Sunday

Reading through the Bible - PHILEMON










Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.









PHILEMON  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE 

18th book of the NT 
57th book of the Bible




What is it?

The Book of Philemon is one of the Epistles in the New Testament which means it is a letter.




Who was it written to?

It was written to Philemon, a Christian and church leader, who owned a slave Onesimus.




Who Wrote it?

The Apostle Paul (previously called Saul) 

Although Paul does include Timothy in the first line of the letter

"Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother"



How does it start?

It starts with a greeting v.1-3    

This is not only to Philemon but also to the church who meet in His house.






pronouncing a blessing of Grace and Peace on them all.


I love the blessings pronounced in God's Word and they are still blessings to us as well.


Then it continues straight away in verse 4 with an encouraging statement that they are not forgotten and are prayed for regularly.







How Long is it?

It has only 1 chapter which contains 25 verses.




When was it written?

It is generally thought to have been written around 60AD.




Why was it written?

It was written so that believers would accept a slave, called Onesimus, as a brother in Christ since he had met Paul and got saved.
Paul actually sent the letter with Onesimus to Philemon and asks Philemon to whom Onesimus had been a slave to forgive him for running away but also requests that he may let him return to stay with Paul.



The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Paul strongly recommends that Philemon accept his runaway slave as a brother, not a slave."

 

which is seen in verse 16

 "no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord."

 


"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following

"Paul's message is that even though slavery was an accepted part of Roman society, we should treat each other as equals, like he encouraged Philemon to treat his slave like a brother "




What format does this book take?


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

  1. Paul greets and affirms Philemon (Phm 1–7)
  2. Paul requests that Onesimus be accepted as a brother (Phm 8–19)
  3. Paul anticipates Philemon’s obedience (Phm 20–25)




How does it end?


With greetings from 5 others that are with Paul in verses 23 & 24

and with a blessing




 

An example of how we should remember to bless others









OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 








Monday

The 5 Best Quotes on Forgiveness + Free Printable - Coffee & Conversation









I am not a fan of QUOTES

In fact sometimes I get very annoyed at how people almost treat a quote
 as more important than the Word of God

I actually wrote a blog post about Do We Really Need This Quote?








However I've been thinking about Forgiveness this month and there are some good quotes on the topic.

I have seen quotes from so many people on Forgiveness but I prefer to only refer to or recommend ones from people who I trust as standing firm on the Word of God.

So in the list below I will quote


Not Joel Osteen   but   St. Augustine

Not Joyce Meyers   but   Corrie Ten Boom   

Not William P Young (author of the Shack)   but   C.S. Lewis





1.  Saint Augustine

"Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again."



2.  John Bunyan
"No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness."




3.  Charles Spurgeon
"I believe that as often as I transgress, God is more ready to forgive me than I am ready to offend.  "


4.  Corrie Ten Boom
"Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart."



The visual above is available as a  Forgiveness Quotes Free Printable



5.  C. S. Lewis


I could not decide between these two quotes so I've included them both
(I had the same problem in The 5 Best Quotes on Love too)
"I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves.  Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."

 

"I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality.... asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me."









and I cannot but think that C.S. Lewis is definitely speaking for us all when he said

"We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it."

 


A personal Question of my own about Forgiveness is






Don't forget to download  your Forgiveness Quotes Free Printable











Sunday

Reading Through the Bible - OBADIAH









There are 2 main facts about the Book of Obadiah.

1st Main Fact
It is the shortest book in the Old Testament and the 4th shortest in the whole Bible (only 3rd John, 2nd John & Philemon are shorter).

Watch out for the 2nd main fact later in this blog post.









OBADIAH  - OLD TESTAMENT -  MINOR PROPHET 

31st book of the OT 
31st book of the Bible



It starts with a statement in v.1

"The vision of Obadiah."

and then continues straight into the prophecy that God gave to Obadiah about the country of Edom. 





What is it?

The Book of Obadiah is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.



How Long is it?

It has only 1 chapter which contains 21 verses.



Who Wrote it?

Obadiah

There are differences of opinion here it could have been

1.  Obadiah the servant of King Ahab
2.  An Obadiah that lived around the same time as Jeremiah




When was it written?

It is not exactly clear when this book was written but there are thoughts of two possible periods of time

1.  around the time of Elijah during King Ahab's reign
2.  around the time of Jeremiah when there were similar messages to the country of Edom.



Why was it written?


It was written as a warning to the people of Edom


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Obadiah warns the neighbouring nation of Edom that they will be judged for plundering Jerusalem."


"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following

"Obadiah warns the neighbouring nation of Edom that they will be judged for plundering Jerusalem.."





Who or What does Obadiah talk about? 


The coming judgement of God on the people of Edom v 1-9

The cruel treatment of the people of Edom to the people of Israel v 10-16

The final Triumph of Israel v 17-21





What background/history is there to the story of Edom?


It comes from the time of Isaac's twin sons Jacob and Esau in the Book of Genesis.

Esau lost his birthright to Jacob and the brothers were estranged but later there was a reconciliation.  God gave them both land but Jacob still had the blessing.

Later Esau's descendants were the people of Edom and Jacob's name was changed to Israel so his descendants where the Israelites. 





What does Obadiah write as encouragement? 


Edom may seem to have won against Israel but God is the one who wins in the end.




How does it end?


It ends with verse 21

Then saviours shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.




2nd Main Fact
It is the least popular book in the Bible!

I have to add here that there were no verses or short passages in this very short book that enticed me to make any Bible Verse graphics!!!

So if you read this Old Testament book the

The Overview Bible  says

"you’ll be able to say you read Obadiah—how many people do you know who can say that? (Probably not many … it’s the least popular book of the Bible.)"









OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 















Wednesday

Reading Through the Bible - Reading Plan by Order of Size of Books










There are many ways to read the Bible and many time ordered plans to follow but if you need encouragement to even just get started reading the bible in any kind of structured way then you need a Reading Plan or List.

Perhaps you have realised that there are some Books of the Bible that you have only read parts of, then it is good to have some kind of Reading Plan to rectify that.

But the best one is a simple one that you can definitely manage to stick with and I'll give you 5 EXTRA TIPS to help you keep going.


You will also find more help about getting started and making your reading of the bible into a good daily habit in 10 Ways to Help Start A Good Daily Habit 








I know there are Books of the Bible that I have read various times and then there are some that I may only have read once.

I also know that it is more encouraging to get started if we can see some sort of goals reached quickly or some sense of satisfaction from having accomplished different steps and even be able to tick off some things from a to do list.

So I thought I would make out a Bible Reading Plan that does that, some Books of the Bible are read within a very short period of time and then when are reading others we can incorporate some of the tips at the end of this blog post.

A flexible plan, a doable plan, a very simple plan with no time limits and those 5 EXTRA TIPS so make sure to check those out at the end of the post.


Basically it all centres around 


My Order for Reading


My order for reading through the Bible is based on the length of the books starting with the shortest (chapter nos.) and a few other factors I will note throughout the way.


I am not dictating how much I will read each day or how much time I will spend reading because sometimes I know I will get bogged down in
 
1. taking notes - it always happens to me
2. writing reminders to myself that I want to make a new Bible Verse Graphic (or 2 or 3) from the chapter I am in
3. wanting to talk to Fred (my husband) about something from the day's reading
4. having less time available to read or being interrupted more that usual
5. looking up some other Bible references that may be connected or some other info.



Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long so I'm going to go by Order of Size and start with the shortest books but use the no. of chapters for size not actual quantity of verses or word counts.

Then because of the type of person I am I will probably do most in alphabetical order but there will be a few exceptions.









MY READING LIST 


Books consisting of 1 Chapter

JUDE  -  26th Book of the NT  
OBADIAH  -  31st Book of the OT
PHILEMON  -  18th Book of the NT

Nice to have the OT Book slotted in between the two NT Books



Books consisting of 2 Chapters

HAGGAI  -  37th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 3 Chapters

HABAKKUK  -  35th Book of the OT
JOEL  -  29th Book of the OT
NAHUM -  34th Book of the OT
TITUS  -  17th Book of the NT
ZEPHANIAH -  36th Book of the OT

Good to have that one NT Book in among the OT Books to give a bit of variety especially as they were all Minor Prophets




Books consisting of 4 Chapters

COLOSSIANS -  12th Book of the NT
JONAH -  32th Book of the OT
MALACHI -  39th Book of the OT
PHILIPPIANS -  11th Book of the NT
RUTH -  8th Book of the OT

Nice mix in this grouping



Books consisting of 5 Chapters

JAMES -  20th Book of the NT
LAMENTATIONS -  25th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 6 Chapters

GALATIANS -  9th Book of the NT
EPHESIANS -  10th Book of the NT








Books consisting of 7 Chapters

1, 2 & 3 JOHN -  23rd, 24th & 25th Books of the NT
MICAH -  33rd Book of the OT

If I had stuck to the no. of chapters for each individual Epistle of John then 2nd & 3rd John would have been in the first group as they each have only one chapter but then I would have been reading them before John's first Epistle so I felt it better to combine them and read in Chronological Order.




Books consisting of 8 Chapters

1 & 2 Peter -  21st & 22nd Books of the NT
1 & 2 THESSALONIANS -  13th & 14th Books of the NT
SONG of SOLOMON -  22nd Book of the OT

As in the previous group I am combining Peter's Epistles and the Epistles to the Thessalonians to read in Chronological order.




Books consisting of 9 Chapters

AMOS  -  30th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 10 Chapters

1 & 2 TIMOTHY -  15th & 16th Books of the NT
ESTHER -  17th Book of the OT
EZRA -  15th Book of the OT

As in 2 previous groups I am combining 1st & 2nd Timothy so that they are read
 in Chronological order.




This Picture is a free printable from Children's Ministry 
check them out for this and other printables



Books consisting of 12 Chapters

DANIEL -  27th Book of the OT
ECCLESIASTES -  21st Book of the OT



Books consisting of 13 Chapters

HEBREWS -  19th Book of the NT
NEHEMIAH -  16th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 14 Chapters

HOSEA -  28th Book of the OT
ZECHARIAH -  38th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 16 Chapters

MARK -  2nd Book of the NT
ROMANS -  6th Book of the NT



Books consisting of 21 Chapters

JOHN -  4th Book of the NT
JUDGES -  7th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 22 Chapters

REVELATION -  27th Book of the NT



Books consisting of 24 Chapters

JOSHUA -  6th Book of the OT
LUKE -  3rd Book of the NT



Books consisting of 27 Chapters

LEVITICUS -  3rd Book of the OT



Books consisting of 28 Chapters

ACTS -  5th Book of the NT  
MATTHEW -  1st Book of the NT



Books consisting of 31 Chapters

PROVERBS -  20th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 34 Chapters

DEUTERONOMY -  5th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 35 Chapters

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS -  7th & 8th Books of the NT

As in 3 previous groups I am combining 1st & 2nd Corinthians so that they
 are read in Chronological order.



Books consisting of 36 Chapters

NUMBERS -  4th Book of the OT





Click Here to get a FREE PRINTABLE of the chart above




Books consisting of 40 Chapters

EXODUS -  2nd Book of the OT



Books consisting of 42 Chapters

JOB -  18th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 47 Chapters

1 & 2 KINGS -  11th & 12th Books of the OT

As in 4 previous groups I am combining 1st & 2nd Kings so that they 
are read in Chronological order.



Books consisting of 48 Chapters

EZEKIEL -  26th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 50 Chapters

GENESIS -  1st Book of the OT



Books consisting of 52 Chapters

JEREMIAH -  24th Book of the OT



Books consisting of 55 Chapters

1 & 2 SAMUEL -  9th & 10th Books of the OT

As in 5 previous groups I am combining 1st & 2nd Samuel so that they
 are read in Chronological order.




Books consisting of 65 Chapters

1 & 2 CHRONICLES -  13th & 14th Books of the OT

As in 6 previous groups I am combining 1st & 2nd Chronicles so that they
 are read in Chronological order.



Books consisting of 66 Chapters

ISAIAH -  23rd Book of the OT



Books consisting of 150 Chapters

Psalms -  19th Book of the OT



I was delighted to start with Jude as I had recently bought a book on this Epistle and of course I needed to read the actual Bible Book 
before the book written about it.






Click Here to get a FREE PRINTABLE of the chart above




For those interested in the length of time involved in reading the books of the Bible then you will find lots of interesting details on that in this post at Crossway
and even if you thought you weren't so interested you should really take a look because you will be surprised just how quickly you can read them (even the longest ones).









5 TIPS when Reading Through the Bible

  • As the books start to get longer in length set yourself a reasonable goal of a small number of chapters in each reading, even only one it is not a race.
  • When you are in the more complex (or more boring) books read less at each time. 
  • Do not feel like you have to even read a set number of full chapters each time - perhaps the end of a timeframe, or the end of a certain story comes in the middle of a chapter and then you could end your reading to coincide with that content. 
  • A good idea to help break up the longer or more complex books is to read a few Psalms or chapters of Proverbs in between the other books. (My husband is usually reading through the Psalms or Proverbs at the same time as reading other books of the Bible)
  • If you are feeling like it is becoming a chore any day just read a little and then go take a break that day and sing some praise songs.


Click Here to get a FREE PRINTABLE of the 5 TIPS above



If you are already a subscriber to this blog you will find the link to all my Free Printables 
in any of the emails you have received from me.




If you want to know exactly about the ordering of size of the books of the Bible taking word count into consideration then you will find a table with that info at The Overview Bible