Lift up your hearts

OT

 

7th Cycle.

  

NT

 

14th Cycle.

  

Thu 17Sep2026

Mon 14Sep2026

Jeremiah 1:1 - 14:22 (369 verses) WEB

Jeremiah 15:1 - 22:30 (169 verses) NET

Philippians 1:1 - 4:23 (104 verses) ESV

Colossians 1:1 - 4:18 (95 verses) ESV

Tue 15Sep2026

Jeremiah 23:1 - 36:32 (390 verses) WEB

1 Thessalonians 1:1 - 5:28 (89 verses) ESV

2 Thessalonians 1:1 - 3:18 (47 verses) ESV

1 Timothy 1:1 - 6:21 (113 verses) NET

2 Timothy 1:1 - 4:22 (83 verses) NET

Wed 16Sep2026

Jeremiah 37:1 - 52:34 (436 verses) WEB

Titus 1:1 - 3:15 (46 verses) ESV

Philemon 1:1 - 25 (25 verses) ESV

Hebrews 1:1 - 6:20 (101 verses) ESV

Thu 17Sep2026

Lamentations 1:1 - 5:22 (154 verses) WEB

Ezekiel 1:1 - 10:22 (191 verses) WEB

Hebrews 7:1 - 13:25 (202 verses) ESV

ESV — English Standard Version
NET — New English Translation
WEB — World English Bible

Overall Progress : 2026-09-17	OT	NT
Total No. of Verses	23,145	7,958
Finished reading	Lamentations	Hebrews
Finished No. of Verses	20,465	7,122
Completion	88.4 %	89.5 %

I have made good progress over the last four days of this week, finishing the OT books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, and reading up to chapter 10 of Ezekiel. In the NT, I have finished reading from the Epistle of Philippians right up to the end of Hebrews.

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Passage for Today

Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
“We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.

Lamentations 3:40 - 42

 

New International Version

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The mystery of Godliness

OT

 

7th Cycle.

  

NT

 

13th Cycle.

  

2025-08-13 Wed

2025.08.12 Tue

Joshua 14:1 - 17:18 (106 verses) WEB

Joshua 18:1 - 19:51 (79 verses) WEB

Philipppians 1:1 - 4:23 (104 verses) KJV

Colossians 1:1 - 4:18 (95 verses) KJV

2025.08.13 Wed

Joshua 20:1 - 24:33 (137 verses) WEB

Judges 1:1 -3:31 (90 verses) WEB

1 Thessalonians 1:1 - 5:28 (89 verses) KJV

2 Thessalonians 1:1 - 3:18 (47 verses) KJV

1 Timothy 1:1 - 6:21 (113 verses) KJV

2 Timothy 1:1 - 4:22 (83 verses) KJV

WEB — World English Bible
KJV — King James Version

Overall Progress
OT = 6,642 / 23,145 verses (28.7 %)
NT = 6,746 / 7,957 verses (84.7 %)

Picking up some longer passages of reading today, and hoping to gain further momentum towards the coming weekend, I have finished reading Joshua followed by the first three chapters of Judges in the Old Testament. At the same time, in the New Testament, I have moved on from Philippians and Colossians to read through First and Second Thessalonians, and also the pastoral Epistles First and Second Timothy.

Tomorrow, I will begin reading another pastoral Epistle of Paul — the Epistle to Titus.

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Passage for Today

Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, And received up in glory.

1 Timothy 3:16

 

King James Version

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Not with persuasive words but with power of God

OT

 

6th Cycle.

  

NT

 

12th Cycle.

  

2024-11-06 Wed

2024-10-26 Sat

Romans 12:1 - 16:27 (118 verses) NET

2024-10-27 Sun

1 Corinthians 1:1 - 6:20 (124 verses) NET

2024-10-28 Mon

1 Corinthians 7:1 - 16:24 (313 verses) WEB

2 Corinthians 1:1 - 13:13 (256 verses) RBV

2024-10-29 Tue

Galatians 1:1 - 6:18 (149 verses) RBV

2024-10-30 Wed

Ephesians 1:1 - 6:24 (155 verses) WEB

2024-10-31 Thu

Philippians 1:1 - 4:23 (104 verses) KJV

Colossians 1:1 - 4:18 (95 verses) KJV

2024-11-01 Fri

1 Thessalonians 1:1 - 5:28 (89 verses) NET

2 Thessalonians 1:1 - 3:18 (47 verses) NET

2024-11-02 Sat

1 Timothy 1:1 - 6:21 (113 verses) WEB

2 Timothy 1:1 - 4:22 (83 verses) WEB

2024-11-05 Tue

Titus 1:1 - 3:15 (46 verses) NET

Philemon 1:1 - 1:25 (25 verses) NET

Hebrews 1:1 - 13:25 (303 verses) WEB

2024-11-06 Wed

James 1:1 - 3:18 (71 verses) NET

James 4:1 - 5:20 (37 verses) WEB

NET — New English Translation
WEB — World English Bible
RBV — Revised Berkeley Version
KJV — King James Version

Overall Progress
OT = 22,558 / 23,145 verses (97.46 %)
NT = 7,229 / 7,957 verses (90.85 %)

Most of my readings over the past ten days were done during my recent visit to Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai in the Jiangnan district of China.

This is the first time I manage to continue with my daily Bible readings while travelling, mostly at night back at the hotel after a long day of sight-seeing, with some reading done on long bus journeys between distant cities, and on the five hour flights to and fro.

I have now read about 90% of the New Testament.

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Passages for Today

1 Corinthians 2:4,5

 

New English Translation

4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.

1 Corinthians 6:11

 

New English Translatioin

Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

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My thoughts for today can be found in the links below —

• Paradoxes of Apostolic Living 2022-05-19
• Words of Life 2021-01-17
• We believe, therefore we speak 2020-07-06
• The New Way of the Spirit 2013-06-10

The Branch — the Ruler from of Old

OT  5th Cycle.   NT  10th Cycle.

Mon 21Aug23
Zechariah 4:1 – 8:23 (81 verses) JND
Ephesians 1:1 – 6:24 (155 verses) NET

Wed 23Aug23
Philippians 1:1 – 4:23 (104 verses) NET

Thu 24Aug23
Zechariah 9:1 – 14:21 (90 verses) JND

Sat 26Aug23
Colossians 1:1 – 4:18 (95 verses) WEB

Tue 29Aug23
Malachi 1:1 – 4:6 (55 verses) ASV
1 Thessalonians 1:1 – 5:28 (89 verses) WNT

JND — J.N.Darby's Translation
NET — New English Translation
WEB — World English Bible
WNT — Weymouth New Testament

Over the last week, I have finished reading the last two books of the Old Testament bringing me to the conclusion of my 5th Cycle of OT readings.

In my New Testament readings, I continued with reading the Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and the First Epistle to the Thessalonians.

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Passage of the Day

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity.
Micah 5:2  JN Darby's Translation

12 . . . Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Behold a man whose name is [the] Branch; and he shall grow up from his own place, and he shall build the temple of Jehovah:
13 even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
Zechariah 6:12 – 13  JN Darby's Translation

Today we are reminded by the prophets Micah and Zechariah that our Lord Iesus the Anointed is the Ruler from of Old, the Branch who will build the Temple of God and who will be both Ruler and Priest upon His Throne.

Deleted notes : a painful misstep

OT  5th Cycle.   NT  9th Cycle.

The detailed day-by-day record of my Bible readings for the past 18 days are lost. I have been recording the daily entries on Google Keep notes and today, after I have updated my overall Old and New Testament progress, I deleted them accidentally before I copied them over to this blog. Unfortunately, Google Keep does not allow me to undo and restore deleted texts once I have closed the note.

It was a painful misstep for me.

As a result, I can only post a summary of my reading progress below, without the detailed books, chapters and verses I covered for each of the past 18 days:

Old Testament readings

• Joshua 01May23 – 07May23
• Judges 07May23 – 11May23
• Ruth 12May23 – 12May23
• 1 Samuel 12May23 – 16May23
• 2 Samuel 16May23 – 18May23
• 1 Kings 18May23 – 20May23
• 2 Kings 20May23 – (finished Ch 1 to Ch 4)

New Testament readings

• Romans 02May23 – 03May23
• 1 Corinthians 04May23 – 07May23
• 2 Cotinthians 07May23 – 09May23
• Galatians 11May23 – 11May23
• Ephesians 11May23 – 11May23
• Philippians 11May23 – 11May23
• Colossians 12May23 – 12May23
• 1 Thessalonians 12May23 – 12May23
• 2 Thessalonians 12May23 – 12May23
• 1 Timothy 12May23 – 12May23
• 2 Timothy 12May23 – 12May23
• Titus 13May23 – 13May23
• Philemon 13May23 – 13May23
• Hebrews 13May23 – 13May23
• James 14May23 – 14May23
• 1 Peter 14May23 – 14May23
• 2 Peter 15May23 – 15May23
• 1 John 15May23 – 15May23
• 2 John 15May23 – 15May23
• 3 John 15May23 – 15May23
• Jude 15May23 – 15May23
• Revelation 16May23 – 18May23

I have reached a milestone in completing the 9th round of my New Testament reading two days ago, on Thu 18May23

A summary of my Bible reading cycles can be found below:

• My Bible Reading Cycles

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Noteworthy Passages of the Day

1 Therefore, because we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces patient endurance, 4 and patient endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:1 - 5  Lexham English Bible

26 And likewise also, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unexpressed groanings. 27 And the one who searches our hearts knows what the mindset of the Spirit is, because he intercedes on behalf of the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, 29 because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined, these he also called, and those whom he called, these he also justified, and those whom he justified, these he also glorified.
Romans 8:26-30  Lexham English Bible

if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved
Romans 10:9  Lexham English Bible

5 Now may the God of patient endurance and of encouragement grant you to be in agreement with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one mind you may glorify with one mouth the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6  Lexham English Bible

14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
1 Corinthians 6:14  New American Standard Bible

The Peace of God

OT  4th Cycle.   NT  8th Cycle.

Tue 06Dec22
Jeremiah 38:1 - 52:34 (475 verses) Noah Webster Bible
Philippians 1:1 - 4:23 (104 verses) World English Bible
Colossians 1:1 - 4:18 (95 verses) World English Bible

Today I finished my long drawn out reading of the Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament while in the New Testament I read through the Epistles of Paul to the Philippians and Colossians.

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Passage of the Day

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!
5 Let your mildness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
7 The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4 - 7  World English Bible

Epaphras wrestled in prayer

OT  4th Cycle.    NT  7th Cycle.

Thursday 18Aug2022
2 Samuel 16:1 - 21:22 GNB (176 verses)
Philippians 1:1 - 4:23 NRSV (104 verses)
Colossians 1:1 - 4:18 NRSV (95 verses)

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Today I finished reading the Epistles to the Philippians and the Colossians.

In my Old Testament reading, I continued with the book of 2nd Samuel, covering chapters 16 to 21.

Passage of the day

In Colossians chapter 4, we read about Epaphras, a servant of the Lord Iesus who continually wrestled in prayers on behalf of the Colossian brethren. He prayed for them that they would stand mature, that they would be fully assured in everything according to the will of God.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills.
Colossians 4:12  New Revised Standard Version

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us pray like Epaphras. Let us always intercede for one another, that we may also stand mature and be fully assured in all things that God wills.

Let us therefore think this way

Monday 23May2022
OT reading to resume on 01Jul22
Philippians 1:1 – 4:23 WEB (104 verses)
Colossians 1:1 - 4:18 WEB (95 verses)

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In my reading of the Epistle to the Philippians today, I observed from the passage in chapter 3 which contains the well known verse, — Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before — that the Apostle also urges the Philippian brethren to think like him, particularly those who think they are already "perfect".

In verse 15, the apostle writes — Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way — meaning that we all should also forget the things which are behind us and stretch forward, pressing on towards the goal of the high calling of God in the Anointed Iesus (see verse 14).

Philippians 3:8 - 15  WEB  World English Bible

8 Yes most assuredly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;

11 if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brothers, I don't regard myself as yet having laid hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,

14 I press on toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, this God will also reveal that to you.

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, like the Apostle, let us who think we are already "made perfect" think this way: to count all our gains as loss and, forgetting what is behind us, stretch forward to the things that are before us. Let us press on.

To the Glory of God - the Father

Monday 28Feb2022

Today's Passages
2 Kings 21:1 - 25:30 RSV (133 verses)
Philippians 1:1 - 4:23 ASV (104 verses)

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In today's readings from the New Testament, I am reminded from Philippians chapter 2 that our confession that Iesus the Anointed is Lord must be done to the glory of God the Father Almighty.

Verses 9 to 11 tells us that God has "highly exalted" our Lord Iesus and has given to Iesus the Name which is above every name: so that everyone in heaven and on earth shall kneel down and confess that Iesus is Lord. However, this great confession is done not to glorify Iesus, but instead to glorify God alone.

Philippians 2:9 - 11  ASV  American Standard Version

9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name;
10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Nine years ago, I wrote briefly on this observation in my devotional blog, in a post entitled, "Whom shall we glorify?":

• Whom shall we glorify?

A Summary of Readings over two weeks

Monday 2021.12.13

Today's Passages:
2 Chronicles 33:1 - 36:23 RBV (108 verses)
Genesis 1:1 - 3:24 NIV (80 verses)
Ephesians 5:1 - 6:24 NIV (57 verses)
Philippians 1:1 - 4:23 NIV (104 verses)

Sunday 2021.12.12
Passages:
2 Chronicles 32:1 - 33 ASV (33 verses)
Ephesians 3:1 - 4:32 RBV (53 verses)

Friday 2021.12.10
Passages:
2 Chronicles 30:1 - 31:21 ASV (48 verses)
Galatians 6:1 - 18 RBV (18 verses)
Ephesians 1:1 - 2:22 RBV (45 verses)

Thursday 2021.12.09
Passages:
Galatians 4:1 - 5:26 RBV (57 verses)

Mon 2021.11.29 to Wed 2021.12.08
Cumulative Passages:
2 Chronicles 10:1 - 29:36 (432 verses)
2 Corinthians 1:1 - 13:14 (233 verses)

I was away from my computer for the last two weeks, visiting my daughter's family whom I have not seen for two years because of border restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

At last, I am back again at my desktop, writing this post and waking up to the reality of how many chapters I had managed to read while travelling and visiting my grandchildren.

From the end of November when I began preparing to embark on my journey, to the first week of December, I finished reading the entire epistle of Second Corinthians along with nineteen chapters of Second Chronicles up to the end of chapter 29.

Then from 09December until today, I read Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians. At the same time, I finished the remaining seven chapters of Second Chronicles, bringing me to the end of my 2nd Cycle of Old Testament Reading.

Today I embark on my 3rd Cycle of Old Testament Reading, beginning with the book of Genesis, covering the first three chapters.

All in all over the last two weeks, I have read a total of 701 verses from the Old Testament. From the New Testament, I read a total of 567 verses, bringing me to the end of Philippians in the current 4th Cycle of New Testament Reading.

An offering for sin

Wednesday 2021.08.25

This morning I read chapters fifty-two through fifty-nine of the book of the prophet Isaiah in the OT.

Chapter 53 tells of a "man of suffering" (Isaiah 53:3) who was chosen by Yehovah to bear our sins (Isaiah 53:4, 11b, 12 LXX) and to die for the iniquities of His people. Verse 8 says,

Isaiah 53:8 LXX Brenton
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken away from the earth: because of the iniquities of my people he was led to death.

Verse 10 in chapter 53, however, seem to be translated rather differently in the NIV (based on the Hebrew Masoretic text) compared to the Brenton translation (based on the Greek Septuagint). There is significant contrast in meaning between the phrase "though the LORD makes his life an offering" in the NIV against the phrase "if ye can give an offering for sin" in the Brenton LXX.

Isaiah 53:10 NIV
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

Esaias 53:10 LXX Brenton
The Lord also is pleased to purge him from his stroke.
If ye can give an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed:

My NT reading for today is Philippians chapters three and four. This completes my reading of the Pauline Epistle to the Philippians. Tomorrow, I will begin reading the Epistle to the Colossians using the New King James Version.

Today's Passages:
Isaiah 52:1 - 59:21 NIV
Philippians 3:1 - 4:23 KJV -- Colossians NKJV

The Chosen Servant

Tuesday 2021.08.24

Today's portion of my OT reading is from Isaiah chapters forty-seven through fify-one.

Isaiah chapter 49 records a prophecy about the Messiah, the servant chosen by Yehovah to bring Israel back to Him, and also to bring the salvation of Yehovah to all Gentile nations, "to the ends of the earth"

Isaiah 49:5, 6 NIV
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

The prophecy continues in verse 7, that this Chosen Servant will rule over kings and princes of the earth.

Isaiah 49:7 NIV
This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

For my NT reading, I started on chapters one and two of the Epistle to the Philippians using the King James Version, as I continue with my third cycle of reading the New Testament.

Today's Passages:
Isaiah 47:1 - 51:23 NIV
Philippians 1:1 - 2:30 KJV

Friday 09Apr21

Friday 2021.04.09

Isaiah 1:1 - 2:22 JND
Psalm 22(23):1 - 24(25):22 LXX
Philippians 3:1 - 4:23 WNT
Colossians 1:1 - 29 KJV
Sirach 16:1 - 30 LXX

JND = J.N.Darby's Translation
LXX = Septuagint Brenton
WNT = Weymouth New Testament
KJV = King James Version

Thursday 08Apr21

Thursday 2021.04.08

2 Chronicles 31:1 - 36:23 BBE
Psalm 18(19):1 - 21(22):32 LXX
Philippians 1:1 - 2:30 WNT
Sirach 15:1 - 20 LXX

BBE = Bible in Basic English
ASV = American Standard Version
LXX = Septuagint Brenton
WNT = Weymouth New Testament
KJV = King James Version

Friday 26June2020

Exodus 8:1 - 32 LXX
Philippians 3:1 - 4:23 KJV, JND

LXX = Septuagint (Brenton)
JND = J. N. Darby's English Translation
KJV = King James Version

Thursday, 25June2020

Exodus 5:1 - 7:25 LXX
Colossians 4:1 - 18 KJV, JND
Philippians 1:1 - 2:30 KJV

LXX = Septuagint (Brenton)
JND = J. N. Darby's English Translation
KJV = King James Version