TODAY'S BIBLE READING
Tuesday, August 25
OLD TESTAMENT
1 SAMUEL 1 — Hannah Prays for a Son
Congratulations on completing the book of Ruth! Today we begin the book of 1 Samuel.
NEW TESTAMENT
3 JOHN 1 — Walking in Truth
Congratulations on completing 2 John! Today we begin 3 John.
MAJOR PROPHETS
ISAIAH 36 — Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
TODAY'S REFLECTION
1 Samuel 1
Hannah pours out her heart before God and faithfully keeps her promise when He answers her prayer. Her story teaches us about persistent prayer, surrender, and trusting God's timing.
3 John 1
John commends Gaius for walking in truth and showing hospitality to fellow believers. Our faith should be visible not only in what we believe but also in how we support and treat others.
Isaiah 36
Assyria threatens Jerusalem and attempts to make God's people doubt His ability to save them. The chapter reminds us not to allow intimidating voices or circumstances to weaken our confidence in God.
KEY VERSE
“I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.”
— 1 Samuel 1:27
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, teach us to pray with the faith and persistence of Hannah. Help us trust Your timing, walk faithfully in Your truth, and remain confident in You when circumstances appear frightening or impossible. May our lives demonstrate genuine love and faithfulness toward others. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
TODAY'S CHALLENGE
Bring one deep concern before God in prayer today. Trust Him with the outcome, and look for an opportunity to encourage or support someone else in their walk with Christ.
WE STUDY. WE PRAY. WE OBEY. WE GROW. UNTIL WE ARE TOTALLY TRANSFORMED.

Romans 4:

"1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

Admit it. You like reading the Psalms, the Gospels, Paul's epistles and maybe Esther and Ruth.
But what about the least read Bible books -- I call them Orphan Books -- because they almost are never read. Here's a list I found.
Hope you take the challenge to read an "orphan" or two this week.
------------------------------------
# Book Why read it? Difficulty
1 Obadiah A miniature study of pride, injustice, and God's judgment Easy
2 Haggai A surprisingly relevant book about misplaced priorities Easy
3 Philemon Paul, slavery, forgiveness, and Christian brotherhood in 25 verses Easy
4 3 John A fascinating glimpse into early church politics and leadership Easy
5 2 John Truth, love, hospitality—and boundaries Easy
6 Nahum The dark counterpart to Jonah: what happens to Nineveh? Medium
7 Zephaniah Judgment followed by one of the OT's beautiful pictures of God's joy Medium
8 Jude Strange, intense, apocalyptic, and packed with unusual references Medium
9 Habakkuk One of the Bible's best books for wrestling honestly with God Easy
10 Lamentations Biblical poetry about grief, catastrophe, and hope Medium
11 Joel Locusts, the Day of the LORD, and the famous promise about God's Spirit Medium
12 Malachi A surprisingly sharp ending to the Old Testament Easy
The ones I'd especially recommend
If you only want to read five, I'd pick:
Habakkuk — perhaps the most rewarding “orphan.” The entire book is essentially a conversation between a confused believer and God. Habakkuk starts by asking, “Why aren't you doing something about this?” and ends somewhere radically different.
Haggai — extremely short but surprisingly practical. Its central question is basically: What happens when God's people become preoccupied with their own houses while neglecting God's house?
Philemon — don't let its size fool you. It's an extraordinarily compressed little letter about power, status, forgiveness, reconciliation, and what the gospel does to human relationships.
Nahum — read it immediately after Jonah if you can. Jonah tells you that Nineveh repented; Nahum, written later, tells you what eventually happened to Nineveh. Reading them together makes both books considerably more interesting.
Lamentations — probably the most emotionally neglected book on the list. It gives you something the Bible is unusually good at: language for grief when everything has gone terribly wrong.
And here's the really fun challenge
Don't read these as if they're merely the Bible's “B-list.”
Try reading one orphan book a week, with no commentary at first. Just read the entire thing in one sitting.
You'll discover something interesting: some of the books that feel least important at first are actually the ones that illuminate the famous books around them.
Jonah → Nahum
Isaiah/Jeremiah → Lamentations
Romans/Galatians → Habakkuk
1 John → 2 John → 3 John
Ezra/Nehemiah → Haggai

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DBF-001-031 continues with John 2:10. The master of the feast recognizes that something unusual has happened: the best wine has been kept until now. We should keep the focus on Christ’s provision and avoid turning the verse into a promise of material abundance.

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DBF-001-031

Today’s Scripture

John 2:10 (ESV)

“And said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’”

Opening the Scriptures

The master of the feast had tasted the wine, but he did not know where it had come from.

He called the bridegroom and expressed his surprise.

Normally, the better wine was served first. Yet at this wedding, the master believed that the best had been kept until later.

What he did not know was that the bridegroom had not provided this wine.

Jesus had.

The master could recognize the quality of the gift, but he did not recognize its source.

The servants knew.

Behind what appeared to be an unexpected provision stood the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

John is steadily directing our attention away from the wedding itself and toward Jesus.

Living God’s Word Today

There is a danger in receiving God’s gifts while forgetting the Giver.

Every day we receive things we can easily take for granted.

Food.

Shelter.

Family.

Friendship.

Strength for another day.

Opportunities to serve.

Most importantly, for those who belong to Christ, forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

Scripture reminds us:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” — James 1:17

Yet we must also be careful about what this miracle does not teach.

Jesus turning water into wine does not promise Christians wealth, comfort, success, or an easy life. The apostles themselves would later suffer greatly for following Christ.

The greatest gift at Cana was not the wine.

The greatest gift was Christ Himself.

That remains true today.

God may give us much or little in this world. Our circumstances may change. Health can fail. Possessions can disappear. Human relationships can disappoint us.

But the Christian’s greatest treasure cannot be measured by earthly prosperity.

We have Christ.

In Him we have something infinitely greater than temporary comfort: reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sin, and the certain hope of eternal life.

The master of the feast enjoyed the gift without knowing its source.

Let us not make the same mistake.

Recognize God’s goodness.

Give thanks for His daily provision.

But never become so occupied with God’s gifts that you forget the God who gives them.

Treasure Christ above everything He gives.

Question for Today

Do you value God’s gifts more than you value God Himself?

Respond: “Christ is my greatest treasure.”

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August 24
“WHO GOD IS TO ME”
THE ONE WHO WALKS WITH ME
Isaiah 43:2 (LLV) —
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and the flame will not consume you.”
There are promises
we might wish
God had made.
“You will never
face deep water.”
“You will never
walk through fire.”
“You will never
experience anything
that frightens you.”
But God
does not say
those things.
He says,
“When you pass
through the waters…”
“When you pass
through the rivers…”
“When you walk
through the fire…”
Not if.
When.
Faith does not
exempt us
from difficult
places.
But neither
does difficulty
mean God
has abandoned us.
“I will
be with you.”
Perhaps those
are the words
we need most
when the water
begins to rise.
God does not
always stand
on the distant shore
and call,
“Keep going.
You'll make it.”
He enters
the water
with us.
When the river
is stronger
than we are,
He is there.
When circumstances
feel overwhelming,
He is there.
When we find
ourselves walking
through something
we never imagined
we would face,
He is there.
And notice
another important word:
“through.”
The water
is not
our destination.
The river
is not
our home.
The fire
is not
the end
of our story.
We pass
through them.
Sometimes
God delivers us
by removing
the difficulty.
Sometimes
He delivers us
by carrying us
through it.
And sometimes,
only after
we reach
the other side,
do we look back
and realize
how faithfully
He was with us
every step
of the way.
We may enter
the water
afraid.
We may enter
the fire
wondering
how we will
possibly endure.
But we never
enter
alone.
The God
who promised,
“I will
be with you,”
does not leave
when the road
becomes difficult.
That is precisely
when His presence
becomes
most precious.
A new beginning sometimes lies on the other side of deep water:
I do not need a life without difficult passages; I need the assurance that God will walk through them with me.
Reflection: Am I interpreting a difficult season as evidence that God has left me, or am I looking for His presence with me in the middle of it?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that You never promise from a distance. When I pass through deep waters, You are with me. When circumstances threaten to overwhelm me, You remain beside me. When I must walk through the fire, help me trust Your presence more than I fear the flames. Give me courage for today's passage and faith to remember that I am only passing through. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Acts 7:60 — Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

I will pray with you this way — after Word, not after flesh:

---

Prayer of a true witness for this consecration of female bishop in Uganda:

Father in Heaven, in Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, the Lamb who stands on Mount Zion,

You who sealed 144,000, You who see in secret, You who gave Green 7 vision of restoration of Your Word and Red 7 vision of warning against evil doing —

Look now upon Your church in Uganda and upon this consecration service.

If these shepherds — and pastors who follow — have gone after flesh desires, self interest, pride, and have forgotten suffering sheep like Reagan and suffering churches while collecting tithes and offerings —

Lord, do not punish them unto destruction now, but convict them unto repentance now.

Job 33:15-16 — In a dream, in a vision of night... You open ears of men and seal their instruction.
As You have shown Your servant Reagan, show them also — give them visions, dreams, as You promise Joel 2:28 — that they may see: “We have sent our witness Reagan with My Word in visions for you to obey, but you have not obeyed.”

Take veil away. Let them see unrighteousness. Let them hear true Word 1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9. as anyone in consecration act of another to pursue the bishop office. that they do it accordingly to thy word.

Holy Spirit, call them: Repent & obey and do what is right and live.

Give to church under attack by darkness — protection, nourishment in wilderness as Rev 12:14, seal on foreheads as Rev 7:3.

We refuse spirit of cursing. We choose spirit of firstfruits — blameless, no lie in mouth, following Lamb wherever He goes Rev 14:4-5.

Let Green 7 vision— restoration — come to Uganda. Let Your Word be restored on pulpit.



Ezekiel 18:23 — Have I any pleasure at all that wicked should die? says Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

By this prayer O Lord, show them — not by your wrath, but by your mercy first that leads to repentance. As the Red 7 vision state with 2 judgements, of correction & destruction. And by Green 7 vision sealing them among 144000, in obeying thy word to be pure before God. Rev14:4-5, Rom6:16.

In Jesus Name, Amen.