M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Elijah Stops the Rain
17 Elijah from Tishbe, one of the settlers in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the Lord lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand, there will be no dew or rain during the coming years, except at my word.”
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Leave this place and turn east. Hide yourself by the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the stream, and I will command the ravens to provide for you there.”
5 So Elijah went and did just as the Lord had said. He lived in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he drank from the stream.
Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath
7 After some time the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Get up! Go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a woman there, a widow, to provide for you.”
10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. He came to the city gate, and there he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please give me a little water in a jar, so that I can have something to drink.”
11 When she went to get it, he called to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”
12 She said, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no food except a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a pitcher. See, I am gathering a couple of sticks so that I can go and prepare it for myself and my son, so that we can eat it and then die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do just as you said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and bring it out to me. Then go and make another for you and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. The jar of flour will not run out and the pitcher of oil will not become empty until the day the Lord sends rain to water the surface of the ground.”
15 So she went and did exactly as Elijah said. He and she, as well as her household, were able to eat for many days. 16 The jar of flour did not run out, and the pitcher of oil did not become empty, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.
The Widow’s Son Dies
17 After these events, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. The illness became worse until he stopped breathing.
18 Then she said to Elijah, “What is the issue between us, man of God? Have you come to remind me of my sins and to kill my son?”
19 He said to her, “Bring your son to me.” Then he took him and carried him to the upstairs room where he was living, and he laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, have you sent tragedy on this woman with whom I am staying by killing her son?”
21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times, and he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, let this boy’s soul[a] return to his body!” 22 The Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy’s soul returned to his body, and he came to life. 23 Then Elijah took the boy and brought him down to the house from his upstairs room, and he gave him to his mother.
Elijah said, “See, your son is alive!”
24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.”
4 Masters, show justice and fairness to your slaves, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Exhortations
2 Be persistent in prayer, and as you pray, be alert and thankful. 3 At the same time, pray for us too, that God might open a door for our message, so that we can tell the mystery about Christ, for which I am in prison. 4 Pray that I may make it known clearly, as it is necessary for me to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom in the way you act toward those on the outside, making the most of your opportunity.[a] 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you are to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you everything about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very reason, that you may know how we are,[b] and that he may comfort your hearts. 9 I am sending him along with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is going on here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him. 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are circumcised,[c] and who have been a source of comfort to me. 12 Epaphras greets you. He is one of you and is a servant of Christ.[d] He is always struggling in prayer for you, praying that you may stand complete and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 Indeed, I can testify about him that he has worked very hard in your place, in the place of those in Laodicea, and in the place of those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dearly loved doctor, greets you, as does Demas.
15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea. Greet Nympha and the church at her[e] house. 16 When this letter has been read among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans. And make sure that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus, “See to it that you fulfill the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 This greeting is written by me, Paul, with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.[f]
Life-Giving Water in the New Creation
47 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw that water was flowing out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
2 He brought me out through the north gate that led into the inner courtyard and led me around on the outside of the temple to the outer gateway on the east side, and I saw that water was trickling out from its south side. 3 As the man went out toward the east, he had a measuring line in his hand. He measured off a thousand cubits,[a] and then he led me through the water. The water was ankle-deep. 4 Then he measured off another thousand cubits and led me through the water. The water was knee-deep. He measured a thousand more and led me through water that was now waist-deep. 5 He measured a thousand more, but now it was a river that I was not able to cross, because the water had risen so much that one would have to swim across it. It was a river that could not be forded.
6 Then he asked me, “Have you noticed anything, son of man?” and he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I returned there, I noticed that on the banks of the river there were a large number of trees, on both sides.
8 Then he said to me, “These waters are flowing out to the eastern part of the land. They go down to the Arabah and go into the sea,[b] into the sea whose waters are unusable,[c] and then the waters of the sea are made fresh.[d] 9 Every living creature that swarms can live wherever the stream flows. There will be a large number of fish because these waters have come there, and the waters of the sea have been made fresh, so every living creature can live everywhere the river goes. 10 There will be fishermen standing beside it from En Gedi to En Eglaim, and there will be places for them to spread their nets to dry. There will be all kinds of fish there, like the fish of the Great Sea[e]—so very many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not be made fresh. They will be left to provide salt. 12 Beside the river, on both its banks, every kind of tree will grow for providing food. Their leaves will never wither, and their fruit will never fail. Every month they will bear fruit because their waters flow out from the sanctuary. Its fruit will provide food, and its leaves will be for healing.
The Divisions of the Land
13 This is what the Lord God says.
These are the boundaries you are to use to divide the land as an inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Joseph is to have two portions.)
14 You will assign equal portions of the land that I swore with uplifted hand to give to your fathers. This is how the land will be allotted to you as an inheritance.
15 These are to be the boundaries of the land:
On the north side, the boundary goes from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo Hamath to Zedad,[f] 16 Beruthah, and Sibraim, which is on the border between the territories of Damascus and Hamath, as far as Hazer Hattikon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the border will be from the sea to Hazar Enon, on the border of Damascus to the north, which also is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.
18 On the east side, the border will run from Hazar Enon between Hauran and Damascus. Between Gilead and the land of Israel, the Jordan is the border as far as the Eastern Sea.[g] The border then will run to Tamar.[h] This is the east side.
19 On the south side, in the Negev, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the Stream of Egypt to the Great Sea. This is the southern boundary in the Negev.
20 On the west side, the Great Sea is the border until a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This is the west side.
21 In this way you are to divide this land for yourselves, for the tribes of Israel. 22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have fathered children among you. They are to be treated like someone who is native-born among the sons of Israel. With you they are to receive allotments as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe an alien has settled, there you are to give him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, Who Forgives All Your Sins
Heading
By David.
Invitation to Praise
1 Bless the Lord,[a] O my soul.
All that is within me, bless his holy name.
Praise for Personal Blessings
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who pardons all your guilt,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
5 who satisfies your life[b] with goodness,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Praise for Blessings Through Moses
6 The Lord performs righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel.
God’s Great Mercy
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always accuse.
He will not keep his anger forever.
10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve.
He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds.
God’s Mercy Illustrated
11 Yes, as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so powerful is his mercy toward those who fear him.
12 As distant as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were formed.
He remembers that we are dust.
Man’s Short Life
15 As for man, his days are like grass.
Like a wildflower he blossoms.
16 Then the wind blows over it, and it is gone,
and its place recognizes it no more.
The Covenant With Moses Proclaims God’s Eternal Mercy
17 But the Lord’s mercy is from eternity to eternity
over those who fear him,
and his righteousness is with their children’s children,
18 with those who keep his covenant,
with those who remember his precepts in order to obey them.
Closing Praise
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his royal power rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you his angels,
you strong warriors who obey his word
by listening to what he says.
21 Bless the Lord, all his armies,
you who minister to him,
you who do whatever pleases him.
22 Bless the Lord, everything he has made
in all places where he rules.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.