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| Qualifications of Deacons 1 Timothy 3:8-13 |
The Daily Readings
WEDNESDAY, May 30, 2018
Old Testament
Proverbs 17:1-20
1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully, and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents.
7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a ruler.
8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it; wherever they turn they prosper.
9 One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
10 A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 Evil people seek only rebellion, but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs than to confront a fool immersed in folly.
13 Evil will not depart from the house of one who returns evil for good.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water; so stop before the quarrel breaks out.
15 One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why should fools have a price in hand to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?
17 A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.
18 It is senseless to give a pledge, to become surety for a neighbor.
19 One who loves transgression loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
20 The crooked of mind do not prosper, and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.
The Epistle
1 Timothy 3
Qualifications of Bishops
3:1 The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. 2 Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way— 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.
Qualifications of Deacons
8 Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; 9 they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. 11 Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; 13 for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
The Mystery of Our Religion
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16 Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
The Gospel
Matthew 12:43-50
The Return of the Unclean Spirit
12:43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.”
The True Kindred of Jesus
46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons.
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