Bible Readings for September 1, 2016

Today our passages are Job 37:1–39:30; 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; and Proverbs 22:13. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year. 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.

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Job 40-42:17 (The Message)

Job 40

God then confronted Job directly: "Now what do you have to say for yourself?
Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?"

Job Answers God

I'm Ready to Shut Up and Listen

^3-5 Job answered: "I'm speechless, in awe—words fail me.
I should never have opened my mouth!
I've talked too much, way too much.
I'm ready to shut up and listen."

God's Second Set of Questions

I Want Straight Answers

^6-7 God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said: "I have some more questions for you,
and I want straight answers.

^8-14 "Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
Do you have an arm like my arm?
Can you shout in thunder the way I can?
Go ahead, show your stuff.
Let's see what you're made of, what you can do.
Unleash your outrage.
Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees.
Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them!
Dig a mass grave and dump them in it—
faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.
I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you—
you can surely save yourself with no help from me!

^15-24 "Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you.
Grazing on grass, docile as a cow—
Just look at the strength of his back,
the powerful muscles of his belly.
His tail sways like a cedar in the wind;
his huge legs are like beech trees.
His skeleton is made of steel,
every bone in his body hard as steel.
Most magnificent of all my creatures,
but I still lead him around like a lamb!
The grass-covered hills serve him meals,
while field mice frolic in his shadow.
He takes afternoon naps under shade trees,
cools himself in the reedy swamps,
Lazily cool in the leafy shadows
as the breeze moves through the willows.
And when the river rages he doesn't budge,
stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild.
But you'd never want him for a pet—
you'd never be able to housebreak him!"

Job 41

I Run This Universe

^1-11"Or can you pull in the sea beast, Leviathan, with a fly rod and stuff him in your creel?
Can you lasso him with a rope,
or snag him with an anchor?
Will he beg you over and over for mercy,
or flatter you with flowery speech?
Will he apply for a job with you
to run errands and serve you the rest of your life?
Will you play with him as if he were a pet goldfish?
Will you make him the mascot of the neighborhood children?
Will you put him on display in the market
and have shoppers haggle over the price?
Could you shoot him full of arrows like a pin cushion,
or drive harpoons into his huge head?
If you so much as lay a hand on him,
you won't live to tell the story.
What hope would you have with such a creature?
Why, one look at him would do you in!
If you can't hold your own against his glowering visage,
how, then, do you expect to stand up to me?
Who could confront me and get by with it?
I'm in charge of all this—I run this universe!

^12-17 "But I've more to say about Leviathan, the sea beast,
his enormous bulk, his beautiful shape.
Who would even dream of piercing that tough skin
or putting those jaws into bit and bridle?
And who would dare knock at the door of his mouth
filled with row upon row of fierce teeth?
His pride is invincible;
nothing can make a dent in that pride.
Nothing can get through that proud skin—
impervious to weapons and weather,
The thickest and toughest of hides,
impenetrable!

^18-34 "He snorts and the world lights up with fire,
he blinks and the dawn breaks.
Comets pour out of his mouth,
fireworks arc and branch.
Smoke erupts from his nostrils
like steam from a boiling pot.
He blows and fires blaze;
flames of fire stream from his mouth.
All muscle he is—sheer and seamless muscle.
To meet him is to dance with death.
Sinewy and lithe,
there's not a soft spot in his entire body—
As tough inside as out,
rock-hard, invulnerable.
Even angels run for cover when he surfaces,
cowering before his tail-thrashing turbulence.
Javelins bounce harmlessly off his hide,
harpoons ricochet wildly.
Iron bars are so much straw to him,
bronze weapons beneath notice.
Arrows don't even make him blink;
bullets make no more impression than raindrops.
A battle ax is nothing but a splinter of kindling;
he treats a brandished harpoon as a joke.
His belly is armor-plated, inexorable—
unstoppable as a barge.
He roils deep ocean the way you'd boil water,
he whips the sea like you'd whip an egg into batter.
With a luminous trail stretching out behind him,
you might think Ocean had grown a gray beard!
There's nothing on this earth quite like him,
not an ounce of fear in that creature!
He surveys all the high and mighty—
king of the ocean, king of the deep!"

Job 42

Job Worships God

I Babbled On About Things Far Beyond Me

^1-6 Job answered God: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?'
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.'
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise!
I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."

God Restores Job

I Will Accept His Prayer

^7-8 After God had finished addressing Job, he turned to Eliphaz the Temanite and said, "I've had it with you and your two friends. I'm fed up! You haven't been honest either with me or about me—not the way my friend Job has. So here's what you must do. Take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my friend Job. Sacrifice a burnt offering on your own behalf. My friend Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer. He will ask me not to treat you as you deserve for talking nonsense about me, and for not being honest with me, as he has." ⁹ They did it. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did what God commanded. And God accepted Job's prayer.
^10-11 After Job had interceded for his friends, God restored his fortune—and then doubled it! All his brothers and sisters and friends came to his house and celebrated. They told him how sorry they were, and consoled him for all the trouble God had brought him. Each of them brought generous housewarming gifts.
^12-15 God blessed Job's later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first daughter Dove, the second, Cinnamon, and the third, Darkeyes. There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance.
^16-17 Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them! Then he died—an old man, a full life.

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2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (The Message)

^11-14That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure. It's no light thing to know that we'll all one day stand in that place of Judgment. That's why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God. God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize how much and deeply we care. We're not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we're on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

A New Life

^14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. ^16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.
²¹How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

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Psalm 45:1-17 (The Message)

Psalm 45

A Wedding Song of the Sons of Korah

¹ My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness.
I pour it out in a poem to the king,
shaping the river into words:

^2-4 "You're the handsomest of men;
every word from your lips is sheer grace,
and God has blessed you, blessed you so much.
Strap your sword to your side, warrior!
Accept praise! Accept due honor!
Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly!
Ride on the side of truth!
Ride for the righteous meek!

^4-5 "Your instructions are glow-in-the-dark;
you shoot sharp arrows
Into enemy hearts; the king's
foes lie down in the dust, beaten.

^6-7 "Your throne is God's throne,
ever and always;
The scepter of your royal rule
measures right living.
You love the right
and hate the wrong.
And that is why God, your very own God,
poured fragrant oil on your head,
Marking you out as king
from among your dear companions.

^8-9 "Your ozone-drenched garments
are fragrant with mountain breeze.
Chamber music—from the throne room—
makes you want to dance.
Kings' daughters are maids in your court,
the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.
^10-12 "Now listen, daughter, don't miss a word:
forget your country, put your home behind you.
Be here—the king is wild for you.
Since he's your lord, adore him.
Wedding gifts pour in from Tyre;
rich guests shower you with presents."

^13-15 (Her wedding dress is dazzling,
lined with gold by the weavers;
All her dresses and robes
are woven with gold.
She is led to the king,
followed by her virgin companions.
A procession of joy and laughter!
a grand entrance to the king's palace!)

^16-17 "Set your mind now on sons—
don't dote on father and grandfather.
You'll set your sons up as princes
all over the earth.
I'll make you famous for generations;
you'll be the talk of the town
for a long, long time."

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Proverbs 22:14 (The Message)

¹⁴ The mouth of a whore is a bottomless pit;
you'll fall in that pit if you're on the outs with God.

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Verse of the Day
“Point your kids in the right direction— when they're old they won't be lost.” - Proverbs 22:6

Today's passage is from the The Message.

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Thought for the Day

American author, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. wrote, “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

Bible Readings for June 11, 2016

Today our passages are 1 Kings 8:1-66; Acts 7:51–8:13; Psalm 129:1-8; and Proverbs 17:1. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 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.

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1 Kings 8:1-66 (The Message)

1 Kings 8

^1-2 Bringing all this to a climax, King Solomon called in the leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the family patriarchs, to bring up the Chest of the Covenant of God from Zion, the City of David. And they came, all Israel before King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month, for the great autumn festival. ^3-5 With all Israel's leaders present, the priests took up the Chest of God and carried up the Chest and the Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels that went with the Tent. King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel were there at the Chest worshiping and sacrificing huge numbers of sheep and cattle—so many that no one could keep track.
^6-9 Then the priests brought the Chest of the Covenant of God to its place in the Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim. The outspread wings of the cherubim stretched over the Chest and its poles. The poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the entrance to the Inner Sanctuary, but were not noticeable farther out. They're still there today. There was nothing in the Chest but the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb where God made a covenant with Israel after bringing them up from Egypt.

The Temple Finished, Dedicated, Filled

^10-11 When the priests left the Holy Place, a cloud filled The Temple of God. The priests couldn't carry out their priestly duties because of the cloud—the glory of God filled The Temple of God! ^12-13 Then Solomon spoke:
God has told us that he lives in the dark
where no one can see him;
I've built this splendid Temple, O God,
to mark your invisible presence forever.
¹⁴ The king then turned to face the congregation and blessed them:
^15-16 "Blessed be God, the God of Israel, who spoke personally to my father David. Now he has kept the promise he made when he said, 'From the day I brought my people Israel from Egypt, I haven't set apart one city among the tribes of Israel to build a Temple to fix my Name there. But I did choose David to rule my people Israel.'
^17-19 "My father David had it in his heart to build a Temple honoring the Name of God, the God of Israel. But God told him 'It was good that you wanted to build a Temple in my honor—most commendable! But you are not the one to do it—your son will build it to honor my Name.'
^20-21 "God has done what he said he would do: I have succeeded David my father and ruled over Israel just as God promised; and now I've built a Temple to honor God, the God of Israel, and I've secured a place for the Chest that holds the covenant of God, the covenant that he made with our ancestors when he brought them up from the land of Egypt."

^22-25 Before the entire congregation of Israel, Solomon took a position before the Altar, spread his hands out before heaven, and prayed,
O God, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and relentlessly loves them as they sincerely live in obedience to your way. You kept your word to David my father, your personal word. You did exactly what you promised—every detail. The proof is before us today!
Keep it up, God, O God of Israel! Continue to keep the promises you made to David my father when you said, "You'll always have a descendant to represent my rule on Israel's throne, on the condition that your sons are as careful to live obediently in my presence as you have."
²⁶ O God of Israel, let this all happen; confirm and establish it!
^27-32 Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood? Why, the cosmos itself isn't large enough to give you breathing room, let alone this Temple I've built. Even so, I'm bold to ask: Pay attention to these my prayers, both intercessory and personal, O God, my God. Listen to my prayers, energetic and devout, that I'm setting before you right now. Keep your eyes open to this Temple night and day, this place of which you said, "My Name will be honored there," and listen to the prayers that I pray at this place.
Listen from your home in heaven and when you hear, forgive.
When someone hurts a neighbor and promises to make things right, and then comes and repeats the promise before your Altar in this Temple, listen from heaven and act accordingly: Judge your servants, making the offender pay for his offense and setting the offended free of any charges.
^33-34 When your people Israel are beaten by an enemy because they've sinned against you, but then turn to you and acknowledge your rule in prayers desperate and devout in this Temple,
Listen from your home in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, return them to the land you gave their ancestors.
^35-36 When the skies shrivel up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, but then they pray at this place, acknowledging your rule and quitting their sins because you have scourged them,
Listen from your home in heaven, forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel.
Then start over with them: Train them to live right and well; send rain on the land you gave your people as an inheritance.
^37-40 When disasters strike, famine or catastrophe, crop failure or disease, locust or beetle, or when an enemy attacks their defenses—calamity of any sort—any prayer that's prayed from anyone at all among your people Israel, hearts penetrated by the disaster, hands and arms thrown out to this Temple for help,
Listen from your home in heaven.
Forgive and go to work on us. Give what each deserves, for you know each life from the inside (you're the only one with such "inside knowledge"!) so that they'll live before you in lifelong reverent and believing obedience on this land you gave our ancestors.
^41-43 And don't forget the foreigner who is not a member of your people Israel but has come from a far country because of your reputation. People are going to be attracted here by your great reputation, your wonder-working power, who come to pray at this Temple.
Listen from your home in heaven.
Honor the prayers of the foreigner so that people all over the world will know who you are and what you're like and will live in reverent obedience before you, just as your own people Israel do; so they'll know that you personally make this Temple that I've built what it is.
^44-51 When your people go to war against their enemies at the time and place you send them and they pray to God toward the city you chose and this Temple I've built to honor your Name,
Listen from heaven to what they pray and ask for, and do what's right for them.
When they sin against you—and they certainly will; there's no one without sin!—and in anger you turn them over to the enemy and they are taken captive to the enemy's land, whether far or near, but repent in the country of their captivity and pray with changed hearts in their exile, "We've sinned; we've done wrong; we've been most wicked," and turn back to you heart and soul in the land of the enemy who conquered them, and pray to you toward their homeland, the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you chose, and this Temple I have built to the honor of your Name,
Listen from your home in heaven to their prayers desperate and devout and do what is best for them.
Forgive your people who have sinned against you; forgive their gross rebellions and move their captors to treat them with compassion. They are, after all, your people and your precious inheritance whom you rescued from the heart of that iron-smelting furnace, Egypt!
^52-53 O be alert and attentive to the needy prayers of me, your servant, and your dear people Israel; listen every time they cry out to you! You handpicked them from all the peoples on earth to be your very own people, as you announced through your servant Moses when you, O God, in your masterful rule, delivered our ancestors from Egypt.
^54-55 Having finished praying to God—all these bold and passionate prayers—Solomon stood up before God's Altar where he had been kneeling all this time, his arms stretched upward to heaven. Standing, he blessed the whole congregation of Israel, blessing them at the top of his lungs:
^56-58 "Blessed be God, who has given peace to his people Israel just as he said he'd do. Not one of all those good and wonderful words that he spoke through Moses has misfired. May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as he was with our ancestors—may he never give up and walk out on us. May he keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors.
^59-61 "And let these words that I've prayed in the presence of God be always right there before him, day and night, so that he'll do what is right for me, to guarantee justice for his people Israel day after day after day. Then all the people on earth will know God is the true God; there is no other God. And you, your lives must be totally obedient to God, our personal God, following the life path he has cleared, alert and attentive to everything he has made plain this day."

^62-63 The king and all Israel with him then worshiped, offering sacrifices to God. Solomon offered Peace-Offerings, sacrificing to God 22,000 cattle, a hundred and 120,000 sheep. This is how the king and all Israel dedicated The Temple of God.
⁶⁴ That same day, the king set apart the central area of the Courtyard in front of God's Temple for sacred use and there sacrificed the Whole-Burnt-Offerings, Grain-Offerings, and fat from the Peace-Offerings—the bronze Altar was too small to handle all these offerings.
^65-66 This is how Solomon kept the great autumn feast, and all Israel with him, people there all the way from the far northeast (the Entrance to Hamath) to the far southwest (the Brook of Egypt)—a huge congregation. They started out celebrating for seven days—and then did it another seven days! Two solid weeks of celebration! Then he dismissed them. They blessed the king and went home, exuberant with heartfelt gratitude for all the good God had done for his servant David and for his people Israel.

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Acts 7:51-8:13 (The Message)

^51-53"And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you're just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn't get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you've kept up the family tradition—traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God's Law handed to you by angels—gift-wrapped!—and you squandered it!"
^54-56At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, "Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God's side!"
^57-58Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.
^59-60As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, "Master Jesus, take my life." Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Master, don't blame them for this sin"—his last words. Then he died.

Acts 8

Simon the Wizard

^1-2That set off a terrific persecution of the church in Jerusalem. The believers were all scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. All, that is, but the apostles. Good and brave men buried Stephen, giving him a solemn funeral—not many dry eyes that day! ^3-8And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail. Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus. Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah. When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God's action, they hung on his every word. Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what joy in the city!
^9-11Previous to Philip's arrival, a certain Simon had practiced magic in the city, posing as a famous man and dazzling all the Samaritans with his wizardry. He had them all, from little children to old men, eating out of his hand. They all thought he had supernatural powers, and called him "the Great Wizard." He had been around a long time and everyone was more or less in awe of him.
^12-13But when Philip came to town announcing the news of God's kingdom and proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, they forgot Simon and were baptized, becoming believers right and left! Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. From that moment he was like Philip's shadow, so fascinated with all the God-signs and miracles that he wouldn't leave Philip's side.

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Psalm 129:1-8 (The Message)

Psalm 129

A Pilgrim Song

^1-4 "They've kicked me around ever since I was young" —this is how Israel tells it—
"They've kicked me around ever since I was young,
but they never could keep me down.
Their plowmen plowed long furrows
up and down my back;
Then God ripped the harnesses
of the evil plowmen to shreds."

^5-8 Oh, let all those who hate Zion
grovel in humiliation;
Let them be like grass in shallow ground
that withers before the harvest,
Before the farmhands can gather it in,
the harvesters get in the crop,
Before the neighbors have a chance to call out,
"Congratulations on your wonderful crop!
We bless you in God's name!"

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Proverbs 17:1 (The Message)

Proverbs 17

A Whack on the Head of a Fool

¹ A meal of bread and water in contented peace is better than a banquet spiced with quarrels.

 

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Verse of the Day

“Our God says, "Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.” - Psalm 46:10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American author best known for his inspirational book, Life's Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. wrote, “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”

Bible Readings for March 29, 2016

Today our passages are Deuteronomy 11:1–12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; and Proverbs 12:4. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 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.

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Deuteronomy 11-12:32 (The Message)

Deuteronomy 11

 ¹So love God, your God; guard well his rules and regulations; obey his commandments for the rest of time.  ^2-7 Today it's very clear that it isn't your children who are front and center here: They weren't in on what God did, didn't see the acts, didn't experience the discipline, didn't marvel at his greatness, the way he displayed his power in the miracle-signs and deeds that he let loose in Egypt on Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land, the way he took care of the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots, burying them in the waters of the Red Sea as they pursued you. God drowned them. And you're standing here today alive. Nor was it your children who saw how God took care of you in the wilderness up until the time you arrived here, what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab son of Reuben, how the Earth opened its jaws and swallowed them with their families—their tents, and everything around them—right out of the middle of Israel. Yes, it was you—your eyes—that saw every great thing that God did.
 ^8-9 So it's you who are in charge of keeping the entire commandment that I command you today so that you'll have the strength to invade and possess the land that you are crossing the river to make your own. Your obedience will give you a long life on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors and their children, a land flowing with milk and honey.
 ^10-12 The land you are entering to take up ownership isn't like Egypt, the land you left, where you had to plant your own seed and water it yourselves as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are about to cross the river and take for your own is a land of mountains and valleys; it drinks water that rains from the sky. It's a land that God, your God, personally tends—he's the gardener—he alone keeps his eye on it all year long.
 ^13-15 From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he'll take charge of sending the rain at the right time, both autumn and spring rains, so that you'll be able to harvest your grain, your grapes, your olives. He'll make sure there's plenty of grass for your animals. You'll have plenty to eat.
 ^16-17 But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods and God erupts in anger and shuts down Heaven so there's no rain and nothing grows in the fields, and in no time at all you're starved out—not a trace of you left on the good land that God is giving you.
 ^18-21 Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you'll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth.
 ^22-25 That's right. If you diligently keep all this commandment that I command you to obey—love God, your God, do what he tells you, stick close to him—God on his part will drive out all these nations that stand in your way. Yes, he'll drive out nations much bigger and stronger than you. Every square inch on which you place your foot will be yours. Your borders will stretch from the wilderness to the mountains of Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand in your way. Everywhere you go, God-sent fear and trembling will precede you, just as he promised.
 ²⁶ I've brought you today to the crossroads of Blessing and Curse.
 ²⁷ The Blessing: if you listen obediently to the commandments of God, your God, which I command you today.
 ²⁸ The Curse: if you don't pay attention to the commandments of God, your God, but leave the road that I command you today, following other gods of which you know nothing.
 ^29-30 Here's what comes next: When God, your God, brings you into the land you are going into to make your own, you are to give out the Blessing from Mount Gerizim and the Curse from Mount Ebal. After you cross the Jordan River, follow the road to the west through Canaanite settlements in the valley near Gilgal and the Oaks of Moreh.
 ^31-32 You are crossing the Jordan River to invade and take the land that God, your God, is giving you. Be vigilant. Observe all the regulations and rules I am setting before you today.

Deuteronomy 12

 ¹ These are the rules and regulations that you must diligently observe for as long as you live in this country that God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, has given you to possess.  ^2-3 Ruthlessly demolish all the sacred shrines where the nations that you're driving out worship their gods—wherever you find them, on hills and mountains or in groves of green trees. Tear apart their altars. Smash their phallic pillars. Burn their sex-and-religion Asherah shrines. Break up their carved gods. Obliterate the names of those god sites.
 ⁴ Stay clear of those places—don't let what went on there contaminate the worship of God, your God.
 ^5-7 Instead find the site that God, your God, will choose and mark it with his name as a common center for all the tribes of Israel. Assemble there. Bring to that place your Absolution-Offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and Tribute-Offerings, your Vow-Offerings, your Freewill-Offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. Feast there in the Presence of God, your God. Celebrate everything that you and your families have accomplished under the blessing of God, your God.
 ^8-10 Don't continue doing things the way we're doing them at present, each of us doing as we wish. Until now you haven't arrived at the goal, the resting place, the inheritance that God, your God, is giving you. But the minute you cross the Jordan River and settle into the land God, your God, is enabling you to inherit, he'll give you rest from all your surrounding enemies. You'll be able to settle down and live in safety.
 ^11-12 From then on, at the place that God, your God, chooses to mark with his name as the place where you can meet him, bring everything that I command you: your Absolution-Offerings and sacrifices, tithes and Tribute-Offerings, and the best of your Vow-Offerings that you vow to God. Celebrate there in the Presence of God, your God, you and your sons and daughters, your servants and maids, including the Levite living in your neighborhood because he has no place of his own in your inheritance.
 ^13-14 Be extra careful: Don't offer your Absolution-Offerings just any place that strikes your fancy. Offer your Absolution-Offerings only in the place that God chooses in one of your tribal regions. There and only there are you to bring all that I command you.
 ¹⁵ It's permissible to slaughter your nonsacrificial animals like gazelle and deer in your towns and eat all you want from them with the blessing of God, your God. Both the ritually clean and unclean may eat.
 ^16-18 But you may not eat the blood. Pour the blood out on the ground like water. Nor may you eat there the tithe of your grain, new wine, or olive oil; nor the firstborn of your herds and flocks; nor any of the Vow-Offerings that you vow; nor your Freewill-Offerings and Tribute-Offerings. All these you must eat in the Presence of God, your God, in the place God, your God, chooses—you, your son and daughter, your servant and maid, and the Levite who lives in your neighborhood. You are to celebrate in the Presence of God, your God, all the things you've been able to accomplish.
 ¹⁹ And make sure that for as long as you live on your land you never, never neglect the Levite.
 ^20-22 When God, your God, expands your territory as he promised he would do, and you say, "I'm hungry for meat," because you happen to be craving meat at the time, go ahead and eat as much meat as you want. If you're too far away from the place that God, your God, has marked with his name, it's all right to slaughter animals from your herds and flocks that God has given you, as I've commanded you. In your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. Just as the nonsacrificial animals like the gazelle and deer are eaten, you may eat them; the ritually unclean and clean may eat them at the same table.
 ^23-25 Only this: Absolutely no blood. Don't eat the blood. Blood is life; don't eat the life with the meat. Don't eat it; pour it out on the ground like water. Don't eat it; then you'll have a good life, you and your children after you. By all means, do the right thing in God's eyes.
 ^26-27 And this: Lift high your Holy-Offerings and your Vow-Offerings and bring them to the place God designates. Sacrifice your Absolution-Offerings, the meat and blood, on the Altar of God, your God; pour out the blood of the Absolution-Offering on the Altar of God, your God; then you can go ahead and eat the meat.
 ²⁸ Be vigilant, listen obediently to these words that I command you so that you'll have a good life, you and your children, for a long, long time, doing what is good and right in the eyes of God, your God.
 ^29-31 When God, your God, cuts off the nations whose land you are invading, shoves them out of your way so that you displace them and settle in their land, be careful that you don't get curious about them after they've been destroyed before you. Don't get fascinated with their gods, thinking, "I wonder what it was like for them, worshiping their gods. I'd like to try that myself." Don't do this to God, your God. They commit every imaginable abomination with their gods. God hates it all with a passion. Why, they even set their children on fire as offerings to their gods!
 ³² Diligently do everything I command you, the way I command you: don't add to it; don't subtract from it.

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Luke 8:22-39 (The Message)

 ^22-24One day he and his disciples got in a boat. "Let's cross the lake," he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

   Getting to his feet, he told the wind, "Silence!" and the waves, "Quiet down!" They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.

 ²⁵Then he said to his disciples, "Why can't you trust me?"

   They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, "Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!"

The Madman and the Pigs

 ^26-29They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As he stepped out onto land, a madman from town met him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn't worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery. When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before him, and bellowed, "What business do you have messing with me? You're Jesus, Son of the High God, but don't give me a hard time!" (The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.

 ^30-31Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

   "Mob. My name is Mob," he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them to the bottomless pit.

 ^32-33A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.

 ^34-36Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus' feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious. Then those who had seen it happen told how the demoniac had been saved.

 ^37-39Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave—too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off. The man whom he had delivered from the demons asked to go with him, but he sent him back, saying, "Go home and tell everything God did in you." So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.

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Psalm 70:1-5 (The Message)

Psalm 70

A David Prayer

 ^1-3 God! Please hurry to my rescue! God, come quickly to my side!
   Those who are out to get me—
      let them fall all over themselves.
   Those who relish my downfall—
      send them down a blind alley.
   Give them a taste of their own medicine,
      those gossips off clucking their tongues.

 ⁴ Let those on the hunt for you
      sing and celebrate.
   Let all who love your saving way
      say over and over, "God is mighty!"

 ⁵ But I've lost it. I'm wasted.
      God—quickly, quickly!
   Quick to my side, quick to my rescue!
      God, don't lose a minute.

 

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Proverbs 12:4 (The Message)

 ⁴ A hearty wife invigorates her husband,
   but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.

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Verse of the Day

“Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American author best known for his inspirational book, Life's Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Wrote, “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

Bible Readings for December 7, 2015

Today our passages are Hosea 6:1–9:17; 3 John 1-14; Psalm 126:1-6; and Proverbs 29:12-14. 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. 

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Hosea 6-9:17 (Contemporary English Version)

Hosea 6

The LORD's People Speak

 ¹Let's return to the LORD.    He has torn us to shreds,
   but he will bandage our wounds
   and make us well.
    ²In two or three days
   he will heal us
   and restore our strength
   that we may live with him.
    ³Let's do our best
   to know the LORD.
   His coming is as certain
   as the morning sun;
   he will refresh us like rain
   renewing the earth
   in the springtime.
   

The LORD Speaks to Israel and Judah

 ⁴People of Israel and Judah,    what can I do with you?
   Your love for me disappears
   more quickly
   than mist
   or dew at sunrise.
    ⁵That's why I slaughtered you
   with the words
   of my prophets.
   That's why my judgments blazed
   like the dawning sun. ^{[a] 6}I'd rather for you to be faithful
   and to know me
   than to offer sacrifices.
    ⁷At a place named Adam,
   you ^[b] betrayed me by breaking our agreement.
    ⁸Everyone in Gilead is evil;
   your hands are stained
   with the blood of victims. ^{[c] 9}You priests are like a gang
   of robbers in ambush. ^[d] On the road to Shechem ^[e] you murder
   and commit
   other horrible crimes.
    ¹⁰I have seen a terrible thing
   in Israel--
   you are unfaithful
   and unfit to worship me.
    ¹¹People of Judah,
   your time is coming too.
   I, the LORD, would like to make
   my nation prosper again
   

Hosea 7

The LORD Wants To Help Israel

 ¹and to heal its wounds.    But then I see the crimes
   in Israel ^[f] and Samaria. Everyone is deceitful;
   robbers roam the streets.
    ²No one realizes
   that I have seen their sins
   surround them
   like a flood.
    ³The king and his officials
   take great pleasure
   in their sin and deceit.
    ⁴Everyone burns with desire--
   they are like coals in an oven,
   ready to burst into flames.
    ⁵On the day their king
   was crowned,
   his officials got him drunk,
   and he joined
   in their foolishness. ^{[g] 6}Their anger is a fire
   that smolders all night,
   then flares up at dawn.
    ⁷They are flames
   destroying their leaders.
   And their kings are powerless;
   none of them trust me.
    ⁸The people of Israel ^[h] have mixed with foreigners;
   they are a thin piece of bread
   scorched on one side.
    ⁹They don't seem to realize
   how weak and feeble they are;
   their hair has turned gray,
   while foreigners rule.
    ¹⁰I am the LORD, their God,
   but in all of their troubles
   their pride keeps them
   from returning to me.
   
   

No Help from Foreign Nations

The LORD said:

 ¹¹Israel ^[i] is a senseless bird, fluttering back and forth    between Egypt and Assyria.
    ¹²But I will catch them in a net
   as hunters trap birds;
   I threatened to punish them,
   and indeed I will. ^{[j] 13}Trouble and destruction
   will be their reward
   for rejecting me.
   I would have rescued them,
   but they told me lies.
    ¹⁴They don't really pray to me;
   they just howl in their beds.
   They have rejected me for Baal
   and slashed themselves, ^[k] in the hope that Baal
   will bless their crops.
    ¹⁵I taught them what they know,
   and I made them strong.
   Now they plot against me
    ¹⁶and refuse to obey. ^[l] They are more useless
   than a crooked arrow.
   Their leaders will die in war
   for saying foolish things.
   Egyptians will laugh at them.
   

Hosea 8

Israel Rejects the LORD

The LORD said:

 ¹Sound a warning!    Israel, you broke our agreement
   and ignored my teaching.
   Now an eagle is swooping down
   to attack my land.
    ²Israel, you say, " We claim you,
   the LORD, as our God."
    ³But your enemies
   will chase you
   for rejecting
   our good agreement. ^{[m] 4}You chose kings and leaders
   without consulting me;
   you made silver and gold idols
   that led to your downfall.
    ⁵City of Samaria, I'm angry
   because of your idol
   in the shape of a calf.
   When will you ever
   be innocent again?
    ⁶Someone from Israel built
   that idol for you,
   but only I am God.
   And so it will be smashed
   to pieces. ^{[n] 7}If you scatter wind
   instead of wheat,
   you will harvest a whirlwind
   and have no wheat.
   Even if you harvest grain,
   enemies will steal it all.
    ⁸Israel, you are ruined,
   and now the nations
   consider you worthless.
    ⁹You are like a wild donkey
   that goes its own way.
   You've run off to Assyria
   and hired them as allies.
    ¹⁰You can bargain with nations,
   but I'll catch you anyway.
   Soon you will suffer abuse
   by kings and rulers.
    ¹¹Israel, you have built
   many altars
   where you offer
   sacrifices for sin.
   But these altars have become
   places for sin.
    ¹²My instructions for sacrifices
   were written in detail,
   but you ignored them.
    ¹³You sacrifice your best animals
   and eat the sacrificial meals, ^[o] but I, the LORD,
   refuse your offerings.
   I will remember your sins
   and punish you.
   Then you will return to Egypt. ^{[p] 14}Israel, I created you,
   but you forgot me.
   You and Judah built palaces
   and many strong cities. ^[q] Now I will send fire to destroy
   your towns and fortresses.
   

Hosea 9

Israel Will Be Punished

 ¹Israel, don't celebrate    or make noisy shouts ^[r] like other nations.
   You have been unfaithful
   to your God.
   Wherever grain is threshed,
   you behave like prostitutes
   because you enjoy
   the money you receive. ^{[s] 2}But you will run short
   of grain and wine,
    ³and you will have to leave
   the land of the LORD.
   Some of you will go to Egypt;
   others will go to Assyria
   and eat unclean food.
    ⁴You won't be able to offer
   sacrifices of wine
   to the LORD.
   None of your sacrifices
   will please him--
   they will be unclean
   like food offered to the dead.
   Your food will only be used
   to satisfy your hunger;
   none of it will be brought
   to the LORD's temple.
    ⁵You will no longer be able
   to celebrate the festival
   of the LORD. ^{[t] 6}Even if you escape alive,
   you will end up in Egypt
   and be buried in Memphis. ^[u] Your silver treasures
   will be lost among weeds; ^[v] thorns will sprout in your tents.
    ⁷Israel, the time has come.
   You will get what you deserve,
   and you will know it.
   " Prophets are fools," you say.
   " And God's messengers
   are crazy."
   Your terrible guilt
   has filled you with hatred.
    ⁸Israel, the LORD sent me
   to look after you. ^[w] But you trap his prophets
   and flood his temple
   with your hatred.
    ⁹You are brutal and corrupt,
   as were the men of Gibeah. ^[x] But God remembers your sin,
   and you will be punished.
   

Sin's Terrible Results

 ¹⁰Israel, when I, the LORD,    found you long ago
   it was like finding
   grapes in a barren desert
   or tender young figs.
   Then you worshiped Baal Peor,
   that disgusting idol,
   and you became as disgusting
   as the idol you loved.
    ¹¹And so, Israel, your glory
   will fly away like birds--
   your women will no longer
   be able to give birth.
    ¹²Even if you do have children,
   I will take them all
   and leave you to mourn.
   I will turn away,
   and you will sink down
   in deep trouble.
    ¹³Israel, when I first met you,
   I thought of you as palm trees
   growing in fertile ground. ^[y] Now you lead your people out,
   only to be slaughtered.
   

Hosea's Advice

 ¹⁴Our LORD, do just one thing    for your people--
   make their women unable
   to have children
   or to nurse their babies.
   

The LORD's Judgment on Israel

 ¹⁵Israel, I first began    to hate you
   because
   you did evil at Gilgal. ^[z] Now I will chase you
   out of my house.
   No longer will I love you;
   your leaders betrayed me.
    ¹⁶Israel, you are a vine
   with dried-up roots
   and fruitless branches.
   Even if you had more children
   and loved them dearly,
   I would slaughter them all.
   

Hosea Warns Israel

 ¹⁷Israel, you disobeyed my God.    Now he will force you to roam
   from nation to nation.
   

Footnotes:

1. Hosea 6:5 That's why my. . . sun: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Hosea 6:7 At. . . you: Or " Like Adam, you" or " Each one of you."
3. Hosea 6:8 your hands. . . victims: This may refer to child sacrifice.
4. Hosea 6:9 You. . . ambush: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Hosea 6:9 Shechem: This was one of the towns where people could run for safety, if they had accidentally killed someone (see Joshua 20.1-9).
6. Hosea 7:1 Israel: See the note at 4.17. Samaria was the capital city of Israel.
7. Hosea 7:5 foolishness: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.
8. Hosea 7:8 Israel: Hebrew " Ephraim" (see the note at 4.17).
9. Hosea 7:11 Israel: Hebrew " Ephraim" (see the note at 4.17).
10. Hosea 7:12 I threatened. . . will: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Hosea 7:14 slashed themselves: One ancient translation and some Hebrew manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts " gather together." Slashing themselves was one way of worshiping Baal (see 1 Kings 18.28).
12. Hosea 7:16 and. . . obey: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
13. Hosea 8:3 our good agreement: Or " me, the Good One" (referring to God).
14. Hosea 8:6 smashed to pieces: Or " destroyed by fire."
15. Hosea 8:13 sacrifice. . . sacrificial meals: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Two kinds of sacrifices are referred to: Those in which the whole animal is burned on the altar (" whole burnt offerings" in traditional translations) and those in which part is eaten by the worshipers (" fellowship offerings" in traditional translations).
16. Hosea 8:13 return to Egypt: Either as slaves or to find help against Assyria.
17. Hosea 8:14 built palaces. . . cities: They did this because they no longer trusted the LORD to protect them. " Palaces" may also mean " temples."
18. Hosea 9:1 or. . . shouts: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
19. Hosea 9:1 Wherever. . . receive: Grain was threshed on hills or other places where the wind could blow away the husks. People also met at these places to worship Baal, the god they thought had given them the grain harvest.
20. Hosea 9:5 festival of the LORD: Probably the Festival of Shelters.
21. Hosea 9:6 Memphis: An Egyptian city with a famous cemetery.
22. Hosea 9:6 Your silver. . . weeds: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
23. Hosea 9:8 Israel. . . you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
24. Hosea 9:9 the men of Gibeah: They raped and murdered a woman (see Judges 19).
25. Hosea 9:13 Israel, when. . . ground: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
26. Hosea 9:15 Gilgal: See 4.15.

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3 John 1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

3 John 1

 ¹From the church leader. ^[a] To my dear friend Gaius.    I love you because we follow the truth, ²dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit. ³It makes me very happy when the Lord's followers come by and speak openly of how you obey the truth. ⁴Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children ^[b] are obeying the truth.

Working Together

 ⁵Dear friend, you have always been faithful in helping other followers of the Lord, even the ones you didn't know before. ⁶They have told the church about your love. They say you were good enough to welcome them and to send them on their mission in a way that God's servants deserve. ⁷When they left to tell others about the Lord, they decided not to accept help from anyone who wasn't a follower. ⁸We must support people like them, so that we can take part in what they are doing to spread the truth.     ⁹I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes likes to be the number-one leader, and he won't pay any attention to us. ¹⁰So if I come, I will remind him of how he has been attacking us with gossip. Not only has he been doing this, but he refuses to welcome any of the Lord's followers who come by. And when other church members want to welcome them, he puts them out of the church.
    ¹¹Dear friend, don't copy the evil deeds of others! Follow the example of people who do kind deeds. They are God's children, but those who are always doing evil have never seen God.
    ¹²Everyone speaks well of Demetrius, and so does the true message that he teaches. I also speak well of him, and you know what I say is true.
   

Final Greetings

 ¹³I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to write it with pen and ink. ¹⁴I hope to see you soon, and then we can talk in person.     ¹⁵I pray that God will bless you with peace!
   Your friends send their greetings. Please give a personal greeting to each of our friends.
   

Footnotes:

1. 3 John 1:1 church leader: Or "elder" or "presbyter" or "priest."
2. 3 John 1:4 children: Probably persons that the leader had led to be followers of the Lord.

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Psalm 126:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 126

(A song for worship.)

Celebrating the Harvest

 ¹It seemed like a dream    when the LORD brought us back
   to the city of Zion. ^{[a] 2}We celebrated with laughter
   and joyful songs.
   In foreign nations it was said,
   "The LORD has worked miracles
   for his people."
    ³And so we celebrated
   because the LORD had indeed
   worked miracles for us.
    ⁴Our LORD, we ask you to bless
   our people again,
   and let us be like streams
   in the Southern Desert.
    ⁵We cried as we went out
   to plant our seeds.
   Now let us celebrate
   as we bring in the crops.
    ⁶We cried on the way
   to plant our seeds,
   but we will celebrate and shout
   as we bring in the crops.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 126:1 brought. . . Zion: Or " made the city of Zion prosperous again."

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Proverbs 29:12-14 (Contemporary English Version)

¹²A ruler who listens to lies
   will have corrupt officials.
    ¹³The poor and all who abuse them
   must each depend on God
   for light.
    ¹⁴Kings who are fair to the poor
   will rule forever.

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Verse of the Day

“Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die.” - John 11:25

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American author best known for his inspirational book, Life's Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. wrote, “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”