Bible Readings for October 8, 2016

Today our passages are Jeremiah 10:1–11:23; Colossians 3:18–4:18; Psalm 78:56-72; and Proverbs 24:28-29. 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 by using the link below.

 

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Jeremiah 10-11:23 (The Message)

Jeremiah 10

The Stick Gods

^1-5 Listen to the Message that God is sending your way, House of Israel. Listen most carefully: "Don't take the godless nations as your models.
Don't be impressed by their glamour and glitz,
no matter how much they're impressed.
The religion of these peoples
is nothing but smoke.
An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down,
then shaped by a woodsman's ax.
They trim it with tinsel and balls,
use hammer and nails to keep it upright.
It's like a scarecrow in a cabbage patch—can't talk!
Dead wood that has to be carried—can't walk!
Don't be impressed by such stuff.
It's useless for either good or evil."
^6-9All this is nothing compared to you, O God.
You're wondrously great, famously great.
Who can fail to be impressed by you, King of the nations?
It's your very nature to be worshiped!
Look far and wide among the elite of the nations.
The best they can come up with is nothing compared to you.
Stupidly, they line them up—a lineup of sticks,
good for nothing but making smoke.
Gilded with silver foil from Tarshish,
covered with gold from Uphaz,
Hung with violet and purple fabrics—
no matter how fancy the sticks, they're still sticks.
¹⁰But God is the real thing—
the living God, the eternal King.
When he's angry, Earth shakes.
Yes, and the godless nations quake.
^11-15"Tell them this, 'The stick gods
who made nothing, neither sky nor earth,
Will come to nothing
on the earth and under the sky.'"
But it is God whose power made the earth,
whose wisdom gave shape to the world,
who crafted the cosmos.
He thunders, and rain pours down.
He sends the clouds soaring.
He embellishes the storm with lightnings,
launches wind from his warehouse.
Stick-god worshipers looking mighty foolish,
god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods!
Their gods are frauds—dead sticks,
deadwood gods, tasteless jokes.
When the fires of judgment come, they'll be ashes.
¹⁶But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing.
He put the whole universe together
And pays special attention to Israel.
His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
^17-18Grab your bags,
all you who are under attack.
God has given notice:
"Attention! I'm evicting
Everyone who lives here,
And right now—yes, right now!
I'm going to press them to the limit,
squeeze the life right out of them."
^19-20But it's a black day for me!
Hopelessly wounded,
I said, "Why, oh why
did I think I could bear it?"
My house is ruined—
the roof caved in.
Our children are gone—
we'll never see them again.
No one left to help in rebuilding,
no one to make a new start!
²¹It's because our leaders are stupid.
They never asked God for counsel,
And so nothing worked right.
The people are scattered all over.
²²But listen! Something's coming!
A big commotion from the northern borders!
Judah's towns about to be smashed,
left to all the stray dogs and cats!
^23-25I know, God, that mere mortals
can't run their own lives,
That men and women
don't have what it takes to take charge of life.
So correct us, God, as you see best.
Don't lose your temper. That would be the end of us.
Vent your anger on the godless nations,
who refuse to acknowledge you,
And on the people
who won't pray to you—
The very ones who've made hash out of Jacob,
yes, made hash
And devoured him whole,
people and pastures alike.

Jeremiah 11

The Terms of This Covenant

¹The Message that came to Jeremiah from God: ^2-4"Preach to the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them this: 'This is God's Message, the Message of Israel's God to you. Anyone who does not keep the terms of this covenant is cursed. The terms are clear. I made them plain to your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt, out of the iron furnace of suffering.
^4-5"'Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You'll be mine and I'll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that's what I did.'"
"Yes, God," I replied. "That's true."
^6-8God continued: "Preach all this in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Say, 'Listen to the terms of this covenant and carry them out! I warned your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt and I've kept up the warnings. I haven't quit warning them for a moment. I warned them from morning to night: "Obey me or else!" But they didn't obey. They paid no attention to me. They did whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it, until finally I stepped in and ordered the punishments set out in the covenant, which, despite all my warnings, they had ignored.'"
^9-10Then God said, "There's a conspiracy among the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. They've plotted to reenact the sins of their ancestors—the ones who disobeyed me and decided to go after other gods and worship them. Israel and Judah are in this together, mindlessly breaking the covenant I made with their ancestors."
^11-13"Well, your God has something to say about this: Watch out! I'm about to visit doom on you, and no one will get out of it. You're going to cry for help but I won't listen. Then all the people in Judah and Jerusalem will start praying to the gods you've been sacrificing to all these years, but it won't do a bit of good. You've got as many gods as you have villages, Judah! And you've got enough altars for sacrifices to that impotent sex god Baal to put one on every street corner in Jerusalem!"
¹⁴"And as for you, Jeremiah, I don't want you praying for this people. Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I'm not going to listen to a single syllable of their crisis-prayers."

Promises and Pious Programs

^15-16"What business do the ones I love have figuring out
how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship!
Do you think making promises and devising pious programs
will save you from doom?
Do you think you can get out of this
by becoming more religious?
A mighty oak tree, majestic and glorious—
that's how I once described you.
But it will only take a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning
to leave you a shattered wreck. ¹⁷"I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who planted you—yes, I have pronounced doom on you. Why? Because of the disastrous life you've lived, Israel and Judah alike, goading me to anger with your continuous worship and offerings to that sorry god Baal."
^18-19God told me what was going on. That's how I knew.
You, God, opened my eyes to their evil scheming.
I had no idea what was going on—naive as a lamb
being led to slaughter!
I didn't know they had it in for me,
didn't know of their behind-the-scenes plots:
"Let's get rid of the preacher.
That will stop the sermons!
Let's get rid of him for good.
He won't be remembered for long."
²⁰Then I said, "God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
you're a fair judge.
You examine and cross-examine
human actions and motives.
I want to see these people shown up and put down!
I'm an open book before you. Clear my name."
^21-23That sent a signal to God, who spoke up: "Here's what I'll do to the men of Anathoth who are trying to murder you, the men who say, 'Don't preach to us in God's name or we'll kill you.' Yes, it's God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaking. Indeed! I'll call them to account: Their young people will die in battle, their children will die of starvation, and there will be no one left at all, none. I'm visiting the men of Anathoth with doom. Doomsday!"

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Colossians 3:18-4:18 (The Message)

¹⁸Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master.
¹⁹Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don't take advantage of them.
²⁰Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end.
²¹Parents, don't come down too hard on your children or you'll crush their spirits.
^22-25Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.

Colossians 4

¹ And masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don't forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master—God in heaven.

Pray for Open Doors

^2-4Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I'm locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ plain as day to them. ^5-6Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
^7-9My good friend Tychicus will tell you all about me. He's a trusted minister and companion in the service of the Master. I've sent him to you so that you would know how things are with us, and so he could encourage you in your faith. And I've sent Onesimus with him. Onesimus is one of you, and has become such a trusted and dear brother! Together they'll bring you up-to-date on everything that has been going on here.
^10-11Aristarchus, who is in jail here with me, sends greetings; also Mark, cousin of Barnabas (you received a letter regarding him; if he shows up, welcome him); and also Jesus, the one they call Justus. These are the only ones left from the old crowd who have stuck with me in working for God's kingdom. Don't think they haven't been a big help!
^12-13Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. What a trooper he has been! He's been tireless in his prayers for you, praying that you'll stand firm, mature and confident in everything God wants you to do. I've watched him closely, and can report on how hard he has worked for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
¹⁴Luke, good friend and physician, and Demas both send greetings.
¹⁵Say hello to our friends in Laodicea; also to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
¹⁶After this letter has been read to you, make sure it gets read also in Laodicea. And get the letter that went to Laodicea and have it read to you.
¹⁷And, oh, yes, tell Archippus, "Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best."
¹⁸I'm signing off in my own handwriting—Paul. Remember to pray for me in this jail. Grace be with you.

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Psalm 78:56-72 (The Message)

^56-64 But they kept on giving him a hard time,
rebelled against God, the High God,
refused to do anything he told them.
They were worse, if that's possible, than their parents:
traitors—crooked as a corkscrew.
Their pagan orgies provoked God's anger,
their obscene idolatries broke his heart.
When God heard their carryings-on, he was furious;
he posted a huge No over Israel.
He walked off and left Shiloh empty,
abandoned the shrine where he had met with Israel.
He let his pride and joy go to the dogs,
turned his back on the pride of his life.
He turned them loose on fields of battle;
angry, he let them fend for themselves.
Their young men went to war and never came back;
their young women waited in vain.
Their priests were massacred,
and their widows never shed a tear.

^65-72 Suddenly the Lord was up on his feet
like someone roused from deep sleep,
shouting like a drunken warrior.
He hit his enemies hard, sent them running,
yelping, not daring to look back.
He disqualified Joseph as leader,
told Ephraim he didn't have what it takes,
And chose the Tribe of Judah instead,
Mount Zion, which he loves so much.
He built his sanctuary there, resplendent,
solid and lasting as the earth itself.
Then he chose David, his servant,
handpicked him from his work in the sheep pens.
One day he was caring for the ewes and their lambs,
the next day God had him shepherding Jacob,
his people Israel, his prize possession.
His good heart made him a good shepherd;
he guided the people wisely and well.

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Proverbs 24:28-29 (The Message)

^28-29 Don't talk about your neighbors behind their backs—
no slander or gossip, please.
Don't say to anyone, "I'll get back at you for what you did to me.
I'll make you pay for what you did!"

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Verse of the Day

“I alone am the LORD; only I can rescue you. I promised to save you, and I kept my promise. You are my witnesses that no other god did this. I, the LORD, have spoken.” - Isaiah 43:11-12

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American poet, Robert Frost wrote, “A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.”

Bible Readings for October 7, 2016

Today our passages are Jeremiah 8:8–9:26; Colossians 3:1-17; Psalm 78:32-55; and Proverbs 24:27. 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 by using the link below.

 

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Jeremiah 8:8-9:26 (The Message)

 ^8-9"'How can you say, "We know the score.
   We're the proud owners of God's revelation"?
Look where it's gotten you—stuck in illusion.
   Your religion experts have taken you for a ride!
Your know-it-alls will be unmasked,
   caught and shown up for what they are.
Look at them! They know everything but God's Word.
   Do you call that "knowing"?
 ^10-12"'So here's what will happen to the know-it-alls:
   I'll make them wifeless and homeless.
Everyone's after the dishonest dollar,
   little people and big people alike.
Prophets and priests and everyone in between
   twist words and doctor truth.
My dear Daughter—my people—broken, shattered,
   and yet they put on Band-Aids,
Saying, "It's not so bad. You'll be just fine."
   But things are not "just fine"!
Do you suppose they are embarrassed
   over this outrage?
Not really. They have no shame.
   They don't even know how to blush.
There's no hope for them. They've hit bottom
   and there's no getting up.
As far as I'm concerned,
   they're finished.'" God has spoken.
 ¹³"'I went out to see if I could salvage anything'"
   —God's Decree—
   "'but found nothing:
Not a grape, not a fig,
   just a few withered leaves.
I'm taking back
   everything I gave them.'"
 ^14-16So why are we sitting here, doing nothing?
   Let's get organized.
Let's go to the big city
   and at least die fighting.
We've gotten God's ultimatum:
   We're damned if we do and damned if we don't—
   damned because of our sin against him.
We hoped things would turn out for the best,
   but it didn't happen that way.
We were waiting around for healing—
   and terror showed up!
From Dan at the northern borders
   we hear the hooves of horses,
Horses galloping, horses neighing.
   The ground shudders and quakes.
They're going to swallow up the whole country.
   Towns and people alike—fodder for war.
 ¹⁷"'What's more, I'm dispatching
   poisonous snakes among you,
Snakes that can't be charmed,
   snakes that will bite you and kill you.'"
         God's Decree!

Advancing from One Evil to the Next

 ^18-22I drown in grief.
   I'm heartsick.
Oh, listen! Please listen! It's the cry of my dear people
   reverberating through the country.
Is God no longer in Zion?
   Has the King gone away?
Can you tell me why they flaunt their plaything-gods,
   their silly, imported no-gods before me?
The crops are in, the summer is over,
   but for us nothing's changed.
   We're still waiting to be rescued.
For my dear broken people, I'm heartbroken.
   I weep, seized by grief.
Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?
   Isn't there a doctor in the house?
So why can't something be done
   to heal and save my dear, dear people?

Jeremiah 9

 ^1-2 I wish my head were a well of water and my eyes fountains of tears
So I could weep day and night
   for casualties among my dear, dear people.
At times I wish I had a wilderness hut,
   a backwoods cabin,
Where I could get away from my people
   and never see them again.
They're a faithless, feckless bunch,
   a congregation of degenerates.  ^3-6"Their tongues shoot out lies
   like a bow shoots arrows—
A mighty army of liars,
   the sworn enemies of truth.
They advance from one evil to the next,
   ignorant of me."
         God's Decree.
"Be wary of even longtime neighbors.
   Don't even trust your grandmother!
Brother schemes against brother,
   like old cheating Jacob.
Friend against friend
   spreads malicious gossip.
Neighbors gyp neighbors,
   never telling the truth.
They've trained their tongues to tell lies,
   and now they can't tell the truth.
They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie,
   and refuse to know me."
      God's Decree.

 ^7-9Therefore, God-of-the-Angel-Armies says:
   "Watch this! I'll melt them down
   and see what they're made of.
What else can I do
   with a people this wicked?
Their tongues are poison arrows!
   Deadly lies stream from their mouths.
Neighbor greets neighbor with a smile,
   'Good morning! How're things?'
   while scheming to do away with him.
Do you think I'm going to stand around and do nothing?"
   God's Decree.
"Don't you think I'll take serious measures
   against a people like this?
 ^10-11"I'm lamenting the loss of the mountain pastures.
   I'm chanting dirges for the old grazing grounds.
They've become deserted wastelands too dangerous for travelers.
   No sounds of sheep bleating or cattle mooing.
Birds and wild animals, all gone.
   Nothing stirring, no sounds of life.
I'm going to make Jerusalem a pile of rubble,
   fit for nothing but stray cats and dogs.
I'm going to reduce Judah's towns to piles of ruins
   where no one lives!"
 ¹²I asked, "Is there anyone around bright enough to tell us what's going on here? Anyone who has the inside story from God and can let us in on it?
   "Why is the country wasted?
   "Why no travelers in this desert?"
 ^13-15God's answer: "Because they abandoned my plain teaching. They wouldn't listen to anything I said, refused to live the way I told them to. Instead they lived any way they wanted and took up with the Baal gods, who they thought would give them what they wanted—following the example of their parents." And this is the consequence. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so:
   "I'll feed them with pig slop.
   "I'll give them poison to drink.
 ¹⁶"Then I'll scatter them far and wide among godless peoples that neither they nor their parents have ever heard of, and I'll send Death in pursuit until there's nothing left of them."

A Life That Is All Outside but No Inside

 ^17-19A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:    "Look over the trouble we're in and call for help.
   Send for some singers who can help us mourn our loss.
Tell them to hurry—
   to help us express our loss and lament,
Help us get our tears flowing,
   make tearful music of our crying.
Listen to it!
   Listen to that torrent of tears out of Zion:
'We're a ruined people,
   we're a shamed people!
We've been driven from our homes
   and must leave our land!'"
 ^20-21Mourning women! Oh, listen to God's Message!
   Open your ears. Take in what he says.
Teach your daughters songs for the dead
   and your friends the songs of heartbreak.
Death has climbed in through the window,
   broken into our bedrooms.
Children on the playgrounds drop dead,
   and young men and women collapse at their games.
 ²²Speak up! "God's Message:
   "'Dead bodies everywhere, scattered at random
   like sheep and goat dung in the fields,
Like wheat cut down by reapers
   and left to rot where it falls.'"
 ^23-24God's Message:
   "Don't let the wise brag of their wisdom.
   Don't let heroes brag of their exploits.
Don't let the rich brag of their riches.
   If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me.
   I'm God, and I act in loyal love.
I do what's right and set things right and fair,
   and delight in those who do the same things.
These are my trademarks."
   God's Decree.
 ^25-26"Stay alert! It won't be long now"—God's Decree!—"when I will personally deal with everyone whose life is all outside but no inside: Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab. All these nations are big on performance religion—including Israel, who is no better."

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Colossians 3:1-17 (The Message)

Colossians 3

He Is Your Life

 ^1-2 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.  ^3-4Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
 ^5-8And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.
 ^9-11Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
 ^12-14So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
 ^15-17Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

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Psalm 78:32-55 (The Message)

 ^32-37 And—can you believe it?—they kept right on sinning;
      all those wonders and they still wouldn't believe!
   So their lives dribbled off to nothing—
      nothing to show for their lives but a ghost town.
   When he cut them down, they came running for help;
      they turned and pled for mercy.
   They gave witness that God was their rock,
      that High God was their redeemer,
   But they didn't mean a word of it;
      they lied through their teeth the whole time.
   They could not have cared less about him,
      wanted nothing to do with his Covenant.

 ^38-55 And God? Compassionate!
      Forgave the sin! Didn't destroy!
   Over and over he reined in his anger,
      restrained his considerable wrath.
   He knew what they were made of;
      he knew there wasn't much to them,
   How often in the desert they had spurned him,
      tried his patience in those wilderness years.
   Time and again they pushed him to the limit,
      provoked Israel's Holy God.
   How quickly they forgot what he'd done,
      forgot their day of rescue from the enemy,
   When he did miracles in Egypt,
      wonders on the plain of Zoan.
   He turned the River and its streams to blood—
      not a drop of water fit to drink.
   He sent flies, which ate them alive,
      and frogs, which bedeviled them.
   He turned their harvest over to caterpillars,
      everything they had worked for to the locusts.
   He flattened their grapevines with hail;
      a killing frost ruined their orchards.
   He pounded their cattle with hail,
      let thunderbolts loose on their herds.
   His anger flared,
      a wild firestorm of havoc,
   An advance guard of disease-carrying angels
      to clear the ground, preparing the way before him.
   He didn't spare those people,
      he let the plague rage through their lives.
   He killed all the Egyptian firstborns,
      lusty infants, offspring of Ham's virility.
   Then he led his people out like sheep,
      took his flock safely through the wilderness.
   He took good care of them; they had nothing to fear.
      The Sea took care of their enemies for good.
   He brought them into his holy land,
      this mountain he claimed for his own.
   He scattered everyone who got in their way;
      he staked out an inheritance for them—
      the tribes of Israel all had their own places.

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Proverbs 24:27 (The Message)

 ²⁷ First plant your fields;
   then build your barn.

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Verse of the Day

“[(A psalm by David when he was in the desert of Judah.)][God's Love Means More than Life]You are my God. I worship you. In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert.” - Psalm 63:1

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American football player, coach, and executive in the National Football League (NFL), Vince Lombardi wrote, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

A thought from the word - A brief thought based on Isaiah 55:6.

Bible Readings for October 6, 2016

Today our passages are  Jeremiah 6:15–8:7; Colossians 2:8-23; Psalm 78:1-31; and Proverbs 24:26. 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 by using the link below.

 

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Jeremiah 6:15-8:7 (The Message)

^13-15"Everyone's after the dishonest dollar,
little people and big people alike.
Prophets and priests and everyone in between
twist words and doctor truth.
My people are broken—shattered!—
and they put on Band-Aids,
Saying, 'It's not so bad. You'll be just fine.'
But things are not 'just fine'!
Do you suppose they are embarrassed
over this outrage?
No, they have no shame.
They don't even know how to blush.
There's no hope for them. They've hit bottom
and there's no getting up.
As far as I'm concerned,
they're finished."
God has spoken.

Death Is on the Prowl

^16-20God's Message yet again: "Go stand at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for directions to the old road,
The tried-and-true road. Then take it.
Discover the right route for your souls.
But they said, 'Nothing doing.
We aren't going that way.'
I even provided watchmen for them
to warn them, to set off the alarm.
But the people said, 'It's a false alarm.
It doesn't concern us.'
And so I'm calling in the nations as witnesses:
'Watch, witnesses, what happens to them!'
And, 'Pay attention, Earth!
Don't miss these bulletins.'
I'm visiting catastrophe on this people, the end result
of the games they've been playing with me.
They've ignored everything I've said,
had nothing but contempt for my teaching.
What would I want with incense brought in from Sheba,
rare spices from exotic places?
Your burnt sacrifices in worship give me no pleasure.
Your religious rituals mean nothing to me."
²¹So listen to this. Here's God's verdict on your way of life:
"Watch out! I'm putting roadblocks and barriers
on the road you're taking.
They'll send you sprawling,
parents and children, neighbors and friends—
and that will be the end of the lot of you."
^22-23And listen to this verdict from God:
"Look out! An invasion from the north,
a mighty power on the move from a faraway place:
Armed to the teeth,
vicious and pitiless,
Booming like sea storm and thunder—tramp, tramp, tramp—
riding hard on war horses,
In battle formation
against you, dear Daughter Zion!"
^24-25We've heard the news,
and we're as limp as wet dishrags.
We're paralyzed with fear.
Terror has a death grip on our throats.
Don't dare go outdoors!
Don't leave the house!
Death is on the prowl.
Danger everywhere!
²⁶"Dear Daughter Zion: Dress in black.
Blacken your face with ashes.
Weep most bitterly,
as for an only child.
The countdown has begun...
six, five, four, three...
The Terror is on us!"
^27-30God gave me this task:
"I have made you the examiner of my people,
to examine and weigh their lives.
They're a thickheaded, hard-nosed bunch,
rotten to the core, the lot of them.
Refining fires are cranked up to white heat,
but the ore stays a lump, unchanged.
It's useless to keep trying any longer.
Nothing can refine evil out of them.
Men will give up and call them 'slag,'
thrown on the slag heap by me, their God."

Jeremiah 7

The Nation That Wouldn't Obey God

^1-2 The Message from God to Jeremiah: "Stand in the gate of God's Temple and preach this Message. ^2-3"Say, 'Listen, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship God. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God, has this to say to you: ^3-7"'Clean up your act—the way you live, the things you do—so I can make my home with you in this place. Don't for a minute believe the lies being spoken here—"This is God's Temple, God's Temple, God's Temple!" Total nonsense! Only if you clean up your act (the way you live, the things you do), only if you do a total spring cleaning on the way you live and treat your neighbors, only if you quit exploiting the street people and orphans and widows, no longer taking advantage of innocent people on this very site and no longer destroying your souls by using this Temple as a front for other gods—only then will I move into your neighborhood. Only then will this country I gave your ancestors be my permanent home, my Temple.
^8-11"'Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you're swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighborhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market—and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, "We're safe!" thinking that the place itself gives you a license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege? A cave full of criminals! Do you think you can turn this Temple, set apart for my worship, into something like that? Well, think again. I've got eyes in my head. I can see what's going on.'" God's Decree!
¹²"'Take a trip down to the place that was once in Shiloh, where I met my people in the early days. Take a look at those ruins, what I did to it because of the evil ways of my people Israel.
^13-15"'So now, because of the way you have lived and failed to listen, even though time and again I took you aside and talked seriously with you, and because you refused to change when I called you to repent, I'm going to do to this Temple, set aside for my worship, this place you think is going to keep you safe no matter what, this place I gave as a gift to your ancestors and you, the same as I did to Shiloh. And as for you, I'm going to get rid of you, the same as I got rid of those old relatives of yours around Shiloh, your fellow Israelites in that former kingdom to the north.'
^16-18"And you, Jeremiah, don't waste your time praying for this people. Don't offer to make petitions or intercessions. Don't bother me with them. I'm not listening. Can't you see what they're doing in all the villages of Judah and in the Jerusalem streets? Why, they've got the children gathering wood while the fathers build fires and the mothers make bread to be offered to 'the Queen of Heaven'! And as if that weren't bad enough, they go around pouring out libations to any other gods they come across, just to hurt me.
¹⁹"But is it me they're hurting?" God's Decree! "Aren't they just hurting themselves? Exposing themselves shamefully? Making themselves ridiculous?
²⁰"Here's what the Master God has to say: 'My white-hot anger is about to descend on this country and everything in it—people and animals, trees in the field and vegetables in the garden—a raging wildfire that no one can put out.'
^21-23"The Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God: 'Go ahead! Put your burnt offerings with all your other sacrificial offerings and make a good meal for yourselves. I sure don't want them! When I delivered your ancestors out of Egypt, I never said anything to them about wanting burnt offerings and sacrifices as such. But I did say this, commanded this: "Obey me. Do what I say and I will be your God and you will be my people. Live the way I tell you. Do what I command so that your lives will go well."
^24-26"'But do you think they listened? Not a word of it. They did just what they wanted to do, indulged any and every evil whim and got worse day by day. From the time your ancestors left the land of Egypt until now, I've supplied a steady stream of my servants the prophets, but do you think the people listened? Not once. Stubborn as mules and worse than their ancestors!'
^27-28"Tell them all this, but don't expect them to listen. Call out to them, but don't expect an answer. Tell them, 'You are the nation that wouldn't obey God, that refused all discipline. Truth has disappeared. There's not a trace of it left in your mouths.
²⁹"'So shave your heads.
Go bald to the hills and lament,
For God has rejected and left
this generation that has made him so angry.'
^30-31"The people of Judah have lived evil lives while I've stood by and watched." God's Decree. "In deliberate insult to me, they've set up their obscene god-images in the very Temple that was built to honor me. They've constructed Topheth altars for burning babies in prominent places all through the valley of Ben-hinnom, altars for burning their sons and daughters alive in the fire—a shocking perversion of all that I am and all I command.
^32-34"But soon, very soon"—God's Decree!—"the names Topheth and Benhinnom will no longer be used. They'll call the place what it is: Murder Meadow. Corpses will be stacked up in Topheth because there's no room left to bury them! Corpses abandoned in the open air, fed on by crows and coyotes, who have the run of the place. And I'll empty both smiles and laughter from the villages of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. No wedding songs, no holiday sounds. Dead silence."

Jeremiah 8

^1-2 "And when the time comes"—God's Decree!—"I'll see to it that they dig up the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes and priests and prophets, and yes, even the bones of the common people. They'll dig them up and spread them out like a congregation at worship before sun, moon, and stars, all those sky gods they've been so infatuated with all these years, following their 'lucky stars' in doglike devotion. The bones will be left scattered and exposed, to reenter the soil as fertilizer, like manure. ³"Everyone left—all from this evil generation unlucky enough to still be alive in whatever godforsaken place I will have driven them to—will wish they were dead." Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

To Know Everything but God's Word

^4-7"Tell them this, God's Message: "'Do people fall down and not get up?
Or take the wrong road and then just keep going?
So why does this people go backward,
and just keep on going—backward!
They stubbornly hold on to their illusions,
refuse to change direction.
I listened carefully
but heard not so much as a whisper.
No one expressed one word of regret.
Not a single "I'm sorry" did I hear.
They just kept at it, blindly and stupidly
banging their heads against a brick wall.
Cranes know when it's time
to move south for winter.
And robins, warblers, and bluebirds
know when it's time to come back again.
But my people? My people know nothing,
not the first thing of God and his rule.

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Colossians 2:8-23 (The Message)

^8-10Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
^11-15Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it's an initiation ritual you're after, you've already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
^16-17So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.
^18-19Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
^20-23So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.

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Psalm 78:1-31 (The Message)

Psalm 78

An Asaph Psalm

^1-4 Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears to what I tell you.
I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb;
I'll let you in on the sweet old truths,
Stories we heard from our fathers,
counsel we learned at our mother's knee.
We're not keeping this to ourselves,
we're passing it along to the next generation—
God's fame and fortune,
the marvelous things he has done.

^5-8 He planted a witness in Jacob,
set his Word firmly in Israel,
Then commanded our parents
to teach it to their children
So the next generation would know,
and all the generations to come—
Know the truth and tell the stories
so their children can trust in God,
Never forget the works of God
but keep his commands to the letter.
Heaven forbid they should be like their parents,
bullheaded and bad,
A fickle and faithless bunch
who never stayed true to God.

^9-16 The Ephraimites, armed to the teeth,
ran off when the battle began.
They were cowards to God's Covenant,
refused to walk by his Word.
They forgot what he had done—
marvels he'd done right before their eyes.
He performed miracles in plain sight of their parents
in Egypt, out on the fields of Zoan.
He split the Sea and they walked right through it;
he piled the waters to the right and the left.
He led them by day with a cloud,
led them all the night long with a fiery torch.
He split rocks in the wilderness,
gave them all they could drink from underground springs;
He made creeks flow out from sheer rock,
and water pour out like a river.

^17-20 All they did was sin even more,
rebel in the desert against the High God.
They tried to get their own way with God,
clamored for favors, for special attention.
They whined like spoiled children,
"Why can't God give us a decent meal in this desert?
Sure, he struck the rock and the water flowed,
creeks cascaded from the rock.
But how about some fresh-baked bread?
How about a nice cut of meat?"

^21-31 When God heard that, he was furious—
his anger flared against Jacob,
he lost his temper with Israel.
It was clear they didn't believe God,
had no intention of trusting in his help.
But God helped them anyway, commanded the clouds
and gave orders that opened the gates of heaven.
He rained down showers of manna to eat,
he gave them the Bread of Heaven.
They ate the bread of the mighty angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
He let East Wind break loose from the skies,
gave a strong push to South Wind.
This time it was birds that rained down—
succulent birds, an abundance of birds.
He aimed them right for the center of their camp;
all round their tents there were birds.
They ate and had their fill;
he handed them everything they craved on a platter.
But their greed knew no bounds;
they stuffed their mouths with more and more.
Finally, God was fed up, his anger erupted—
he cut down their brightest and best,
he laid low Israel's finest young men.

 

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Proverbs 24:26 (The Message)

²⁶ An honest answer
is like a warm hug.

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Verse of the Day

“So always trust the LORD because he is forever our mighty rock.” - Isaiah 26:4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865, Abraham Lincoln wrote, “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”

A Thought from the Word - A brief thought based on Proverbs 27:1

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Bible Readings for October 5, 2016

Today our passages are  Jeremiah 4:19–6:14; Colossians 1:21–2:7; Psalm 77:1-20; and Proverbs 24:23-25. 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 by using the link below.

 

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Jeremiah 4:19-6:14 (The Message)

 ^19-21I'm doubled up with cramps in my belly—
   a poker burns in my gut.
My insides are tearing me up,
   never a moment's peace.
The ram's horn trumpet blast rings in my ears,
   the signal for all-out war.
Disaster hard on the heels of disaster,
   the whole country in ruins!
In one stroke my home is destroyed,
   the walls flattened in the blink of an eye.
How long do I have to look at the warning flares,
   listen to the siren of danger?

Experts at Evil

 ²²"What fools my people are!
   They have no idea who I am.
A company of half-wits,
   dopes and donkeys all!
Experts at evil
   but klutzes at good."  ^23-26I looked at the earth—
   it was back to pre-Genesis chaos and emptiness.
I looked at the skies,
   and not a star to be seen.
I looked at the mountains—
   they were trembling like aspen leaves,
And all the hills
   rocking back and forth in the wind.
I looked—what's this! Not a man or woman in sight,
   and not a bird to be seen in the skies.
I looked—this can't be! Every garden and orchard shriveled up.
   All the towns were ghost towns.
And all this because of God,
   because of the blazing anger of God.

 ^27-28Yes, this is God's Word on the matter:
   "The whole country will be laid waste—
   still it won't be the end of the world.
The earth will mourn
   and the skies lament
Because I've given my word and won't take it back.
   I've decided and won't change my mind."

You're Not Going to Seduce Anyone

 ²⁹Someone shouts, "Horsemen and archers!"
   and everybody runs for cover.
They hide in ditches,
   they climb into caves.
The cities are emptied,
   not a person left anywhere.  ^30-31And you, what do you think you're up to?
   Dressing up in party clothes,
Decking yourselves out in jewelry,
   putting on lipstick and rouge and mascara!
Your primping goes for nothing.
   You're not going to seduce anyone. They're out to kill you!
And what's that I hear? The cry of a woman in labor,
   the screams of a mother giving birth to her firstborn.
It's the cry of Daughter Zion, gasping for breath,
   reaching out for help:
"Help, oh help me! I'm dying!
   The killers are on me!"

Jeremiah 5

Sins Are Piled Sky-High

 ^1-2 "Patrol Jerusalem's streets. Look around. Take note.
Search the market squares.
   See if you can find one man, one woman,
A single soul who does what is right
   and tries to live a true life.
   I want to forgive that person."
         God's Decree.
"But if all they do is say, 'As sure as God lives...'
   they're nothing but a bunch of liars."  ^3-6But you, God,
   you have an eye for truth, don't you?
You hit them hard, but it didn't faze them.
   You disciplined them, but they refused correction.
Hardheaded, harder than rock,
   they wouldn't change.
Then I said to myself, "Well, these are just poor people.
   They don't know any better.
They were never taught anything about God.
   They never went to prayer meetings.
I'll find some people from the best families.
   I'll talk to them.
They'll know what's going on, the way God works.
   They'll know the score."
But they were no better! Rebels all!
   Off doing their own thing.
The invaders are ready to pounce and kill,
   like a mountain lion, a wilderness wolf,
Panthers on the prowl.
   The streets aren't safe anymore.
And why? Because the people's sins are piled sky-high;
   their betrayals are past counting.
 ^7-9"Why should I even bother with you any longer?
   Your children wander off, leaving me,
Taking up with gods
   that aren't even gods.
I satisfied their deepest needs, and then they went off with the 'sacred' whores,
   left me for orgies in sex shrines!
A bunch of well-groomed, lusty stallions,
   each one pawing and snorting for his neighbor's wife.
Do you think I'm going to stand around and do nothing?"
   God's Decree.
"Don't you think I'll take serious measures
   against a people like this?

Eyes That Don't Really Look,

    Ears That Don't Really Listen  ^10-11"Go down the rows of vineyards and rip out the vines,
   but not all of them. Leave a few.
Prune back those vines!
   That growth didn't come from God!
They've betrayed me over and over again,
   Judah and Israel both."
         God's Decree.
 ^12-13"They've spread lies about God.
   They've said, 'There's nothing to him.
Nothing bad will happen to us,
   neither famine nor war will come our way.
The prophets are all windbags.
   They speak nothing but nonsense.'"

 ¹⁴Therefore, this is what God said to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
   "Because they have talked this way,
   they are going to eat those words.
Watch now! I'm putting my words
   as fire in your mouth.
And the people are a pile of kindling
   ready to go up in flames.
 ^15-17"Attention! I'm bringing a far-off nation
   against you, O house of Israel."
         God's Decree.
"A solid nation,
   an ancient nation,
A nation that speaks another language.
   You won't understand a word they say.
When they aim their arrows, you're as good as dead.
   They're a nation of real fighters!
They'll clean you out of house and home,
   rob you of crops and children alike.
They'll feast on your sheep and cattle,
   strip your vines and fig trees.
And the fortresses that made you feel so safe—
   leveled with a stroke of the sword!
 ^18-19"Even then, as bad as it will be"—God's Decree!—"it will not be the end of the world for you. And when people ask, 'Why did our God do all this to us?' you must say to them, 'It's tit for tat. Just as you left me and served foreign gods in your own country, so now you must serve foreigners in their own country.'
 ^20-25"Tell the house of Jacob this,
   put out this bulletin in Judah:
Listen to this,
   you scatterbrains, airheads,
With eyes that see but don't really look,
   and ears that hear but don't really listen.
Why don't you honor me?
   Why aren't you in awe before me?
Yes, me, who made the shorelines
   to contain the ocean waters.
I drew a line in the sand
   that cannot be crossed.
Waves roll in but cannot get through;
   breakers crash but that's the end of them.
But this people—what a people!
   Uncontrollable, untameable runaways.
It never occurs to them to say,
   'How can we honor our God with our lives,
The God who gives rain in both spring and autumn
   and maintains the rhythm of the seasons,
Who sets aside time each year for harvest
   and keeps everything running smoothly for us?'
Of course you don't! Your bad behavior blinds you to all this.
   Your sins keep my blessings at a distance.

To Stand for Nothing and Stand Up for No One

 ^26-29"My people are infiltrated by wicked men,
   unscrupulous men on the hunt.
They set traps for the unsuspecting.
   Their victims are innocent men and women.
Their houses are stuffed with ill-gotten gain,
   like a hunter's bag full of birds.
Pretentious and powerful and rich,
   hugely obese, oily with rolls of fat.
Worse, they have no conscience.
   Right and wrong mean nothing to them.
They stand for nothing, stand up for no one,
   throw orphans to the wolves, exploit the poor.
Do you think I'll stand by and do nothing about this?"
   God's Decree.
"Don't you think I'll take serious measures
   against a people like this?  ^30-31"Unspeakable! Sickening!
   What's happened in this country?
Prophets preach lies
   and priests hire on as their assistants.
And my people love it. They eat it up!
   But what will you do when it's time to pick up the pieces?"

Jeremiah 6

A City Full of Lies

 ^1-5 "Run for your lives, children of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem, and now!
Give a blast on the ram's horn in Blastville.
   Send up smoke signals from Smoketown.
Doom pours out of the north—
   massive terror!
I have likened my dear daughter Zion
   to a lovely meadow.
Well, now 'shepherds' from the north have discovered her
   and brought in their flocks of soldiers.
They've pitched camp all around her,
   and plan where they'll 'graze.'
And then, 'Prepare to attack! The fight is on!
   To arms! We'll strike at noon!
Oh, it's too late? Day is dying?
   Evening shadows are upon us?
Well, up anyway! We'll attack by night
   and tear apart her defenses stone by stone.'"  ^6-8God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave the orders:
   "Chop down her trees.
   Build a siege ramp against Jerusalem,
A city full of brutality,
   bursting with violence.
Just as a well holds a good supply of water,
   she supplies wickedness nonstop.
The streets echo the cries: 'Violence! Rape!'
   Victims, bleeding and moaning, lie all over the place.
You're in deep trouble, Jerusalem.
   You've pushed me to the limit.
You're on the brink of being wiped out,
   being turned into a ghost town."
 ⁹More orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
   "Time's up! Harvest the grapes for judgment.
   Salvage what's left of Israel.
Go back over the vines.
   Pick them clean, every last grape.

Is Anybody Listening?

 ^10-11"I've got something to say. Is anybody listening?
   I've a warning to post. Will anyone notice?
It's hopeless! Their ears are stuffed with wax—
   deaf as a post, blind as a bat.
It's hopeless! They've tuned out God.
   They don't want to hear from me.
But I'm bursting with the wrath of God.
   I can't hold it in much longer.  ^11-12"So dump it on the children in the streets.
   Let it loose on the gangs of youth.
For no one's exempt: Husbands and wives will be taken,
   the old and those ready to die;
Their homes will be given away—
   all they own, even their loved ones—
When I give the signal
   against all who live in this country."
         God's Decree.
 ^13-15"Everyone's after the dishonest dollar,
   little people and big people alike.
Prophets and priests and everyone in between
   twist words and doctor truth.
My people are broken—shattered!—
   and they put on Band-Aids,
Saying, 'It's not so bad. You'll be just fine.'
   But things are not 'just fine'!
Do you suppose they are embarrassed
   over this outrage?
No, they have no shame.
   They don't even know how to blush.
There's no hope for them. They've hit bottom
   and there's no getting up.
As far as I'm concerned,
   they're finished."
         God has spoken.

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Colossians 1:21-2:7 (The Message)

 ^21-23You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.
 ^24-25I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.
 ^26-29This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

Colossians 2

 ¹ I want you to realize that I continue to work as hard as I know how for you, and also for the Christians over at Laodicea. Not many of you have met me face-to-face, but that doesn't make any difference. Know that I'm on your side, right alongside you. You're not in this alone.  ^2-4I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery! I'm telling you this because I don't want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or "the Secret."
 ⁵I'm a long way off, true, and you may never lay eyes on me, but believe me, I'm on your side, right beside you. I am delighted to hear of the careful and orderly ways you conduct your affairs, and impressed with the solid substance of your faith in Christ.

From the Shadows to the Substance

 ^6-7My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

 

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Psalm 77:1-20 (The Message)

Psalm 77

An Asaph Psalm

 ¹ I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens.

 ^2-6 I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord;
      my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal.
   When friends said, "Everything will turn out all right,"
      I didn't believe a word they said.
   I remember God—and shake my head.
      I bow my head—then wring my hands.
   I'm awake all night—not a wink of sleep;
      I can't even say what's bothering me.
   I go over the days one by one,
      I ponder the years gone by.
   I strum my lute all through the night,
      wondering how to get my life together.

 ^7-10 Will the Lord walk off and leave us for good?
      Will he never smile again?
   Is his love worn threadbare?
      Has his salvation promise burned out?
   Has God forgotten his manners?
      Has he angrily stalked off and left us?
   "Just my luck," I said. "The High God goes out of business
      just the moment I need him."

 ^11-12 Once again I'll go over what God has done,
      lay out on the table the ancient wonders;
   I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished,
      and give a long, loving look at your acts.

 ^13-15 O God! Your way is holy!
      No god is great like God!
   You're the God who makes things happen;
      you showed everyone what you can do—
   You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble,
      rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph.

 ^16-19 Ocean saw you in action, God,
      saw you and trembled with fear;
      Deep Ocean was scared to death.
   Clouds belched buckets of rain,
      Sky exploded with thunder,
      your arrows flashing this way and that.
   From Whirlwind came your thundering voice,
      Lightning exposed the world,
      Earth reeled and rocked.
   You strode right through Ocean,
      walked straight through roaring Ocean,
      but nobody saw you come or go.

 ²⁰ Hidden in the hands of Moses and Aaron,
   You led your people like a flock of sheep.

 

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Proverbs 24:23-25 (The Message)

More Sayings of the Wise

An Honest Answer

 ²³ It's wrong, very wrong,
   to go along with injustice.

 ^24-25 Whoever whitewashes the wicked
   gets a black mark in the history books,
But whoever exposes the wicked
   will be thanked and rewarded.

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“[God's Words Are Powerful]Turn to the LORD! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.” - Isaiah 55:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American politician, diplomat, and activist, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.”

A Thought from the Word - A brief thought based on 1 Peter 1:3