Dear sisters,

¡Hola, week 10! Today we will start our 10th week of this Bible Reading Challenge, Friends! Praise God for all the answered prayers and for blessing us with this plan. God has been so kind to us!

My dear friend, Rachel Jankovic shared these encouraging words on our Facebook page this week and I thought that she said exactly what we all need to hear. So here you go, be encouraged by her words:

“The goal of this challenge is to help women truly become women of the Word. It is not about getting a gold star beside every chapter of every OT book, or about doing a better job than our sisters at finding the time. The goal is to pursue the Word, be shaped by the Word, and to be women who are habitually in the Word.

There are two challenges that we will face doing this, and most of us have probably already faced both – the flesh, and the devil. The flesh gets tired, gets annoyed at other women who seem to be doing better, feels sorry for ourselves, frustrated, rolls it’s eyes at Deuteronomy, or generally lets us down. The devil wants to encourage every one of these tendencies of the flesh and will give us all ample opportunities to let these little sparks fan in to flames.

But who is for us? This goal of this challenge is a goal that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt God loves. It is His Word we pursue, it is His shaping we are asking for. This is His good work that He has begun in us, and He will complete it.

So keep these things in mind. God is perfect, but He is not a perfectionist. Do not let perfect be the enemy of good. Do not let your ideal performance of reading the Bible keep you from coming to the word at all. When we have said just jump in on today, that is not an out for the losers or training wheels for the weak, or some kind of lesser way. The reason that we are saying to do that is because that is the whole point of this challenge. To be women who habitually come to the Word. That is itself the discipline – not letting petty things come between you and what you should be doing.”

Isn’t that encouraging? So, now we are ready to talk about what we will be reading this week. We will finish reading Deuteronomy and Mark, we’ll read Psalms 1 and 2, Proverbs 26, and Hebrews 5 (again!). On Wednesday we will find a surprise catch-up day in the middle of week. How nice is that? And because I know that many of you want suggested readings for that day, I say that if you have the time, you can read Galatians 3, Romans 8, and Hebrews 12. Warning: Bring Kleenex.

On Thursday we will start another pairing of books that will make your heart sing: Joshua and Acts. We will be reading in the book of Joshua how God will equip and lead His people through different battles to take possession of the Promised Land, and in Acts we will see how God will equip and lead the New Testament Church to posses the land, to advance the Kingdom of God.

In both stories God’s people will encounter big and real enemies, the inhabitants of the Promised Land were fierce and the civil government and religious system that the church faced were merciless. But in both cases, God was bigger than His enemies, and in both cases His Presence and His promises went ahead of them. Joshua and the apostles prayed and God answered them, not by removing them from the battle field, but by increasing their faith. God made them bold and through His Spirit made them courageous and fearless. They knew Who had called them and knew that He was able to give them the victory. And in both cases the end is the same: God wins, Jesus reigns and God’s will prevails.

I pray that this week you will find much encouragement in the Word and that in your trials you will see, by faith, the end: God wins.

May our prayer this week be, “ God, this week, help us to devote ourselves to prayer and to the Word. Bless our coming to You, we pray.” (Acts 6:4)

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Dear sisters,

Ready for another week of this Bible Reading Challenge? Ready to be stretched in your thinking? Ready for another week in which God, through His Word, will make you grow and sanctify you? As we keep reading we see that the hardest part of this challenge, of wearing this new habit is not necessarily finding the time to read, or fully understanding what we are reading. The hardest part might be seeing how some passages would be wonderful for our friend, or our husband, or our children to read, but forgetting that the Word is a mirror in which we ought to see ourselves first. The Word of God is for all His people, yes, but it is also for you personally. The Gospel message is powerful to change people -including you. So, let’s pray this week, as we come to His Word, that He will change us into His image. That He will show us the areas in our lives in which repentance is needed, that He will speak to us and humble us, and revive us and make us strong. He will hear and He will answer us.

This week we will finish reading the book of Numbers. Numbers started with directions for His people in the desert and will end with directions on how God’s people will need to live in cities. New rules, new patterns will be needed in their new life after the crossing of the Jordan River and again, God will not leave His people without directions. He will make His ways known to them. Matthew Henry says in his commentary on Numbers 36:13, “Whatever new condition God, by His Providence, brings us into, we must beg him to teach us the duties of it, and to enable us to do them, that we may do the work of the day in its day, the duty of a place in its place.”

We will also finish reading the 1st epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. In it we will read how we are to live as people of God in this world. And just like it was impossible for the Israelites to live according to all the laws, it is impossible for us to live according to God’s demands apart from the power of the Cross.  Paul in this letter, explains how we can live pure and clean lives, lives set apart because we believe in the power of the Gospel. Obedience is possible because Christ is risen and He is at work in us. The way of love is possible because He has given us His Spirit. Building each other up is possible because the risen Christ is what brings us together. The theme of the resurrection of Christ and the believers is an important theme in this epistle, so pay attention, you don’t want to miss all of the treasures in it!

After a catch-up day on Friday, we will start with the epistle of Mark and Deuteronomy, the last book Moses wrote in the desert on the plains of Moab before entering Canaan. It is important to note that in both, 1 Corinthians and Deuteronomy we will find many strong warnings against idolatry. God is God, and He is Holy and Zealous, and He has never changed. The gods people serve, the idols we make change. But God remains the same and His character remains the same.

Mark opens with a powerful phrase, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…” (ESV)  The same Gospel that later Paul proclaimed and we believe is true because God became man and conquered sin on the cross. Jesus starts His ministry doing what no one would have ever dared to do (and now we understand this much better!): He touched the unclean, the outcasts and made them whole. He also starts calling His disciples one by one, and we see that He chooses them to be His own, just like He chose Israel in the Old Testament out of the pure pleasure of His will.

Friends, we pray and trust that God will continue to bless you as you open His Word. May we have eyes to see His glory in the words we read and may we be transformed by it. Our prayer this week will be, “Father, help us this week to strive to excel in building up the church.” (1Cor. 14:12b ESV)

Under His sun and by Hs grace,

Becky Pliego and the team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Dear sisters,

We have been reading verses and chapters, we have turned pages and have read entire books of the Bible. Little by little we have been nourishing our souls in faith, and we may not remember all that we have read, but God’s Word has been doing its work in us. His Word never returns void, we believe that, so we keep reading.

Some of us might feel discouraged to keep reading not because we are behind in our reading (because we already know that if we fall behind in our reading, we just jump in on the day we are on and happily join the others), but because we still see sinful attitudes coming out of our hearts, ugly comments coming out of our mouths, and perverse thoughts lurking in our minds. “Why keep on reading?” we might ask ourselves “Why keep it up if I am not changing?” But the way out is up and not in. So what do we do? We repent and believe. The Gospel message has not changed. The Gospel message is not only for the day we are born again. The Gospel message is for our everyday life. We repent, we believe and as a result of that, we obey.  We want to be holy because our God is Holy. The Gospel, friend, is for you right where you are now: Repent and believe. There is always grace upon grace and on top of that, more grace to help you walk in a manner worthy of your calling. So take the Book, and read on!

This week we will finish reading Leviticus (chapters 9-27) and Hebrews  (chapters 5-13). We will read also Psalms 17 and 19, and on Friday we will have another Catch-up Day (some optional readings for Friday are 1st John or 1st Corinthians).

Leviticus is one of those books that we consider boring and too long, but as you read it remember that these are the Words of God. And these Words point us to Christ, as He himself told us: “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”  John 5:46-47. So let’s read with an inclination to see Christ on these pages. Hebrews is a wonderful letter that will help us read the Levitical code and the Holiness Code (including all the covenant sanctions and promises), with Christ at the center.

The heart of Leviticus is found in chapter 19. The chapter in which we read God’s Word speaking to us, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” And because we are reading all these laws, we might be tempted to think that being holy has all to do with what we do, with our efforts to keep all the loose ends tied up nicely; but the good news is that being holy is first and foremost about “being” not about “doing.” And Sisters, because we have repented and believed in Jesus Christ we have already been made holy! God is the one who has set us apart to be holy, therefore we act holy, and we strive to live holy lives, and we wholeheartedly keep pursuing righteousness. And that is why we keep taking God’s book and keep reading it, because we know that His Word washes us, and that His Holy Spirit sanctifies us and enables us to continue being holy just like He is Holy.

Keep your eyes open as you read Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews, see if you can find 13 ways in which Jesus, His work, and the results of His work are better than the Law.

Next Monday we will have our Webinar at 10:00 am PST here.  I truly hope you can join us. I am excited to share with you some great connections that are found in our readings that I am sure will help you understand the book of Leviticus in a clearer way. I will also tell you those 13 “better” things we can see in Hebrews about Jesus and His work! As always, the webinars will be recorded so that you can watch them later at your own convenience.

May our prayer this week be, “Revive my soul, make me wise, may my heart rejoice, may my eyes be enlightened as I come to your Word this week, O Lord!” (Ps. 19:7-8)

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Dear sisters,

Isn’t it great to know that we are moving into week 5 of this Bible Reading Challenge together?  If you signed up to start, but already feel like you won’t be able to keep up with the plan and finish strong, please read this: Do not quit. Don’t stop now, friend. Jump in on the day we are on and rejoice and be glad! Take the Book of Life and eat it. Open the Book of God and read. Feed your soul. Read one verse, and then the next, and the next one, and then the next chapter. Keep turning one page after another; God is speaking and He wants you to hear Him. Are you discouraged? Are the cares of your heart many? Open the Bible and read it in faith. Eat, God will make sure that His Word will not return void, it will do what God intends to do with it in your life. Receive it with meekness and let God give the increase. Take the Bible today and read it.

This week we will finish Exodus, 1st and 2nd Peter, and start Leviticus and Hebrews after having a Catch-up Day on Thursday. My recommendation, if you are current in your readings, is to read 1st Peter (or Galatians again) in one sitting on Thursday.

The book of Exodus, which we have been reading and I spoke about in the last Webinar, is a book in which God wants to make Himself known to His people. He wants to make His Name known, His power known, His glory known. He redeems a people for Himself to set them free to worship and love Him, and obey Him. God, Yahweh is His name, gives Israel His Law, Ten Words, that are given in the context of grace to show them how to be blessed in their walking with Him.

Yahweh wants to dwell with His people and gives them instructions on how to build a meeting place, the Tabernacle, and how to approach Him. There is a need for a priest, a mediator before God and men. So God, in His kindness, provides priests for them. The shedding of a flawless Lamb’s blood is required to open a way to His presence; substitutionary atonement to forgive sins is necessary to come to the Holy of Holies. And in all these, God keeps pointing us to the Perfect Lamb who was slain for His people and the Perfect High Priest: Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Be prepared to read the last four verses of Exodus with much excitement. These verses which tell us of God’s glory filling up the temple clearly point us to see how Jesus, the radiance of the Glory of God (Heb.3:1), fills all the earth with His glory. The Lamb of God who was slain is alive today and is King over all! In Hebrews you will read about the reign of Christ, about His supremacy over all things even now.

1st and 2nd Peter will continue to shed more light on what God was telling us in the OT about Jesus our High Priest and how now we are God’s temple. Peter will remind us of our calling to be holy and to suffer persecution, he will explain what our baptism means, and will teach of what virtues we must have in our lives to stand against the false teachers. You will be filled with gratitude as you read these two short epistles.

In Leviticus we will read about the Holiness Code and the annual calendar for the Israelites. But the heart of the book is in chapter 19:1. God wants us to be holy because He is holy and the fulfillment of this is only found in our love for God and our love for our neighbor (1st Peter and Hebrews have the principle of God’s holiness and the call of His people to live holy lives as one of their main themes, so keep an eye open to see the connections).

Friends, be ready to let the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews explain to us in detail many types and symbols that we have been reading about in Genesis and Exodus, and will be reading about in Leviticus in a very clear way. Hebrews will shed light on your understanding of the whole Redemption Story and its main character, Jesus, in a wonderful way.

I hope you can join us in our next Webinar on Monday at 10:00 AM PST. It is my prayer as I prepare these webinars that you will find them encouraging and that they will be a way to help you press on, and persevere, and in doing so, love wearing this new habit of coming to the Word every day.

May our prayer this week be, “Lord, I pray that as I think and mediate on your Word, my soul will take comfort. Remember the Word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.” Psalm 119: 52 and 49

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Dear sisters,

How is the reading going for each one of you? We want you to always remember that it is our desire that each woman who signed up for this challenge will finish strong. And one of the things we want to encourage you to keep in mind as we enter week 4 is that if you miss a day or two, or ten, of the Bible Reading Challenge you should not quit. By all means, please don’t quit! Just jump in on the day we all are on.Take The Book and keep reading.  Be encouraged! God wants you to come to His Word and He will not let you go empty.

This week our readings are going to be pretty amazing. Reading Galatians after just having read Genesis and before we start reading Exodus is going to be like entering into a vault filled with precious stones. Each one will shine in such a way that will bring some unique light to the passages we have been reading and the ones we will be reading next. For many of you, this will be the first time that you will see in a very clear way how the New Testament is the best commentary on the Old Testament, and you will be amazed by its radiance! For others, this will be amazing in a different way, you will have more light to see with more clarity some things that you had not seen before and you will treasure the Scriptures even more. Be ready to be dazzled, Friends!

Are you ready to open the Book and read about the way God redeems a people to Himself? Are you ready to read about the way God will destroy a nation and its gods (Egypt) and build a new one (Israel) for Himself? We will read of the first Passover, and how a Lamb’s blood was required to protect God’s people and save them from His judgement. We will read the crossing of the Red Sea, and the songs they sang (like Psalm 90). And we will read how quickly God’s people forgot their mighty deliverance and started to murmur and complain. We will read how they forgot that they were delivered to be God’s people and to worship Him alone. We will read how they forgot that God is faithful and just and merciful. But we will also read that God will not forget them. Even in their grumbling He will lead them, and He will feed them, and will give them water. And we will see Jesus there: the Bread of Life in the manna and the Living Water flowing from the Rock, which is Christ (1Cor.10:4). And of course, after reading this, we will be brought to a point in which we will need to repent from our grumbling, or burst in thanksgiving before God. Or both!

We will read how God’s law was given in the context of His amazing grace, and in the epistle to the Galatians we will read why the law was needed and was given. And as we keep reading we want to remember that obedience to the law was only expected as a result of gratitude to God for His great deliverance. As you read all the given laws, always keep in mind Ex. 20:1-2 and meditate on the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 146.

1 Peter 1 and 2 are wonderful readings to do as you read more about God’s laws and directions about the Tabernacle and the priests in Exodus. And guess what? Ready for some good news? 1 Peter has only 5 short chapters that I think that those of you who may have 15 extra minutes on Sunday to sit down to read, will love reading in one sitting.

Friends, I hope you can join us on Monday at 10:00AM Pacific Time to watch our Webinar live here: (https://www.christkirk.com/biblechallenge). If you can’t join us at that time, remember that all the webinars are being recorded so that you can watch them at your own convenience later. You can find them here:
(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnTDQ1ggnV_wdm6JsHVBAaQ).

May our prayer this week be, Father, thank you for the work of your Spirit in my life. I ask you to continue working in my heart so that I may find my delight in Your commandments, which I love, and meditate on them day and night.” (Psalm 119: 47.48)

Happy reading!

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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