Bible Readings for December 16, 2015

Today our passages are Micah 5:1–7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135:1-21; and Proverbs 30:5-6. 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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Micah 5-7:20 (Contemporary English Version)

Micah 5

A Promised Ruler

 ¹Jerusalem, enemy troops    have surrounded you; ^[a] they have struck Israel's ruler
   in the face with a stick.
    ²Bethlehem Ephrath,
   you are one of the smallest towns
   in the nation of Judah.
   But the LORD will choose
   one of your people
   to rule the nation--
   someone whose family
   goes back to ancient times. ^{[b] 3}The LORD will abandon Israel
   only until this ruler is born,
   and the rest of his family
   returns to Israel.
    ⁴Like a shepherd
   taking care of his sheep,
   this ruler will lead
   and care for his people
   by the power and glorious name
   of the LORD his God.
   His people will live securely,
   and the whole earth will know
   his true greatness,
    ⁵because he will bring peace.
   Let Assyria attack our country
   and our palaces.
   We will counterattack,
   led by a number of rulers
   

Assyria Will Be Defeated

 ⁶whose strong army will defeat    the nation of Assyria. ^[c] Yes, our leaders will rescue us,
   if those Assyrians
   dare to invade our land.
   

The Survivors Will Be Safe

 ⁷A few of Jacob's descendants    survived and are scattered
   among the nations.
   But the LORD will let them
   cover the earth
   like dew and rain
   that refreshes the soil.
    ⁸At present they are scattered,
   but later they will attack,
   as though they were fierce lions
   pouncing on sheep.
   Their enemies will be torn
   to shreds,
   with no one to save them;
    ⁹they will be helpless,
   completely destroyed.
   

Idols Will Be Destroyed in Israel

 ¹⁰The LORD said:    At that time I will wipe out
   your cavalry and chariots,
    ¹¹as well as your cities
   and your fortresses.
    ¹²I will stop you
   from telling fortunes
   and practicing witchcraft.
    ¹³You will no longer worship
   the idols or stone images
   you have made--
   I will destroy them,
    ¹⁴together with the sacred poles ^[d] and even your towns.
    ¹⁵I will become furious
   and take revenge
   on the nations
   that refuse to obey me.
   

Micah 6

The LORD's Challenge to His People

 ¹The LORD said to his people:    Come and present your case
   to the hills and mountains.
    ²Israel, I am bringing charges
   against you--
   I call upon the mountains
   and the earth's firm foundation
   to be my witnesses.
    ³My people, have I wronged you
   in any way at all?
   Please tell me.
    ⁴I rescued you from Egypt,
   where you were slaves.
   I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
   to be your leaders.
    ⁵Don't forget the evil plans
   of King Balak of Moab
   or what Balaam son of Beor ^[e] said to him.
   Remember how I, the LORD,
   saved you many times
   on your way from Acacia
   to Gilgal. ^[f]

True Obedience

 ⁶What offering should I bring    when I bow down to worship
   the LORD God Most High?
   Should I try to please him ^[g] by sacrificing
   calves a year old?
    ⁷Will thousands of sheep
   or rivers of olive oil
   make God satisfied with me?
   Should I sacrifice to the LORD
   my first-born child
   as payment
   for my terrible sins?
    ⁸The LORD God has told us
   what is right
   and what he demands:
   "See that justice is done,
   let mercy be your first concern,
   and humbly obey your God."
   

Cheating and Violence

 ⁹I am the LORD,    and it makes sense to respect
   my power to punish.
   So listen to my message
   for the city of Jerusalem: ^{[h] 10}You store up stolen treasures
   and use dishonest scales. ^{[i] 11}But I, the LORD, will punish you
   for cheating with weights
   and with measures.
    ¹²You rich people are violent,
   and everyone tells lies.
    ¹³Because of your sins,
   I will wound you
   and leave you
   ruined and defenseless.
    ¹⁴You will eat,
   but still be hungry;
   you will store up goods,
   but lose everything--
   I, the LORD, will let it all
   be captured in war.
    ¹⁵You won't harvest what you plant
   or use the oil
   from your olive trees
   or drink the wine
   from grapes you grow.
    ¹⁶Jerusalem, this will happen
   because you followed
   the sinful example
   of kings Omri and Ahab. ^[j] Now I will destroy you
   and your property.
   Then the people of every nation
   will make fun and insult you.
   

Micah 7

Israel Is Corrupt

 ¹I feel so empty inside--    like someone starving
   for grapes or figs,
   after the vines and trees
   have all been picked clean.
    ²No one is loyal to God;
   no one does right.
   Everyone is brutal
   and eager to deceive
   everyone else.
    ³People cooperate to commit crime.
   Judges and leaders demand bribes,
   and rulers cheat in court. ^{[k] 4}The most honest of them
   is worse than a thorn patch.
   Your doom has come!
   Lookouts sound the warning,
   and everyone panics.
    ⁵Don't trust anyone,
   not even your best friend,
   and be careful what you say
   to the one you love.
    ⁶Sons refuse to respect
   their own fathers,
   daughters rebel against
   their own mothers,
   and daughters-in-law despise
   their mothers-in-law.
   Your family is now your enemy.
    ⁷But I trust the LORD God
   to save me,
   and I will wait for him
   to answer my prayer.
   

The Nation Turns to God

 ⁸My enemies, don't be glad    because of my troubles!
   I may have fallen,
   but I will get up;
   I may be sitting in the dark,
   but the LORD is my light.
    ⁹I have sinned against the LORD.
   And so I must endure his anger,
   until he comes to my defense.
   But I know that I will see him
   making things right for me
   and leading me to the light.
    ¹⁰You, my enemies, said,
   "The LORD God is helpless."
   Now each of you
   will be disgraced
   and put to shame.
   I will see you trampled
   like mud in the street.
   

A Bright Future

 ¹¹Towns of Judah, the day is coming    when your walls will be rebuilt,
   and your boundaries enlarged.
    ¹²People will flock to you
   from Assyria and Egypt,
   from Babylonia ^[l] and everywhere else.
    ¹³Those nations will suffer disaster
   because of what they did.
   

Micah's Prayer and the LORD's Answer

 ¹⁴Lead your people, LORD!    Come and be our shepherd.
   Grasslands surround us,
   but we live in a forest.
   So lead us to Bashan and Gilead, ^[m] and let us find pasture
   as we did long ago.
    ¹⁵I, the LORD, will work miracles
   just as I did
   when I led you
   out of Egypt.
    ¹⁶Nations will see this
   and be ashamed
   because
   of their helpless armies.
   They will be in shock,
   unable to speak or hear,
    ¹⁷because of their fear of me,
   your LORD and God.
   Then they will come trembling,
   crawling out of their fortresses
   like insects or snakes,
   lapping up the dust.
   
   

No One Is Like God

The people said:

 ¹⁸Our God, no one is like you.    We are all that is left
   of your chosen people,
   and you freely forgive
   our sin and guilt.
   You don't stay angry forever;
   you're glad to have pity
    ¹⁹and pleased to be merciful.
   You will trample on our sins
   and throw them in the sea.
    ²⁰You will keep your word
   and be faithful to Jacob
   and to Abraham,
   as you promised our ancestors
   many years ago.
   

Footnotes:

1. Micah 5:1 Jerusalem. . . you: Or "Jerusalem, you are slashing yourself in sorrow, because of the enemy troops."
2. Micah 5:2 family. . . times: Or "kingdom is eternal."
3. Micah 5:6 the nation of Assyria: The Hebrew text uses both "land of Assyria" and "land of Nimrod," which was a poetic name for Assyria.
4. Micah 5:14 sacred poles: Used in the worship of Asherah, the fertility goddess.
5. Micah 6:5 Balak. . . Beor: See Numbers 22-24.
6. Micah 6:5 Acacia to Gilgal: Acacia was where the Israelites camped after the experience with Balaam (see Numbers 25.1; Joshua 2.1; 3.1); Gilgal was where they camped while waiting to attack Jericho (see Joshua 4.19--5.12).
7. Micah 6:6 try to please him: This refers to what are traditionally called "burnt sacrifices," which were offered as a way of pleasing the LORD.
8. Micah 6:9 Jerusalem: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 9.
9. Micah 6:10 scales: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
10. Micah 6:16 Omri and Ahab: King Ahab was the son of Omri and the husband of the evil Jezebel. Almost two centuries before Micah, the prophet Elijah had spoken against the idolatry and the other sinful practices that Ahab had encouraged in Israel (see 1 Kings 16.21-34; 18.1-18; 21.1-26).
11. Micah 7:3 court: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 3.
12. Micah 7:12 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "the river," meaning the Euphrates River, which stood for Babylonia.
13. Micah 7:14 Bashan and Gilead: Two regions east of the Jordan River, known for their fertile pasturelands.

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Revelation 7:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Revelation 7

The 144,000 Are Marked for God

 ^1-2After this I saw four angels. Each one was standing on one of the earth's four corners. The angels held back the four winds, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. These angels had also been given the power to harm the earth and the sea. Then I saw another angel come up from where the sun rises in the east, and he was ready to put the mark of the living God on people. He shouted to the four angels, ³"Don't harm the earth or the sea or any tree! Wait until I have marked the foreheads of the servants of our God."     ⁴Then I heard how many people had been marked on the forehead. There were one hundred forty-four thousand, and they came from every tribe of Israel:
    ⁵12,000 from Judah,
   12,000 from Reuben,
   12,000 from Gad,
    ⁶12,000 from Asher,
   12,000 from Naphtali,
   12,000 from Manasseh,
    ⁷12,000 from Simeon,
   12,000 from Levi,
   12,000 from Issachar,
    ⁸12,000 from Zebulun,
   12,000 from Joseph, and
   12,000 from Benjamin.
   

People from Every Nation

 ⁹After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰as they shouted,    "Our God, who sits
   upon the throne,
   has the power
   to save his people,
   and so does the Lamb."
    ¹¹The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God ¹²and said,
   "Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom,
   thanks, honor, power,
   and strength belong to our God
   forever and ever! Amen!"
    ¹³One of the elders asked me, "Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?"
    ¹⁴"Sir," I answered, "you must know."
   Then he told me:
   "These are the ones
   who have gone through
   the great suffering.
   They have washed their robes
   in the blood of the Lamb
   and have made them white.
    ¹⁵And so they stand
   before the throne of God
   and worship him in his temple
   day and night.
   The one who sits on the throne
   will spread his tent
   over them.
    ¹⁶They will never hunger
   or thirst again,
   and they won't be troubled
   by the sun
   or any scorching heat.
    ¹⁷The Lamb in the center
   of the throne
   will be their shepherd.
   He will lead them to streams
   of life-giving water,
   and God will wipe all tears
   from their eyes."

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Psalm 135:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 135

In Praise of the LORD's Kindness

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!    You are his servants,
   so praise his name.
    ²All who serve in the temple
   of the LORD our God,
    ³come and shout praises.
   Praise the name of the LORD!
   He is kind and good.
    ⁴He chose the family of Jacob
   and the people of Israel
   for his very own.
    ⁵The LORD is much greater
   than any other god.
    ⁶He does as he chooses
   in heaven and on earth
   and deep in the sea.
    ⁷The LORD makes the clouds rise
   from far across the earth,
   and he makes lightning
   to go with the rain.
   Then from his secret place
   he sends out the wind.
    ⁸The LORD killed the first-born
   of people and animals
   in the land of Egypt.
    ⁹God used miracles and wonders
   to fight the king of Egypt
   and all of his officials.
    ¹⁰He destroyed many nations
   and killed powerful kings,
    ¹¹including King Sihon
   of the Amorites
   and King Og of Bashan.
   He conquered every kingdom
   in the land of Canaan
    ¹²and gave their property
   to his people Israel.
    ¹³The name of the LORD
   will be remembered forever,
   and he will be famous
   for all time to come.
    ¹⁴The LORD will bring justice
   and show mercy
   to all
   who serve him.
    ¹⁵Idols of silver and gold
   are made
   and worshiped
   in other nations.
    ¹⁶They have a mouth and eyes,
   but they can't speak or see.
    ¹⁷They are completely deaf,
   and they can't breathe.
    ¹⁸Everyone who makes idols
   and all who trust them
   will end up as helpless
   as their idols.
    ¹⁹Everyone in Israel,
   come praise the LORD!
   All the family of Aaron
    ²⁰and all the tribe of Levi, ^[a] come praise the LORD!
   All of his worshipers,
   come praise the LORD.
    ²¹Praise the LORD from Zion!
   He lives here in Jerusalem.
   Shout praises to the LORD!
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 135:20 Aaron. . . Levi: Aaron was from the tribe of Levi, and all priests were from his family. The temple helpers, singers, and musicians were also from the tribe of Levi.

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Proverbs 30:5-6 (Contemporary English Version)

⁵Everything God says is true--
   and it's a shield for all
   who come to him for safety.
    ⁶Don't change what God has said!
   He will correct you and show
   that you are a liar.

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Verse of the Day

“[Mary's Song of Praise]Mary said: With all my heart I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior. God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy.” - Luke 1:46-47, 49

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead wrote, “It seems to me very important to continue to distinguish between two evils. It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good.”

Bible Readings August 14, 2014

Today our passages are Nehemiah 7:61–9:21; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; and Proverbs 21:11-12. 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.

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Nehemiah 7:61-9:21 (The Message)

 ^61-63 These are those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They weren't able to prove their ancestry, whether they were true Israelites or not:
      The sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 642.
   Likewise with these priestly families:
      The sons of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took that name.
 ^64-65 They looked high and low for their family records but couldn't find them. And so they were barred from priestly work as ritually unclean. The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status by using the Urim and Thummim.
 ^66-69 The total count for the congregation was 42,360. That did not include the male and female slaves who numbered 7,337. There were also 245 male and female singers. And there were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
 ^70-72 Some of the heads of families made voluntary offerings for the work. The governor made a gift to the treasury of 1,000 drachmas of gold (about nineteen pounds), 50 bowls, and 530 garments for the priests. Some of the heads of the families made gifts to the treasury for the work; it came to 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver (about one and a third tons). Gifts from the rest of the people totaled 20,000 drachmas of gold (about 375 pounds), 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 garments for the priests.
 ⁷³ The priests, Levites, security guards, singers, and Temple support staff, along with some others, and the rest of the People of Israel, all found a place to live in their own towns.

Nehemiah 8

Ezra and The Revelation

 ¹ By the time the seventh month arrived, the People of Israel were settled in their towns. Then all the people gathered as one person in the town square in front of the Water Gate and asked the scholar Ezra to bring the Book of The Revelation of Moses that God had commanded for Israel.  ^2-3 So Ezra the priest brought The Revelation to the congregation, which was made up of both men and women—everyone capable of understanding. It was the first day of the seventh month. He read it facing the town square at the Water Gate from early dawn until noon in the hearing of the men and women, all who could understand it. And all the people listened—they were all ears—to the Book of The Revelation.
 ⁴ The scholar Ezra stood on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion. He was flanked on the right by Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and on the left by Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
 ^5-6 Ezra opened the book. Every eye was on him (he was standing on the raised platform) and as he opened the book everyone stood. Then Ezra praised God, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground.
 ^7-8 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, all Levites, explained The Revelation while people stood, listening respectfully. They translated the Book of The Revelation of God so the people could understand it and then explained the reading.
 ⁹ Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, "This day is holy to God, your God. Don't weep and carry on." They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Revelation.
 ¹⁰ He continued, "Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don't have anything: This day is holy to God. Don't feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!"
 ¹¹ The Levites calmed the people, "Quiet now. This is a holy day. Don't be upset."
 ¹² So the people went off to feast, eating and drinking and including the poor in a great celebration. Now they got it; they understood the reading that had been given to them.

^13-15 On the second day of the month the family heads of all the people, the priests, and the Levites gathered around Ezra the scholar to get a deeper understanding of the words of The Revelation. They found written in The Revelation that God commanded through Moses that the People of Israel are to live in booths during the festival of the seventh month. So they published this decree and had it posted in all their cities and in Jerusalem: "Go into the hills and collect olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and any other leafy branches to make booths, as it is written."

^16-17 So the people went out, brought in branches, and made themselves booths on their roofs, courtyards, the courtyards of The Temple of God, the Water Gate plaza, and the Ephraim Gate plaza. The entire congregation that had come back from exile made booths and lived in them. The People of Israel hadn't done this from the time of Joshua son of Nun until that very day—a terrific day! Great joy!
 ¹⁸ Ezra read from the Book of The Revelation of God each day, from the first to the last day—they celebrated the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly in accordance with the decree.

Nehemiah 9

 ^1-3 Then on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the People of Israel gathered for a fast, wearing burlap and faces smudged with dirt as signs of repentance. The Israelites broke off all relations with foreigners, stood up, and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their parents. While they stood there in their places, they read from the Book of The Revelation of God, their God, for a quarter of the day. For another quarter of the day they confessed and worshiped their God.  ^4-5 A group of Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the platform and cried out to God, their God, in a loud voice. The Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "On your feet! Bless God, your God, for ever and ever!"
 ^5-6 Blessed be your glorious name,
   exalted above all blessing and praise! You're the one,
   God, you alone; You made the heavens,
   the heavens of heavens, and all angels; The earth and everything on it,
   the seas and everything in them; You keep them all alive;
   heaven's angels worship you!
 ^7-8 You're the one, God, the God
   who chose Abram And brought him from Ur of the Chaldees
   and changed his name to Abraham. You found his heart to be steady and true to you
   and signed a covenant with him, A covenant to give him the land of the Canaanites,
   the Hittites, and the Amorites, The Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites,
   —to give it to his descendants. And you kept your word
   because you are righteous.
 ^9-15 You saw the anguish of our parents in Egypt.
   You heard their cries at the Red Sea; You amazed Pharaoh, his servants, and the people of his land
   with wonders and miracle-signs. You knew their bullying arrogance against your people;
   you made a name for yourself that lasts to this day. You split the sea before them;
   they crossed through and never got their feet wet; You pitched their pursuers into the deep;
   they sank like a rock in the storm-tossed sea. By day you led them with a Pillar of Cloud,
   and by night with a Pillar of Fire To show them the way
   they were to travel. You came down onto Mount Sinai,
   you spoke to them out of heaven; You gave them instructions on how to live well,
   true teaching, sound rules and commands; You introduced them
   to your Holy Sabbath; Through your servant Moses you decreed
   commands, rules, and instruction. You gave bread from heaven for their hunger,
   you sent water from the rock for their thirst. You told them to enter and take the land,
   which you promised to give them.
 ^16-19 But they, our ancestors, were arrogant;
   bullheaded, they wouldn't obey your commands. They turned a deaf ear, they refused
   to remember the miracles you had done for them; They turned stubborn, got it into their heads
   to return to their Egyptian slavery. And you, a forgiving God,
   gracious and compassionate, Incredibly patient, with tons of love—
   you didn't dump them. Yes, even when they cast a sculpted calf
   and said, "This is your god Who brought you out of Egypt,"
   and continued from bad to worse, You in your amazing compassion
   didn't walk off and leave them in the desert. The Pillar of Cloud didn't leave them;
   daily it continued to show them their route; The Pillar of Fire did the same by night,
   showed them the right way to go.
 ^20-23 You gave them your good Spirit
   to teach them to live wisely. You never stinted with your manna,
   gave them plenty of water to drink. You supported them forty years in that desert;
   they had everything they needed; Their clothes didn't wear out
   and their feet never blistered. You gave them kingdoms and peoples,
   establishing generous boundaries. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon
   and the country of Og king of Bashan. You multiplied children for them,
   rivaling the stars in the night skies, And you brought them into the land
   that you promised their ancestors
   they would get and own.

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1 Corinthians 9:1-18 (The Message)

1 Corinthians 9

 ^1-2 And don't tell me that I have no authority to write like this. I'm perfectly free to do this—isn't that obvious? Haven't I been given a job to do? Wasn't I commissioned to this work in a face-to-face meeting with Jesus, our Master? Aren't you yourselves proof of the good work that I've done for the Master? Even if no one else admits the authority of my commission, you can't deny it. Why, my work with you is living proof of my authority!  ^3-7I'm not shy in standing up to my critics. We who are on missionary assignments for God have a right to decent accommodations, and we have a right to support for us and our families. You don't seem to have raised questions with the other apostles and our Master's brothers and Peter in these matters. So, why me? Is it just Barnabas and I who have to go it alone and pay our own way? Are soldiers self-employed? Are gardeners forbidden to eat vegetables from their own gardens? Don't milkmaids get to drink their fill from the pail?
 ^8-12I'm not just sounding off because I'm irritated. This is all written in the scriptural law. Moses wrote, "Don't muzzle an ox to keep it from eating the grain when it's threshing." Do you think Moses' primary concern was the care of farm animals? Don't you think his concern extends to us? Of course. Farmers plow and thresh expecting something when the crop comes in. So if we have planted spiritual seed among you, is it out of line to expect a meal or two from you? Others demand plenty from you in these ways. Don't we who have never demanded deserve even more?
 ^12-14But we're not going to start demanding now what we've always had a perfect right to. Our decision all along has been to put up with anything rather than to get in the way or detract from the Message of Christ. All I'm concerned with right now is that you not use our decision to take advantage of others, depriving them of what is rightly theirs. You know, don't you, that it's always been taken for granted that those who work in the Temple live off the proceeds of the Temple, and that those who offer sacrifices at the altar eat their meals from what has been sacrificed? Along the same lines, the Master directed that those who spread the Message be supported by those who believe the Message.
 ^15-18Still, I want it made clear that I've never gotten anything out of this for myself, and that I'm not writing now to get something. I'd rather die than give anyone ammunition to discredit me or impugn my motives. If I proclaim the Message, it's not to get something out of it for myself. I'm compelled to do it, and doomed if I don't! If this was my own idea of just another way to make a living, I'd expect some pay. But since it's not my idea but something solemnly entrusted to me, why would I expect to get paid? So am I getting anything out of it? Yes, as a matter of fact: the pleasure of proclaiming the Message at no cost to you. You don't even have to pay my expenses!

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Psalm 33:12-22 (The Message)

 ^10-12 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense,
      he shoots down the world's power-schemes.
   God's plan for the world stands up,
      all his designs are made to last.
   Blessed is the country with God for God;
      blessed are the people he's put in his will.

 ^13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
      he sees all Adam's brood.
   From where he sits
      he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
   He has shaped each person in turn;
      now he watches everything we do.

 ^16-17 No king succeeds with a big army alone,
      no warrior wins by brute strength.
   Horsepower is not the answer;
      no one gets by on muscle alone.

 ^18-19 Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him,
      the ones who are looking for his love.
   He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
      in lean times he keeps body and soul together.

 ^20-22 We're depending on God;
      he's everything we need.
   What's more, our hearts brim with joy
      since we've taken for our own his holy name.
   Love us, God, with all you've got—
      that's what we're depending on.

A David Psalm, When He Outwitted

    Abimelech and Got Away

 

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Proverbs 21:11-12 (The Message)

 ¹¹ Simpletons only learn the hard way,
   but the wise learn by listening.

 ¹² A God-loyal person will see right through the wicked
   and undo the evil they've planned.

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Verse of the Day

“[The Letter to Laodicea]This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: I am the one called Amen! I am the faithful and true witness and the source of God's creation. Listen to what I say. Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” - Revelation 3:14,20

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead wrote, “I learned the value of hard work by working hard.”