Read the Bible in a Year
Each day, we'll post passages so that you can read the Bible in one year. This is part of The Colossians 13:16 Project, sponsored by Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia. You're invited to worship with us Sundays, at 11:00 a.m. or Saturdays, at 6:30 p.m. You may also want to consider joining one our adult Bible Studies: Thursdays at 12:00 noon and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We also have a full range of programs for children. If you want more information about the church, check out the other blogs. And please feel free to leave any comments.
The Bible in a Year is a ministry of Cove Presbyterian Church. We need your support to keep posting. If you find it helpful, you can support this blog by your contributions. They may be sent to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, WV 26062. You can also use the PayPal link below:
Today our
passages are Ezekiel 10:1–11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; and Proverbs
27:1-2. The readings are the
Contemporary English
Version.
Ezekiel 10-11:25 (Contemporary English Version)
Ezekiel 10
The LORD's Glory Leaves the Temple
1I saw the dome that was above the four winged creatures,
and on it was the sapphire
throne.
2The LORD said to the man in the linen
robe, "Walk among the four wheels beside the creatures and pick up as many hot
coals as you can carry. Then scatter them over the city of Jerusalem." I watched
him as he followed the LORD's instructions. 3The winged creatures were standing south of the temple
when the man walked among them. A cloud filled the inner courtyard, 4and the brightness of the LORD's glory
moved from above the creatures and stopped at the entrance of the temple. The
entire temple was filled with his glory, and the courtyard was dazzling bright.
5The sound of the creatures' wings was
as loud as the voice of God All-Powerful and could even be heard in the outer
courtyard.
6The man in the robe was now
standing beside a wheel. 7One of the
four creatures reached its hand into the fire among them and gave him some of
the hot coals. The man took the coals and left.
8I noticed again that each of
the four winged creatures had what looked like human hands under their wings,
9and I saw the four wheels near the
creatures. These wheels were shining like chrysolite.
10Each wheel was exactly the same and
had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it,
11so that they could move in any
direction without turning. The wheels moved together whenever the creatures
moved. 12I also noticed that the
wheels and the creatures' bodies, including their backs, their hands, and their
wings, were covered with eyes. 13And I
heard a voice calling these "the wheels that spin." 14Each of the winged creatures had four faces: the face of
a bull,
the face of a human, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle. 15-17These were the same creatures I had
seen near the Chebar River. They controlled when and where the wheels moved--the
wheels went wherever the creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even
when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels stayed beside them. 18Then I watched the brightness of the
LORD's glory move from the entrance of the temple and stop above the winged
creatures. 19They spread their wings
and flew into the air with the wheels at their side. They stopped at the east
gate of the temple, and the LORD's glory was above them.
20I knew for sure that these
were the same creatures I had seen beneath the LORD's glory near the Chebar
River. 21-22They had four wings with
hands beneath them, and they had the same four faces as those near the River.
Each creature moved straight ahead without turning.
Ezekiel 11
Ezekiel Condemns Jerusalem's Wicked Leaders
1The LORD's Spirit
lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the temple, where I saw twenty-five
men, including the two leaders, Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of
Benaiah. 2The LORD said, "Ezekiel, son
of man, these men are making evil plans and giving dangerous advice to the
people of Jerusalem. 3They say things
like, `Let's build more houses.
This city is like a cooking pot over a fire, and we are the meat, but at least
the pot keeps us from being burned in the fire.'
4So, Ezekiel, condemn them!" 5The LORD's Spirit took control of me and
told me to tell these leaders:
I, the LORD God, know what you leaders are saying. 6You have murdered so many people that the city is filled
with dead bodies! 7This city is indeed
a cooking pot, but the bodies of those you killed are the meat. And so I will
force you to leave Jerusalem, 8and
I'll send armies to attack you, just as you fear. 9Then you will be captured and punished by foreign enemies.
10You will be killed in your own
country, but not before you realize that I, the LORD, have done these things.
11You leaders claim to be meat in a
cooking pot, but you won't be protected by this city. No, you will die at the
border of Israel. 12You will realize
that while you were following the laws of nearby nations, you were disobeying my
laws and teachings. And I am the LORD!
13Before I finished speaking,
Pelatiah dropped dead. I bowed down and cried out, "Please, LORD God, don't kill
everyone left in Israel."
A Promise of Hope
14The LORD
replied:
15Ezekiel, son of man, the
people living in Jerusalem claim that you and the other Israelites who were
taken to Babylonia are too far away to worship me. They also claim that the land
of Israel now belongs only to them. 16But here is what I want you to tell the Israelites in
Babylonia:
It's true that I, the LORD God, have forced you out of your own country
and made you live among foreign nations. But for now, I will be with you
wherever you are, so that you can worship me. 17And someday, I will gather you from the nations where you
are scattered and let you live in Israel again. 18When that happens, I want you to clear the land of all
disgusting idols. 19Then I will take
away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You
will want to obey me 20and all my laws
and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 21But those who worship idols will be
punished and get what they deserve. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
The LORD's Glory Leaves Jerusalem
22After the LORD had finished speaking, the winged
creatures spread their wings and flew into the air, and the wheels were beside
them. The brightness of the LORD's glory above them 23left Jerusalem and stopped at a hill east of the city.
24Then in my vision, the LORD's
Spirit
lifted me up and carried me back to the other exiles in Babylonia. The vision
faded away, 25and I told them
everything the LORD had shown me.
Hebrews 6:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)
Hebrews 6
1We must try to
become mature and start thinking about more than just the basic things we were
taught about Christ. We shouldn't need to keep talking about why we ought to
turn from deeds that bring death and why we ought to have faith in God. 2And we shouldn't need to keep teaching
about baptisms
or about the laying on of hands
or about people being raised from death and the future judgment. 3Let's grow up, if God is willing. 4-6But what about people who turn away
after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven
and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they
have received the good message of God and the powers of the future world? There
is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son
of God to a cross and insulting him in public!
7A field is useful to farmers,
if there is enough rain to make good crops grow. In fact, God will bless that
field. 8But land that produces only
thornbushes is worthless. It is likely to fall under God's curse, and in the end
it will be set on fire.
9My friends, we are talking
this way. But we are sure that you are doing those really good things that
people do when they are being saved. 10God is always fair. He will remember how you helped his
people in the past and how you are still helping them. You belong to God, and he
won't forget the love you have shown his people. 11We wish that each of you would always be eager to show
how strong and lasting your hope really is. 12Then you would never be lazy. You would be following the
example of those who had faith and were patient until God kept his promise to
them.
God's Promise Is Sure
13No
one is greater than God. So he made a promise in his own name when he said to
Abraham, 14"I, the Lord, will bless
you with many descendants!" 15Then
after Abraham had been very patient, he was given what God had promised. 16When anyone wants to settle an argument,
they make a vow by using the name of someone or something greater than
themselves. 17So when God wanted to
prove for certain that his promise to his people could not be broken, he made a
vow. 18God cannot tell lies! And so
his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed.
We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage
us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls.
In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain
and into the most holy place. 20Jesus
has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like
Melchizedek.
Psalm 105:16-36 (Contemporary English Version)
16God kept crops from growing
until food was scarce
everywhere in the land.
17But he had already sent
Joseph,
sold as a slave into Egypt,
18with chains of iron
around his legs and neck.
19Joseph remained a slave
until his own words
had come true,
and the LORD had finished
testing him.
20Then the king of Egypt
set Joseph free
21and put him in charge
of everything he owned.
22Joseph was in command
of the officials,
and he taught the leaders
how to use wisdom.
23Jacob and his family
came
and settled in Egypt
as foreigners.
24They were the LORD's people,
so he let them grow stronger
than their enemies.
25They served the LORD,
and he made the Egyptians plan
hateful things against them.
26God sent his servant Moses.
He also chose and sent Aaron
27to his people in Egypt,
and they worked miracles
and wonders there.
28Moses and Aaron obeyed God,
and he sent darkness
to cover Egypt.
29God turned their rivers
into streams of blood,
and the fish all died.
30Frogs were everywhere,
even in the royal palace.
31When God gave the command,
flies and gnats
swarmed all around.
32In place of rain,
God sent hailstones
and flashes of lightning.
33He destroyed their grapevines
and their fig trees,
and he made splinters
of all the other trees.
34God gave the command,
and more grasshoppers came
than could be counted.
35They ate every green plant
and all the crops that grew
in the land of Egypt.
36Then God took the life
of every first-born son.
Proverbs 27:1-2 (Contemporary English Version)
Proverbs 27
Don't Brag about Tomorrow
1Don't brag about tomorrow!
Each day brings
its own surprises.
2Don't brag about yourself--
let others praise you.
Verse of the Day
“He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from
the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but
the Spirit brings life.” - 2
Corinthians 3:6
Thought
for the Day
American humorist, writer, illustrator, and cartoonist, Don Herold wrote, “It takes a
lot of things to prove you are smart, but only one thing to prove you are
ignorant.”
Today our
passages are Ezekiel 7:1–9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; and Proverbs
26:28. The readings are the
Contemporary English
Version.
Ezekiel 7-9:11 (Contemporary English Version)
Ezekiel 7
Disaster Is Near
1The LORD
God said:
2Ezekiel, son of man, tell the
people of Israel that I am saying:
Israel will soon come to an end! Your whole country is about to be
destroyed 3as punishment for your
disgusting sins. I, the LORD, am so angry 4that I will show no pity. I will punish you for the evil
you've done, and you will know that I am the LORD.
5There's never been anything
like the coming disaster.
6And when it comes, your life will be
over. 7You people of Israel are
doomed! Soon there will be panic on the mountaintops instead of celebration.
8I will let loose my anger and punish
you for the evil things you've done. You'll get what you deserve. 9Your sins are so terrible, that you'll get
no hing you own and value will be shattered. 12The time is coming when everyone will be ruined. Buying and selling will stop, 13and people who sell property will never get it back, because all of you must be punished for your sins. And I won't change my mind! 14A signal has been blown on the trumpet, and weapons are prepared for battle. But no one goes to war, because in my anger I will strike down everyone in Israel.
Israel Is Surrounded
The LORD said to the people of Israel:
15War, disease, and starvation are everywhere! People who live in the countryside will be killed in battle, and those who live in towns will die from starvation or deadly diseases. 16Anyone who survives will escape into the hills, like doves who leave the valleys to find safety. All of you will moan because of your sins. 17Your hands will tremble, and your knees will go limp. 18You will put on sackcloth to show your sorrow, but terror will overpower you. Shame will be written all over your faces, and you will shave your heads in despair. 19Your silver and gold will be thrown into the streets like garbage, because those are the two things that led you into sin, and now they cannot save you from my anger. They are not even worth enough to buy food. 20You took great pride in using your beautiful jewelry to make disgusting idols of foreign gods. So I will make your jewelry worthless. 21Wicked foreigners will rob and disgrace you. 22They will break into my temple and leave it unfit as a place to worship me, but I will look away and let it happen. 23Your whole country is in confusion! Murder and violence are everywhere in Israel, 24so I will tell the most wicked nations to come and take over your homes. They will put an end to the pride you have in your strong army, and they will make your places of worship unfit to use. 25You will be terrified and will desperately look for peace--but there will be no peace. 26One tragedy will follow another, and you'll hear only bad news. People will beg prophets to give them a message from me. Priests will stop teaching my Law, and wise leaders won't be able to give advice. 27Even your king and his officials will lose hope and cry in despair. Your hands will tremble with fear. I will punish you for your sins and treat you the same way you have treated others. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 8
Ezekiel Sees the Terrible Sins of Jerusalem
1Six years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the leaders of Judah were meeting with me in my house. On the fifth day of the sixth month, the LORD God suddenly took control of me, 2and I saw something in the shape of a human. This figure was like fire from the waist down, and it was bright as polished metal from the waist up. 3It reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed my hair. Then in my vision the LORD's Spirit lifted me into the sky and carried me to Jerusalem. The Spirit took me to the north gate of the temple's inner courtyard, where there was an idol that disgusted the LORD and made him furious. 4Then I saw the brightness of the glory of the God of Israel, just as I had seen it near the Chebar River. 5God said to me, "Ezekiel, son of man, look north." And when I did, I saw that disgusting idol by the altar near the gate.
6God then said, "Do you see the terrible sins of the people of Israel? Their sins are making my holy temple unfit as a place to worship me. Yet you will see even worse things than this."
7Next, I was taken to the entrance of the courtyard, where I saw a hole in the wall.
8God said, "Make this hole bigger." And when I did, I realized it was a doorway. 9"Go in," God said, "and see what horrible and evil things the people are doing."
10Inside, I saw that the walls were covered with pictures of reptiles and disgusting, unclean animals, as well as with idols that the Israelites were worshiping. 11Seventy Israelite leaders were standing there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each of these leaders was holding an incense burner, and the smell of incense filled the room. 12God said, "Ezekiel, do you see what horrible things Israel's leaders are doing in secret? They have filled their rooms with idols. And they say I can't see them, because they think I have already deserted Israel. 13But I will show you something even worse than this."
14He took me to the north gate of the temple, where I saw women mourning for the god Tammuz. 15God asked me, "Can you believe what these women are doing? But now I want to show you something worse." 16I was then led into the temple's inner courtyard, where I saw about twenty-five men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the LORD's temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun.
17God said, "Ezekiel, it's bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things. But they have also spread violence and injustice everywhere in Israel and have made me very angry. They have disgraced and insulted me in the worst possible way. 18So in my fierce anger, I will punish them without mercy and refuse to help them when they cry out to me."
Ezekiel 9
The LORD Gives the Command To Punish Jerusalem
1After that, I heard the LORD shout, "Come to Jerusalem, you men chosen to destroy the city. And bring your weapons!" 2I saw six men come through the north gate of the temple, each one holding a deadly weapon. A seventh man dressed in a linen robe was with them, and he was carrying things to write with. The men went into the temple and stood by the bronze altar.
3The brightness of God's glory then left its place above the statues of the winged creatures inside the temple and moved to the entrance. The LORD said to the man in the linen robe, 4"Walk through the city of Jerusalem and mark the forehead of anyone who is truly upset and sad about the disgusting things that are being done here." 5-6He turned to the other six men and said, "Follow him and put to death everyone who doesn't have a mark on their forehead. Show no mercy or pity! Kill men and women, parents and children. Begin here at my temple and be sure not to harm those who are marked."
The men immediately killed the leaders who were standing there.
7Then the LORD said, "Pollute the temple by piling the dead bodies in the courtyards. Now get busy!" They left and started killing the people of Jerusalem.
8I was then alone, so I bowed down and cried out to the LORD, "Why are you doing this? Are you so angry at the people of Jerusalem that everyone must die?"
9The LORD answered, "The people of Israel and Judah have done horrible things. Their country is filled with murderers, and Jerusalem itself is filled with violence. They think that I have deserted them, and that I can't see what they are doing. 10And so I will not have pity on them or forgive them. They will be punished for what they have done."
11Just then, the man in the linen robe returned and said, "I have done what you commanded."
Hebrews 5:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)
Hebrews 5
1Every high priest is appointed to help others by offering gifts and sacrifices to God because of their sins. 2A high priest has weaknesses of his own, and he feels sorry for foolish and sinful people. 3That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins and for the sins of others. 4But no one can have the honor of being a high priest simply by wanting to be one. Only God can choose a priest, and God is the one who chose Aaron. 5That is how it was with Christ. He became a high priest, but not just because he wanted the honor of being one. It was God who told him,
"You are my Son, because today
I have become your Father!"
6In another place, God says,
"You are a priest forever
just like Melchizedek." 7God had the power to save Jesus from death. And while Jesus was on earth, he begged God with loud crying and tears to save him. He truly worshiped God, and God listened to his prayers. 8Jesus is God's own Son, but still he had to suffer before he could learn what it really means to obey God. 9Suffering made Jesus perfect, and now he can save forever all who obey him. 10This is because God chose him to be a high priest like Melchizedek.
Warning against Turning Away
11Much more could be said about this subject. But it is hard to explain, and all of you are slow to understand. 12By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. 13People who live on milk are like babies who don't really know what is right. 14Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.
Psalm 105:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 105
The LORD Can Be Trusted
1Praise the LORD and pray in his name!
Tell everyone
what he has done.
2Sing praises to the LORD!
Tell about his miracles.
3Celebrate and worship
his holy name
with all your heart.
4Trust the LORD
and his mighty power.
5Remember his miracles
and all his wonders
and his fair decisions.
6You belong to the family
of Abraham, his servant;
you are his chosen ones,
the descendants of Jacob.
7The LORD is our God,
bringing justice
everywhere on earth.
8He will never forget
his agreement or his promises,
not in thousands of years.
9God made an eternal promise
10to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
11when he said, "I'll give you
the land of Canaan."
12At the time there were
only a few of us,
and we were homeless.
13We wandered from nation
to nation,
from one country
to another.
14God did not let anyone
mistreat our people.
Instead he protected us
by punishing rulers
15and telling them,
"Don't touch my chosen leaders
or harm my prophets!"
Proverbs 26:28 (Contemporary English Version)
28Watch out for anyone
who tells lies and flatters--
they are out to get you.
Verse of the Day
“[Obey Rulers]Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give authority to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of power.” - Romans 13:1
Thought for the Day
American middle and long-distance runner, Steve Prefontaine wrote, “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.”
Today our
passages are Ezekiel 1:1–3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; and Proverbs
26:24-26. The readings are the
Contemporary English
Version.
Ezekiel 1-3:15 (Contemporary English Version)
Ezekiel 1
Ezekiel Sees the LORD's Glory
1-3I am Ezekiel--a priest and the son of Buzi.
Five years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been led away as a prisoner to
Babylonia, I was living near the Chebar River among those who had been taken
there with him. Then on the fifth day of the fourth month of
the thirtieth year,
the heavens suddenly opened. The LORD placed his hand upon me
and showed me some visions. 4I saw a
windstorm blowing in from the north. Lightning flashed from a huge cloud and lit
up the whole sky with a dazzling brightness. The fiery center of the cloud was
as shiny as polished metal, 5and in
that center I saw what looked like four living creatures. They were somewhat
like humans, 6except that each one had
four faces and four wings. 7Their legs
were straight, but their feet looked like the hoofs of calves and sparkled like
bronze. 8Under each of their wings,
these creatures had a human hand. 9The
four creatures were standing back to back with the tips of their wings touching.
They moved together in every direction, without turning their bodies.
10Each creature had the face of
a human in front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on
the left, and the face of an eagle in back. 11Two wings of
each creature were spread out and touched the wings of the creatures on either
side. The other two wings of each creature were folded against its body. 12Wherever the four living creatures went,
they moved together without turning their bodies, because each creature faced
straight ahead. 13The creatures were
glowing like hot coals, and I saw something like a flaming torch moving back and
forth among them. Lightning flashed from the torch every time its flame blazed
up.
14The creatures themselves moved as
quickly as sparks jumping from a fire.
15I then noticed that on the ground
beside each of the four living creatures was a wheel,
16shining like chrysolite.
Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the
middle of it,
17so that they could move in any
direction without turning. 18The rims
of the wheels were large and had eyes all the way around them.
19-21The creatures controlled when and
where the wheels moved--the wheels went wherever the four creatures went and
stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the
wheels were beside them. 22-23Above
the living creatures, I saw something that was sparkling like ice, and it
reminded me of a dome. Each creature had two of its wings stretched out toward
the creatures on either side, with the other two wings folded against its body.
24Whenever the creatures flew, their
wings roared like an ocean or a large army or even the voice of God
All-Powerful. And whenever the creatures stopped, they folded their wings
against their bodies.
25When the creatures stopped
flapping their wings, I heard a sound coming from above the dome. 26I then saw what looked like a throne made
of sapphire,
and sitting on the throne was a figure in the shape of a human. 27From the waist up, it was glowing like
metal in a hot furnace, and from the waist down it looked like the flames of a
fire. The figure was surrounded by a bright light, 28as colorful as a rainbow that appears after a storm. I
realized I was seeing the brightness of the LORD's glory! So I bowed with my
face to the ground, and just then I heard a voice speaking to me.
Ezekiel 2
The LORD Chooses Ezekiel
1The
LORD
said, "Ezekiel, son of man, I
want you to stand up and listen." 2After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and
lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said: 3Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They
are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop. 4They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I,
the LORD God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. 5Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will
know that a prophet has come to them.
6Don't be afraid of them or of
anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of a thorn patch or a
bunch of scorpions. But be brave 7and
preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not. 8Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they
have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.
And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.
9Just then, I saw a hand
stretched out toward me. And in it was a scroll.
10The hand opened the scroll, and both
sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.
Ezekiel 3
1The LORD said,
"Ezekiel, son of man, after you eat this scroll, go speak to the people of
Israel."
2-3He handed me the scroll and
said, "Eat this and fill up on it." So I ate the scroll, and it tasted sweet as
honey.
4The LORD said:
Ezekiel, I am sending you to your own people. 5-6They are Israelites, not some strangers who speak a
foreign language you can't understand. If I were to send you to foreign nations,
they would listen to you. 7But the
people of Israel will refuse to listen, because they have refused to listen to
me. All of them are stubborn and hardheaded, 8so I will make you as stubborn as they are. 9You will be so determined to speak my
message that nothing will stop you. I will make you hard like a diamond, and
you'll have no reason to be afraid of those arrogant rebels.
10Listen carefully to
everything I say and then think about it. 11Then go to the people who were brought here to Babylonia
with you and tell them you have a message from me, the LORD God. Do this,
whether they listen to you or not.
12The Spirit
lifted me up, and as the glory of the LORD started to leave, I
heard a loud, thundering noise behind me. 13It was the sound made by the creatures' wings as they
brushed against each other, and by the rumble of the wheels beside them. 14Then the Spirit carried me away. The
LORD's power had taken complete control of me, and I was both annoyed and angry.
15When I was back with the
others living at Abib Hill near the Chebar River, I sat among them for seven
days, shocked at what had happened to me.
Hebrews 3:1-19 (Contemporary English Version)
Hebrews 3
Jesus Is Greater than Moses
1My friends, God has chosen you to be his holy people. So
think about Jesus, the one we call our apostle and high priest! 2Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed
him, just as Moses was faithful in serving all of
God's people. 3But Jesus deserves more
honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves more honor than the
house. 4Of course, every house is
built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything. 5Moses was a faithful servant and told
God's people what would be said in the future. 6But Christ is the Son in charge of God's people. And we
are those people, if we keep on being brave and don't lose hope.
A Rest for God's People
7It
is just as the Holy Spirit says,
"If you hear God's voice today,
8don't be stubborn!
Don't rebel like those people
who were tested
in the desert.
9For forty years your ancestors
tested God
and saw
the things he did.
10"Then God got tired of them
and said,
`You people never
show good sense,
and you don't understand
what I want you to do.'
11God became angry
and told the people,
`You will never enter
my place of rest!' "
12My friends, watch out! Don't
let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. 13You must encourage one another each day.
And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If
you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 14We were sure about Christ when we first
became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end. 15The Scriptures say,
"If you hear his voice today,
don't be stubborn
like those who rebelled."
16Who were those people that
heard God's voice and rebelled? Weren't they the same ones that came out of
Egypt with Moses? 17Who were the
people that made God angry for forty years? Weren't they the ones that sinned
and died in the desert? 18And who did
God say would never enter his place of rest? Weren't they the ones that
disobeyed him? 19We see that those
people did not enter the place of rest because they did not have faith.
Psalm 104:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 104
The LORD Takes Care of His Creation
1I praise you, LORD God,
with all my heart.
You are glorious and majestic,
dressed in royal robes
2and surrounded by light.
You spread out the sky
like a tent,
3and you built your home
over the mighty ocean.
The clouds are your chariot
with the wind as its wings.
4The winds are your messengers,
and flames of fire
are your servants.
5You built foundations
for the earth,
and it
will never be shaken.
6You covered the earth
with the ocean
that rose
above the mountains.
7Then your voice thundered!
And the water flowed
8down the mountains
and through the valleys
to the place you prepared.
9Now you have set boundaries,
so that the water will never
flood the earth again.
10You provide streams of water
in the hills and valleys,
11so that the donkeys
and other wild animals
can satisfy their thirst.
12Birds build their nests
nearby
and sing in the trees.
13From your home above
you send rain on the hills
and water the earth.
14You let the earth produce
grass for cattle,
plants for our food,
15wine to cheer us up,
olive oil for our skin,
and grain for our health.
16Our LORD, your trees
always have water,
and so do the cedars
you planted in Lebanon.
17Birds nest in those trees,
and storks make their home
in the fir trees.
18Wild goats find a home
in the tall mountains,
and small animals can hide
between the rocks.
19You created the moon
to tell us the seasons.
The sun knows when to set,
20and you made the darkness,
so the animals in the forest
could come out at night.
21Lions roar as they hunt
for the food you provide.
22But when morning comes,
they return to their dens,
23then we go out to work
until the end of day.
Proverbs 26:24-26 (Contemporary English Version)
24The pleasant talk
of an enemy
hides more evil plans
25than can be counted--
so don't believe a word!
26Everyone will see through
those evil plans.
Verse of the Day
“My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand
the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the
glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God's people.” - Ephesians
1:18
Thought
for the Day
English novelist, poet, playwright, and politician, Edward
G. Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “Talent does what it can; genius does what it
must.”
Thought
for the Day
