Friday, January 4, 2019

The Daily Lectionary for SATURDAY, January 5, 2019


The Daily Lectionary
SATURDAY, January 5, 2019
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 72
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King
Of Solomon.
1  Give the king your justice, O God,
     and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2  May he judge your people with righteousness,
     and your poor with justice.
3  May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
     and the hills, in righteousness.
4  May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
     give deliverance to the needy,
     and crush the oppressor.

5  May he live while the sun endures,
     and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6  May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
     like showers that water the earth.
7  In his days may righteousness flourish
     and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

8  May he have dominion from sea to sea,
     and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9  May his foes bow down before him,
     and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
     render him tribute,
   may the kings of Sheba and Seba
     bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him,
     all nations give him service.

12 For he delivers the needy when they call,
     the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
     and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
     and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
     May gold of Sheba be given to him.
   May prayer be made for him continually,
     and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
     may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
     may its fruit be like Lebanon;
   and may people blossom in the cities
     like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever,
     his fame continue as long as the sun.
   May all nations be blessed in him;
     may they pronounce him happy.

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
     who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
     may his glory fill the whole earth.
   Amen and Amen.

20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

Jeremiah 31:7-14
7  For thus says the Lord:
   Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
     and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
   proclaim, give praise, and say,
     “Save, O Lord, your people,
     the remnant of Israel.”
8  See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
     and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
   among them the blind and the lame,
     those with child and those in labor, together;
     a great company, they shall return here.
9  With weeping they shall come,
     and with consolations I will lead them back,
   I will let them walk by brooks of water,
     in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
   for I have become a father to Israel,
     and Ephraim is my firstborn.

10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
     and declare it in the coastlands far away;
   say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him,
     and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
     and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
     and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
   over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
     and over the young of the flock and the herd;
   their life shall become like a watered garden,
     and they shall never languish again.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
     and the young men and the old shall be merry.
   I will turn their mourning into joy,
     I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
     and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
   says the Lord.

John 1:[1-9] 10-18
The Word Became Flesh
[1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.]

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

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
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him.

The Morning Prayer for SATURDAY, January 5, 2019


Saturday morning prayer

Dear Savior, help me remember as I begin my weekend activities. Whether work or leisure will engage me today, keep my thoughts and actions centered on You. Make it a day of contentment for me, no matter if the activities I face are pleasant or tedious. Keep me through the Holy Spirit from willful sins and from those sins I do not even realize I am committing. Help me be a positive influence in others' lives as I go my way. Let my inner rejoicing in Your salvation be evident in all I say and do so that I bring glory and not shame to Your most holy name.

Lord God, keep us from mumbling on and on in our prayers when all we ought to say is, “Thank you, Lord.”
Amen

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, January 5, 2019


Isaiah 1:16-17 (NIV) Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Read all of Isaiah 1

Listen to Isaiah 1

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

The Twelve Days of Christmas - The Twelfth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelfth Day

The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas Day on December 25 and ends on January 5, with the next day being Epiphany, which is celebrated January 6. Depending on the church, January 6 may mark Christ’s baptism (in the Catholic tradition), or it may mark the day that the wise men (or the Magi) visited Jesus with their gifts.

The Day of Epiphany is when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the Magi. Magi means wise men.

From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During that era someone wrote ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas‘ as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without risk of persecution. The song has two levels of interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church. Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality.

Some beliefs believe that the day after Christmas started the 12 Days of Christmas. You also hear some people think its the 12 days that lead up to Christmas. But reality, it starts on December 25, that is the first day.



The Twelfth Day of Christmas


The carol says On The Twelfth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...


Twelve Drummers Drumming



According to catechism hidden meaning it means …


The twelve points of the doctrine of the Apostle’s Creed

  1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
  2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord;
  3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;
  4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell;
  5. The third day he rose again from the dead;
  6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
  7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead;
  8. I believe in the Holy Ghost;
  9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints;
  10. The forgiveness of sins;
  11. The resurrection of the body;
  12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

Un dia a la Vez - Piensa antes de actuar


Piensa antes de actuar

El Señor te guiará siempre [...] Serás como jardín bien regado, como manantial cuyas aguas no se agotan.
~ Isaías 58:11 (NVI)

Somos el resultado de las decisiones que tomamos. Después de todo lo que Dios me ha permitido vivir, observa el resultado. Hoy ustedes leen este libro, mi historia en pequeños fragmentos, donde conocen quién soy y mis experiencias: dos divorcios, madre soltera por varios años, una relación fuera del matrimonio con el resultado de una hija que es una bendición en mi vida, mi compañerita bella, y el paso por la mayor prueba de salud de mi vida donde estuve al borde de la muerte. Todas estas cosas me han dejado una enorme lección… somos el resultado de lo que decimos, pensamos, comemos y hacemos.

Somos absolutamente responsables de lo que hacemos con nuestra vida. Sin embargo, no se nos puede olvidar que en esas decisiones podemos llevar por delante a las personas que más queremos. Permitamos que Dios sea nuestro consejero, nuestro amigo, nuestra guía, a fin de que no vivamos arrepentidos de los que hicimos o lo que dejamos de hacer. 

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Somos el resultado de lo que decimos, pensamos, comemos y hacemos.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - STORMS REVEAL NEW THINGS ABOUT JESUS


STORMS REVEAL NEW THINGS ABOUT JESUS

He [Jesus] said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
~ Mark 4:40-41 (NIV)

Thankfully storms ultimately do come to an end! We learn this as another insight from this passage of scripture. And the storms often reveal something new about Jesus. Here the disciples express their amazement that He even controls the winds and the waves. They had already spent considerable time with Jesus yet this experience actually terrified them. They had known Jesus as fully human to this point in their relationship. And now they are confronted with His being also fully divine—something that really terrified them.

There is always something more to learn about Jesus and sometimes this happens in the storms of life. Twenty-three-year-old Maria fled with her parents from Bagdad, Iraq to the Kurdish north of the country because they had been threatened as Christians living in the capital.

“I really struggled the first year,” she says. “But I knew I had to go on. I could not crawl up and mourn the things I had lost…Because I went to college here it was pretty easy to find a job. And what I really like is that I am safe here.”

Maria had to leave everything behind but did not give up. She concludes, “Start with something small and you will slowly move on.”

We received a report of a Christian arrested for selling Bibles in front of a university in another middle east Islamic country’s capital. He was repeatedly interrogated during six weeks of imprisonment. In a final effort to intimidate him, his captors brought his wife to the prison and threatened to execute him unless he renounced his Christian faith.

“If I have to choose between my wife and children or Jesus Christ, then I choose Jesus,” he reportedly told his captors. When this and other attempts failed to coerce him to renounce his faith, he was finally released from prison. He was forced to sign a letter agreeing not to sell Christian literature, although he continued to actively evangelize in parks and other open-air areas.

“I don't know why, but I cried the whole day,” he said upon release, adding that he wished he could have been martyred for his faith. “I felt very close to heaven in prison. I was happy that the Lord had heard my prayers for my love to be a sacrifice in that small prison cell. But it seems that the Lord wished me to be alive and active in His work again.”

RESPONSE: Today I will be thankful that the storms in my life will come to an end. I will deliberately seek to discover something new about Jesus and what He wants me to be for Him.

PRAYER: Pray that you—and believers everywhere—will have spiritual eyes and ears to see, hear and learn new lessons from Jesus in the storms of life.

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

The NIV Couples Devotional - When You Have to Say No


When You Have to Say No

Esther 1:1–22

“This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.”
~ Esther 1:18 (NIV)

King Xerxes, the military leader of the Medes and Persians, tried to fulfill his father’s failed plan to conquer Greece. Darius had been defeated at Marathon in 490 B.C. and had died soon after. Xerxes amassed one of the largest armies ever and marched back toward Greece. His army managed to get around the Spartan forces at Thermopylae but went down outside Athens when the Persian fleet was sunk in the bay of Salamis.

Esther 1 records what may have been Xerxes’ planning meeting for the military campaigns of 482–479 B.C. During this lengthy meeting (lasting 180 days), the men feasted and drank extensively. At one point, Xerxes commanded his wife, Vashti, to appear before the assembled men. We are not told why Vashti refused, but given the circumstances and the rate at which we can assume the men were consuming alcohol, perhaps Vashti was afraid they would ask her to act immodestly—or worse.

Xerxes reacted like a spoiled child. He was furious that his order had not been obeyed. His advisers encouraged the king’s stupidity. They proposed deposing Vashti as queen and banishing her from the presence of the king. Then they planned the first Miss Universe pageant to replace Vashti with someone more beautiful and (hopefully) more compliant.

Enter Mordecai and Esther, two Jews who were still living in Persia. Although Mordecai may have also had a Hebrew name, his Babylonian name may betray the comfort his family had with Babylonian life; it is derived from Marduk, the god Nebuchadnezzar followed and to whom he dedicated Babylon, his capital.

Ultimately, Esther was chosen to be the new queen, placing her in a position to intervene at a time when her people were threatened. Esther and Mordecai were able to save the Jews, but the dire threat made to exterminate them as a people during that time made its mark. Perhaps it was an impetus for Ezra and Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem to help the Jews there rebuild the city’s walls and reclaim their spiritual foundations.

Within this story, Vashti often goes unrecognized as a heroine. Yet perhaps that should be acknowledged, particularly within the context of marriage. For while Vashti had been obedient to her husband in all things, there came a point when her moral fiber pulled taut and would not allow her to cross a line that required her to do something she knew was wrong.

In our marriages we need mutual submission and respect, as the apostle Paul wrote (see Ephesians 5:21–33). But we also need personal courage to say no to one another when decency is twisted or when obedience to little things would deny obedience to God’s greater ways.

Wayne Brouwer

Let’s Talk
  • What iffy spots of moral behavior have caused disagreement in our marriage?
  • Has one of us ever asked the other to do something morally questionable? How do we balance mutual submission to each other with saying no to behavior that compromises our integrity?
  • How can we keep our relationship unified so that we avoid situations that cause conflict when our morals differ?
What iffy spots of moral behavior have caused disagreement in your marriage?

LHM Daily Devotions - PROTECTOR

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20190105

"PROTECTOR"

Jan. 5, 2019

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to destroy Him." And he rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Have you ever noticed that, apart from the first time, it is Joseph God speaks to, and not Mary? God brings Joseph into the whole situation by making it clear to him that the baby is in fact the Son of God; He then tells Joseph to go through with the wedding, making him Jesus' foster-father and protector. From that point on, God sends dream after dream to Joseph: He warns him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt when Herod threatened the baby's life; He tells him when it's safe to come back again; and He guides him to settle his family in Galilee, safely out of the reach of Herod's dangerous son and successor.

Joseph is Jesus' protector. He is not an afterthought—not a mere add-on to the basic Nativity set of Mary and baby. He takes the role of a father—he guides, he watches over, he protects. His role is vital. Without Joseph—what?

Without you—what? You too have a vital role in life, whether that's as a protector, nurturer, pray-er, teacher, caregiver, care receiver, or any of a multitude of ways God gives us to serve one another. Your role is vital, whatever it may be. God has called you to it, no matter how major or minor it may seem. And God makes no mistakes.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, You know what You have in mind for me to be and do. Guide me so that I fulfill that role and take joy in it, remembering that You love me and have chosen me to be Your own. Amen.

The Coming King REFLECTION QUESTIONS!
  • Who has been your protector, at any point in your life? Who have you protected?
  • Do you ever feel like an add-on in someone else's story? How does the Lord remind you that you are central to Him?
  • There are those, like the infant Jesus, who can't "do" anything at all in their stage of life. What do you think is their God-given role—how does God bless others through them even at that time of life?

Advent Devotions were 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).
Who has been your protector, at any point in your life? Who have you protected?

Devocional del CPTLN de 05 de Enero de 2019 - Protector


ALIMENTO DIARIO

Protector

05 de Enero de 2019

Después de que los sabios partieron, un ángel del Señor se apareció en sueños a José y le dijo: «Levántate, toma al niño y a su madre, y huye a Egipto. Quédate allá hasta que yo te diga, porque Herodes buscará al niño para matarlo.» Cuando él despertó, tomó de noche al niño y a su madre, y se fue a Egipto, y se quedó allá hasta la muerte de Herodes. Esto sucedió para que se cumpliera lo que dijo el Señor por medio del profeta: «De Egipto llamé a mi Hijo.»
~ Mateo 2:13-15 (RVC)

¿Alguna vez has notado que, aparte de la primera vez, Dios siempre le habla a José y no a María? Dios le deja en claro que María está cargando a su Hijo; luego le dice que siga adelante con la boda, y luego le envía un sueño tras otro: le advierte que lleve a Jesús y María a Egipto cuando Herodes amenaza la vida del Niño, le dice cuándo es seguro regresar, y lo guía a establecer su familia en Galilea, fuera del alcance del peligroso hijo y sucesor de Herodes.

José es el protector de Jesús. Él no es algo que a Dios se le ocurrió a último momento, ni una figura más para agregar al típico pesebre de Navidad. No, José asume el papel de un padre: guía, vigila, protege. Su rol es vital.

Tú también juegas un papel importante en la vida, sea protegiendo, orando, cuidando o cualquiera de las muchas otras formas que Dios nos da para servirnos unos a otros. Más allá de lo importante o insignificante que pueda parecer, tu rol es vital porque Dios te ha llamado y hecho suyo. Y Dios no comete errores.

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, Tú sabes lo que quieres que yo sea y haga. Guíame para que cumpla fielmente ese rol, recordando que me amas y que me has elegido para ser tuyo. Amén.

PREGUNTAS DE REFLEXIÓN:
  • ¿Alguna vez te sientes como un complemento en la historia de otra persona?
  • ¿Cómo te recuerda el Señor que para Él eres importante?

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Alguna vez te sientes como un complemento en la historia de otra persona?

Хліб Наш Насущній - Змінені, щоб змінювались інші

https://ukrainian-odb.org/2019/01/05/%d0%b7%d0%bc%d1%96%d0%bd%d0%b5%d0%bd%d1%96-%d1%89%d0%be%d0%b1-%d0%b7%d0%bc%d1%96%d0%bd%d1%8e%d0%b2%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d1%96%d0%bd%d1%88%d1%96/

Змінені, щоб змінювались інші

Читати: 2 Хронік 33:9-17 | Біблія за рік: Буття 13−15 ; Матвія 5:1-26

І збудував він Господнього жертівника… звелів юдеям служити Господеві, Богові Ізраїлевому. — 2 Хронік 33:16

Дитинство Тані та Модюпа проминуло в Нігерії. А в 1970-их роках вони поїхали до Великобританії навчатися. Їхнє життя було змінене Божою благодаттю, але вони й уявити не могли, що Бог використає їх для зміни життя людей одного з найбідніших районів Англії – Енфілда у Ліверпулі. Вони обидва шукали Господа і можливостей служити людям свого району, тому Бог через них багатьом подарував надію. Наразі вони керують динамічною церквою і займаються соціальними проектами, завдяки чому змінилося життя великої кількості людей.

Манасія теж мав великий вплив на свою націю – спочатку поганий, а потім добрий. Ставши царем Юдеї у 12-річному віці, він відвів свій народ від Бога і протягом багатьох років чинив зле (2 Хр. 33:1-9). Люди не зважали на попередження Бога, тому Він попустив, щоб Манасію відвели в полон до Вавилона (2 Хр. 33:10-11).

В нещасті цар смиренно покликав до Бога. Господь почув його молитву і повернув йому царство (2 Хр. 33:12-13). Внутрішньо оновлений цар відбудував мури міста і позбувся ідолів (2 Хр. 33:14-15). “І збудував він Господнього жертівника… звелів юдеям служити Господеві, Богові Ізраїлевому” (2 Хр. 33:16). Побачивши великі зміни в житті свого царя, народ теж змінився (2 Хр. 33:17).

Господь може змінити і нас, щоб нам впливати на оточуючих людей.
Небесний Отче, зміни наше життя, щоб через нас Ти міг змінювати життя інших.
Коли Бог змінює нас, навколо нас починають змінюватись інші.


© 2019 Хліб Наш Насущній
Дитинство Тані та Модюпа проминуло в Нігерії. А в 1970-их роках вони поїхали до Великобританії навчатися. Їхнє життя було змінене Божою благодаттю, але вони й уявити не могли, що Бог використає їх для зміни життя людей одного з найбідніших районів Англії ...