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The Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week, Sunday, January 5 to Saturday, January 11, 2025.
OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz
January 3, 2025
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Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week. Note that the readings are based on the New American Bible.
Jeremiah Chapters 1-3
Read Jeremiah 1:4-10 again.
In this reading, we see that God had made a special plan for Jeremiah’s life, even before he was born.
Ask God to help us to remember the times when God’s voice has spoken to us and to give us clear, external confirmation of any special call on our lives.
In your childhood, or in your adult life, do you remember any events or conversations that left a very deep impression on you? Is it possible that God was using these experiences to give you an idea of a special purpose for your life?
Jeremiah Chapters 4-6
Much of today’s reading could have been summarized with these words: “The Lord was angry with disobedient people and planned to punish them, without destroying them completely.”
What effect would those rather sterile and concise words have had on you, the reader? What effect do you think the author intended to have on readers by using the actual words which were in long passages and included passionate language?
Ask God to help us to become aware of how language is used in the Bible so that we don’t miss out on any messages communicated by the style, and not just by the basic facts, of what we are reading.
Which communication styles do you think would be most effective for you to use in persuading people in your life to take an issue seriously?
Jeremiah Chapters 7-9
Read Jeremiah 7:1-7 again.
In this passage, we read about people being called by the Lord to change their ways. This call was followed by a promise that the Lord would dwell with them if they made these changes.
Ask God to inspire us to read stories about the lives of saints and their conversion experiences to help us make changes in our own lives that would bring us closer to Him.
All of us fall short in reflecting God’s love in the world. Which changes do you think God is calling you to make at this time in your life?
Jeremiah Chapters 10-12
Read Jeremiah 12:5 again.
God called Jeremiah to do great things. Jeremiah’s greatest battles wouldn’t be against men; instead, they would be against a greater force that is compared to the strength of horses.
Read Isaiah 53:5 and ask God to heal us of anything that is holding us back from experiencing victory in our own life battles.
What form do the “horses” take in your life? Do you do battle with discouragement, fear or lack of faith? Who can you reach out to so that you don’t struggle with these challenges alone?
Jeremiah Chapters 13-15
Read Jeremiah 13:1-11 again.
These verses talk about how God wants to stay very close to us.
Read Revelation 3:20 and ask God to reassure us that He is gentle and lets us decide how close to get.
How close do you get to other people? Do you think that there may be any relationship between how close you get to other people and how close you desire to get to God?
Jeremiah Chapters 16-18
Read Jeremiah 17:19-22 again.
Ask God to help us keep our own “Sabbath” days holy.
Imagine that you are where you usually are when you wake up on Sundays. What can you do between the start and end of the day to make your typical Sundays more holy?
Jeremiah Chapters 19-21
Read Jeremiah 20:7-18 again. Jeremiah expresses a great deal of emotional pain and wishes he never had been born.
Ask God to help us to empathize with the struggles of the people who are presented to us in the Bible, so that we can be more compassionate towards ourselves and others in our own lives.
How did it make you feel to read about Jeremiah’s interior crisis? Is there anything in what he experienced that is similar to what you, yourself, have gone through? Why do you suppose that the Bible records such a deep, personal struggle for others to read?
A version of this story appeared in the December 29, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Make the change that brings you closer to God".
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