Tuesday, January 2, 2018

The Daily Readings for TUESDAY, January 2, 2018

Feeding the Five Thousand
John 6:1-14
Daily Readings

1 Kings 19:1-8
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

Ephesians 4:1-16
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

John 6:1-14
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Prayer of the Day for TUESDAY, January 2, 2018


Oh heavenly Father, who has created me, and preserved my life, and promised the joy of eternal life to all who come to Him through his only Son, Jesus Christ: I vow and determine to grow in my faith during the coming year, learning your holy Word, coming to you in prayer every day, and resolving to walk in all those good works which you have commanded us to walk in.

Bless me in my endeavors, dear God; if it may please you, send your Holy Spirit to always remind and correct me when I stray from your path; and renew in me, today and every day, a sense of prayer without ceasing. Let me honor you with my time, my love, my bounty, my words and deeds, as I lay up my treasure in heaven. In Christ's name, I pray,
Amen

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, January 2, 2018


Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Read all of Jeremiah 29

Listen to Jeremiah 29

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - Failure


Failure

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Have you failed in anything during the past year? I’m going to guess that the answer is a big “YES.” I certainly have. And in my own case — and I think, in many other peoples’ cases — some of the failures have been in things that I considered selfless, or at least a “good cause.” People fail in their attempts to stop committing a persistent sin, for example.

But we must remember one specific and central thing about God’s plan for us. No matter how many times we may fail, and no matter how huge and spectacular the failure may be, it has a purpose. God’s plan for us is for a success so perfect, so large, so eternal, that our eventual success will eclipse all of our failures in life and make them into nothing.

Our verse comes from Jeremiah and, in context, specifically concerns the Jews. We know from the Bible that, in one sense, Judaism was a complete failure. It was doomed from the beginning; the Law was actually incapable of bringing salvation to those who followed it. Israel came closest to fulfilling the Law in the reign of David; but the very next king (Solomon) sinned so badly that Israel was torn asunder, conquered, dispersed, and exiled.

Yet, the failure of the Law was not final, for the failure was part of God’s plan. He intended that the Hebrews would fail; the Law was necessary that the Jews, and the world, might understand its sin and be prepared to hear the message of the Messiah. (Galatians 3:19) Christ “accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.” (Romans 10:4, NLT)

And so our personal failures and failings can be seen in the light of Jeremiah. Not only is failure not permanent, but it can be part of God’s plan for our perfection and salvation. No matter how desperate we may feel at our situation in life, God gives us “a future and a hope.” Our plans are made of straw, but God’s plan for us is made of undefeatable spirit. So we should never feel despair; our future is assured, even in our failures.

This is the time of year to put all sense of failure behind us and look to the future. Let us stride into the New Year in absolute faith and abundant hope, for God’s plan is our welfare, a promise of total victory.
Oh heavenly Father, who has created me, and preserved my life, and promised the joy of eternal life to all who come to Him through his only Son, Jesus Christ: I vow and determine to grow in my faith during the coming year, learning your holy Word, coming to you in prayer every day, and resolving to walk in all those good works which you have commanded us to walk in.

Bless me in my endeavors, dear God; if it may please you, send your Holy Spirit to always remind and correct me when I stray from your path; and renew in me, today and every day, a sense of prayer without ceasing. Let me honor you with my time, my love, my bounty, my words and deeds, as I lay up my treasure in heaven. In Christ's name, I pray, Amen.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT® copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Have you failed in anything during the past year?

Un Dia a la Vez - Todos fallamos, pero Dios permanece


Todos fallamos, pero Dios permanece

Confía en el Señor de todo corazón, y no en tu propia inteligencia. Reconócelo en todos tus caminos, y él allanará tus sendas.

Muchas veces hemos confiado en personas por error y nos han defraudado porque nos han fallado. Quizá nos engañaran y por eso nos cueste mucho reconocer que debemos aprender a perdonar. Así que debemos entender que Dios es el único que no falla, que no nos dejará y que estará con nosotros por toda una eternidad.

Yo he ofendido y desilusionado a otros con mis actitudes, con mis reacciones. También he tenido que pasar por el trago amargo de perdonar de corazón a quien me ha fallado, a orar por esa persona que destruyó mi vida y mis ilusiones, por obediencia.

Durante varios años, fui madre soltera. Además, tuve que sufrir el abandono de los padres de mis hijas. De modo que enfrentar una vida sola con mis princesas me costó muchas lágrimas y mucho dolor. Sin embargo, los planes de Dios, que son perfectos, me permitieron perdonar de corazón.

¿Y tú? ¿Lo estás haciendo? ¿Hasta cuándo permitirás que tu vida sea amargada y triste? Confía en Dios y Él te sacará adelante porque esa es su promesa.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - STORMS CAN COME FROM OBEDIENCE


STORMS CAN COME FROM OBEDIENCE

That day when evening came, he [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
~ Mark 4: 35-37 (NIV)

(Read Mark 4:35-41)

From the disciples experience we see that storms can arise just by following the path of obedience. We know that when Jesus says, “Let’s go to the other side,” we will reach the other side in spite of any storms.

Ahmad was a respected Muslim leader and a brilliant scholar. While studying for his doctorate in comparative religions he began reading the New Testament and ultimately gave his life to Jesus. When Sharia, the law of Islam, became the law of the land, Ahmad was called in for questioning. When he admitted to being a Christian, he was arrested, put in chains, and thrown into solitary confinement.

The first night in prison, the authorities tried to kill him. Unexplainably, however, they could find no gasoline for their car to drive him to the place of execution. The next day, he was to be arraigned before the Islamic High Court. A lawyer friend urged him to renounce his faith publicly and just keep it secretly in his heart. Ahmad refused. “Jesus is my only defence,” he said. “I cannot deny Him.”

Ahmad was sentenced to six months in prison, stripped of his military rank, and fired from his teaching position. His wife had already divorced him. He also lost his four children, his car, house, and bank account.

If at the end of his sentence he still refused to return to Islam, the judges said, he would spend six more months behind bars. Ahmad organized small Bible studies and prayer groups throughout the prison. “By the end of three months,” he said, “there were more than three hundred known Christians in our prison, at least seven from Muslim background.”

One night, the guards threw Ahmad into a truck with orders to drown him in the river. But as the truck neared the river, it stopped mysteriously. Terrified, the guards and driver refused the officer’s orders to kill Ahmad. Soon after, he was released.

RESPONSE: Today I will live in the awareness that storms are a normal part of life in this world and the wise disciple prepares for them.

PRAYER: Pray that you will be cognizant of the storms you face which simply result from your obedience to Jesus.

Girlfriends in God - A Lifestyle of Obedience


A Lifestyle of Obedience

Today’s Truth

If you love me, you will obey my commands.
~ John 14:15 (NCV)

Friend to Friend

Obedience is an active choice to do what God wants us to do. Obedience is not just an outward motion, but an inner attitude as well.

I love the story of a small child who was running an errand with his dad. The little boy scrambled into the front seat of the car and stood beside his father. When the dad told his son that he had to sit down and put on his seat belt, the boy refused. “But Dad, if I sit down I can’t see anything,” he argued. The boy’s father smiled and said, “I know, Son. But I love you and want to take care of you. What if we had a wreck? Wearing a seat belt will keep you much safer than you would be standing up.” Folding his arms across his little chest, the boy refused to budge. His dad finally sat him down and buckled him in. The little boy looked up at his father with a fierce frown on his face and said, "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm still standing up on the inside."

I can so relate to the attitude of this little boy.

The Word of God clearly lays out God’s highest and best plans for my life, but I have a better plan. I just need God to sign off on it.

I want to pick and choose the commandments I obey – kind of like a spiritual smorgasbord.

There must be a shortcut to becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. His way seems so hard and so costly.

Sin is often so much more fun than obedience – for a little while. It’s the consequences of that sin that are painful. And that is where peace comes in. The peace of God always follows our obedience to God. God does not ask us for a season of obedience. He wants a lifestyle of obedience.

King Solomon said it this way in Proverbs 3:6-7: “Remember the Lord in all you do, and He will give you success. Don't depend on your own wisdom. Respect the LORD and refuse to do wrong.”
Obedience is remembering and choosing God in everything we do, choosing to walk in His steps, and following the path He has set for us.

Obedience calls us to live like citizens of a future world, guarding each step to make sure it matches the step of God. Not out of fear - but out of love. Not because man observes and keeps score, but because God sees you through eyes of love, and because we want to please Him.

Peter 1:14 (TLB) “Obey God because you are His children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then.”

We cannot come to Christ and keep responding to the world in the same way. When we truly encounter the living God, our behavior will change along with our perspective, our standards, our motives – everything.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul says that when we come to Christ, we become “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This holy discipline sounds like an impossible and overwhelming command. It is – unless it is fueled by the power of God in and through us.

Our son played football for many years. Different coaches tried to get Jered to play different positions, but they always ended up playing him as a fullback. College recruiters said he was a “throwback.” Jered was built like a true fullback; he ran like a true fullback, and he thought like a true fullback.

Jered rarely fumbled the ball, explaining his success in a way I remember to this day: “Most players who carry the ball either make the mistake of trying to create their own route or end up following the wrong guy. I have blockers assigned to me on every play. Their job is to make a path for me. The minute I get the ball, I put my head down, look for my blockers, watch their feet and follow them - right across the goal line.”

God has already been where He wants us to go. All we have to do is look for Him, watch His steps, and then follow them – right across the finish line. Choose to live a lifestyle of obedience.

Let’s Pray

Father, I want to obey You. Forgive me when I let fear keep me from walking in Your steps or when I listen for the voice of others instead of Yours. Give me a hunger and thirst for Your Word. Help me grow up in You and become a mature believer whose life illustrates a radical obedience to God.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Read Psalm 86:11 (NIV) “Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.”

The psalmist prays for an “undivided heart.” Examine your own heart. Is it divided? What does that mean to you and how does it impact your obedience to God?

More from the Girlfriends

Since each lesson stands alone, it is not too late to join Mary’s weekly online Bible Study, Light for the Journey, for practical ways to tap into the power of God’s Word. Beginning January 8, we will begin a new study, How to Hug Your Porcupine. I know you deal with pain in your life. It may be a broken relationship, chronic physical pain, the death of a dream, or the loss of someone you love. How do you deal with pain? Join Mary for a study that will change your life.

Be sure to check out the FREE MP3s on Mary’s website and connect with Mary through email or on Facebook.

Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

LHM Advent Devotion - January 2, 2018 "CHILDREN AND THE LORD"

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20180102

Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"CHILDREN AND THE LORD"

January 2, 2018

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
~ Luke 2:22-24 (ESV)

When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple to present Him to God and to offer a sacrifice as Moses' law commanded. This was the second thing any good Jewish parent did for a firstborn son who would grow up in the love of the Lord. Later on would come teaching about right and wrong, learning the stories of God's salvation, and so on. But Mary and Joseph had a good start raising Jesus already, before He was six weeks old.

You may have had the experience of raising children yourself, or of caring for them as a relative, godparent, or friend of the family. You know that it is not easy. We worry about our children. We do the best we can to prepare them for the difficult, broken world we live in. We pray, we teach them about God, and we love them. And we hope they will remain in the faith.

Sometimes that happens, and we rejoice. But sometimes we suffer heartbreak when the children we love so dearly go far away from the Lord, even renouncing their Baptism. God knows that heartbreak too. As much as we love them, He loves them even more.

This is our comfort. We love our prodigal children, and we know that God has planted seeds of faith in their hearts. Through Baptism, teaching, storytelling, prayer, and example, we have tried to lead them to Christ. Though they may be far from Him now, God is still calling them-calling them home to their Savior Jesus, who lived, died, and rose again, for their sake.


Meanwhile, we grieve. Take comfort in knowing that the God who came into this world "to seek and to save the lost" is still seeking your lost one also. (See Luke 19:10.) Both you and the one you love are dear to Him. Keep praying, waiting, and hoping.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, have mercy on everyone who has wandered away from You, and bring them safely home to You in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple to present Him to...

Devociones de Adviento del 02 de enero de 2018 "Los niños y el Señor"


ALIMENTO DIARIO

"Los niños y el Señor"

2 de Enero de 2018

Y cuando se cumplieron los días para que, según la ley de Moisés, ellos fueran purificados, llevaron al niño a Jerusalén para presentarlo ante el Señor y cumplir con lo que está escrito en la ley del Señor: «Todo primer hijo varón será consagrado al Señor», y para ofrecer un sacrificio en cumplimiento de la ley del Señor, que pide «un par de tórtolas, o dos palominos».
~ Lucas 2:22-24 (RVC)

Cuando Jesús tenía cuarenta días de nacido, María y José lo llevaron al templo para presentarlo ante Dios y ofrecer un sacrificio, como lo requería la ley de Moisés. Este era el segundo ritual que todo buen padre judío hacía, para hacer crecer a su primogénito en el amor del Señor. Más tarde le enseñaría sobre el bien y el mal, las historias de la salvación de Dios, etc. Pero ahora, antes de que Jesús tuviera seis semanas de vida, María y José ya estaban en el buen camino.

Si has tenido la experiencia de criar niños, sabes que no es nada fácil. Como padres los preparamos lo mejor que podemos para enfrentar las dificultades del mundo quebrantado en que vivimos: oramos por ellos, les enseñamos acerca de Dios y los amamos, y esperamos que se mantengan firmes en la fe.

A veces eso se hace realidad y nos alegramos. Otras veces, sin embargo, los vemos alejarse del Señor y se nos parte el corazón. Pero no estamos solos; a Dios también se le parte el corazón. Nosotros los amamos mucho, pero él los ama más aún.

Ese es nuestro consuelo: Dios ha plantado semillas de fe en el corazón de nuestros hijos pródigos que tanto amamos. A través del bautismo, la enseñanza, la oración y el ejemplo, hemos tratado de llevarlos a Cristo. Y por más que ahora estén alejados de él, Dios sigue llamándolos--llamándolos a su salvador Jesús, quien vivió, murió y resucitó por ellos.

Que el saber que Aquél que vino al mundo a buscar y salvar lo que se había perdido sigue buscando a tu hijo pródigo, te sirva de consuelo. Sigue orando, esperando y confiando. Dios te ama tanto a ti, como a él.

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, ten misericordia de quienes se han apartado de ti y vuélvelos nuevamente a ti a través de tu hijo Jesucristo. Amén.

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.

Хлеб наш насущный - Стремление

https://russian-odb.org/2018/01/02/%d1%81%d1%82%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%bc%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%b5-2/

Стремление

Читать сейчас: Филиппийцам 3:7-14
Библия за год: Бытие 4-6; Матфея 2

Стремлюсь к цели – к почести вышнего призвания Божьего во Христе Иисусе.

Проходя мимо здания, в котором располагается мой офис, я с удивлением заметил красивый цветок, который рос из щели между бетонными плитами тротуара. Вопреки неподходящим условиям растение нашло себе место, укоренилось и расцвело. Позже я увидел, что с кондиционера, находившегося как раз над цветком, время от времени капает вода. Хотя окружение было враждебным, растение получало помощь «свыше» и поэтому справлялось.

Рост в христианской жизни бывает трудным, но если мы пребываем во Христе, то преодолеем преграды. И пусть обстоятельства неблагоприятны, а разочарования угашают внутренний огонь. Главное – быть постоянными во взаимоотношениях с Господом. Тогда мы расцветем, как растение возле моего офиса. Так было с апостолом Павлом. Вопреки трудностям и преследованиям (2 Кор. 11:23-27) он не сдавался. «Стремлюсь, не достигну ли я, как достиг меня Христос Иисус... стремлюсь к цели – к почести вышнего призвания Божьего», – писал он (Флп. 3:12, 14).

Павел понимал, что в укрепляющем Его Господе он может все (Флп. 4:13). Сможем и мы, если с помощью Того, Кто дает нам силу, будем стремиться к высшей цели.


Этот день сотворил Ты, мой Небесный Отец. Благодарю, что Ты будешь рядом, что бы ни случилось сегодня.

Как помочь своему духовному росту? Прочитайте брошюру «Бог в центре».

Бог дает нам силу для жизни и роста.

автор: Лоуренс Дармани

© 2018 Хлеб Наш Насущный
Проходя мимо здания, в котором располагается мой офис, я с удивлением заметил красивый цветок, который рос из щели между бетонными плитами тротуара.