Daily Bible Reading - Term 1 Week 3

Week 3: Why Did God Create the World, and How Did He Give Me Life?

Weeks 1 and 2 asked about identity and about God. This week asks about origins; why any of this exists at all. The theology readings move from the purpose of creation to the gift of life, and the story shows that same God, still at work, protecting a secret and welcoming a child.

This week's readings:

30 Second Theology — "Why did God create the world?" (Psalm 48) and "How did God give me life?" (Luke 1:57–58)

The Greatest Story Ever Told — "Secret No More" and "This Child"

Day 1 — Why Did God Create the World?

Reading:30 Second Theology, "Why did God create the world?" (Psalm 48)

Psalm 48 describes a God whose greatness is meant to be seen and praised. Creation isn't an accident or an afterthought; it's a display of who God is.

Journal prompt: What's one part of creation, a place, a person, a moment, that has made God's greatness obvious to me?

Prayer: God, thank you for making a world that points back to you. Help me notice your greatness in something ordinary today.

Day 2 — How Did God Give Me Life?

Reading: 30 Second Theology, "How did God give me life?" (Luke 1:57–58)

Luke 1 shows the birth of John the Baptist and the joy of a community celebrating a life God gave. Every life, including mine, starts as a gift, not an achievement.

Journal prompt: Do I tend to treat my life like a gift I've received or something I've earned, and what would change if I saw it as a gift today?

Prayer:Lord, thank you for the gift of my life. Help me live today with gratitude instead of taking it for granted.

Day 3 — Secret No More

Reading: The Greatest Story Ever Told, "Secret No More"

What was hidden starts coming into the open. God's plans don't stay quiet forever, in his timing, what he's doing becomes clear.

Journal prompt: Is there something I've been keeping to myself that I need to bring into the open, with God, or with someone I trust?

Prayer: God, thank you for bringing your plans into the light in your timing. Give me courage to be honest with you about what I've been keeping hidden.

Day 4 — This Child

Reading: The Greatest Story Ever Told, "This Child"

A child arrives who will change everything, welcomed by people who don't yet fully understand what they're holding.

Journal prompt: Where in my life have I underestimated how much something or someone would matter later?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for coming as a child, small and ordinary on the outside, and world-changing underneath. Help me trust you even when I don't yet understand what you're doing.

Day 5 — Integration

Reading: No new reading — look back over the week.

This week connected the "why" of creation with the "why" of a single life; both point back to a God who makes things on purpose and reveals himself in his own timing.

Journal prompt: This week I read about why the world exists and how I was given life, and watched a secret plan come into the open through a child. Where is God asking me to trust his timing this week?

Prayer: God, thank you for this week. Thank you for the world you made and the life you gave me. Help me trust your timing as I carry this into the week ahead.