Bible Readings for October 26, 2014

Today our passages are Jeremiah 49:23–50:46; Titus 1:1-6; Psalm 97:1–98:9; and Proverbs 26:13-16. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Jeremiah 49:23-50:46 (The Message)

The Blood Will Drain from the Face of Damascus

 ^23-27The Message on Damascus:    "Hamath and Arpad will be in shock
   when they hear the bad news.
Their hearts will melt in fear
   as they pace back and forth in worry.
The blood will drain from the face of Damascus
   as she turns to flee.
Hysterical, she'll fall to pieces,
   disabled, like a woman in childbirth.
And now how lonely—bereft, abandoned!
   The once famous city, the once happy city.
Her bright young men dead in the streets,
   her brave warriors silent as death.
On that day"—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—
   "I'll start a fire at the wall of Damascus
   that will burn down all of Ben-hadad's forts."

Find a Safe Place to Hide

 ^28-33The Message on Kedar and the sheikdoms of Hazor who were attacked by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. This is God's Message:    "On your feet! Attack Kedar!
   Plunder the Bedouin nomads from the east.
   Grab their blankets and pots and pans.
Steal their camels.
   Traumatize them, shouting, 'Terror! Death! Doom!
Danger everywhere!'
   Oh, run for your lives,
You nomads from Hazor." God's Decree.
   "Find a safe place to hide.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
   has plans to wipe you out,
   to go after you with a vengeance:
'After them,' he says. 'Go after these relaxed nomads
   who live free and easy in the desert,
Who live in the open with no doors to lock,
   who live off by themselves.'
Their camels are there for the taking,
   their herds and flocks, easy picking.
I'll scatter them to the four winds,
   these defenseless nomads on the fringes of the desert.
I'll bring terror from every direction.
   They won't know what hit them." God's Decree.
"Jackals will take over the camps of Hazor,
   camps abandoned to wind and sand.
No one will live there,
   no mortal soul move in there."

The Winds Will Blow Away Elam

 ^34-39God's Message to the prophet Jeremiah on Elam at the outset of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says:    "Watch this! I'll break Elam's bow,
   her weapon of choice, across my knee.
Then I'll let four winds loose on Elam,
   winds from the four corners of earth.
I'll blow them away in all directions,
   landing homeless Elamites in every country on earth.
They'll live in constant fear and terror
   among enemies who want to kill them.
I'll bring doom on them,
   my anger-fueled doom.
I'll set murderous hounds on their heels
   until there's nothing left of them.
And then I'll set up my throne in Elam,
   having thrown out the king and his henchmen.
But the time will come when I make
   everything right for Elam again." God's Decree.

Jeremiah 50

Get Out of Babylon as Fast as You Can

 ^1-3 The Message of God through the prophet Jeremiah on Babylon, land of the Chaldeans:    "Get the word out to the nations! Preach it!
   Go public with this, broadcast it far and wide:
Babylon taken, god-Bel hanging his head in shame,
   god-Marduk exposed as a fraud.
All her god-idols shuffling in shame,
   all her play-gods exposed as cheap frauds.
For a nation will come out of the north to attack her,
   reduce her cities to rubble.
Empty of life—no animals, no people—
   not a sound, not a movement, not a breath.
 ^4-5"In those days, at that time"—God's Decree—
   "the people of Israel will come,
And the people of Judah with them.
   Walking and weeping, they'll seek me, their God.
They'll ask directions to Zion
   and set their faces toward Zion.
They'll come and hold tight to God,
   bound in a covenant eternal they'll never forget.
 ^6-7"My people were lost sheep.
   Their shepherds led them astray.
They abandoned them in the mountains
   where they wandered aimless through the hills.
They lost track of home,
   couldn't remember where they came from.
Everyone who met them took advantage of them.
   Their enemies had no qualms:
'Fair game,' they said. 'They walked out on God.
   They abandoned the True Pasture, the hope of their parents.'
 ^8-10"But now, get out of Babylon as fast as you can.
   Be rid of that Babylonian country.
On your way. Good sheepdogs lead, but don't you be led.
   Lead the way home!
Do you see what I'm doing?
   I'm rallying a host of nations against Babylon.
They'll come out of the north,
   attack and take her.
Oh, they know how to fight, these armies.
   They never come home empty-handed.
Babylon is ripe for picking!
   All her plunderers will fill their bellies!" God's Decree.
 ^11-16"You Babylonians had a good time while it lasted, didn't you?
   You lived it up, exploiting and using my people,
Frisky calves romping in lush pastures,
   wild stallions out having a good time!
Well, your mother would hardly be proud of you.
   The woman who bore you wouldn't be pleased.
Look at what's come of you! A nothing nation!
   Rubble and garbage and weeds!
Emptied of life by my holy anger,
   a desert of death and emptiness.
Travelers who pass by Babylon will gasp, appalled,
   shaking their heads at such a comedown.
Gang up on Babylon! Pin her down!
   Throw everything you have against her.
Hold nothing back. Knock her flat.
   She's sinned—oh, how she's sinned, against me!
Shout battle cries from every direction.
   All the fight has gone out of her.
Her defenses have been flattened,
   her walls smashed.
'Operation God's Vengeance.'
   Pile on the vengeance!
Do to her as she has done.
   Give her a good dose of her own medicine!
Destroy her farms and farmers,
   ravage her fields, empty her barns.
And you captives, while the destruction rages,
   get out while the getting's good,
   get out fast and run for home.
 ¹⁷"Israel is a scattered flock,
   hunted down by lions.
The king of Assyria started the carnage.
   The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,
Has completed the job,
   gnawing the bones clean."
 ^18-20And now this is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
   the God of Israel, has to say:
"Just watch! I'm bringing doom on the king of Babylon and his land,
   the same doom I brought on the king of Assyria.
But Israel I'll bring home to good pastures.
   He'll graze on the hills of Carmel and Bashan,
On the slopes of Ephraim and Gilead.
   He will eat to his heart's content.
In those days and at that time"—God's Decree—
   "they'll look high and low for a sign of Israel's guilt—nothing;
Search nook and cranny for a trace of Judah's sin—nothing.
   These people that I've saved will start out with a clean slate.
 ²¹"Attack Merathaim, land of rebels!
   Go after Pekod, country of doom!
Hunt them down. Make a clean sweep." God's Decree.
   "These are my orders. Do what I tell you.
 ^22-24"The thunderclap of battle
   shakes the foundations!
The Hammer has been hammered,
   smashed and splintered,
Babylon pummeled
   beyond recognition.
I set out a trap and you were caught in it.
   O Babylon, you never knew what hit you,
Caught and held in the steel grip of that trap!
   That's what you get for taking on God.
 ^25-28"I, God, opened my arsenal.
   I brought out my weapons of wrath.
The Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
   has a job to do in Babylon.
Come at her from all sides!
   Break into her granaries!
Shovel her into piles and burn her up.
   Leave nothing! Leave no one!
Kill all her young turks.
   Send them to their doom!
Doom to them! Yes, Doomsday!
   The clock has finally run out on them.
And here's a surprise:
   Runaways and escapees from Babylon
Show up in Zion reporting the news of God's vengeance,
   taking vengeance for my own Temple.
 ^29-30"Call in the troops against Babylon,
   anyone who can shoot straight!
Tighten the noose!
   Leave no loopholes!
Give her back as good as she gave,
   a dose of her own medicine!
Her brazen insolence is an outrage
   against God, The Holy of Israel.
And now she pays: her young strewn dead in the streets,
   her soldiers dead, silent forever." God's Decree.
 ^31-32"Do you get it, Mister Pride? I'm your enemy!"
   Decree of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
"Time's run out on you:
   That's right: It's Doomsday.
Mister Pride will fall flat on his face.
   No one will offer him a hand.
I'll set his towns on fire.
   The fire will spread wild through the country."
 ^33-34And here's more from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
   "The people of Israel are beaten down,
   the people of Judah along with them.
Their oppressors have them in a grip of steel.
   They won't let go.
But the Rescuer is strong:
   God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
Yes, I will take their side,
   I'll come to their rescue.
I'll soothe their land,
   but rough up the people of Babylon.
 ^35-40"It's all-out war in Babylon"—God's Decree—
   "total war against people, leaders, and the wise!
War to the death on her boasting pretenders, fools one and all!
   War to the death on her soldiers, cowards to a man!
War to the death on her hired killers, gutless wonders!
   War to the death on her banks—looted!
War to the death on her water supply—drained dry!
   A land of make-believe gods gone crazy—hobgoblins!
The place will be haunted with jackals and scorpions,
   night-owls and vampire bats.
No one will ever live there again.
   The land will reek with the stench of death.
It will join Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors,
   the cities I did away with." God's Decree.
"No one will live there again.
   No one will again draw breath in that land, ever.
 ^41-43"And now, watch this! People pouring
   out of the north, hordes of people,
A mob of kings stirred up
   from far-off places.
Flourishing deadly weapons,
   barbarians they are, cruel and pitiless.
Roaring and relentless, like ocean breakers,
   they come riding fierce stallions,
In battle formation, ready to fight
   you, Daughter Babylon!
Babylon's king hears them coming.
   He goes white as a ghost, limp as a dishrag.
Terror-stricken, he doubles up in pain, helpless to fight,
   like a woman giving birth to a baby.
 ⁴⁴"And now watch this: Like a lion coming up
   from the thick jungle of the Jordan,
Looking for prey in the mountain pastures,
   I'll take over and pounce.
I'll take my pick of the flock—and who's to stop me?
   All the so-called shepherds are helpless before me."
 ^45-46So, listen to this plan that God has worked out against Babylon, the blueprint of what he's prepared for dealing with Chaldea:
   Believe it or not, the young,
   the vulnerable—mere lambs and kids—will be dragged off.
Believe it or not, the flock
   in shock, helpless to help, watches it happen.
When the shout goes up, "Babylon's down!"
   the very earth will shudder at the sound.
   The news will be heard all over the world.

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Titus 1:1-6 (The Message)

Titus 1

 ^1-4I, Paul, am God's slave and Christ's agent for promoting the faith among God's chosen people, getting out the accurate word on God and how to respond rightly to it. My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago—and he doesn't break promises! And then when the time was ripe, he went public with his truth. I've been entrusted to proclaim this Message by order of our Savior, God himself. Dear Titus, legitimate son in the faith: Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!

A Good Grip on the Message

 ^5-9I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions. As you select them, ask, "Is this man well-thought-of? Is he committed to his wife? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?" It's important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God's house, be looked up to—not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

 

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Psalm 97-98:9 (The Message)

Psalm 97

    God rules: there's something to shout over! On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!

 ² Bright clouds and storm clouds circle 'round him;
   Right and justice anchor his rule.

 ³ Fire blazes out before him,
   Flaming high up the craggy mountains.

 ⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
   Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.

 ⁵ The mountains take one look at God
   And melt, melt like wax before earth's Lord.

 ⁶ The heavens announce that he'll set everything right,
   And everyone will see it happen—glorious!

 ^7-8 All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—
   And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!    On your knees, all you gods—worship him!
   And Zion, you listen and take heart!
   Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:
   God has done it all, has set everything right.

 ⁹ You, God, are High God of the cosmos,
   Far, far higher than any of the gods.

 ¹⁰ God loves all who hate evil,
   And those who love him he keeps safe,
   Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.

 ¹¹ Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people,
   Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.

 ¹² So, God's people, shout praise to God,
   Give thanks to our Holy God!

Psalm 98

    Sing to God a brand-new song. He's made a world of wonders!    He rolled up his sleeves,
   He set things right.

 ² God made history with salvation,
   He showed the world what he could do.

 ³ He remembered to love us, a bonus
   To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.
   The whole earth comes to attention.
   Look—God's work of salvation!

 ⁴ Shout your praises to God, everybody!
   Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!

 ⁵ Round up an orchestra to play for God,
   Add on a hundred-voice choir.

 ⁶ Feature trumpets and big trombones,
   Fill the air with praises to King God.

 ⁷ Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
   With everything living on earth joining in.

 ⁸ Let ocean breakers call out, "Encore!"
   And mountains harmonize the finale—

 ⁹ A tribute to God when he comes,
   When he comes to set the earth right.
   He'll straighten out the whole world,
   He'll put the world right, and everyone in it.

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Proverbs 26:13-16 (The Message)

 ¹³ Loafers say, "It's dangerous out there!
   Tigers are prowling the streets!"
   and then pull the covers back over their heads.

 ¹⁴ Just as a door turns on its hinges,
   so a lazybones turns back over in bed.

 ¹⁵ A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie,
   but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.

Like Glaze on Cracked Pottery

 ¹⁶ Dreamers fantasize their self-importance;
   they think they are smarter
   than a whole college faculty.

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet, Samuel Beckett wrote, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Bible Readings for October 25, 2014

Today our passages are Jeremiah 48:1–49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 95:1–96:13; and Proverbs 26:9-12. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Jeremiah 48-49:22 (The Message)

Jeremiah 48

Get Out While You Can!

 ^1-10 The Message on Moab from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel:    "Doom to Nebo! Leveled to the ground!
   Kiriathaim demeaned and defeated,
The mighty fortress reduced to a molehill,
   Moab's glory—dust and ashes.
Conspirators plot Heshbon's doom:
   'Come, let's wipe Moab off the map.'
Dungface Dimon will loudly lament,
   as killing follows killing.
Listen! A cry out of Horonaim:
   'Disaster—doom and more doom!'
Moab will be shattered.
   Her cries will be heard clear down in Zoar.
Up the ascent of Luhith
   climbers weep,
And down the descent from Horonaim,
   cries of loss and devastation.
Oh, run for your lives! Get out while you can!
   Survive by your wits in the wild!
You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes?
   But it won't help you now.
Your big god Chemosh will be hauled off,
   his priests and managers with him.
A wrecker will wreck every city.
   Not a city will survive.
The valley fields will be ruined,
   the plateau pastures destroyed, just as I told you.
Cover the land of Moab with salt.
   Make sure nothing ever grows here again.
Her towns will all be ghost towns.
   Nobody will ever live here again.
Sloppy work in God's name is cursed,
   and cursed all halfhearted use of the sword.
 ^11-17"Moab has always taken it easy—
   lazy as a dog in the sun,
Never had to work for a living,
   never faced any trouble,
Never had to grow up,
   never once worked up a sweat.
But those days are a thing of the past.
   I'll put him to work at hard labor.
That will wake him up to the world of hard knocks.
   That will smash his illusions.
Moab will be as ashamed of god Chemosh
   as Israel was ashamed of her Bethel calf-gods,
   the calf-gods she thought were so great.
For how long do you think you'll be saying, 'We're tough.
   We can beat anyone anywhere'?
The destruction of Moab has already begun.
   Her choice young soldiers are lying dead right now."
The King's Decree—
   his full name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
"Yes. Moab's doom is on countdown,
   disaster targeted and launched.
Weep for Moab, friends and neighbors,
   all who know how famous he's been.
Lament, 'His mighty scepter snapped in two like a toothpick,
   that magnificent royal staff!'
 ^18-20"Come down from your high horse, pampered beauty of Dibon.
   Sit in dog dung.
The destroyer of Moab will come against you.
   He'll wreck your safe, secure houses.
Stand on the roadside,
   pampered women of Aroer.
Interview the refugees who are running away.
   Ask them, 'What's happened? And why?'
Moab will be an embarrassing memory, nothing left of the place.
   Wail and weep your eyes out!
Tell the bad news along the Arnon river.
   Tell the world that Moab is no more.
 ^21-24"My judgment will come to the plateau cities: on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath; on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim; on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon; on Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of Moab, far and near.
 ²⁵"Moab's link to power is severed.
   Moab's arm is broken." God's Decree.

The Sheer Nothingness of Moab

 ^26-27"Turn Moab into a drunken sot, drunk on the wine of my wrath, a dung-faced drunk, filling the country with vomit—Moab a falling-down drunk, a joke in bad taste. Wasn't it you, Moab, who made crude jokes over Israel? And when they were caught in bad company, didn't you cluck and gossip and snicker?  ²⁸"Leave town! Leave! Look for a home in the cliffs,
   you who grew up in Moab.
Try living like a dove
   who nests high in the river gorge.
 ^29-33"We've all heard of Moab's pride,
   that legendary pride,
The strutting, bullying, puffed-up pride,
   the insufferable arrogance.
I know"—God's Decree—"his rooster-crowing pride,
   the inflated claims, the sheer nothingness of Moab.
But I will weep for Moab,
   yes, I will mourn for the people of Moab.
   I will even mourn for the people of Kir-heres.
I'll weep for the grapevines of Sibmah
   and join Jazer in her weeping—
Grapevines that once reached the Dead Sea
   with tendrils as far as Jazer.
Your summer fruit and your bursting grapes
   will be looted by brutal plunderers,
Lush Moab stripped
   of song and laughter.
And yes, I'll shut down the winepresses,
   stop all the shouts and hurrahs of harvest.
 ³⁴"Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out, and the people in Jahaz will hear the cries. They will hear them all the way from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up.
 ³⁵"I will put a stop in Moab"—God's Decree—"to all hiking to the high places to offer burnt sacrifices to the gods.
 ³⁶"My heart moans for Moab, for the men of Kir-heres, like soft flute sounds carried by the wind. They've lost it all. They've got nothing.
 ³⁷"Everywhere you look are signs of mourning:
   heads shaved, beards cut,
Hands scratched and bleeding,
   clothes ripped and torn.
 ³⁸"In every house in Moab there'll be loud lamentation, on every street in Moab, loud lamentation. As with a pottery jug that no one wants, I'll smash Moab to bits." God's Decree.
 ³⁹"Moab ruined!
   Moab shamed and ashamed to be seen!
Moab a cruel joke!
   The stark horror of Moab!"
 ^40-42God's verdict on Moab. Indeed!
   "Look! An eagle is about to swoop down
   and spread its wings over Moab.
The towns will be captured,
   the fortresses taken.
Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight,
   like a woman giving birth to a baby.
There'll be nothing left of Moab, nothing at all,
   because of his defiant arrogance against me.
 ^43-44"Terror and pit and trap
   are what you have facing you, Moab." God's Decree.
"A man running in terror
   will fall into a trap.
A man climbing out of a pit
   will be caught in a trap.
This is my agenda for Moab
   on doomsday." God's Decree.
 ^45-47"On the outskirts of Heshbon,
   refugees will pull up short, worn out.
Fire will flame high from Heshbon,
   a firestorm raging from the capital of Sihon's kingdom.
It will burn off Moab's eyebrows,
   will scorch the skull of the braggarts.
That's all for you, Moab!
   You worshipers of Chemosh will be finished off!
Your sons will be trucked off to prison camps;
   your daughters will be herded into exile.
But yet there's a day that's coming
   when I'll put things right in Moab.

   "For now, that's the judgment on Moab."

Jeremiah 49

You're a Broken-Down Has-Been

 ^1-6 God's Message on the Ammonites: "Doesn't Israel have any children,
   no one to step into her inheritance?
So why is the god Milcom taking over Gad's land,
   his followers moving into its towns?
But not for long! The time's coming"
   —God's Decree—
"When I'll fill the ears of Rabbah, Ammon's big city,
   with battle cries.
She'll end up a pile of rubble,
   all her towns burned to the ground.
Then Israel will kick out the invaders.
   I, God, say so, and it will be so.
Wail Heshbon, Ai is in ruins.
   Villages of Rabbah, wring your hands!
Dress in mourning, weep buckets of tears.
   Go into hysterics, run around in circles!
Your god Milcom will be hauled off to exile,
   and all his priests and managers right with him.
Why do you brag of your once-famous strength?
   You're a broken-down has-been, a castoff
Who fondles his trophies and dreams of glory days
   and vainly thinks, 'No one can lay a hand on me.'
Well, think again. I'll face you with terror from all sides."
   Word of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
"You'll be stampeded headlong,
   with no one to round up the runaways.
Still, the time will come
   when I will make things right with Ammon." God's Decree.

Strutting Across the Stage of History

 ^7-11The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies on Edom:    "Is there nobody wise left in famous Teman?
   no one with a sense of reality?
Has their wisdom gone wormy and rotten?
   Run for your lives! Get out while you can!
Find a good place to hide,
   you who live in Dedan!
I'm bringing doom to Esau.
   It's time to settle accounts.
When harvesters work your fields,
   don't they leave gleanings?
When burglars break into your house,
   don't they take only what they want?
But I'll strip Esau clean.
   I'll search out every nook and cranny.
I'll destroy everything connected with him,
   children and relatives and neighbors.
There'll be no one left who will be able to say,
   'I'll take care of your orphans.
   Your widows can depend on me.'"
 ^12-13Indeed. God says, "I tell you, if there are people who have to drink the cup of God's wrath even though they don't deserve it, why would you think you'd get off? You won't get off. You'll drink it. Oh yes, you'll drink every drop. And as for Bozrah, your capital, I swear by all that I am"—God's Decree—"that that city will end up a pile of charred ruins, a stinking garbage dump, an obscenity—and all her daughter-cities with her."
 ¹⁴I've just heard the latest from God.
   He's sent an envoy to the nations:
"Muster your troops and attack Edom.
   Present arms! Go to war!"
 ^15-16"Ah, Edom, I'm dropping you to last place among nations,
   the bottom of the heap, kicked around.
You think you're so great—
   strutting across the stage of history,
Living high in the impregnable rocks,
   acting like king of the mountain.
You think you're above it all, don't you,
   like an eagle in its aerie?
Well, you're headed for a fall.
   I'll bring you crashing to the ground." God's Decree.
 ^17-18"Edom will end up trash. Stinking, despicable trash. A wonder of the world in reverse. She'll join Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors in the sewers of history." God says so.
   "No one will live there,
   no mortal soul move in there.
 ¹⁹"Watch this: Like a lion coming up
   from the thick jungle of the Jordan
Looking for prey in the mountain pastures,
   I will come upon Edom and pounce.
I'll take my pick of the flock—and who's to stop me?
   The shepherds of Edom are helpless before me."
 ^20-22So, listen to this plan that God has worked out against Edom, the blueprint of what he's prepared for those who live in Teman:
   "Believe it or not, the young, the vulnerable—
   mere lambs and kids—will be dragged off.
Believe it or not, the flock
   in shock, helpless to help, will watch it happen.
The very earth will shudder because of their cries,
   cries of anguish heard at the distant Red Sea.
Look! An eagle soars, swoops down,
   spreads its wings over Bozrah.
Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight,
   like a woman giving birth to a baby."

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2 Timothy 4:1-22 (The Message)

2 Timothy 4

 ^1-2I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple.  ^3-5You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.
 ^6-8You take over. I'm about to die, my life an offering on God's altar. This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting—God's applause! Depend on it, he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.
 ^9-13Get here as fast as you can. Demas, chasing fads, went off to Thessalonica and left me here. Crescens is in Galatia province, Titus in Dalmatia. Luke is the only one here with me. Bring Mark with you; he'll be my right-hand man since I'm sending Tychicus to Ephesus. Bring the winter coat I left in Troas with Carpus; also the books and parchment notebooks.
 ^14-15Watch out for Alexander the coppersmith. Fiercely opposed to our Message, he caused no end of trouble. God will give him what he's got coming.
 ^16-18At my preliminary hearing no one stood by me. They all ran like scared rabbits. But it doesn't matter—the Master stood by me and helped me spread the Message loud and clear to those who had never heard it. I was snatched from the jaws of the lion! God's looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven. All praise to him, praise forever! Oh, yes!
 ^19-20Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila; also, the family of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed behind in Corinth. I had to leave Trophimus sick in Miletus.
 ²¹Try hard to get here before winter.
   Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all your friends here send greetings.
 ²²God be with you. Grace be with you.

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Psalm 95-96:13 (The Message)

Psalm 95

    Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
   Let's march into his presence singing praises,
      lifting the rafters with our hymns!
 ^3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
      High King over all the gods.
   In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
      in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
   He made Ocean—he owns it!
      His hands sculpted Earth!
 ^6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
      on your knees before God, who made us!
   Oh yes, he's our God,
      and we're the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

 ^7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
      "Don't turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
   As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
      when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
   For forty years they watched me at work among them,
      as over and over they tried my patience.
   And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
      'Can't they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
      Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?'
   Exasperated, I exploded,
      'They'll never get where they're headed,
      never be able to sit down and rest.'"

Psalm 96

    Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing!
   Sing to God—worship God!
 ^2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
   Take the news of his glory to the lost,
   News of his wonders to one and all!
 ^4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
   His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
   Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
 ^5-6 God made the heavens—
   Royal splendor radiates from him,
   A powerful beauty sets him apart.
 ⁷ Bravo, God, Bravo!
   Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
   In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
 ^8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
   Bow before the beauty of God,
   Then to your knees—everyone worship!

 ¹⁰ Get out the message—God Rules!
   He put the world on a firm foundation;
   He treats everyone fair and square.

 ¹¹ Let's hear it from Sky,
   With Earth joining in,
   And a huge round of applause from Sea.

 ¹² Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
   Animals, come dance,
   Put every tree of the forest in the choir—

 ¹³ An extravaganza before God as he comes,
   As he comes to set everything right on earth,
   Set everything right, treat everyone fair.

 

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Proverbs 26:9-12 (The Message)

 ⁹ To ask a moron to quote a proverb
   is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk.

 ¹⁰ Hire a fool or a drunk
   and you shoot yourself in the foot.

 ¹¹ As a dog eats its own vomit,
   so fools recycle silliness.

 ¹² See that man who thinks he's so smart?
   You can expect far more from a fool than from him.

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Verse of the Day

“When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything.” - Ephesians 5:19-20

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

United States Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army, Omar N. Bradley wrote, “Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.”

Bible Readings for October 24, 2014

Today our passages are Jeremiah 44:24–47:7; 2 Timothy 2:22–3:17; Psalm 94:1-23; and Proverbs 26:6-8. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Jeremiah 44:24-47:7 (The Message)

 ^24-25Jeremiah kept going, but now zeroed in on the women: "Listen, all you who are from Judah and living in Egypt—please, listen to God's Word. God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'You women! You said it and then you did it. You said, "We're going to keep the vows we made to sacrifice to the Queen of Heaven and pour out offerings to her, and nobody's going to stop us!"'
 ^25-27"Well, go ahead. Keep your vows. Do it up big. But also listen to what God has to say about it, all you who are from Judah but live in Egypt: 'I swear by my great name, backed by everything I am—this is God speaking!—that never again shall my name be used in vows, such as "As sure as the Master, God, lives!" by anyone in the whole country of Egypt. I've targeted each one of you for doom. The good is gone for good.
 ^27-28"'All the Judeans in Egypt will die off by massacre or starvation until they're wiped out. The few who get out of Egypt alive and back to Judah will be very few, hardly worth counting. Then that ragtag bunch that left Judah to live in Egypt will know who had the last word.
 ^29-30"'And this will be the evidence: I will bring punishment right here, and by this you'll know that the decrees of doom against you are the real thing. Watch for this sign of doom: I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies, those who are out to kill him, exactly as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah to his enemy Nebuchadnezzar, who was after him.'"

Jeremiah 45

God's Piling On the Pain

 ¹ This is what Jeremiah told Baruch one day in the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign as he was taking dictation from the prophet:  ^2-3"These are the words of God, the God of Israel, to you, Baruch. You say, 'These are bad times for me! It's one thing after another. God is piling on the pain. I'm worn out and there's no end in sight.'
 ^4-5"But God says, 'Look around. What I've built I'm about to wreck, and what I've planted I'm about to rip up. And I'm doing it everywhere—all over the whole earth! So forget about making any big plans for yourself. Things are going to get worse before they get better. But don't worry. I'll keep you alive through the whole business.'"

Jeremiah 46

You Vainly Collect Medicines

 ¹ God's Messages through the prophet Jeremiah regarding the godless nations.  ^2-5The Message to Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt at the time it was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon while camped at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah: "'Present arms!
   March to the front!
Harness the horses!
   Up in the saddles!
Battle formation! Helmets on,
   spears sharpened, armor in place!'
But what's this I see?
   They're scared out of their wits!
They break ranks and run for cover.
   Their soldiers panic.
They run this way and that,
   stampeding blindly.
It's total chaos, total confusion, danger everywhere!"
   God's Decree.
 ⁶"The swiftest runners won't get away,
   the strongest soldiers won't escape.
In the north country, along the River Euphrates,
   they'll stagger, stumble, and fall.
 ^7-9"Who is this like the Nile in flood?
   like its streams torrential?
Why, it's Egypt like the Nile in flood,
   like its streams torrential,
Saying, 'I'll take over the world.
   I'll wipe out cities and peoples.'
Run, horses!
   Roll, chariots!
Advance, soldiers
   from Cush and Put with your shields,
Soldiers from Lud,
   experts with bow and arrow.
 ¹⁰"But it's not your day. It's the Master's, me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies—
   the day when I have it out with my enemies,
The day when Sword puts an end to my enemies,
   when Sword exacts vengeance.
I, the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
   will pile them on an altar—a huge sacrifice!—
In the great north country,
   along the mighty Euphrates.
 ^11-12"Oh, virgin Daughter Egypt,
   climb into the mountains of Gilead, get healing balm.
You will vainly collect medicines,
   for nothing will be able to cure what ails you.
The whole world will hear your anguished cries.
   Your wails fill the earth,
As soldier falls against soldier
   and they all go down in a heap."

Egypt's Army Slithers Like a Snake

 ¹³The Message that God gave to the prophet Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was on his way to attack Egypt:  ¹⁴"Tell Egypt, alert Migdol,
   post warnings in Noph and Tahpanhes:
'Wake up! Be prepared!
   War's coming!'
 ^15-19"Why will your bull-god Apis run off?
   Because God will drive him off.
Your ragtag army will fall to pieces.
   The word is passing through the ranks,
'Let's get out of here while we still can.
   Let's head for home and save our skins.'
When they get home they'll nickname Pharaoh
   'Big-Talk-Bad-Luck.'
As sure as I am the living God"
   —the King's Decree, God-of-the-Angel-Armies is his name—
"A conqueror is coming: like Tabor, singular among mountains;
   like Carmel, jutting up from the sea!
So pack your bags for exile,
   you coddled daughters of Egypt,
For Memphis will soon be nothing,
   a vacant lot grown over with weeds.
 ^20-21"Too bad, Egypt, a beautiful sleek heifer
   attacked by a horsefly from the north!
All her hired soldiers are stationed to defend her—
   like well-fed calves they are.
But when their lives are on the line, they'll run off,
   cowards every one.
When the going gets tough,
   they'll take the easy way out.
 ^22-24"Egypt will slither and hiss like a snake
   as the enemy army comes in force.
They will rush in, swinging axes
   like lumberjacks cutting down trees.
They'll level the country"—God's Decree—"nothing
   and no one standing for as far as you can see.
The invaders will be a swarm of locusts,
   innumerable, past counting.
Daughter Egypt will be ravished,
   raped by vandals from the north."
 ^25-26God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says, "Watch out when I visit doom on the god Amon of Thebes, Egypt and its gods and kings, Pharaoh and those who trust in him. I'll turn them over to those who are out to kill them, to Nebuchadnezzar and his military. Egypt will be set back a thousand years. Eventually people will live there again." God's Decree.
 ^27-28"But you, dear Jacob my servant, you have nothing to fear.
   Israel, there's no need to worry.
Look up! I'll save you from that far country,
   I'll get your children out of the land of exile.
Things are going to be normal again for Jacob,
   safe and secure, smooth sailing.
Yes, dear Jacob my servant, you have nothing to fear.
   Depend on it, I'm on your side.
I'll finish off all the godless nations
   among which I've scattered you,
But I won't finish you off.
   I have more work left to do on you.
I'll punish you, but fairly.
   No, I'm not finished with you yet."

Jeremiah 47

It's Doomsday for Philistines

 ^1-5 God's Message to the prophet Jeremiah regarding the Philistines just before Pharaoh attacked Gaza. This is what God says:    "Look out! Water will rise in the north country,
   swelling like a river in flood.
The torrent will flood the land,
   washing away city and citizen.
Men and women will scream in terror,
   wails from every door and window,
As the thunder from the hooves of the horses will be heard,
   the clatter of chariots, the banging of wheels.
Fathers, paralyzed by fear,
   won't even grab up their babies
Because it will be doomsday for Philistines, one and all,
   no hope of help for Tyre and Sidon.
God will finish off the Philistines,
   what's left of those from the island of Crete.
Gaza will be shaved bald as an egg,
   Ashkelon struck dumb as a post.
You're on your last legs.
   How long will you keep flailing?
 ⁶"Oh, Sword of God,
   how long will you keep this up?
Return to your scabbard.
   Haven't you had enough? Can't you call it quits?
 ⁷"But how can it quit
   when I, God, command the action?
I've ordered it to cut down
   Ashkelon and the seacoast."

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2 Timothy 2:22-3:17 (The Message)

 ^22-26Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

2 Timothy 3

Difficult Times Ahead

 ^1-5Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people.  ^6-9These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself "truth." They get exploited every time and never really learn. These men are like those old Egyptian frauds Jannes and Jambres, who challenged Moses. They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself. But nothing will come of these latest impostors. Everyone will see through them, just as people saw through that Egyptian hoax.

Keep the Message Alive

 ^10-13You've been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.  ^14-17But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

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Psalm 94:1-23 (The Message)

Psalm 94

    God, put an end to evil; avenging God, show your colors!
   Judge of the earth, take your stand;
      throw the book at the arrogant.

 ^3-4 God, the wicked get away with murder—
      how long will you let this go on?
   They brag and boast
      and crow about their crimes!

 ^5-7 They walk all over your people, God,
      exploit and abuse your precious people.
   They take out anyone who gets in their way;
      if they can't use them, they kill them.
   They think, "God isn't looking,
      Jacob's God is out to lunch."

 ^8-11 Well, think again, you idiots,
      fools—how long before you get smart?
   Do you think Ear-Maker doesn't hear,
      Eye-Shaper doesn't see?
   Do you think the trainer of nations doesn't correct,
      the teacher of Adam doesn't know?
   God knows, all right—
      knows your stupidity,
      sees your shallowness.
 ^12-15 How blessed the man you train, God,
      the woman you instruct in your Word,
   Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,
      while a jail is being built for the wicked.
   God will never walk away from his people,
      never desert his precious people.
   Rest assured that justice is on its way
      and every good heart put right.
 ^16-19 Who stood up for me against the wicked?
      Who took my side against evil workers?
   If God hadn't been there for me,
      I never would have made it.
   The minute I said, "I'm slipping, I'm falling,"
      your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
   When I was upset and beside myself,
      you calmed me down and cheered me up.
 ^20-23 Can Misrule have anything in common with you?
      Can Troublemaker pretend to be on your side?
   They ganged up on good people,
      plotted behind the backs of the innocent.
   But God became my hideout,
      God was my high mountain retreat,
   Then boomeranged their evil back on them:
      for their evil ways he wiped them out,
      our God cleaned them out for good.

 

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Proverbs 26:6-8 (The Message)

 ⁶ You're only asking for trouble
   when you send a message by a fool.

 ⁷ A proverb quoted by fools
   is limp as a wet noodle.

 ⁸ Putting a fool in a place of honor
   is like setting a mud brick on a marble column.

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Verse of the Day

“Respect and obey the LORD! This is the beginning of wisdom. To have understanding, you must know the Holy God.” - Proverbs 9:10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Canadian-American motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Mary Pickford wrote, “The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.”

Bible Readings for October 23, 2014

Today our passages are Jeremiah 42:1–44:23; 2 Timothy 2:1-21; Psalm 92:1–93:5; and Proverbs 26:3-5. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Jeremiah 42-44:23 (The Message)

Jeremiah 42

What You Fear Will Catch Up with You

 ^1-3 All the army officers, led by Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, accompanied by all the people, small and great, came to Jeremiah the prophet and said, "We have a request. Please listen. Pray to your God for us, what's left of us. You can see for yourself how few we are! Pray that your God will tell us the way we should go and what we should do."  ⁴Jeremiah the prophet said, "I hear your request. And I will pray to your God as you have asked. Whatever God says, I'll pass on to you. I'll tell you everything, holding nothing back."
 ^5-6They said to Jeremiah, "Let God be our witness, a true and faithful witness against us, if we don't do everything that your God directs you to tell us. Whether we like it or not, we'll do it. We'll obey whatever our God tells us. Yes, count on us. We'll do it."
 ^7-8Ten days later God's Message came to Jeremiah. He called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, including all the people, regardless of how much clout they had.
 ^9-12He then spoke: "This is the Message from God, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your prayer. He says, 'If you are ready to stick it out in this land, I will build you up and not drag you down, I will plant you and not pull you up like a weed. I feel deep compassion on account of the doom I have visited on you. You don't have to fear the king of Babylon. Your fears are for nothing. I'm on your side, ready to save and deliver you from anything he might do. I'll pour mercy on you. What's more, he will show you mercy! He'll let you come back to your very own land.'
 ^13-17"But do not say, 'We're not staying around this place,' refusing to obey the command of your God and saying instead, 'No! We're off to Egypt, where things are peaceful—no wars, no attacking armies, plenty of food. We're going to live there.' If what's left of Judah is headed down that road, then listen to God's Message. This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: 'If you have determined to go to Egypt and make that your home, then the very wars you fear will catch up with you in Egypt and the starvation you dread will track you down in Egypt. You'll die there! Every last one of you who is determined to go to Egypt and make it your home will either be killed, starve, or get sick and die. No survivors, not one! No one will escape the doom that I'll bring upon you.'
 ¹⁸"This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: 'In the same way that I swept the citizens of Jerusalem away with my anger and wrath, I'll do the same thing all over again in Egypt. You'll end up being cursed, reviled, ridiculed, and mocked. And you'll never see your homeland again.'
 ^19-20"God has plainly told you, you leftovers from Judah, 'Don't go to Egypt.' Could anything be plainer? I warn you this day that you are living out a fantasy. You're making a fatal mistake.
   "Didn't you just now send me to your God, saying, 'Pray for us to our God. Tell us everything that God says and we'll do it all'?
 ^21-22"Well, now I've told you, told you everything he said, and you haven't obeyed a word of it, not a single word of what your God sent me to tell you. So now let me tell you what will happen next: You'll be killed, you'll starve to death, you'll get sick and die in the wonderful country where you've determined to go and live."

Jeremiah 43

Death! Exile! Slaughter!

 ^1-3 When Jeremiah finished telling all the people the whole Message that their God had sent him to give them—all these words—Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah, backed by all the self-important men, said to Jeremiah, "Liar! Our God never sent you with this message telling us not to go to Egypt and live there. Baruch son of Neriah is behind this. He has turned you against us. He's playing into the hands of the Babylonians so we'll either end up being killed or taken off to exile in Babylon."  ⁴Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers, and the people along with them, wouldn't listen to God's Message that they stay in the land of Judah and live there.
 ^5-7Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers gathered up everyone who was left from Judah, who had come back after being scattered all over the place—the men, women, and children, the king's daughters, all the people that Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had left in the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and last but not least, Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. They entered the land of Egypt in total disobedience of God's Message and arrived at the city of Tahpanhes.
 ^8-9While in Tahpanhes, God's Word came to Jeremiah: "Pick up some large stones and cover them with mortar in the vicinity of the pavement that leads up to the building set aside for Pharaoh's use in Tahpanhes. Make sure some of the men of Judah are watching.
 ^10-13"Then address them: 'This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: Be on the lookout! I'm sending for and bringing Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon—my servant, mind you!—and he'll set up his throne on these very stones that I've had buried here and he'll spread out his canopy over them. He'll come and absolutely smash Egypt, sending each to his assigned fate: death, exile, slaughter. He'll burn down the temples of Egypt's gods. He'll either burn up the gods or haul them off as booty. Like a shepherd who picks lice from his robes, he'll pick Egypt clean. And then he'll walk away without a hand being laid on him. He'll shatter the sacred obelisks at Egypt's House of the Sun and make a huge bonfire of the temples of Egypt's gods.'"

Jeremiah 44

The Same Fate Will Fall upon All

 ^1-6 The Message that Jeremiah received for all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, who had their homes in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and the land of Pathros: "This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'You saw with your own eyes the terrible doom that I brought down on Jerusalem and the Judean cities. Look at what's left: ghost towns of rubble and smoking ruins, and all because they took up with evil ways, making me angry by going off to offer sacrifices and worship the latest in gods—no-gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors knew the first thing about. Morning after morning and long into the night I kept after you, sending you all those prophets, my servants, begging you, "Please, please—don't do this, don't fool around in this loathsome gutter of gods that I hate with a passion." But do you think anyone paid the least bit of attention or repented of evil or quit offering sacrifices to the no-gods? Not one. So I let loose with my anger, a firestorm of wrath in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, and left them in ruins and wasted. And they're still in ruins and wasted.'  ^7-8"This is the Message of God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: 'So why are you ruining your lives by amputating yourselves—man, woman, child, and baby—from the life of Judah, leaving yourselves isolated, unconnected? And why do you deliberately make me angry by what you do, offering sacrifices to these no-gods in the land of Egypt where you've come to live? You'll only destroy yourselves and make yourselves an example used in curses and an object of ridicule among all the nations of the earth.
 ^9-11"'Have you so soon forgotten the evil lives of your ancestors, the evil lives of the kings of Judah and their wives, to say nothing of your own evil lives, you and your wives, the evil you flaunted in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? And to this day, there's not a trace of remorse, not a sign of reverence, nobody caring about living by what I tell them or following my instructions that I've set out so plainly before you and your parents! So this is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies decrees:
 ^11-14"'Watch out! I've decided to bring doom on you and get rid of everyone connected with Judah. I'm going to take what's left of Judah, those who have decided to go to Egypt and live there, and finish them off. In Egypt they will either be killed or starve to death. The same fate will fall upon both the obscure and the important. Regardless of their status, they will either be killed or starve. You'll end up cursed, reviled, ridiculed, and mocked. I'll give those who are in Egypt the same medicine I gave those in Jerusalem: massacre, starvation, and disease. None of those who managed to get out of Judah alive and get away to Egypt are going to make it back to the Judah for which they're so homesick. None will make it back, except maybe a few fugitives.'"

Making Goddess Cookies

 ^15-18The men who knew that their wives had been burning sacrifices to the no-gods, joined by a large crowd of women, along with virtually everyone living in Pathros of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: "We're having nothing to do with what you tell us is God's Message. We're going to go right on offering sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, keeping up the traditions set by our ancestors, our kings and government leaders in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem in the good old days. We had a good life then—lots of food, rising standard of living, and no bad luck. But the moment we quit sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out offerings to her, everything fell apart. We've had nothing but massacres and starvation ever since."  ¹⁹And then the women chimed in: "Yes! Absolutely! We're going to keep at it, offering sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out offerings to her. Aren't our husbands behind us? They like it that we make goddess cookies and pour out our offerings to her."
 ^20-23Then Jeremiah spoke up, confronting the men and the women, all the people who had answered so insolently. He said, "The sacrifices that you and your parents, your kings, your government officials, and the common people of the land offered up in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem—don't you think God noticed? He noticed, all right. And he got fed up. Finally, he couldn't take your evil behavior and your disgusting acts any longer. Your land became a wasteland, a death valley, a horror story, a ghost town. And it continues to be just that. This doom has come upon you because you kept offering all those sacrifices, and you sinned against God! You refused to listen to him, wouldn't live the way he directed, ignored the covenant conditions."

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2 Timothy 2:1-21 (The Message)

2 Timothy 2

Doing Your Best for God

 ^1-7So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. Pass on what you heard from me—the whole congregation saying Amen!— to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn't get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It's the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain.  ^8-13Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead. It's what you've heard from me all along. It's what I'm sitting in jail for right now—but God's Word isn't in jail! That's why I stick it out here—so that everyone God calls will get in on the salvation of Christ in all its glory. This is a sure thing:

   If we die with him, we'll live with him;
   If we stick it out with him, we'll rule with him;
   If we turn our backs on him, he'll turn his back on us;
   If we give up on him, he does not give up—
      for there's no way he can be false to himself.
 ^14-18Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God's people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.
 ¹⁹Meanwhile, God's firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones:

   god knows who belongs to him.
   spurn evil, all you who name god as god.
 ^20-21In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.

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Psalm 92-93:5 (The Message)

Psalm 92

A Sabbath Song

 ^1-3 What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God!
   To announce your love each daybreak,
      sing your faithful presence all through the night,
   Accompanied by dulcimer and harp,
      the full-bodied music of strings.

 ^4-9 You made me so happy, God
      I saw your work and I shouted for joy.
   How magnificent your work, God!
      How profound your thoughts!
   Dullards never notice what you do;
      fools never do get it.
   When the wicked popped up like weeds
      and all the evil men and women took over,
   You mowed them down,
      finished them off once and for all.
   You, God, are High and Eternal.
      Look at your enemies, God!
   Look at your enemies—ruined!
      Scattered to the winds, all those hirelings of evil!

 ^10-14 But you've made me strong as a charging bison,
      you've honored me with a festive parade.
   The sight of my critics going down is still fresh,
      the rout of my malicious detractors.
   My ears are filled with the sounds of promise:
      "Good people will prosper like palm trees,
   Grow tall like Lebanon cedars;
      transplanted to God's courtyard,
   They'll grow tall in the presence of God,
      lithe and green, virile still in old age."

 ¹⁵ Such witnesses to upright God!
      My Mountain, my huge, holy Mountain!

Psalm 93

    God is King, robed and ruling, God is robed and surging with strength.
         And yes, the world is firm, immovable,
      Your throne ever firm—you're Eternal!

 ^3-4 Sea storms are up, God,
   Sea storms wild and roaring,
   Sea storms with thunderous breakers.
      Stronger than wild sea storms,
      Mightier than sea-storm breakers,
      Mighty God rules from High Heaven.

 ⁵ What you say goes—it always has.
   "Beauty" and "Holy" mark your palace rule,
   God, to the very end of time.

 

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Proverbs 26:3-5 (The Message)

 ³ A whip for the racehorse, a tiller for the sailboat—
   and a stick for the back of fools!

 ⁴ Don't respond to the stupidity of a fool;
   you'll only look foolish yourself.

 ⁵ Answer a fool in simple terms
   so he doesn't get a swelled head.

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Verse of the Day

“You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.” - Galatians 6:2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician, Horace Walpole wrote, “The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well.”