Daily Devotions · January 16
Reading for January 16
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Genesis 39–41 · Luke 16
Genesis 39–41 · Luke 16, Berean Standard Bible
Genesis 39
Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. 5 From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. 6 So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” 8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” 10 Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her. 11 One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. 12 She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 16 So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, 18 but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison. 23 The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Genesis 40
Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time, 5 both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. 7 So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?” 8 “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.” 12 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison. 15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.” 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head. 17 In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.” 20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 21 Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation. 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.
Genesis 41
After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, 2 when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up, 5 but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream. 8 In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard. 11 One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually. 13 And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” 14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.” 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt! 20 Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first. 21 When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke. 22 In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. 24 And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.” 25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning. 27 Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine. 28 It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly. 33 Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities. 36 This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.” 37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt. 46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully. 48 During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it. 49 So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure. 50 Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.” 52 And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt. 55 When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” 56 When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
Luke 16
Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first. 6 ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Take your bill,’ said the manager, ‘sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him. 8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10 Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus. 15 So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God. 16 The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. 18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 19 Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. 20 And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’ 27 ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’ 30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Your SOAP journal
Write your SOAP here. Tap any verse in the reading to add it to Scripture. Your journal saves on this device only, so no one else sees it.
Added to your journal. Go to journal
Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.