The Daily Readings for SATURDAY, August 4, 2018

Matthew 28:16-20

The Daily Readings

SATURDAY, August 4, 2018

Old Testament

Judges 5:19-31
5:19 “The kings came, they fought;
    then fought the kings of Canaan,
at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
    they got no spoils of silver.
20 The stars fought from heaven,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away,
    the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon.
    March on, my soul, with might!

22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs
    with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.

23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,
    curse bitterly its inhabitants,
because they did not come to the help of the Lord,
    to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

24 “Most blessed of women be Jael,
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,
    of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 He asked water and she gave him milk,
    she brought him curds in a lordly bowl.
26 She put her hand to the tent peg
    and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sisera a blow,
    she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 He sank, he fell,
    he lay still at her feet;
at her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell dead.

28 “Out of the window she peered,
    the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest ladies make answer,
    indeed, she answers the question herself:
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?—
    A girl or two for every man;
spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera,
    spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,
    two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?’

31 “So perish all your enemies, O Lord!
    But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might.”

And the land had rest forty years.

The Epistle

Acts 2:22-36
2:22 “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— 23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24 But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. 25 For David says concerning him,

‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    moreover my flesh will live in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One experience corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,

‘He was not abandoned to Hades,
    nor did his flesh experience corruption.’

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The Gospel

Matthew 28:11-20
The Report of the Guard
28:11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...

The Morning Prayer for SATURDAY, August 4, 2018

God in heaven, we offer our deepest appreciation for the many blessings you shower upon us every day. We are truly humbled by the bounty of your graces. Through this prayer, we ask for the compassion to follow the inspiring example of the good Samaritan. Help us to embrace and bring comfort to those suffering immensely overseas.

Amen

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, August 4, 2018

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NIV) “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

Read all of Jeremiah 33

Listen to Jeremiah 33

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

Un dia a la Vez - El cambio

El cambio

No se amolden al mundo actual, sino sean transformados mediante la renovación de su mente.

~ Romanos 12:2 (NVI)

La unción no cambia, lo que en verdad nos cambia es cuando renovamos nuestro carácter en Cristo. Es posible que alguien tenga un tremendo poder y ore por ti. Con todo, si no le entregas tu vida a Dios, no hay cambio, y si no hay cambio, no hay el verdadero carácter de Cristo.

Todos estamos en esa lucha, pues queremos dejar de fallarle a Dios y deseamos cambios radicales en nosotros. El cambio viene de adentro hacia fuera, ya que a Él le interesa transformarnos aunque a veces nos resulte doloroso.

Dios quiere que tengamos una nueva vida, pero antes debemos morir a lo que somos. Así que hay que morir para vivir. Puedo dar fe de que el cambio no viene todo en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Sin duda, es un cambio hermoso el que Dios pone con su carácter, pues de repente lo que me gustaba hacer ya no me siento cómoda haciéndolo o por lo menos voy a pensarlo por la consecuencia.

El cambio es el mejor regalo que nos puede dar Dios. Nos da tantos beneficios que muchas veces me he dicho: «¿Por qué no te conocí antes, Señor? ¡De cuántas cosas me hubiera librado!». Si hubiera tenido antes a Dios, mis hijas no hubieran pasado por las muchas cosas a las que las expuse.

Entrega tu vida y cambia… es el mejor regalo para ti, después de la salvación.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
La unción no cambia, lo que en verdad nos cambia es cuando renovamos nuestro carácter en Cristo.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - ENDURING PERSECUTION

ENDURING PERSECUTION

“I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

~  Acts 9:16 (NIV)

These are the words of Jesus to Ananias when Saul of Tarsus had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Though Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, resorted to flight several times in his missionary work, he did not try to avoid persecution as a life style practice. Indeed in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, Paul outlines and describes the repeated persecution he had endured for Christ.

The Bible and history are replete with examples of those who in the will of God refused to flee but stayed and endured the persecution to the point of self-sacrifice and even martyrdom.

A few years ago I was in Thailand for some organizational meetings. One of my colleagues brought a Vietnamese pastor to meet me who was in great anguish. His story touched me deeply.

Pastor Vin was at home in Vietnam one earlier evening when a parishioner knocked on the door. He had just met a sizable group of North Korean refugees who had trekked through China and become lost in the Vietnamese jungle. They were emaciated, ragged and fearful.

The Pastor invited the refugees to his home where they were fed and his people brought them adequate clothing. But what now? If discovered by the Vietnamese authorities, they would be repatriated to North Korea to certain death or life in labor camp. Their only hope was to seek asylum in neighboring Cambodia which did not have an extradition agreement with North Korea.

Then came a second knock on the door. It was the parishioner again. The Vietnamese authorities had been tipped off that North Korean refugees were in the area and were actively searching for them.

Pastor Vin knew the jungle route to Cambodia and knew what he had to do. Bidding his family farewell, he set off with the group of refugees and led them safely through the jungle to the capital of Cambodia where they successfully sought asylum as refugees.

But the Vietnamese authorities soon became aware of what the pastor had done. They notified his wife that he would be arrested and imprisoned immediately upon his arrival home. He fled further west to neighboring Thailand for safety.

The night I met him in Thailand he was in tears. His wife was scheduled for surgery the next day in the hospital back home in Vietnam. She so wanted him to be there with her during this trying time. Yet he could not safely return home. He was in a quandary. We prayed together that God would be with his wife in her medical emergency and give him wisdom to know what to do.

Later I heard from our colleague that Mrs. Vin’s surgery was successful and that Pastor Vin, knowing what he would face, returned home to Vietnam. He was immediately arrested and placed under house detention. But he used his time at home discipling new believers.

Fleeing is not the only option when persecution strikes. There are times when God’s will is for us to stay and face the music!

RESPONSE: Today I will stay in tune with God’s Spirit so that I will know what responses He wants me to make.

PRAYER: Help me Lord to be aware of Your purposes in the events and challenges of my life.

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 - When Is My Burden Yours?

When Is My Burden Yours?

Galatians 6:1–10

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

~ Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

People who work with ocean-going ships will tell you that it’s critical to check the way the cargo load is distributed in the vessel. If the cargo is too heavy, the ship will ride too low in the water and won’t be able to travel at a good speed. If the load is too light, the ship will ride too high in the water and bob like a cork, especially when storms hit. The ship needs the proper amount of cargo for it to make the best progress across the ocean.

Life works like that for Christians too. When our burdens are too heavy, we can become so depressed and weary that we can hardly do our work, much less be a testimony of God’s grace to others. When our burdens are too light, we find it difficult to empathize with others who are carrying a heavy load, or we find ourselves aimless and restless. We need the proper balance between load carrying and load sharing to progress in our Christian walk.

Paul knew this. By commanding us to share each other’s burdens, he was echoing Jesus’ words: “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). The apostle warns us not to question the loads of others, thinking we’re better than they are because we don’t have their particular problems. “If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves,” he said (Galatians 6:3). Instead, Paul tells us to examine ourselves, pick up our own loads and help others when we are called to do so.

When we look at problems in marriage, we see the same principle in place: If one spouse is sinking under a load of guilt, troubles or sin, while the other is bobbing around with seemingly no concern, anger and resentment will build. An unbalanced load will only stress and slow down the marital relationship. So to keep moving together in the right direction, we must remain firmly yoked together as we lovingly share each other’s problems and do what we can to help each other deal with them.

But what do we do when our problems become too heavy for the two of us to carry? There may come a time when we need to look for help from others outside the marriage. When we feel overwhelmed by severe problems such as sexual addiction, alcohol abuse or clinical depression, it’s time to get help. Going to a Christian doctor, counselor or pastor is not taking the easy way out—for some, admitting a problem in the marriage is an agonizing first step. But it is a necessary step for many couples that need help adjusting to life’s problems, to a family crisis or simply to each other.

One caution: It is tempting to turn to friends, family and coworkers to vent our marital problems. This is rarely a good idea. Problems inside a marriage can almost never be solved by taking them outside the marriage, unless it’s to a qualified professional. Letting too many people know about our marital struggles just burdens us with the responsibility of keeping others updated. It may force friends or family members to side with one spouse while distancing themselves from the other. And it will drain emotional energy from a marital relationship. Offering our spouses privacy within the marital relationship will keep trust in each other intact and will demonstrate our continued love and respect for each other as we learn better ways of sharing our load.

Valerie Van Kooten

Let’s Talk

• What burdens have each of us had to shoulder in our marriage? What burdens have we weathered together?
• What are some practical ways we can help each other manage the burdens we are carrying right now?
• How can we help others who are struggling with marital problems? What are some cautions to exercise in doing that?

People who work with ocean-going ships will tell you that it’s critical to check the way the cargo load is distributed in the vessel.

LHM Devotion - August 4, 2018 - Children Blessing the Church

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Children Blessing the Church"

Aug. 4, 2018

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

~ Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

The other day I had the privilege to listen to a man lambast the Christian church.

There was nothing new in what he said. He spoke about how we were all hypocrites, foolish, prejudiced, law oriented, judgmental, selective, rude, cruel, and responsible for every societal ill from slavery to global warming. He also said the amount of sin left in the world means we are pretty ineffective. That's why he concluded by suggesting the best thing the church could do for the world is shut our doors.

I sure was impressed by what he said in his polite and polished persuasive presentation.

I sure wish I could have talked to him. If I had had the opportunity I would have said, do you close the physician's office because the world still has sickness? Of course, you don't. To combat sickness is the reason that office is open. Do you shut down the fire departments because houses and businesses catch fire, or do you pull the police off the streets because your community has seen its share of crime? These responders are there to take a stand against evils.

Similarly, it isn't wise to shut down the church because you still see evidence of sin.

The church has been created by God to use imperfect Christians to call others to faith, to witness to the Savior's salvation, to take a stand against sin. Are we perfect? Have we done God's will without stumbling or without mistake? Of course not. Are we perfect? Of course not.

But we are trying, and in some places, we are succeeding.

In my files I have a story I would like to share. It is a story which comes from a conscientious first- grade Sunday school teacher. By that I mean she told her students all about the love of Jesus who had died and risen to save them from their sins. How much they grasped of her lessons, she was never quite sure, so she left that knowledge to the Lord.

One day, however, He did give her a glimpse of what the Holy Spirit was doing through her.

As I said, she taught these children. Along with the lessons, she also taught them simple songs: songs like "Jesus loves the little children, all the little children of the world." And "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." She would teach them the words, but the Lord taught those children to sing with enthusiasm. That's the way it was the day a guest came to her class.

He was a little boy without a right arm. The teacher looked at the children; the children looked at the new boy without an arm. Silently the teacher prayed that nobody would make a big deal of the boy's difference and cause him embarrassment. Amazingly, nobody said a thing. Not a thing.

At the end of class, it was time to sing. The class worked through their repertoire, and the visitor even knew the words to some of the songs. All went well until the teacher announced, "Let's sing, 'If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.'"

The words weren't out of her mouth before she knew she had done the very thing she had prayed her children would avoid. Still, there was no turning back. She took a breath to begin and noticed one of her little girls lean over and say to the boy, "Let's you and I clap our hands together." And they did. His left hand and her right. We may not do everything right, but that picture is also a likeness of God's church, and His people serving the Savior, and lending a hand.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, forgive us for those times when our lives, thoughts, and actions are less than the best. Grant us the grace to show thanks to the Savior for all He has done and make a witness to the world which unfairly judges Jesus by our shortcomings. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
The other day I had the privilege to listen to a man lambast the Christian church.

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Tình Yêu Lạ Thường

Tình Yêu Lạ Thường

Đọc: Lu-ca 14:7-14 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: Thi Thiên 66-67; Rô-ma 7

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Nhưng khi ngươi đãi tiệc, hãy mời những người nghèo khó, tàn tật, què quặt, đui mù. Lu-ca 14:13

Chỉ một tuần trước ngày cưới, hôn ước của Sarah đã bị hủy bỏ. Mặc dù rất buồn và thất vọng, nhưng cô vẫn quyết định không phí phạm thức ăn đã đặt cho tiệc cưới của mình. Cô quyết định thay đổi kế hoạch tổ chức. Cô dẹp chiếc bàn nhận quà và thay đổi danh sách khách mời. Cô mời những người sống ở các trung tâm vô gia cư đến dự tiệc.

Chúa Jêsus cũng bày tỏ lòng nhân từ vô điều kiện khi Ngài nói với những người Pha-ri-si: “Nhưng khi ngươi đãi tiệc, hãy mời những người nghèo khó, tàn tật, què quặt, đui mù thì ngươi sẽ được phước” (Lu. 14:13-14). Ngài giải thích rằng phước hạnh đó đến từ Chúa vì những vị khách này sẽ không thể trả ơn cho chủ nhà. Chúa Jêsus khích lệ chúng ta giúp đỡ những người không thể đóng góp cho các quỹ từ thiện, không biết nói lời hoa mỹ cũng không có nhiều mối quan hệ xã hội.

Khi biết Chúa Jêsus nói những lời này trong lúc ngồi ăn tại nhà của một người Pha-ri-si, thì thông điệp của Ngài có vẻ là điều lạ thường và gây khó chịu. Nhưng tình yêu đích thực luôn lạ thường. Người ta nói rằng yêu là ban cho để đáp ứng nhu cầu của người khác mà không mong đợi đền đáp. Đó là cách Chúa Jêsus yêu mỗi chúng ta. Ngài nhìn thấy sự nghèo thiếu trong tâm linh của chúng ta và đã dâng mạng sống Ngài vì chúng ta.

Biết Đấng Christ cách cá nhân là hành trình bước vào tình yêu vô hạn của Ngài. Tất cả chúng ta đều được mời gọi để khám phá “chiều rộng, chiều dài, chiều cao, chiều sâu” của tình yêu ấy (Êph. 3:18).

Lạy Chúa, xin giúp con khám phá những chiều sâu trong tình yêu của Ngài. Con muốn ban cho người khác những gì mà Ngài đã ban cho con.

Tình yêu của Cha Thiên Thượng dành cho chúng ta thật sâu rộng biết bao!

bởi Jennifer Benson Schuldt

© 2018 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày

Chỉ một tuần trước ngày cưới, hôn ước của Sarah đã bị hủy bỏ.