Daily Devotions · June 9
Reading for June 9
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Ecclesiastes 10–12 · Psalm 94 · Ephesians 5
Ecclesiastes 10–12 · Psalm 94 · Ephesians 5, Berean Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 10
As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left. 3 Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest. 5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler: 6 Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions. 7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. 8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake. 9 The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself. 10 If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success. 11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. 12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. 13 The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness. 14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him? 15 The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. 16 Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness. 18 Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks. 19 A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. 20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.
Ecclesiastes 11
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. 2 Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land. 3 If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie. 4 He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap. 5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper. 7 Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. 8 So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile. 9 Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. 10 So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 12
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,” 2 before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened, and the clouds return after the rain, 3 on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly, 4 when the doors to the street are shut and the sound of the mill fades away, when one rises at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song grow faint, 5 when men fear the heights and dangers of the road, when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry shrivels—for then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets. 6 Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well, 7 before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!” 9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd. 12 And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. 13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
Psalm 94
O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth. 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud. 3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult? 4 They pour out arrogant words; all workers of iniquity boast. 5 They crush Your people, O LORD; they oppress Your heritage. 6 They kill the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. 7 They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.” 8 Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who affixed the ear, can He not hear? He who formed the eye, can He not see? 10 He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline? He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge? 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile. 12 Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, and teach from Your law, 13 to grant him relief from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the LORD will not forsake His people; He will never abandon His heritage. 15 Surely judgment will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity? 17 Unless the LORD had been my helper, I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. 18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,” Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me. 19 When anxiety overwhelms me, Your consolation delights my soul. 20 Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—one devising mischief by decree? 21 They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the LORD has been my stronghold, and my God is my rock of refuge. 23 He will bring upon them their own iniquity and destroy them for their wickedness. The LORD our God will destroy them.
Ephesians 5
Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God. 3 But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Test and prove what pleases the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself. 14 So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her 26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. 30 For we are members of His body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
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.