Wednesday, September 4, 2019

The Daily Lectionary for THURSDAY, Sept 5, 2019

God measures all our sorrows
Philippians 2:25-30

The Daily Lectionary
THURSDAY, September 5, 2019
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
The Inescapable God
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
     you discern my thoughts from far away.
3  You search out my path and my lying down,
     and are acquainted with all my ways.
4  Even before a word is on my tongue,
     O Lord, you know it completely.
5  You hem me in, behind and before,
     and lay your hand upon me.
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
     it is so high that I cannot attain it.

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
     you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
     Wonderful are your works;
   that I know very well.
15   My frame was not hidden from you,
   when I was being made in secret,
     intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
   In your book were written
     all the days that were formed for me,
     when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
     How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
     I come to the end—I am still with you.

Jeremiah 15:10-21
Jeremiah Complains Again and Is Reassured
15:10 Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me. 11 The Lord said: Surely I have intervened in your life for good, surely I have imposed enemies on you in a time of trouble and in a time of distress. 12 Can iron and bronze break iron from the north?

13 Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.

15 O Lord, you know;
     remember me and visit me,
     and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
   In your forbearance do not take me away;
     know that on your account I suffer insult.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
     and your words became to me a joy
     and the delight of my heart;
   for I am called by your name,
     O Lord, God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
     nor did I rejoice;
   under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
     for you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unceasing,
     my wound incurable,
     refusing to be healed?
   Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
     like waters that fail.

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
   If you turn back, I will take you back,
     and you shall stand before me.
   If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
     you shall serve as my mouth.
   It is they who will turn to you,
     not you who will turn to them.
20 And I will make you to this people
     a fortified wall of bronze;
   they will fight against you,
     but they shall not prevail over you,
   for I am with you
     to save you and deliver you,
       says the Lord.
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
     and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Philippians 2:25-30
2:25 Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus—my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your messenger and minister to my need; 26 for he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, in order that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and honor such people, 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.

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 measures all our sorrows. We have no promise that our sorrows will go away. But we do have the promise that God will give us grace to make it through.

The Daily Prayer for THURSDAY, Sept 5, 2019


The Daily Prayer
for THURSDAY, September 5, 2019

In his book With Open Hands, Henri Nouwen wrote, “In another’s eyes I see my plea for forgiveness, and in a hardened frown I see my refusal. When someone murders, I know that I too could have done that, and when someone gives birth, I know that I am capable of that as well. In the depths of my being, I meet my fellow humans with whom I share love and have life and death.”

Thank you, Lord, for the witness of women, like Esther, who understood themselves only in relation to their communities of faith. Grant us such a heart, and a similar mindset! Strengthen us with the joy of all those saints who have gone before us, that like them we might stand up to the powers that threaten your kingdom. Amen.

Verse of the Day for THURSDAY, Sept 5, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Matthew%2028:18-20

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Read all of Matthew 28

Listen to Matthew 28

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 - Thursday, Sept 5, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/un-dia-vez/2019/09/05

Sabiduría contra necedad (segunda parte)

La sabiduría del prudente es discernir sus caminos, pero al necio lo engaña su propia necedad.

La sabiduría es una virtud, pero la necedad es un defecto y se puede convertir en un pecado. En la vida se presentarán momentos en los que nos pondrán a prueba y donde tendremos la opción de tomar decisiones sabias o necias. Así que cualquiera de las dos determinará las consecuencias de nuestros actos.

Del mismo modo que muchas personas crecen en sabiduría y aprenden de sus errores, otras tantas volverán a su necedad y no aprenderán la lección ni darán frutos, aunque hayan tocado fondo y Dios les haya dado otra oportunidad.

Las personas que son así, las vemos abrumadas sin cesar y siempre enredadas en problemas. No tienen paz en sus corazones porque no tienen a Dios en cuenta en sus vidas. Se creen autosuficientes, pero sus vidas no modelan a Cristo.

La comparación que hace Dios en la Biblia sobre la necedad del hombre es que el necio es como el perro que vuelve a su vómito. ¿Visualizas esa imagen? ¡Puf! Entonces, si hemos sufrido por los errores cometidos, ¿por qué los repetimos? Porque se nos olvida el dolor y el daño causado.

Por lo tanto, pidámosle hoy a Dios que nos fortalezca y nos dé sabiduría que viene de lo alto.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
La sabiduría es una virtud, pero la necedad es un defecto y se puede convertir en un pecado. En la vida se presentarán momentos en los que nos pondrán a prueba y donde tendremos la opción de tomar decisiones sabias o necias.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Thursday, Sept 5, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/standing-strong-through-the-storm/2019/09/05
GLAMORIZING PERSECUTION

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Reg Reimer, a veteran missionary in Vietnam and with the World Evangelical Alliance counters the idea that some people express which glamorizes persecution and conclude it is therefore good. He says that deprivation, cruelty and dehumanization suffered by victims of persecution are NOT good but from the enemy! He writes in the book Suffering, Persecution and Martyrdom: Theological Reflections:

In Vietnam, for example, it is well documented that in the past 30 years Christians have been harassed, discriminated against, arrested without cause, starved, beaten, imprisoned, raped, dispossessed and chased from home and fields, and even killed for Christ’s sake. Only the Evil One takes pleasure in inflicting these injustices on those made in the image of God!

In September 2005, a Vietnamese pastor was released from a terrifying 15-month imprisonment. He had been rotated to five different prisons, was sometimes in rooms with 100 criminals and other times in a solitary cell. He had been attacked by prisoners with HIV/AIDS. He confessed to feeling alienated from his family and his church after his release. The feeling worsened. Six months after release he uttered the words, “I only discovered real loneliness when I got out of prison. My colleagues, my own brother and even my wife don’t understand and won’t believe what I tell them.” Persecution is not good!

People much prefer the more positive reports of those who seem to flourish in persecution. It is truly amazing that for many, the persecution they suffer becomes a means of receiving grace! They testify of God’s strengthening presence in the harshest conditions. They report on God’s miraculous provisions in times of extreme need. And so persecution and suffering become an occasion for God’s comfort, often through others.[1]

RESPONSE: Today I will resist the temptation to glamorize persecution and the persecuted. Instead I will pray unceasingly for those being traumatized.

PRAYER: Lord please bring Your comfort to our brothers and sisters who are hurting from persecution today. And bless those who provide much needed trauma counseling for the persecuted church.

1. Christof Sauer and Richard Howell (ed), Suffering, Persecution and Martyrdom: Theological Reflections (Johannesburg, SA: AcadSA Publishing, 2010), pp.331-332.

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

Men's Devotional Bible - Thursday, Sept 5, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/mens-devotional-bible/2019/09/05
Samuel: The King-Maker

1 Samuel 1:1—28:25

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Samuel glanced at the seven men standing in the shade. They were impressive specimens. Any of Jesse’s sons could have been God’s choice. He was suddenly glad he didn’t have to choose. God had just warned him about the danger of judging from appearance. He smiled sadly, remembering how impressed he had been at first by Saul’s good looks.

Samuel looked around, puzzled. He’d run out of sons, and God hadn’t chosen any of them. What was God’s plan in this situation? Turning to Jesse, he inquired, “Are these it? No more sons?”

The old man slowly counted his sons, one by one. He appeared confused for a moment, then said, “Oh, there is one other. Didn’t even think of him. My youngest, David, is out in the fields with the sheep.” The rest of the sons didn’t understand why they had been summoned, but they grumbled over having to wait for the runt to show up. His place was at the bottom of the pecking order. Shepherding was a smelly, outdoors-in-all-weather, protecting-stupid-sheep chore. Each of them had done it only until the next brother was old enough. As the youngest, it was David’s permanent role. It didn’t bother them to assign him the task; it did bother them that he enjoyed it so much.

Soon David came running in, exuding the pungent scents of field and flock. The brothers looked on with shock as Samuel removed an oil horn from his robe and poured the contents on their little brother’s head. They couldn’t imagine a higher honor—or a more obvious waste. But even they had to admit that as the oil dripped from David’s hair and chin, a certain wild delight and spirit seemed to fill him. Samuel smiled, David laughed, and a chill went up his siblings’ spines.

As Samuel walked to Ramah, he remembered another little boy, left in the charge of a priest named Eli. He considered how upbringing shapes a man and how God uses even hardships and pain to prepare his servants. He wondered about David’s future. He remembered God’s unusual call in his own life, the unexpected voice in the night that Eli had identified for him as the Lord’s. The old priest had told him to answer, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). Samuel chuckled softly and began to pray, “Lord, I’m still trying to listen. I never thought back then that you would make me a king-maker. So what’s next?”

Back to the Future
  • In what ways do you think God speaks to you?
  • What have you learned about the dangers of judging people by outward appearances?
  • How would you describe your attitude about God giving you directions?
The Story Continues …

To learn about Samuel’s background and see how God continued to work through him, read 1 Samuel 1:1—28:25.
In what ways do you think God speaks to you?

LHM Daily Devotions - Sept 5, 2019 - Counting the Cost

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20190905

"Counting the Cost"

Sep. 5, 2019

(Jesus said) "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' ... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."

Some years ago, there was a young man who ran marathons all over the country. Unfortunately, he developed cellulitis, and soon it was so bad that he was hospitalized. The same leg that had carried him to the finish line couldn't even carry him to the bathroom unaided. All his great strength was not enough.

Jesus points us to a similar paradox in our lives when He warns us to count the cost of following Him. He gives the example of a man building a tower. If the man has any sense, he will consider his resources and decide if he is ready to take on the challenges or not. We should do the same, Jesus says.

And yet ... and yet, what is the actual cost of following Jesus? Let's see what Jesus says. "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me ..." He says. Oh dear. "Whoever does not renounce all that he has ..." Oh my. "Whoever does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life ..." Okay, Lord, I give up. There is no way I can possibly pay this price. I do not have what it takes. If You wanted to convince me of that fact, You have succeeded. I am a failure before I begin.

It's at this point that I seem to hear Jesus saying, All right, now that's an attitude I can work with. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26b).

The young man in the hospital had no strength—but he did have a walker, and he had doctors, and medicine, and parents who loved him. Together they got him where he needed to go—whether that was to the bathroom, or to final and complete healing. Likewise, we, poor wounded sinners that we are, have no strength either—but we do have Jesus. And if He asks us to carry our own crosses, we can be absolutely sure that He will be doing the heavy lifting for us—because He has already carried our cross, with all of our sin, guilt, and shame—all the way to Calvary.

Jesus is our Savior, our strength, our help. We have counted the cost. We have realized our own weakness, and we are wrecked. But He is strong beyond all knowledge, and He will gladly carry us, heal us, and make us His own. Because He loves us.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I have nothing—but I have You. Thank You for giving me everything. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
  • What qualities, strengths, or assets do you tend to rely on in your life?
  • In what kinds of situations do they let you down?
  • How does Jesus help you in those situations?

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).
What qualities, strengths, or assets do you tend to rely on in your life?

Devocional del CPTLN del 05 de Septiembre de 2019 - Contando el costo


ALIMENTO DIARIO

Contando el costo

05 de Septiembre de 2019

(Jesús dijo:) «Si alguno viene a mí, y no renuncia a su padre y a su madre, ni a su mujer y sus hijos, ni a sus hermanos y hermanas, y ni siquiera a su propia vida, no puede ser mi discípulo. Y el que no toma su cruz y me sigue, no puede ser mi discípulo. Porque ¿quién de ustedes que quiera levantar una torre, no se sienta primero a calcular los costos, para ver si tiene todo lo que necesita para terminarla? No sea que después de haber puesto los cimientos, se dé cuenta de que no puede terminarla, y todos los que lo sepan comiencen a burlarse de él y digan: "Este hombre comenzó a construir, y no pudo terminar."... Así también, cualquiera de ustedes que no renuncia a todo lo que tiene, no puede ser mi discípulo.

Hace algunos años había un joven que corría maratones en todo el país. Desafortunadamente, desarrolló una infección tan grave que fue hospitalizado. La misma pierna que lo había llevado a la meta ahora no podía siquiera llevarlo al baño sin ayuda. Toda su fuerza no era suficiente.

Jesús nos señala una paradoja similar en nuestras vidas cuando nos advierte que calculemos el costo de seguirlo, dando el ejemplo de un hombre que construye una torre. Si el hombre tiene algún juicio, considerará sus recursos y decidirá si está listo para asumir los desafíos o no. Deberíamos hacer lo mismo, dice Jesús.

Pero, ¿cuál es el costo real de seguir a Jesús? Veamos lo que él dice: "Si alguno viene a mí, y no renuncia a su padre y a su madre, ni a su mujer y sus hijos, ni a sus hermanos y hermanas, y ni siquiera a su propia vida...". Y aún más: "no renuncia a todo lo que tiene..." ¡Me rindo! No hay forma de que pueda pagar este precio. No tengo lo que se necesita. Si quisiste convencerme, Señor, lo has logrado. Soy un fracaso antes de comenzar.

Es en este punto que parece que escucho a Jesús decir: Muy bien, con esa actitud ahora puedo trabajar. "Para los hombres, esto es imposible, pero para Dios todo es posible" (Mateo 19:26b).

El joven del hospital no tenía fuerzas, pero sí tenía un andador, médicos, medicina y padres que lo amaban. Juntos lo llevaron a donde tenía que ir, ya fuera al baño o a la curación final y completa. Nosotros, pobres pecadores heridos, tampoco tenemos fuerzas, pero sí tenemos a Jesús. Y si nos pide que carguemos nuestras propias cruces, podemos estar absolutamente seguros de que hará el trabajo pesado por nosotros, porque ya ha llevado nuestra cruz, con todo nuestro pecado, culpa y vergüenza, todo el camino hasta el Calvario.

Jesús es nuestro Salvador, nuestra fuerza, nuestra ayuda. Hemos contado el costo. Nos hemos dado cuenta de nuestra propia debilidad y estamos destrozados. Pero Él es fuerte más allá de todo conocimiento, y con gusto nos llevará, nos sanará y nos hará suyos. Porque nos ama.

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, no tengo nada, pero te tengo a ti. Gracias por darme todo. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:
  • ¿En qué situaciones tus cualidades, fortalezas o posesiones te han decepcionado?
  • ¿Cómo te ayudó Jesús en esas situaciones?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿En qué situaciones tus cualidades, fortalezas o posesiones te han decepcionado?

Хлеб наш насущный - Последнее слово

https://russian-odb.org/2019/09/05/%d0%bf%d0%be%d1%81%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%b4%d0%bd%d0%b5%d0%b5-%d1%81%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b2%d0%be-2/

Последнее слово

Читать сейчас: 1 Коринфянам 15:12-19 | Библия за год: Псалтирь 145-147; Римлянам 15:1-13

И если мы в этой только жизни надеемся на Христа, то мы несчастнее всех людей. — 1 Коринфянам 15:19

Ее звали Саралин. В школьные годы я был влюблен в нее по уши. У нее был самый чудесный смех. Не уверен, знала ли она о моей влюбленности. Подозреваю, что да. После выпуска наши пути разошлись, как это часто бывает.

Я поддерживаю связь с некоторыми одноклассниками онлайн. От них я узнал, что Саралин умерла. Как она жила все эти годы? Чем старше я становлюсь, тем чаще это происходит – утрата друзей и близких. Но многие из нас стремятся избегать разговоров на эту тему.

Хотя мы печалимся, апостол Павел говорит о надежде, что последнее слово будет не за смертью (1 Кор. 15:54-55). После смерти – воскресение. Эта надежда утверждается фактом воскресения Христа (ст. 12). Павел говорит: «Если Христос не воскрес, то и проповедь наша тщетна, тщетна и вера ваша» (ст. 14). Если надежда верующих ограничивается только этой жизнью, то она достойна сожаления (ст. 19).

Однажды мы снова увидим «умерших во Христе» (ст. 19). Среди них будут наши родители, бабушки, дедушки, друзья, соседи и, возможно, даже те, в кого мы были влюблены в школе.

Последнее слово будет не за смертью. Оно за воскресением.
Что для вас значит воскресение Христа? Как вы можете показать свою веру, рассказав кому-то о надежде воскресения?
Господь Иисус, пусть сила Твоего воскресения будет все больше видна в моей жизни. Пусть она будет явной в моих словах и делах, особенно когда я общаюсь с теми, кто не знает Тебя.

автор: Джон Блэйз

© 2019 Хлеб Наш Насущный
Ее звали Саралин. В школьные годы я был влюблен в нее по уши.