M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

1 I am Simon Peter. I am a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I send greetings to you who have believed as we have. Believing is worth just as much to you as it is to us. This is because our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is right and good.

² May the loving kindness of God bless you and give you more and more peace because you know God and Jesus our Lord.

³ Christ is God and by his own power he has given us everything that we need to live and to please God. He has given this to us because we know him, and he has called us because he is great and good.

⁴ Because of these things, he has promised us things that are worth very much and are very great. He has promised these things to us so that by them you may become like God too. By them you will be kept free from the selfish desires of the people in the world. These desires lead to death.

⁵ So now you believe, try to live a good life. When you live a good life, try to learn more about God.

⁶ When you have learned more, be strong to do what is right. Then go on doing what is right, even if it is hard. As you go about doing right, keep close to God.

⁷ As you keep close to God, love your Christian brothers. When you love your Christian brothers, love everyone!

⁸ If you do these things and you do them more and more, you will be good Christians and you will know more and more about our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ But the man who does not do these things is like a blind man. He can see only a little way. He has forgotten that he was made clean from the wrong things he used to do.

¹⁰ So my brothers, try to show that God has called you and chosen you. If you do these things, you will never fall.

¹¹ That will make it easy for you to go into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. His kingdom will be for ever.

¹² I do want always to bring these things to your minds. I will do this even though you know them, and even though you are strong in the true way that you already have.

¹³ I think it is right, as long as I live, to keep these things in your minds.

¹⁴ I know that I will not live long now. Our Lord Jesus Christ has told me about that.

¹⁵ But I will try to see that you have something to bring these things to your minds, even after I am gone.

¹⁶ We have told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and that he is coming again. We did not tell you stories someone told us. We ourselves saw how great he is.

¹⁷ God the Father praised him and showed that he is great. A voice came from the bright cloud and said to him, `This is my Son. I love him and he pleases me very much.'

¹⁸ We heard this voice which came from heaven. It happened when we were on the holy hill with Jesus.

¹⁹ And so we are more sure about what the prophets of God said long ago. You will do well to listen to them. It is like a lamp shining in a dark place. Then the daylight will come and the morning star will shine in your hearts.

²⁰ First you must understand this. The words from the prophets in the holy writings did not come from their own minds.

²¹ The prophets did not say what they wanted to say. But the Holy Spirit made them speak. And they spoke God's message.

13 Some people were there at that time who told Jesus what Pilate had done. He had killed some of the people of Galilee and put their blood with the blood of their sacrifices to God.

² Jesus answered, `Do you think it was because they were worse than all the other people in Galilee?

³ I tell you, "No!" But if you do not stop doing wrong things, then you will all die as they did.

⁴ Eighteen men died when the high house in Siloam fell on them. Do you think they were worse than all the other men who lived in Jerusalem?

⁵ I tell you, "No!" But if you do not stop doing wrong things, you will all die as they did.'

⁶ Then Jesus told this story: `A man had a fruit tree on his farm. He came to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.

⁷ He said to the man who cared for the trees, "For three years I have come to look for fruit on this tree, but I have not found any. Cut it down. Why should it spoil my farmland?"

⁸ The man who cared for the trees answered, "Sir, let it stay one more year. I will dig around it and put good soil around it.

⁹ If it has fruit on it next year, that will be good. But if it has no fruit, you can have it cut down." '

¹⁰ Jesus was teaching in one of the meeting houses on the Sabbath day.

¹¹ A woman was there who had a spirit that had made her sick for eighteen years. She had to bend down all the time and could not stand up straight.

¹² Jesus saw her and called her to come to him. Then he said, `Woman, you are healed. You are not sick any longer.'

¹³ Jesus put his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight. And she praised God.

¹⁴ The ruler of the meeting house was angry because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, `There are six days to work. You should come to be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.'

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, `You are not true to yourselves! Every one of you unties his cow or horse and takes it to the water to drink on the Sabbath day. Do you not?

¹⁶ This woman belongs to Abraham's family. Satan has tied her for eighteen years. Is it not right that she should be set free on the Sabbath day?'

¹⁷ When he said that, all those who had talked against him were ashamed. All the other people were very glad for all the wonderful things Jesus did.

¹⁸ He went on to say, `What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I say it is like?

¹⁹ It is like this. A man took a mustard seed and planted it in his field. It grew up big like a tree. The birds came and lived in its branches.'

²⁰ Then Jesus said again, `What else is the kingdom of God like?

²¹ It is like this. A woman took yeast and mixed it with many cups of flour. The yeast went all through the flour.'

²² Jesus went through the towns and villages on the way to Jerusalem. He was teaching the people as he went.

²³ A man asked him, `Sir, will only a few people be saved?'

²⁴ Jesus answered, `Try hard to go in by the small gate. I tell you, many will want to go in but they will not be able.

²⁵ The master of the house will get up and lock the door. Then you will be standing outside. You will begin to knock on the door and call, "Sir, open the door for us!" But he will answer, "I do not know where you belong."

²⁶ Then you will say, "We ate and drank with you. You taught in our streets."

²⁷ But he will say, "I tell you, I do not know where you belong. Go away from me all you who do wrong! "

²⁸ `You will see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God. And you will see yourselves thrown out. Then you will cry and make a noise with your teeth.

²⁹ People will come from the east, from the west, from the north, and from the south. They will sit down to eat in the kingdom of God.

³⁰ Yes, some people who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.'

³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus. They said to him, `Go away from here. Herod wants to kill you.'

³² He said, `Go and tell that fox, "I drive bad spirits out of people and heal people. I do it today and tomorrow. On the third day I will finish what I am doing."

³³ But I must go on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day. A prophet of God cannot be killed outside of Jerusalem.

³⁴ `O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets of God. You throw stones to kill men who are sent to you. How often I have wanted to gather your people together as a mother hen gathers her little ones under her wings. But you would not come!

³⁵ Now you are left alone in your house. I tell you this. You will not see me again until the time when you say, "God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord." '