Bible Readings for September 21, 2019

Today our passages are Isaiah 37:1–38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; and Proverbs 23:24-25. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Isaiah 37-38:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Asks Isaiah for Advice

(2 Kings 19.1-13)

 ¹As soon as Hezekiah heard the news, he tore off his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he went into the temple of the LORD. ²He told Prime Minister Eliakim, Assistant Prime Minister Shebna, and the senior priests to dress in sackcloth and tell me:

    ³Isaiah, these are difficult and disgraceful times. Our nation is like a woman too weak to give birth, when it's time for her baby to be born. ⁴Please pray for those of us who are left alive. The king of Assyria sent his army commander to insult the living God. Perhaps the LORD heard what he said and will do something, if you will pray.

    ⁵When these leaders came to me, ⁶I told them that the LORD had this message for Hezekiah:

   I am the LORD. Don't worry about the insulting things that have been said about me by these messengers from the king of Assyria. ⁷I will upset him with rumors about what's happening in his own country. He will go back, and there I will make him die a violent death.

    ⁸Meanwhile the commander of the Assyrian forces heard that his king had left the town of Lachish and was now attacking Libnah. So he went there.

    ⁹About this same time, the king of Assyria learned that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia ^[a] was on his way to attack him. Then the king of Assyria sent some messengers with this note for Hezekiah: ¹⁰Don't trust your God or be fooled by his promise to defend Jerusalem against me. ¹¹You have heard how we Assyrian kings have completely wiped out other nations. What makes you feel so safe? ¹²The Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and everyone from Eden who lived in Telassar. What good did their gods do them? ¹³The kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah have all disappeared.   

Hezekiah Prays

(2 Kings 19.14-19)

 ¹⁴After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the LORD to see. ¹⁵Then he prayed:

    ¹⁶LORD God All-Powerful of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. ^[b] You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world. ¹⁷Just look and see how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God. ¹⁸It is true, our LORD, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. ¹⁹They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. ²⁰But you are our LORD and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only LORD.  

Isaiah Gives the LORD's Answer to Hezekiah

(2 Kings 19.20-34)

 ^21-22I went to Hezekiah and told him that the LORD God of Israel had said:

   Hezekiah, you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. ^[c] Now this is what I say to that king: The people of Jerusalem

   hate and make fun of you;

   they laugh behind your back.

    ²³Sennacherib, you cursed,

   shouted, and sneered at me,

   the holy God of Israel.

    ²⁴You let your officials

   insult me, the Lord.

   And here is what you

   have said about yourself,

   "I led my chariots

   to the highest heights

   of Lebanon's mountains.

   I went deep into its forest,

   cutting down the best cedar

   and cypress trees.

    ²⁵I dried up every stream

   in the land of Egypt,

   and I drank water

   from wells I had dug."

    ²⁶Sennacherib, now listen

   to me, the LORD.

   I planned all of this long ago.

   And you don't even know

   that I alone am the one

   who decided that you

   would do these things.

   I let you make ruins

   of fortified cities.

    ²⁷Their people became weak,

   terribly confused.

   They were like wild flowers

   or like tender young grass

   growing on a flat roof

   or like a field of grain

   before it matures. ^[d] ²⁸I know all about you,

   even how fiercely angry

   you are with me.

    ²⁹I have seen your pride

   and the tremendous hatred

   you have for me.

   Now I will put a hook

   in your nose,

   a bit in your mouth, ^[e] then I will send you back

   to where you came from.

    ³⁰Hezekiah, I will tell you what's going to happen. This year you will eat crops that grow on their own, and the next year you will eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the third year, you will plant grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. ³¹Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. ³²I, the LORD All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.

    ³³I promise that the king of Assyria won't get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack. ³⁴As surely as I am the LORD, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. ³⁵I will protect it for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.   

The Death of King Sennacherib

(2 Kings 19.35-37)

 ³⁶The LORD sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed one hundred eighty-five thousand of them all in one night. The next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. ³⁷After this, King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. ³⁸One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. ^[f]

Isaiah 38

Hezekiah Gets Sick and Almost Dies

(2 Kings 20.1-11; 2 Chronicles 32.24-26)

 ¹About this time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. So I went in and told him, "The LORD says you won't ever get well. You are going to die, and so you had better start doing what needs to be done."

    ²Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed, ³"Don't forget that I have been faithful to you, LORD. I have obeyed you with all my heart, and I do whatever you say is right." After this, he cried hard.

    ⁴Then the LORD sent me ⁵with this message for Hezekiah:

   I am the LORD God, who was worshiped by your ancestor David. I heard you pray, and I saw you cry. I will let you live fifteen years more, ⁶while I protect you and your city from the king of Assyria.

    ⁷Now I will prove to you that I will keep my promise. ⁸Do you see the shadow made by the setting sun on the stairway built for King Ahaz? I will make the shadow go back ten steps.

   Then the shadow went back ten steps. ^[g]

King Hezekiah's Song of Praise

 ⁹This is what Hezekiah wrote after he got well:

    ¹⁰I thought I would die

   during my best years

   and stay as a prisoner forever

   in the world of the dead.

    ¹¹I thought I would never again

   see you, my LORD,

   or any of the people

   who live on this earth.

    ¹²My life was taken from me

   like the tent that a shepherd

   pulls up and moves.

   You cut me off like thread

   from a weaver's loom;

   you make a wreck of me

   day and night.

    ¹³Until morning came, I thought

   you would crush my bones

   just like a hungry lion;

   both night and day

   you make a wreck of me. ^[h] ¹⁴I cry like a swallow;

   I mourn like a dove.

   My eyes are red

   from looking to you, LORD.

   I am terribly abused.

   Please come and help me. ^[i] ¹⁵There's nothing I can say

   in answer to you,

   since you are the one

   who has done this to me. ^[j] My life has turned sour;

   I will limp until I die.

    ¹⁶Your words and your deeds

   bring life to everyone,

   including me. ^[k] Please make me healthy

   and strong again.

    ¹⁷It was for my own good

   that I had such hard times.

   But your love protected me

   from doom in the deep pit, ^[l] and you turned your eyes

   away from my sins.

    ¹⁸No one in the world of the dead

   can thank you

   or praise you;

   none of those in the deep pit

   can hope for you

   to show them

   how faithful you are.

    ¹⁹Only the living can thank you,

   as I am doing today.

   Each generation tells the next

   about your faithfulness. ^[m] ²⁰You, LORD, will save me,

   and every day that we live

   we will sing in your temple

   to the music

   of stringed instruments.   

Isaiah's Advice to Hezekiah

 ²¹I had told King Hezekiah's servants to put some mashed figs on the king's open sore, and he would get well. ²²Then Hezekiah asked for proof that he would again worship in the LORD's temple.

   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 37:9 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
2. Isaiah 37:16 winged creatures: Two winged creatures made of gold were on the top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18; 2 Samuel 6.2).
3. Isaiah 37:21 Hezekiah, you prayed. . . Assyria: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Isaiah 37:27 tender young grass. . . matures: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls and some Hebrew manuscripts "tender young grass, growing on a flat roof and scorched by the heat." Many of the houses had roofs made of packed earth. Grass would sometimes grow on the roof, but would die quickly because of the sun and hot winds.
5. Isaiah 37:29 I will put. . . your mouth: This is how the Assyrians treated their prisoners, and now the LORD will treat Sennacherib the same way.
6. Isaiah 37:38 Esarhaddon became king: He ruled Assyria 681-669 B.C.
7. Isaiah 38:8 steps: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 8.
8. Isaiah 38:13 of me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 13.
9. Isaiah 38:14 help me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.
10. Isaiah 38:15 There's. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Isaiah 38:16 Your. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Isaiah 38:17 deep pit: The world of the dead, as in verse 18.
13. Isaiah 38:19 about your faithfulness: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Galatians 6:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

Galatians 6

Help Each Other

 ¹My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. ²You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

    ³If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong. ⁴Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. ⁵We each must carry our own load.

    ⁶Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.

    ⁷You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. ⁸If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. ⁹Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. ¹⁰We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.   

Final Warnings

 ¹¹You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.

    ¹²Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don't want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. ¹³They are circumcised, but they don't obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised. ¹⁴But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.

    ¹⁵It doesn't matter if you are circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person.

    ¹⁶If you follow this rule, you will belong to God's true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace.

    ¹⁷On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don't want anyone to bother me anymore.

    ¹⁸My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you! Amen.

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Psalm 65:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 65

(A psalm by David and a song for the music leader.)

God Answers Prayer

 ¹Our God, you deserve ^[a] praise in Zion,

   where we keep

   our promises to you.

    ²Everyone will come to you

   because you answer prayer.

    ³Our terrible sins get us down,

   but you forgive us.

    ⁴You bless your chosen ones,

   and you invite them

   to live near you

   in your temple.

   We will enjoy your house,

   the sacred temple.

    ⁵Our God, you save us,

   and your fearsome deeds

   answer our prayers for justice!

   You give hope to people

   everywhere on earth,

   even those across the sea.

    ⁶You are strong,

   and your mighty power

   put the mountains in place.

    ⁷You silence the roaring waves

   and the noisy shouts

   of the nations.

    ⁸People far away marvel

   at your fearsome deeds,

   and all who live under the sun

   celebrate and sing

   because of you.

    ⁹You take care of the earth

   and send rain

   to help the soil

   grow all kinds of crops.

   Your rivers never run dry,

   and you prepare the earth

   to produce much grain.

    ¹⁰You water all of its fields

   and level the lumpy ground.

   You send showers of rain

   to soften the soil

   and help the plants sprout.

    ¹¹Wherever your footsteps

   touch the earth,

   a rich harvest is gathered.

    ¹²Desert pastures blossom,

   and mountains celebrate.

    ¹³Meadows are filled

   with sheep and goats;

   valleys overflow with grain

   and echo with joyful songs.

   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 65:1 deserve: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 23:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴Make your father truly happy

   by living right

   and showing

   sound judgment.

    ²⁵Make your parents proud,

   especially your mother.

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Verse of the Day

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” - 2 Corinthians 13:14

Today's passage is from the New International Version.

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Thought for the Day

Long-time educator and an elder rights activist and the founder of AARP in 1958, Ethel Percy Andrus wrote, “We learn the inner secret of happiness when we learn to direct our inner drives, our interest and our attention to something besides ourselves.”

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A Joke for Today

A homeless man, down on his luck, went into a church that was known for its rather “uppity” social reputation. Spotting the man’s dirty clothes, the ushers stopped him outside the church door and asked if he needed help. The man told them, “I was praying and the Lord told me to come to this church.”The ushers suggested that the man go away and pray some more and me might get a different answer.

The following Sunday the man returned and the ushers again stopped him at the door. “Well, did you get a different answer?” they asked him.“Yes, I did,” said the man. “I told the Lord that you don’t want me here, but the Lord said, ‘Keep trying, son. I’ve been trying to get into that church for years and I haven’t made it yet either.”

Bible Readings for September 20, 2019

Today our passages are Isaiah 33:13–36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; and Proverbs 23:23. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Isaiah 33:13-36:22 (Contemporary English Version)

¹³Everyone, both far and near,
   come look at what I have done.
   See my mighty power!"   

Punishment and Rewards

 ¹⁴Those terrible sinners    on Mount Zion tremble
   as they ask in fear,
   "How can we possibly live
   where a raging fire
   never stops burning?"
    ¹⁵But there will be rewards
   for those who live right
   and tell the truth,
   for those who refuse
   to take money by force
   or accept bribes,
   for all who hate murder
   and violent crimes.
    ¹⁶They will live in a fortress
   high on a rocky cliff,
   where they will have food
   and plenty of water.   

The LORD Is Our King

 ¹⁷With your own eyes    you will see the glorious King;
   you will see his kingdom
   reaching far and wide.
    ¹⁸Then you will ask yourself,
   "Where are those officials
   who terrified us and forced us
   to pay such heavy taxes?"
    ¹⁹You will never again have to see
   the proud people who spoke
   a strange and foreign language
   you could not understand.
    ²⁰Look to Mount Zion
   where we celebrate
   our religious festivals.
   You will see Jerusalem,
   secure as a tent with pegs
   that cannot be pulled up
   and fastened with ropes
   that can never be broken.
    ²¹Our wonderful LORD
   will be with us!
   There will be deep rivers
   and wide streams
   safe from enemy ships. ^[a]

The LORD Is Our Judge

 ²²The LORD is our judge    and our ruler;
   the LORD is our king
   and will keep us safe.
    ²³But your nation ^[b] is a ship with its rigging loose,
   its mast shaky,
   and its sail not spread.
   Someday even you that are lame
   will take everything you want
   from your enemies.
    ²⁴The LORD will forgive your sins,
   and none of you will say,
   "I feel sick."
   

Isaiah 34

The Nations Will Be Judged

 ¹Everyone of every nation,    the entire earth,
   and all of its creatures,
   come here and listen!
    ²The LORD is terribly angry
   with the nations;
   he has condemned them
   to be slaughtered.
    ³Their dead bodies will be left
   to rot and stink;
   their blood will flow
   down the mountains.
    ⁴Each star ^[c] will disappear-- the sky will roll up
   like a scroll. ^[d] Everything in the sky
   will dry up and wilt
   like leaves on a vine
   or fruit on a tree.   

Trouble for Edom

 ⁵After the sword of the LORD    has done what it wants
   to the skies above, ^[e] it will come down on Edom,
   the nation that the LORD
   has doomed for destruction.
    ⁶The sword of the LORD
   is covered with blood
   from lambs and goats,
   together with fat
   from kidneys of rams.
   This is because the LORD
   will slaughter many people
   and make a sacrifice of them
   in the city of Bozrah
   and everywhere else
   in Edom.
    ⁷Edom's leaders are wild oxen.
   They are powerful bulls,
   but they will die
   with the others.
   Their country will be soaked
   with their blood,
   and its soil made fertile
   with their fat.
    ⁸The LORD has chosen
   the year and the day,
   when he will take revenge
   and come to Zion's defense.
    ⁹Edom's streams will turn into tar
   and its soil into sulfur--
   then the whole country
   will go up in flames.
    ¹⁰It will burn night and day
   and never stop smoking.
   Edom will be a desert,
   generation after generation;
   no one will ever travel
   through that land.
    ¹¹Owls, hawks, and wild animals ^[f] will make it their home.
   God will leave it in ruins,
   merely a pile of rocks.   

The End of Edom

 ¹²Edom will be called    "Kingdom of Nothing."
   Its rulers will also be nothing.
    ¹³Its palaces and fortresses
   will be covered with thorns;
   only wolves and ostriches
   will make their home there.
    ¹⁴Wildcats and hyenas
   will hunt together,
   demons will scream to demons,
   and creatures of the night
   will live among the ruins.
    ¹⁵Owls will nest there
   to raise their young
   among its shadows, ^[g] while families of buzzards
   circle around.
    ¹⁶In The Book of the LORD ^[h] you can search
   and find
   where it is written,
   "The LORD brought together
   all of his creatures
   by the power of his Spirit.
   Not one is missing."
    ¹⁷The LORD has decided
   where they each should live;
   they will be there forever,
   generation after generation.
   

Isaiah 35

God's Splendor Will Be Seen

 ¹Thirsty deserts will be glad;    barren lands will celebrate
   and blossom with flowers.
    ²Deserts will bloom everywhere
   and sing joyful songs.
   They will be as majestic
   as Mount Lebanon,
   as glorious as Mount Carmel
   or Sharon Valley.
   Everyone will see
   the wonderful splendor
   of the LORD our God.   

God Changes Everything

 ³Here is a message for all    who are weak,
   trembling,
   and worried:
    ⁴"Cheer up! Don't be afraid.
   Your God is coming
   to punish your enemies.
   God will take revenge on them
   and rescue you."
    ⁵The blind will see,
   and the ears of the deaf
   will be healed.
    ⁶Those who were lame
   will leap around like deer;
   tongues once silent
   will begin to shout.
   Water will rush
   through the desert.
    ⁷Scorching sand
   will turn into a lake,
   and thirsty ground
   will flow with fountains.
   Grass will grow in wetlands,
   where packs of wild dogs
   once made their home. ^[i]

God's Sacred Highway

 ⁸A good road will be there,    and it will be named
   "God's Sacred Highway."
   It will be for God's people;
   no one unfit to worship God
   will walk on that road.
   And no fools can travel
   on that highway. ^[j] ⁹No lions or other wild animals
   will come near that road;
   only those the LORD has saved
   will travel there.
    ¹⁰The people the LORD has rescued
   will come back singing
   as they enter Zion.
   Happiness will be a crown
   they will always wear.
   They will celebrate and shout
   because all sorrows
   and worries
   will be gone far away.
   

Isaiah 36

The Assyrians Surround Jerusalem

(2 Kings 18.13-27; 2 Chronicles 32.1-19)

 ¹Hezekiah had been king of Judah for fourteen years when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city ²except Jerusalem. The Assyrian king ordered his army commander to leave the city of Lachish and to take a large army to Jerusalem.    The commander went there and stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. ³Three of the king's highest officials came out of Jerusalem to meet him. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records.
    ⁴The Assyrian commander told them:
   I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. ⁵Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria? ⁶Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand.
    ⁷Is Hezekiah now depending on the LORD, your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the LORD's altars and places of worship? ^[k] Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place? ⁸The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you two thousand horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. ⁹How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? ¹⁰Don't forget that it was the LORD who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!
    ¹¹Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, "Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew."
    ¹²The Assyrian army commander answered, "My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you!"
    ¹³Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted out in Hebrew:
   Listen to what the great king of Assyria says! ¹⁴Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you. ¹⁵Don't trust him when he tells you that the LORD will protect you from the king of Assyria. ¹⁶Stop listening to Hezekiah. Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns ¹⁷for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards and raise your own grain.
    ¹⁸Hezekiah claims the LORD will save you. But don't be fooled by him. Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria? ¹⁹What happened to the gods of Hamath, Arpad, and Sepharvaim? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces? ²⁰None of these gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the LORD, your God, can do any better?
    ^21-22Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah had been warned by King Hezekiah not to answer the Assyrian commander. So they tore their clothes in sorrow and reported to Hezekiah everything the commander had said.
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 33:21 safe. . . ships: This probably means that Jerusalem will have a lot of water, without the danger of attacks from enemy ships.
2. Isaiah 33:23 your nation: Possibly Judah or Assyria.
3. Isaiah 34:4 star: Stars were worshiped as gods.
4. Isaiah 34:4 scroll: A roll of paper or specially prepared leather used for writing on.
5. Isaiah 34:5 has done. . . above: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls "appears in the skies above."
6. Isaiah 34:11 Owls. . . animals: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Isaiah 34:15 Owls. . . shadows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Isaiah 34:16 The Book of the LORD: The book that Isaiah refers to is unknown.
9. Isaiah 35:7 where. . . home: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Isaiah 35:8 And. . . highway: Or "And not even a fool can miss that highway."
11. Isaiah 36:7 worship: Hezekiah actually had torn down the places where idols were worshiped, and he had told the people to worship the LORD at the one place of worship in Jerusalem. But the Assyrian leader was confused and thought these were also places where the LORD was supposed to be worshiped.

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Galatians 5:13-26 (Contemporary English Version)

¹³My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. ¹⁴All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. ¹⁵But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.   

God's Spirit and Our Own Desires

 ¹⁶If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. ¹⁷The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. ¹⁸But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.     ¹⁹People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. ²⁰They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are ²¹envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.
    ²²God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, ²³gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. ²⁴And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. ²⁵God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. ²⁶But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.

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Psalm 64:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 64

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

Celebrate because of the LORD

 ¹Listen to my concerns, God,    and protect me
   from my terrible enemies.
    ²Keep me safe from secret plots
   of corrupt and evil gangs.
    ³Their words cut like swords,
   and their cruel remarks
   sting like sharp arrows.
    ⁴They fearlessly ambush
   and shoot innocent people.
    ⁵They are determined to do evil,
   and they tell themselves,
   "Let's set traps!
   No one can see us." ^[a] ⁶They make evil plans and say,
   "We'll commit a perfect crime.
   No one knows our thoughts." ^[b] ⁷But God will shoot his arrows
   and quickly wound them.
    ⁸They will be destroyed
   by their own words,
   and everyone who sees them
   will tremble with fear. ^[c] ⁹They will be afraid and say,
   "Look at what God has done
   and keep it all in mind."
    ¹⁰May the LORD bless his people
   with peace and happiness
   and let them celebrate.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 64:5 us: One ancient translation; Hebrew " them."
2. Psalm 64:6 thoughts: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 6.
3. Psalm 64:8 tremble with fear: Or " turn and run."

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Proverbs 23:23 (Contemporary English Version)

²³Invest in truth and wisdom,
   discipline and good sense,
   and don't part with them.

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Verse of the Day

“People of Zion, celebrate in honor of the LORD your God! He is generous and has sent the autumn and spring rains in the proper seasons.” - Joel 2:23

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Irish-American actor, writer and politician, Malachy McCourt wrote, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

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A Joke for Today

One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?"

The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear," she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room." A long silence was broken at last by a shaken little voice saying, "The big sissy."