Thursday, August 27, 2020

The Daily Bible Readings for FRIDAY, August 28, 2020

https://classic.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-semicontinuous/2020/08/28?version=KJV

The Daily Readings
FRIDAY, August 28, 2020
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 3:16-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today's Verse-of-the-Day: John 6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Today's Readings:
Remembering Moses
1 O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

4 Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.

25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.

26 He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.

45b Praise ye the Lord.

God’s instructions to Moses
3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

Refusal to love the truth
2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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 Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV).

The Daily Bible Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2020, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2019 was Year C. 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 what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Readings for FRIDAY, August 28, 2020
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 3:16-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (KJV)

The Daily Prayer for FRIDAY, August 28, 2020

https://biblegateway.christianbook.com/common-prayer-liturgy-for-ordinary-radicals/shane-claiborne/9780310326199/pd/326199
The Daily Prayer
FRIDAY, August 28, 2020

Augustine of Hippo (354 — 430)

One of the greatest influences on the theology of Western Christianity, Augustine wanted from a young age to understand the meaning of life and the nature of good and evil. As a teacher, he sought answers to these questions through the best philosophy of his day. Although his mother, Monica, had instructed him in the Christian faith, he was not originally drawn to the tradition, but later found a depth and wisdom in Christianity to explain the question of evil and good. The famous story of Augustine’s conversion involves an experience in a garden in Milan. Torn between living a life of chastity and remembering his former life of sin, he prayed for forgiveness and immediately heard the voice of a child singing from a neighboring house, “Take up and read!” He picked up a book of St. Paul’s epistles left nearby, and the words he found there changed him forever. After his baptism, Augustine moved to North Africa to pursue a monastic life, but he was urged by the church to become ordained and was later made bishop of Hippo, where he served for thirty-five years. Augustine has rightly been criticized for silencing some important voices in his own day and passing on a harmful view of the body. He was not perfect, but he himself insisted that grace is the heart of our faith.

Augustine of Hippo said, “Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives, room too for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it.”

Teach us to listen, Lord. Quiet the noise of our lives so we can hear your voice. Amen.

Ichthus Ministries Daily Devotions — Living Contentedly

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20200828

Living Contentedly

But godliness with contentment is great gain ...

If you feel life hasn't given you a fair shake, then I've got good news for you, my friend. If you feel like shouting, "That's not fair!" Shout it to God. He's there to listen. He's there to love. If you're burdened by worry and bone-crushing despair, Jesus Christ reaches His nail-scarred hands out to you.

Now some might hear St. Paul's words about living a godly and contented life and immediately despair. They respond, "I'm not godly, that must be why I'm not content." However, when St. Paul talks about godliness, he means that Jesus Christ living in us gives us the contentment we seek in our lives. It isn't anything we do. It's having faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.

I'm not saying that you won't feel loss just because you have faith in Jesus Christ. There are times when even the strongest Christian feels unsatisfied, resentful, or questions God about life's many problems. So where is contentment in these situations? Without God, that's a question ripe for speculation. Sadly, many people look to the world, especially money, to find that contentment.

On this point, St. Paul links "godliness and contentment" with money, and how wealth can mislead. He continues, "For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Timothy 6:7-10).

The world is full of people who have turned to riches for contentment and have still found themselves surprisingly disappointed. True contentment doesn't come from the things we do for ourselves. It comes from receiving the miracle of the salvation won by Jesus Christ on the cross, and abiding in that faith.

The Holy Scriptures tell us our lives should be godly ones, that we should "pursue righteousness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11b). These are qualities that come from a relationship with Jesus Christ. By faith we know that no matter what, through thick or thin, God is right by our side. He is present in all our circumstances and in all our difficulties. He gives us the contentment we long for in this world.

So whether we're rich or not so rich, we should set our hope on the certainty of God, not life's fleeting fortunes. To trust in God is to store up for ourselves "a good foundation for the future, so that (we) may take hold of that which is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:19b).

And that life is Jesus Christ. In Him we find true contentment and great gain—made possible through His life, death, and resurrection.

Heavenly Father, keep us safe and steadfast in Your mercy and grace given to us in Jesus. In His Name we pray. Amen.

Rev. Edward Blonski

Reflection Questions:
1. Are you content with your life right now?

2. Do you have issues with money—not having enough of it? Chasing after it too much? Struggling with managing it?

3. How do you keep life's many snares from snagging you?
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Are you content with your life right now?

Standing Strong Through the Storm — THE WORK OF MINISTRY TO OTHERS

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/standing-strong-through-the-storm/2020/08/28
THE WORK OF MINISTRY TO OTHERS

Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’

We’ve been learning personal lessons from prison from Pastor Okuk Ojulu in Ethiopia as he shared them with Jim Cunningham.

He says, “The third lesson I learned is that imprisonment is for ministry to people in need. The thirty-six people who were imprisoned with me from Gambella in the Addis Ababa prison–777 kilometers (483 miles) away from our families–had no strong faith in the Lord.

“I began to realize that the Lord put me there to minister to these people, to feed them with the Word of God in the prison. I ended up baptizing some of them in the prison although I was not an officially recognized pastor, for no pastor was allowed to do this work in the prison.”

I am always amazed at the positive lessons from reading prison memoirs of followers of Jesus. And so many times they come to this similar conclusion. They were there to serve others.

Mama Kwang of Project Pearl in China is a wonderful example. Carl Lawrence tells her story in his award-winning book, The Church in China:

As she sat quietly in prison singing a hymn, the Lord gave her a message: “This is to be your ministry.”

“But,” she objected, “I am all alone. Whom can I minister to?” She continued to pray that her ministry would be fulfilled. Suddenly an idea came to her. She stood up and called for the guard.

“Sir, can I do some hard labor for you?” The guard looked at her with contempt, mingled with surprise. No one had ever made that kind of request before. “Look!” she exclaimed, “this prison is so dirty, there is human waste everywhere. Let me go into the cells and clean up this filthy place. All you have to do is give me some water and a brush.”

Not to her surprise, she soon found herself on her hands and knees cleaning and preaching. She was looking into the faces of people no longer recognizable as human beings. Through continuous torture, they had lost all hope of ever seeing another human being who did not come to beat them.

Oh, when they realized that they could have eternal life, they would get so excited. They would fall down on the dirty floor and repent of their sins, and do you know that very soon all the prisoners believed in Jesus Christ.”[1]

RESPONSE: Today I acknowledge that God can enable me to minister anywhere for Him—even prison.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord that even in a filthy prison dungeon you give ministry opportunities.

1. Carl Lawrence, The Church in China (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1985), p.149.

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

Men of the Bible — Daniel

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/men-of-the-bible/2020/08/28
Daniel

His name means: "God Is My Judge"

His work: He was a Jew who became a governor in Babylon.
His character: Daniel was an exile who exhibited great discipline and faithfulness to his God in adverse circumstances.
His sorrow: Daniel experienced the tearing of his people from their homeland to be exiled in Babylon. He was never able to return to the land he loved.
His triumph: God used his faith and his godly diligence to win the loyalty of kings and kingdoms.
Key Scriptures: Daniel 1-6

A Look at the Man

Daniel's life was filled with unpleasant—and sometimes tragic—surprises.

When he was a young man, the Babylonians laid siege to his homeland, tearing down the walls and buildings of Jerusalem. Even the sacred temple was ransacked and destroyed. Along with the other Israelites who had survived the carnage, Daniel was taken as a prisoner of war back to Babylon.

Knowing that the future of his nation rested on the shoulders of the brightest young men in the land—including Hebrew men—Nebuchadnezzar the king called for the finest in the land: "young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing an aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace." Among these carefully chosen Jews was a young man named Daniel, along with three of his friends.

The young men lived in the palace. It was Daniel's first experience of sleeping with the enemy, but it would not be his last.

To more fully indoctrinate the men, Nebuchadnezzar gave them Babylonian names. Then Daniel and his friends were placed under the instruction of the teachers of Babylon, and the four young men gained "knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning." So remarkable were these men that when they were presented to King Nebuchadnezzar for his review, he found them "ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom."

But it was to Daniel alone that God gave the special gift of interpreting visions and dreams of all kinds. And it was this ability that granted Daniel a place of honor in the kingdom. After a while, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that haunted him. He sought an interpretation from all the wise men in the land—magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. Infuriated by their inability to help him, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the execution of all the wise men in Babylon.

Upon hearing of this decree, Daniel begged for an audience with the king, pleading for his life and the lives of the wise men. Then Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream. In thanks, the king promoted Daniel as the ruler of an entire Babylonian province and "lavished many gifts on him."

But in spite of the power and wealth bestowed on Daniel, his love and loyalty to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were unaltered. His daily regimen included three visits to an upstairs window facing his precious homeland, where he knelt and prayed. Daniel's faithfulness to God—and his divine gift of interpreting dreams—placed him in great prominence in the kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar his son, and Darius.

Under Darius, Daniel rose to power over one-third of the kingdom. It was, in fact, in the king's plan to place Daniel over all of Babylon. But the other rulers seethed with envy over the king's favor of this Hebrew. And so they plotted to destroy him under the sanction of the kingdom.

These men went to the king with a flattering plan. "Issue an edict and enforce a decree," they proposed to Darius. "Anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except the king, shall be thrown into the lions' den." Seeing an opportunity for glory and believing that there would be no harm in such a plan, the king put the decree in writing and secured it with his seal. Unfortunately for Daniel, the king himself could not reverse his decision.

Without regard to the consequences, Daniel prayed at his window. Facing prosperity or the threat of execution, he would not let his heart be drawn away from the God whom he loved and served. And his reward for this act of obedience was yet another restful night—in a cave of death for anyone but a man of God.

Reflect On: Daniel 6:19–28
Praise God: For his power and ability to change hearts.
Offer Thanks: For the faithful prayers of “the great cloud of witnesses” that have gone before us.
Confess: Our lack of spiritual discipline—our pretense of spiritual devotion rather than our daily practice of it.
Ask God: To fill you with a burning desire to know him.

Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.
Daniel's life was filled with unpleasant—and sometimes tragic—surprises.

John Piper Devotional — Forgiven for Jesus’ Sake

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/john-piper-devotional/2020/08/28
Forgiven for Jesus’ Sake

For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

The righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections he would be unrighteous, he would be an idolater.

How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in this divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation.

The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father.

Now I may pray with new understanding the prayer of the psalmist, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great” (Psalm 25:11). The new understanding is that Jesus has now atoned for sin and vindicated the Father’s honor so that our sins are forgiven “on account of his name” (1 John 2:12).

The Father’s infinite pleasure in his own perfections is the fountain of our everlasting joy. The fact that the pleasure of God in his Son is pleasure in himself is not vanity. It is the gospel.
The Father’s infinite pleasure in his own perfections is the fountain of our everlasting joy.

Un dia a la Vez — El corazón del hogar

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/un-dia-vez/2020/08/28
El corazón del hogar

[Ella] está atenta a la marcha de su hogar, y el pan que come no es fruto del ocio. Sus hijos se levantan y la felicitan; también su esposo la alaba.

La mujer es el corazón del hogar. Sin duda, Dios le ha dado a la mujer esta gran responsabilidad.

¿Te has puesto a pensar que cuando tenemos nuestros esposos, o aun si somos madres solteras, Dios nos ha dado la capacidad de ser ese corazón del hogar? Tú y yo influimos de una manera positiva o negativa en nuestros esposos y en nuestros hijos. Cuando estamos desanimadas, eso es lo que transmitimos en casa… ¡y cómo sufren todos ese desaliento!

Sin embargo, esto lo vemos también en las cosas positivas. Si eres emprendedora, de seguro animas a tu esposo en los momentos en que necesita de ti. Asimismo, cuando alientas a tus hijos y los aconsejas en medio de las dificultades, su respuesta será positiva.

Por eso la mujer es ese motor que debe estar siempre conectado con Dios, ya que nuestra función en el hogar es determinante. Así que, recapacita, pues si tu esposo y tus hijos se quejan de ti, que eres insoportable, que no se te puede hablar o que te pasas la vida con regañinas, estas son señales de advertencia.

Pidámosle a Dios que nos ayude a cambiar y a estar centradas, de manera que logremos seguir siendo ese motor impulsor en la familia.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Tú y yo influimos de una manera positiva o negativa en nuestros esposos y en nuestros hijos.

Devocional CPTLN — Viviendo satisfechos


Viviendo satisfechos

Pero la piedad es una gran ganancia, cuando va acompañada de contentamiento.

Si sientes que la vida no ha sido justa, tengo buenas noticias para darte. Cuando quieras gritar: "¡Eso no es justo!", grítaselo a Dios. Él está dispuesto a escucharte y a amarte. Cuando la preocupación te agobia, Jesucristo te extiende sus manos llenas de cicatrices.

Quizás algunos podrían escuchar las palabras de San Pablo acerca de vivir una vida santa y feliz e inmediatamente desesperarse, diciendo: "No soy piadoso, por eso no estoy contento". Sin embargo, cuando San Pablo habla de la piedad, quiere decir que Jesucristo, que vive en nosotros, nos da la satisfacción que buscamos en la vida. No es nada que nosotros hagamos, sino confiar en lo que él ha hecho por nosotros.

No digo que no sientas las pérdidas solo porque tienes fe en Jesucristo. Hay momentos en que incluso el cristiano más fuerte se siente insatisfecho o resentido, y lo cuestiona a Dios sobre los muchos problemas de la vida. ¿Dónde está la satisfacción en esas situaciones? Sin Dios, esta es una pregunta que se presta a la especulación. Lamentablemente, muchas personas tratan de encontrar esa satisfacción especialmente en el dinero.

San Pablo vincula la "piedad y la satisfacción" con el dinero, y muestra cómo la riqueza puede inducir a error, diciendo: "Porque nada hemos traído a este mundo, y sin duda nada podremos sacar. Así que, si tenemos sustento y abrigo, contentémonos con eso. Los que quieren enriquecerse caen en la trampa de la tentación, y en muchas codicias necias y nocivas, que hunden a los hombres en la destrucción y la perdición; porque la raíz de todos los males es el amor al dinero, el cual algunos, por codiciarlo, se extraviaron de la fe y acabaron por experimentar muchos dolores" (1 Timoteo 6:7-10).

El mundo está lleno de personas con muchas riquezas que viven sorprendentemente decepcionadas. La verdadera satisfacción no proviene de las cosas que hacemos por nosotros mismos, sino de recibir el milagro de la salvación ganada por Jesucristo en la cruz y de permanecer en esa fe.

Las Sagradas Escrituras nos dicen que nuestras vidas deben ser piadosas, que debemos seguir "la justicia, la piedad, la fe, el amor, la paciencia y la mansedumbre" (1 Timoteo 6:11b). Estas son cualidades que provienen de una relación con Jesucristo. Por fe sabemos que, pase lo que pase, Dios está a nuestro lado. Él está presente en todas nuestras circunstancias y en todas nuestras dificultades. Él nos da la satisfacción que anhelamos en este mundo.

Entonces, ya sea que seamos ricos o no tanto, debemos poner nuestra esperanza en la certeza de Dios, no en las fortunas fugaces de la vida. Confiar en Dios es almacenarnos "un buen fundamento para el futuro, para que (nosotros) podamos aferrarnos a lo que es verdaderamente la vida" (1 Timoteo 6:19b).

Y esa vida es Jesucristo. En él encontramos verdadera satisfacción y gran ganancia, hecha posible a través de su vida, muerte y resurrección.

ORACIÓN: Padre celestial, mantennos seguros y firmes en tu misericordia y gracia que nos has dado en Jesús. En su nombre oramos. Amén.

Tomado de un mensaje del reverendo Edward Blonski

Para reflexionar:
* ¿Estás contento con tu vida en este momento?

* ¿Cómo evitas que las trampas de la vida te atrapen?
© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Estás contento con tu vida en este momento?

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày — Đấng Giải Cứu Chúng Ta

https://vietnamese-odb.org/2020/08/28/dang-giai-cuu-chung-ta/

Đấng Giải Cứu Chúng Ta

Đọc: Ê-xê-chi-ên 34:5-12 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: Thi Thiên 123-125; I Cô-rinh-tô 10:1-18
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Ta sẽ giải cứu chúng khỏi mọi nơi mà chúng đã bị tan lạc trong ngày mây mù tăm tối.

Giữa biển cả bao la, người cứu hộ dừng chiếc thuyền kayak của mình lại để hỗ trợ những vận động viên bơi lội thi đấu ba môn phối hợp đang hoảng loạn. “Đừng bám vào giữa thuyền!” cô nói với các vận động viên, vì biết rằng sự dịch chuyển đó sẽ khiến chiếc thuyền nhỏ lật úp. Thay vào đó, cô bảo những vận động viên đuối sức đến phía đuôi, hay mũi lái của chiếc thuyền kayak. Tại đó họ có thể nắm lấy chiếc vòng, để người cứu hộ có thể an toàn cứu họ lên.

Bất cứ khi nào cuộc đời hay con người đe dọa kéo chúng ta xuống, là những người tin Chúa Jêsus, chúng ta biết mình có một Đấng Giải Cứu. “Chúa Giê-hô-va phán: Nầy chính Ta sẽ tìm chiên Ta, Ta sẽ tìm kiếm chúng… Ta sẽ giải cứu chúng khỏi mọi nơi mà chúng đã bị tan lạc trong ngày mây mù tăm tối” (Êx. 34:11-12).

Đây là lời bảo đảm của tiên tri Ê-xê-chi-ên với dân sự của Chúa khi họ bị lưu đày. Những người lãnh đạo của họ đã bỏ mặc và bóc lột họ, cướp bóc của họ và “chỉ lo nuôi mình mà không nuôi chiên [của Chúa]” (c.8). Kết quả là, dân sự “bị phân tán khắp mặt đất, chẳng có ai kiếm, chẳng có ai tìm” (c.6).

Nhưng Chúa tuyên bố: “Ta sẽ giải cứu chiên Ta” (c.10), và lời hứa của Ngài vẫn còn cho đến ngày nay.

Chúng ta cần phải làm gì? Bám chặt vào Đức Chúa Trời toàn năng và những lời hứa của Ngài. Chúa phán: “Nầy chính Ta sẽ tìm chiên Ta, Ta sẽ tìm kiếm chúng” (c.11). Đó là lời hứa cứu rỗi đáng được nắm chặt lấy.
Khi bạn thấy hoảng loạn, phản ứng điển hình của bạn là gì? Đâu là nan đề bạn có thể buông bỏ hôm nay khi kêu cầu với Chúa?
Lạy Chúa là Đấng giải cứu chúng con, khi cuộc sống khiến con hoảng loạn, xin khích lệ con xây khỏi những đợt sóng cuộn trào và luôn luôn với tay về phía Ngài.


Chú Giải

Theo học giả Kinh Thánh Kenneth Bailey, phân đoạn Ê-xê-chi-ên 34:5-12 là một trong chín lần Kinh Thánh sử dụng hình ảnh người chăn và bầy chiên làm ẩn dụ cho các mối liên hệ vô cùng quan trọng. Đôi khi, người chăn là Đức Chúa Trời hoặc Chúa Jêsus (Thi Thiên 23; Thi Thiên 95; Ma-thi-ơ 18:10-14; Lu-ca 15:3-7; Giăng 10:7-18), đôi khi người chăn tượng trưng cho các lãnh đạo đồi bại của dân Y-sơ-ra-ên (Giê-rê-mi 23:1-8; Ê-xê-chi-ên 34:1-8; Xa-cha-ri 10:1-12), và đôi khi là các lãnh đạo hội thánh (I Phi-e-rơ 5:1-4). Do đó, có khi bầy chiên là dân Y-sơ-ra-ên trung tín còn sót lại, có khi là người Y-sơ-ra-ên nói chung (Mác 6:30-44), và những lần khác thì bầy chiên là những người tin nơi Đấng Christ. Trong thế giới ngày xưa, mối quan hệ giữa người chăn và bầy chiên rất quen thuộc, tạo nên bức tranh dễ hiểu về mối quan hệ tuyệt vời giữa Đức Chúa Trời và dân sự Ngài và nguy cơ bị lợi dụng bởi những người chăn giả khác.

Bill Crowder

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