Bible Readings for September 25, 2012

Today our passages are Isaiah 45:11–48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Psalm 68:19-35; and Proverbs 24:3-4. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Isaiah 45:11-48:11 (The Message)

 ^11-13Thus God, The Holy of Israel, Israel's Maker, says:
   "Do you question who or what I'm making?
   Are you telling me what I can or cannot do?
I made earth,
   and I created man and woman to live on it.
I handcrafted the skies
   and direct all the constellations in their turnings.
And now I've got Cyrus on the move.
   I've rolled out the red carpet before him.
He will build my city.
   He will bring home my exiles.
I didn't hire him to do this. I told him.
   I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies."
 ¹⁴God says:
   "The workers of Egypt, the merchants of Ethiopia,
   and those statuesque Sabeans
Will all come over to you—all yours.
   Docile in chains, they'll follow you,
Hands folded in reverence, praying before you:
   'Amazing! God is with you!
   There is no other God—none.'"

Look at the Evidence

 ^15-17Clearly, you are a God who works behind the scenes,
   God of Israel, Savior God.
Humiliated, all those others
   will be ashamed to show their faces in public.
Out of work and at loose ends, the makers of no-god idols
   won't know what to do with themselves.
The people of Israel, though, are saved by you, God,
   saved with an eternal salvation.
They won't be ashamed,
   they won't be at loose ends, ever.  ^18-24God, Creator of the heavens—
   he is, remember, God.
Maker of earth—
   he put it on its foundations, built it from scratch.
He didn't go to all that trouble
   to just leave it empty, nothing in it.
   He made it to be lived in.

   This God says:
   "I am God,
   the one and only.
I don't just talk to myself
   or mumble under my breath.
I never told Jacob,
   'Seek me in emptiness, in dark nothingness.'
I am God. I work out in the open,
   saying what's right, setting things right.
So gather around, come on in,
   all you refugees and castoffs.
They don't seem to know much, do they—
   those who carry around their no-god blocks of wood,
   praying for help to a dead stick?
So tell me what you think. Look at the evidence.
   Put your heads together. Make your case.
Who told you, and a long time ago, what's going on here?
   Who made sense of things for you?
Wasn't I the one? God?
   It had to be me. I'm the only God there is—
The only God who does things right
   and knows how to help.
So turn to me and be helped—saved!—
   everyone, whoever and wherever you are.
I am God,
   the only God there is, the one and only.
I promise in my own name:
   Every word out of my mouth does what it says.
   I never take back what I say.
Everyone is going to end up kneeling before me.
   Everyone is going to end up saying of me,
   'Yes! Salvation and strength are in God!'"
 ^24-25All who have raged against him
   will be brought before him,
   disgraced by their unbelief.
And all who are connected with Israel
   will have a robust, praising, good life in God!

Isaiah 46

This Is Serious Business, Rebels

 ^1-2 The god Bel falls down, god Nebo slumps. The no-god hunks of wood are loaded on mules
And have to be hauled off,
   wearing out the poor mules—
Dead weight, burdens who can't bear burdens,
   hauled off to captivity.  ^3-4"Listen to me, family of Jacob,
   everyone that's left of the family of Israel.
I've been carrying you on my back
   from the day you were born,
And I'll keep on carrying you when you're old.
   I'll be there, bearing you when you're old and gray.
I've done it and will keep on doing it,
   carrying you on my back, saving you.
 ^5-7"So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
   Can you picture me without reducing me?
People with a lot of money
   hire craftsmen to make them gods.
The artisan delivers the god,
   and they kneel and worship it!
They carry it around in holy parades,
   then take it home and put it on a shelf.
And there it sits, day in and day out,
   a dependable god, always right where you put it.
Say anything you want to it, it never talks back.
   Of course, it never does anything either!
 ^8-11"Think about this. Wrap your minds around it.
   This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart.
Remember your history,
   your long and rich history.
I am God, the only God you've had or ever will have—
   incomparable, irreplaceable—
From the very beginning
   telling you what the ending will be,
All along letting you in
   on what is going to happen,
Assuring you, 'I'm in this for the long haul,
   I'll do exactly what I set out to do,'
Calling that eagle, Cyrus, out of the east,
   from a far country the man I chose to help me.
I've said it, and I'll most certainly do it.
   I've planned it, so it's as good as done.
 ^12-13"Now listen to me:
   You're a hardheaded bunch and hard to help.
I'm ready to help you right now.
   Deliverance is not a long-range plan.
   Salvation isn't on hold.
I'm putting salvation to work in Zion now,
   and glory in Israel."

Isaiah 47

The Party's Over

 ^1-3 "Get off your high horse and sit in the dirt, virgin daughter of Babylon.
No more throne for you—sit on the ground,
   daughter of the Chaldeans.
Nobody will be calling you 'charming'
   and 'alluring' anymore. Get used to it.
Get a job, any old job:
   Clean gutters, scrub toilets.
Hock your gowns and scarves,
   put on overalls—the party's over.
Your nude body will be on public display,
   exposed to vulgar taunts.
It's vengeance time, and I'm taking vengeance.
   No one gets let off the hook."

You're Acting Like the Center of the Universe

 ^4-13Our Redeemer speaks,
   named God-of-the-Angel-Armies, The Holy of Israel:
"Shut up and get out of the way,
   daughter of Chaldeans.
You'll no longer be called
   'First Lady of the Kingdoms.'
I was fed up with my people,
   thoroughly disgusted with my progeny.
I turned them over to you,
   but you had no compassion.
You put old men and women
   to cruel, hard labor.
You said, 'I'm the First Lady.
   I'll always be the pampered darling.'
You took nothing seriously, took nothing to heart,
   never gave tomorrow a thought.
Well, start thinking, playgirl.
   You're acting like the center of the universe,
Smugly saying to yourself, 'I'm Number One. There's nobody but me.
   I'll never be a widow, I'll never lose my children.'
Those two things are going to hit you both at once,
   suddenly, on the same day:
Spouse and children gone, a total loss,
   despite your many enchantments and charms.
You were so confident and comfortable in your evil life,
   saying, 'No one sees me.'
You thought you knew so much, had everything figured out.
   What delusion!
   Smugly telling yourself, 'I'm Number One. There's nobody but me.'
Ruin descends—
   you can't charm it away.
Disaster strikes—
   you can't cast it off with spells.
Catastrophe, sudden and total—
   and you're totally at sea, totally bewildered!
But don't give up. From your great repertoire
   of enchantments there must be one you haven't yet tried.
You've been at this a long time.
   Surely something will work.
I know you're exhausted trying out remedies,
   but don't give up.
Call in the astrologers and stargazers.
   They're good at this. Surely they can work up something!  ^14-15"Fat chance. You'd be grasping at straws
   that are already in the fire,
A fire that is even now raging.
   Your 'experts' are in it and won't get out.
It's not a fire for cooking venison stew,
   not a fire to warm you on a winter night!
That's the fate of your friends in sorcery, your magician buddies
   you've been in cahoots with all your life.
They reel, confused, bumping into one another.
   None of them bother to help you."

Isaiah 48

Tested in the Furnace of Affliction

 ^1-11 "And now listen to this, family of Jacob,
   you who are called by the name Israel:
Who got you started in the loins of Judah,
   you who use God's name to back up your promises
   and pray to the God of Israel?
But do you mean it?
   Do you live like it?
You claim to be citizens of the Holy City;
   you act as though you lean on the God of Israel,
   named God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
For a long time now, I've let you in on the way I work:
   I told you what I was going to do beforehand,
   then I did it and it was done, and that's that.
I know you're a bunch of hardheads,
   obstinate and flint-faced,
So I got a running start and began telling you
   what was going on before it even happened.
That is why you can't say,
   'My god-idol did this.'
   'My favorite god-carving commanded this.'
You have all this evidence
   confirmed by your own eyes and ears.
   Shouldn't you be talking about it?
And that was just the beginning.
   I have a lot more to tell you,
   things you never knew existed.
This isn't a variation on the same old thing.
   This is new, brand-new,
   something you'd never guess or dream up.
When you hear this you won't be able to say,
   'I knew that all along.'
You've never been good listeners to me.
   You have a history of ignoring me,
A sorry track record of fickle attachments—
   rebels from the womb.
But out of the sheer goodness of my heart,
   because of who I am,
I keep a tight rein on my anger and hold my temper.
   I don't wash my hands of you.
Do you see what I've done?
   I've refined you, but not without fire.
   I've tested you like silver in the furnace of affliction.
Out of myself, simply because of who I am, I do what I do.
   I have my reputation to keep up.
   I'm not playing second fiddle to either gods or people.

 

Ephesians 4:1-16 (The Message)

Ephesians 4

To Be Mature

 ^1-3In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.  ^4-6You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
 ^7-13But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is,

   He climbed the high mountain,
   He captured the enemy and seized the booty,
   He handed it all out in gifts to the people.
Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
 ^14-16No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Psalm 68:19-35 (The Message)

 ^19-23 Blessed be the Lord—
      day after day he carries us along.
   He's our Savior, our God, oh yes!
      He's God-for-us, he's God-who-saves-us.
   Lord God knows all
      death's ins and outs.
   What's more, he made heads roll,
      split the skulls of the enemy
   As he marched out of heaven,
      saying, "I tied up the Dragon in knots,
      put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea."
   You can wade through your enemies' blood,
      and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.

 ^24-31 See God on parade
      to the sanctuary, my God,
      my King on the march!
   Singers out front, the band behind,
      maidens in the middle with castanets.
   The whole choir blesses God.
      Like a fountain of praise, Israel blesses God.
   Look—little Benjamin's out
      front and leading
   Princes of Judah in their royal robes,
      princes of Zebulon, princes of Naphtali.
   Parade your power, O God,
      the power, O God, that made us what we are.
   Your temple, High God, is Jerusalem;
      kings bring gifts to you.
   Rebuke that old crocodile, Egypt,
      with her herd of wild bulls and calves,
   Rapacious in her lust for silver,
      crushing peoples, spoiling for a fight.
   Let Egyptian traders bring blue cloth
      and Cush come running to God, her hands outstretched.

 ^32-34 Sing, O kings of the earth!
      Sing praises to the Lord!
   There he is: Sky-Rider,
      striding the ancient skies.
   Listen—he's calling in thunder,
      rumbling, rolling thunder.
   Call out "Bravo!" to God,
      the High God of Israel.
   His splendor and strength
      rise huge as thunderheads.

 ³⁵ A terrible beauty, O God,
      streams from your sanctuary.
   It's Israel's strong God! He gives
      power and might to his people!
   O you, his people—bless God!

Proverbs 24:3-4 (The Message)

20

 ^3-4 It takes wisdom to build a house,
   and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;
It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms
   with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.

 

Verse of the Day

 

“[Christ Helps Us]My children, I am writing this so that you won't sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us.” - 1 John 2:1

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist Christopher Reeve wrote, “When the first Superman movie came out, I gave dozens of interviews to promote it. The most frequent question was: What is a hero? My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. They are the real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them.”

Bible Readings for September 24, 2012

Today our passages are Isaiah 43:14–45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; and Proverbs 24:1-2. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

Isaiah 43:14-45:10 (The Message)

You Didn't Even Do the Minimum

^14-15God, your Redeemer,
The Holy of Israel, says:
"Just for you, I will march on Babylon.
I'll turn the tables on the Babylonians.
Instead of whooping it up,
they'll be wailing.
I am God, your Holy One,
Creator of Israel, your King." ^16-21This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can't get up;
they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me. ^22-24"But you didn't pay a bit of attention to me, Jacob.
You so quickly tired of me, Israel.
You wouldn't even bring sheep for offerings in worship.
You couldn't be bothered with sacrifices.
It wasn't that I asked that much from you.
I didn't expect expensive presents.
But you didn't even do the minimum—
so stingy with me, so closefisted.
Yet you haven't been stingy with your sins.
You've been plenty generous with them—and I'm fed up. ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
I don't keep a list of your sins. ^26-28"So, make your case against me. Let's have this out.
Make your arguments. Prove you're in the right.
Your original ancestor started the sinning,
and everyone since has joined in.
That's why I had to disqualify the Temple leaders,
repudiate Jacob and discredit Israel."

Isaiah 44

Proud to Be Called Israel

^1-5 "But for now, dear servant Jacob, listen—
yes, you, Israel, my personal choice.
God who made you has something to say to you;
the God who formed you in the womb wants to help you.
Don't be afraid, dear servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, the one I chose.
For I will pour water on the thirsty ground
and send streams coursing through the parched earth.
I will pour my Spirit into your descendants
and my blessing on your children.
They shall sprout like grass on the prairie,
like willows alongside creeks.
This one will say, 'I am God's,'
and another will go by the name Jacob;
That one will write on his hand 'God's property'—
and be proud to be called Israel." ^6-8God, King of Israel,
your Redeemer, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, says:
"I'm first, I'm last, and everything in between.
I'm the only God there is.
Who compares with me?
Speak up. See if you measure up.
From the beginning, who else has always announced what's coming?
So what is coming next? Anybody want to venture a try?
Don't be afraid, and don't worry:
Haven't I always kept you informed, told you what was going on?
You're my eyewitnesses:
Have you ever come across a God, a real God, other than me?
There's no Rock like me that I know of."

Lover of Emptiness

^9-11All those who make no-god idols don't amount to a thing, and what they work so hard at making is nothing. Their little puppet-gods see nothing and know nothing—they're total embarrassments! Who would bother making gods that can't do anything, that can't "god"? Watch all the no-god worshipers hide their faces in shame. Watch the no-god makers slink off humiliated when their idols fail them. Get them out here in the open. Make them face God-reality. ¹²The blacksmith makes his no-god, works it over in his forge, hammering it on his anvil—such hard work! He works away, fatigued with hunger and thirst. ^13-17The woodworker draws up plans for his no-god, traces it on a block of wood. He shapes it with chisels and planes into human shape—a beautiful woman, a handsome man, ready to be placed in a chapel. He first cuts down a cedar, or maybe picks out a pine or oak, and lets it grow strong in the forest, nourished by the rain. Then it can serve a double purpose: Part he uses as firewood for keeping warm and baking bread; from the other part he makes a god that he worships—carves it into a god shape and prays before it. With half he makes a fire to warm himself and barbecue his supper. He eats his fill and sits back satisfied with his stomach full and his feet warmed by the fire: "Ah, this is the life." And he still has half left for a god, made to his personal design—a handy, convenient no-god to worship whenever so inclined. Whenever the need strikes him he prays to it, "Save me. You're my god." ^18-19Pretty stupid, wouldn't you say? Don't they have eyes in their heads? Are their brains working at all? Doesn't it occur to them to say, "Half of this tree I used for firewood: I baked bread, roasted meat, and enjoyed a good meal. And now I've used the rest to make an abominable no-god. Here I am praying to a stick of wood!" ²⁰This lover of emptiness, of nothing, is so out of touch with reality, so far gone, that he can't even look at what he's doing, can't even look at the no-god stick of wood in his hand and say, "This is crazy." ^21-22"Remember these things, O Jacob.
Take it seriously, Israel, that you're my servant.
I made you, shaped you: You're my servant.
O Israel, I'll never forget you.
I've wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings.
There's nothing left of your sins.
Come back to me, come back.
I've redeemed you." ²³High heavens, sing!
God has done it.
Deep earth, shout!
And you mountains, sing!
A forest choir of oaks and pines and cedars!
God has redeemed Jacob.
God's glory is on display in Israel. ²⁴God, your Redeemer,
who shaped your life in your mother's womb, says:
"I am God. I made all that is.
With no help from you I spread out the skies
and laid out the earth." ^25-28He makes the magicians look ridiculous
and turns fortunetellers into jokes.
He makes the experts look trivial
and their latest knowledge look silly.
But he backs the word of his servant
and confirms the counsel of his messengers.
He says to Jerusalem, "Be inhabited,"
and to the cities of Judah, "Be rebuilt,"
and to the ruins, "I raise you up."
He says to Ocean, "Dry up.
I'm drying up your rivers."
He says to Cyrus, "My shepherd—
everything I want, you'll do it."
He says to Jerusalem, "Be built,"
and to the Temple, "Be established."

Isaiah 45

The God Who Forms Light and Darkness

^1-7 God's Message to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he took by the hand
To give the task of taming the nations,
of terrifying their kings—
He gave him free rein,
no restrictions:
"I'll go ahead of you,
clearing and paving the road.
I'll break down bronze city gates,
smash padlocks, kick down barred entrances.
I'll lead you to buried treasures,
secret caches of valuables—
Confirmations that it is, in fact, I, God,
the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
It's because of my dear servant Jacob,
Israel my chosen,
That I've singled you out, called you by name,
and given you this privileged work.
And you don't even know me!
I am God, the only God there is.
Besides me there are no real gods.
I'm the one who armed you for this work,
though you don't even know me,
So that everyone, from east to west, will know
that I have no god-rivals.
I am God, the only God there is.
I form light and create darkness,
I make harmonies and create discords.
I, God, do all these things. ^8-10"Open up, heavens, and rain.
Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness!
Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation;
sprout right living.
I, God, generate all this.
But doom to you who fight your Maker—
you're a pot at odds with the potter!
Does clay talk back to the potter:
'What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!'
Would a sperm say to a father,
'Who gave you permission to use me to make a baby?'
Or a fetus to a mother,
'Why have you cooped me up in this belly?'"

Ephesians 3:1-21 (The Message)

Ephesians 3

The Secret Plan of God

^1-3This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief. ^4-6As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. ^7-8This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. ^8-10And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! ^11-13All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud! ^14-19My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. ^20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Psalm 68:1-18 (The Message)

Psalm 68

A David Psalm

^1-4 Up with God! Down with his enemies!
Adversaries, run for the hills!
Gone like a puff of smoke,
like a blob of wax in the fire—
one look at God and the wicked vanish.
When the righteous see God in action
they'll laugh, they'll sing,
they'll laugh and sing for joy.
Sing hymns to God;
all heaven, sing out;
clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.
Enjoy God,
cheer when you see him!

^5-6 Father of orphans,
champion of widows,
is God in his holy house.
God makes homes for the homeless,
leads prisoners to freedom,
but leaves rebels to rot in hell.

^7-10 God, when you took the lead with your people,
when you marched out into the wild,
Earth shook, sky broke out in a sweat;
God was on the march.
Even Sinai trembled at the sight of God on the move,
at the sight of Israel's God.
You pour out rain in buckets, O God;
thorn and cactus become an oasis
For your people to camp in and enjoy.
You set them up in business;
they went from rags to riches.

^11-14 The Lord gave the word;
thousands called out the good news:
"Kings of the armies
are on the run, on the run!"
While housewives, safe and sound back home,
divide up the plunder,
the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold.
On that day that Shaddai scattered the kings,
snow fell on Black Mountain.

^15-16 You huge mountains, Bashan mountains,
mighty mountains, dragon mountains.
All you mountains not chosen,
sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves,
For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on;
he'll rule from this mountain forever.

^17-18 The chariots of God, twice ten thousand,
and thousands more besides,
The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai—
straight to the Holy Place!
You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow,
your arms full of booty from rebels,
And now you sit there in state,
God, sovereign God!

Proverbs 24:1-2 (The Message)

Proverbs 24

Intelligence Outranks Muscle

19

^1-2 Don't envy bad people; don't even want to be around them.
All they think about is causing a disturbance;
all they talk about is making trouble.

Verse of the Day

“Keep on being brave! It will bring you great rewards. Learn to be patient, so that you will please God and be given what he has promised.” - Hebrews 10:35-36

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

 

Science fiction author John Brunner wrote, "If there is such a phenomenon as absolute evil, it consists in treating another human being as a thing."

Bible Readings for September 23, 2012

Today our passages are Isaiah 41:17–43:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalm 67:1-7; and Proverbs 23:29-35. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

Isaiah 41:17-43:13 (The Message)

^17-20"The poor and homeless are desperate for water,
their tongues parched and no water to be found.
But I'm there to be found, I'm there for them,
and I, God of Israel, will not leave them thirsty.
I'll open up rivers for them on the barren hills,
spout fountains in the valleys.
I'll turn the baked-clay badlands into a cool pond,
the waterless waste into splashing creeks.
I'll plant the red cedar in that treeless wasteland,
also acacia, myrtle, and olive.
I'll place the cypress in the desert,
with plenty of oaks and pines.
Everyone will see this. No one can miss it—
unavoidable, indisputable evidence
That I, God, personally did this.
It's created and signed by The Holy of Israel. ^21-24"Set out your case for your gods," says God.
"Bring your evidence," says the King of Jacob.
"Take the stand on behalf of your idols, offer arguments,
assemble reasons.
Spread out the facts before us
so that we can assess them ourselves.
Ask them, 'If you are gods, explain what the past means—
or, failing that, tell us what will happen in the future.
Can't do that?
How about doing something—anything!
Good or bad—whatever.
Can you hurt us or help us? Do we need to be afraid?'
They say nothing, because they are nothing—
sham gods, no-gods, fool-making gods. ^25-29"I, God, started someone out from the north and he's come.
He was called out of the east by name.
He'll stomp the rulers into the mud
the way a potter works the clay.
Let me ask you, Did anyone guess that this might happen?
Did anyone tell us earlier so we might confirm it
with 'Yes, he's right!'?
No one mentioned it, no one announced it,
no one heard a peep out of you.
But I told Zion all about this beforehand.
I gave Jerusalem a preacher of good news.
But around here there's no one—
no one who knows what's going on.
I ask, but no one can tell me the score.
Nothing here. It's all smoke and hot air—
sham gods, hollow gods, no-gods."

Isaiah 42

God's Servant Will Set Everything Right

^1-4 "Take a good look at my servant.
I'm backing him to the hilt.
He's the one I chose,
and I couldn't be more pleased with him.
I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life.
He'll set everything right among the nations.
He won't call attention to what he does
with loud speeches or gaudy parades.
He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt
and he won't disregard the small and insignificant,
but he'll steadily and firmly set things right.
He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped
until he's finished his work—to set things right on earth.
Far-flung ocean islands
wait expectantly for his teaching."

The God Who Makes Us Alive with His Own Life

^5-9God's Message,
the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies,
laid out the earth and all that grows from it,
Who breathes life into earth's people,
makes them alive with his own life:
"I am God. I have called you to live right and well.
I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe.
I have set you among my people to bind them to me,
and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations,
To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light:
opening blind eyes,
releasing prisoners from dungeons,
emptying the dark prisons.
I am God. That's my name.
I don't franchise my glory,
don't endorse the no-god idols.
Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled.
I'm announcing the new salvation work.
Before it bursts on the scene,
I'm telling you all about it." ^10-16Sing to God a brand-new song,
sing his praises all over the world!
Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
with all the far-flung islands joining in.
Let the desert and its camps raise a tune,
calling the Kedar nomads to join in.
Let the villagers in Sela round up a choir
and perform from the tops of the mountains.
Make God's glory resound;
echo his praises from coast to coast.
God steps out like he means business.
You can see he's primed for action.
He shouts, announcing his arrival;
he takes charge and his enemies fall into line: "I've been quiet long enough.
I've held back, biting my tongue.
But now I'm letting loose, letting go,
like a woman who's having a baby—
Stripping the hills bare,
withering the wildflowers,
Drying up the rivers,
turning lakes into mudflats.
But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way,
who can't see where they're going.
I'll be a personal guide to them,
directing them through unknown country.
I'll be right there to show them what roads to take,
make sure they don't fall into the ditch.
These are the things I'll be doing for them—
sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute." ¹⁷But those who invested in the no-gods
are bankrupt—dead broke.

You've Seen a Lot, but Looked at Nothing

^18-25Pay attention! Are you deaf?
Open your eyes! Are you blind?
You're my servant, and you're not looking!
You're my messenger, and you're not listening!
The very people I depended upon, servants of God,
blind as a bat—willfully blind!
You've seen a lot, but looked at nothing.
You've heard everything, but listened to nothing.
God intended, out of the goodness of his heart,
to be lavish in his revelation.
But this is a people battered and cowed,
shut up in attics and closets,
Victims licking their wounds,
feeling ignored, abandoned.
But is anyone out there listening?
Is anyone paying attention to what's coming?
Who do you think turned Jacob over to the thugs,
let loose the robbers on Israel?
Wasn't it God himself, this God against whom we've sinned—
not doing what he commanded,
not listening to what he said?
Isn't it God's anger that's behind all this,
God's punishing power?
Their whole world collapsed but they still didn't get it;
their life is in ruins but they don't take it to heart.

Isaiah 43

When You're Between a Rock and a Hard Place

^1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you. ^5-7"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
I'll round up all your scattered children,
pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
yes, personally formed and made each one.'" ^8-13Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes)
and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
Let's see what they have to say about this,
how they account for what's happened.
Let them present their expert witnesses
and make their case;
let them try to convince us what they say is true.
"But you are my witnesses." God's Decree.
"You're my handpicked servant
So that you'll come to know and trust me,
understand both that I am and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
I'm the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you're my witnesses,
you're the evidence." God's Decree.
"Yes, I am God.
I've always been God
and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
I make; who can unmake it?"

Ephesians 2:1-22 (The Message)

Ephesians 2

He Tore Down the Wall

^1-6It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. ^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. ^11-13But don't take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God's ways had no idea of any of this, didn't know the first thing about the way God works, hadn't the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God's covenants and promises in Israel, hadn't a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything. ^14-15The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody. ^16-18Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father. ^19-22That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.

Psalm 67:1-7 (The Message)

Psalm 67

God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile!
The whole country will see how you work,
all the godless nations see how you save.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Let all far-flung people become happy
and shout their happiness because
You judge them fair and square,
you tend the far-flung peoples.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Earth, display your exuberance!
You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.
You mark us with blessing, O God.
Earth's four corners—honor him!

Proverbs 23:29-35 (The Message)

18

^29-35 Who are the people who are always crying the blues?
Who do you know who reeks of self-pity?
Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all?
Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot?
It's those who spend the night with a bottle,
for whom drinking is serious business.
Don't judge wine by its label,
or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor.
Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with—
the splitting headache, the queasy stomach.
Do you really prefer seeing double,
with your speech all slurred,
Reeling and seasick,
drunk as a sailor?
"They hit me," you'll say, "but it didn't hurt;
they beat on me, but I didn't feel a thing.
When I'm sober enough to manage it,
bring me another drink!"

Verse of the Day

“But that's not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope” - Romans 5:3-4

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

 

Thought for the Day

 

American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall wrote, “When a thing is done, it's done. Don't look back. Look forward to your next objective.”

Bible Readings for September 22, 2012

Today our passages are Isaiah 39:1–41:16; Ephesians 1:1-23; Psalm 66:1-20; and Proverbs 23:26-28. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Isaiah 39-41:16 (The Message)

Isaiah 39

There Will Be Nothing Left

 ¹ Sometime later, King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan of Babylon sent messengers with greetings and a gift to Hezekiah. He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and was now well.  ²Hezekiah received the messengers warmly. He took them on a tour of his royal precincts, proudly showing them all his treasures: silver, gold, spices, expensive oils, all his weapons—everything out on display. There was nothing in his house or kingdom that Hezekiah didn't show them.
 ³Later the prophet Isaiah showed up. He asked Hezekiah, "What were these men up to? What did they say? And where did they come from?"
   Hezekiah said, "They came from a long way off, from Babylon."
 ⁴"And what did they see in your palace?"
   "Everything," said Hezekiah. "I showed them the works, opened all the doors and impressed them with it all."
 ^5-7Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Now listen to this Message from God-ofthe-Angel-Armies: I have to warn you, the time is coming when everything in this palace, along with everything your ancestors accumulated before you, will be hauled off to Babylon. God says that there will be nothing left. Nothing. And not only your things but your sons. Some of your sons will be taken into exile, ending up as eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."
 ⁸Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, "Good. If God says so, it's good." Within himself he was thinking, "But surely nothing bad will happen in my lifetime. I'll enjoy peace and stability as long as I live."

Isaiah 40

Messages of Comfort

Prepare for God's Arrival

 ^1-2 "Comfort, oh comfort my people,"
   says your God.
"Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem,
   but also make it very clear
That she has served her sentence,
   that her sin is taken care of—forgiven!
She's been punished enough and more than enough,
   and now it's over and done with."  ^3-5Thunder in the desert!
   "Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth,
   a highway fit for our God.
Fill in the valleys,
   level off the hills,
Smooth out the ruts,
   clear out the rocks.
Then God's bright glory will shine
   and everyone will see it.
   Yes. Just as God has said."
 ^6-8A voice says, "Shout!"
   I said, "What shall I shout?"
   "These people are nothing but grass,
   their love fragile as wildflowers.
The grass withers, the wildflowers fade,
   if God so much as puffs on them.
   Aren't these people just so much grass?
True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade,
   but our God's Word stands firm and forever."
 ^9-11Climb a high mountain, Zion.
   You're the preacher of good news.
Raise your voice. Make it good and loud, Jerusalem.
   You're the preacher of good news.
   Speak loud and clear. Don't be timid!
Tell the cities of Judah,
   "Look! Your God!"
Look at him! God, the Master, comes in power,
   ready to go into action.
He is going to pay back his enemies
   and reward those who have loved him.
Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock,
   gathering the lambs in his arms,
Hugging them as he carries them,
   leading the nursing ewes to good pasture.

The Creator of All You Can See or Imagine

 ^12-17Who has scooped up the ocean
   in his two hands,
   or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger,
Who has put all the earth's dirt in one of his baskets,
   weighed each mountain and hill?
Who could ever have told God what to do
   or taught him his business?
What expert would he have gone to for advice,
   what school would he attend to learn justice?
What god do you suppose might have taught him what he knows,
   showed him how things work?
Why, the nations are but a drop in a bucket,
   a mere smudge on a window.
Watch him sweep up the islands
   like so much dust off the floor!
There aren't enough trees in Lebanon
   nor enough animals in those vast forests
   to furnish adequate fuel and offerings for his worship.
All the nations add up to simply nothing before him—
   less than nothing is more like it. A minus.  ^18-20So who even comes close to being like God?
   To whom or what can you compare him?
Some no-god idol? Ridiculous!
   It's made in a workshop, cast in bronze,
Given a thin veneer of gold,
   and draped with silver filigree.
Or, perhaps someone will select a fine wood—
   olive wood, say—that won't rot,
Then hire a woodcarver to make a no-god,
   giving special care to its base so it won't tip over!
 ^21-24Have you not been paying attention?
   Have you not been listening?
Haven't you heard these stories all your life?
   Don't you understand the foundation of all things?
God sits high above the round ball of earth.
   The people look like mere ants.
He stretches out the skies like a canvas—
   yes, like a tent canvas to live under.
He ignores what all the princes say and do.
   The rulers of the earth count for nothing.
Princes and rulers don't amount to much.
   Like seeds barely rooted, just sprouted,
They shrivel when God blows on them.
   Like flecks of chaff, they're gone with the wind.
 ^25-26"So—who is like me?
   Who holds a candle to me?" says The Holy.
Look at the night skies:
   Who do you think made all this?
Who marches this army of stars out each night,
   counts them off, calls each by name
—so magnificent! so powerful!—
   and never overlooks a single one?
 ^27-31Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
   or, whine, Israel, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
   He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
   He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
   And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
   gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
   young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
   They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
   they walk and don't lag behind.

Isaiah 41

Do You Feel Like a Lowly Worm?

 ¹ "Quiet down, far-flung ocean islands. Listen! Sit down and rest, everyone. Recover your strength.
Gather around me. Say what's on your heart.
   Together let's decide what's right.  ^2-3"Who got things rolling here,
   got this champion from the east on the move?
Who recruited him for this job,
   then rounded up and corralled the nations
   so he could run roughshod over kings?
He's off and running,
   pulverizing nations into dust,
   leaving only stubble and chaff in his wake.
He chases them and comes through unscathed,
   his feet scarcely touching the path.
 ⁴"Who did this? Who made it happen?
   Who always gets things started?
I did. God. I'm first on the scene.
   I'm also the last to leave.
 ^5-7"Far-flung ocean islands see it and panic.
   The ends of the earth are shaken.
   Fearfully they huddle together.
They try to help each other out,
   making up stories in the dark.
The godmakers in the workshops
   go into overtime production, crafting new models of no-gods,
Urging one another on—'Good job!' 'Great design!'—
   pounding in nails at the base
   so that the things won't tip over.
 ^8-10"But you, Israel, are my servant.
   You're Jacob, my first choice,
   descendants of my good friend Abraham.
I pulled you in from all over the world,
   called you in from every dark corner of the earth,
Telling you, 'You're my servant, serving on my side.
   I've picked you. I haven't dropped you.'
Don't panic. I'm with you.
   There's no need to fear for I'm your God.
I'll give you strength. I'll help you.
   I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
 ^11-13"Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you
   will end up out in the cold—
   real losers.
Those who worked against you
   will end up empty-handed—
   nothing to show for their lives.
When you go out looking for your old adversaries
   you won't find them—
Not a trace of your old enemies,
   not even a memory.
That's right. Because I, your God,
   have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go.
I'm telling you, 'Don't panic.
   I'm right here to help you.'
 ^14-16"Do you feel like a lowly worm, Jacob?
   Don't be afraid.
Feel like a fragile insect, Israel?
   I'll help you.
I, God, want to reassure you.
   The God who buys you back, The Holy of Israel.
I'm transforming you from worm to harrow,
   from insect to iron.
As a sharp-toothed harrow you'll smooth out the mountains,
   turn those tough old hills into loamy soil.
You'll open the rough ground to the weather,
   to the blasts of sun and wind and rain.
But you'll be confident and exuberant,
   expansive in The Holy of Israel!

Ephesians 1:1-23 (The Message)

Ephesians 1

 ^1-2I, Paul, am under God's plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful believers in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.

The God of Glory

 ^3-6How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.  ^7-10Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
 ^11-12It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
 ^13-14It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
 ^15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
 ^20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Psalm 66:1-20 (The Message)

Psalm 66

    All together now—applause for God! Sing songs to the tune of his glory,
      set glory to the rhythms of his praise.
   Say of God, "We've never seen anything like him!"
      When your enemies see you in action,
      they slink off like scolded dogs.
   The whole earth falls to its knees—
      it worships you, sings to you,
      can't stop enjoying your name and fame.

 ^5-6 Take a good look at God's wonders—
      they'll take your breath away.
   He converted sea to dry land;
      travelers crossed the river on foot.
      Now isn't that cause for a song?

 ⁷ Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps
      his eye on the godless nations.
   Rebels don't dare
      raise a finger against him.

 ^8-12 Bless our God, O peoples!
      Give him a thunderous welcome!
   Didn't he set us on the road to life?
      Didn't he keep us out of the ditch?
   He trained us first,
      passed us like silver through refining fires,
   Brought us into hardscrabble country,
      pushed us to our very limit,
   Road-tested us inside and out,
      took us to hell and back;
   Finally he brought us
      to this well-watered place.

 ^13-15 I'm bringing my prizes and presents to your house.
      I'm doing what I said I'd do,
   What I solemnly swore I'd do
      that day when I was in so much trouble:
   The choicest cuts of meat
      for the sacrificial meal;
   Even the fragrance
      of roasted lamb is like a meal!
   Or make it an ox
      garnished with goat meat!

 ^16-20 All believers, come here and listen,
      let me tell you what God did for me.
   I called out to him with my mouth,
      my tongue shaped the sounds of music.
   If I had been cozy with evil,
      the Lord would never have listened.
   But he most surely did listen,
      he came on the double when he heard my prayer.
   Blessed be God: he didn't turn a deaf ear,
      he stayed with me, loyal in his love.

 

Proverbs 23:26-28 (The Message)

17

 ²⁶ Dear child, I want your full attention;
   please do what I show you.

 ^27-28 A whore is a bottomless pit;
   a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast.
She'll take you for all you've got;
   she's worse than a pack of thieves.

 

Verse of the Day

 

“[The Good News Is for Jews and Gentiles]Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you.” - Romans 15:7

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

Thought for the Day

Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics George Bernard Shaw wrote, “Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.”

Bible Readings for September 21, 2012

Today our passages are Isaiah 37:1–38:22; Galatians 6:1-18; Psalm 65:1-13; and Proverbs 23:24-25. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Isaiah 37-38:22 (The Message)

Isaiah 37

The Only God There Is

 ^1-2 When King Hezekiah heard the report, he also tore his clothes and dressed in rough, penitential burlap gunnysacks, and went into the sanctuary of God. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, all of them also dressed in penitential burlap, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.  ^3-4They said to him, "Hezekiah says, 'This is a black day. We're in crisis. We're like pregnant women without even the strength to have a baby! Do you think your God heard what the Rabshekah said, sent by his master the king of Assyria to mock the living God? And do you think your God will do anything about it? Pray for us, Isaiah. Pray for those of us left here holding the fort!'"
 ^5-7Then King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah. Isaiah said, "Tell your master this, 'God's Message: Don't be upset by what you've heard, all those words the servants of the Assyrian king have used to mock me. I personally will take care of him. I'll arrange it so that he'll get a rumor of bad news back home and rush home to take care of it. And he'll die there. Killed—a violent death.'"
 ⁸The Rabshekah left and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. (He had gotten word that the king had left Lachish.)
 ^9-13Just then the Assyrian king received an intelligence report on King Tirhakah of Ethiopia: "He is on his way to make war on you."
   On hearing that, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with instructions to deliver this message: "Don't let your God, on whom you so naively lean, deceive you, promising that Jerusalem won't fall to the king of Assyria. Use your head! Look around at what the kings of Assyria have done all over the world—one country after another devastated! And do you think you're going to get off? Have any of the gods of any of these countries ever stepped in and saved them, even one of these nations my predecessors destroyed—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who lived in Telassar? Look around. Do you see anything left of the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, the king of Ivvah?"
 ¹⁴Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messengers and read it. Then he went into the sanctuary of God and spread the letter out before God.
 ^15-20Then Hezekiah prayed to God: "God-of-the-Angel-Armies, enthroned over the cherubim-angels, you are God, the only God there is, God of all kingdoms on earth. You made heaven and earth. Listen, O God, and hear. Look, O God, and see. Mark all these words of Sennacherib that he sent to mock the living God. It's quite true, O God, that the kings of Assyria have devastated all the nations and their lands. They've thrown their gods into the trash and burned them—no great achievement since they were no-gods anyway, gods made in workshops, carved from wood and chiseled from rock. An end to the no-gods! But now step in, O God, our God. Save us from him. Let all the kingdoms of earth know that you and you alone are God."
 ^21-25Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this word to Hezekiah: "God's Message, the God of Israel: Because you brought King Sennacherib of Assyria to me in prayer, here is my answer, God's answer:
   "'She has no use for you, Sennacherib, nothing but contempt,
   this virgin daughter Zion.
She spits at you and turns on her heel,
   this daughter Jerusalem.
   "'Who do you think you've been mocking and reviling
   all these years?
Who do you think you've been jeering
   and treating with such utter contempt
All these years?
   The Holy of Israel!
You've used your servants to mock the Master.
   You've bragged, "With my fleet of chariots
I've gone to the highest mountain ranges,
   penetrated the far reaches of Lebanon,
Chopped down its giant cedars,
   its finest cypresses.
I conquered its highest peak,
   explored its deepest forest.
I dug wells
   and drank my fill.
I emptied the famous rivers of Egypt
   with one kick of my foot.
 ^26-27"'Haven't you gotten the news
   that I've been behind this all along?
This is a longstanding plan of mine
   and I'm just now making it happen,
using you to devastate strong cities,
   turning them into piles of rubble
and leaving their citizens helpless,
   bewildered, and confused,
drooping like unwatered plants,
   stunted like withered seedlings.
 ^28-29"'I know all about your pretentious poses,
   your officious comings and goings,
   and, yes, the tantrums you throw against me.
Because of all your wild raging against me,
   your unbridled arrogance that I keep hearing of,
I'll put my hook in your nose
   and my bit in your mouth.
I'll show you who's boss. I'll turn you around
   and take you back to where you came from.
 ^30-32"'And this, Hezekiah, will be your confirming sign: This year's crops will be slim pickings, and next year it won't be much better. But in three years, farming will be back to normal, with regular sowing and reaping, planting and harvesting. What's left of the people of Judah will put down roots and make a new start. The people left in Jerusalem will get moving again. Mount Zion survivors will take hold again. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this.'
 ^33-35"Finally, this is God's verdict on the king of Assyria:
   "'Don't worry, he won't enter this city,
   won't let loose a single arrow,
Won't brandish so much as one shield,
   let alone build a siege ramp against it.
He'll go back the same way he came.
   He won't set a foot in this city.
         God's Decree.
I've got my hand on this city
   to save it,
Save it for my very own sake,
   but also for the sake of my David dynasty.'"
 ^36-38Then the Angel of God arrived and struck the Assyrian camp— 185,000 Assyrians died. By the time the sun came up, they were all dead—an army of corpses! Sennacherib, king of Assyria, got out of there fast, back home to Nineveh. As he was worshiping in the sanctuary of his god Nisroch, he was murdered by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer. They escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon became the next king.

Isaiah 38

Time Spent in Death's Waiting Room

 ¹ At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and said, "God says, 'Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: You're going to die. You're not going to get well.'"  ^2-3Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God: "God, please, I beg you: Remember how I've lived my life. I've lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You've seen how I've lived, the good that I have done." And Hezekiah wept as he prayed—painful tears. ^4-6Then God told Isaiah, "Go and speak with Hezekiah. Give him this Message from me, God, the God of your ancestor David: 'I've heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here's what I'll do: I'll add fifteen years to your life. And I'll save both you and this city from the king of Assyria. I have my hand on this city.
 ^7-8"'And this is your confirming sign, confirming that I, God, will do exactly what I have promised. Watch for this: As the sun goes down and the shadow lengthens on the sundial of Ahaz, I'm going to reverse the shadow ten notches on the dial.'" And that's what happened: The declining sun's shadow reversed ten notches on the dial.
 ^9-15This is what Hezekiah king of Judah wrote after he'd been sick and then recovered from his sickness:
   In the very prime of life
   I have to leave.
Whatever time I have left
   is spent in death's waiting room.
No more glimpses of God
   in the land of the living,
No more meetings with my neighbors,
   no more rubbing shoulders with friends.
This body I inhabit is taken down
   and packed away like a camper's tent.
Like a weaver, I've rolled up the carpet of my life
   as God cuts me free of the loom
And at day's end sweeps up the scraps and pieces.
   I cry for help until morning.
Like a lion, God pummels and pounds me,
   relentlessly finishing me off.
I squawk like a doomed hen,
   moan like a dove.
My eyes ache from looking up for help:
   "Master, I'm in trouble! Get me out of this!"
But what's the use? God himself gave me the word.
   He's done it to me.
I can't sleep—
   I'm that upset, that troubled.
 ^16-19O Master, these are the conditions in which people live,
   and yes, in these very conditions my spirit is still alive—
   fully recovered with a fresh infusion of life!
It seems it was good for me
   to go through all those troubles.
Throughout them all you held tight to my lifeline.
   You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing.
But my sins you let go of,
   threw them over your shoulder—good riddance!
The dead don't thank you,
   and choirs don't sing praises from the morgue.
Those buried six feet under
   don't witness to your faithful ways.
It's the living—live men, live women—who thank you,
   just as I'm doing right now.
Parents give their children
   full reports on your faithful ways.
 ²⁰God saves and will save me.
   As fiddles and mandolins strike up the tunes,
We'll sing, oh we'll sing, sing,
   for the rest of our lives in the Sanctuary of God.
 ^21-22Isaiah had said, "Prepare a poultice of figs and put it on the boil so he may recover."
   Hezekiah had said, "What is my cue that it's all right to enter again the Sanctuary of God?"

Galatians 6:1-18 (The Message)

Galatians 6

Nothing but the Cross

 ^1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.  ^4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
 ⁶Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.
 ^7-8Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
 ^9-10So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
 ^11-13Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ's suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don't keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible!
 ^14-16For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!
 ¹⁷Quite frankly, I don't want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do—the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.
 ¹⁸May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally yours, my friends. Oh, yes!

Psalm 65:1-13 (The Message)

Psalm 65

A David Psalm

 ^1-2 Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God,
   And also obedience.
      You hear the prayer in it all.

 ^2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
      or later, loaded with guilt,
   Our sins too much for us—
      but you get rid of them once and for all.
   Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest
      at home in your place!
   We expect our fill of good things
      in your house, your heavenly manse.
   All your salvation wonders
      are on display in your trophy room.
   Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer,
      Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
   Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
      of mobs in noisy riot—
   Far and wide they'll come to a stop,
      they'll stare in awe, in wonder.
   Dawn and dusk take turns
      calling, "Come and worship."

 ^9-13 Oh, visit the earth,
      ask her to join the dance!
   Deck her out in spring showers,
      fill the God-River with living water.
   Paint the wheat fields golden.
      Creation was made for this!
   Drench the plowed fields,
      soak the dirt clods
   With rainfall as harrow and rake
      bring her to blossom and fruit.
   Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
      scatter rose petals down your paths,
   All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
      Set the hills to dancing,
   Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
      a drape of flax across the valleys.
   Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
      Oh, oh, let them sing!

 

Proverbs 23:24-25 (The Message)

Buy Wisdom, Education, Insight

16

 ^22-25 Listen with respect to the father who raised you,
   and when your mother grows old, don't neglect her.
Buy truth—don't sell it for love or money;
   buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.
Parents rejoice when their children turn out well;
   wise children become proud parents.
So make your father happy!
   Make your mother proud!

 

Verse of the Day

 

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

Today's passage is from the New International Version.

Thought for the Day

English author H. G. Wells wrote, “While there is a chance of the world getting through its troubles, I hold that a reasonable man has to behave as though he were sure of it. If at the end your cheerfulness is not justified, at any rate you will have been cheerful.”