The Daily Readings for SATURDAY, May 5, 2018

Matthew 7:13

Daily Readings

SATURDAY, May 5, 2018

Old Testament

Leviticus 23:23-44
The Festival of Trumpets
23:23 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 24 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire.
The Day of Atonement
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall deny yourselves and present the Lord’s offering by fire; 28 and you shall do no work during that entire day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29 For anyone who does not practice self-denial during that entire day shall be cut off from the people. 30 And anyone who does any work during that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people. 31 You shall do no work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of complete rest, and you shall deny yourselves; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your sabbath.
The Festival of Booths
33 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 34 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven days, there shall be the festival of booths to the Lord. 35 The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 36 Seven days you shall present the Lord’s offerings by fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the Lord’s offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations. 37 These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day— 38 apart from the sabbaths of the Lord, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your votive offerings, and apart from all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. 39 Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of the Lord, lasting seven days; a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a festival to the Lord seven days in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute forever throughout your generations. 42 You shall live in booths for seven days; all that are citizens in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. 44 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed festivals of the Lord.

The Epistle

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
Request for Prayer
3:1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, 2 and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Warning against Idleness
6 Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8 and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. 9 This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. 14 Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.
Final Greetings and Benediction
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

The Gospel

Matthew 7:13-21
The Narrow Gate
7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Concerning Self-Deception
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

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.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.

The Morning Prayer for SATURDAY, May 5, 2018

Father God, we thank you for the gift of prayer. We not only pray that you will help us to avoid temptation, but we also commit to obedience in doing our part to avoid inviting temptation into our lives. We thank you for the forgiveness we receive in Jesus Christ. In His name we pray.

Amen

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, May 5, 2018

Romans 6:16 (NIV) Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Read all of Romans 6

Listen to Romans 6

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 - The Fight Within

The Fight Within

Read Romans 6:15-23

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

~ Romans 6:16 (NIV)

In his book of semi-philosophical and satirical stories titled Fuzzy Memories, Jack Handey writes: “There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him. But then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate lesson guy said I had to start paying him five dollars a lesson. So I just went back to paying the bully.”

Isn’t that like most of us? We figure it’s easier to pay the bully than to learn how to defeat him. Sadly, in the same way, we often continue to live in sin rather than to wage war to destroy it. We allow sin to reign rather than dethroning it. We succumb to defeat rather than learning the countermeasures that lead to victory. Before we beat ourselves up too much, we can find comfort in the apostle Paul’s confession that he too struggled with sin. He recognized that he couldn’t escape being a sinner. Yet because sin ultimately leads to death, if he didn’t deal with it his sin would destroy him. He had a fight on his hands, one he waged daily.

How can we win the fight and defeat the power of sin? Honestly, we can’t. We possess neither the strength nor the moral completeness to win such a monumental battle. For victory we must, like Paul, rely solely on Jesus Christ. His sacrifice on the cross, bearing the sins of all human beings, provides our only hope for dethroning the power of sin. Sin is too serious to face alone. Victory over sin requires calling on Jesus, the Victor, all day and every day.

Father God, we thank you for the gift of prayer. We not only pray that you will help us to avoid temptation, but we also commit to obedience in doing our part to avoid inviting temptation into our lives. We thank you for the forgiveness we receive in Jesus Christ. In His name we pray, Amen.

In Jesus,
Chaplain Kenny

Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
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 Men’s Devotional Bible.
Is it easier to pay the bully than to learn how to defeat him?

Un dia a la Vez - Aprendamos de nuestros hijos

Aprendamos de nuestros hijos

Que nuestros hijos [...] crezcan como plantas frondosas; que sean nuestras hijas como columnas esculpidas para adornar un palacio.

~ Salmo 144:12 (NVI)

Este es el último devocional acerca de cómo nuestros hijos nos dan el ejemplo y la fuerza que necesitamos para salir adelante. En realidad, no solo nos debe llenar un cónyuge, pues los hijos nos los envió Dios a fin de que nos amen y nos acompañen.

Así que mi campaña está dirigida a decirte que no los maltrates y que comprendas todo lo que puedes crecer cuando aprendes de ellos. Apóyalos en sus talentos y pídele a Dios que te conviertas en la mejor madre o el mejor padre del mundo.

Bueno, por último, me queda Anacristina, a la que todos les decimos cariñosamente «Annie». Esta princesita, con tan solo cinco años, me ha cambiado la vida. Soy el antes y el después de Annie. Mi vida se transformó acto seguido de su nacimiento. Al final, me ubiqué en muchas esferas e hice pactos serios de cambio con Dios. Fueron los años de más estabilidad y orden que pude ofrecerles a todas.

Annie ha llenado nuestra casa de alegría. Es una nena talentosa, canta y baila. Sin embargo, lo más lindo es que tiene la gran constitución física para ser una gran deportista, pues nació con sus músculos muy flexibles. Annie, eres un amor para mí. Te amo con todo el corazón.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Este es el último devocional acerca de cómo nuestros hijos nos dan el ejemplo y la fuerza que necesitamos para salir adelante.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - MERCHANTS AND MOBS

MERCHANTS AND MOBS

But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

~ Acts 17:5 (NIV)

The next two groups of external tactics Satan used in the New Testament are merchants and mobs. Merchants or businessmen represent the economic establishment and are often opposed to Christians purely because Christians are a threat to their business.
The two clearest examples of opposition from businessmen in scripture are when Paul visits Philippi and later Ephesus (Acts 16 and 19). In Philippi, Paul and Silas ended up in jail because of the actions of the owners of a demon possessed slave girl who was healed. Seeing their source of income disappearing because of her conversion, her owners pressed a false case against Paul, and had him jailed for “disturbing the peace.” But the Scripture makes clear their economic motive, “when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone…” (Acts 16:19).

Then when Paul gets to Ephesus the impact of his preaching is so great it causes the former members of the Artemis cult to hold a bonfire of their trinkets and shrines. A shop steward called Demetrius, on behalf of the silversmiths of the town, figures anything that reduces the appeal of the temple of Artemis is going to be bad for business. He stirs up a riot and Paul has to hurry out of the city.

Mobs play a major role in persecution, often when an elite group cannot induce the government to do their dirty work for them. Mobs are easily manipulated. They can be believers swayed by the heady rhetoric of clerics, or ruffians ready to commit grievous bodily harm for the sake of money and excitement.

Christians in Pakistan and Indonesia face the constant threat of annihilation of their property by mobs. A news agency journalist said, “I am amazed at how quickly a mob can get going in Pakistan. It just takes three phrases from a mullah at Friday prayers, and five minutes later thousands are streaming out into the streets bent on inflicting injury or even killing Christians.” 

RESPONSE: Our enemy, Satan, uses every tactic possible to come against those in the kingdom of God.

PRAYER: Pray for Christians in areas noted above that they will be protected from Satan’s arrows.

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 - Affirmation Experiment

Affirmation Experiment

Read Matthew 7:1–5

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

~ Matthew 7:1–2 (NIV)

Years ago graduate students at an Ivy League college conducted an experiment. First they observed undergraduates until they found one of the most unkempt, most socially inept women on campus.
Then they drew up a schedule; each would spend a month getting close to the woman. They would “happen” to bump into her between classes. They would show up in line behind her in the dining hall. They would call her for lecture notes or assignment reminders. Moreover, when each was “on duty,” he would compliment the woman, expressing delight in her voice, her talents, her insights, her clothes.

The first student performed well. In spite of his misgivings, he began to speak to the woman, finding ways to affirm her. By the end of the month he found his task less onerous as the young woman started to respond. She smiled occasionally, combed her hair more often, and paid more attention to how she dressed.

The second graduate student took the experiment a step further. He asked the undergrad out on an official date and spent the month showering her with gifts and compliments.

By the third month there was a new glow about the young woman, and the third researcher enjoyed her company more than he cared to admit. When the graduate students got together to share their experiences and laugh at the “progress” of their victim, the third student had to force chuckles through self-conscious embarrassment.

The fourth member of the group never got the chance to lavish attention on the young woman because by then she was engaged to the man assigned to her during the third month. What started as a cruel and belittling pastime for the students turned into a love story.

None of us would want such a trick played on us. Yet there is something instructive about its outcome. As Jesus noted, when we spend our days looking at others with critical eyes, we find ourselves more in a laboratory than in a relationship. But when we begin to respect and affirm others as men and women made in the image of God, we move back into the relational warmth of family.

The implications are obvious for marriage. People who live closely with one another are bound to chip away at each other’s rough edges. We become experts in analysis and faultfinding, but we don’t gain much by that besides divisiveness and pain.

Jesus’ warning not to judge others doesn’t mean we should be blind to the faults of our mates. But it reminds us to be caring more than critical, compassionate more than judgmental. Just as Christ lavishes grace upon us, we can extend loving grace to each other, rejoicing as we together blossom and grow beautiful in each other’s eyes.

Wayne Brouwer

Let’s Talk

• In what areas are we critical of each other? What brings out words of judgment in our relationship? How has this affected who we are together?
• When has our relationship blossomed with warmth? What kinds of things did we say to one another during those times?
• How can we bring out the best in each other? What practices will help accomplish that?

None of us would want such a trick played on us. Yet there is something instructive about its outcome.

LHM Devotion - May 5, 2018 - The Honored Guest

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"The Honored Guest"

May 5, 2018

(Jesus said) "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me."

~ Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

During my pastor-parish years, I enjoyed seeing people in their homes.

That's because I just never knew what was going to happen. There were at least a dozen times when I called on a family unexpectedly. With minor variations, it went something like this: as I walked up to the house, I could hear people talking and see shadows moving around. I knew someone was home. I knocked and waited. Before anyone answered, they checked and saw my car.

From inside, I could hear a loud whisper: "Oh, no, it's the preacher." Another voice said, "No, not the preacher; not now. What does he want?" Then I heard the mother of the house whisper loudly enough so that I and everyone else could hear: "Don't let him in yet. Clean up the house first!"

Normally, this lady was a quiet, soft-spoken soul. Normally, she was gentle as a lamb, and her words were filled with kindness and love. But when she said, "Quick, clean up the house!" her words had iron in them. There was no discussion, no argument, no "Do I have to?" or "It's not my job!"

When mom said, "Quick, clean up the house!" everybody hopped to. I heard people running, doors slamming, and drawers shutting.

With, and I must confess it, a devilish heart, I knocked again. Everybody kicked into high gear as mom barked out orders like a drill sergeant: "You, get the Sunday paper and put it away! You, put the Bible on the coffee table." To another she said, "Get your dirty socks off the kitchen counter." To her husband, "Put on a clean shirt. I won't let the pastor see you in that old thing. Next time I throw it away, I'm going to do it on garbage day so you can't fish it out of the trash."

Now all of this took less time to do than it does to tell.

At last, when she was assured that at least the living room was clean enough for inspection, the door opened and mother, brushing a few disheveled hairs back from her brow, invited me in. With a flushed face from running around, she began with a little white lie and said, "Pastor, I'm sorry, we didn't hear you. What a wonderful surprise. How good of you to pay us a visit."

For the next five minutes, one by one the rest of the family, having completed their portion of the clean-up, came in and dutifully greeted me. With a corner of the newspaper peeking out from under the couch, and a single Nike® sneaker visible behind a stereo speaker, I had a hard time keeping a straight face.

I can't remember what we talked about on those occasions. I do remember they invited me in and did their best to clean things up when they did so.

It is my hope that Jesus is always welcome when He comes calling in the homes that we call our hearts. Truly, He who offered His life for us on Calvary's cross and ushered in a new covenant between God and man with His resurrection from the dead, ought to be the most welcome of visitors. No, that's not right, is it? Because Jesus ought to live in us permanently that line ought to read, "He should always be the most honored of residents."

And because we wish to honor and show respect for Christ, we ought to do our best to make sure our hearts are as uncluttered of evil as we can make them. Thankfully, these are also gifts which come from His forgiving presence and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me discard anything in my life that would be an impediment to the Savior living in my heart. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
During my pastor-parish years, I enjoyed seeing people in their homes.

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Luôn Gần Gũi

Luôn Gần Gũi

Đọc: Phục truyền 6:1-9 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: I Các vua 19-20; Lu-ca 23:1-25

Download MP3

Hãy buộc những lời ấy vào tay làm dấu, đeo lên trán làm hiệu. Phục truyền 6:8

Sau khi đưa con gái đến trường, quãng đường đi bộ về nhà hơn một cây số là thời gian đủ để tôi học thuộc vài câu Kinh Thánh, nếu như tôi có kế hoạch thực hiện. Khi dành khoảng thời gian đó để suy ngẫm Lời Chúa, tôi thường thấy những lời ấy cứ vang vọng trong tâm trí tôi suốt cả ngày, ban cho tôi sự an ủi và sự hướng dẫn khôn ngoan.

Khi Môi-se chuẩn bị cho dân Y-sơ-ra-ên tiến vào đất hứa, ông thúc giục họ vâng giữ điều răn và mệnh lệnh của Chúa (Phục. 6:1-2). Vì muốn họ được thịnh vượng, ông bảo họ phải suy ngẫm những lời dạy này và dạy lại cho con cái mình (c.6-7). Ông còn bảo họ buộc những lời đó vào cổ tay và đeo lên trán (c.8). Ông không muốn họ quên những lời dạy của Chúa, hầu họ có thể sống tôn kính Chúa và hưởng phước hạnh của Ngài.

Ngày nay, bạn có thể suy ngẫm lời Chúa bằng cách nào? Một gợi ý là hãy viết câu Kinh Thánh ra giấy, mỗi lần rửa tay hay uống nước, bạn hãy đọc những lời đó và suy ngẫm. Hay trước khi đi ngủ, hãy suy ngẫm một phân đoạn Kinh Thánh ngắn như là hoạt động cuối cùng trong ngày. Có nhiều cách để chúng ta luôn gần gũi với Lời Chúa.

Lạy Chúa, cảm ơn Ngài đã ban cho chúng con Kinh Thánh, là suối nguồn sự sống. Hôm nay xin giúp chúng con đọc và hiểu được Lời Chúa.

Hãy để chính bạn chìm ngập trong Lời Chúa.

bởi Amy Boucher Pye

© 2018 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày
Sau khi đưa con gái đến trường, quãng đường đi bộ về nhà hơn một cây số là thời gian đủ để tôi học thuộc vài câu Kinh Thánh, nếu như tôi có kế hoạch thực hiện.