M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rules for Grain Offerings
2 “ ‘Suppose anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord. Then their offering must be made out of the finest flour. They must pour olive oil on it. They must also put incense on it. 2 They must take it to the priests in Aaron’s family line. A priest must take a handful of the flour and oil. He must mix them with all the incense. Then he must burn that part on the altar. It will be a reminder that all good things come from the Lord. It is a food offering. Its smell pleases the Lord. 3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to the priests in his family line. It is a very holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.
4 “ ‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, make it out of the finest flour. It can be thick loaves of bread made without yeast. Mix them with olive oil. Or it can be thin loaves of bread that are made without yeast. Spread olive oil on them. 5 If your grain offering is cooked on a metal plate, make your offering out of the finest flour. Mix it with oil. Make it without yeast. 6 Break it into pieces. Pour oil on it. It is a grain offering. 7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, make your offering out of the finest flour and some olive oil. 8 Bring to the Lord your grain offering made out of all these things. Give it to the priest. He must take it to the altar. 9 All good things come from the Lord. The priest must take out the part of the grain offering that reminds you of this. He must burn it on the altar. It is a food offering. Its smell pleases the Lord. 10 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and the priests in his family line. It is a very holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.
11 “ ‘Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast. You must not add any yeast or honey to a food offering presented to the Lord. 12 You can bring them to the Lord as an offering of the first share of food you gather or produce. But they must not be offered on the altar as a pleasant smell. 13 Put salt on all your grain offerings. Salt stands for the lasting covenant between you and your God. So do not leave it out of your grain offerings. Add salt to all your offerings.
14 “ ‘Suppose you bring to the Lord a grain offering of the first share of your food. Then offer crushed heads of your first grain that have been cooked in fire. 15 Put olive oil and incense on the grain. It is a grain offering. 16 The priest must burn part of the crushed grain and the oil. It will remind you that all good things come from the Lord. The priest must burn it together with all the incense. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.
Rules for Friendship Offerings
3 “ ‘Suppose someone brings a friendship offering. If they offer an animal from the herd, it can be either male or female. It must not have any flaws. They must offer it in the sight of the Lord. 2 They must place their hand on the animal’s head. It must be killed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then the priests in Aaron’s family line must splash the blood against the sides of the altar. 3 Part of the friendship offering must be given to the Lord as a food offering. It must include all the fat that is connected to them. 4 It must include both kidneys with the fat on them next to the lower back muscles. It must also include the long part of the liver. All of it must be removed together with the kidneys. 5 Then the priests in Aaron’s family line must burn it on the altar. They must burn it on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood. It is a food offering. Its smell pleases the Lord.
6 “ ‘Suppose someone brings an animal from the flock as a friendship offering to the Lord. It can be either male or female. It must not have any flaws. 7 If they bring a lamb, they must offer it in the sight of the Lord. 8 They must place their hand on the lamb’s head. It must be killed there in front of the tent of meeting. Then the priests in Aaron’s family line must splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 9 Part of the offering must be brought as a sacrifice presented to the Lord. It must include the lamb’s fat and the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone. It must include all the fat that is connected to them. 10 It must include both kidneys with the fat on them next to the lower back muscles. The offering must also include the long part of the liver. That must be removed together with the kidneys. 11 Then the priest must burn the offering on the altar as food. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.
12 “ ‘If someone brings a goat, they must offer it in the sight of the Lord. 13 They must place their hand on its head. It must be killed there in front of the tent of meeting. Then the priests in Aaron’s family line must splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 14 Part of the offering must be brought as a food offering presented to the Lord. It must include all the fat that is connected to them. 15 It must include both kidneys with the fat on them next to the lower back muscles. It must also include the long part of the liver. That must be removed together with the kidneys. 16 Then the priest must burn the offering on the altar as food. It is a food offering. It has a pleasant smell. All the fat belongs to the Lord.
17 “ ‘You must not eat any fat or any blood. That is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.’ ”
Jesus and the Miracle of Many Fish
21 After this, Jesus appeared to his disciples again. It was by the Sea of Galilee. Here is what happened. 2 Simon Peter and Thomas, who was also called Didymus, were there together. Nathanael from Cana in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee were with them. So were two other disciples. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them. They said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. That night they didn’t catch anything.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore. But the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, don’t you have any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat. There you will find some fish.” When they did, they could not pull the net into the boat. There were too many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Simon Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Peter heard that, he put his coat on. He had taken it off earlier. Then he jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat. They were towing the net full of fish. The shore was only about 100 yards away. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals. There were fish on it. There was also some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat. He dragged the net to shore. It was full of large fish. There were 153 of them. But even with that many fish the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same thing with the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Gives Peter His Task
15 When Jesus and the disciples had finished eating, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter. He asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these others do?”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered. “You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 Jesus spoke to him a third time. He asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter felt bad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He answered, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 What I’m about to tell you is true. When you were younger, you dressed yourself. You went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands. Someone else will dress you. Someone else will lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to point out how Peter would die. His death would bring glory to God. Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned around. He saw that the disciple Jesus loved was following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper. He had said, “Lord, who is going to hand you over to your enemies?” 21 When Peter saw that disciple, he asked, “Lord, what will happen to him?”
22 Jesus answered, “Suppose I want him to remain alive until I return. What does that matter to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of what Jesus said, a false report spread among the believers. The story was told that the disciple Jesus loved wouldn’t die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He only said, “Suppose I want him to remain alive until I return. What does that matter to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is a witness about these things. He also wrote them down. We know that what he says is true.
25 Jesus also did many other things. What if every one of them were written down? I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
18 A person who isn’t friendly looks out only for themselves.
They oppose all good sense by starting fights.
2 Foolish people don’t want to understand.
They take delight in saying only what they think.
3 People hate it when evil comes.
And they refuse to honor those who bring shame.
4 The words of a person’s mouth are like deep water.
But the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream.
5 It isn’t good to favor those who do wrong.
That would keep justice from those who aren’t guilty.
6 What foolish people say leads to arguing.
They are just asking for a beating.
7 The words of foolish people drag them down.
They are trapped by what they say.
8 The words of anyone who talks about others are like tasty bites of food.
They go deep down inside you.
9 Anyone who doesn’t want to work
is like someone who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is like a strong tower.
Godly people run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of rich people is like a city that makes them feel safe.
They think of it as a city with walls that can’t be climbed.
12 If a person’s heart is proud, they will be destroyed.
So don’t be proud if you want to be honored.
13 To answer before listening
is foolish and shameful.
14 A cheerful spirit gives strength even during sickness.
But you can’t keep going if you have a broken spirit.
15 Those whose hearts understand what is right get knowledge.
That’s because the ears of those who are wise listen for it.
16 A gift opens the door
and helps the giver meet important people.
17 In court, the first one to speak seems right.
Then someone else comes forward and questions him.
18 Casting lots will put a stop to arguing.
It will keep the strongest enemies apart.
19 A broken friendship is harder to handle than a city with high walls around it.
And arguing is like the locked gates of a mighty city.
20 Because of what they say a person can fill their stomach.
What their words produce can satisfy them.
21 Your tongue has the power of life and death.
Those who love to talk will eat the fruit of their words.
22 The one who finds a wife finds what is good.
He receives favor from the Lord.
23 Poor people beg for mercy.
But rich people answer in a mean way.
24 A person with unfaithful friends soon comes to ruin.
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing.
2 We are sending this letter to you, our brothers and sisters in Colossae. You belong to Christ. You are holy and faithful.
May God our Father give you grace and peace.
Paul Prays and Gives Thanks
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. 4 We thank him because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus. We have also heard that you love all God’s people. 5 Your faith and love are based on the hope you have. What you hope for is stored up for you in heaven. You have already heard about it. You were told about it when the true message was given to you. I’m talking about the good news 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the good news is bearing fruit. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world. It has been doing that among you since the day you heard it. That is when you really understood God’s grace. 7 You learned the good news from Epaphras. He is dear to us. He serves Christ together with us. He faithfully works for Christ and for us among you. 8 He also told us about your love that comes from the Holy Spirit.
9 That’s why we have not stopped praying for you. We have been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We keep asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants. We pray he will give you the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. 10 Then you will be able to lead a life that is worthy of the Lord. We pray that you will please him in every way. So we want you to bear fruit in every good thing you do. We pray that you will grow to know God better. 11 We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. We pray that you will never give up. 12 We want you to give thanks with joy to the Father. He has made you fit to have what he will give to all his holy people. You will all receive a share in the kingdom of light. 13 He has saved us from the kingdom of darkness. He has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 Because of what the Son has done, we have been set free. Because of him, all our sins have been forgiven.
The Son of God Is Better Than Everything Else
15 The Son is the exact likeness of God, who can’t be seen. The Son is first, and he is over all creation. 16 All things were created in him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can’t be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. 17 Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together. 18 And he is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning. He is the first to be raised from the dead. That happened so that he would be far above everything. 19 God was pleased to have his whole nature living in Christ. 20 God was pleased to bring all things back to himself. That’s because of what Christ has done. These things include everything on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ’s blood, by his death on the cross.
21 At one time you were separated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil ways. 22 But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ’s death has made you holy in God’s sight. So now you don’t have any flaw. You are free from blame. 23 But you must keep your faith steady and firm. You must not move away from the hope the good news holds out to you. This is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, now serve the good news.
Paul’s Work for the Church
24 I am happy because of what I am suffering for you. My suffering joins with and continues the sufferings of Christ. I suffer for his body, which is the church. 25 I serve the church. God appointed me to bring the complete word of God to you. 26 That word contains the mystery that has been hidden for many ages. But now it has been made known to the Lord’s people. 27 God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of that mystery. He has made it known among the Gentiles. And here is what it is. Christ is in you. He is your hope of glory.
28 Christ is the one we preach about. With all the wisdom we have, we warn and teach everyone. When we bring them to God, we want them to be like Christ. We want them to be grown up as people who belong to Christ. 29 That’s what I’m working for. I work hard with all the strength of Christ. His strength works powerfully in me.
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