory of God.

Jeremiah 2:13 | In the ancient world, a cistern was a man-made pit lined with plaster to store rainwater. Unlike a fresh flowing spring, a cistern was stagnant at best. And if it developed even the smallest crack, the water would slowly seep out, leaving nothing but mud. That’s what idols are like. We turn to them hoping they’ll hold the weight of our hope—success, romance, money, approval—but they cannot satisfy, and they always leak. They promise fullness, but they leave us dry.
Tim Keller, in Counterfeit Gods, captures this truth: “When you lose the ultimate source of your meaning or hope, the thing you have put your trust in, it drives you to despair. The cisterns always crack.” The gospel confronts our cracked cisterns by inviting us back to the fountain of living waters—Christ Himself. Only He can give what our idols never deliver: joy that doesn’t run out, love that doesn’t fade, and hope that doesn’t crumble. The choice Jeremiah put before Israel is still before us today: cling to broken cisterns or come to the living God who alone can satisfy our thirsty souls.

Thursday
Jeremiah 5:12, 6:14 | In Jeremiah’s day, false prophets comforted the people with a picture of God that was only half true. They promised safety and blessing while denying His judgment. God calls this out as a lie He hates, because it misrepresents His character and leaves people unprepared for the reality of their sin. The same danger exists today whenever God is reduced to “only love” in a sentimental sense, as if He would never confront evil or hold anyone accountable. That’s not the God of the Bible. His love is holy love—a love that is strong enough to deal with sin, and just enough to bring judgment. The cross proves both: judgment fell on Jesus so that forgiveness could be real, and His glory would shine in both justice and mercy. Any teaching that strips God of His holiness or His justice is the same “peace, peace” Jeremiah condemned—and it robs people of the true hope found only in Christ.

Jeremiah 7 | Jeremiah stood at the temple gates and shattered Judah’s false security. The people thought the building guaranteed their safety: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord” (Jer. 7:4). But God reminded them of Shiloh—once His dwelling place, now in ruins. If His people lived in injustice and idolatry, the temple would not protect them. Worship without repentance is empty.
Centuries later, Jesus echoed Jeremiah’s words when He drove money changers from the temple: “Has this house… become a den of robbers?” (Jer. 7:11; Matt. 21:13). Like Jeremiah, He exposed religion used as cover for sin. But Jesus went further: He offered Himself fulfillment of the temple system. In His body, God’s presence would dwell forever, and through His death and resurrection, He would provide the cleansing the old sacrifices never could.
The warning of Jeremiah 7 still stands. It’s possible to be around the things of God while far from Him in heart. But the good news is that Christ is our temple, our place of forgiveness, and our secure dwelling with God. Don’t trust in outward religion, but rest in the Savior who was torn down and raised up so you might be safe in Him forever.

Jeremiah 7:31 | If God knows everything, then how can He say to His people that they had done something that He says had “never entered My mind”? We know it’s a turn of phrase, but it sounds odd coming from God. Here the prophet is talking about sacrificing kids for worship; he uses this “never entered My mind” expression for God again in Jer. 19:5 and Jer. 32:35 about the same horrific worship. The logic of pagan sacrifice was that only something of incredible value can please the deity, and so parents would throw their babies into the fire to please their gods. It was a common practice among those cultures in those days. So when God uses this expression that it never even entered His mind, He’s making a point about how different He has always been from the false religions of the world. But the expression goes further when we’re speaking of God’s character. Since it’s impossible for God not to know something, this expression is actually cashing in on the absurdity of the idea. It’s a way of saying this is antithetical to God, it’s His opposite. It opposes everything that He is and all that He has said and revealed about Himself.

Friday
Jeremiah 8:11 | God’s idea of fake news is to be too quick to speak peace. There is a peace that we can look for, that we can offer each other, that we can use to help others—but it isn’t God’s peace. Peace with sin is not God’s peace. Peace with your own disobedience or with the evil of others is not God’s peace. Peace that comes from accepting all religions and gods as acceptable worship is not God’s peace. Peace that comes from lots of abundance and superficial religious ritual is not God’s peace. God wants the peace that produces repentance and acknowledgement of sin, that seeks Him and His holiness and obeys His voice.

Jeremiah 9:6 | When God condemns His people here, He doesn’t just say that they oppress and deceive, He goes deeper. He shows the root issue: “they refuse to know me.” That’s profound. The opposite of oppression is not simply avoiding cruelty or injustice; it is knowing God. To know Him is to be transformed by His character. Where His people had chosen lies and self-interest, He calls them back to the source of truth and love—Himself. Their social sins are not random; they flow directly out of their refusal to truly know the Lord.
This is what James later echoes when he insists that faith without works is dead. The Sermon on the Mount says the same: those who know God as Father will love enemies, give generously, and live with purity of heart. When your heart is close to Him, your life begins to reflect His compassion, His justice, and His truth. Knowing God is never just head knowledge, it reshapes how you treat those made in His image.
So Jeremiah 9:6 is both a warning and an invitation. It warns us that oppression and deceit always trace back to a heart turned away from God. But it also invites us to know Him deeply, because the more we know Him, the more our lives will mirror His character. In Christ, this is made possible: He is the One who reveals the Father to us, and by His Spirit we are changed from the inside out. True justice mercy and love flow from knowing Him.

Week 38

September 15-19
[M] Isaiah 64-66; 2 Corinthians 2
[T] 2 Kings 21; 2 Chr 33; Ps 71; 2 Cor 3
[W] Nahum 1-3; Psalm 149; 2 Cor 4
[T] 2 Kings 22-23; Psalm 73; 2 Cor 5
[F] 2 Chr 34-35; 2 Cor 6

Dwell Plan Day 186-190 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Isaiah 65:17-25 | Isaiah gives us a breathtaking vision of the new heavens and new earth—a renewed creation where sorrow, pain, and death are gone forever. He describes people living long lives, children never dying young, and God’s people enjoying the fruit of their labor without fear. These images are not meant to be taken with wooden literalism; they are poetic ways of showing us how completely God will undo the curse of sin. The promise is not of some vague disembodied spiritual state, but of a restored and perfected world. In this new creation, work will be satisfying, relationships whole, and worship natural and unbroken. We will eat, celebrate, build, plant, sing, and enjoy life as God always intended it to be—a culture and community made whole under the reign of Christ.
This hope is meant to sustain us as we walk through the hardships of today. Life now is filled with griefs, setbacks, and disappointments, but Isaiah’s vision reminds us that these sorrows will not last. Jesus promises to put everything back together, to make all things new, and to bring His people into a world where joy never ends. When we encounter pain, loss, or frustration in this life, we can lift our eyes to the hope of the life to come. One day, we will dwell with Christ in a renewed creation where everything sad comes untrue, and we will enjoy Him forever in a world made perfect.

Isaiah 66:22-24 | Isaiah seems to move from the sweetest promises to grim macabre judgment without taking a breath. Scenes and descriptions of blessedness and renewal are squashed right next to depictions of violence and horror. This must have made an impression on Jesus too. As Isaiah comes to its conclusion, we’re left with a vision of judgment that describes their “worm” and their “fire” never stopping. It’s an eternal judgment Isaiah describes here, but this language becomes an anchor point for Christ’s teaching. Jesus repeats His warnings about hell and God’s punishments more than any other person in the Bible. The implication is that He really sees and understands what God’s judgment means, and Jesus’ description of God’s judgment is taken right from the last words of this book. Sandwiching blessing and condemnation is jarring to us as readers, but it seems to have a point all of its own. God’s mercy and judgments have always been twins, realities that always exist together. We see them both all through Isaiah, we see them all across the Bible, and we see them most clearly in the cross itself. This is our God, and this is why we’re told to consider this part of God. It creates a knowledge of Him that brings both fear and wonder into our knowing Him. It makes our God greater than our understanding, humbling our minds. It also demands that we figure out where we stand with this God, because from Him are blessedness or damnation, the stakes of how we will live eternally. 

Tuesday
1 Kings 21 | 2 Chronicles 33 | Reading through the long list of kings in Israel and Judah can be discouraging. Again and again, we encounter leaders who abandon God’s ways, abuse their power, and drag the people down with them. Ahab seizing Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21 and Manasseh’s idolatry in 2 Chronicles 33 are not isolated failures but part of a tragic pattern. Page after page, Scripture confronts us with the reality that no merely human king could ever fulfill God’s calling to lead His people in righteousness. These stories aren’t just depressing—they are purposeful. They are meant to stir in us a deep hunger for a king who will not fail.
The New Testament opens by showing us that this longing has an answer. Matthew begins his Gospel by tracing Jesus’ genealogy back to David, declaring Him the rightful Son of David and true heir to the throne. Unlike the kings before Him, Jesus does not exploit His people, but comes to serve and to save. He rules with justice, compassion, and perfect obedience to His Father. Where the kings of Israel led their people into sin, Jesus bears the sin of His people and brings them into life. All the disappointing reigns of the past were preparing us for this—so that when the true King arrived, we would recognize Him as the One our hearts had been waiting for.

2 Corinthians 3:18 | God is the only thing in this universe that doesn’t change as you study Him and cannot be studied or known without changing you. This is what knowing Jesus does, what a personal relationship with God makes possible. All learning changes us somehow, altering our attitudes or changing how much we know. That’s why we have curriculums, so we can plan it out. But this verse is at a whole different level. This isn’t just information that’s coming in, this is the direct presence of the Spirit. And this doesn’t just change you a little bit, influencing you in a new direction for new possibilities. Not at all. This is transformative—with a reach that far exceeds any human grasp—promising us that we’re being transformed into the image of a God. This is happening by looking at God. But we can’t see God, so what “beholding” is this verse describing? A part of it is worship. Just praising God is a way that we “look” at Him. Another part is reading scripture. As we read His words we find we get to know Him as a person, and this knowing is another way of seeing Him. Another part is community: our relationships in His kingdom are ways that He speaks, and we learn who He is through His people. These are just starting points that grow and develop through prayer, devotional life, and sacrament. The Holy Spirit works in and through all of these places to reveal God, and in that revealing we are also transformed by God’s glory itself. Praise Him!  

Wednesday
Nahum | The book of Jonah shows us something unexpected: God’s mercy poured out on Nineveh, the capital of the brutal Assyrian empire. When Jonah finally preached, the city repented, and God spared them. But that repentance didn’t last. Assyria soon went back to its old ways: violence, arrogance, and cruelty that made them one of the most feared empires in the ancient world. For Israel, living under that shadow must have been exhausting. They had seen God’s mercy, but they were left wondering: Will He ever deal with this evil?
That’s where Nahum comes in. Written about 150 years later, Nahum announces the fall of Nineveh in vivid, poetic detail. The city that once looked unstoppable is shown to be fragile before the judgment of God. We know that in 612 BCE, Nineveh fell to a coalition of Babylonians and Medes. Ancient records say the Tigris River flooded and broke through the city’s defenses, which matches Nahum’s prophecy that “the river gates are opened; the palace melts away” (Nah. 2:6). The empire that had boasted of its strength was undone by the very river it relied on for protection. Nahum’s words weren’t vague threats; they came true in precise, dramatic fashion.
And that’s good news for us, too. It means we don’t have to carry the weight of “fixing” every injustice ourselves. God is patient and merciful, but He’s also just—and He promises to deal with evil in His timing. That frees us to keep walking faithfully with Him, even when the world around us feels unfair or overwhelming. Like Israel, we can trust that the God who sees will act, and one day, in Christ, He will put all things right.

Psalm 149:4 | For the LORD takes pleasure in his people | One idea I (Jon) have struggled with, because of my upbringing, is the character and heart of God. I grew up in a church and youth group setting that was very legalistic and Pharisaical. I learned—mostly through culture, not direct teaching—that God was stern and angry, just waiting for me to mess up.
The thought that God actually delights in me never even crossed my mind. But that’s exactly what this verse (and the rest of scripture) says. God delights in me. He delights in you. He really genuinely likes you. His heart toward you isn’t constant anger, even when you fail. His heart is tender and loving. He’s the prodigal’s Father, running to meet you with open arms. He’s the Shepherd who comes after you to carry you home. He’s the Lord who died for you—because He really does delight in you.
If this truth is hard for you to wrap your head around like it has been for me, I want to recommend a book: Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. I think both of our churches still have free copies; I’d encourage you to grab one and be reminded of just how tender His heart really is toward you.

2 Corinthians 4:14 | Paul reminds us here that our hope isn’t just survival after death—it’s resurrection. On Monday when we read Isaiah 65, we saw God’s promise of a new heavens and a new earth, a world where sorrow and pain are gone and life is full of joy in His presence. Paul’s words connect directly to that vision: the same God who raised Jesus will raise us to share in that restored creation. This means our future is not a disembodied spiritual escape, but a life more real and more whole than anything we’ve known. We will worship, work, feast, and rejoice in the presence of God and His people forever. Even when this life feels crushing, that promise steadies us. One day, Jesus will raise us, and we will step into the world Isaiah longed for—a world made new.

Thursday
Psalm 73 | There are a number of the poems of the Psalms that deal with the success of bad people. It’s one of those things that we all notice in life. It’s a basic universal human experience: bad people are awful, and they seem to do pretty well in this world. It’s really disturbing at times, especially when you’re on the receiving end of the rude indifference of wealthy folks. It wears you out, testing your faith, making you doubt yourself and God’s love. That’s what has happened to our poet. As we follow his poem, we find that he gets to the point of despair in verse 16, but then something about God’s worship awakens his understanding. He becomes aware that his own bitterness has almost shipwrecked him. As he struggled with the outward success of wicked men, he had slowly given himself over to resentment and unbelief. His relationship with God had broken down too, so much so that he’s like a wild animal in front of God. His emotions and despair have overwhelmed him. But it’s right at this point that our poet experiences grace. God is holding on to him anyways, guiding and empowering and loving him the whole time. Even as he struggles with God’s justice, God has been loving him—which is just proof for him that God will definitely accept him into His presence in verse 24. God has loved him through his doubts and chased him through his complaint. This experience of grace is so powerful that he comes to a new understanding of God. This God loves him completely and is with him continually, and that means nothing else matters. He comes to a new conclusion about what’s important: there is nothing in all of heaven he wants but God, and that leaves the earth—and there’s nothing he wants there either. His struggle with God’s justice led him to a knowledge of God’s amazing mercy. This path has been walked many times by the children of God and has surprised many by the joy they discovered in their struggling. Praise Him.

2 Corinthians 5:20 | It’s amazing that God chooses to spread His message through regular people like us. Paul calls us “ambassadors”, that means we represent the King wherever we go. We don’t need a pulpit, a title, or a platform. God’s plan has always been to work through ordinary church people who carry the gospel into their homes, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. That’s why we talk so much about PABST (praying for people, asking questions and listening to them, blessing them, sharing your story, and talking about Jesus.) This isn’t just a program, it’s the way God has chosen to make His appeal to the world—through us. When you love and invest in your PABST people, you’re stepping right into the role of ambassador that Paul describes.

Friday
2 Chronicles 34-35 | 2 Kings 22-23 | The story of Josiah is one of the most inspiring in the Old Testament, and it’s told twice—once in Kings and once in Chronicles. Both highlight Josiah’s rediscovery of the Law and his bold reforms, but the emphasis shifts depending on when the book was written.
In Kings, written before the exile, the narrative stresses that even Josiah’s obedience could not turn aside God’s anger. After describing Josiah’s sweeping reforms, 2 Kings 23:26 still says, “Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of His great wrath…” The point is sobering: judgment was inevitable, and exile was coming. Josiah’s faithfulness is honored, but the overall tone is heavy, highlighting the seriousness of Judah’s sin.
Chronicles, written after the exile, tells the story differently. While it includes Josiah’s reforms, it expands on his devotion, showing him purging idolatry not just in Judah but also in the lands of Israel (2 Chron. 34:6). It highlights his personal humility when hearing the Law, his leadership in covenant renewal, and the joy of the great Passover he led in chapter 35: “there had not been kept a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet” (2 Chron. 35:18). The emphasis isn’t on the inevitability of judgment but on the hope of renewal. For a people who had already lived through exile and were trying to rebuild, this retelling would have been deeply encouraging: obedience to God’s Word could still bring life and joy.
For us, both perspectives are vital. Kings reminds us that sin is deadly serious, and no amount of half-hearted reform can erase its consequences. Chronicles reminds us that God delights to bring renewal, even after seasons of failure, when His people humble themselves and return to Him. And as Christians, we see that the deepest hope of Josiah’s reforms is fulfilled in Jesus. He not only restores true worship but makes us into living temples filled with His Spirit. In Him, we have both the warning of judgment and the hope of lasting renewal.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 | Is this about marriage? No. It’s about relationships—all relationships. So, in a roundabout way it is about marrying as a subset of all human relationships. But here’s the problem: marriage is a subset, but it's a hopped up subset. It’s a specially holy, revelatory (it tells us who God is too), and intense version of relationship. So anything that this passage says about relationships it also says doubly about marriage. Paul doesn’t make an argument about marriage specifically here because he doesn’t have to. The whole Bible teaches time and time again, through commands and stories, that His children are not to marry the children of this world. No wiggle room. No discussion. The children of light cannot have “partnership, fellowship, accord, portion, agreement” with the children of darkness. Those are the five words used in these verses. If that’s too abstract, Numbers 25 puts it into a plain and brutal story, where a man named Phinehas is honored by God for violently stopping two people who were doing all five and more. All of this is to say, this is how seriously God takes this stuff. He’s quite consistent about it. Anyone who suggests otherwise is being intellectually dishonest.

Week 37

September 8-12
[M] Isaiah 45-48; 1 Corinthians 13
[T] Isa 49-52; Psalm 69; 1 Cor 14
[W] Isa 53-55; Psalm 128; 1 Cor 15
[T] Isa 56-59; Psalm 70; 1 Cor 16
[F] Isa 60-63; 2 Cor 1

Dwell Plan Day 181-185 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Isaiah 45 | This is a remarkable prophecy where God calls a pagan king by name more than a century before Cyrus of Persia was born. Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC and issued the decree that allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1–4). Ancient historians like Josephus even suggest that Cyrus read Isaiah’s prophecy about himself and was moved to fulfill it. What makes this chapter so striking is that God uses a Gentile ruler—someone who did not know Him—to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The same Cyrus who toppled empires became God’s chosen instrument to rebuild Jerusalem and release His people, showing that the Lord’s sovereignty extends over nations, kings, and the whole course of history.
Verses 4–7 bring this truth into sharp focus: Cyrus is only the tool, but God is the craftsman. “For the sake of my servant Jacob… I call you by your name,” God declares, making it clear that Cyrus’s victories are not his own achievements but God’s design. The Lord is the One who “forms light and creates darkness,” who “makes well-being and creates calamity.” He is the sovereign God who rules over all circumstances, raising up rulers and pulling them down according to His will.
This passage reminds us that no human power—no empire, no king, no cultural force—can ever stand outside the control of the Creator. God bends even unbelieving rulers to serve His purposes, so that His people might be redeemed and His glory made known.

1 Corinthians 13 | In this chapter, Paul is not giving the church a sentimental ode to love for wedding ceremonies, but rather a sharp rebuke and a vision for what true Christian community should look like. The Corinthians were a gifted church, overflowing with spiritual abilities, but they were fractured by pride, rivalry, and self-promotion. In chapters 12–14, Paul addresses how spiritual gifts are meant to build up the body of Christ, not inflate egos. It is in this context that he declares, “I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31), and that way is love. Paul is showing them that without love, even the most spectacular gifts are worthless. This chapter, then, is about how the church must reflect the self-giving love of God if it is to truly be the body of Christ.
The love Paul describes here is not rooted in fleeting emotion but in God’s own character revealed in Christ. It is patient, kind, and enduring; it bears all things and does not insist on its own way. In other words, this is love in action, love that embodies the gospel. It is the opposite of the Corinthian tendency toward division, arrogance, and competition. When Paul says that love is the greatest gift, he is elevating it above every spiritual ability because it alone reflects the very nature of God. Far from being a flowery poem for weddings, 1 Corinthians 13 is a radical call to the church: to lay down self-interest, to embody Christlike love, and to show the world what it means to be the family of God.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 | This famous passage is useful for straight up personal conviction! Conviction about our sin is something we must seek out and value in this world. We need fresh ways to see ourselves and our morally distorted hearts. One of the troubles we have with sinfulness and what makes sinfulness so difficult to deal with is this: we don’t think of sinfulness as a horror. We’re so used to our brokenness, weakness, and ruin that we can get quite comfortable in it. We aren’t alarmed by our sinful attitudes and thoughts like we should be. Here’s the trick to seek out some uncomfortable truths for yourself about yourself. Read these verses out loud, but instead of using the word love or a pronoun for love, use your own name. So instead of saying “love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast” you would say (if you were me!) “Chris is patient and kind, Chris does not envy or boast, etc.” It’s quite a shocking thing to do if you haven’t tried it before. It makes you painfully aware of just how unloving you really are. If you’re looking for material to bring you to confession before God, this is an effective way to get there. 

Tuesday
Isaiah 49:14-15 | Doesn’t it sometimes feel like the Lord has forgotten you? There are seasons when, in His sovereign will, He leads you down a path you never would have chosen for yourself, or He begins shaping you in ways you resisted. In those moments, it can feel like He’s distant—like He’s not paying attention, or worse, like He’s forgotten you altogether. But hear this: that is never the case. Even when His hand feels heavy or His ways are confusing, God is still present, still faithful, and still working for your good. His promise to His people is unshakable—He will never forget you.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 | Let’s be honest, when you got to this part of the reading, you probably cringed a little, didn’t you? That’s one of the reasons I (Jon) love doing projects like this reading plan: they push us to wrestle with the hard stuff in scripture. And these two verses are definitely the hard stuff. So what’s going on here? I thought about writing a long explanation myself, but then I came across an author that explains it even better than I could. If you have the time, I encourage you to read it. It’s from Andrew Wilson’s 1 Corinthians for You (part of the excellent “God’s Word for You” series), and I think he does a great job unpacking this passage. Here’s his explanation, quoted at length.

There are various parts of the Bible, and of Paul’s letters, about which people say, “Surely it can’t mean that”. Usually, that is because we don’t like it. We read something that doesn’t fit with our modern sensibilities, so we do a huge amount of exegetical work to try and make it look as if it means something else. (Scholars who are not Christians can be a huge help here. Because they don’t claim to obey Scripture, they are sometimes better at admitting what it actually says.) But occasionally, the “surely it can’t mean that” reflex is based on the text itself. Something in the passage, or the book as a whole, makes it clear that the obvious interpretation is not actually correct. Nowhere is this truer than of Paul’s statement in verse 34: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says”.
It sounds like an absolute ban on women speaking in the church service. But this cannot be what Paul means. He recently spent fifteen verses on the question of what women should wear over their heads while praying or prophesying in the church service (11:2–16), which would make no sense whatsoever if women were prohibited from public speech. He has also spent much of the last few chapters explaining how “each one” in the congregation has a gift, and how “each one” can and should use it—whether in songs, teaching, prophecy, languages or interpretation—for the edification of the body (14:26). So he cannot mean that women are not allowed to speak at all. Unless we are to conclude that Paul did not write these verses at all (and these verses appear in all the manuscripts we have), he must mean something else.
The two most plausible explanations are these. One: Paul is prohibiting women from the weighing of prophecy (v 29–30) because it involves a governmental responsibility that Paul limits to the fathers of the church (the elders, the overseers, or whatever we call them). Two: some women at Corinth were in the habit of interrupting their husbands while they were prophesying, asking questions and bringing shame on themselves in the process, and Paul will not allow this because it is not submissive or honourable, and it leads to disorder rather than peace. In either scenario, the requirement of wives to be submissive “as the law says” is probably a reference to Genesis, whether the creation story (as in 1 Corinthians 11:7–9; see 1 Timothy 2:13–14) or the patriarchal stories (see 1 Peter 3:5–6). Personally I take the second view on the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:34, which fits well with the next sentence: “If they want to enquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church” (v 35). But it is difficult to be sure. (1 Corinthians for You, page 161-162)

Wednesday
Isaiah 53 | This is one of the most breathtaking prophecies in all of Scripture, describing the Suffering Servant who would be despised, rejected, pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities. We often read it from the outside, marveling at how clearly it points to Christ.
Luke tells us that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Imagine the mystery of that—Jesus, fully God and fully man, learning the Scriptures as a boy. Somewhere along the way, as He read Isaiah 53, He would have realized that these words were about Him. That His mission would not be to overthrow Rome with power, but to be pierced, crushed, and led like a lamb to the slaughter—for us.
What must it have been like for Jesus to carry that knowledge as He grew? To see Himself in the ancient text, to realize that salvation for God’s people would come through His own suffering? We can only imagine the weight of it, but also the clarity and resolve it must have given Him. Isaiah 53 was not just a prophecy of a future Savior, it was Jesus’ roadmap. And He walked it all the way to the cross, willingly, in love for us and for the glory of God. When we read this chapter today, we don’t just see a prediction fulfilled, we see the heart of our Savior who embraced suffering for our redemption.

1 Corinthians 15 | This might be the most important chapter in all of Paul's writings. It stands as the high point of Paul’s teaching because it anchors the entire Christian faith in the reality of the resurrection. Without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says, our preaching is in vain and our faith is futile—we remain in our sins and have no hope beyond this life. This chapter is critical because it ties the historical fact of Christ’s rising to the theological truth that death itself has been defeated. Paul unfolds the resurrection as not only proof of Christ’s victory but also the guarantee of our own future resurrection. Because Jesus has been raised, we know that we too will be raised, and this fuels our hope in the promised life of the new heavens and the new earth, where death will be swallowed up in victory forever.

Thursday
Isaiah 56:4–5 | This is a stunning promise for those who felt forever cut off from God’s people. Eunuchs, who were excluded from the temple by law, are here promised something far greater than earthly inclusion: “a monument and a name better than sons and daughters.” The upside-down way of the kingdom breaks through—those considered outsiders by human standards are welcomed and honored by God. When we read Acts 8, we meet a eunuch who had traveled to Jerusalem, likely barred from entering fully into worship. Yet it was through reading Isaiah that he met Christ, and in Christ, he found the welcome and belonging that no earthly law could give.
This is the heart of God’s kingdom: the outcasts brought near, the broken given a new identity, the excluded granted everlasting inclusion. It is not lineage, status, or earthly wholeness that secures our place in God’s family, it is faith in Christ. The kingdom of God reverses expectations: the barren become fruitful, the nameless receive a lasting name, and the outsider is brought all the way in. That eunuch’s joy in Acts is the joy of every believer who knows what it is to be brought from far off and made part of God’s eternal household.

Psalm 70:1 | If I ever told my dad to hurry—which I never even conceived of doing as a kid—I’m not sure if I could’ve sat down for a week after the spanking I would’ve gotten. This is why God is such an amazing Dad: it doesn’t bother Him one bit! But the point stands even more beautifully than that. The God who runs the engines of all creation, who sustains the galaxies by His power, isn’t offended by us asking Him to hurry up. Maybe it’s because He knows how short our lives and attention spans are. Maybe it’s simply an amazing grace. But don’t forget this, we get to address God’s timing. We get to ask about it. We get to look at our watch, look at Him, and say “Can we get this moving?” Sometimes that won’t make the slightest difference. Our God is good and wise and His timing always is on time. He knows that, and He wants to be sure you know it too. But He also doesn’t mind us wanting things on a different schedule. So we get to ask. And if He hurries, we get to praise Him! And if He doesn’t, we get to praise Him for that too. It’s a win-win with our amazing Heavenly Father.

Friday
Isaiah 60:19-22 | These last chapters of Isaiah begin to describe God’s kingdom in ways that will only be fulfilled in heaven. Verse 19 is how the new Jerusalem is described in Revelation! When we read chapters like this it can be a little disorienting. Is the prophet describing heaven or is this something for this world? Much like the night sky, where you can’t tell which stars are closer and which are further, these prophecies have parts that we can see happening right now and parts that are for later. It can make reading and interpretation a bit difficult at times. One of the things it reveals to us, however, is something we easily miss. The prophets are partly describing the way that God looks at the universe. He is eternal, without beginning or end. Time is something below Him, apart from Him. When God speaks through the prophets, describing future events, we often see a mixture of near future, future, and far future all combined. There’s a unity to God’s perspective, where His mercy at the cross, His mercy for your lies to your parents when you were a kid, and His mercy at the final judgment seat are all one piece to Him and united in Him. We’re getting to see God’s view of time and history, and it’s so much greater than ours that it confuses us. But this is meant to encourage us because it allows us to claim heaven’s joys and truth even before we get there. We are stuck in time, but He isn’t. He gives us His transcendent perspective in the prophets so we can look outside ourselves and our “moment” in His story. We’re always living and walking in the shadows of His everlasting light, which shines even now in His word and through us.

2 Corinthians 1:3–7 | The prosperity gospel whispers a lie: that if you only have enough faith, your life will be marked by health, wealth, and ease. But this text gives us the opposite picture. Paul exalts “the God of all comfort” not because He keeps His people from suffering, but because He meets them in it. At the very center of Christianity is the suffering of Christ: His anguish, His cross, His wounds taken out of love for us and for the glory of God. If the Son of God was perfected through suffering, then how could we expect the Christian life to be free of pain? The prosperity gospel is man-centered, promising earthly gain; the gospel of Jesus is God-centered, promising eternal comfort even when our path is hard.
When we suffer, we are not abandoned. God has not lost control, nor has He ceased to be good. In fact, Paul tells us that our afflictions are the very place where God’s comfort flows most richly, so that we can extend that same comfort to others. Suffering becomes not meaningless but missional: as we endure, we show the sufficiency of Christ, we bring glory to God, and we spread the gospel of grace. This is the paradox the prosperity gospel can’t explain—weakness that becomes strength, sorrow that bears witness to hope, and suffering that multiplies joy as we share in Christ’s own afflictions and in his overflowing comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:20 | People often misuse this verse as if it were a blank check from God, that every desire of our hearts is guaranteed a “yes” in Jesus. But Paul is not talking about the whimsical and fleeting desires of man; he is talking about the promises of God, which are infinitely better and far more secure. These promises include not only salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life, but also the reality that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). In other words, God’s promises are not always about ease and comfort now, but about His faithfulness to us in suffering, His sovereign purposes in our trials, and His unfailing comfort in Christ. This ties directly to Paul’s earlier words in 2 Corinthians 1:3–7, the God of all comfort meets us in affliction so that His glory is revealed and His grace is spread.
Think of how many Old Testament promises find their fulfillment in Jesus. God said through Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you” (Isaiah 41:10). That promise is not simply a vague encouragement—it finds its deepest “Yes” in Christ, who promises to never leave us nor forsake us, even in the valley of affliction. In Him, every promise of God becomes rock solid, whether it’s the promise of comfort in sorrow, the promise of strength in weakness, or the promise of final victory over death. Every promise of God, including the promise of hardship, is fulfilled in Christ, and therefore every promise comes with His sustaining “yes” for our good and His glory. Our “Amen” in response is not entitlement, but worship, as we rest in the unshakable faithfulness of God revealed in Jesus.

Week 36

September 1-5
[M] 2 Chr 29-31; 1 Corinthians 8
[T] 2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chr 32; Ps 67; 1 Cor 9
[W] Isaiah 36-37; Ps 123; 1 Cor 10
[T] 2 Kings 20; Isa 38-40; Ps 68; 1 Cor 11
[F] Isa 41-44; 1 Cor 12

Dwell Plan Day 176-180 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
2 Chronicles 29:25-30 | The choreography of this worship, with its order and timing of events, is one of the most detailed pictures we get of the Old Testament worship. It’s encouraging, because it describes a planned and scripted worship, much like our modern liturgy. The people of God have always been doing mostly the same things. The particular details have changed. We have an offering basket for giving, not an altar and knife to slaughter the lamb for sacrifice, but those changes are largely superficial, even if they look dramatically different. The theological truths are still the same. The sacrificial part is still there, but our offerings are now praise, service, and giving. The order and choreographed timing resonates even today, echoing our own practices across time. This familiarity and synchronicity makes our faith unified across all of history—which only makes sense. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It stands to reason that His worship would be too!   

1 Corinthians 8 | Paul is addressing the issue of eating food that had been sacrificed to idols, a common reality in Corinth. Corinth was filled with pagan temples, and much of the meat sold in the marketplace had first been offered in sacrifice to various gods. For wealthier Corinthians, invitations to banquets often took place inside these temples, where food and drink were consumed in connection with pagan rituals. This raised a pressing question for new believers: was it acceptable for Christians to eat such food? Some in the church, boasting of their knowledge that idols were nothing, felt free to eat without hesitation. Others, however, especially those who had come out of idol-worship, felt their conscience wounded by any association with idolatrous practices.
Paul’s response places love above knowledge. While it is true that idols have no real existence and that food itself cannot commend or condemn us before God, Christians are called to consider how their actions affect the faith of others. To eat in a way that emboldens a weaker brother or sister to violate their conscience is to sin against Christ Himself. Paul therefore sets the principle that Christian freedom is always governed by love: knowledge must be tempered by humility and the willingness to lay down one’s rights for the sake of others. In Corinth’s idol-saturated culture, this meant that believers were to use their freedom not for self-indulgence, but to build up the body of Christ and display their exclusive loyalty to Him.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3 | If you think you’re intelligent, insightful, or wise, then you’ve got real problems. Because if you think you are any of those things, then you aren’t any of those things. That’s the plain and simple riddle of knowledge. The one who prattles on about what they know and tells you how much they know is the one who knows the least.
But the riddle deepens in these verses, because if we love God then we know that God knows us! But this is even more mysterious. Doesn’t God know everything? He has all facts and all details about all things in the universe. God has pure and perfect and infinite knowledge; it’s a part of being God to know in this way. So why does it say that God “knows” the one who loves Him? Because God’s knowing is His perfect loving in the Bible. God knows the facts of the ways of wicked people, but He doesn’t “know” their ways. They aren’t His ways. God’s knowing is the personal knowing of a loving and eternal God.
So we find ourselves in paradoxes when we talk about this stuff. We know all sorts of things, but our “knowing” isn’t understanding. Having more data doesn’t give us wisdom. God knows all details and facts perfectly, but He “knows” us specially when He sets His love on us. And when God knows us, we can finally start knowing things in ways that don’t just make us more ignorant. Praise Him! 

Tuesday
2 Kings 19:14 | When Hezekiah received the threatening letter from the Assyrians, he did not begin scheming or rallying his army, he went straight to the temple and spread it out before the Lord. This act shows a heart of dependence, refusing to trust in human strategy and instead laying the burden before God. In this, Hezekiah reflects the devotion of David, who consistently poured out his heart before the Lord in prayer and worship. Even more, it points us forward to Jesus in Gethsemane, who, faced with the crushing weight of the cross, fell before His Father and prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Both Hezekiah and Jesus reveal that true strength is found in surrender, not in self-reliance. And because Jesus fully entrusted Himself to the Father, we too can bring our greatest fears and threats before God, confident that He hears us and will deliver according to His perfect will.

Psalm 67 | Verse 1 of this ancient praise poem is a reference to the well known benediction of Numbers 6. This is the benediction that God gave Aaron, to be spoken over the assembly as a blessing: that God’s face would shine on His people. This gets picked up in the New Testament in Ephesians 5 as a picture of Jesus, whose light Himself is able to shine on us with resurrection power. But what’s so striking in this poem is how universal its vision is. The opening verse anchors the poem in the Numbers benediction, but the blessing that follows is for the whole earth, for all of the nations. The blessing is for praise, worship, and joy, with God’s judgment, abundance, and guidance—to the ends of the earth! This is the trajectory of God’s love; it was the same scope of promise that God gave Abraham, that through him all of the nations of the world would be blessed. In this poem, it is made clear again. It’s what Jesus understood when He commissioned His disciples to go out into the nations. It’s why we’re rejoicing as we read it thousands of years later: because this ancient praise poem came true in us.

Wednesday
Psalm 123 | This psalm reminds us that, in our sin, we are utterly helpless apart from God’s mercy. Like servants looking to the hand of their master, we can only wait on Him to show us grace. The psalmist’s cry for mercy exposes our desperate need: we cannot save ourselves or endure the contempt of the world without His help. Yet this longing ultimately points us forward to Christ, who bore our shame and opened the way for God’s mercy to be poured out on us. In Him our plea for compassion is answered once and for all with redemption and eternal grace.

1 Corinthians 10:14 | That's pretty good advice.

Thursday
2 Kings 20:8-11 | If you’re going to ask for a sign, make it a big one. Go big or go home. Time and again this seems to be a part of God’s design, that we ask for something so great, so amazing and difficult, that it’s doomed for failure unless God is in it. We should pray for miracles, for God to take specific and supernatural action. Whether He does or not is His business and is irrelevant. Our expectations should be getting our minds blown and our asking should match our expectations.

Isaiah 39-40 | Isaiah 39 closes with a heavy shadow. Hezekiah, though a faithful king in many ways, falters by showing off Judah’s treasures to Babylonian envoys. Isaiah warns that these same Babylonians will one day carry everything away, and even Judah’s descendants will be taken into exile. The tone is one of impending judgment, grief, and uncertainty. It feels like the end of the road for Judah’s story, a bleak reminder of sin’s consequences and the coming weight of God’s discipline.
But then, in Isaiah 40, the tone shifts dramatically from judgment to comfort. With the same prophet’s voice, God now speaks tenderly to His people: “Comfort, comfort my people.” The exile will not be the final word. God promises forgiveness, restoration, and the coming of His glory in a way that all nations will see. For those who believe that Isaiah wrote the whole book, this transition is not a change of authors but a change in God’s message: from warning to hope, from the reality of sin to the certainty of redemption. This prepares us for the greater comfort that comes in Christ, who bears our judgment and ushers in God’s lasting peace. The same God who announces exile in chapter 39 also promises salvation in chapter 40—showing us that His justice and His mercy are never at odds, but always working together to bring His people back to Himself.

Isaiah 40 | Take time to really let this chapter wash over you. Isaiah’s words open one of the most breathtaking visions of God’s grace in all of Scripture. It is no accident that when Handel composed The Messiah, he returned again and again to these verses. They are meant to lift weary hearts with hope, comfort, and the unshakable promise that God Himself has come to redeem His people.
After reading Isaiah 40, let the music help carry it deeper. Open up Spotify (or wherever you listen to music) and find Handel’s Messiah. Start with Chorus No. 4 – “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:5). Then move to Aria and Chorus No. 9 – “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” (Isaiah 40:9). As you listen, remember that these promises echo all the way to Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” This is the hope of the gospel—God has come, His glory revealed, and His people renewed.

1 Corinthians 11:2-16 | As a guy that you've never seen without a baseball cap on, I (Jon) can't stand how this passage is misinterpreted and applied with no historical context. Was Paul writing about Giants hats? Nope. Let me take a stab at explaining what was going on.
In this text, Paul addresses worship practices in Corinth that carried deep cultural meaning. When Roman men entered pagan rituals, they would sometimes pull part of their toga over their heads as an act of devotion to false gods. Paul warns Christian men not to imitate these customs in the gathered church, since doing so would dishonor Christ, their true “head,” by blending the worship of the living God with the practices of idolatry. For women, head coverings carried a different meaning: they signaled marital faithfulness and respect for their husbands in a society where going uncovered could imply independence or even sexual availability. Paul’s instruction is less about fabric on the head and more about honoring God through culturally understood signs of humility, modesty, and marital faithfulness.
At the heart of Paul’s teaching is the truth that God designed order and interdependence in creation and in marriage. Just as Christ lovingly submits to the Father while sharing His full divinity, so husbands and wives share equal worth but distinct roles that honor one another. In Corinth, this meant men worshiping without pagan coverings and wives worshiping with culturally understood symbols of respect. Today, the principle remains the same: in every generation, Christians are called to worship in ways that honor Christ rather than draw attention to self, and to embrace God’s good design for men and women without erasing their God-given differences. Our aim is always to point to Christ, the One who laid down His glory to serve us and redeem us.

Friday
The Servant Songs of Isaiah | These paint a picture of one chosen by God who would bring justice, restore His people, and bear their sins. Where Israel failed as God’s servant, Christ fulfilled this calling perfectly—gentle, obedient, and faithful to the end. In Isaiah 53 especially, we see the Servant suffering in our place, pierced for our transgressions so that we might be healed. These songs remind us that our hope is not in our own strength, but in Jesus, the true Servant who laid down His life and was exalted for our salvation.

1 - Isaiah 42:1–9 | The Servant of the Lord
The Servant brings justice to the nations with gentleness and faithfulness.
2 - Isaiah 49:1–13 | The Servant’s Mission 
The Servant is called from the womb to restore Israel and be a light to the nations. 
3 - Isaiah 50:4–11 | The Obedient Servant 
The Servant speaks with God-given wisdom, suffers opposition, and entrusts Himself to the Lord. 
4 - Isaiah 52:13–53:12 | The Suffering and Exalted Servant 
The Servant is despised, bears the sins of many, and is vindicated by God.
* Some interpreters also include Isaiah 61:1–3 (quoted by Jesus in Luke 4) as a “fifth Servant Song,” though traditionally the four above are the core group.

Isaiah 43:1-7 | This poetry reads like a love song from God to us, describing God’s passion for His people. In verse 1 and verse 7 we are “called by name,” but the prophet subtly changes the sense of it. At first it’s the friendly way we’re being “called”—it’s so personal. God knows us by name and claims us as His own. This idea that God knows your name is so immediate and intimate, reminds us of Samuel’s story. God may not have whispered your name in the nighttime to wake you up, but your name is still on His lips. It’s just that personal. And God’s calling isn’t like a wake up call or a shout—remember that His voice actually creates stuff when He speaks! But then in verse 7 the intimacy is bumped up a notch. Now we are called by His Name! The naked power of His calling is made clear now, we are actually made (and remade!) for His glory.

Week 35

August 25-29
[M] Isaiah 23-25; 1 Corinthians 3
[T] Isa 26-29; Psalm 65; 1 Cor 4
[W] Isa 30-32; 1 Cor 5
[T] Isa 33-35; 1 Cor 6
[F] 2 Chr 28; 2 Kings 17; Ps 66; 1 Cor 7

Dwell Plan Day 171-175 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Isaiah 23:8–9 | This text reminds us that God is a God of justice, bringing down the pride and power of nations that exalt themselves. Surrounded by a world that often looks like Babylon, marked by greed, corruption, and arrogance, we can take heart that God will not let evil reign forever. The judgment Isaiah foretold is a preview of the greater judgment still to come, when Christ will return to set all things right. This is why Christians are a people of hope: not because the world is safe or just, but because we know the day is coming when sin and evil will be dealt with, and God will make all things new.

Isaiah 24-25 | These two chapters are extreme. We see the judgment of God on the whole earth. The vision is ultimate and devastating, as if the curse has finally won. It’s apocalyptic in a Michael Bay sort of way, painting the terrible extent of God’s judgments on the earth. But, as the prophets do again and again, the very next chapter has descriptions of blessedness and God’s glory that are transcendent. These two realities live comfortably in the mind and imagination of the prophet, and should in our minds as well. The gospel speaks to these two realities. God’s judgments are actually far worse than we think they are; His holiness demands it and the suffering is cataclysmic. But His mercies are even more astounding, anticipating a paradise greater than our imaginations can conceive. This is the Old Testament gospel as much as the New.

1 Corinthians 3 | In this chapter, Paul confronts a problem that feels just as urgent today as it did in Corinth: people were rallying around human leaders rather than Christ. Some said, “I follow Paul,” others, “I follow Apollos,” as though salvation or maturity came through personalities instead of the Savior. This impulse runs deep in the human heart: we long for visible heroes, voices to admire, and figures to lift up. But the danger is that our admiration too easily slips into worship, and the glory that belongs to Christ alone is shared with mere servants.
Christian celebrity culture magnifies this problem. We place authors, preachers, and leaders on pedestals, and in doing so, we often insulate them from accountability and inflate their egos. The results are disastrous: scandals that wound the church, disillusionment that weakens believers, and distraction from the gospel itself. When our faith leans too heavily on personalities, it cannot stand firm when those personalities falter. God never designed leaders to be saviors; they are fellow workers in His field, pointing us to Jesus.
The gospel calls us back to a better focus. Paul reminds us that no one can lay a foundation other than Christ, and all our labor must be built upon him. Pastors and leaders have a place, but only as servants who plant and water—the growth belongs to God. When we treasure Christ above all, we are freed from the empty cycle of idolizing and then being let down by people. The true beauty of the church is not in celebrity, but in a crucified and risen Savior who alone deserves our worship.

Tuesday
Isaiah 26:19 | Don’t let anyone tell you that the Old Testament doesn’t teach resurrection or heaven. That is simply false. These chapters describe the destruction of death in different ways, and here it’s even more mysterious, where we become a kind of “resurrection dew” in God’s power! This is the morning dew that Mary first saw on the third day after the crucifixion. The hopes of God’s love and power are total reversal of death and judgment. They always have been. Praise Him.

Isaiah 27:1 | This text gives us a vivid picture of God slaying Leviathan, the great serpent, a symbol of his final victory over all forces of chaos and evil. This verse is a key to unlocking Revelation 20, where John describes the defeat of Satan, the ancient serpent. Isaiah was already pointing us forward to that promised day when God will crush the enemy of His people once and for all. The cross and resurrection of Christ were the decisive blow, and Revelation shows us the final fulfillment still to come. Evil will not get the last word; God’s triumph in Christ will.

Wednesday
Isaiah 30:1 | James warns us about making our own plans and not considering God’s. This is the perennial problem of God’s people. We have His words and His truth, but we make up our own minds about what is wise. The problems and rebellion of God’s people have not changed much since Isaiah’s or James’s day. The edge of the prophet’s warning still is just as sharp as it was thousands of years ago. We can apply it to our experience when it comes to practical wisdom, or the insights of AI, or certainties of scientific knowledge. They are all forms of the “Egypt” of our day, another version of the best of the wisdom and achievements of humanity. They are as seductive today as they were in ages past. 

Isaiah 30:7, 31:1–9 | God rebukes his people for running to Egypt for protection from Assyria instead of trusting in Him. To Israel, Egypt seemed strong, secure, and reliable, but God calls them “Rahab who sits still,” a nation that cannot save. The tragedy is that His people had the living God on their side, yet their eyes were fixed on human power. Isn’t this the same pattern we repeat today? We place our confidence in money, careers, politics, relationships, or our own cleverness—idols that cannot deliver when the day of trouble comes.
The gospel shows us a better way. At the cross, Jesus accomplished what no earthly power could ever achieve: rescue from sin, Satan, and death itself. If God has defeated our greatest enemies through Christ, how can we not trust Him with the “lesser Assyrias” that loom in our lives? He invites us to leave behind our false saviors and rest in His strength. True freedom and peace come not from Egypt’s chariots or our modern idols, but from the Lord who reigns and who has already secured our salvation in Jesus.

Isaiah 30:18 | In case you need a tattoo idea.

1 Corinthians 5:9–10 | In this passage, Paul makes a surprising clarification: he never meant for Christians to avoid contact with unbelievers who sin, because that would mean leaving the world altogether. Instead, his concern is with unrepentant sin inside the church. Yet so often we flip his teaching—we become obsessed with condemning the sins of the culture while turning a blind eye to pride, greed, gossip, or immorality in our own congregations.
Paul’s point is clear: the church is called to holiness, not hypocrisy. Our first priority is to address sin in our own household of faith, because God’s name and reputation are tied to the purity of His people. The world doesn’t stumble because unbelievers act like unbelievers; it stumbles when believers act no differently. To follow Paul’s script is to live with humble integrity, showing that God’s grace truly transforms.

1 Corinthians 5:12 | When we read a verse like this, it’s hard to believe that so many Christians are regarded as judgmental by the world. Somehow we dropped the ball on the gospel with this one. Perhaps some folks feel guilty around Christians because of their lifestyle. That definitely happens. People are disturbed when you don’t join them in their wickedness or dissolution. They feel judged by their own conscience in that instance.
But that isn’t what this is talking about. This is about passing moral judgments on the people of this world for the things that they do, evaluating them according to God’s standards. We can’t do that. It isn’t our job. Instead, we tend to tolerate disobedience in other Christians out of fear. We get it all reversed. We’re supposed to hold other Christians accountable, but instead we condemn unbelievers.

Thursday
Isaiah 33:6 | The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. | What an awesome idea. In a world that treasures money, power, fame, and comfort, God calls His people to a different kind of wealth. Our true treasure is not stored in vaults or displayed on pedestals, it is found in knowing and revering the Lord. To fear Him is to value His presence above everything else, to see His glory as more precious than gold.
This is what will make the new heavens and the new earth so glorious. Yes, we will enjoy resurrection bodies, harmony with creation, and a world without conflict—but these are not the greatest gifts. The deepest joy of eternity will be the presence of God Himself. Zion’s treasure is not the side benefits of salvation, but the Lord who saves, rules, and dwells with His people forever.

Isaiah 34-35 | Again we see the cycle of God’s judgments from chapters 24 and 25. Here the judgment is on the whole earth followed by God’s Holy Highway in Isaiah 35:8! This is the meta story, the bigger picture of all of history that the Bible is telling and inviting us into. But the promise is greater than the judgments; even a fool can’t get lost in this new world of grace that God is ushering in. 

Isaiah 35 | This text paints a vision of restoration: deserts blooming, the weak strengthened, the lame leaping, and the mute singing. When Jesus began His ministry, He pointed to these very signs as proof of who He was (Matt. 11:5). His miracles showed that Isaiah’s promise was breaking in through Him.
Yet those moments were only foretastes. What began in Christ’s first coming will be completed at His return, when sorrow and sighing flee forever. Until then, we walk by faith on the highway of holiness, strengthened by His grace, awaiting the joy of the new creation.

1 Corinthians 6:19 | This temple language is used here as a moral guide. If we regard our bodies as a dwelling place for God now, then our commitment to what we do with our bodies becomes a question of stewardship. Your body is God’s home, so there is a moral implication in everything you do with it. This can get a little heavy handed at times. Folks will scold you about your diet, or how much you exercise, or whether you’re taking the right supplements. That is a good inference from this teaching, but it isn’t what this text is primarily about. The Scripture has in mind a certain holiness when it comes to our sexuality here, a holiness which is directly affected by sexual sin. That is the direct teaching about our bodies being a temple. Sexuality has a particular holiness when it comes to our bodies and our spirit, a holiness we offend in our bodies in a unique way through sexual sin. We might be misusing our temple by smoking (that’s the most common application of this text), but that’s not what this passage is teaching. This is teaching us about the deep spiritual compromise that is happening in our casual attitudes and actions about sexual sin in particular. We are not just animals, evolutionary cocktails of desires and appetites that get out of control. No, we are also spiritual beings, and a part of that spiritual expression and existence is also gendered and sexually understood. This is a radically different view of our humanity and personhood than our modern world holds. 

Friday
2 Chronicles 28:2–4 | This is one of the most heartbreaking passages in Scripture (See also 2 Kings 17:17 about the northern kingdom of Israel). Look at how far the chosen people have wandered away from the heart of the Father: Ahaz, king of Judah, not only turned away from the Lord but led the people into the darkest practices of the surrounding nations. The horror of child sacrifice shows just how far the human heart can wander when it abandons the living God. Sin never stays small—it grows, corrupts, and deforms until what once seemed unthinkable becomes normal. This is the tragic depth to which Judah had sunk.
These verses also prepare us to understand the severity of the exile. When God sent His people into Babylon, it was not an overreaction or some random act of wrath—it was His holy response to unimaginable evil. A God of love cannot simply tolerate the slaughter of children or the worship of false gods that destroy people’s souls. Exile was God’s judgment against sin, and a sobering reminder that He will not allow wickedness to go unchecked forever. He is both patient and just, but His justice will come.
And yet even here we are pointed forward to Christ. The Son of God came into a world steeped in darkness, not to condemn, but to save. Where Ahaz sacrificed his children to false gods, the true King offered Himself for His people. At the cross, God’s justice against sin was satisfied, and His mercy overflowed to all who trust in Christ. These verses remind us of the seriousness of sin, but also of the wonder of the gospel—that Jesus took on Himself the judgment we deserved, so that we might receive life.

1 Corinthians 7:4 | A whole lot of problems in marriage can be settled by obedience to this one principle: your body belongs to the other person, not to you. Think of the implications for sexual intimacy. Too often we fall into the mistakes of the world, using marriage and sexuality as ways to please ourselves. But it was never supposed to be about ourselves. The pleasure and experience and body of the other person is your responsibility. We are to be “generous lovers” as the world puts it, when it comes to seeking the pleasure of others. But this principle keeps giving back to us. Good stewardship of your own body is something you owe your spouse. Your body simply doesn’t belong to you. What about single folks? This principle just gets kicked upstairs. Your body belongs to God. It never belonged to you to begin with! We aren’t trying to navigate our selfish needs in ways that somehow get us and others satisfied to the maximum amount. That’s pragmatism. No, we’re supposed to be surrendered to one another, so that the other’s needs and desires are more important than our own. This is the foundation of the Christian ethic: true selflessness in seeking out the best for the other person. In marriage, this takes a beautiful shape by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, full of possibility. 

1 Corinthians 7:10–11 | Paul gives clear teaching on marriage, urging husbands and wives not to separate. But later in the chapter, Paul also speaks of the gift of singleness, holding it up as a calling that is just as honorable as marriage. This is where the American evangelical church often struggles. We have elevated marriage so highly—sometimes idolizing it—that those who are single are left feeling incomplete or second-class. Yet Paul’s teaching shows us that our worth is never found in a spouse, but in Christ alone.
Tim Keller in The Meaning of Marriage reminds us that marriage is not ultimate—it is a signpost. It points to the greater reality of Christ’s love for the church. But if marriage is a signpost, then singleness is also a powerful sign. Singleness uniquely demonstrates that Jesus is enough, that ultimate fulfillment is not found in romance or family life but in belonging to Him. The single Christian, Keller notes, is a living testimony that the new creation is already breaking in—that in eternity, we will not marry or be given in marriage, because we will have God Himself.
When the church treats marriage as the only path to maturity or blessing, we distort the gospel. Marriage is a gift, yes, but it is temporary and earthly. Singleness, too, is a gift, sometimes a painful one, but one that bears witness to eternal realities in a way marriage cannot. Both marriage and singleness are meant to glorify God, and both need the community of the church to flourish. We are called to honor and support one another, not rank one calling above the other.
In Christ, the single person is not “waiting for life to begin”—they already possess the deepest love, the truest intimacy, and the most lasting covenant. And in Christ, the married person is reminded that their marriage is not about self-fulfillment, but about pointing to something greater. The gospel frees us from worshiping marriage or dismissing singleness. Instead, it calls us to treasure Christ as our life, our joy, and our fulfillment. Whether single or married, our hope is the same: the Bridegroom who will never leave us.

Week 34

August 18-22
[M] Isaiah 7-10; Psalm 22; Matt 26
[T] Isa 11-13; Ps 118; Matt 27
[W] Isa 14-16; Matt 28
[T] Isa 17-19; Ps 62; 1 Corinthians 1
[F] Isa 20-22; 1 Corinthians 2

Dwell Plan Day 166-170 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Isaiah 7:12 | If for some reason God ever asks you to ask for a sign, don’t play games with Him. Don’t suddenly decide, like king Ahaz in this moment, to act more godly than you are. When God actually tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, Ahaz pulls the worst kind of unbelief, he dresses up his lack of faith in some kind of false piety. “I wouldn’t want to test God,” he says. In almost any other context, that’s the right answer. But coming from Ahaz and his unbelief, it’s just a cheap knock-off of faith. It’s not the real deal. So in answer to Ahaz’s foolish piety and postured righteousness, God says He will give a sign anyway, and then mentions the virgin birth—the most amazing sort of miracle possible—the way God would send His own Son. So despite this phony humility of Ahaz, God responds by predicting His own coming in human flesh. Wow. What an amazing answer to human hypocrisy! God chooses to love those who don’t even trust Him enough to ask for a miracle. This is grace beyond grace.

Isaiah 7:14 | These words were first spoken into a moment of national crisis. King Ahaz of Judah was terrified by the threat of invading armies, and God promised him a sign of deliverance. Here is where the difficulty comes in: there has been much debate over whether Isaiah spoke of a young woman in his own day (as the Hebrew word ‘almah’ can mean) or if this was a far-off prophecy about the Messiah. As believers committed to the inspiration of Scripture, we don’t need to flatten the richness of God’s word. This sign had an immediate relevance for Ahaz, yet Matthew—under the Spirit’s inspiration—declares it to be fulfilled supremely in the virgin birth of Christ (Matt. 1:22–23).
The immediate historical sign may have reassured Ahaz that God was with His people in that generation, but the greater sign would come centuries later in Bethlehem. Here is where God’s promise breaks the boundaries of the ordinary: a true virgin conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:34–35). This was not a symbolic virginity, nor merely a poetic way of speaking, it was a supernatural work of God, confirming that Jesus is not just another child of Adam but the Son of the Most High. “Immanuel” means “God with us,” and in Christ’s incarnation, God Himself stepped into human history to save His people from their sins. The virgin birth is not an optional doctrine; it safeguards the truth of Jesus’ sinless nature and His divine origin.
Isaiah 7:14 ultimately drives us to worship the One who came to be “God with us.” For Ahaz’s generation, the sign meant God’s presence in their political turmoil. For us, it means that in the deepest sense, God has drawn near to reconcile us to Himself. The same Lord who promised a sign to a wavering king has given His church the surest sign of His love—the Son born of a virgin, crucified for our sins, and risen in glory. Whatever fears press on your heart today, the truth of “Immanuel” stands: God is with us, not against us, because Christ has come.

Isaiah 8:11-13 | This is a vital truth for our age. Somehow, despite an explosion of information in our age, we have even less certainty about what’s true and what isn’t. Fake news is everywhere. On top of this, and as a part of it, every conspiracy theory and crackpot explanation is treated as possible truth. But this is not a modern problem. We have always been liars, and fake news was as much of a problem in the ancient world as it is in the modern one. And so the advice is even more timely. Don’t be afraid. Don’t even call it a conspiracy. Fear God. If God is truly sovereign, truly king of history as He tells us He is, then we can put all conspiracies to rest forever. They don’t matter. The only thing that counts, that we should be afraid of, is what God plans in His judgments. Man and his plans do not have the last word, the first word, or any words in between. God sets us free from worrying over and analyzing and listening to theories and conspiracies. Fearing God kicks out all of those other worries.

Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4 | Four times this is repeated, as if to make the point through the repetition: God’s judgments are relentless “For all of this His anger is not turned away, and His hand is still stretched out.” There is a completion and resolution to the end in God’s judgments and in God’s mercies. He is absolute in all that He does. This enlarges a sense of fear, a sense of dread about God’s holiness. There is a relentless justice and purity to God, which comes from the nature of His eternal person. What He is, He is forever. This makes His judgments a terror to us, roaring at us how real hell must be; but it also reveals the contrast of His love, which also roars an endless pursuit and pleasure in His rescue and His heaven.  

Tuesday
Isaiah 11:7-8 | Isaiah paints a breathtaking picture: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… the lion shall eat straw like the ox… they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.” On the surface, these words describe a radical shift in the animal kingdom—a predator resting beside its prey. But the Spirit’s intention here is far greater than zoology. The prophet is using imagery that God’s people would instantly understand: in this world, wolves devour lambs and lions tear apart calves. In the world to come—the new heavens and the new earth—there will be no threat, no violence, and no fear. We must be careful not to shrink this vision down by over-literalizing what was never meant to be read that way. The power of this poetry is not in its biology but in the way it grabs our hearts with a glimpse of absolute peace.
This is not a promise that God will reprogram every animal’s diet, but a promise that He will eradicate the enmity and danger that mark life in a fallen creation. The “wolf” and “lamb” represent natural enemies—whether in the animal world, human society, or spiritual realms—that will one day live together without harm. The image tells us that every cause of pain, every seed of conflict, and every shadow of death will be gone.
We live now in “the already and the not yet”—Christ has begun to bring this peace through the cross, reconciling us to God and to one another. But we still wait for the day when His work will be complete, and “they shall not hurt or destroy” will be the unbreakable law of the land.
The wolf-and-lamb vision is not meant to satisfy curiosity about the future habits of wildlife, it is meant to stir longing for God’s final work of redemption. It calls us to set our hope not on fragile earthly peace, but on the King whose reign will cover the earth “as the waters cover the sea.” When you see news of conflict, when relationships feel strained, or when your own heart wrestles with anger and fear, remember Isaiah’s picture. Let it remind you that the Prince of Peace will not stop until every corner of creation is as safe, whole, and harmonious as His holy mountain. That day is coming. And because it is certain, we can live now as people who reflect that peace in how we treat others, even in a world still waiting for its final renewal.

Matthew 27:35 | The actual crucifixion itself is said in such a matter of fact kind of way. It was just normal Roman business, something done every day in the Empire. We don’t get any of the pathos of it or its horror. It’s just blunt fact. In the days before any real entertainment, folks getting crucified was the most interesting thing to watch on a Friday night. It sums up all of the callous cruelty of humanity, and why Jesus has to die to begin with. There’s no melodrama and no fanfare. Mostly it’s just folks making jokes and casual commentary. For most of them it’s just another Friday. There’s something mysterious about how all of this casual violence is happening while our Savior conquers sin, death, and judgment. Something mysterious and amazing about the victory of eternal glory in the gore, mud, and blood.

Wednesday
Isaiah 14-22 | These chapters begin and end with God’s judgment on Egypt with many of the surrounding nations listed for their judgments and crimes. This is a consistent theme in the prophets, explaining God’s judgments on all humans and all human societies. No one is unaccountable before God. Whole people groups bear their judgments as a group. It is not a way that we often think in the modern world, assigning blame and responsibility to nations; but it is something that our God does. 

Mathew 28:17 | It always seemed like an embarrassing detail to include. Why mention, at this point of amazing triumph, with Jesus conquering death and claiming this incredible authority, why bring up that some doubted? Why stain this amazing moment with a note on the disbelief of some of the disciples? But these little details are where all the grace is. It hadn’t been the disciples' wisdom or faith or strength that had brought them this far. They weren’t there, getting commissioned, because of all of the success they’d had so far. Far from it! This little detail about their doubts is where we can find ourselves in the disciples. It’s an entry point for us into the story, as we struggle to sometimes believe that it could be true. God has surely and truly come to save us? Death has been actually trampled and God’s judgments on sin are complete? Our unbelief can terrorize us, until we realize that the disciples are our brothers in it. Even when the evidence was staring them in the face, they were still having misgivings. What an encouragement to us today! We sometimes have unrealistic expectations about our own faith. All of our unrealistic expectations should be about God’s incredible greatness and endless mercy, not about our own weaknesses. Those human frailties of understanding and belief are always with us and always have been. Praise Him that it’s only ever needed to be the size of a bit of dust. 

Matthew 28:18-20 | Jesus gives what we call the Great Commission, charging His followers to make disciples of all nations. Many Christians read these words and feel the weight of obligation—an almost crushing sense of duty. But the risen Christ doesn’t send His church out burdened; He sends us out blessed. Notice the order: Jesus first declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Then He promises His presence: “I am with you always.” In between those two realities—His power and His presence—He gives His people the privilege of joining in His mission. Far from being a dreary task, disciple-making is an invitation to partner with the King of the universe in something eternal and glorious.
When we think of the mission of the church as a burden, we miss the grace built into the command. Evangelism and discipleship are not chores to endure but treasures to embrace. We get to tell a broken world that the Lord of life has conquered death. We get to baptize new believers into the family of God and teach them to walk in the ways of Jesus. What higher honor could we imagine? The Great Commission is not God piling work onto our shoulders; it is God lifting us into His own joy. To be caught up in His redeeming mission is not just our responsibility, it is our privilege, our delight, and our share in the very heart of God.

Thursday
Ps 62:7–8 | Look at the order here. Verse 7 begins with the unshakable truth: “On God rests my salvation.” Our relationship with Him starts not with our striving, but with His grace that rescues us. Because God has already accomplished such a great salvation, we can now respond with trust, pouring out our hearts before Him. If He has secured our eternal rescue, surely we can rely on Him in the lesser—though still weighty—needs of everyday life.

1 Corinthians 1:12 | The old Sunday School answer to just about any question at any given moment is: Jesus! If you’re not listening and suddenly put on the spot, this will be right more than half of the time. But here we discover that sometimes “Jesus” is actually the wrong answer. What would that look like? Here’s the question you would get wrong: “Who is it more important to follow and listen to, Jesus or Paul?” At first glance that seems like an easy question. Of course you should listen to Jesus instead of Paul! But that’s actually the wrong answer because Jesus spoke through Paul. If you could follow Paul and not follow Jesus, then Jesus didn’t speak through Paul. Jesus isn’t divided into different parts or teachings or groups. In fact, once you introduce division, you couldn’t be talking about Jesus any more. Jesus and His teaching are one unified whole. If anyone uses any part of that unified whole to divide folks up, then they aren’t from Jesus. You can be “right” and still be completely “wrong.” 

1 Corinthians 1:25 | This verse (and passage) reminds us that even the “foolishness” of God is wiser than human wisdom. We are quick to point out the folly of the world, but this verse presses us to first examine our own hearts. How often do we quietly assume that our strategies, instincts, or plans are better than God’s way of the cross? The call is to humble ourselves, trusting that His wisdom, found in His word—even when it looks weak—is always the path of true strength and life.

Friday
1 Corinthians 2:2 | It’s a bit funny that Paul says here that he resolved to know nothing but Jesus and Him crucified, but then goes on to write another fourteen chapters in 1 Corinthians. But we all know that simplicity doesn’t get rid of complex questions, it helps you navigate and understand them. This verse is a bit of a reset button for us, a truth to come back to again and again as a starting point. Like our computers, we need to reset at times, to reboot our thinking and get back to basics. Distractions and objections and details can bog us down in life. This is one of those truths that we can use for our baseline thinking. It’s a return to core assumptions about life and purpose and what’s important. Paul is teaching us how necessary this kind of reset is. Corinth was a complicated place full of wealth, idols, and every kind of pleasure. It was the moral playground of the Roman Empire, leading to every kind of decadence. This is where gospel clarity and focus are essential, getting back to basics and sticking to those basics when the world is so morally murky.

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 | This is a great passage to keep in your back pocket when you’re thinking about your church leaders. If—God forbid—either Chris or I ever start preaching something other than the cross, feel free to put a roll of nickels in a tube sock and start swinging.

Isaiah 22:1 | Isaiah opens this chapter with biting irony: “The oracle concerning the valley of vision.”  A mountaintop is where perspective comes, where you can see for miles in every direction. But a valley? That’s where your sightline is cut off, where your vision is cramped and limited. God is exposing the blindness of His people: they believed they saw the world clearly, but in reality, their vision was no better than staring at the dust and stones on the valley floor.
This is the human heart on display. We convince ourselves that we understand life, that our perspective is wide enough, wise enough, and true enough to guide us without God. But in truth, our “vision” is nothing more than a few rocks, a few shadows, a few lizards scurrying across the ground. We think we know better than the One who made the mountains and the valleys, yet only His word and wisdom can give us true sight.

Week 33

August 11-15
[M] 2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 21
[T] Isaiah 1-3; Psalm 9; Matthew 22
[W] Isaiah 4-6; Matthew 23
[T] Micah 1-4; Psalm 10; Matthew 24
[F] Micah 5-7; Matthew 25

Dwell Plan Day 161-165 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
2 Kings 15-16 | One of the most striking things about this part of Israel’s history is the constant turnover. There’s no stability in the leadership, as one dynasty comes after another in quick and violent succession. This kind of upheaval is a part of God’s judgment on them: as they abandon true worship and faithful obedience, you’ll see the disintegration of their authority structures and their communities. This is what Moses warned them about in Deuteronomy 28, that if they didn’t follow God, then He would give them over to their enemies and to their own social and moral decay—specifically God promises “curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do.” This cycle of unbelief is also described in Romans 1; as unbelief worsens into more and more irrational worship and immorality, God hands disobedient people and nations over to their sins. You will see this happen in your own lifetime with churches and communities and individuals. The cautionary tale is in the book of Kings, and it can give us comfort to know how and why we see so much disaster in the world at times, for our God is also a God of mercy who we can cry out to for mercy. 

2 Kings 16:10 | What a horror. Ahaz visits Damascus to meet the power broker of that age, the king of Assyria. Assyria was the up and coming empire, expanding rapidly through their own extreme violence. Ahaz is using the Assyrians to deal with his own enemies, delivering a fat bribe, hoping the gold and silver will pay the Assyrian king off. So while Ahaz is visiting, he sees a really cool altar. It must have impressed him. It can’t be an altar to our God, the God of the Bible, it’s a pagan altar up in Damascus. So he gets the exact pattern and details of this altar so he can recreate it back in Jerusalem. But here’s the problem. We were told in Exodus that the temple and the altar were the “exact pattern” of what Moses saw in heaven. So this is a complete rejection of God’s worship done in God’s way. We might think that rejecting the architecture of the original isn’t that big of a sin. Why not have a remodeling job? It was probably a bit outdated by this point! But this signals a deeper apostasy, a more profound rejection of God. The outward rejection of God’s architectural commands was also a rejection of God Himself and His morality. Ahaz is so wicked he actually sacrifices his own son as an offering. There’s nothing innocent about this temple remodel at all. When we discover that all of the construction details about the temple, the altar, and God’s worship were meant to reveal Jesus, that’s when we see the enormity of this crime. It’s a rejection of God’s rescue of sinners. It’s turning to false gods that bring their own certain destruction. 

Matthew 21:15 | This happens all of the time in churches, and these stories repeat themselves over and over again. A ministry will take off, reaching new folks for Jesus with power and success. There’s a new excitement about worship and transformed lives. The most unlikely people start coming to faith and having spiritual victory in their lives. Then, the folks who have been faithful to God for a long time will be suspicious of this new excitement, fervor, and success. They become envious of this new ministry and its joyful results. They begin to criticize and judge what’s going on. It isn’t doing things properly according to the religious folks, and they begin to sabotage the new work. It’s uncomfortable for them, and doesn’t celebrate their longstanding religious practices. This creates conflict and crisis in that ministry, and there’s usually a strong effort to stamp out this new development.
What’s happening to Jesus here is meant to prepare us for this kind of thing, to see it as it happens, and understand how it works out. Don’t be shocked by it or discouraged. It’s always been like this, and we can’t expect our experiences to be better than what Jesus got. And we also need the other warning, that we don’t become the religious stick-in-the-muds ourselves. Jesus invites us to be self aware about this in verse 43, warning us that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” That can happen to us in our churches in the same way it happened to the Jewish people. 

Tuesday
Isaiah 1:11 | This is such a frightening warning: the idea that God is tired of our worship. That we could be serving and sacrificing, but it’s just an empty abomination. So your hopes and joys in worship are just a sham. What’s the problem here? There’s no real obedience. They’re not caring for the poor or the defenseless in verse 23, but are trusting in their wealth through bribes. Their use of power has made them murderers, and their abundance has seduced them. God says His own people have become His enemies in verse 24. In verse 29 we discover that they will be ashamed of their trees. What does that mean? A part of their hardness of heart is that they’re also dabbling in worshiping nature, the most common worship of the ancient world. Like our beautiful redwood groves in California were used by native Americans for their own pagan worship, so the ancient people of Palestine used their oak trees. These “people of God” were compromised by their idols, which led their hearts into bankruptcy and hardness. Given over to their false worship, they used their wealth for themselves, abandoning the poor. And the whole time they’re still doing their Sunday best to look like respectable religious types.
But there’s still hope! This is where we also see God’s most precious statements about His kind of forgiveness—forgiveness even of this kind of hypocrisy and double mindedness. “Though your sins are like a terrible red stain, you can be cleaned and washed completely.” This promise in verse 18 is for these sorts of folks, if they will turn from their compromise and run to the amazing mercy of God. This back and forth, an announcement of judgment with mercy alongside it, will happen over and over again in Isaiah. 

 Isaiah 2:1, 11, 12, 20 | All of these verses refer to a “day” or “days” that are coming. The singular word “day” can refer to a period of time; Hebrew had the same sort of usage of the word “day” as we do in English. Someone might say “back in my day” and we all know they’re referring to the days when that person was young, to a time that typifies their early life. The prophets talk about God’s “day” in the same way. Sometimes it might be actually referring to a particular moment of God’s judgment, sometimes it’s about a duration of time. But the point is this: a day is coming when God will act. That action might be mercy and it might be judgment, but it’s definitely coming. In verses 1-4 it’s the transformation of the world through God’s word. That is a day we've been living in since Christ ascended into heaven. God is creating peace in the world through the preaching of the gospel. It isn’t completely fulfilled yet—there’s still war. But that full day is coming. In verse 12 we also discover there's a day coming when everything gets reordered, when everything proud and exalted is brought low. This might be the same day as the transformation of the world in verses 1-4, just seen from a different perspective. Or it might be a different day altogether. The point is this: God has His day coming when He reveals Himself, and the open question is, are you ready for that day?

Wednesday
Matthew 23 | If you ever wondered why the religious leaders of Jesus’ day hated Him so much, tried to kill Him, and wanted to get rid of Him at all costs, here’s your text. Jesus lays them out with a series of warning statements about their hypocrisy and false religion. His words here are some of the harshest in all the Scripture, and the amazing thing is that His severest judgments are for the “religious” and not for sex workers and addicts and idolaters. That isn’t at all to say that Jesus doesn’t teach moral truth or its application. He made clear that adultery happens with a lustful look, condemning all men of history in one command. No, Jesus doesn’t lessen the call to holiness. But folks broken by sin in their lives often know how messed up they are. Not always, but they often do. But outwardly religious folks rarely see how their religious activities can be a mask. Jesus saves His harshest condemnation for them. Self-righteousness is as wicked as any murder or hate or theft, it just doesn’t feel like it. Read this chapter to seek conviction about your own tendency to put your hope in outward religious observances. No one is exempt from this danger. 

Isaiah 4:5 | Isaiah is referring to how God led His people in the wilderness. As the people of God wandered in the desert, living in tents, God would lead them with a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke by day. Wherever that pillar went, the people of God would follow. When it stopped, they would stop and set up camp. Why is the prophet promising that this will happen again? Are we going to go back to Egypt, through the Red Sea again as His people, and be camping for Jesus when He sends us the miracle pillars? No! God doesn’t move backwards! Even those events from Exodus and Deuteronomy weren’t just about God doing fantastic things for His people, so they would see His power and glory. No, they were signs of things to come, of how God Himself would lead His people. We have something much better than that: we have the Holy Spirit Himself, who is described as a fire in His appearing! God is promising His faithful presence for us, made real in Jesus coming to live with us and become a human like us. God is predicting the fullness of His word, which would be a guide to our feet and light to our path. It’s the same God and it’s the same path, but it’s more personal and intimate than we ever dared hope or imagine. It’s Him inside of us, animating us and directing us. It’s Him speaking to us in and through His words and worship. We enjoy the fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah 4 today, every time we open our Bibles or go to church. Praise Him!

Isaiah 6:5-7 | Isaiah thinks he’s dead. He knows his Bible. He knows his theology. God said “no man sees My face and lives.” To look on God is to be judged and to die. On top of all that, Isaiah is honest enough to also know he’s not one of the good guys. He’s a man with a “dirty mouth” before God, just like the people he comes from. What will resolve the crisis? God has made His absolute holiness perfectly clear. That’s what the angels are saying endlessly before God. They can see it, but even they can’t look directly at God, they’re covering their eyes. What will resolve the crisis, what will fix this basic problem? God is so pure that even pure beings like the angels cannot look at Him. What hope is there for Isaiah or for anyone else? Who or what will resolve this predicament?
Then another angel brings a coal from the altar, from the place where animals were sacrificed for sinners and burned before God in His temple. He takes that burning coal and touches Isaiah’s mouth with it. But the sacrifice of animals doesn’t really do anything. It’s just an animal. How can a burning coal make a difference? Because of who and what that burning coal points to.
The entire sacrificial system is meant to teach humans that they need something to pay for their sins, to reveal vividly and visually that they needed a substitute, a stand-in for their own judgment. The whole sacrificial system was an advertisement and illustration of what Jesus would do as the Lamb of God. These stories and images from the prophets are all pointing to Jesus. That’s what they’re meant to do. And the wonderful thing here in Isaiah 6 is that this rescue from God is something personal too. It’s something applied and available to individuals, not just a whole people group. Praise Him.

Thursday
Micah 3:4 | No judgment in the Bible is as chilling as this. That our prayers and our cries to God would not be heard because of our hypocrisy, selfish evil, and indifference. Cry out now that this judgment will not come on us, because how can there be any hope if there’s no hope of answered prayer? 

Matthew 24:36 | Don’t ever be ashamed of saying you don’t know something. Jesus didn’t know some stuff, and He’s quite open about it. It’s amazing how certain folks will be when they try to interpret this very chapter, not pausing to humble themselves before our Lord, who described His own ignorance as a way of warning us about ours. But the lesson is bigger than that, isn’t it? Deception about the end times is a core part of the demonic strategy itself, making claims again and again that Jesus is over here, or no, He’s over there. To make the expectations of God’s people into a sort of whack-a-mole game of hide and seek. That’s used by our enemy to discourage God’s people. Good and faithful believers have been caught up and deceived by folks who have claimed to “know the day” when these things would happen. You will hear folks make these claims in your lifetime, and you’ll be surprised how many fall for it. But if we walk in His humility the way that He does, we won’t be distracted or fooled. We don’t know when He will come, but we can count on this: we won’t be able to miss it.

Friday
Micah 6:6-8 | Verse 8 is one of those “summing it all up” kind of verses—teaching us what is most important in our walk with God. It’s personal and transformational. Justice is something done, not an abstract idea. Love is something loved, and constant dependence on God is the work of true humility. The Old Testament morality is the same as that in the New; you can’t divide them from one another. This verse describes Jesus Himself, as He fulfills it. It’s how He lived, and how He lives in us. But the only way to see this as His grace at work in us is to see verse 8 as it follows verses 6 and 7. There’s no worship or sacrifice or gift that can fix the “sin of my soul” he says. That’s how we know this is pointing towards Christ and His work in us—for us walking in the good deeds that have been prepared for us beforehand by the Holy Spirit.   

Matthew 25:31-46 | Everyone is surprised at the judgment seat of God. The ones who get turned away are shocked, and the ones who get into heaven are shocked. The ones who think they’re good will be stunned to find out that their goodness didn’t have anything to do with Jesus and His people. The ones who can’t see why God is letting them in will also be stunned—they weren’t aware that they had been glorifying God in their love, generosity, and care for others. Everyone is surprised. Which surprise do you want to have?

Week 32

August 4-8
[M] Hosea 1-3; Matthew 16
[T] Hosea 4-6; Psalm 58; Matt 17
[W] Hosea 7-10; Matt 18
[T] Hosea 11-13; Matt 19
[F] Hosea 14; 2 Chr 26-27; Ps 61; Matt 20

Dwell Plan Day 156-160 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Hosea | Hosea’s life was a living parable: his marriage, heartbreak, and relentless pursuit of his unfaithful wife all pointed to the faithful love of the Father for His people. In the same way, when we live with joy in blessing and hope in suffering, our lives point others to the grace we’ve received. Grace doesn’t just save us; it shapes us into signs and stories that proclaim the gospel. A redeemed life, lived openly, becomes a quiet sermon of the Father’s unrelenting mercy.

Hosea 2:18 | God says He will make a covenant—a binding contract and promise—between HIs people and animals. This is the restoration that Paul talks about when he teaches us in Romans 8:19 that the creation is groaning and waiting eagerly for our redemption. What is this about? This world suffers because of us. We’re connected with it and can’t be separated out. We were commissioned in Genesis 2 to take care of nature. Then, because of Adam’s sin, the ground is now cursed (Genesis 3:17). Everything is broken. Our environmental impact and destruction is all around us, and it’s our fault. A part of the true restoration that God promises is our unity with nature alongside our unity with ourselves, one another, and with Him. The scope of God’s redeeming love is cosmic and far reaching. He will restore all things even better than they were before. Praise Him.

Matthew 16:1-3 | We imagine we would have understood, but we wouldn’t have. Sin hasn’t softened with time: we are just as blind, just as proud, just as resistant to grace as the Pharisees and the disciples. The sign of Jonah wasn’t missed because it was unclear, but because hearts were hard. The gospel humbles us not just by what it says, but by showing us we’re no better than those who missed it the first time.

Matthew 16:17 | There is a moment that I enjoy when leading folks into spiritual truth, especially when it’s the moment of someone’s conversion and they suddenly “get it”. It can happen slowly or quickly, but it doesn’t matter, what matters is that it didn’t come from them. I’m usually quick to say these very words to them at that moment: “Flesh and blood didn’t reveal that to you. You didn’t figure it out through your cleverness or hard work. No, that was God’s work, our heavenly Father revealed who Jesus is to you—who He truly is.” That’s the only way that conversion works, and beyond that, it’s the only way that growing to understand God and the Bible works. We need the work of God. Remember to be praying before you read anything because flesh and blood isn’t enough. It never is. And when you understand something, when an insight clicks for you and you begin to really see Jesus and His grace, praise God for it. It wasn’t you, it was Him in His loving grace. 

Matthew 16:19 | Christ repeats this expression again in Matthew 18:18: whatever you bind or loose on earth, that same action will be taken in heaven. What does this mean? In both instances, He’s talking about how you use authority in the church, in relationships. The binding and loosing image is a metaphor for judgment, where you have to discern whether something or someone is okay spiritually. Rebellion against God’s laws and truth is constantly happening in the church in all ages, and we have the responsibility at times, like an umpire, to call balls and strikes. This is what binding and loosing is. We’re either tying something up or we’re letting it go. It makes the work of the church in leadership quite serious. Heaven stands behind these actions, giving them an eternal weight that we can’t afford to ignore. It makes the discipline of the church a serious matter with eternal consequences. 

Tuesday
Hosea 4:6 | “Ignorance= fear/ silence = death” is a slogan from the AIDS epidemic, and it’s not an original idea to that crisis. It’s always been the case, as we can see in this text. But we also have another cultural slogan: ignorance is bliss. But fear of disease or seeking the foolish happiness of being uninformed are both rebuked by the prophet here. Not knowing God or remembering His words are an invitation to disaster. There’s nothing innocent about spiritual ignorance, and there’s nothing harmless about knowing little about your Bible. Lack of knowledge destroys. But we can take this even further. We’re invited to know God personally, to know Him as the Living God, someone available for relationship and intimacy. Our worship was strategically designed by Jesus by these words in the weekly sacrament: do this to remember Me. Praise Him!

Hosea 5:1 | This chapter marks a change in the tone of Hosea. The book contains a great deal of judgment, and we’ll see some of that same language echoed in Psalm 58 today.
I (Jon) knew a pastor who started teaching through Hosea but stopped because he thought it had too much judgment in it. There are a lot of problems when we give in to the modern impulse to remove or soften the judgment parts of the Bible. First, we’re telling God that we know better than He does how the world should work. Second, we lessen the seriousness of sin. And third—and most importantly—without the judgment and wrath revealed in Scripture, what exactly happened at the cross? Jesus bearing the wrath of God in our place was the most loving act in history. So, ironically, when we try to make Him more loving by removing judgment from the story, we actually make Him less loving. It’s a self-defeating interpretation.

Matthew 17:1-4 | This is one of those moments in Christ’s ministry that reveal how our faith is an unembarrassed supernaturalism. There you have it: Christ is shining and He’s talking to two of the most famous men of the Old Testament, one who’s been dead over a thousand years. And they’re having a conversation. If that isn’t supernatural, I don’t know what is. But this story is for us today, and it can be easy to miss the point with all the shininess and amazingness that’s going on. Christ and His ministry and His work are all organically cemented to the whole Old Testament. The Jews described their Bibles this way: Moses and the prophets. It was their expression for the word “bible” which was from a greek word. This is why there’s so much value in being a “whole Bible” Christian, and in working your whole life to grasp the “whole counsel” of God. This is why this Bible in a year program is something we should be doing every year, not just in 2025. This bright little meeting connects all of the Scripture around Jesus and His work, affirming one God with one Word for one salvation.    

Matthew 17:24-27 | What a wonderful little story, packed full of amazing truth. First, the way the little vignette is told, Peter is approached about a “tax” that had to be paid. The text doesn’t mention it, but it’s most likely the yearly “temple tax” that was collected during that time. We know that from sources outside the Bible, but it isn’t mentioned here because it isn’t relevant. Then Jesus does three miracles in a row. First, He shows Peter that He already knows what just happened. This doesn’t mean that Jesus was eavesdropping or overheard the conversation between Peter and the tax collector. No, the story makes the point that Jesus has miraculous knowledge. Peter must have realized this and made sure it was reported that way. So Jesus asks Peter a question before he even speaks about whether Kings charge their own sons taxes. And we all know how powerful men work—of course their kids don’t pay taxes. So Jesus says to pay the tax so they aren’t being offensive to anyone. They technically don’t have to, but that’s not the point. And then Jesus tells Peter to go fishing because his next catch will have a coin in its mouth. That’s the second supernatural event: the miraculous money fish! But what’s the third miracle? Christ comes to free us from our greed, so we don’t resent being taxed by anyone. We use God’s provision, however He chooses to bring it, to not bring any unnecessary offense so that we can tell them the good news about Jesus. We are free, free in ways we barely can grasp, free from the rules and standards of man. But our freedom is constrained and bounded by love. Money doesn’t mean anything to us in and of itself. That’s a great miracle of the Spirit in us when we are free like that. Anyone feel like fishing?

Wednesday
Hosea 7:2 | This image is all over the Bible, especially in the Prophets and forcefully in Hosea: our God is personally offended by our sin. He takes our evil, our rebellion, and our selfish choices as a personal affront to Him. That’s why the biggest metaphor in Hosea is how God views our sin as adultery. One of the most common objections of this age is “How can an infinite God care what I do with my body, doesn’t He have a universe to run and seven billion people in this world?” But there’s a mathematical problem with that. Because if God is truly infinite, then He is able to interact with seven billion people every second of every day and still have an infinite amount of power and attention and information to run the whole universe. You might still object: “But I’m so small compared to the universe, how can my choices about lying or being selfish or cursing or having sex matter to Him?” Again, the math still works, there’s no barrier to an infinite being in who He is. But this isn’t a math question any more, it’s a qualitative question. And this is the rub about this infinite God: He has revealed to us that He is an infinite Person, not an infinite force. And this Person created us in His own personal image, so He has a personal—and infinite—stake in how we live. It simply cannot be any other way. So all of our sins are committed literally and figuratively and infinitely in His face. That’s how He takes it. There are no little or impersonal sins we can commit, because there is no little or impersonal God to sin against.

Matthew 18:3 | What does it mean to become like a child? It doesn’t mean we set aside our intellect, curiosity, or pursuit of wisdom. Jesus isn’t calling us to be immature or naïve, He’s calling us to trust. Children live with a natural dependence on their parents; they aren’t self-sufficient, and they don’t pretend to be. That’s the posture of heart Jesus is inviting us into: humble, needy, and willing to receive grace. Kingdom people don’t come to God with spiritual resumes, they come with empty hands. Faith like a child doesn’t mean less thinking; it means more trusting.

Matthew 18:15 | This little verse is all about what ordinary discipleship and friendship and fellowship is in God’s family. It’s done quietly and personally when we get offended by someone’s sin against us. Not someone’s sin against someone else—against us. And not shared with anyone else, but shared with that one person themselves. Every conflict in God’s kingdom should be settled at the lowest level possible. And this sort of thing should be happening all the time, and what do we gain? A brother! We cement our family ties in Jesus through this sort of regular and frequent addressing of sinful hurts that we inflict on one another. Do this, and do it often. Seek it out, if you just might have offended or hurt another. Gain a brother or sister through this. God is building a temple in and through us for the glory of His Son. When this process breaks down, that’s when you go on to the next verses, into the process of discipline in the church. But that’s the exception. Where the fruits of the Spirit are, that’s where folks are doing and receiving and living by the work of verse 15 all by itself. 

Matthew 18:21–35 | I used to hear this parable taught like the servant was forgiven a huge debt and then refused to forgive someone a tiny one. But that’s not quite right. He was forgiven a massive debt—an impossible amount—and then refused to forgive a substantial debt. It wasn’t pocket change; it was still big. That detail matters, because it deepens the point Jesus is making. The forgiveness the Father has shown you isn’t just greater, it’s infinitely greater, than any forgiveness you’ll ever be asked to give. The cross doesn’t minimize the pain others have caused you; it just reminds you that grace has already covered more.

Thursday
Hosea 13:8 | I’m not afraid of a lot of things. I (Jon) rode motorcycles for years on freeways across the country. I’ve done my fair share of crazy stunts and adrenaline-junkie stuff. But one of the few things that does scare me? Wild animals. The image God uses here to describe His judgment on Israel is terrifying—because it’s supposed to be. Imagine hiking alone in the woods when a bear, robbed of her cubs, charges at you. If you’ve seen The Revenant, you know how that ends. A wild bear is raw, unstoppable power—claws, teeth, muscle, fury.
And that’s the image God chooses. But here’s what’s even more sobering: images like this are always meant to point to a greater reality. The judgment of God is like that—but worse, because He’s the One who made bears, lions, and vipers. When His holy wrath is aimed at you, there’s nowhere to hide.
But here’s the stunning grace of the gospel: if you belong to Jesus, that wrath will never be pointed at you. On the cross, all the terrifying judgment of Hosea 13:8 fell on Christ. He stepped in front of the bear for you. And that’s why passages like this aren’t just scary—they’re precious. They show us just how much God loves us: enough to take His own wrath in our place.

Matthew 19:26 | The truth is that our God can do a million impossible things before breakfast. That’s who He is. But “God of the impossible” is quite a pointed truth here. Jesus is describing the amazing power of God when it comes to a very specific action: rich folks entering God’s kingdom. Before you then protest that it couldn’t be about you, remember what wealth is. Christ teaches us it’s where our treasure is. For many folks that is money. But for many it isn’t. Their wealth can be in the amazing family they come from or the ancient traditions of their culture. It could be in good looks or a fine education or a high intelligence. It might be an ability to connect to others or it might be in daily being reliable and faithful. All of these are treasures! They are quite valuable to us and they can all blind us to our deepest need for a savior. All of us need the God who does the impossible, who saves people who are trying to save themselves.

Friday
Hosea 14 | After chapter upon chapter of judgment, this text breaks in like a cool drink of water after a long day’s work. For so long, God has exposed the sin and idolatry of His people, warning them of the devastation to come, but here, He offers restoration. He invites them to return, to repent, to lay down their idols, and come home. And what awaits them isn’t punishment, but healing. Grace. Mercy. Love.
This chapter has obvious pointers to what we find in Christ. The same offer is made to sinners. Turn and repent—come home and you will find rest for your soul. You will find grace and mercy. You will find life and light, joy and peace, hope and assurance. He is way better at saving than you are at sinning.

Matthew 20:17-19 | God repeats Himself a lot. All over the Bible, God repeats His promises, reveals His character and personality, and tells us over and over again about what to expect in life. Christ even sets up the Lord’s Supper with this phrase, repeated twice itself “do this so you will remember Me.” What’s the point? We need a lot of reminding. We are easily distracted and even more easily forgetful. We need reminders—which is why memorizing Scripture is so valuable. It’s binding the reminder into your brain and burning it into your memory. And it’s not only about how forgetful you are. Crisis is coming in your life, whoever you are. Temptations will come and dark nights of doubt. Attacks and the rejection of friends and family is coming. Jesus knew in detail that the cross was coming, and with it all sorts of humiliating torture. When you’re right in the middle of all of that, remembering all of the predictions of Jesus about our suffering can be very valuable. It can help you get through. Jesus was doing more than just reminding them: He was modeling how we all need to remind one another. He was teaching, through His own actions, how we need to keep going back to God’s words. Reading the Bible in a year isn’t a one off task. Been there and done that—not at all. We need reminders all of our life. It’s our habit. God loves us, and He repeats Himself a lot. What a gracious and loving savior He is for us, let’s do all we can to remind ourselves of this every day. 

Matthew 20:34 | Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him (CSB) | I don’t have a long reflection on this verse—I just love it. Jesus sees these blind men, hears their cries, and Matthew tells us He’s moved with compassion. That’s not just what He does; it’s who He is. He’s not cold, calculating, or reluctant—He’s tender, present, and full of mercy. We don’t follow a Savior who stands at a distance; we follow One whose heart moves toward the broken.
Sidenote: if you ever want to reflect more deeply on this aspect of Jesus, read Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. I’ve never met anyone who read it and didn’t come back saying it changed them.

Week 31

July 28-August 1
[M] Jonah 1-4; Matthew 11
[T] 2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chr 25; Ps 53; Matt 12
[W] Amos 1-3; Matt 13
[T] Amos 4-6; Psalm 55; Matt 14
[F] Amos 7-9; Matt 15

Dwell Plan Day 151-155 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday 
Jonah 4 | This book ends not with resolution, but with a question—a divine challenge left hanging in the air. Will you, like Jonah, cling to comfort and resentment, or will you rejoice when God’s mercy reaches even your enemies? The open ending invites us to examine our own hearts: do we love what God loves? The scandal of grace is that it welcomes Nineveh—and us.

Tuesday
Matthew 11:1–6 | This can feel like an odd exchange. John the Baptist asks Jesus a straightforward question “Are you the one?” and Jesus responds by pointing to His miracles. Why not just say, “Yes, I’m the Messiah”? Because Jesus wants to expand John’s vision of what the Messiah came to do. Salvation is a huge part of Jesus’ mission; He came to save sinners like you and me. But that’s not the whole work of the Messiah. Jesus came not only to forgive, but to put the world back together. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed—creation is being restored. The brokenness of the world is unraveling in His presence. When Jesus tells John to look at His works, He’s saying: “This is what the Messiah does. This is the kingdom of God breaking into this world. This is the beginning of the restoration of all things."

Wednesday
Amos | This book opens with a stern prophetic edge: Amos, a simple Judean herdsman called by God, delivers oracles against the pagan nations and then turns his gaze sharply back on Israel during the reign of the wealthy yet morally bankrupt Jeroboam II (we read about his reign yesterday in 2 Kings 14:23-29). Despite outward success (expansion, prosperity, and elaborate worship) the kingdom is unraveled by systemic injustice: the powerful trample the poor, public worship becomes a mask for greed, and covenant faithfulness is betrayed   . Amos holds up a mirror exposing hypocrisy: empty sacrifices, disdain for the needy, and a complacent spirituality that has drifted into corruption. The Lord’s patience wears thin; Amos proclaims a “Day of the Lord” not as salvation, but judgment, with visions of locusts, fire, and destruction of the nation’s spiritual pillars.
Yet hidden within the thunder of justice is a spark of mercy: after announcing exile and despair, the book closes with a promise of restoration “out of the ruins… I will restore the fallen house of David." This climactic turn reminds us that divine judgment is never the end of the story: God’s ultimate aim is redemption, rebuilding, and resurrection for His people, even extending hope to the nations beyond Israel. Amos’s final word isn’t only about collapse, it’s a carefully placed stone of hope, declaring that God’s story moves toward repair and renewal.
This tension between judgment and hope points forward to the upside-down Kingdom of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus upends expectations—blessed are the poor in spirit, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the peacemakers—turning the world’s values upside down. Just as Amos measured Israel with a divine standard of justice and mercy, Jesus models a kingdom measured by self‐sacrifice, care for the marginalized, and radical grace. And where Amos whispered of a fallen house being restored, Jesus speaks openly of restoration, reconciliation, and the rebuilding of all things under His reign.

Thursday
Matthew 14:13-21 | The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the only miracles recorded in all four Gospels, a clear sign that it held deep significance for the early church. It wasn’t a quiet or private event; it happened in front of thousands of people. Many of those eyewitnesses would have still been alive when the Gospel accounts were written, which speaks to the public, historical nature of this miracle. Christianity doesn’t ask us to believe in hidden moments or secret revelations, it invites us to trust in a Savior who worked wonders in broad daylight in front of crowds.
But this miracle is more than just proof of Jesus’ power; it’s also a signpost pointing back to the story of Moses. In the wilderness, God fed His people with manna from heaven. Now Jesus, the greater Moses, feeds a new crowd in a desolate place. It’s a moment packed with meaning: Jesus isn’t just meeting physical needs; He’s declaring that He is the one who brings God’s provision, presence, and salvation.
The crowd came looking for food, but Jesus gave them a glimpse of the Kingdom. In providing bread, He was showing what kind of Messiah He is—compassionate, generous, and powerful. And for those with eyes to see, this wasn’t just about lunch, it was about life. He is the Bread of Life who satisfies our deepest hunger.

Matthew 14:29-31 | I think that when we read this text, our natural inclination is to judge Peter a little. He’s an easy target. He steps out onto the water, then falters in fear, and Jesus has to save him. But before you let your heart go there, let me ask you one simple question: when was the last time you walked on water?

Week 30

July 21-25
[M] 2 Kings 7-8; 2 Chr 21; Matt 6
[T] 2 Kings 9-10; Psalm 49; Matt 7
[W] 2 Chr 22-23; 2 Kings 11; Ps 131; Matt 8
[T] 2 Chr 24; 2 Kings 12; Ps 50; Matt 9
[F] Joel 1-3; Matt 10

Dwell Plan Day 146-150 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
2 Kings 8:11 | Elisha was told by God to tell Hazael that he would be king of Syria. We learn here that God must’ve said more to Elisha than that, sharing with him what this new king would wind up doing to God’s people. And it was a horror show of prophetic clarity. And Elisha breaks down into tears, embarrassing Hazael in the process. So Elisha shares with him why he’s emotionally crushed: God has shown him the terrible cruelty that Hazael will go and do against God’s people. Beware of prophets who aren’t like Elisha. There are “christian” people who delight in anticipating and participating in the apocalyptic prophecies of God. These are the folks who love to threaten people with large signs, gleefully telling sinners about God’s coming judgment. Believe me, they will suffer that judgment themselves first. The true prophets of God have the Spirit of God, and that begins with the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, etc. Where prophetic announcements happen without those fruits, no matter how accurate they might be (God will judge sexual immorality, abuse, the murder of children, etc.), the posture of how we speak is as important as the position of the truth we know about God’s holiness. Elisha is a prophet anointed with a double portion of the Spirit and here’s the proof of it. Let us all ask for and seek such a blessing.

2 Chronicles 21:7 | Here, we’re told that the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant He had made. Even though Jehoram walked in the evil ways of the kings of Israel and led Judah astray, God remained faithful to His promise to David. This wasn’t because the kings were righteous, but because God had sworn to bring a lasting light, a descendant who would one day reign in justice and bring salvation to the world. Through all the failures of David’s line, God was faithfully preserving the way for Jesus, the true Son of David, to come and redeem His people.

Matthew 6:9-13 | The Lord’s Prayer is actually a bit difficult to translate. Part of that is the traditional translations that exist today. We have centuries of a particular form and turn of phrase, so changing it or retranslating it is both awkward and intimidating. But the other part of it is the prayer itself: it’s a way of praying that sounds more like David and the Psalms than our modern sensibilities. Of the seven requests, six are in the passive imperative voice. Only the phrase lead us not does not have that grammatical form. The passive part puts it all on God to perform these things, and blunts any impertinence or presumption to the requests. They are not demands and don’t have a demanding tone. The form of the verbs describes real dependence. But they still have an insistent tone of expectation. Since we don’t have the imperative voice in English, the urgency, need, and directness of these requests is blunted. We don’t see or hear the exclamation points for each request in our translation. Somehow, I feel robbed. We’re being instructed on not just what to pray about, but what our attitude and hope should be in our prayers. This is describing a living relationship, of a person imploring and pleading with another person on how they need action. That is how God is inviting us into His presence. Praise Him.

Matthew 6:9 | The way that Jesus teaches us to pray is actually mind blowing, especially in those first words: “Our Father.” In this prayer it’s assumed that more than one person is praying. The requests are all for a plurality of folks asking, and that’s a part of Christ’s instruction to us. It’s supposed to be a community—a whole church praying. Those disciples are supposed to be all praying together, and it’s the first thing we see them doing in Acts, after Jesus has ascended. That’s not to say that we can’t pray personally for ourselves, but even in our private prayer we don’t only ask for stuff for ourselves. We pray for the people we love. There’s a priestly quality to this group prayer in the “our” words, where we’re always to be interceding as a natural part of our identity as a kingdom of priests. Jesus is teaching and modeling that.
But there is a deeper truth here, an even more profound beauty for us. Jesus is saying to His disciples to pray “our Father” and there’s no way He isn’t also a part of that group prayer. Which makes sense, because it’s Jesus’ obedience and sacrifice that makes prayer even possible for us. Otherwise, any approach or conversation with God would be too bold—especially with all of these imperative commands in the grammar! The beauty of grace begins to shine when we see this. Christ is joining us in prayer and is inviting us to join Him. We call God our Father because in our adoption Christ becomes our older brother. And what is our older brother doing right now? What does the Scripture tell us? He’s interceding for us at His Father’s throne. So this prayer depends on the Spirit of sonship to be at work in us. So Christ is saying “Go to God My Father as if I’m shoulder to shoulder with you and knee to knee next to you at the throne of grace.” It’s an invitation and a welcome; it’s an encouragement and a fellowship with Him when we pray. We’re saying “our Father” because Jesus is praying with us and for us, and it’s only in Him that we can have such bold hope. What Christ is teaching here is our living participation in the counsels of eternity. It’s what He’s forging for us and creating for us in His own prayers and obedience to “our Father.” It’s absolutely amazing just these two words in. Praise Him.

Matthew 6:25–34 | Jesus calls us to live free from anxiety, not because life is easy or predictable, but because our Father in heaven knows and cares for us. He gently points to the birds and the lilies as living illustrations of divine provision. They don’t toil, store, or plan, yet they are fed and clothed by the same God who made us. Jesus isn’t calling us to carelessness or passivity, but to childlike trust. The heart of His message is this: you are deeply known and deeply loved by your heavenly Father. And if He tends to flowers and sparrows, how much more will He tend to you?
The pagan world—both in Jesus’ day and in ours—offers no such confidence. The ancient world relied on appeasing angry gods; our modern world relies on anxious striving. Whether it’s financial security, career success, or relentless self-improvement, the secular vision for peace always comes with a price tag: perform, hustle, prove yourself, and maybe you’ll be okay. But Jesus turns this logic upside down. In the kingdom of God, peace comes not from performance, but from the unshakeable love of the Father—a love secured through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He gave His life for us, we don’t have to prove our worth. We’re already loved.
If Jesus died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), then we’ve already entrusted Him with our greatest problem: our sin and separation from God. And if He has handled that, we can trust Him with our daily worries: our jobs, our health, our children, our unknown future. Jesus doesn’t shame us for our anxiety; He invites us to rest in His finished work. We seek first His kingdom not because we’re trying to earn His favor, but because we already have it. The gospel frees us from the tyranny of anxiety by reminding us that our future is secure, our Father is good, and our Savior has already borne the weight of our deepest fears.

Tuesday
2 Kings 10:32 | At first glance, it looks like Israel is simply losing a battle to a wicked king, but the author of Kings is telling us that behind every event, God is sovereignly at work. Scripture is filled with these little reminders: God doesn’t just have power, he has ultimate power. Nothing in heaven or on earth moves outside His sovereign will, even when it involves kings and empires that seem opposed to Him. As we fast forward in the story, we see that the most stunning display of that power wasn’t in conquest, but at the cross where God used even the schemes of wicked men to accomplish our redemption. If this is the kind of God who governs history, even its darkest moments, then we can trust Him with every detail of our lives.

Matthew 7:1 | In our cultural moment, this text is often weaponized as a shield against any form of moral accountability. Western individualism trains us to see ourselves as autonomous moral agents, answerable to no one but our own inner voice. This leads to the first common distortion of the verse: “You can’t speak into my life.” The second distortion springs from a similar root, existentialism, which says the truest thing we can do is be true to ourselves, to be completely authentic. In both views, “judging” is interpreted as any external standard pressing in on personal authenticity. But that’s not what Jesus is teaching.
Jesus is warning not against all judgment, but against hypocritical and harsh judgment. The image He gives is comical and sobering: someone with a plank in their eye trying to tweeze out a speck from someone else’s. The issue isn’t the speck, it’s the arrogance of thinking we can confront another’s fault without first confronting our own. Yet Jesus doesn’t end with “don’t judge.” He says, “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” That’s love—self-aware correction that seeks the good of others in humility. And verse 6 (about dogs and pigs) makes it clear: we still must exercise discernment. Followers of Jesus are not to be blind affirmers, but gracious truth-tellers.
Ultimately, our ability to speak truth in love flows from the gospel itself. Jesus is the only one who could rightly judge us, and yet He came not to condemn, but to save. At the cross, He bore the judgment we deserve, freeing us from both the fear of being judged and the pride of being judgmental. Because we are recipients of such grace, we now approach others with humility, not superiority. The gospel doesn’t silence correction; it transforms it from a weapon of self-righteousness into an act of love grounded in mercy and a deep love for the other.

Wednesday
2 Chronicles 23 | In this chapter, we witness a dramatic turning point in Judah’s history: a moment of renewal after deep corruption. For years, the wicked queen Athaliah had usurped the throne, leading the people further into idolatry and bloodshed. But in a stunning act of courage and covenant faithfulness, the priest Jehoiada brings out the rightful heir, Joash, and crowns him king. The temple is cleansed, the covenant is renewed, and worship is restored. The people tear down the altars of Baal and reestablish the true worship of the Lord. This chapter is a reminder that even in the darkest seasons, God preserves a remnant and restores His purposes through His chosen king.

Matthew 8:3 | It’s not just a rule about cultural taste and general germ ickiness. You simply don’t touch lepers, and everybody knows that. It’s gross, but there’s more to it than that. The law of God made it about holiness, pronouncing leprosy as unclean in a ceremonial sense. You can’t go to the temple if you have leprosy, and if anyone touches you, neither can they for a period of time. But here’s the rub. You can’t get leprosy from just a touch. It requires closer contact than that. There’s lots of hand and foot washing in the Old Testament law, and it wasn’t until the 19th century that modern science caught up to the basic wisdom of cleanliness and germs. God’s law has real wisdom about the real world. But leprosy isn’t really spread that way, and yet God uses it to make an emphatic point about holiness and uncleanness. It’s against the law of God for a man to touch a leper. But here’s the rub: when Jesus touches him, he’s no longer a leper! But isn’t He technically touching a leper anyways, even if the result is something different? What’s going on? It all hinges on what the law of God was for, or what its whole purpose was. The law of God was actually made for this moment and the revelation of this Person, Jesus Christ our Lord. He referred to this already when He mentioned He didn’t come to get rid of the law and the prophets, He came to fulfill them—to complete their whole intention and design and purpose. The law of God has meaning because of how it points to Jesus! Not the other way around. Christ has come to make the unclean into the clean. The law still applies to the leper: he’s supposed to, according to the law of Moses, go present his new leprosy free body to the priests. And that law was actually also designed for this moment, so that it would prove to them who Jesus was. Someone greater than Moses has arrived. These rules and regulations had their greatest purpose fulfilled here: to reveal who Jesus was as God’s Son. 

Matthew 8:23-27 | Several of these guys were fishermen, men who grew up on boats every day. Their panic wasn’t like a bunch of tourists or sailing noobs freaking out over a few swells in a rough sea. Their terror was true fear. They knew what happened to sailors in storms like these: you never heard from them again and their families grieved their loss. Every port has memorials to the men who lost their lives working on the water in storms like these. And Jesus rebukes their panic and tells them how little their faith is. Wow. No matter how justified you feel in your terror, in the end it’s just unbelief. Plain and simple.

Thursday
2 Chronicles 24:17-27 | “They peaked too early” is one of those epitaphs we sometimes use about prom queens, high school quarterbacks, and child actors. It’s a meme that seems pretty universal, and in Joash it becomes a cautionary tale. Early success for us is usually due to positive early influences. With the right mentors and training and leadership in our lives, we can often achieve amazing things. That was Joash’s story when he had the leadership of Jehoiada, the godly old priest. But when he dies, everything falls apart. Joash goes off the rails. Seduced by power, the influences of his friends, and the lure of idols, he becomes a villain. It’s a cautionary story for us to learn from, because we can all go sideways with God, even when we’re older and should know better. There’s a humility and dependence we must walk in, even into our old age, because the dangers of a hardened heart never go away. What a horror and betrayal—he actually kills Jehoida’s son. This is the deathwork that hovers waiting for us all when we abandon the grace of God. Don’t become a cautionary tale yourself.

Matthew 9:9–13 | In this passage, Jesus calls a tax collector—someone despised by society and considered a traitor to his own people—and without hesitation, Matthew gets up and follows. That very night, Matthew throws a dinner party, inviting Jesus and a room full of other “sinners.” You can imagine the mix of awkwardness and awe: former fishermen side-eying tax collectors, men with pasts trying to grasp grace, and in the center of it all—Jesus, at perfect ease. It’s a striking thought, isn’t it?
For many of them, this may have been their first time in the presence of someone who knew everything about them and didn’t recoil. No disgust. No lectures. Just an invitation: “Follow me.” That night wasn’t about religious performance, it was about mercy.
Jesus tells the Pharisees, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” because He hadn’t come for the righteous, but for sinners. That first night must have felt like the first time hope sat at the table with them. And it still does—for anyone willing to follow.

Matthew 9:38 | There are only a few specific things that Jesus tells us to pray about—let alone to pray earnestly about—and this is one of them. Take note and make this a priority. Jesus did. “Father, give us more and more evangelists!”

Friday
Joel 2:28-32 | In Acts 2, Peter stands up at Pentecost and declares that what the crowd is witnessing, the outpouring of the Spirit, is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Joel had spoken of a day when God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and Peter says that day has begun. But Peter also quotes Joel’s words about the “great and glorious day of the Lord,” a day of judgment and salvation. This shows us that the Day of the Lord comes in layers—partially fulfilled at Pentecost, ultimately fulfilled when Christ returns. The first coming of Jesus inaugurated the last days, bringing salvation and the Spirit to His people. But the final Day of the Lord will come with fire and final judgment, when Christ returns to make all things new. In between these two days, we live as Spirit-filled witnesses, calling people to repent and believe before the great day arrives. The gospel reminds us that the same Lord who poured out grace at Pentecost will one day return in power, and we are invited to live in joyful readiness.

Week 29

July 14-18
[M] 1 Kings 19-21; 2 Chr 17; Ps 129; Matt 1
[T] 1 Kings 22; 2 Chr 18; Matt 2
[W] 2 Chr 19-20; 2 Kings 1; Ps 20; Matt 3
[T] 2 Kings 2-3; Ps 48; Matt 4
[F] 2 Kings 4-6; Matt 5

Dwell Plan Day 141-145 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
1 Kings 19:4-8 | Life isn't that complicated. Sometimes, you just need a snack and a nap.

1 Kings 19:10, 14, 18 | Elijah is a man just like us. That’s what James insists on, and it’s a bold call to bold faith. If Elijah is just like us, what can we hope for in prayer? What amazing things can and will God do for us? But why does James say that?
It’s rare in the Old Testament to get a real picture of a person’s attitudes and moods. The text tends to just tell a story. But we get glimpses of Elijah’s heart a number of times. In a previous chapter he sat under a tree and asked God to let him die. Here he twice tells God that he’s the only one left who is faithful. He doubles down on the way he says it and then says it twice. He thinks he’s all alone in following God. He’s unique in his devotion and suffering—or so he imagines. As my mom would have said, he’s having a pity party. But God corrects him. He gives him a job to do, an assistant to help him (who would become his successor) and He lets Elijah in on the bigger picture. He’s still got seven thousand folks who haven’t kissed the evil idols of Baal.
Two principles are here in this story. The first is a heads up about self pity. Don’t do it. Some folks have called it an “Elijah complex” when Christians sulk and complain that they’re all alone in this world. We all do it. Elijah is a man just like us in feeling sorry for himself. We’re also introduced to another beautiful truth we can trust in: God always has His remnant, His folks that still love Him. They’re in our city and all around the world. Sometimes they’ve been forced underground or can be hard to find, but they’re there. This is called the “remnant principle.” 

I Kings 19:21 | Elijah gets his assistant Elisha here. This is a transition moment, and we know that from this point forward that everywhere that Elijah went, Elisha was right there with him. This becomes an important detail in the unfolding story. As you read, remember that Elisha is seeing all of the things that Elijah does. He’s watching and serving Elijah the whole time. He’s a witness to amazing things, and it builds up his faith. Later on, after Elijah is taken up into heaven, Elisha is bold in his faith. Where did this boldness come from? It came from what he had witnessed and seen. See what connections you can draw between Elijah’s amazing miracles and Elisha’s amazing miracles. What expectations should these amazing stories create in us?

I Kings 21:25-29 | How the heck does the wickedest man in this whole book get a break like this? And why does God make sure that Elijah knows about how Ahab has humbled himself? This is one of those blinding moments of eternal gospel love that just bursts out of our Bibles. It’s a moment of hope for desperate and wicked sinners who have cheated, murdered, and destroyed people. It’s a message of rescue for those who have completely abandoned God and run from Him. God looks on Ahab and has mercy because of how he humbles himself. I’m not saying that Ahab is a believer who then followed God. The story doesn’t say that. But in this weird way of God’s grace, Ahab’s legacy ends with a question mark and not an exclamation point. His epitaph is  not “look at the certain eternal fate of a son of hell!” It’s “Huh? God showed mercy to him?!?”

Matthew 1:1-17 | Christ comes from a genealogy of kings, which establishes His legitimate claim to kingship. That’s the message on the surface, but there’s more to this. Along with faithful heroes of faith like Abraham and David, you have scoundrels and idolaters too. Then you have many names we don’t have any info on. Just anonymous folks. And then you’ve got four women, each with their own compromised stories. Why mention the sordid bits in His family story? Because He isn’t ashamed to call them family. That’s His glory and His amazing love for sinners. He isn’t ashamed of His family tree because He came to rescue His family forever. The message of the genealogy is that He isn’t ashamed of calling us family either. Praise Him!

Tuesday
I Kings 22:14 | Four heundered false prophets to one faithful prophet. Remember this when you see so many false teachers and fake preachers and dead churches. It’s always been this sort of proportion in God’s kingdom. You can’t escape it. It might sound grim, but don’t let that get to you. Like Jehosaphat, look for the true prophets that speak God’s words, who believe and trust in His scripture and love and trust His son. They’re out there. They won’t say what you want to hear and they might be ostracized by everyone else. That’s a part of the story of our Father’s kingdom too.

2 Chronicles 18:7 | King Ahab admits his hatred for the prophet Micaiah is because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. This is a revealing window into the human heart: we often want God’s voice to affirm our desires, not challenge them. Like Ahab, we are tempted to listen selectively, embracing the parts of Scripture that comfort us while ignoring those that confront us. But God is not a consultant; He is King. His Word isn’t a buffet where we pick what we like, it’s the bread of life, given in full. True discipleship means submitting to all of God’s word, trusting that even the hard truths are spoken in love for our good.

Matthew 2:1 | This is all wrong. These are “magi,” magicians and astrologers. They’re outsiders, ignorant and confused by the “wisdom of the east.” We don’t know where they really came from or what they actually believed or what weirdness they used to know about Jesus. But they came to honor Him. This is a constant principle in the Bible: if the unfaithful faithful won’t seek and know God, He will find someone else for the job. The trajectory and arc of God’s love is to those outside. This is how the book of Matthew ends, with Jesus sending the disciples out into the world with the good news—sending them out to those who came in in the first place. Praise Him!

Wednesday
2 Chronicles 20:3 | Jehoshaphat was afraid, but his first response was to seek the Lord. Fear doesn’t have to drive us away from God; it can drive us toward Him. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced the full weight of the cross—far greater than anything we will ever bear—and He fell to His knees before the Father. Because He endured the ultimate suffering for us, we are now welcomed into the same kind of intimate access with God. If seeking the Father was enough for Christ in His darkest hour, it is more than enough for us in ours.

Psalm 20 | This psalm is a prayer of confidence that the Lord saves His anointed and answers from His holy heaven, and Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:5–12 is a living expression of that same trust. Surrounded by enemies, Jehoshaphat doesn’t rely on chariots or horses, but calls on the name of the Lord, just as Psalm 20:7 declares. The psalm gives voice to the very hope that drives Jehoshaphat’s prayer: that victory belongs to the Lord alone.

Thursday
2 Kings 2:23-24 | A good reminder.

Matthew 4:1–11 | This passage presents a profound lesson. Jesus doesn’t engage in a verbal argument with the devil; instead, he employs scripture as a powerful tool. He demonstrates a wise pattern: when faced with temptation, respond with truth. The more I immerse myself in God’s word, the more fortified I become in my resistance to sin. While it may not be a magical formula, it is an established path. Truth profoundly influences my desires and weakens the allure of sin. If Jesus relied on scripture during His moment of testing, how much more should I?

Friday
Matthew 5-7 | In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints a breathtaking vision of life in the kingdom of God. He speaks of hearts that are pure, enemies that are loved, and generosity that is hidden. It’s a call to a deep, inner righteousness—not just outward conformity to rules—but lives shaped by mercy, humility, and love. This is not a list of abstract ideals; it’s a real blueprint for how God’s people are meant to live. The sermon confronts our selfishness and reorients our priorities, calling us into a new kind of humanity that reflects the character of our King.
Yet as we read these chapters honestly, we also come face to face with our inability to live this way consistently. Who among us is truly pure in heart? Who never worries, never judges, never retaliates, never lusts or lies or withholds forgiveness? The Sermon on the Mount, then, is not just a guide, it’s a mirror. It exposes our need for grace. It reminds us that we fall short of the righteousness required and that left to ourselves, we can’t live this kingdom life on our own strength. This is why we need a Savior.
And in Jesus, we have one. He didn’t just teach the Sermon on the Mount—He lived it perfectly. Every beatitude, every command, every call to love and trust and forgive, He fulfilled it all without fail. And in the great exchange of the gospel, His perfect obedience is credited to us, while our sin was laid on Him at the cross. Because of His resurrection, we are now made right with God—not by earning His favor, but by receiving His mercy. So when we seek to live holy lives, we do so not to earn love, but because we’ve already been loved. Our obedience becomes a response to grace, not a ladder to heaven.

Week 28

July 7-11
[M] 1 Kings 12; 2 Chr 10-11; Titus 1
[T] 1 Kings 13-14; 2 Chr 12; Ps 47; Titus 2
[W] 1 Kings 15; 2 Chr 13-14; Titus 3
[T] 2 Chr 15-16; 1 Kings 16; Philemon 1
[F] 1 Kings 17-18; Ps 119; Jude 1

Dwell Plan Day 136-140 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
1 Kings 12:1-15 | I’ve always looked down on Rehoboam—as if he was a fool and I would’ve done better. But the truth is, I’m just like him. He ignored the wisdom of seasoned voices and went straight to his friends, who told him exactly what he wanted to hear. I take cues from culture, friends, and my own pride more often than I’d like to admit. But the gospel frees me from that cycle—because Jesus, the true and better King, doesn’t just give advice; He is wisdom, and He invites fools like me to come and be made wise.

1 Kings 12:33 | Jeroboam “devised from his own heart” how to worship God. He just made it up. Despite the fact that God had blessed him, he set up two golden calves to worship. Did he never even read his Bible? The first five books were done by this point. (Some modern scholars will tell you things that they have also “devised in their own hearts” about the Bible being written later. They’re just guessing and making it up. They don’t know. We trust the Bible isn’t a bunch of lies, so we accept what it says. Moses did a lot of writing!) So Jeroboam, like many people, imagines that he can serve and worship God as he pleases. God’s judgment is announced immediately. Too bad, because he could’ve been a good guy. The prophet had told him that too. Worship God and serve Him in the ways He shows us in our Scriptures, don’t make it up in your head.

Tuesday
1 Kings 13 | This is a bizarre prophetic story. The prophet is punished for disobeying God because he gets tricked by an old prophet who lies to him. The prophet, like Jeroboam, doesn’t listen to God’s direct words. He shouldn’t have been tricked—remember, God never contradicts Himself, that’s absurd. But the prophet’s mistake is so understandable to us, it’s a bit shocking. Especially the weird lion that kills him and just stands there. This is certainly God’s judgment on him, and the old lying prophet (he must’ve not really believed it was God’s word until this very moment) realizes that God really has spoken. God is proved true, despite disobedience and lies. They don’t stop His will or the truth of His words. God gets His glory despite all of this nonsense. Praise and fear Him, because that’s the point. 

2 Chronicles 12:1  | This verse shows a tragically common pattern: when Rehoboam was established and strong, he abandoned the Lord. It’s a sobering reminder that prosperity often dulls our dependence on God. So when trials come, they aren’t a sign of God’s absence, but His care, lovingly shaking us awake from spiritual drift. A hard life that clings to Christ is far better than a comfortable one that forgets Him. Sometimes, the storms we resent are the very gifts that anchor our souls.

Psalm 47:1-2 | This psalm is jarring at first: how can shouts of joy come from the fear of a terrifying God? Verse 2 says He is awesome, literally fear-inducing, the kind of holiness that made Isaiah cry out, “Woe is me,” and made John fall on his face as though dead. Joy doesn’t come in spite of that fear, it comes because this overwhelming all-powerful God has chosen to love us. The hands that could crush the world instead have chosen to hold us. In Christ, this fearful God becomes family—our Father, not our enemy; our refuge, not our ruin. The joy is not that He is less scary than we thought, but that He is for us.

Wednesday
Titus 3:5 | This is one of many reminders that we are not saved by our own goodness but by God’s mercy. The New Testament repeats this truth because we’re quick to forget it; we drift into thinking we’ve earned God’s favor. But salvation isn’t a reward for the righteous, it’s a rescue for the ruined. The gospel humbles our pride and lifts our eyes to the One who saved us because He is good, not because we are.

Thursday
2 Chronicles 15:2-4 | This text offers deep comfort to those who’ve wandered from Christ: If you seek Him, He will be found by you. These verses don’t describe a God who sulks or seethes when we stray, but one who waits—ready to be found. Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God isn’t standing at the door with crossed arms, He’s running down the road with tears in His eyes. His discipline may wake us up, but His heart is always love. No matter how far you’ve gone or how long you’ve been gone, He wants you back. And when you turn around, you’ll find He was already on His way to meet you.

I Kings 16:21-28 | Omri gets seven verses. The funny thing is, Omri is referred to in archaeological finds more than any of the other ancient kings of Israel, and he was known for being very powerful and famous in his time. Internationally famous and his biblical bio is seven verses, with the little postscript that he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So in God’s history, he’s just a footnote and a blurb. What God thinks is important and what humans think is important are completely different. Folks sometimes talk about “being on the right side of history.” That’s mostly a load of hogwash—people playing a guessing game about what’s going to be important to future generations. But we can see it and say it as God’s children: the only right side of history is knowing and loving and serving Him.

Philemon | This book is a master class on leadership and discipleship. Paul wants his friend Philemon to release his runaway slave Onesimus, but communicates that desire without ordering him or forcing Philemon to do anything he doesn’t want to do. There’s love, respect, and exhortation all wrapped up into one package. It’s truly beautiful and meant to instruct us in how to confront friends in sticky situations with a sense of spiritual nuance. 

Friday
1 Kings 17:17–24 | This text tells the story of Elijah raising the widow’s son, a breathtaking moment where death is reversed. But this isn’t the only time it happens. Elisha later raises the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4), Jesus raises the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7), the synagogue official’s daughter (Mark 5), and of course, Lazarus (John 11). After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter raises Tabitha (Acts 9), and Paul brings Eutychus back to life after a tragic fall (Acts 20). These stories are miraculous, but they all have one thing in common: each person brought back eventually died again.
They were resuscitations, not true resurrections. Each one was a gracious glimpse of God’s power over death, a signpost pointing forward to something greater. That greater reality is the resurrection of Jesus: the only person in history who was raised never to die again. His resurrection was not just a return to life, but a triumph over death itself. And the incredible news is that His resurrection is the “firstfruits”—the beginning of the full harvest—guaranteeing that all who belong to Him will one day rise in the same way. These stories stir our hope, but Jesus secures it.

1 Kings 18:27 | This is one of the most sarcastic and honestly hilarious verses in the Bible. Elijah, standing alone against hundreds of prophets of Baal, starts taunting them: “Maybe your god is deep in thought… or busy… or traveling… or sleeping.” But the Hebrew behind “busy” can literally mean relieving himself—so Elijah is basically saying, “Maybe your god is on the toilet.” It’s funny, but it also makes a serious point: false gods are powerless, distracted, and absent. In contrast, the true God isn’t just present, He answers with fire.

Psalm 119 | This psalm is an acrostic poem, meaning it’s structured around the Hebrew alphabet. Each section contains eight verses that all begin with the same Hebrew letter, moving in order from Aleph to Tav. This structure highlights the beauty, order, and completeness of God’s word, fitting for a psalm entirely devoted to delighting in His law.

Psalm 119 | This text is filled with passion for God’s word, but one of the most striking themes repeated throughout is delight. In verse 47, the psalmist says, I delight in your commands because I love them. Verse 103 adds, How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! These are not cold, legalistic responses to a list of rules—they’re the heartfelt reactions of someone who has discovered life and joy in the voice of God. Verse 143 says that even when trouble and distress come, God’s commands are still a delight, and verse 174 sums it up beautifully: I long for your salvation, Lord, and your law gives me delight.
This is what we’re after in our reading plan—not just checking boxes (although, let’s be real, checking those boxes feels amazing) but cultivating a real love for God’s voice. The Bible isn’t just a book of ancient wisdom; it’s the living word of the God who loves us, rescues us, and speaks to us. We’re soaking in words that bring hope in suffering, joy in sorrow, and clarity in confusion; words that point us over and over again to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we read together, let’s pray that this becomes less about duty and more about delight. Because when God speaks, His children rejoice.

Jude | Can we all just admit this book is super weird? You should make sure to watch the Bible project video to help you with what’s going on here.

Jude 1 | Jude was Jesus’ little brother, and yet he doesn’t call himself family, but a servant of Christ. That’s stunning, because no one naturally worships their sibling as Lord. The only explanation is that Jude saw his brother risen from the dead, and it changed everything.

Week 27

June 30-July 4
[M] 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chr 9; 1 Tim 6
[T] Ecclesiastes 1-3; Ps 45; 2 Tim 1
[W] Eccl 4-6; Ps 125; 2 Tim 2
[T] Eccl 7-9; Ps 46; 2 Tim 3
[F] Eccl 10-12; 2 Tim 4

Dwell Plan Day 131-135 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
1 Kings 11 | This is one of the more depressing chapters in the Bible. Solomon started out so strong, so wise and in tune with God. But we already saw the red flag waving from early on. He married outside of God’s kingdom, and (as God warned everyone) it drew him away from God. Away from his God and right into the arms of idols. How could the wisest man who ever lived make such a catastrophic mistake? I would guess that it probably crept up on him. We all drift in life, unless we work against it. We all slowly will turn from God and true worship, unless we fight that evil selfish tendency. And it’s made that much worse by being united to unbelief. So what does the wisest man who ever lived actually become? A cautionary tale. If Solomon can fall, then what does that say about the rest of us? How much danger are we all in? Run to Jesus, fix your heart on Jesus, and ask Jesus to give you perseverance to the end. He’s the one that can do it, not us. And praise Him that He does.

1 Kings 11:1-8 | Solomon’s downfall is both tragic and familiar. The wisest man on earth, blessed beyond measure, loved many foreign women, clinging to them in love despite God’s clear command. This was not about ethnicity but idolatry; the Lord had warned that these women would turn away [his] heart after their gods. And so it happened. Solomon, who had once built a glorious temple for the living God, now built high places for Chemosh and Molech. The issue wasn’t merely disobedience—it was a loss of love. God’s commands are not arbitrary restrictions; they are expressions of His heart, designed to keep us within the orbit of His grace. To defy them is to drift from joy. Solomon wandered not only from obedience but from intimacy with God.
This passage is a sobering reminder that unchecked affections can ruin even the most gifted lives. Solomon’s heart didn’t turn all at once—it was not wholly true to the LORD. That’s the danger: a divided heart.
And yet, this text points forward to a greater King. Where Solomon’s love led him away from God, Christ’s love led Him to a cross. Jesus is the true and better Solomon, whose heart was never divided, who perfectly kept God’s commands so that our wandering hearts might be brought home. In Him, grace abounds for idolaters and those who stray. The gospel doesn’t just forgive us; it reorients our affections. It heals the divided heart that we all possess.
Interestingly, this account is only found in Kings, not Chronicles. That’s intentional. Kings is a theological explanation of the exile—a record of the people’s rebellion and God’s justice. Chronicles, written after the exile, emphasizes God’s covenant faithfulness and offers hope to a returning remnant. Together, they tell the full story: human failure and divine faithfulness. But in Jesus, these two strands converge. He takes the exile we deserve so we can know the restoration only He can give. And so, 1 Kings 11 is not just a warning, it’s an invitation to cling, not to false loves, but to the true King.

1 Timothy 6:10 | The Bible is misquoted all the time. It’s annoying. There’s this tendency in us, which perhaps you could describe as thoughtless arrogance, to edit and improve on aphoristic sayings. And somehow these slight misreadings or misquotes become a meme, a universally embraced truth that’s said and resaid millions of times. The way you often hear this verse “quoted” is: money is the root of all evil. Maybe Karl Marx started this misquote, I don’t know. But one way or the other, it isn’t money that’s evil. It’s the love of it. And that’s a problem for poor folks, rich folks, and all the folks in between. You can love it when you’ve got lots of it, and you can often love it even more when you don’t have any! What your treasure is, that’s where your heart lives. 

Tuesday
Ecclesiastes | One of my favorite professors from seminary was Jerram Barrs. If you’re able to pick up his books, it’s definitely worth it. It was reading Ecclesiastes that saved his life. As a young man in England, he had come to the point of complete despair. He had no experience of Christianity that was good, and hadn’t ever read the Scriptures. For some reason, that day when he drove down the cliffs of Dover, there was a Bible in the car. The cliffs of Dover give you a perfect view of the English channel, with large cliffs towering over sandy strips of beach—much like some of our coastline here in Northern California. They had become, and still are, a popular place to visit and walk. The green rolling hills come to an abrupt halt, with paths to guide you to different vistas. It’s very pretty countryside. It’s also a destination for a number of people to commit suicide, and that’s what had brought Jerram there. Before doing that though, he had decided to at least read something in the Bible. Perhaps it might give him hope or some reason to live, so he opened it up. By God’s grace he came to this book, Ecclesiastes. He was stunned. He had read and searched in many religious and philosophical books for meaning, but this was shocking. It was so honest. It told the truth about what he was feeling and experiencing. Life had no meaning and everything seemed empty and futile. This book was describing his own heart so clearly that he changed his mind about ending his life. If this book was this honest and wise about the problem, is it possible it has an answer? That began his journey to faith in Christ.
Jerram’s experience is, in a nutshell, why this book is in the Bible. It maps out the truth of our experience with ruthless honesty, but that map isn’t complete until you find the answer in God’s love for us in Jesus. Once you trust the map itself, realizing how true and accurate it is, you can find our God’s answer. Praise Him.

Ecclesiastes | This whole book can be confusing. If you ever want to understand it better, I have an amazing book for you to check out: Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us To Live Life in Light of the End by David Gibson. It’s available for purchase in all the usual places, but if you have a SF library card, it’s also on Hoopla.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 | This reference to gathering stones and scattering stones isn’t about construction. It’s about execution in ancient Israel, which was a community thing. So gathering stones was in order to execute criminals for serious crimes, with everyone throwing the stones at the person until they died. Whenever I hear the Byrds song Turn, Turn, Turn, an old hippie song from the 60’s that uses these first eight verses for the song lyrics, I think they didn’t know what verse five meant. I’m not sure they would have included it!

2 Timothy 1:5 | Paul honors the sincere faith that first lived in Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice—a quiet yet powerful testimony to the sacred calling of gospel-shaped parenting. Our primary mission as parents is not to produce star athletes or Ivy League students, but humble, grace-saturated disciples who know the gospel, love Christ, and see that love embodied in our daily repentance and worship. Children learn what matters most not just by what we say, but by what we treasure. That’s why I always recommend that parents read Parenting by Paul Tripp. He reframes parenting as a ministry of grace, not control. Tripp reminds us that we’re not called to be saviors, but ambassadors of the one true Savior, pointing our children to Jesus in both our failures and our faith. I think that’s what Timothy’s mom and grandma seem to have done so well.

Wednesday
Ecclesiastes 5:10 | This verse echoes the preacher’s earlier reflection in Eccl. 2:1–11, where he recounts his pursuit of pleasure, wealth, work, and status—only to conclude that it was all vanity and a striving after wind. The problem isn’t just that money can’t buy happiness; it’s that our hearts were made for something far greater than what money can offer. Jim Carrey (the national treasure and brilliant actor behind classics like Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber) once famously said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” He’s absolutely right in his diagnosis. The ache remains, even at the top. The emptiness lingers, no matter how full the bank account or impressive the résumé.
But while Carrey gets the diagnosis right, he takes the wrong medicine—turning to eastern spirituality instead of the living Christ. The preacher in Ecclesiastes wants us to feel the full weight of dissatisfaction so we’ll stop chasing wind and start chasing wisdom. That wisdom leads us to Jesus, the only one who can truly satisfy the deep hunger of the soul. He is the treasure that moth and rust can’t destroy, the fountain that never runs dry. In Christ, we’re not just freed from the tyranny of money—we’re invited into the joy of contentment that the world can’t touch.

Thursday
Ecclesiastes 7:14 | This verse stands as a quiet rebuke to our selective gratitude. Nestled in a section that mirrors the style and tone of Proverbs (Eccl. 6:10–7:24), this verse calls us to a deeper wisdom—one that sees God’s hand not only in blessings but also in burdens. We readily thank Him for the good days, but shy away from acknowledging His purpose in our hardships. Yet it is often through adversity that God does His deepest work, shaping our character, loosening our grip on this world, and drawing us nearer to Himself. The wise heart recognizes that both joy and trial come from the same sovereign hand—and both are instruments of grace.

Ecclesiastes 7:25–29 | This text pierces through the flattering illusions we often believe about ourselves. The preacher goes on a search to seek and to search out wisdom, only to find that the hearts of the children of man are full of evil. It’s a jarring conclusion, but one that aligns with the Bible’s consistent teaching: we are not basically good. At the core, we are rebels. Sin isn’t just something we do, it’s embedded in who we are apart from grace. The preacher’s frustration in not finding a righteous person highlights the human condition—fallen, broken, and in desperate need of redemption.
This flies in the face of our cultural narrative. Modern philosophy, especially existentialism, tells us to look within, find our truth, and write our own meaning. Even if we’ve never heard the term, we’ve absorbed its slogans: “You do you,” “Follow your heart,” “Be your authentic self.” But Scripture says that’s not the path to life—it’s the echo of Eden’s first rebellion. Adam and Eve’s sin was essentially the same creed: “I’ll define good and evil for myself.” What our culture celebrates as liberation, the Bible exposes as bondage to self-rule. The very thing we’re told will make us whole is what fractures us even more.
But the gospel tells a better story. Salvation does not come from within—it comes from outside of us, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We don’t achieve meaning by creating it; we receive identity by grace. In Christ, we are given a new heart, a new name, and a new community. True contentment isn’t found in self-expression but in Christ-exaltation. It’s found in turning away from self-rule and submitting to the One who rules in righteousness and love. We were never meant to carry the burden of defining ourselves. In Jesus, we find who we truly are—and it’s far better than anything we could invent on our own.

Psalm 46:8-11 | The other day, Chris and I (Jon) were reflecting on something that happened at a church meeting he went to. Someone prayed, “Lord, we invite you here into this place today,” with all sincerity—but also with a hint of theological confusion—God doesn’t need our permission for anything. While the sentiment may be well-meaning, it reflects a diminished view of God’s sovereignty. The Lord doesn’t wait outside the door hoping we’ll let Him in; He is the King of kings, already present, already reigning. The church is His house. He isn’t a guest—we’re the guests.
These verses in Psalm 46 give us a radically different picture. The Psalmist invites us not to invite God, but to behold Him: Come, behold the works of the Lord. God makes wars cease, breaks the bow, shatters the spear, and says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” This is not a God who waits for our permission; this is the God who speaks, and the earth melts. The majesty of God should silence us, not sentimentalize Him. He is exalted among the nations and in the earth, whether we acknowledge Him or not. True worship begins not with our invitations, but with our surrender to the God who already reigns, whose presence is overwhelming and whose peace is unshakable.

2 Timothy 3:1–9 | This text is often read as a cultural critique—a mirror we hold up to the world to confirm how broken and godless it’s become. We see the list of sins and think of headlines, celebrities, and social media influencers. And from there, many churches slide into a kind of spiritual isolationism, building bomb shelters rather than gospel outposts. We huddle up, critique the culture, and wait for Jesus to come back and rescue us from it all. But that’s a misreading of the passage and a misapplication of its warning.
If you read carefully, Paul isn’t just talking about the world out there—he’s talking about people within the church who appear godly but are in fact disqualified regarding the faith (v. 8). These aren’t secular rebels but religious pretenders, those who have the appearance of godliness but deny its power (v. 5). The real danger isn’t just outside the walls of the church; it’s inside, when we lose the gospel and substitute it with moralism, legalism, or performance. That’s why Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to retreat but to engage. In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul tells him, do the work of an evangelist. The call is not to condemnation, but to mission.
So this passage is not a license to look down on the world with contempt—it’s a challenge to look within the church, and within ourselves, with humility. It’s a call to holy living, not spiritual superiority. The brokenness described here is what we’ve all been rescued from, and what the world still desperately needs rescuing from. We possess a story of redemption, not for hoarding, but for sharing. Rather than building bunkers, let’s build bridges. Rather than judging the lost, let’s weep for them, pray for them, and point them to the only hope that can truly transform a sinful heart—Jesus Christ!

2 Timothy 3:12 | I’ve never seen this verse cross-stitched and framed in an old lady’s living room, and I’ve never seen it tattooed on a young guy’s arm either. Just saying…

2 Timothy 3:16 | Paul actually made up new words at times, probably because there weren’t any words in Greek for certain biblical ideas. You can do that in Greek, much like you can in German—you just smush two words together and make a new one! Different cultures think differently, and you see that most clearly in language. The word that Paul created here is “God-breathed.” He needed some way to communicate a very biblical Hebrew idea: God speaks perfectly well to communicate truth through human language. Breath and spirit are also the same word in both Greek and Hebrew, so this created a bridge for communicating this truth. This is a bold statement about the Bible, and one that’s often ridiculed or dismissed. But don’t listen to any of that. Paul is telling you that God breathes in His word; that’s how He created it and that’s also how He works it in us. You can always trust it. Completely and implicitly. But it doesn’t say that your interpretation is God breathed! That’s a vital distinction. We must come to God’s word humbly. But our confidence in His word is never wrong. And notice how this concept of being “God-breathed” doesn’t sit there like an abstraction. It isn’t just a theological idea or your divine data source. It’s useful and practical for us, for all the stuff we most need: correction and training in righteousness!

Friday
Ecclesiastes 12:13 | This verse brings the whole book to a climactic conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. After chapter upon chapter of searching—through pleasure, wealth, work, wisdom, and even despair—the preacher lands here. Life under the sun is confusing, fleeting, and often frustrating. We chase meaning in all the usual places and come up empty. But the answer isn’t nihilism, it’s reverence. To fear God is to acknowledge Him as Creator, Judge, and King. It’s not about being afraid but about living in awe-filled submission to the One who gives life purpose.
Yet even that call, to fear God and obey, is something we fail to do perfectly. That’s why the true resolution of Ecclesiastes isn’t just a principle, but in a person. Jesus is the one who fully feared God and perfectly kept His commands. He enters our vapor-like world, experiences its futility, and redeems it by His death and resurrection. The true meaning of life isn’t found by searching harder, but by being united to Christ. In Him, our meaningless becomes meaningful, our toil becomes sacred, and our fleeting days become part of an eternal story. Ecclesiastes leaves us longing, and the gospel satisfies that longing.

2 Timothy 4:3 | Apparently echo chambers are not merely a modern phenomenon. Folks have been picking teachers and preachers that entertain them for as long as there have been teachers and preachers around. In our modern age, however, you can really expand your collection of “folks that tell you what you want to hear” to absurd proportions. That “itchy ear” image is so powerful. Just wanting to listen to stuff that makes you feel good, stuff that doesn’t bring so much conviction or require any real action. Paul says “the time is coming” when this would happen, and I suppose that it proves Paul was a prophet. That time has surely come in our day.

Week 26

June 23-27
[M] 1 Kings 6; 2 Chron 3; 1 Timothy 1
[T] 1 Kings 7; 2 Chr 4; Ps 44; 1 Tim 2
[W] 1 Kings 8; Psalm 30; 1 Tim 3
[T] 2 Chr 5-7; Psalm 121; 1 Tim 4
[F] 1 Kings 9; 2 Chr 8; 1 Tim 5

Dwell Plan Day 126-130 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
1 Kings 6:7 | This little detail is consistent with God’s commands about His worship: when you made an altar, for example, it was to be constructed of stones that had not been chiseled or hammered. The rocks had to be untouched in that way. In this instance they’re doing logistics, so that all of the stone and wood is crafted, cut, and worked offsite. Then it was carried to the temple mount and assembled. In even these details is the stamp of God’s character and salvation. It’s all His work, not ours. We are God’s workmanship, which means He is the one who creates faith and obedience too. He is all of our rescue, and it’s proved and illustrated right down to the building blocks of God’s house. This is where our hope is for the church today, when it’s built on this principle of grace. This is what we are as living stones, created by and for God’s worship. Praise Him!

1 Timothy 1:2 | We just celebrated Father’s Day, a time to honor the dads God has given us. But in Christ, we’ve also been given a spiritual family that’s even more lasting. In 1 Timothy 1:2, Paul calls Timothy his true child in the faith, showing how the gospel creates eternal bonds. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:50). Let’s thank God for both our earthly and spiritual families—and remember that our church family is one we’ll have forever.

1 Timothy 1:15 | Paul calls this a saying that we can trust and should accept: Jesus came to save sinners, of which I am the worst. What does saying mean? It’s something that folks were speaking out loud, whether in personal worship or prayer; it’s an ancient form of a meme. But that implies that a kind of liturgy had already been used in the church. What is a liturgy? It’s the stuff we say to each other in worship when it’s in a preconstructed form. That’s what a saying is.
Apart from making an argument for liturgical practice, what is Paul’s point? This is the sort of thing you should be saying and believing about yourself. This is what should be in your personal conversations with God as well. It runs against our entire modern society and everything we’ve been told about self image and confidence. Joy and victory in the Christian life all begin in this humility and recognition. It’s so important that Paul, as a leader writing to another leader he’s mentoring, puts it right up front in the beginning of his letter. It’s more important than instruction and directions on how to lead the church or organize it. Paul is modeling how he wants Timothy to lead.

1 Timothy 1:17 | In this chapter, Paul is writing theology, and suddenly he bursts into doxology. His heart overflows with praise: To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. That’s what the gospel does—it doesn’t just inform the mind, it ignites the heart.

Tuesday
1 Kings 7:1 | Hebrew storytelling is masterful. It gives you all of the facts you need to begin to ask the right questions. One of the goals of the writer of Kings is to reveal how fallen and rotten the kingdom always was. Solomon’s days are peaceful and full of bounty, the kind of times that people call “the good old days.” But the author wants to break up the dreamy misconceptions of nostalgia, because it’s just plain wrong. Solomon is a cautionary tale. What does it mean for the wisest man who ever lived to become such a fool? What hope is there for any of us? Solomon deeply gives into his wives at the end of his life, so much so that he even worships their false gods. It’s shocking, but should it be? This chapter is early on in Solomon’s reign, before he became so compromised. What details does our historian include in this chapter that should alarm us? Solomon’s own house and the house for his Egyptian princess wife are done years before the temple. That isn’t sinful in and of itself, but it does raise a question, especially when we see Solomon’s later idolatry. What were his priorities? Finishing his wife’s house first makes a lot of sense to husbands—she had her expectations as a princess and Solomon must have felt that pressure. But even as we talk about this, Solomon has already swallowed the poison pill: he’s marrying outside of God’s kingdom in direct disobedience to the law of God. The seeds of Israel’s destruction are all there, just waiting to germinate. And that doesn’t take too long.

2 Chronicles 4:7 | In the temple, the golden lampstands were a sign that God’s truth and light were present with His people. We see them again in Revelation 2–3, where those lampstands now represent the churches, meant to shine His light into a dark world. Jesus calls us the light of the world, not because we glow on our own, but because we’re connected to Him, the true and ultimate Light. I love the imagery of light. Jesus is the light of the world. We reflect that light into the darkness. And when we see the New Heavens and New Earth, we find out that there is no need for a sun (don’t take that as a scientific statement) because the Light has won the battle against darkness.

1 Timothy 2:15 | This is just a weird verse. Or it sure seems weird to us. For a moment, if you’re not rooted in all of what Paul teaches, you might imagine he’s mapping out a works salvation! But that would be so contrary to all of his and the Bible’s teaching that it’s outlandish. First, earning any salvation or love from God is impossible. It’s absurd, and Paul goes to great lengths to prove that in his letters. Second, what are men supposed to do? Or is there a unique salvation for girls? What about women who can’t have kids or choose not to? All of those questions reveal what nonsense such a reading creates. So what does this chldbearing comment refer to? The promise in Genesis 3:15! God tells our enemy that there’s a kid coming from the woman, a seed that would conquer Satan. This is the promise given to Adam and Eve that God would send Jesus. And so, all women and men will be saved through chilbearing in that sense! This is the way Paul thinks, processes, and communicates: in theological ideas and images.  

Wednesday
1 Kings 8:27 | Solomon prays with awe, knowing that no building—not even a magnificent temple—can contain the infinite God. “Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you,” he says, humbly recognizing God’s omnipresence. The temple was a symbol of God’s nearness, not a limit on His presence. We worship a God who is far greater than any space, yet draws near to dwell with His people.

1 Kings 8:59 | As Solomon dedicates the temple, he again and again calls the people, calls God, and even calls the building to be witnesses. This idea of being a witness is more than casual: it’s contractual. They aren’t just witnesses of a big new beautiful temple being built, spectators eating popcorn and gawking at all the gold and grandeur. Not at all. They are being called as witnesses in the courtroom of God’s judgments and mercies. This a DTR (defining the relationship) moment; it puts obligations on everyone in the relationship, both us and God.
Then Solomon says to God, let all of these words be like a string around Your finger, to remind You of these commitments. Wow. It reminds me of the little conversation bubbles in comic books. Solomon is asking that all of these words would stay in front of God forever. What a picture of grace and what a prophetic image of Jesus, who is even now, interceding for us. What a promise for our conversations with God, that our desires, needs, requests, and cries are forever cherished by Him, remaining always in front of Him.

1 Kings 8:60 | Here, Solomon reveals the true purpose of the temple: that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. This magnificent temple wasn’t meant to be a hideout for Israel, but a light to the nations. God’s heart has always been for the world to know Him through His people. The temple was a signpost pointing outward—to God’s glory and His global mission.

Psalm 30:5 | Life in a broken world brings sorrow, but for those in Christ, suffering is never the end of the story. We endure the long night with hope, knowing that joy is promised and certain. One day, morning will dawn forever—the eternal Sabbath rest of heaven. In Christ, our tears have an expiration date.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 | This is the list that Paul gives us in what we should look for as the people of God in our Pastors. This is what Chris and I (Jon) are trying to live up to. Anyway, you should bookmark these verses so you can throw them in my face later on :)

Thursday
2 Chronicles 7:1-2 | When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, His presence was marked by fire that did not consume (Exodus 3:2)—holy, mysterious, and powerful. That same fire later descended on Mount Sinai in thunder and flame, revealing God’s glory and holiness to the people (Exodus 19:18). In the wilderness, fire guided Israel by night, a visible sign that God was with them (Exodus 13:21). Fire represented both God’s nearness and His unapproachable holiness.
Here, when Solomon finishes praying, fire comes down from heaven and consumes the offering, and the glory of the Lord fills the temple. The priests cannot even enter, because God’s presence is too overwhelming. This fire is a sign that God has chosen to dwell among His people. But this temple was just a shadow pointing forward.
At Pentecost, the fire falls again—but now in a new way. Tongues of fire rest on each believer (Acts 2:3), not to consume, but to fill. The Spirit of God no longer dwells in a building, but in His people. Everywhere we go, we carry the presence of God with us. In Christ, we are the new temple—living stones, filled with the Spirit, shining with holy fire.

2 Chronicles 7:15-16 | Our Muslim friends pray five times a day, and each time they’re careful to figure out which direction is east. They are to pray with their bodies turned toward Mecca. This is where that idea came from. (Islam claims the Old and New Testaments as a part of their Scriptures and they inform parts of Islamic teaching and practice.) But this wasn’t about a location at all. As we learn from Christ, the temple was a picture of His own body and ministry. It was a metaphor for explaining and expecting Jesus, pointing to God’s purpose to live with us and rescue us. So this statement by God to Solomon in this chapter is fulfilled right now, as you’re sitting there reading this. Romans 8 tells us that Christ is interceding for us now at the throne of God. He always is. So, if the Temple is a picture of Jesus, what’s the punchline and purpose of these promises in these verse?  It isn’t about prayer geography! No, we discover this promise is fulfilled in Jesus. Our Father’s eyes and heart are always on Jesus, not on a building. So claim these promises like you were told to, because every promise in the Bible is a loud YES in Jesus. Praise Him with highest praise! 

Friday
1 Kings 9:10-14 | Hiram was an amazing asset to Solomon. A friend of David, the king of Tyre was eager to help Solomon build the temple, providing craftsmen and materials needed for this massive project. He even initiated contact with Solomon out of his love for David. After the building project was completed, Solomon then gave a gift of some land to Hiram, 20 cities in Galilee. So Hiram went to go look at his gift and he didn’t like it. Galilee was a poor area, and Hiram felt insulted by the gift. It seems out of character for Solomon to do this, but maybe we’re also seeing Solomon as he got older.  We know his heart strayed from God later in life, and this is over 20 years of building projects later. Either way, it’s a gift of junk. Whether this is our God’s sense of irony or His revealing to us the very humility of His kingdom, Galilee had such a bad rap that when folks heard where Jesus was from, they were shocked. There’s something here in this little exchange that shouts the glory of God. Hiram is a gentile, and the gift of God’s kingdom in Jesus is salvation to the gentiles. Here we see those Holy Spirit echoes in the Scripture where our Father’s kingdom is revealed. It’s always been the same King and it’s always been the same kingdom. Solomon’s temple is not where God will come in flesh. It will be out in the sticks, in the dump of run down and despised Galilee. Praise Him.

1 Timothy 5:24 | There’s only two kinds of people in the world: those whose sins are obvious and those whose sins are not. Either way, all folks are sinners. This is an interpretive grid for everyone we know and a valuable one. We all know those people who seem to wear their sins on their sleeves. Perhaps they’re temperamental and have problems with emotional control. Maybe they drink too much a little too easily and wind up saying and doing things we’re all embarrassed about. It’s easy to take shots at folks like that. Loudmouths are annoying. Braggarts are irritating, But this verse cuts through all that. The only thing separating the loudmouth and boastful person from the restrained and mild mannered person is this: one person’s sins are just more visible.
Learn the lesson: we judge from outward appearances, but God judges the heart. Good people only seem good. Obviously messed up people can’t hide their mess. One feels justified, and the other feels like a failure. But if we’re seeing clearly with Biblical and spiritual eyes, we see something very different. We see two desperate sinners who deserve judgement; we see a level playing field. That’s something for everyone to see, both about themselves and others. It sets the obvious sinner free from condemnation and it sets the hidden sinner free from self righteousness. This is the work of the good news of Jesus Christ. Praise Him!

Week 25

June 16-20
[M] Proverbs 29-31; 1 Thess 4
[T] Song of Sol 1-3; Ps 72; 1 Thess 5
[W] Song of Sol 4-6; 2 Thess 1
[T] Song of Sol 7-8; Ps 127; 2 Thess 2
[F] 1 Kings 5; 2 Chr 2; 2 Thess 3

Dwell Plan Day 121-125 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Proverbs 29:27 | This is the clash between Babylon and Jerusalem—two kingdoms at war not just in history, but in every human heart. The righteous, shaped by God’s justice, are out of place in a world that worships power and compromise. But Jesus, the true King from Jerusalem, was rejected by Babylon so we could be made citizens of His unshakable kingdom. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we should expect to feel out of place in Babylon: misunderstood, outnumbered, and sometimes even despised. But that discomfort is a sign we belong to another city, whose foundations are laid in righteousness, and whose King is coming soon.

Proverbs 30:7-9 | This little wisdom nugget is invaluable. It calls us to walk wisely about wealth, to neither seek too much or to have too little. There are dangers on either side of that balance, and we’re called to walk it. 

Proverbs 31:10 | It’s remarkable to read this description of a Godly wife. She’s a powerhouse and practically a girlboss. This squashes any attempt to say that the Scriptures are misogynistic. The woman described here is amazing—she’s industrious, loving, caring, and entrepreneurial. She’s a superstar. Women are not second class citizens of the kingdom and the Bible doesn’t treat them that way. Look at everything she does, the leadership she takes, the business she settles, and all the details she oversees. She is the woman that men should be looking for, and she’s the woman that other women should try to emulate.  

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 | This passage calls us to live quietly, mind our own work, and carry ourselves with integrity toward outsiders. In a world that prizes self-promotion and noise, this kind of steady faithfulness is deeply countercultural. Quiet lives of humility, hard work, and love may not go viral, but they speak volumes to the watching world. When we live this way, we earn the respect of others—not by flashy words, but by the consistency of our lives. It’s a kind of everyday apologetic, showing that the gospel shapes not just what we believe, but how we live. A quiet life isn’t a small life—it’s a powerful testimony.

Tuesday
The Song of Solomon is bold, joyful love poetry—celebrating the beauty, longing, and delight between bride and groom. Its vivid imagery of gardens, fruit, and desire reminds us that God created love and intimacy as good gifts. While the poem doesn’t mention God directly, its echoes of Eden and the language of seeking and finding reflect deeper biblical wisdom. This eight chapter collection of love poems is first and foremost just that: love poems about a love between a husband and wife.
In Ephesians 5, Paul helps us see that all marriages ultimately point to the greater mystery of Christ and the church. So while this song celebrates romantic love, it also serves as a signpost to the Gospel. Christ is the true Bridegroom who lovingly pursues His bride, the church, with joy and sacrifice. Whether married or single, this poetry calls us to reflect on the depth of God’s love and our response to it. Every longing for love, every act of affection, whispers of the One who gave Himself to bring us home.

Song of Songs/Solomon | Why does this book have two names? “Song of Songs” is the Hebrew title of the book, which means “the greatest of songs,” similar to how “King of kings” means the greatest king. “Song of Solomon” comes from the first verse, which attributes the song to Solomon, either as author or inspiration. Both titles refer to the same book, just emphasizing different aspects, either its supreme poetic beauty or its connection to Solomon.

Song of Songs 2:7; 3:5; 8:4 | Each of these verses has this instruction: do not awaken love before its time. This is the only real command that comes out of the book, and it’s so valuable. We tend to rush into love and feelings. It’s our natural excitement to do that, to push emotional and physical limits quickly. But it isn’t wise. Time and time again people rush into marriages and relationships, excited by the joy and pleasure that they feel. Falling in love creates a powerful emotional and hormonal cocktail of good feelings, which is why many fall in love with falling in love. This is a romantic dead end, where love becomes a selfish search for personal bliss. This wisdom puts up guard rails for us about physical intimacy. It’s very easy for physical attraction to create more emotional connection than is really real. Taking it slowly and carefully protects our hearts and bodies from pain and sin. This old advice is as good and fresh today as it was three thousand years ago. 

Psalm 72 | This is a royal psalm that describes an ideal king who rules with justice, defends the poor, and brings peace to the ends of the earth. While originally written for Solomon, its language quickly surpasses any earthly king. It speaks of a reign that is eternal, universal, and marked by righteousness—qualities only fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true King who brings justice for the oppressed and whose name endures forever. In Him, the hope of Psalm 72 becomes reality as the nations are blessed through His reign.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 | This is a good text to memorize. It’s simple and direct in the three commands given. It answers directly a common question we hear: what is God’s will for my life? Folks ask that question often, seeking a roadmap for their career or guidance about a marriage partner. But here we have God’s will spelled out for us. It’s in these three commands to globally and persistently praise, pray, and give thanks. All the time, in all contexts. Each of the commands has this universal edge to it, ending with this clear claim: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Any question about God’s will for your life has to begin here. And this is the beginning we need, because if we’re doing these things, then discovering God’s “will” for your life and career becomes possible. But it’s the secondary question about God’s will, not the primary one. Christ taught us this when He said not to worry. Seeking first the kingdom of God is saying the same thing. Prioritize God’s will in seeking this intimacy with Him, because out of that flows everything else in our lives. 

Wednesday
2 Thessalonians 1:3 | In this text, Paul praises the church because their faith is growing and their love for one another is increasing. True faith always leads to love: when we trust God more deeply, we’re freed to care more selflessly for others. The two are inseparable; faith without love is hollow, and love without faith lacks its deepest source. If our belief in Christ isn’t making us more patient, kind, and forgiving, something’s off. Genuine faith roots us in God’s love and overflows into love for others.

Thursday
Psalm 127:1–2 |This text reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor do so in vain. Church planting requires strategy, hard work, and creativity; but none of that matters if God isn’t in it. These verses re-center us: it’s not our branding, preaching, or planning that makes a church grow, but God’s sovereign grace. Rest comes when we trust that success isn’t earned, but given. So we work faithfully, but we sleep peacefully. Because the church belongs to Jesus, not to us.

Psalm 127:3–5 | These verses say that children are a heritage from the Lord, and it’s true—kids are a gift and a blessing. But sometimes these verses get twisted to say that having children is the main purpose of life, especially in certain fundamentalist church circles. The truth is, while the Bible honors parenthood, it never says your value comes from whether or not you have kids. Jesus—the most complete, joy-filled human to ever live—never had biological children. Paul, who planted churches across the ancient world, called singleness a gift, and lived a full, fruitful life without a spouse or kids. Some people can’t have children. Others remain single their whole lives. And some choose not to have kids so they can pour into others through ministry, discipleship, and service. These men and women often become spiritual mothers and fathers in the best sense. So yes, children are a blessing—but they’re not the basis of your worth. Your deepest identity is not “parent” or “childless,” but “beloved child of God.”

2 Thessalonians 2:11 | One of the terrible judgments of God is to “send a strong delusion.” We see this time and again in the stories of the Old Testament, where God’s people are victorious because of some confusion and fear that disorients their enemies. They hear or see things that confuse them, and either start running or they start slaughtering one another. God sends a strong delusion that makes them destroy themselves.
We see this self destruction work itself out in many people’s lives and we’re shocked by the foolish things that some folks can’t seem to see. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but it has no effect. They are fully deceived and can’t see the truth. This is one of God’s most frightening judgments, because no one can turn it around except God. Once we realize this is one of God’s judgments, we begin to see it around us. Let us pray earnestly for those who are under such a judgment from God. 

Friday
2 Chronicles 2 | There’s something special in Hiram’s assistance in building the temple, especially in this telling, where Hiram affirms that “Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.” Hiram is an early picture here, a foreshadowing of how God’s kingdom will spread to the nations, to all of the people of the earth. This was the promise to Abraham about his fathering many nations himself. Its trajectory is to bring God’s love to the world. Here, in the very building of the temple, we see not only the involvement and commitment of gentiles, but even their recognition of who God is in His love. This has always been the goal of God’s kingdom expansion, to bring the good news of God’s love to the nations, and here we see its beginnings—and how it’s always been God’s purpose and design.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 | Paul’s prayer here is that the church would experience the peace of God in every circumstance. This peace of God is built on something deeper—the peace with God that we already have because of Christ. We were once at war with God, but through Jesus, that war is over and we are now reconciled. Because of that, we can actually experience real peace, even in hardship. Paul isn’t just talking about calm feelings; he’s praying that the reality of our salvation would shape how we walk through life with steady, gospel-rooted peace.

Week 24

June 9-13
[M] Proverbs 16-18; Romans 15
[T] Proverbs 19-21; Ps 40; Rom 16
[W] Proverbs 22-23; Ps 117; 1 Thess 1
[T] Proverbs 24-25; Ps 41; 1 Thess 2
[F] Proverbs 26-28; 1 Thess 3

Dwell Plan Day 116-120 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

 

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Proverbs 16:16, 19 | The American Dream promises that money and status will satisfy our souls, but Proverbs 16:16 & 19 points to a better treasure. “How much better to get wisdom than gold,” verse 16 says, because gold and silver are temporary, but God’s wisdom in Christ is eternal. Verse 19 reminds us that it’s better to be humble and lowly in spirit, because God’s grace meets us there. In Christ, we find a beauty and fulfillment that money can’t buy; He is the wisdom of God, and the only One who can truly satisfy our deepest longings. Money can fill our pockets, but it can’t fill our hearts. When Christ is our treasure, money loses its hold and we find freedom in living for what truly matters.

Proverbs 17:1 | We read this and we think, “I want a spouse like that!” But the gospel reorients us to ask, “How can I be that kind of spouse?” Jesus gave up His own comfort to make peace for us—laying down His life so we could be reconciled to God and one another. His self-giving love empowers us to be peacemakers in our homes, even when it means dying to our own desires. In Him, we find the strength to bring quiet to a world full of strife.

Proverbs 18:4 | The things that we say—the words we use and the things we think about—are all like deep water. Deep water is murky and dark, you can’t see the bottom and you can’t see what’s in the water. Deep water is an image of death. Most folks in the ancient world couldn’t swim, so it’s often used as a metaphor for dying and death. As a picture of human words and human communication, it’s insightful. When we pick apart what people say to us, when we try to figure out what they mean and what they intend, we can often be left wondering what’s true and what isn’t. It’s all murky and opaque in the human heart, and our words reveal that.
But what is wisdom like? It’s like a happy stream, burbling and gushing and clear. This becomes a quick and easy way to recognize when you’re being wise versus being foolish. Wisdom is clear and transparent, like the commands of God. Our own personal ideas are unclear, and our own moral opinions can be a completely misguided and inaccurate soup of personal opinion. If you find yourself being confused about a moral situation or question, if there’s a lot of “talk” around you and inside your mind, confusing and clouding your judgment, back up and pray and read a chapter of Proverbs. This little verse can help you out of plenty of scrapes and dead ends, just by looking for simplicity and clarity from the Scripture and the Holy Spirit. 

Proverbs 18:9 | The writer of Proverbs really attacks laziness. That’s what all these verses about slothfulness are targeting. You can find them all over this book, and the teacher is unsparing in his condemnation of it. This verse is meant to cut into our hearts, to show us what’s at stake in indolence and sloth. The person who is lazy is just like the person who destroys things. Passive destruction is what laziness is, vividly sharpened in this proverb to pierce our conscience. Have you ever considered that your procrastination, your own inaction and passivity, is the true partner of destruction?  Wow. Is there anyone who this does not call to repentance?

Romans 15:5-7 | This passage reminds us that real community isn’t just built on shared interests, but on the love of Jesus Himself. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, Paul writes, showing that unity is a gift from God. Verse 6 says, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, highlighting how our harmony points to His greatness. And verse 7 brings it home: Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. In Jesus, we’re not just a group of people who tolerate each other; we’re a family redeemed by His love. His welcome makes our church community amazing because it’s rooted in grace, not performance.

Romans 15:29 | Paul predicts, with his gospel and spiritual authority, that when he finally does get to Rome, it’s going to be this way: in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. So how did Paul finally get to Rome? In chains! He goes to Rome as a prisoner waiting for a trial date. Does this make his prediction a mockery? Is he foolish? Did his prediction fail? Only if we buy into a prosperity gospel would that be true. If we’re trusting in Christ’s kingdom we shouldn’t be surprised; Christ told us the blessing of His kingdom would include enduring His rejection and suffering from the world. That’s right where Paul is. Remember Paul himself realized that weakness was the theater, the setup and stage for God’s power to be displayed. This is completely consistent and fulfills that. What are your expectations about the future? Do they track with Paul and the gospel of Jesus’ kingdom?

Tuesday
Proverbs 20:2 | What is true of earthly kings points us to what is true of the King of kings. Jesus is not just the humble Savior, but also the righteous Judge of the world. Revelation calls Him the Lion of Judah and warns of the “wrath of the Lamb”—a fearsome reality for those who reject Him. But the gospel assures us that His people don’t have to face that wrath because Jesus bore it for us on the cross. Through faith in Him, we’re welcomed into the safety of His kingdom rather than driven out by His holy anger.

Proverbs 20:9 | None of us can say yes to that question—we all fall short. But Jesus can. Because of His perfect life and sacrificial death, when God looks at us, He sees pure hearts, washed clean by the blood of Christ. In Him, we’re free to live in the light of His grace, not in the shame of our sin.

Proverbs 21:1 | If you’ve ever seen a river from an aerial perspective, from an airplane or just studying a map, you can see just how twisty and winding and completely random it seems. And our mayors, governors, and presidents can seem to be just the same way. Don’t you believe it for a minute. It isn’t true. You may not like it, it may look evil or preposterous or foolish, but it’s not random. And it isn’t guided by the folks who imagine they’re making the decisions. It comes from our God, and sometimes it comes as God’s judgment and sometimes as His mercy. He isn’t the author or creator of evil. He never will be; He is our good Father. When evil choices are made by leaders, our God is permitting that too. This is a call to complete trust, and it’s also a call to prayer. After all, we are the ones who have access to the One who directs the king’s heart.

Psalm 40 | This psalm captures the cry of a heart that’s been rescued by God. It’s fitting that U2 ends every concert with the song “40,” echoing the psalmist’s prayer of deliverance and trust; their repeated line, “How long to sing this song?” taps into the tension between the already and not-yet of God’s kingdom—our hope is real, but we’re still waiting for the full redemption. This longing for rescue and restoration is only answered in Christ, who came to lift us from the pit and set our feet upon the rock. In Him, our waiting and our singing find their deepest meaning.

Romans 16:25 | Paul refers to “my gospel” in his doxology. That can seem a bit odd at first. We tend to think of the gospel as something that belongs to Jesus. After all, it’s good news about Him. But if it’s true, it’s also good news for us, which would make it ours. So Paul is modeling something for us here, something vital for us. We need to make the gospel, this good news about Jesus, our own personal story. It’s ours in the most important sense, and only if it’s ours will it be something we use and claim. Only when your knowing God is personal can the gospel be personal too. This is saving faith, and here we see it’s also living faith. We worship a God who is a Person, and that’s the only way you can know Him. How can you make the gospel your own personal “good news” today?

Wednesday
Proverbs 22:4 | In the old covenant, God often dealt with His people, Israel, in very physical, material ways. Their covenant blessings included prosperity in the land, crops, children, and long life—tangible signs of God’s favor. But if we read Proverbs without understanding this historical context, we can end up buying into the false prosperity gospel. This false gospel says if you just have enough faith, God will make you healthy, wealthy, and successful. It treats God like a vending machine and ignores the suffering and sacrifice that often come with following Jesus. The gospel doesn’t promise us an easy life, it promises us eternal life through Christ. In the new covenant, our hope isn’t in earthly treasures that can fade or fail. Our real reward is in knowing Jesus, the One who became poor for us so we could be rich in Him. When we read Proverbs in light of Christ, we see that the greatest treasure isn’t in our bank account but in belonging to Him forever.

Proverbs 22:6 | This is a precious promise to all parents and Sunday school teachers. Raising kids is a long haul proposition, it’s something you commit to for many years, and sometimes the outcomes can be hard to see. Your kids can go many different directions in life, and it can look like all of your hard work—years of teaching and training their behavior—has all come to nothing. Don’t be discouraged. Take this little promise to heart, because you will see it happen. The difficult and costly investment of training your children in spiritual things can seem unrewarding, but it isn't. Trust the work and the word of our God. Some seeds planted in your children might not flower into eternal life until many many years later. You can trust Him. 

Proverbs 23:1-3 | If you like the beautiful things that the rich can afford, if you find that you enjoy delicacies and fine foods, if you’re envious of the caviar and Michelin star set, here’s the advice: put a razor up against the carotid artery on your neck and hold it there. Because that’s how much danger you’re in for just wanting what they have. This is a proverb for many of us to memorize, meditate on, and live by. The seduction of wealth and living like you’re rich are just that deadly. They don’t look deadly, and they don’t feel threatening, but the desire for money and riches is that dangerous and deceptive. Sounds a bit like Jesus’ warning about the difficulties facing rich men who want to enter God’s kingdom. Just the desire for wealth is enough to destroy you. 

Thursday
Psalm 41:11 | By this I know that you delight in me… | It’s amazing to think that the Lord of the universe actually delights in me! My heart can hardly believe that the God who made the stars would set His face on me with kindness and favor. This truth humbles me and fills me with wonder—He knows me fully and still loves me completely.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 | This verse points to the doctrine of inspiration: that Scripture is breathed out by God, carrying His perfect authority and truth. The Bible isn’t just a collection of human ideas; it’s God’s very voice to His people. That’s why reading it daily shapes us and strengthens us for every step of the faith journey. As we read through the Bible together this year, we’re not just learning information, we’re being transformed by the living Word of God.

Friday
Proverbs 23:13 | This proverb warns against being wise in our own eyes—thinking that we know what’s best for ourselves and even our own salvation. When I’m wise in my own eyes, I trust my own goodness and think I don’t need a Savior. That’s exactly what the Pharisee did in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee stood in the temple, confident in his own righteousness, while the tax collector simply cried out for mercy. The Pharisee’s self-confidence blinded him to his need for grace. The tax collector, on the other hand, knew he had nothing to offer but his need. That kind of humility is so important, because it’s only when I see my need that I can cling to Christ. The gospel frees me from my self-sufficiency and brings me into the arms of the One who truly knows what’s best for me.

Proverbs 28:26 | This theme comes up again and again. The repetition of this concept, that your own mind and desires are not to be trusted, is something to notice. This is a trap that we all can fall into, trusting our own judgment, thinking, and experiences. Most of the common wisdom of this age tries repeatedly to teach us how to trust ourselves. It’s all a blind alley and a mistake. We aren’t trustworthy. Check your own wisdom and insight against the wisdom and insight of the Bible. This little verse also gives us a wonderful promise. God’s rescue comes for those who walk in wisdom, as if to say that God is committing Himself to personally make sure that if we learn to not trust in ourselves, He will save us. Stop trusting your gut, your insight, or your own “common sense.” Replace all of that with God’s words and these proverbs. 

1 Thessalonians 3:5 | Paul is so passionate about the spiritual life of others that it shames us. He’s so invested and committed to them. There’s a vital connection between his own feelings and their faith. His burden is practically intolerable to him, so much so that he sent Timothy to check in on them. His concern was about spiritual warfare, and whether “the tempter” had deceived them. But it’s his passion that amazes and rebukes me. He’s driven by a desire for their success and blessing. He won’t rest until he finds out how they are. This earnest and consuming passion for the spiritual flourishing of others is a work of the Spirit in him, and it's a work we should seek in our own church communities. We’re lackadaisical and passive about others' spiritual lives in ways that are callous and godless, especially when we see what Paul is like. May the Holy Spirit do His work in us for His glory. Amen.

Week 23

June 2-6
[M] Proverbs 3-5; Romans 10
[T] Proverbs 6-7; Psalm 7; Rom 11
[W] Proverbs 8-10; Psalm 144; Rom 12
[T] Proverbs 11-13; Psalm 8; Rom 13
[F] Proverbs 14-15; Rom 14

Dwell Plan Day 111-115 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF

Notes from Jon & Chris

Monday
Proverbs 3:1 | This text reminds us that true wisdom isn’t just about knowing facts but about letting those truths sink deep into our hearts. Head theology can make us smarter, but heart theology changes how we live and love. God calls us to live out his Word with both mind and soul, embracing a faith that transforms from the inside out.

Proverbs 3:5 | The word for “trust” here is also the Hebrew word for gullibility. There’s something about that which invites us into radical dependence. We must be “gullible” when it comes to God’s promises. This describes the wisdom that looks so foolish to the world, rejecting your own “understanding” itself. This becomes the ongoing crisis. Will we look to our own judgments or will we submit to wisdom? Will we try to create our own way or try to discover God’s ways? It’s a binary response, even when the world looks like shades of gray. Wisdom brings more and more light to the grayest parts of our moral thinking, inviting us to look for more than more information, more than a moral to-do punch list. This invites us in to think about our thinking, our living, and our faith.

Proverbs 4:1-10 | There are three references to a son in this passage. We know that Solomon is writing this, and we know who Solomon’s dad is: it’s David. There’s a lot of dysfunction in David’s family, and three of David’s sons wind up murdered because of their folly. It’s disastrous. The writer of 1 Kings 1:6 mentions that David didn’t rebuke Adonijah by challenging his behavior. But here in this chapter Solomon tells us about David’s parenting. It’s very intentional, spiritual, and explicit. David’s parenting was not completely at fault for his children, not from what we learn in Proverbs. Perhaps he interacted differently with his kids when they were adults—we see the same passivity we saw with Absalom. But in this text, we see David’s heart for his children, what they would have heard from when they were young. This is a comfort to parents, who can sometimes feel as if their children’s bad choices are the fault of their parenting, and here we can see that it isn’t. We can do our best and we have no control over what our children ultimately do. What we must do, as much as we are able, is give them the tools to be wise.

Romans 10:2 | In our culture, we often hear that sincerity is all that matters, that if you’re authentic and earnest in your pursuit of truth, then you’re on the right path. But Paul is clear that you can be sincerely wrong—zeal without knowledge won’t lead to life. The Bible insists that the object of your faith is everything; it’s not enough just to feel passionately about spiritual things. Only faith in Jesus Christ saves because only he is the one who secured salvation by his life, death, and resurrection. Authentic faith is not just about how you feel—it’s about who you trust.

Tuesday
Psalm 7:12–16 | This is a powerful reminder that God is not indifferent to sin; He is a righteous judge who will deal with it. In today’s reading, we also see Proverbs 6:16–19, which lists seven things the Lord hates. It’s baffling how some try to set aside the Bible’s teaching about the wrath and judgment of God, when it’s woven through every page of Scripture. This passage shows us that God prepares His weapons against those who stubbornly refuse to turn from their sin. These reminders show us that sin is not something God winks at—it’s something He opposes completely. And yet, in the middle of this warning, we find the good news: in verse 12, God has made a way out through repentance. He hates sin enough to really deal with it on the cross. If we turn in faith to Christ, we find a Savior who bore the wrath of God in our place, so we can be reconciled to Him forever.

Proverbs 6:27 | It’s talking specifically about adultery, but the principle applies to all sin. Playing with sin is like holding fire close to your chest; it’s a terrible idea, and you’re bound to get burned. God warns us that there’s no safe way to handle sin—it will always leave its mark.

Proverbs 7:4 | Intimacy is where wisdom comes from, and what intimate friend could this be other than our God Himself? Wisdom is personified by a woman in this book in contrast with the woman of folly—the adultress. But this poetic metaphor veils who this really is to the Old Testament reader. It’s only when we discover how Christ is the wisdom of God that we can unlock some of the riddle of Proverbs. That’s what makes sense of this verse, where we’re told to “call insight your intimate friend.” Only Jesus unlocks the deepest insight you can hope in. Praise Him.

Romans 11:33–36 | This passage celebrates the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom, knowledge, and ways. These verses remind us that we will spend eternity learning about God’s character and love, yet we’ll never exhaust their riches. God’s glory will always be fresh and new. Eternity isn’t about repeating what we already know—it’s about ever-deepening wonder and awe. We will never hit the bottom of the well of God’s beauty and grace.

Wednesday
Proverbs 10–29 | These chapters are probably what you think of when you hear the word “Proverbs”—a collection of wise, punchy one-liners. They are filled with practical wisdom about work, money, relationships, and speech. As you read through these chapters, remember that they’re not ironclad promises that always come true in a mathematical way. Rather, they’re wisdom sayings that show us how life generally works in God’s world. They’re about living in step with the grain of the universe that God has designed. And as you soak in these proverbs, you’re learning how to navigate life in a way that honors the Creator and brings peace to your own soul.

Proverbs 10:27 | This is a classic example of how the proverbs are not absolute guarantees. Sometimes, people who live godly, wise lives still die young. Think of the Apostle James or Stephen, both killed in the book of Acts. Think of David Brainerd, who died of tuberculosis at 29, or Corrie Ten Boom’s sister, Betsie, who died in a concentration camp. But in general, this is wise advice for living. Living in a biblical way means avoiding many of the things that kill people early, like reckless decisions or destructive habits. It also means caring for yourself and those around you with compassion and integrity. And above all, it means trusting that your lifespan rests in the hands of the sovereign Lord, who numbers our days for His glory.

Romans 12:12 says to be “constant in prayer,” which means prayer isn’t just for Sunday mornings—it’s an ongoing conversation with God. It means turning to Him throughout the day, not just in crisis but in every moment. This is about living with an awareness that God is near and listening. Being constant in prayer is how we invite His presence and strength into every part of our lives.

Thursday
Psalm 8:3–4 | A few times a year, I (Jon) read a verse like this about how big God is and then I go watch a video about the size and scale of the observable universe. It blows my mind every time to see how huge and powerful God’s creation is, and how tiny we are in comparison. But then I think about how the same God who placed those stars in the sky also cares for me—little old me! It’s easy to feel small and forgotten in a big world, but verses like this remind us that God’s love is personal and specific. Even though He holds the universe in His hands, He also holds us close to His heart. That perspective is so important; it humbles us, but it also fills us with gratitude and wonder. It’s an invitation to worship and trust the God who cares so deeply for His people.

 
 

Proverbs 11:1 | The kingdom of God isn’t just about future salvation, it’s about that future reality breaking into our lives right now. It means that justice and mercy are part of God’s kingdom here on earth, and they shape how we treat others in our daily lives. Living in step with God’s kingdom means valuing honesty and fairness in everything we do. In the ancient world, merchants would sometimes use false weights and measures to cheat customers by tampering with scales to make it look like there was more or less than there really was. God sees this kind of injustice, and He hates it because it harms people made in His image. God’s kingdom is built on truth and fairness, and when we live that out, we’re showing the world what His kingdom is like.

Proverbs 12:15 | This truth is powerfully illustrated in the story of Rehoboam, found in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10 (the son of the guy who wrote this proverb). Rehoboam refused to listen to the wise counsel of the elders, choosing instead to follow the harsh advice of his idiot friends. That foolish choice cost him most of his kingdom, leading to a tragic division that allowed Jeroboam to take the ten northern tribes. When we’re wise enough to listen to godly advice, we honor God and avoid unnecessary ruin.

Romans 13:1-7 | This is an exalted view of God’s sovereignty over human government. What makes it so remarkable is that the Roman authorities, who this applies to here, were one of the most corrupt, sadistic, racist, slaving, and violent empires that has ever existed. And none of that matters or is brought up. It’s irrelevant when it comes to respect, obedience, and paying taxes. Obey as if you’re obeying God.


Friday
Proverbs 14:12 | In our culture, the popular advice is to “just follow your heart,” but that’s terrible advice. The Bible tells us that the heart of man is sinful and deceitful. We shouldn’t follow our hearts—we should follow the wisdom and words of God in Scripture. His Word shows us the path that leads to life, not death.

Proverbs 15:1 | The way we respond to conflict has the power to heal or to harm. James 3 reminds us of how powerful the tongue is—like a fire or a rudder, it steers the whole direction of our lives. Our words should build up others and spread the gospel, not tear down for personal gain. Choosing a gentle response isn’t weakness, it’s using our words in a way that honors God and serves His kingdom. When we choose soft answers, we reflect the heart of Christ who came to reconcile and heal.

Romans 14:14 | Paul has clarity about all sorts of stuff. He knows what’s unclean and what’s not. You could say that he was “In the right” in his teaching and practice. But to Paul, it doesn’t matter if he’s wrong or right, because the only thing that matters is how he’s loving his brother. That’s more important than being right! When it comes to stuff that isn’t central to what we believe, where Christians have different opinions and experiences, we must surrender things that get in other folks’ way. It isn’t whether the theological position is correct, it’s whether the posture of that position is humble and loving. Being “right” can be quite a dangerous place to be, because it can blind you to what’s important. As believers we can be obsessed with being “correct” and yet miss being compassionate and loving.