Monday, September 14, 2020

The Daily Bible Readings for TUESDAY, September 15, 2020

https://classic.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-semicontinuous/2020/09/15?version=KJV

The Daily Readings
TUESDAY, September 15, 2020
Psalm 77; Nehemiah 9:9-15; Romans 14:13—15:2
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today's Verse-of-the-Day: 1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Today's Readings:
God’s way was in the sea
1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.

11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.

19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

The exodus remembered
9:9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;

10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.

11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:

15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

Building each other up
14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

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 TUESDAY, September 15, 2020
Psalm 77; Nehemiah 9:9-15; Romans 14:13—15:2 (KJV)

Prayer of the Day for TUESDAY, September 15, 2020


Prayer of the Day
TUESDAY, September 15, 2020

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Lord our God, we thank you for allowing us to come to you and to stand before your face. We thank you for helping us throughout our life on earth, for strengthening our faith in you and our trust in all you do. Bless us and give us courage. May your light shine out among the peoples so that they recognize your will. May your light shine out so that your name may be praised and we can rejoice in the new time you give us. For you will be at work and you will accomplish it. Even when we do not know what will become of our time, you know what our time needs, and you will carry out your will. You will let your name be honored. You will bring your kingdom, and you will change everything for the good. Amen.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, September 15, 2020

https://classic.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/verse-of-the-day/2020/09/15?version=KJV

1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Read all of 1 John 4

Listen to 1 John 4

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Ichthus Ministries Daily Devotions — Coming Home

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20200915

Coming Home

"Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

When I was little and I got into trouble, the last thing I wanted to do was to go home. I knew what was waiting for me—trouble and shouting and punishment. That was why I would do almost anything to put off the evil hour—to avoid going home.

It's a pretty normal response, right? We do evil, and then we run away from the place where we did it. We avoid the person we wronged, because we don't want to face up to them and their anger or disappointment. We drive a different way rather than pass the building where we got fired. We won't go "home," wherever that may be, because nothing good is waiting for us, and we know it.

But that's what makes our Isaiah reading so strange. God says to us, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Have compassion on him?! Abundantly pardon?! What could God be thinking? That's not a normal homecoming. Could this really happen?

But those are the words that the Holy Spirit says to us. And so we peek up and around from the places we are hiding, just a little—wondering if maybe, just maybe, God might mean it. Maybe, just maybe, He really won't yell—won't condemn—won't give us what we know we deserve. Maybe we can go home again, can return to the Lord, can find peace and joy and love again—in spite of who we are and what we've done. Maybe God is serious about His offer.

And we discover that He is. He wants us home again, wants His children forgiven and cleansed and happy and home—wants this so much that He lay down His own life to make it possible. That is what Jesus was doing when He came into this world, looking for all the lost ones, all of us who did wrong and then ran away. He came to bring us home. And if the only way to make that happen involved suffering and death? He was willing to pay that price. He paid it for me—and He paid it for you.

God wants you home again. He wants you home forever—not as a child on probation until you do the next bad thing and run off again. He wants you home forever—always with Him, always being forgiven, always being changed, bit by bit, into the image of God's own Son Jesus. And so God calls you to Him: "Come home. Return to the LORD, that I may have compassion on you, and to your God, for I will abundantly pardon." That is what is waiting for us. Let's listen to Jesus, put our hand in His, and go home.

Dear Father, help me to live with You forever as Your forgiven child. Amen.

Dr. Kari Vo

Reflection Questions:
1. When you got into trouble as a child, were you afraid to go home? Why or why not?

2. When in your life did you expect judgment, but instead you found mercy and forgiveness?

3. How easy or difficult is it for you to trust in God's forgiveness?
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
When I was little and I got into trouble, the last thing I wanted to do was to go home.

Standing Strong Through the Storm — LOVE’S SACRIFICE

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/standing-strong-through-the-storm/2020/09/15
LOVE’S SACRIFICE

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus says the ultimate test of true love is the willingness to die for others—especially your friends. Of course, He personally demonstrated this Himself in giving His life on the cross for you and me. And today He continues to call those who follow Him to make this sacrifice as well. This classic war zone missionary story illustrates the point:

The mortar rounds landed in an orphanage run by missionaries. The missionaries and one or two children were killed outright and several more children were wounded including one girl about eight years old.

The medical staff who arrived to help soon realized that the young girl was the most critically injured. Without quick action, she would die from shock and loss of blood.

When explained to the other children that a blood transfusion was imperative, the request for a blood donor met with wide-eyed silence.

Then one small hand went up and a young boy volunteered. He was quickly laid on a pallet, his arm swabbed with alcohol, and the needle inserted into his vein.

Through the ordeal, he lay stiff and silent but continued to sob later turning into steady, silent crying. The medical team kept asking if it was hurting but he would shake his head and continue to cry.

After a while the boy stopped crying, opened his eyes, and looked questioningly at the nurse who took the needle out of his arm. When she nodded, a look of great relief spread over his face.

The boy had all along thought he was dying. He misunderstood, thinking that he was to give ALL his blood so the other little girl could live. And she was his friend.

RESPONSE: Jesus calls me today to show sacrificial love—especially for those I consider friends.

PRAYER: Pray that this depth of love will become a reality in the church of Jesus Christ and in your life.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.
Jesus says the ultimate test of true love is the willingness to die for others—especially your friends. Of course, He personally demonstrated this Himself in giving His life on the cross for you and me. And today He continues to call those who follow Him to make this sacrifice as well. This classic war zone missionary story illustrates the point…

John Piper Devotional — The Only Enduring Happiness

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/john-piper-devotional/2020/09/15
The Only Enduring Happiness

“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

“No one will take your joy from you” because your joy comes from being with Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus means that you will never die; you will never be cut off from him.

You see, two things have to be true if your joy is never to be taken from you. One is that the source of your joy lasts forever and the other is that you last forever. If either you or the source of your joy is mortal, your joy will be taken from you.

And, O, how many people have settled for just that! Eat, drink, and be merry they say, for tomorrow we die, and that’s that. Food doesn’t last forever, and I don’t last forever. So let’s make the most of it while we can. What a tragedy!

If you are tempted to think that way right now, please consider as seriously as you possibly can that if your joy were in being with Jesus, “No one would take your joy from you”—not in this life, nor in the life to come.

Not life or death, or angels or principalities, or things present or things to come, or powers or height or depth, or anything else in all creation will be able to take our joy from us in Jesus Christ.

Joy in being with Jesus is an unbroken line from now to eternity. It will not be cut off by his death or ours.
Two things have to be true if your joy is never to be taken from you.…

Un dia a la Vez — Recibe a Jesús en tu corazón

https://classic.biblegateway.com/devotionals/un-dia-vez/2020/09/15
Recibe a Jesús en tu corazón

Todo el que invoque el nombre del Señor será salvo.

Hace quince años me hicieron esta pregunta: «¿Quieres recibir a Jesús en tu corazón?». Siempre llevo en mi corazón el agradecimiento por esa persona que fue el instrumento que Dios usó para que llegara a sus caminos. Fue paciente, nunca juzgó mi vida, ni mi condición. Por el contrario, fue sabio al llevarme a la iglesia junto con mis princesas. ¡Gracias, Juancho!

Sé que muchos de ustedes ya hicieron esa decisión, pero les pido que en este momento oren dondequiera que estén por las personas que hoy por primera vez están a punto de contestar esta importante pregunta.

Es posible que hayas entendido el sacrificio de amor que hizo Dios por la humanidad al entregar a su único Hijo Jesús para que muriera por nuestros pecados en una muerte de cruz. Tal vez hayas entendido que Dios te ofrece el perdón de tus pecados si le reconoces como tu Salvador. Sin embargo, el Manual de Instrucciones dice que nadie llega al Padre sino es por medio de su Hijo Jesucristo y que para salvación debe haber confesión. Déjame decirte que esto no es cambiar de religión, sino comenzar una relación personal con Él.

Si quieres recibir a Jesús en este día, solo tienes que leer en voz alta esta oración: «Señor Jesús, me presento delante de ti porque reconozco que soy pecador. Te pido, mi Dios, que perdones mis pecados. Hoy abro mi corazón y te recibo como el único y verdadero Salvador de mi vida. Entra en mi corazón. Transforma mi vida. Perdóname, Señor, y escribe mi nombre en el Libro de la Vida. En el nombre de Jesús, amén y amén».

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Hace quince años me hicieron esta pregunta: «¿Quieres recibir a Jesús en tu corazón?».

Devocional CPTLN — De vuelta en casa


De vuelta en casa

Busquen al Señor mientras puede ser hallado, llámenlo en tanto que está cerca. Abandone el impío su camino, y el hombre malvado sus pensamientos, y vuélvase al Señor, que tendrá de él compasión, al Dios nuestro, que será amplio en perdonar. «Porque Mis pensamientos no son los pensamientos de ustedes, ni sus caminos son Mis caminos», declara el Señor. «Porque como los cielos son más altos que la tierra, así Mis caminos son más altos que sus caminos, y Mis pensamientos más que sus pensamientos.

Cuando era pequeña y me metía en problemas, lo último que quería hacer era irme a casa. Sabía lo que me esperaba: más problemas, gritos y castigos. Por eso hacía casi cualquier cosa para retrasar la hora de volver a casa.

Es una respuesta bastante normal, ¿verdad? Hacemos el mal y luego huimos del lugar donde lo hicimos. Evitamos a la persona a la que hicimos daño, porque no queremos enfrentarnos a ella y su enojo o decepción. No iremos a "casa", donde sea que esté, porque nada bueno nos espera, y lo sabemos.

Eso es lo que hace que nuestra lectura de Isaías sea tan extraña. Dios nos dice: "Abandone el impío su camino, y el hombre malvado sus pensamientos, y vuélvase al Señor, que tendrá de él compasión, al Dios nuestro, que será amplio en perdonar". ¿Tendrá compasión de él? ¿Perdón en abundancia? ¿Qué estaría pensando Dios? Ese no es un regreso normal a casa. ¿Acaso es esto posible?

Pero esas son las palabras que nos dice el Espíritu Santo. Entonces miramos hacia arriba y a los lugares donde nos escondemos, y nos preguntamos si tal vez, solo tal vez, Dios podría decirlo en serio. Quizás, solo quizás, no nos va a gritar ni a condenar, ni nos dará lo que sabemos que merecemos. Tal vez podamos volver a casa, regresar al Señor, encontrar paz, gozo y amor nuevamente, a pesar de quiénes somos y de lo que hemos hecho. Quizás Dios se toma en serio su oferta.

Y descubrimos que lo es. Él quiere que volvamos a casa, quiere que sus hijos sean perdonados, limpios y felices; y lo quiere tanto, que entregó su vida para hacerlo posible. Eso es lo que Jesús hizo cuando vino a este mundo: buscó a los perdidos, a todos los que hicimos mal y luego huimos. Vino a traernos a casa. ¿Y si la única forma de lograrlo implicara sufrimiento y muerte? Él estuvo dispuesto a pagar ese precio. Lo pagó por mí y lo pagó por ti.

Dios quiere que vuelvas a casa. Él quiere que estés en casa para siempre, no como un niño en libertad condicional hasta que cometas el próximo error y te escapes de nuevo. Él quiere que estés en casa para siempre, siempre con Él, siempre perdonado, siendo poco a poco transformado a la imagen del Hijo de Dios. Eso es lo que nos espera. Escuchemos a Jesús, pongamos nuestra mano en la suya y vayamos a casa.

ORACIÓN: Querido Padre, ayúdame a vivir contigo para siempre como tu hijo perdonado. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:
* ¿Alguna vez recibiste misericordia y perdón en vez de juicio y condenación?

* ¿Qué tan fácil o difícil es para ti confiar en el perdón de Dios?
© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Cuando era pequeña y me metía en problemas, lo último que quería hacer era irme a casa.

Nuestro Pan Diario — Compasión en el trabajo

https://nuestropandiario.org/2020/09/15/compasi%C3%B3n-en-el-trabajo

Compasión en el trabajo

La escritura de hoy: Mateo 14:1-14
La Biblia en un año: Proverbios 22–24; 2 Corintios 8

… Jesús […] tuvo compasión de ellos, y sanó a los que de ellos estaban enfermos.

Mi amiga Ellen liquida sueldos para una firma contable. Este trabajo puede parecer automático, pero a veces, los empleados entregan tarde la información requerida. A menudo, Ellen compensa eso trabajando muchas horas para que los empleados reciban su dinero sin retraso. Lo hace pensando en las familias que dependen de esos fondos para comprar alimentos, remedios y gastos de la casa.

Su enfoque compasivo de su trabajo me recuerda a Jesús. A veces, servía a las personas aunque interrumpiera sus actividades. Por ejemplo, quiso pasar un tiempo a solas después de oír que Juan el Bautista había sido ejecutado, así que subió a una barca en busca de un lugar aislado (Mateo 14:13). Pero hubo un problema: multitudes con diversas necesidades físicas lo siguieron. Podría haber sido mucho más fácil despedirlos, pero «saliendo Jesús, vio una gran multitud, y tuvo compasión de ellos, y sanó a los que de ellos estaban enfermos» (v. 14).

Aunque parte del llamado de Jesús en la tierra era enseñar a la gente y sanar enfermedades, su empatía afectaba su manera de cumplir sus responsabilidades. Que Dios nos ayude a reconocer su compasión en nuestras vidas y nos dé fortaleza para transmitirla a otros.

De:  Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Reflexiona y ora
Señor, gracias por suplir todas mis necesidades. Que mi gratitud a ti se manifieste y te glorifique siendo compasivo con otros.
¿Cómo has experimentado la compasión y el cuidado de Dios? ¿Qué te impide mostrar el amor de Dios en tus responsabilidades diarias?

© 2020 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
Mi amiga Ellen liquida sueldos para una firma contable. Este trabajo puede parecer automático, pero a veces, los empleados entregan tarde la información requerida.…