Monday, November 11, 2019

The Daily Lectionary for TUESDAY, November 12, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-semicontinuous/2019/11/12?version=NRSV

The Daily Lectionary
TUESDAY, November 12, 2019
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

(Earth sees the victory of God)
Praise the Judge of the World
A Psalm.
1  O sing to the Lord a new song,
     for he has done marvelous things.
   His right hand and his holy arm
     have gotten him victory.
2  The Lord has made known his victory;
     he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the
         nations.
3  He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
     to the house of Israel.
   All the ends of the earth have seen
     the victory of our God.

4  Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
     break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5  Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
     with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6  With trumpets and the sound of the horn
     make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

7  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
     the world and those who live in it.
8  Let the floods clap their hands;
     let the hills sing together for joy
9  at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
     to judge the earth.
   He will judge the world with righteousness,
     and the peoples with equity.

(God’s promise to Zerubbabel)
God’s Promise to Zerubbabel
2:20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders; and the horses and their riders shall fall, every one by the sword of a comrade. 23 On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

(Prophecy comes not by human will)
Salutation
1:1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

Truth and Love
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5 But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.

7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but may receive a full reward. 9 Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 Do not receive into the house or welcome anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching; 11 for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.

Final Greetings
12 Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.

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 Daily Lectionary for TUESDAY, November 12, 2019
Psalm 98; Haggai 2:20-23; 2 John 1-13

The Daily Prayer for TUESDAY, November 12, 2019


The Daily Prayer
TUESDAY, November 12, 2019

Hymn writer Thomas Chisholm wrote these words:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Thank you, God, that each morning you provide a new opportunity for us to follow you. We offer you the best of what we have, what already belongs to you. Let your tender mercies come to us that we might live. Amen.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, November 12, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/verse-of-the-day/2019/11/12?version=NIV

Colossians 1:9 (NIV)
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
Read all of Colossians 1

Listen to Colossians 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 - Martes 12 de Noviembre de 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/un-dia-vez/2019/11/12

Oración de compromiso

A ti, oh Dios de mis padres, te doy gracias y te alabo, porque me has dado sabiduría y fuerza.
Daniel 2:23 (RV-60)

Señor, te agradecemos de todo corazón que nos permitieras estudiar estos veintiún principios de vida. Para muchos, son del todo nuevos, pero gracias a tu Palabra tan sencilla y práctica para seguir, sabremos tomar decisiones adecuadas.

Te pedimos perdón por las esferas en las que encontramos que estábamos fallando.

Gracias porque me hiciste ver la realidad y ahora puedo enderezar mis caminos y hacer cambios radicales.

Reconozco, Dios mío, que te necesito. Sin ti la vida es imposible de llevar.

Ayúdame, mi Jesús, a buscarte cada día y a aplicar tu Palabra en mi vida. ¡Te amo!

En el nombre de Jesús oramos, amén y amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Oración de compromiso

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Tuesday, November 12, 2019

https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/standing-strong-through-the-storm/2019/11/12
PRAY WITH THE PERSECUTED

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
John 15:16 (NIV)

The first request of us from the persecuted church is that we pray for them. And correspondingly, they are usually great models of people of prayer which we can emulate. But we often need to be reminded that they do not ask us only to pray for them but also to pray with them. If we only pray for them, we will pray for their safety and the termination of their persecution. They want us to pray with them which means we will pray for: the advance of the gospel in their land; that they will bear fruit that will last; and for perseverance and fearless courage in the face of suffering.

Pastor Samuel Lamb from Guangzhou, China, has an interesting prayer for severe situations of persecution which expresses his trust in a great God. He prays: “Lord, I rejoice in how You are going to work this out.”

Moses Xie, a Chinese Church leader who spent more than twenty years in jail for his faith, says that when asking visitors to pray for him he is really after three distinct outcomes:

“First, I want them to experience the blessing of prayer for themselves. They will go to God on my behalf, but they will receive a great blessing from being in the presence of God.

Second, I know that as they pray, their burden for the persecuted will increase, and as their burden grows, so their commitment to assisting us in all sorts of other ways will increase also. Prayer alone makes them be the body.

Third, I want them to release more of God’s power into our situation through intercession, since I know that God has bound Himself not to act until we ask.”

Today is a great day to glorify God in our lives and those of the persecuted church.

RESPONSE: Today I will not only pray for the persecuted but I will also pray with the persecuted.

PRAYER: Lord, may my life glorify You today and may I be a lasting fruit bearer who only desires that Your will be done.

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 - November 12, 2019 - Creepy, But in a Good Way

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20191112

"Creepy, But in a Good Way"

Nov. 12, 2019

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
Malachi 4:1-3 (ESV)

I confess, I find this chapter of Malachi pretty disturbing. The imagery is creepy—ashes, leaping calves, treading down the wicked. True, we're talking about the ashes of brush and grass left after a wildfire has passed through—but still, it bugs me. I want to turn the page and get right into the book of Matthew, with its sweet, comforting Gospel.

And yet if I do that, I miss something. God may be using scary language, but the subject He's addressing is deeply horrible as well. He's talking about human evil—about people who are arrogant and who harm others, about people who never repent and never quit. And He compares their victims to calves kept penned up in a stall—and if you look through the rest of the Bible, you can figure out just why those calves were in a stall—they were being fattened for slaughter. Creepy? You bet.

Human evil is like that. And the worst of it is, it keeps coming back again and again and again. No sooner do we have "the war to end all wars," when another one gets started. "Never again!" the Holocaust, educators say—and yet neo-Nazis are a real threat, and genocide keeps happening around the world. It's like the California hills after a wildfire—the ground is clear for a season, but the fire never reached the roots underground, and by spring the brush is up and growing again.

Against all of this, God gives us a promise: "The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." God will put an end to all evil, and God's cleansing fire will reach the whole wicked plant—not just the branches, but the roots hiding below the ground. The prisoners destined for slaughter will go free. And "the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings."

Who is this sun of righteousness? This is our Lord Jesus Christ. Human evil will not darken the world forever. God has already pierced through the darkness and smoke by being born into our human race as a tiny baby, Jesus. He has lived among us, worked, served, cared, and suffered for us. And He has destroyed the powers of death and evil by His own death and resurrection.

For all of us who trust in Jesus, there is hope! In spite of the evil we still live with, an end is coming. The day will dawn when we will know to the full the wonderful freedom of the children of God—and we will celebrate in the light of our Savior, Jesus. Evil will be gone. Jesus will remain. Thank God!

THE PRAYER: Dear Father, please bring that day quickly when death and evil will be no more, and we will rejoice in Jesus' light. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
  • Have you ever tried to get rid of an unwanted plant that refused to die? What happened?
  • What ongoing evils bother you most at this time? How do you trust in Jesus for help?
  • Say or write a prayer asking the Lord to deal with one of those evils.

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).
Have you ever tried to get rid of an unwanted plant that refused to die?

CPTLN devocional del 12 de Noviembre de 2019 - Espeluznante pero bueno


ALIMENTO DIARIO

Espeluznante pero bueno

12 de Noviembre de 2019

«¡Ya viene el día, candente como un horno! En ese día, todos los soberbios y todos los malhechores serán como estopa, y serán consumidos hasta las raíces. ¡No quedará de ellos ni una rama! Lo digo yo, el Señor de los ejércitos.» Pero para ustedes, los que temen mi nombre, brillará un sol de justicia que les traerá salvación. Entonces ustedes saltarán de alegría, como los becerros cuando se apartan de la manada. El día que yo actúe, ustedes aplastarán a los malvados hasta convertirlos en ceniza debajo de sus pies. Lo digo yo, el Señor de los ejércitos.

Lo confieso, este capítulo de Malaquías me parece bastante inquietante. Las imágenes son espeluznantes: cenizas, saltos repentinos y malvados siendo aplastados. Habla de las cenizas que quedan después que ha pasado un incendio forestal por la maleza y la hierba. Me provoca pasar la página y entrar directamente al libro de Mateo, con su dulce y reconfortante Evangelio.

Sin embargo, si hago eso, me pierdo de algo. Es cierto que Dios usa un lenguaje aterrador y que el tema que está abordando también es profundamente horrible. Pero es porque está hablando del mal en los seres humanos, de personas arrogantes que lastiman a otros, que nunca se arrepienten ni se entregan, y compara a sus víctimas con terneros encerrados en un corral. Si miras el resto de la Biblia, puedes descubrir por qué esos terneros estaban en el corral: estaban siendo engordados para ser sacrificados. ¿Siniestro? Sí que lo es.

El mal en los seres humanos es así. Y lo peor es que no se termina. Recién termina "la guerra que pondrá fin a todas las guerras", cuando comienza la otra. "¡Nunca más!", dicen los educadores del holocausto, y, sin embargo, los neonazis son una amenaza real hoy en día y el genocidio sigue ocurriendo en todo el mundo. Es como las colinas de California después de un incendio forestal: el suelo está despejado durante una temporada; pero como el fuego nunca llegó a las raíces subterráneas, en la primavera el arbusto vuelve a crecer.

Pese a todo esto, Dios nos da una promesa: "¡Ya viene el día, candente como un horno! En ese día, todos los soberbios y todos los malhechores serán como estopa, y serán consumidos hasta las raíces. ¡No quedará de ellos ni una rama!" Dios pondrá fin a todo mal, y su fuego purificador alcanzará toda la planta del mal, no solo las ramas, sino también las raíces que se encuentran bajo del suelo. Los prisioneros destinados a la muerte serán liberados. Y el sol de justicia se levantará con la cura en sus alas.

¿Quién es este sol de justicia? Es nuestro Señor Jesucristo. El mal en el ser humano no oscurecerá el mundo para siempre. Dios ya ha atravesado su oscuridad y su humo al venir a nuestro mundo en la persona de Jesús. Él vivió entre nosotros, trabajó, sirvió, cuidó y sufrió por nosotros, y su muerte y resurrección destruyó los poderes de la muerte y el mal.

Para todos los que confiamos en Jesús, ¡hay esperanza! A pesar del mal con el que todavía vivimos, pronto se acerca un final. El día amanecerá cuando experimentaremos al máximo la maravillosa libertad de los hijos de Dios y celebraremos a la luz de nuestro Salvador Jesús. El mal se habrá ido. Jesús prevalecerá. ¡Gracias a Dios!

ORACIÓN: Querido Padre, te pedimos que llegue pronto el día en que la muerte y el mal ya no existan, y nos regocijemos en la luz de Jesús. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:
  • ¿Qué mal del ser humano te molesta más en este momento?
  • ¿En qué forma confías en Jesús para que te ayude?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué mal del ser humano te molesta más en este momento?

Nuestro Pan Diario - Nuestras bendiciones, su amor

https://nuestropandiario.org/2019/11/12/nuestras-bendiciones-su-amor

Nuestras bendiciones, su amor

La escritura de hoy: Salmo 136:1-3, 10-26
La Biblia en un año: Jeremías 51–52; Hebreos 9

Al que pastoreó a su pueblo por el desierto, porque para siempre es su misericordia (v. 16).

En 2015, una mujer dejó en un centro de reciclaje la computadora de su esposo fallecido, y que había sido fabricada en 1976. Pero más importante que cuándo la fabricaron fue quién la había hecho. Era una de las 200 computadoras hechas a mano por el fundador de Apple, Steve Jobs, ¡y su valor estimado era 250.000 dólares! A veces, conocer el verdadero valor de algo significa saber quién lo hizo.

Saber que es Dios quien nos hizo demuestra cuánto valemos para Él (Génesis 1:27). El Salmo 136 enumera momentos clave de su pueblo Israel: cómo fueron liberados de la esclavitud en Egipto (vv. 11-12), viajaron por el desierto (v. 16) y recibieron un nuevo hogar en Canaán (vv. 21-22). Pero cada vez que se menciona un evento de su historia, va acompañado de esta frase repetida: «porque para siempre es su misericordia». Esto les recordaba que aquellas experiencias no eran eventos al azar, sino que habían sido orquestadas por Dios y reflejaban su amor eterno por sus criaturas.

Muy a menudo, dejo pasar momentos que muestran a Dios obrando con bondad, sin reconocer que toda buena dádiva viene de mi Padre celestial (Santiago 1:17), quien me hizo y me ama. Que tú y yo aprendamos a relacionar toda bendición de nuestras vidas con la misericordia eterna de Dios.


Reflexiona y ora
Señor, que reconozca que toda bendición viene de ti.
¿Cómo podemos recordar mejor a la Fuente de toda bendición en la vida? ¿Qué te impide hacerlo?

© 2019 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
A veces, conocer el verdadero valor de algo significa saber quién lo hizo.