Daily Devotions · November 13
Reading for November 13
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Job 39–40 · 1 Corinthians 13–14
Job 39–40 · 1 Corinthians 13–14, Berean Standard Bible
Job 39
“Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the doe bear her fawn? 2 Can you count the months they are pregnant? Do you know the time they give birth? 3 They crouch down and bring forth their young; they deliver their newborn. 4 Their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field; they leave and do not return. 5 Who set the wild donkey free? Who released the swift donkey from the harness? 6 I made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling. 7 He scorns the tumult of the city and never hears the shouts of a driver. 8 He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing. 9 Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night? 10 Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you? 11 Can you rely on his great strength? Will you leave your hard work to him? 12 Can you trust him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? 13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork. 14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand. 15 She forgets that a foot may crush them, or a wild animal may trample them. 16 She treats her young harshly, as if not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain. 17 For God has deprived her of wisdom; He has not endowed her with understanding. 18 Yet when she proudly spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider. 19 Do you give strength to the horse or adorn his neck with a mane? 20 Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? 21 He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle. 22 He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing; he does not turn back from the sword. 23 A quiver rattles at his side, along with a flashing spear and lance. 24 Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance; he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds. 25 At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shouts of captains and the cry of war. 26 Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread his wings toward the south? 27 Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high? 28 He dwells on a cliff and lodges there; his stronghold is on a rocky crag. 29 From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar. 30 His young ones feast on blood; and where the slain are, there he is.”
Job 40
And the LORD said to Job: 2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.” 3 Then Job answered the LORD: 4 “Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, but I have no answer—twice, but I have nothing to add.” 6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7 “Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me. 8 Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself? 9 Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His? 10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory. 11 Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low. 12 Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand. 13 Bury them together in the dust; imprison them in the grave. 14 Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can save you. 15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox. 16 See the strength of his loins and the power in the muscles of his belly. 17 His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are rods of iron. 19 He is the foremost of God’s works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20 The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby. 21 He lies under the lotus plants, hidden among the reeds of the marsh. 22 The lotus plants conceal him in their shade; the willows of the brook surround him. 23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth. 24 Can anyone capture him as he looks on, or pierce his nose with a snare?
1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 14
Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be edified. 6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 Even in the case of lifeless instruments, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone recognize the tune they are playing unless the notes are distinct? 8 Again, if the trumpet sounds a muffled call, who will prepare for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Assuredly, there are many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If, then, I do not know the meaning of someone’s language, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12 It is the same with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13 Therefore, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 Otherwise, if you speak a blessing in spirit, how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other one is not edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. 21 It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.” 22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!” 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two, or at most three, should speak in turn, and someone must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, he should remain silent in the church and speak only to himself and God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints. 34 Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they wish to inquire about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for it is dishonorable for a woman to speak in the church. 36 Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, let him acknowledge that what I am writing you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, he himself will be ignored. 39 So, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.
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.
-
Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
-
Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
-
Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
-
Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
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.