Daily Readings
1 Maccabees 2:1-28
In those days Mattathias son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein. He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thassi, Judas called Maccabeus, Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus. He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, and said, "Alas! Why was I born to see this, the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, and to live there when it was given over to the enemy, the sanctuary given over to aliens? Her temple has become like a person without honor; her glorious vessels have been carried into exile. Her infants have been killed in her streets, her youths by the sword of the foe. What nation has not inherited her palaces and has not seized her spoils? All her adornment has been taken away; no longer free, she has become a slave. And see, our holy place, our beauty, and our glory have been laid waste; the Gentiles have profaned them. Why should we live any longer?" Then Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly. The king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: "You are a leader, honored and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers. Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts." But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left." When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king's command. When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar. At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu. Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!" Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town.
Revelation 20:1-6
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.
Matthew 16:21-28
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.
Almighty God, I thank you for the life and teachings of your only Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is amazing to me that he lived and walked among us, one of us, a mortal man who bled and felt pain, who felt anger and love, who would become tired and hungry. Your love in showing us that you would share the burdens of mortality is great. Although the terrible beating and torture, and long painful death, that He suffered at the hands of the state was a terrible thing, his ultimate victory in overcoming that death was the greatest victory in the history of mankind. I praise you for Christ's resurrection and victory, and for His promise to all people, that he will intercede for them at their death, and bring them to eternal life. Today we remember and celebrate His resurrection, giving all glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this miracle and the redemption of our own lives. Through Christ I pray, Amen.
Malachi 3:1 (NIV) “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
Read all of Malachi 3
Listen to Malachi 3
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Messenger
I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.
~ Malachi 3:1 (NIV)
The last section of the historical narrative of the Old Testament tells the story of the exiled Jews and the Jews who were restored to the Promised Land. Among the exiles, we hear of Esther who married the king and saved her people from genocide. Among those restored to the Promised Land, we read of Nehemiah and Ezra who returned to rebuild the wall and the temple and restore temple worship.
The Old Testament concludes with a note of expectancy: “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)
Following the last writings of the Old Testament, there was an inter-testamental lag of about 400 years where there were no Biblical writings. During that time the world experienced the classical Greek period of Athens, Sparta and the philosophers; the Persians of Daniel’s day conquered much of the world before diminishing and being replaced by the empire of Alexander the Great. The influence of Greece gave way to the rise of Rome and a new empire of iron ruled the known world. It was into this period of relative political stability that Jesus was born.
When he came, there were shouts of praise in the heavenlies. The exuberance of the angels bespeaks a groaning of the entirety of creation for the Messiah. Yet he came in humility.
I can fail to appreciate the magnitude of his coming sometimes. Reading scripture in this way reminds me how blessed I am to have been born into an age after his coming.
Almighty God, I thank you for the life and teachings of your only Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is amazing to me that he lived and walked among us, one of us, a mortal man who bled and felt pain, who felt anger and love, who would become tired and hungry. Your love in showing us that you would share the burdens of mortality is great. Although the terrible beating and torture, and long painful death, that He suffered at the hands of the state was a terrible thing, his ultimate victory in overcoming that death was the greatest victory in the history of mankind. I praise you for Christ's resurrection and victory, and for His promise to all people, that he will intercede for them at their death, and bring them to eternal life. Today we remember and celebrate His resurrection, giving all glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this miracle and the redemption of our own lives. Through Christ I pray, Amen.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Old Testament concludes with a note of expectancy...
Oración por cambios en la vida
Me has dado a conocer la senda de la vida; me llenarás de alegría en tu presencia, y de dicha eterna a tu derecha.
Padre
santo, queremos agradecerte este nuevo día y decirte que eres lo más
importante para nosotros. Cada día que pasa vemos tu amor incondicional y
disfrutamos de tus bendiciones.
Dios mío, gracias porque permites
cambios en mi vida y conoces mi necesidad. A veces, tomo decisiones
equivocadas, pero tú me guías a toda verdad.
Aunque no entendamos todo lo que nos pasa, sabemos que con tu amor nos cuidarás y nos darás nuevas oportunidades.
Ayúdame a aprender de mis errores y dame la fortaleza para superar las cosas que debo dejar y cambiar.
Entrego el resto de este día en tus manos y descanso en tu Palabra.
En el nombre de Jesús, amén y amén.
Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
RELEASE FROM CHAINS
Suddenly there was such a violent
earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all
the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
African
Muslim, El Gasim, saw the sign of the cross one day while praying the
usual five times a day in the prison where he was incarcerated. He
changed positions but the cross wouldn’t go away. This went on for seven
days. He had no explanation for it, except that Christ was calling him
to give his life to Him. A Christian pastor, also in prison explained
that living for Christ would not be without suffering. They prayed
together.
Other Muslim inmates saw El Gasim praying one day with
another Christian prisoner and reported them to the authorities. When
summoned to the superintendent’s office, they openly declared their
faith in Christ and received twenty-five lashes each, administered by a
Christian warder. The other prisoner denied his new faith but El Gasim
confessed Christ and said he would face the consequence, no matter what.
This enraged the authorities. He was beaten, shackled in chains
weighing over fifty pounds and put on death row to be hanged.
The
imprisoned pastor had great compassion for El Gasim, knowing that if God
did not intervene, he was surely staring death in the eye. He told him
Paul and Silas’ story, reminding him that he wasn’t the first to be
beaten and chained for the sake of Christ. The important thing to
remember was that Paul and Silas prayed and praised God, when their
chains fell off and the prison doors opened. The pastor confirmed that
it could still happen today, because the power that worked then, was
still at work today. They prayed together, earnestly seeking God’s will.
The
pastor retired to his room and continued praying. In the meantime, El
Gasim, who then felt encouraged by the sharing, took the first step and
to his surprise, the unexpected happened—the chain broke loose and fell
from one of his legs. Bystanders, whose attention were drawn by the
sound of the falling chain, watched in amazement as he took the second
step—the same thing happened. A miracle had happened right before him
and his other inmates. El Gasim went to the warder and told him, “Your
chains are in the chapel, go and collect them.”
Trembling and
confused the warder informed his superiors of this strange occurrence.
An emergency meeting was convened. The incident could not be ignored or
laughed off as nonsense. There were too many witnesses. They decided
that it would be best to let El Gasim go free, because if he stayed he
would certainly convert others to Christianity. Sending him to another
prison wouldn’t help either, because even there they couldn’t stop
Christ from doing miracles.
RESPONSE: Today I affirm my faith in a miracle working God who can release me from my chains.
PRAYER: Pray for persecuted Christian prisoners who need to be released from chains today.
What We See in Each Other
1 Samuel 16:1–13
“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Samuel
was sent to the house of Jesse to find a new king. When he got there,
Samuel saw Eliab, one of Jesse’s sons. “Surely, he is the one God has
chosen to be the next king,” Samuel thought. Evidently, like the
previous king, Saul, Eliab was tall and striking. But Eliab was not the
one God had in mind.
God warned Samuel not to assess people by
their physical appearance. God reminded the old prophet that he doesn’t
look at the outside; he looks at the inside. So each of Jesse’s sons
passed before Samuel, but God did not indicate that any of them was the
man God had sent him to find. Finally, David, the youngest son, came in
from the fields. Then the Lord spoke to Samuel, telling him this was the
right one.
When we look at someone’s outward appearance, we often
fail to see what God sees. This message was clearly illustrated to
writer John Fisher when he was speaking at a seminar. “A couple came in
late, and I could see that they were in love,” Fisher said. “I couldn’t
help but notice the woman was very attractive, while the guy was a real
nerd.
“What could she see in him?” Fisher wondered. From the
outside, this couple didn’t look like a match. “Then I realized she was
blind,” Fisher said.
“What did she see in him? She saw everything
that was important in a person. She saw love. While another woman might
not have gotten past this man’s unimpressive exterior, she was blind to
that. She only saw his heart. Blessed are the blind, for they can see
people as they really are.”
Like Samuel, we often make judgments
based on what people look like. But God doesn’t use looks as his
criteria. He evaluates people by what’s in their hearts. He sees their
character, their faithfulness and their commitment to him.
During
courtship, we can be charmed by someone’s good looks, attentiveness or
flattery. All of that can be fleeting. Over the course of a marriage,
the real person breaks through. Perhaps as your marriage ages, your
spouse’s outward appearance starts to change. Your spouse grays, loses
hair or gains a little weight. Perhaps the two of you fall into a rut,
and the special treatment that marked your dating period begins to wane.
That’s when we need to remember what the Lord said to Samuel about
focusing on what’s in the heart rather than what’s physically
noticeable.
The success of a marriage comes, not in finding who we
think initially is the “perfect” person for us, but in our willingness
to adjust to the real person we married.
Jennifer Schuchmann
Let’s Talk
- What characteristics initially attracted us to each other? What qualities do we treasure most today?
- The
blind woman never saw her partner’s appearance. Like God, she only saw
his heart. Would we rather have people look at our appearance or at our
heart? Why?
- What steps are we taking to improve our faith, our character and our commitment to God?
