The Daily Readings for SATURDAY, April 28, 2018

Daily Readings

SATURDAY, April 28, 2018

Old Testament

Exodus 40:18-38
40:18 Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars; 19 and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the covenant and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy seat above the ark; 21 and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the curtain for screening, and screened the ark of the covenant; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain, 23 and set the bread in order on it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the curtain, 27 and offered fragrant incense on it; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He also put in place the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 He set up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen at the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
The Cloud and the Glory
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel at each stage of their journey.

The Epistle

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
A Life Pleasing to God
4:1 Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, 5 not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, 11 to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, 12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.

The Gospel

Matthew 5:38-48
Concerning Retaliation
5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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.
Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

The Morning Prayer for SATURDAY, April 28, 2018

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are my Lord and my God. I know from Your Word that a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart is a sacrifice, O God, that You will not despise.

I come before you now to offer myself to you Lord God – all of me – my body, my mind and my soul. All I have, all I am, are Yours and Yours alone.

I confess Lord, that I am a sinner and I ask for Your forgiveness for all the sins I have committed.

I repent of my sins Lord, and with your help, I choose to turn away from them and I proceed in the opposite direction, turning to You alone.

In the name of Jesus, I also choose to forgive all those who have ever wronged me or who have ever spoken slanderous words against me. I bless each one of them in the name of Jesus and pray that the love and peace of Jesus will fall heavily upon them now.

Lord God, I freely and most willingly submit my will before you now, and ask that from now on, You and only You, will lead me.

I also submit my body to You as a living sacrifice; for Your use and the use of You Kingdom. Lord, let me no longer be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind such that I may be a sacrifice to Your good and acceptable and perfect will.

Search me O God, and know my heart. Test me and try me Lord and know my thoughts and see if there is any wickedness in me. Lead me O Lord, in your everlasting ways.

Break me and remold me Lord; reshape me Lord into the image which you desire of me.

Stretch me Lord, and expand me into the new areas of life which you have destined for me.

Lead me Lord, onto and along that narrow path which You have chosen for me, so that my destiny may be fulfilled exactly as You have planned since before I was in my mother’s womb.

Use me Lord, for the magnification of Your name and Your glory and for Your Kingdom, according to Your will.

O Lord God, as I submit myself to you, I commit to doing everything I do, to saying everything I say, and to choosing everything I choose, for the sake of Your Kingdom and not mine.

Father, I pray this in the mighty name of Your son, Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. Amen!

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, April 28, 2018

Matthew 11:20 (NIV) Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

Read all of Matthew 11

Listen to Matthew 11

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Chaplain Kenny - Miracles Aren’t Enough

Miracles Aren’t Enough

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

~ Matthew 11:20 (NIV)

Surprisingly, observing supernatural miracles didn’t typically lead people to repent and follow Jesus’ teaching. Throughout his ministry, Jesus showed annoyance with crowds who flocked to see a popular leader do something supernatural. He wanted from the spectators not applause, but commitment. Gradually, he relied more and more on parables, which he explained to his disciples in private (Matthew 13:11–17).

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are my Lord and my God. I know from Your Word that a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart is a sacrifice, O God, that You will not despise.

I come before you now to offer myself to you Lord God – all of me – my body, my mind and my soul. All I have, all I am, are Yours and Yours alone.

I confess Lord, that I am a sinner and I ask for Your forgiveness for all the sins I have committed.

I repent of my sins Lord, and with your help, I choose to turn away from them and I proceed in the opposite direction, turning to You alone.

In the name of Jesus, I also choose to forgive all those who have ever wronged me or who have ever spoken slanderous words against me. I bless each one of them in the name of Jesus and pray that the love and peace of Jesus will fall heavily upon them now.

Lord God, I freely and most willingly submit my will before you now, and ask that from now on, You and only You, will lead me.

I also submit my body to You as a living sacrifice; for Your use and the use of You Kingdom. Lord, let me no longer be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind such that I may be a sacrifice to Your good and acceptable and perfect will.

Search me O God, and know my heart. Test me and try me Lord and know my thoughts and see if there is any wickedness in me. Lead me O Lord, in your everlasting ways.

Break me and remold me Lord; reshape me Lord into the image which you desire of me.

Stretch me Lord, and expand me into the new areas of life which you have destined for me.

Lead me Lord, onto and along that narrow path which You have chosen for me, so that my destiny may be fulfilled exactly as You have planned since before I was in my mother’s womb.

Use me Lord, for the magnification of Your name and Your glory and for Your Kingdom, according to Your will.

O Lord God, as I submit myself to you, I commit to doing everything I do, to saying everything I say, and to choosing everything I choose, for the sake of Your Kingdom and not mine.

Father, I pray this in the mighty name of Your son, Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. Amen!

In Jesus,
Chaplain 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. Devotion taken from NIV Student Bible.
Jesus wanted from the spectators not applause, but commitment.

Un dia a la Vez - La duda… enemiga de la fe

La duda… enemiga de la fe

El Señor te guiará siempre; te saciará en tierras resecas, y fortalecerá tus huesos. Serás como jardín bien regado, como manantial cuyas aguas no se agotan.

~ Isaías 58:11 (NVI)

La duda paraliza tu fe. La duda es un sentimiento que todos tenemos, pero que se mantiene como ciertos virus dormida en nuestro ser. Y la activan varios sucesos de la vida.

Es posible que tú fueras una persona de mucha fe, pero un suceso marcó tu vida y es como si no pudieras volver a creer.

Situaciones como una infidelidad, la traición.

En el peor de los casos, una tragedia enlutó tu vida. Así que decides perder toda confianza en Dios y le das espacio a la duda.

Hoy es el día de restablecer lo dañado. Hoy es el día para decirle a Dios que te ayude a volver a confiar.

Recuerda que la duda no te permite ver la mano de Dios en tu vida y mucho menos vivir agradándole.
Además, «sin fe es imposible agradar a Dios» (Hebreos 11:6).

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
La duda paraliza tu fe.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - GOD USES PROBLEMS AND PERSECUTION TO INSPECT YOU

GOD USES PROBLEMS AND PERSECUTION TO INSPECT YOU

“When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.”

~ James 1:2-3 (NCV)

Here is another of five ways God uses problems and persecution in your life: God uses problems and persecution to INSPECT you. An African Christian businessman shares this testimony:

Born in a rich family I was living for earning big money. My businesses were very profitable. All over town people knew me. When God revealed to me the insignificance of money and richness, I accepted Christ after a long struggle. He changed my life. No longer was I running after money but I started sharing what God had done in my life.

After some time, suddenly the police came to our house. Officers carrying guns took me to their office to interrogate me, asking me all kinds of questions, treating me as if I was a criminal. The next day the same thing happened. A lot of soldiers entered my home and stood in every room making my children cry. For over a period of six months they threatened me. Day after day they asked me and threatened me to stop sharing the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every time I responded saying: “No, I am not going to stop sharing about the life I received through Jesus Christ.”

After six months they stopped. One man of the security forces told me, “The reason we could not do anything to you is because we couldn’t find any lie in your life.”

A year later, I saw on television the whole group of security men that had intimidated my family and me. They were shivering with fear in front of a judge. The government had changed and those people had to appear before the court because of things they had done. It was as if God told me, “This is what happens with those that oppose you, when you share My words.”

People are like tea bags...if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you?

RESPONSE: God is at work in my life—even when I do not recognize it or understand it. It is much easier and more profitable when I cooperate with Him. This is the way to victory!

PRAYER: God may I be found faithful to You through every test.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

The NIV Couples Devotional - Fidelity Check

Fidelity Check

Read Numbers 5:11–28

Then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.

~ Numbers 5:15 (NIV)

When Anya suspected her husband Ron was having an affair, her antennae went up. She began watching for evidence—receipts, long-distance phone calls, email—to confirm her suspicion. Over time, the evidence was clear: Ron was cheating on her.

When Anya confronted her husband, however, he told her she was crazy for thinking that way. Ron’s words cut her to the core. Not only did his vehement denial magnify his guilt, but his demeaning words reinforced what she was already feeling—that she was losing her mind. Jealousy and suspicion were taking over her life.

Anya decided to meet with her pastor. She shared her suspicion and the evidence that pointed to her husband’s guilt. Anya hoped this respected leader would come alongside her to intervene. She knew that her husband was lying about his affair. She also knew the public revelation of his affair would be devastating to his career and to the woman he was involved with. Unfortunately, Anya’s pastor didn’t believe her claims and dismissed her fears. Anya left the pastor’s office feeling utterly rejected. She had to deal with her overwhelming feelings of suspicion, jealousy, rejection and anger on her own.

At some point, every couple will experience feelings of jealousy and suspicion. While we might not have a modern-day equivalent to the bitter-water litmus test of Numbers 5:11–31, there are some practical steps we can take to deal with fears of infidelity and to restore trust once it has been broken by an affair.

For starters, we can pray daily for a hedge of protection around our marriage. Jerry Jenkins explains how this works in his book Hedges (Good News/Crossway, 2005). No one is immune from the possibility of committing adultery. At no point in our marriage are any of us safe from this sin. Recognizing this fact is our first defense.

Second, we can build a climate of trust with our partner through open communication and checkpoints that give our partner windows into our world. Without allowing it to become controlling, there’s nothing wrong with setting up checkpoints that verify our whereabouts, our communications with others (especially online), and what we do when we’re alone. For example, ever since Lyla developed a romantic relationship with a man she met on the Internet, her husband, Phil, has needed reassurance that she is being faithful to him now that the relationship has ended. Lyla and Phil now keep a shared email address. Occasionally Phil checks Lyla’s mail. Lyla doesn’t argue about those checkups, knowing that accountability to her husband is a good way to rebuild the trust she compromised.

For some time in our marriage, I saw this kind of accountability as invasive and demeaning. What difference did it make if I took a different route to work than Dan thought? Over time, though, I’ve come to see that by giving Dan my daily itinerary, I’m letting him peek into my world. It’s a safeguard for our marriage. Building hedges around each other goes a long way toward protecting us from infidelity, and it also alleviates the fear of infidelity once trust has been broken.

Marian V. Liautaud

Let’s Talk

• What kinds of checkpoints do we have in our marriage? Are we open about our emails, lunch dates and daily schedules?
• What are some ways we can deal with jealousy or suspicion should they occur in our marriage?
• What kinds of accountability would be helpful in creating a climate of trust in our marriage?

At some point, every couple will experience feelings of jealousy and suspicion.

LHM Devotion - April 28, 2018 - Not a Burden

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Not a Burden"

Apr. 28, 2018

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

~ Psalm 100:1-3 (ESV)

Some time ago, I heard of a husband who lorded it over his wife.

Things got so bad he even gave her a list of things she should and shouldn't do. He gave her laws which were to be followed to the letter. Not infrequently, he added to the list. He had laws as trivial as how his eggs should be cooked and what kind of cloth his wife should use when she dusted the furniture.

Eventually, the husband died. No, the wife didn't kill him; he passed away of natural causes.

She, after a respectable period of mourning -- I think it was about two weeks -- fell in love and got married again. Having learned her lesson in the first marriage, this time she got hitched to a fellow who loved her and made her life a joy.

One day she was going through her kitchen's junk drawer and, way in the back, stumbled upon her first husband's list of laws. So many bad memories came washing over her she had to sit down. After a few minutes of composing herself, she decided to look through the list one more time before she burned it.

As she looked over the rules her first husband had imposed, it occurred to her that she was, for her new husband, doing every one of the things that were written on the piece of paper she held in her hands. In fact, she was doing more for this person who loved her so dearly.

"What is the difference?" she asked herself.

Then she realized: because her husband loved her so much, all these activities which had once been forced upon her had been transformed. Because her husband loved her, old duties became present-day delights.

Every once in a while, I run into someone who really believes following the Savior is nothing more than living under the old laws. That's sad. Listen, the Lord Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (see Matthew 22:37).

If trying to do that is a burden, a pain, a struggle, a cross to carry, I encourage you to go to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus took all your sins upon Himself. Watch as He started to sweat, as it were, great drops of blood.

Watch and realize Jesus could have escaped Judas' kiss and the guards who had come to arrest Him. But He didn't escape -- not from the guards, not from His false trials, not from Pilate or Herod or the crowd that called for his death.

Watch and realize that Jesus was crucified and died so you might be forgiven, so you might become a child of God and live for eternity with your Lord. Watch and realize the risen Redeemer is living proof that a loving Lord has done all that is necessary, so you might -- on Judgment Day -- be declared innocent of wrongdoing. Look at these things, and you will realize it's not so hard trying to serve Someone who loves you so very much.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, be with us so that our lives may be filled with joy in Jesus. Allow us to throw off sin and live a life of witness as we try to follow the Savior. In His Name, I pray. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Some time ago, I heard of a husband who lorded it over his wife.

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Được Huấn Luyện Trong Lúc Phục Vụ

Được Huấn Luyện Trong Lúc Phục Vụ

Đọc: II Ti-mô-thê 1:6-14 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: I Các vua 3-5; Lu-ca 20:1-26

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Chính vì Tin Lành nầy mà ta đã được lập làm người truyền giảng, sứ đồ và giáo sư. II Ti-mô-thê 1:11

Khi thầy giáo của con trai tôi nhờ tôi làm giám thị cho hội trại khoa học của bọn trẻ, tôi khá do dự. Làm sao tôi có thể là tấm gương mẫu mực được khi quá khứ tôi đầy lỗi lầm, khi hiện tại tôi vẫn tranh chiến, vấp váp và sa ngã vào những thói quen xấu ngày trước? Chúa đã giúp tôi yêu thương và nuôi dạy con trai mình, nhưng tôi thường nghi ngờ không biết Ngài có sử dụng tôi để phục vụ người khác không.

Đôi khi tôi không thể nhận thức được rằng Chúa – Đấng toàn hảo duy nhất, Đấng duy nhất có thể thay đổi mọi tấm lòng và mọi cuộc đời vẫn đang biến đổi chúng ta theo thời gian. Rồi Đức Thánh Linh nhắc nhở tôi về cách sứ đồ Phao-lô đã khích lệ Ti-mô-thê tiếp tục theo đuổi sự huấn luyện trong lúc phục vụ, bền chí trong đức tin, và sử dụng những ân tứ Chúa ban (II Tim. 1:6). Ti-mô-thê có thể can đảm bởi vì Chúa là nguồn sức lực của ông sẽ giúp ông yêu thương và sống kỷ luật khi ông tiếp tục tăng trưởng và phục vụ những người trong phạm vi ảnh hưởng của mình (c.7).

Đấng Christ cứu chuộc và ban năng lực để chúng ta tôn vinh Ngài qua đời sống mình, không phải vì chúng ta có những phẩm chất đặc biệt nhưng vì mỗi người chúng ta đều là những thành viên quý giá trong gia đình của Ngài (c.9).

Chúng ta có thể bền chí với lòng tin quyết khi biết rằng vai trò của chúng ta là yêu Chúa và yêu tha nhân. Vai trò của Đấng Christ là cứu chuộc chúng ta và ban cho chúng ta một mục đích vượt xa tầm nhìn hạn hẹp về thế giới này. Khi chúng ta bước theo Chúa Jêsus mỗi ngày, Ngài sẽ biến đổi chúng ta trong lúc sử dụng chúng ta để khích lệ người khác, khi chúng ta chia sẻ tình yêu và chân lý của Ngài ở mọi nơi Ngài sai đến.

Lạy Chúa, cảm ơn Ngài đã khẳng định rằng chúng con có thể nương dựa nơi Ngài hoàn toàn khi chia sẻ về Ngài cách vui mừng, tự tin và can đảm.

Biết rõ nguồn năng lực của mình giúp chúng ta tự tin trong vai trò là đầy tớ của Vua.

bởi Xochitl E. Dixon

© 2018 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày
Khi thầy giáo của con trai tôi nhờ tôi làm giám thị cho hội trại khoa học của bọn trẻ...