The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 44

National Lament and Prayer for Help
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.
1  We have heard with our ears, O God,
     our ancestors have told us,
   what deeds you performed in their days,
     in the days of old:
2  you with your own hand drove out the nations,
     but them you planted;
   you afflicted the peoples,
     but them you set free;
3  for not by their own sword did they win the land,
     nor did their own arm give them victory;
   but your right hand, and your arm,
     and the light of your countenance,
     for you delighted in them.

4  You are my King and my God;
     you command victories for Jacob.
5  Through you we push down our foes;
     through your name we tread down our assailants.
6  For not in my bow do I trust,
     nor can my sword save me.
7  But you have saved us from our foes,
     and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8  In God we have boasted continually,
     and we will give thanks to your name forever.   Selah

9  Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
     and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe,
     and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
     and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
     demanding no high price for them.

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
     the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
     a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
     and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers,
     at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us,
     yet we have not forgotten you,
     or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
     nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
     and covered us with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
     or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this?
     For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long,
     and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
     Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
     Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust;
     our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help.
     Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.

Hosea 6:11—7:16

6:11 For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

   When I would restore the fortunes of my people,
7:1 when I would heal Israel,
     the corruption of Ephraim is revealed,
     and the wicked deeds of Samaria;
   for they deal falsely,
     the thief breaks in,
     and the bandits raid outside.
2  But they do not consider
     that I remember all their wickedness.
   Now their deeds surround them,
     they are before my face.
3  By their wickedness they make the king glad,
     and the officials by their treachery.
4  They are all adulterers;
     they are like a heated oven,
   whose baker does not need to stir the fire,
     from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
5  On the day of our king the officials
     became sick with the heat of wine;
     he stretched out his hand with mockers.
6  For they are kindled like an oven, their heart burns within them;
     all night their anger smolders;
     in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7  All of them are hot as an oven,
     and they devour their rulers.
   All their kings have fallen;
     none of them calls upon me.

8  Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples;
     Ephraim is a cake not turned.
9  Foreigners devour his strength,
     but he does not know it;
   gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,
     but he does not know it.
10 Israel’s pride testifies against him;
     yet they do not return to the Lord their God,
     or seek him, for all this.

Futile Reliance on the Nations
11 Ephraim has become like a dove,
     silly and without sense;
     they call upon Egypt, they go to Assyria.
12 As they go, I will cast my net over them;
     I will bring them down like birds of the air;
     I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly.
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
     Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
   I would redeem them,
     but they speak lies against me.

14 They do not cry to me from the heart,
     but they wail upon their beds;
   they gash themselves for grain and wine;
     they rebel against me.
15 It was I who trained and strengthened their arms,
     yet they plot evil against me.
16 They turn to that which does not profit;
     they have become like a defective bow;
   their officials shall fall by the sword
     because of the rage of their tongue.
   So much for their babbling in the land of Egypt.

Matthew 5:43-48

Love for Enemies
5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
God loves us with an unnatural love. Jesus calls his disciples to follow his example and to love others with the same unnatural love.

The Morning Prayer for WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2019

Wednesday Morning Prayer

Lord on this day of the week I recall the strength of the Trinity in my life. Thank you for the strands that hold me safe in the Father, that bring redemption and grace in the Son, and freedom and hope through the Holy Spirit. Thank you for this cord of strength. May I celebrate with the Three that encircle my life! And this day may I give out the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the freedom of the Holy Spirit in all I do. Amen.

May Wednesday be a dwelling day,

Curled up on Abba's knee.

Following in the path of Christ,

With His Spirit I'm set free.

Let Wednesday always prompt my heart

To travel home to nest.

To feel the blessings of my faith

To know Your peace and rest.

Verse of the Day for WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2019

John 1:12-13 (NIV) Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Read all of John 1

Listen to John 1

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

Un dia a la Vez - Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Fortalécete en Dios

Convertiré su duelo en gozo, y los consolaré; transformaré su dolor en alegría.

~ Jeremías 31:13, NVI

Siempre que pasamos una crisis, la verdad es que casi nunca sabemos cómo vamos a salir de esa situación, ni cómo vamos a quedar. Me imagino que muchos de ustedes han pasado pruebas de toda clase y tan fuertes que creyeron que era el final.

Cuando sufrimos un divorcio, una enfermedad, una pérdida, una dificultad financiera o una desilusión amorosa, salimos extenuados, ya que la situación que vivíamos nos drenó de manera física, moral y espiritual. Quedamos cansados y con ganas de unas verdaderas vacaciones. Sin duda, la prueba te devuelve golpeado, pero no derrotado.

¿Por qué es importante saber que nos podemos sentir de esta manera después de pasar situaciones tan duras? Porque somos conscientes de nuestra humanidad y que aunque luchemos con nuestras fuerzas, la sanidad verdadera solo la obtendremos en Dios. Al igual que el cuerpo necesita fortalecerse para una total recuperación después de una enfermedad, también nosotros debemos fortalecernos en el Señor para tener la verdadera recuperación.

La fortaleza en Dios la encontramos en el gozo, en la fe, en la esperanza y en la búsqueda incansable de su Palabra y su presencia.

No dejes de orar, no dejes de leer el Manual de Instrucciones y no dejes de congregarte.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Siempre que pasamos una crisis, la verdad es que casi nunca sabemos cómo vamos a salir de esa situación, ni cómo vamos a quedar.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Wednesday, July 31, 2019

THE FREEING BEAUTY OF FORGIVENESS

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

~ Matthew 18:35 (NIV)

In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a street-witnessing team became involved in an extraordinary situation. A young Mexican called Samuel would walk for two hours each day to join them and act as an interpreter. They discovered that Samuel's mother and sister had been murdered and that he witnessed the killings but, despite trying to intervene, was unable to stop them. He said he knew the man who did it.

He had a desire to go and avenge the killings, but then became a Christian and his whole attitude changed. He began a Bible study group now attended by twenty people. On the final night of the meetings, he saw the man he believed had murdered his mother and sister go forward to receive Jesus Christ as his Savior. Samuel made his way through the throng of people and shook his hand and welcomed him “into the Kingdom.” Samuel was able to forgive him.

In Jesus’ teaching, there is little doubt that, as a Christian, I MUST forgive those who have wronged me. Then our human, time-bound minds cry out with the loud fleshly inquiry—“WHY?”

Again Philip Yancey points out that through the process of forgiveness we realize we are not as different from the wrongdoer as we would like to think. And we end up linked on the same side.

In essence, God linked Himself with us humans in the incarnation. Somehow God had to come to terms with these creatures He desperately wanted to love. On earth, living among us, he learned what it was like to be human—yet without sin. But He put Himself on our side. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us.

Forgiveness is a key component of the victorious, overcomer. This is the way of the cross to becoming “more than conquerors.”

As a young Christian in Cambodia, Cham witnessed a Khmer Rouge soldier—a youth he knew from school—bludgeon his mother to death by hitting her repeatedly over the head with a wooden board.

Cham suffered from severe depression over memories of that incident for many months. But eventually the Lord helped him gain victory over it.

Ten years later, Cham was walking down the main street of Phnom Penh and saw that young man who had killed his mother. The young man was very fearful of revenge when he recognized Cham approaching him. With moist eyes Cham looked at him and said, “In the name of Jesus, I forgive you!” Cham was free.

RESPONSE: I accept today that forgiveness is a must for me as a follower of Jesus.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for so many rich examples of the freeing beauty of forgiveness.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Daily Devotions - July 31, 2019 "What's Done Is Done"

"What's Done Is Done"

Jul. 31, 2019

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

~ Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)

Who are the persons in your life who have exerted a powerful and lasting influence? They may have awed you with their grace under pressure ... or their talent ... or their imagination ... or even ... their mercy. Their mercy? Have you ever seen mercy in action? It happens. There's the neighbor who offers it to the teenager living next door—the one who sideswiped his parked car. There's the woman who goes easy on the dry-cleaning worker who messed up her order, causing her to have to change outfits.

People like this—people who go beyond what we usually expect from human beings—are impressive, aren't they? They show us a way of reacting to circumstances that's out of the ordinary, in a good way. How this unexpected quality must have impacted the apostle Paul when he encountered the Person of Jesus—the One who showed him mercy in ways he neither deserved nor expected.

Surely, the apostle Paul struggled with the weight of the world bearing down on him after his conversion on the road to Damascus. His strident persecution of Christians must have heaped up huge loads of mental "dead wood" he had to deal with from his former life: his ridicule of believers, his bullyish stoking of others' ill will against them, his "thumbs up" to their execution. No slight baggage here. No easy way out of that past! Even though Paul knew his sins were forgiven at the cross, the world is a brutal taskmaster, choking us with our past failures, condemning us in our own minds and in the minds of others.

In the face of this, Paul tells the church at Colossae (and us) to go beyond the world, to seek the things of God—of Christ—who is at God's right hand. That's where Paul had to go, and he surely went there daily. That's where he found reassurance of his new life and that the old life was behind him, slain at the cross, "hidden with Christ in God." In Christ alone: that's where Paul resided. He knew that though his former life was riddled with sin and ignorance, God had claimed him through the blood of His Son to a new start, a fresh beginning.

And that new beginning can be yours, too. "Seek the things that are above, where Christ is," and trust in Him for your redemption.

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You took our old, dead selves to the cross and there we died with You. Lift us up to be the people we can be for You, and others. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• How can we learn to elevate our thinking to "the things that are above"?
• Do you take any special comfort from knowing that your life is "hidden with Christ in God"?
• How would you share the truths of the text above with someone else?

This Daily Devotion was written by Paul Schreiber. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
How can we learn to elevate our thinking to "the things that are above"?

Devocional de la CPTLN del 31 de Julio de 2019 - ¿Dónde pones la mira?

ALIMENTO DIARIO

¿Dónde pones la mira?

31 de Julio de 2019

Puesto que ustedes ya han resucitado con Cristo, busquen las cosas de arriba, donde está Cristo sentado a la derecha de Dios. Pongan la mira en las cosas del cielo, y no en las de la tierra. Porque ustedes ya han muerto, y su vida está escondida con Cristo en Dios. Cuando Cristo, que es la vida de ustedes, se manifieste, entonces también ustedes serán manifestados con él en gloria.

~ Colosenses 3:1-4 (RVC)

¿Quiénes han ejercido una influencia poderosa y duradera en tu vida? Quizás te hayan sorprendido con su gracia... su talento... su imaginación... o incluso con su misericordia. ¿Su misericordia? ¿Alguna vez has visto la misericordia en acción? Sucede. Sucede cuando el dueño del auto perdona al vecino adolescente que golpeó de refilón su auto estacionado. O cuando la mujer perdona al trabajador de la lavandería que arruinó el vestido que tanto le gustaba.

Esas personas que van más allá de lo que generalmente esperamos de los seres humanos nos impresionan, ¿no es cierto? Nos muestran una manera de reaccionar que sale de lo común. Cuánto debe haber impactado esta cualidad inesperada al apóstol Pablo cuando Jesús se encontró con él y le mostró misericordia de una manera que ni merecía ni esperaba.

Después de su conversión en el camino a Damasco, seguramente el apóstol Pablo tuvo que luchar con la culpa que sentiría por su previa persecución y menosprecio de los cristianos, y su forma intimidante de avivar la mala voluntad de otros en su contra y aprobar su ejecución. ¡No es fácil salir de ese pasado! Por más que Pablo supiera que sus pecados habían sido perdonados en la cruz, el mundo es un capataz brutal que trata de ahogarnos y condenarnos con nuestros fracasos anteriores.

Es por ello que Pablo le dice a la iglesia en Colosas (y a nosotros) que busquemos las cosas de Cristo, que está a la diestra de Dios. Allí es donde Pablo debía ir, y seguramente allí iba todos los días. Allí es donde encontraba confirmación de su nueva vida y donde dejaba atrás su vida anterior, muerta en la cruz, "escondida con Cristo en Dios". Pablo sabía que, aunque su vida anterior estaba plagada de pecado e ignorancia, Dios lo había reclamado a través de la sangre de su Hijo para un nuevo comienzo.

Y ese nuevo comienzo puede ser tuyo también. Busca "las cosas de arriba, donde está Cristo" y confía en él para tu redención.

ORACIÓN: Señor Jesús, gracias por darnos nueva vida a través de tu muerte en la cruz. Ayúdanos a ser cada vez más como tú. En tu nombre. Amén.

Paul Schreiber

Para reflexionar:

• ¿Qué puedes hacer para recordar de buscar primero y siempre "las cosas de arriba"?
• ¿Qué verdades del texto bíblico de hoy vas a compartir con otra persona?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué puedes hacer para recordar de buscar primero y siempre "las cosas de arriba"?

Ministérios Pão Diário - Um “Novo homem”

Um “Novo homem”

Leia: Colossenses 1:3-14
 | A Bíblia em um ano: Salmos 54–56; Romanos 3


Baixe a versão MP3

…permaneceis na fé, alicerçados e firmes, não vos deixando afastar da esperança do evangelho… v.23


Quando um grupo de adolescentes visitou uma casa para os idosos, uma jovem notou um homem solitário que parecia ter muito pouco neste mundo, nada além de uma cama para dormir e da qual não podia sair devido a sua deficiência.

A garota começou a compartilhar a história do amor de Deus por nós e a ler passagens da Bíblia para ele. “À medida que comecei”, ela diria mais tarde, “senti o desejo dele por ouvir mais”. Reagindo a esse interesse, ela lhe explicou sobre a morte sacrificial de Jesus por nós. “Era difícil para ele, pois não tinha esperança nem família para compreender que Alguém que não conhecia o amaria o suficiente para morrer na cruz por seus pecados”, recordou ela.

Ela lhe falou mais sobre Jesus e a promessa do Céu (e um novo corpo) para todos os que creem. Ele então lhe perguntou: “Você vai dançar comigo lá em cima?” Ela o viu começar a imaginar-se livre de seu corpo desgastado e das limitações.

Ele lhe disse que queria confiar em Jesus como Salvador, e ela o ajudou a orar por perdão e fé. Ela lhe pediu para tirar uma selfie com ele, e o ouvir dizer: “Se você me ajudar a sentar. Agora sou um novo homem.”

O evangelho de Cristo transforma vidas, traz esperança e está disponível para todos! Jesus oferece uma vida nova aos que confiam nele (vv.5,23).

Jesus oferece a nova vida.

por Dave Branon

© 2019 Ministérios Pão Diário
Quando um grupo de adolescentes visitou uma casa para os idosos, uma jovem notou um homem solitário que parecia ter muito pouco neste mundo, nada além de uma cama para dormir e da qual não podia sair devido a sua deficiência.

The Daily Lectionary for TUESDAY, July 30, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

TUESDAY, July 30, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 44

National Lament and Prayer for Help
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.
1  We have heard with our ears, O God,
     our ancestors have told us,
   what deeds you performed in their days,
     in the days of old:
2  you with your own hand drove out the nations,
     but them you planted;
   you afflicted the peoples,
     but them you set free;
3  for not by their own sword did they win the land,
     nor did their own arm give them victory;
   but your right hand, and your arm,
     and the light of your countenance,
     for you delighted in them.

4  You are my King and my God;
     you command victories for Jacob.
5  Through you we push down our foes;
     through your name we tread down our assailants.
6  For not in my bow do I trust,
     nor can my sword save me.
7  But you have saved us from our foes,
     and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8  In God we have boasted continually,
     and we will give thanks to your name forever.   Selah

9  Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
     and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe,
     and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
     and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
     demanding no high price for them.

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
     the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
     a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
     and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers,
     at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us,
     yet we have not forgotten you,
     or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
     nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
     and covered us with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
     or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this?
     For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long,
     and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
     Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
     Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust;
     our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help.
     Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.

Hosea 6:1-10

A Call to Repentance
6:1 “Come, let us return to the Lord;
     for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
     he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
2  After two days he will revive us;
     on the third day he will raise us up,
     that we may live before him.
3  Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
     his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
   he will come to us like the showers,
     like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Impenitence of Israel and Judah
4  What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
     What shall I do with you, O Judah?
   Your love is like a morning cloud,
     like the dew that goes away early.
5  Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
     I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
     and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6  For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
     the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

7  But at Adam they transgressed the covenant;
     there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8  Gilead is a city of evildoers,
     tracked with blood.
9  As robbers lie in wait for someone,
     so the priests are banded together;
   they murder on the road to Shechem,
     they commit a monstrous crime.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
    Ephraim’s whoredom is there, Israel is defiled.

Romans 9:30—10:4

Israel’s Unbelief
9:30 What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith; 31 but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law. 32 Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

   “See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people
   stumble, a rock that will make them fall,
       and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The personal pursuit of righteousness is essential for every believer.

The Morning Prayer for TUESDAY, July 30, 2019

Tuesday Morning Prayer

Lord, on this day I chose to put You first. Thank You that when You are at the center of our family, our lives are rich with love and goodness. Lord, be the running stream, springing up at the very heart of our household. Might we drink daily from the water of life, that our days would be filled with kindness, forgiveness, trust and love. Amen.

May this day be a gentle time

Of love and kindness shown,

To all my friends and family

A love that helps us grow.

Let Tuesday always prompt my heart

To place my life in You.

To see Your holy will be done

I give my life anew.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, July 30, 2019

Matthew 5:14, 16 (NIV) “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Read all of Matthew 5

Listen to Matthew 5

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

Un dia a la Vez - Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Deja de llorar

¡Levántate y resplandece, que tu luz ha llegado! ¡La gloria del Señor brilla sobre ti!

~ Isaías 60:1, NVI

No podemos llorar toda la vida por una pérdida. Ya escuchaste que debemos vivir el luto y que el dolor es normal cuando hemos tenido una adversidad. Aun así, ten presente que ese dolor puede desaparecer con la ayuda de Dios.

Hoy les hablo a los que después de cierto tiempo aún siguen llorando esa pérdida, pues es tiempo de que digan: «¡Me levantaré y resplandeceré!».

Al igual que la Palabra nos recuerda que hay tiempo de sembrar y tiempo de recoger lo sembrado, también nos dice en Eclesiastés que hay «un tiempo para llorar, y un tiempo para reír» (3:4).

No se trata de que olvides que murió tu hijo, que te abandonó tu cónyuge, ni que le fallaste a Dios. Nunca se nos olvida, pero Dios en su infinito amor nos restaura de tal manera que nos quita el dolor y nos sana cada herida.

Por eso no te puedes quedar llorando. Tus lágrimas no cambiarán lo sucedido. Y el hecho de que dejaras de llorar por tu fracaso no significa que ya no te importe. Todo lo contrario, se debe aprender del dolor.

No obstante, si sigues llorando, no te recuperarás. ¡Dale la oportunidad a Dios de recuperarte!

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
No podemos llorar toda la vida por una pérdida.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Tuesday, July 30, 2019

FORGIVENESS IS FOR OURSELVES TOO

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

~ Matthew 6:12 (NIV)

Corrie ten Boom often thought back over the horrors of Ravensbruck prison camp and realized that it was hard to find forgiveness in her heart—the true Christian attitude for the former Nazis that would reveal through her the Spirit’s goodness. Where was love, acceptance, and forgiveness in a horror camp where allegedly more than 95,000 women died? How could she ever forget the horrible cruelty of the guards and the smoke constantly coming from the chimney of the crematorium?

A few years later, Corrie was speaking in a church in Munich, and when the meeting was over she saw one of the cruelest male guards of Ravensbruck coming to speak to her. He had his hand outstretched. “I have become a Christian,” he explained. “I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, will you forgive me?”

Conflict raged in Corrie’s heart. The good Spirit of God urged her to forgive. The spirit of bitterness and coldness urged her to turn away. “Jesus, help me. I can lift my hand. I can do that much.” As their hands met it was as if warmth and healing broke forth with tears and joy. “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart.” Later Corrie testified that “it was the power of the Holy Spirit” who had poured the love of God into her heart that day.

Philip Yancey gives a pragmatic reason why we must forgive that seems very foundational: forgiveness alone can stop the cycle of blame, pain as well as vengeance and violence. The meaning of the New Testament word “forgiveness,” he says, is literally “to release, to hurl away, to free yourself.” The only way to break the chain or cycle of hurtfulness is to stop and ask forgiveness. This allows a relationship to start over and begin anew. The Russian writer, Solzhenitsyn, believed this forgiveness is what truly makes us different from animals. Only humans can perform that most unnatural act of forgiveness that transcends the relentless law of nature.

The only thing harder than forgiveness is the alternative. A teacher once told each of her students to bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes to school. For every person they refused to forgive in their life's experience, they chose a potato, wrote on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. They were then told to carry this bag with them everywhere for one week, putting it beside their bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to their desk at work. The hassle of lugging this around with them made it clear what a weight they were carrying spiritually, and how they had to pay attention to it all the time to not forget and keep leaving it in embarrassing places…Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, and it clearly is for ourselves as well!

RESPONSE: Today I will give myself the gift of forgiveness. Is there someone I need to forgive?

PRAYER: Father, I pray today for the power of Your Holy Spirit to enable me to release any cycles of hurtfulness in my life by forgiving others.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.
Where was love, acceptance, and forgiveness in a horror camp where allegedly more than 95,000 women died?

LHM Daily Devotions - July 30, 2019 "Vanity or Meaning?"

"Vanity or Meaning?"

Jul. 30, 2019

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. ... I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. ... I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

~ Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 (ESV)

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon the king turns his great wisdom to considering human life "under the sun"—in the world we experience every day. He is looking for some sort of meaning in life—some value to all the things that people do. But Solomon is disappointed. No matter what people do, eventually they must die, and all their hard work goes for nothing. Someone else enjoys the fruit of their labor, and they themselves have nothing. He calls this vanity—meaninglessness—chasing the wind.

Solomon has a point, doesn't he? We see examples of chasing the wind every day. Someone spends years developing a business, only to see it all vanish during a recession. Someone else dedicates his life to caring for his family—only to lose his wife and children to a horrible accident. A young person goes to school for twenty years, graduates and starts looking for work—only to realize there's nothing out there that will pay the bills. Even the happiest life ends in death, and the universe itself will have an end.

This leads Solomon to despair. "Vanity of vanities!" he says. "Total meaninglessness!" Under the sun, nothing lasts forever; nothing is eternally worthwhile; nothing makes a difference. Solomon has no good answer for this.

But God does. Against the basic meaninglessness of human life, God sets Jesus Christ. Jesus comes into our world "under the sun" as a conquering King and Savior. He breaks the cycle of meaninglessness and calls us into God's kingdom. He even breaks the power of death for us through His own death and resurrection.

Now we have a future to look forward to. As Paul puts it, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. ... For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ... Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father ... For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (see 1 Corinthians 15:19-26).

THE PRAYER: Father, help me to hold fast to hope in Jesus Christ Your Son. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Is there anything good that comes from a pre-occupation with self?
• Did Solomon's wisdom lead him to sense life as an ultimate futility?
• We live in a culture that places a lot of weight on "self." How do you keep from thinking of yourself as the center of the universe?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Is there anything good that comes from a pre-occupation with self?

Devocional de la CPTLN del 30 de Julio de 2019 - Vanidad vs. sabiduría

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Vanidad vs. sabiduría

30 de Julio de 2019

¡Vanidad de vanidades! ¡Vanidad de vanidades! ¡Todo es vanidad!--Palabras del Predicador... Yo soy el Predicador, y reiné sobre Israel en Jerusalén. Me entregué de corazón a investigar y a estudiar minuciosamente todo lo que se hace bajo el cielo. Este penoso trabajo nos lo ha dado Dios, para que nos ocupemos de él. Por lo tanto, escudriñé todo lo que se hace bajo el sol, y pude darme cuenta de que todo es vanidad y aflicción de espíritu... Aborrecí también el haber trabajado tanto bajo el sol, pues todo lo que hice tendré que dejárselo a otro que vendrá después de mí. ¿Y cómo saber si será sabio o necio el que se quedará con todos mis trabajos y afanes, a los que tanto trabajo y sabiduría dediqué bajo el sol? ¡También esto es vanidad! El desánimo volvió a dominar mi corazón al ver todos mis afanes y trabajos, a los que tanta sabiduría dediqué bajo el sol: ¿Tener que dedicar sabiduría, conocimientos y rectitud, para luego dejarle el fruto de su trabajo a quien nunca se lo ganó? ¡Eso también es vanidad, y un mal muy grande! ¿Qué saca uno de tanto trabajar y fatigarse y afanarse bajo el sol? ¡Todo el tiempo es de dolores, trabajos y molestias! ¡Ni siquiera de noche encuentra uno reposo! ¡Y esto es también vanidad!

~ Eclesiastés 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 (RVC)

En el libro de Eclesiastés, Salomón convierte su gran sabiduría en considerar la vida humana "bajo el sol", en la vida todos los días, buscándole significado y valor a las cosas que hacemos. Pero se decepciona. No importa lo que hagamos, eventualmente morimos y el fruto de todo el arduo trabajo será disfrutado por otro. A esto lo llama de vanidad.

Salomón tiene razón, ¿no es cierto? Lo vemos todos los días. Alguien invierte años en un negocio que de golpe desaparece durante una recesión. O dedica su vida a cuidar de su familia, para perderla en un horrible accidente. Un joven estudia durante veinte años y se encuentra con que no hay sueldo que alcance para pagar las cuentas. Incluso la vida más feliz termina con la muerte. Esto lleva a Salomón a la desesperación: "¡Vanidad de vanidades!", dice, "¡Todo es vanidad!". Nada dura para siempre, nada vale la pena; Salomón no tiene una buena respuesta para todo esto.

Pero Dios sí. Ante la falta de sentido de la vida humana Dios envía a Jesucristo, quien viene a nuestro mundo como Rey y Salvador y nos llama al reino de Dios. Con su muerte y resurrección, Jesús destruye el poder de la muerte. Ahora tenemos un futuro que esperar. Como dice Pablo: "Si nuestra esperanza en Cristo fuera únicamente para esta vida, seríamos los más desdichados de todos los hombres; pero el hecho es que Cristo ha resucitado de entre los muertos, como primicias de los que murieron... Pues así como en Adán todos mueren, también en Cristo todos serán vivificados. Pero cada uno en su debido orden: en primer lugar, Cristo; y después, cuando Cristo venga, los que son de él. Entonces vendrá el fin, cuando él entregue el reino al Dios y Padre... Porque es necesario que él reine hasta que haya puesto a todos sus enemigos debajo de sus pies, y el último enemigo que será destruido es la muerte." (ver 1 Corintios 15:19-26).

ORACIÓN: Padre, ayúdame a retener la esperanza en Jesucristo, tu Hijo. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

• La mayoría de nosotros tendemos a preocuparnos. ¿Qué crees que logras con preocuparte?
• ¿Cómo puedes hacer para ocuparte en vez de preocuparte?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
La mayoría de nosotros tendemos a preocuparnos. ¿Qué crees que logras con preocuparte?

Nuestro Pan Diario - Listo para ser restaurado

Listo para ser restaurado

Leer: Salmo 85 | La Biblia en un año: Salmos 51–53 Romanos 2

Descargar MP3

¿No volverás a darnos vida, para que tu pueblo se regocije en ti? (v. 6).

Mientras servía en el ejército en Alemania, me compré un Volkswagen Beetle 1969 nuevo. ¡Era hermoso! El verde oscuro del exterior complementaba el cuero marrón del interior. Pero con los años, comenzaron a suceder cosas, incluido un accidente que arruinó el estribo y destruyó una de las puertas. Con más imaginación, podría haber pensado: «¡Mi auto clásico era un candidato perfecto para una restauración!». Y con más dinero, podría haberlo arreglado… pero nada de eso ocurrió.

Felizmente, el Dios de visión perfecta y recursos ilimitados no se rinde tan fácil con personas maltrechas y quebrantadas. El Salmo 85 describe a candidatos perfectos para ser restaurados y al Dios que es capaz de restaurarlos. Probablemente, alude a los israelitas después de 70 años de haber regresado del exilio. Al mirar atrás, ellos podían ver el favor y el perdón de Dios (vv. 1-3), y fueron motivados a pedirle ayuda (vv. 4-7) y esperar cosas buenas de su parte (vv. 8-13).

¿Quién no se siente ocasionalmente maltrecho, herido o quebrantado? Y a veces, se debe a algo que hicimos. Pero como el Señor es el Dios del perdón y la restauración, los que acuden a Él en humildad siempre tienen esperanza. Con los brazos abiertos, da la bienvenida a todos los que se vuelven a Él, y allí están seguros.

Señor, ayúdame a ver dónde necesito restauración.

¿Hay señales en tu vida que indiquen que necesitas una restauración? ¿Cómo respondes ante el Dios de la restauración?

Por Arthur Jackson

© 2019 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
Mientras servía en el ejército en Alemania, me compré un Volkswagen Beetle 1969 nuevo. ¡Era hermoso!

The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, July 29, 2019

Warnings against False Teachers

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, July 29, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 44

National Lament and Prayer for Help
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.
1  We have heard with our ears, O God,
     our ancestors have told us,
   what deeds you performed in their days,
     in the days of old:
2  you with your own hand drove out the nations,
     but them you planted;
   you afflicted the peoples,
     but them you set free;
3  for not by their own sword did they win the land,
     nor did their own arm give them victory;
   but your right hand, and your arm,
     and the light of your countenance,
     for you delighted in them.

4  You are my King and my God;
     you command victories for Jacob.
5  Through you we push down our foes;
     through your name we tread down our assailants.
6  For not in my bow do I trust,
     nor can my sword save me.
7  But you have saved us from our foes,
     and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8  In God we have boasted continually,
     and we will give thanks to your name forever.   Selah

9  Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
     and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe,
     and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
     and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
     demanding no high price for them.

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
     the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
     a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
     and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers,
     at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us,
     yet we have not forgotten you,
     or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
     nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
     and covered us with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
     or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this?
     For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long,
     and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
     Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
     Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust;
     our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help.
     Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.

Hosea 2:14—3:5

2:14 Therefore, I will now allure her,
     and bring her into the wilderness,
     and speak tenderly to her.
15 From there I will give her her vineyards,
     and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
   There she shall respond as in the days of her youth,
     as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

16 On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer will you call me, “My Baal.” 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more. 18 I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. 20 I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.

21 On that day I will answer, says the Lord,
     I will answer the heavens
     and they shall answer the earth;
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
     and they shall answer Jezreel;
23   and I will sow him for myself in the land.
   And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah,
     and I will say to Lo-ammi, “You are my people”;
     and he shall say, “You are my God.”

Further Assurances of God’s Redeeming Love
3:1 The Lord said to me again, “Go, love a woman who has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer of barley and a measure of wine. 3 And I said to her, “You must remain as mine for many days; you shall not play the whore, you shall not have intercourse with a man, nor I with you.” 4 For the Israelites shall remain many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim. 5 Afterward the Israelites shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; they shall come in awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

Colossians 2:16—3:1

2:16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Warnings against False Teachers
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch”? 22 All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence.

The New Life in Christ
3:1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come.