Bible Reading Plan

We invite you to join us in reading through the Bible together.  We're not trying to complete it in a limited time frame like a month or a year; but rather, we want to create a habit (or discipline) of getting to know God's heart through what He's told us about Himself. 

For a more mobile friendly view of the daily readings, try our new site at https://app.nvbc.net, still a work in progress.

We start our study in the Gospel according to Mark. The daily readings are short; please read the passages so that you learn how to read God’s Word, how to listen, and then apply it. Your reading will also give you a good head start in understanding Sunday’s sermon.

When reading, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What does it say about God?
  • What does it say to/about me?
  • What can I learn from this reading?

February 2-8

  • Sunday: Psalm 113  “The LORD is high above all nations …”
  • Monday: Mark 6:1-6  Why do you think “they took offense at him”? (vs 3; cf. 1:22). When you (a) read the Bible, does the  Word challenge and make you uncomfortable? (b) listen to preachers/sermons, or even in your devotional readings … does it confront you?
  • Tuesday: Mark 6:7-13  In Jesus’ sending out the disciples, what notable things do you discover in the sending?
  • Wednesday: Mark 6:14-20  John confronts Herod on a personal matter – imagine a Pastor / Evangelical leader today  confronting the President! Is the personal life of a politician our spiritual concern? To Herod’s credit, he was willing to listen
  • Thursday: Mark 6:21-29  The tragedy here is that though Herod was willing to listen and understood everything, he didn’t have the integrity to act godly. His loyalty and affection to his daughter and Herodias came in between his obedience of God. Do  you have competition in your life that keeps you from loving God wholly?
  • Friday: Mark 6:30-44  A great miracle happens, but don’t miss that Jesus first took the opportunity to “teach” (vs 34). In life,  ministry, etc. how is your verbal … ‘teaching’ communication to those around you? From the miracle of the feeding … what  do you find interesting?
  • Saturday: Mark 6:45-52  vs 52 says “they did not understand … hearts were hardened” – outside of realizing that there is a  direct relationship between ‘understanding’ and a person’s ‘hardened heart’, how come the disciples had this heart problem? This is serious! Explore …

February 9-15:

  • Sunday: Psalm 114  “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD”
  • Monday: Mark 6:53-56  Often we are suspicious towards people who just come for _____ (fill in the blanks), because we see a spiritual priority in their coming. And what was happening here? They came for healing … and Jesus ministered to them
  • Tuesday: Mark 7:1-8  Jesus didn’t criticize “tradition”, what he challenged is doing things without a devoted heart towards  God. Does your heart devotion and external habits match and correspond?
  • Wednesday: Mark 7:9-13  “Corban” was a declared vow to gift money/possessions to God. Jesus was pointing out their hypocrisy of not caring for parents (which is dishonoring of parent) by taking those resources and calling it “Corban”! Here the tradition was a way out to the higher requirement from God
  • Thursday: Mark 7:14-23  A simple challenge to state that it is the heart that seats sin and evil (vs 21-23), and not what one eats. Have you done a recent heart diagnosis … a spiritual inventory? Pray Psalm 139:23-24 and go into a process of being searched …
  • Friday: Mark 7:24-30  The mercy and generosity of God! The faith of a Gentile! Jesus’ pushback (vs 27) is interesting –  wonder if he said for others to hear and then witness the woman’s faith?
  • Saturday: Mark 7:31-37  “the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it” (vs 36) – what a wonderful  testimony for us to consider. Is a reason we hesitate, don’t care … because we have lost our zeal, passion, love, gratitude to God for Jesus?

February 16-22: