Bible Reading Information for April
Monthly Schedule
Daily Reading Schedule
- Apr 1: Judges 6-7
- Apr 2: Judges 8-9
- Apr 3: Judges 10-12
- Apr 4: Judges 13-15
- Apr 5: Judges 16-18
- Apr 6: Judges 19-21
- Apr 7: Ruth
- Apr 8: 1 Samuel 1-3
- Apr 9: 1 Samuel 4-8
- Apr 10: 1 Samuel 9-12
- Apr 11: 1 Samuel 13-14
- Apr 12: 1 Samuel 15-17
- Apr 13: 1 Samuel 18-20; Psalm 11, 59
- Apr 14: 1 Samuel 21-24
- Apr 15: Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34, 52
- Apr 16: Psalm 56, 120, 140-142
- Apr 17: 1 Samuel 25-27
- Apr 18: Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63
- Apr 19: 1 Samuel 28-31 ; Psalm 18
- Apr 20: Psalm 121, 123-125, 128-130
- Apr 21: 2 Samuel 1-4
- Apr 22: Psalm 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21
- Apr 23: 1 Chronicles 1-2
- Apr 24: Psalm 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87
- Apr 25: 1 Chronicles 3-5
- Apr 26: Psalm 73, 77-78
- Apr 27: 1 Chronicles 6
- Apr 28: Psalm 81, 88, 92-93
- Apr 29: 1 Chronicles 7-10
- Apr 30: Psalm 102-104
Meditation
The Nature of Genuine Love
The nature of genuine love can be seen in four things:
First, it is a work of divine grace. "We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedonia" (8:1). The generosity of the Macedonians was not of human origin. Even though verse three says they gave "of their own accord," the willingness was a gift of God-a work of grace.
You can see this same combination of God's sovereign grace resulting in man's willingness in 8:16-17.
Thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. For he ... is going to you of his own accord.
God put it in his heart. So he goes of his own accord. The willingness is a gift-a work of divine grace.
Second, this experience of God's grace filled the Macedonians with joy. "In a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality" (8:2). Note that their joy was not owing to the fact that God had prospered them financially. He hadn't! In "extreme poverty" they had joy. Therefore the joy was a joy in God-in the experience of his grace.
Third, their joy in God's grace overflowed in generosity to meet the needs of others. "Their abundance of joy . . . overflowed in a wealth of liberality" (8:2). Therefore the liberality expressed horizontally toward men was an overflow of joy in God's grace.
Fourth, the Macedonians begged for the opportunity to sacrifice their meager possessions for the saints in Jerusalem. "They gave . . . beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints" (8:3-4). In other words, the way their joy in God overflowed was in the joy of giving. They wanted to give. It was their joy!
Now we can give a definition of love that takes God into account and also includes the feelings that should accompany the outward acts of love: Love is the overflow of joy in God which, gladly meets the needs of others. (John Piper)