Anything: Why Does It Matter?
Core Text: John 1:1-5
Why does anything matter? Is life just a series of disconnected events that will just come to an end one day? Does it really matter what I do with my life? Is there meaning or purpose for our existence? In this vast universe, how can we believe that life on this one planet has any substance at all? At the end of the day, does anything really matter?
We will begin the year with a conversation about ultimate meaning and purpose. Why do we believe that anything really matters in this world? What are the signs that point to a purposeful and meaningful creation? Does our life actually count for something?
January 1, 2023: We Are Here!
We have concluded our focus on Re-Everything! We are now here! A new year. New opportunities. New challenges. A fresh new start. God continues to lead us forward as we seek to live as blessed people!
Daily Bible Readings
January 2: Psalm 1
January 3: Psalm 23
January 4: Romans 8
January 5: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
January 6: Philippians 2:1-18
January 7: Re-Flection
January 8, 2023: In the Beginning . . .
The Bible begins with a simple, but profound declaration. In the beginning . . . God! God has no beginning. He simply exists. He is! He existed independently of anything else. He is eternal. He is both in time and beyond time. As the Bible declares, “In the beginning . . . God!
Daily Bible Readings
January 9: Genesis 1:1-2:3
January 10: Exodus 3:1-15
January 11: Hosea 11:1-11
January 12: Isaiah 55
January 13: John 1:1-18
January 14: Re-Flection
January 15, 2023: God Created . . . Everything!
Creation is the result of the willful activity of God. Everything owes its beginning to Him. Through His creative imagining, His unparalleled power, and His will ----- everything came into being. Why does anything matter? Because of God’s creative genius!!!
Daily Bible Readings
January 16: Genesis 1:1-2:3
January 17: Psalm 19
January 18: Job 38
January 19: Job 39
January 20: John 1:1-18
January 21: Re-Flection
January 22, 2023: Humanity: God’s Glory
God’s crowning achievement is humanity! He has placed His image in every human being. He has designed human beings to uniquely bear His image and reflect His glory in His world. Human beings matter because God designed us for a unique relationship with Him. His desire is for us to flourish!
Daily Bible Readings
January 23: Psalm 8
January 24: Genesis 2:4-25
January 25: Isaiah 43:1-13
January 26: John 4:1-26
January 27: John 7:25-44
January 28: Re-Flection
January 29, 2023: Putting Things Right
God has created the universe. Inherent within His creation is the desire for justice --- the hope to make things right. The God of the Bible is a just God. He is interested in true justice. The universal human desire for judgment points to the greater hope that one day, everything will be made right!
Daily Bible Readings
January 30: John 7:1-24
January 31: John 8:1-11
February 1: John 8:12-30
February 2: John 8:31-47
February 3: John 8:48-59
February 4: Re-Flection
February 5, 2023: Love Is . . .
Human beings have an innate desire to love and be loved. Love is at the heart of John’s Gospel. Jesus embodied love. He has shown us how to love. His life is a life of love. Jesus is love incarnate. Love exists in relationship. God has designed us as relational creatures and we find fulfillment when our relational needs are met----first in our relationship with Him and then with others.
Daily Bible Readings
February 6: John 10:1-21
February 7: John 10:22-42
February 8: John 11:1-16
February 9: John 11:17-37
February 10: John 11:38-57
February 11: Re-Flection
February 12, 2023: Soul Life
Human beings demonstrate a universal desire for and capacity for spiritual life. There is just something spiritual about all human beings. This reality points to the truth that we have all been created in the Image of God. All human beings have a soul. We find life for our soul through a deep relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.
Daily Bible Readings
February 13: John 15:1-8
February 14: John 15:9-27
February 15: John 16:1-15
February 16: John 16:16-33
February 17: John 13:1-17
February 18: Re-Flection
February 19, 2023: To Tell the Truth
Human beings have a deep longing for truth. We know we believe in truth. It can be hard to find. It can be hard to take. However, we still long for it. The existence of truth points to a greater reality ----- The Truth! Jesus is the embodiment of truth. One of the reasons that our lives matter is that we can discover ultimate truth. Truth exists and it makes a difference in the lives of all who discover it!
Daily Bible Readings
February 20: John 14:1-14
February 21: John 14:15-31