Daily Bible Readings

In August of 2024, the congregations of China Methodist Church and Forest Park Methodist church started on a journey to read the Bible together over two years. To facilitate this, I have created a reading schedule and am providing some daily thoughts to help along the way.

Each day’s entry contains the assigned reading (with a link to read it online at Bible Gateway) and a contemplation on how the section relates to life or to other parts of scripture. There is also a short reading from the Wisdom writings of the Bible and a suggested prayer focus. The most important part, though, is the words of scripture themselves; they are our surest guide to life.

– Mark Fleming, pastor

Most recent reading:

  • Day 665 1 Peter Chapter 1 – 2:3

    Pure spiritual milk
    Day 665, Sunday, June 7
    1 Peter Chapter 1 – 2:3
    The author of Hebrews urged the reader to move beyond drinking milk to eating solid food, using milk as a metaphor for immaturity.
    The author of 1 Peter also uses milk as a metaphor, but here it is seen as nutrition for growth, not as avoidance of growth. The reader is reminded to get rid of all the things that stunt spiritual growth and cling to God as the source of growth.
    In 2:1-3 we read, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocricy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
    While the image of God as a father is more frequently used in the Bible than the image of God as a mother, this is an example of the latter.
    In our day, the first thing that comes to mind when we think of milk is the drink we buy in the grocery store. We know that it came from a cow, but seldom give that much thought. Our mental image of milk comes from a plastic jug in a refrigerator.
    To a Roman audience, especially an urban Roman audience where most of the earliest churches grew, the most familiar milk was breast milk a child received from its mother. While humans did drink animal milk, that mostly happened in rural settings where there was direct access to sheep and goats (or, less commonly, cows). The lack of refrigeration meant that animal milk wasn’t common in urban settings—but breastfeeding was familiar.
    The image of the believer having tasted that the Lord is good is the image of an infant having learned to nurse and to draw strength and nourishment from the person who first gave it life. That is a powerful image of God.

    -Rev. Mark Fleming

    Sunday meditation

    Psalms 136:1-26

    Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
    His love endures forever.
    Give thanks to the God of gods.
    His love endures forever.
    Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
    His love endures forever.

    to him who alone does great wonders,
    His love endures forever.
    who by his understanding made the heavens,
    His love endures forever.
    who spread out the earth upon the waters,
    His love endures forever.
    who made the great lights—
    His love endures forever.
    the sun to govern the day,
    His love endures forever.
    the moon and stars to govern the night;
    His love endures forever.

    to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
    His love endures forever.
    and brought Israel out from among them
    His love endures forever.
    with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
    His love endures forever.

    to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
    His love endures forever.
    and brought Israel through the midst of it,
    His love endures forever.
    but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
    His love endures forever.

    to him who led his people through the wilderness;
    His love endures forever.

    to him who struck down great kings,
    His love endures forever.
    and killed mighty kings—
    His love endures forever.
    Sihon king of the Amorites
    His love endures forever.
    and Og king of Bashan—
    His love endures forever.
    and gave their land as an inheritance,
    His love endures forever.
    an inheritance to his servant Israel.
    His love endures forever.

    He remembered us in our low estate
    His love endures forever.
    and freed us from our enemies.
    His love endures forever.
    He gives food to every creature.
    His love endures forever.

    Give thanks to the God of heaven.
    His love endures forever.

    Prayer focus
    Nurture us, O Lord, with your strength and love. May we never forget that you are the source of our very lives.

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