The Daily Readings for SATURDAY, November 10, 2018

The Fall of Babylon
Revelation 18:1-14

The Daily Readings

SATURDAY, November 10, 2018

Old Testament

Ecclesiasticus 51:1-12 (Sirach 51:1-12)
Prayer of Jesus Son of Sirach
51:1 I give you thanks, O Lord and King,
    and praise you, O God my Savior.
I give thanks to your name,
2     for you have been my protector and helper
and have delivered me from destruction
    and from the trap laid by a slanderous tongue,
    from lips that fabricate lies.
In the face of my adversaries
    you have been my helper 3 and delivered me,
    in the greatness of your mercy and of your name,
from grinding teeth about to devour me,
    from the hand of those seeking my life,
    from the many troubles I endured,
4 from choking fire on every side,
    and from the midst of fire that I had not kindled,
5 from the deep belly of Hades,
    from an unclean tongue and lying words—
6     the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king.
My soul drew near to death,
    and my life was on the brink of Hades below.
7 They surrounded me on every side,
    and there was no one to help me;
I looked for human assistance,
    and there was none.
8 Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord,
    and your kindness from of old,
for you rescue those who wait for you
    and save them from the hand of their enemies.
9 And I sent up my prayer from the earth,
    and begged for rescue from death.
10 I cried out, “Lord, you are my Father;
    do not forsake me in the days of trouble,
    when there is no help against the proud.
11 I will praise your name continually,
    and will sing hymns of thanksgiving.”
My prayer was heard,
12     for you saved me from destruction
    and rescued me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank you and praise you,
    and I bless the name of the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the God of praises,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the guardian of Israel,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to him who formed all things,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to him who rebuilt his city and his sanctuary,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to him who makes a horn to sprout for the house of David,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to him who has chosen the sons of Zadok to be priests,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the shield of Abraham,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the rock of Isaac,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the mighty one of Jacob,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to him who has chosen Zion,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Give thanks to the King of the kings of kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his loyal ones.

For the children of Israel, the people close to him.
    Praise the Lord!

The Epistle

Revelation 18:1-14
The Fall of Babylon
18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. 2 He called out with a mighty voice,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
    It has become a dwelling place of demons,
a haunt of every foul spirit,
    a haunt of every foul bird,
    a haunt of every foul and hateful beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
    of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
    and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

“Come out of her, my people,
    so that you do not take part in her sins,
and so that you do not share in her plagues;
5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
    and God has remembered her iniquities.
6 Render to her as she herself has rendered,
    and repay her double for her deeds;
    mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed.
7 As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
    so give her a like measure of torment and grief.
Since in her heart she says,
    ‘I rule as a queen;
I am no widow,
    and I will never see grief,’
8 therefore her plagues will come in a single day—
    pestilence and mourning and famine—
and she will be burned with fire;
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

9 And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; 10 they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,

“Alas, alas, the great city,
    Babylon, the mighty city!
For in one hour your judgment has come.”

11 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, choice flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, slaves—and human lives.

14 “The fruit for which your soul longed
    has gone from you,
and all your dainties and your splendor
    are lost to you,
    never to be found again!”

The Gospel

Luke 14:1-11
Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy
14:1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. 2 Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?” 4 But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. 5 Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?” 6 And they could not reply to this.

Humility and Hospitality
7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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.
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore ...

The Morning Prayer for SATURDAY, November 10, 2018

Saturday morning prayer

Dear Savior, help me remember as I begin my weekend activities. Whether work or leisure will engage me today, keep my thoughts and actions centered on You. Make it a day of contentment for me, no matter if the activities I face are pleasant or tedious. Keep me through the Holy Spirit from willful sins and from those sins I do not even realize I am committing. Help me be a positive influence in others' lives as I go my way. Let my inner rejoicing in Your salvation be evident in all I say and do so that I bring glory and not shame to Your most holy name.

Amen

Verse of the Day for SATURDAY, November 10, 2018

Job 37:5-6 (NIV) God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

Read all of Job 37

Listen to Job 37

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 - Jamás los conocí

Jamás los conocí

«No todo el que me dice: “Señor, Señor”, entrará en el reino de los cielos, sino solo el que hace la voluntad de mi Padre».

~ Mateo 7:21 (NVI)

Vamos llegando al final de nuestros veintiún días de aprendizaje, o solo de repaso, a fin de poder tener muy presente las cosas que nos alejan de Dios. De seguro que ahora todos estamos con el mismo deseo: Hacer su voluntad.

Cuando analizo las siguientes palabras del Señor: «Jamás los conocí» (Mateo 7:23), solo digo: ¡Qué terrible!! A veces nos creemos muy sabios, muy espirituales, y que tenemos el cielo ganado. Incluso, hay quienes dicen tener a Jesús, pero nunca le han entregado su vida, a pesar de que hacen y dicen cosas en su nombre, pero es en vano.

Por eso la lectura de estas palabras del Señor nos pone a pensar y a reflexionar en lo que hacemos o dejamos de hacer en nuestra vida cristiana. Aunque muchos digan «Señor, Señor», o por más cosas que hagan en la tierra en su nombre, no todos estarán en su presencia. Y aquí quiero que prestes mayor atención. La salvación, o sea, la vida eterna, es un regalo inmerecido que recibimos por la gracia de Dios. Así que mi llamado es a que seamos honestos, transparentes y sinceros delante de Dios, ya que a Él no lo podemos engañar. Él conoce nuestro corazón.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Vamos llegando al final de nuestros veintiún días de aprendizaje, o solo de repaso, a fin de poder tener muy presente las cosas que nos alejan de Dios. De seguro que ahora todos estamos con el mismo deseo: Hacer su voluntad.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - AM I WORTHY?

AM I WORTHY?

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

~ Matthew 10:38 (NIV)

Helen Roseveare was an elderly missionary to Congo, Africa when I was still very young. I remember her holding the audience of ten thousand university students spell-bound and then in tears at Urbana ’76. Her life story is a testimony to the grace of God portrayed in the 1989 movie, Mama Luka Comes Home.

She is often asked by young people what she suffered for Jesus. Her simple answer is, “During the Simba uprising in the Congo, I was raped twice. Government soldiers came to my bungalow, ransacked it, and then grabbed me. I was beaten and savagely kicked, losing my back teeth through the boot of a rebel soldier. They broke my glasses, so I could not see to protect myself from the next blow.

“Then one at a time, two army officers took me to my own bedroom and raped me. They dragged me out into a clearing, tied me to a tree, and stood around laughing. And while I was there, beaten and humiliated and violated, someone brought out the only existing hand-written manuscript of a book I had been writing about God’s work in the Congo over an eleven-year period. They put it on the ground in front of me and burned it.

“I asked myself, Was it worth it? Eleven years of my life poured out in selfless service for the African people and now this? The minute I expressed that, God’s Holy Spirit settled over that terrible scene and He began to speak to me.”

‘“My daughter, the question is not “Is it worth it?” The question is, “Am I worthy?” Am I, the Lord Jesus who gave His life for you, worthy for you to make this kind of sacrifice for Me.’ And God broke my heart,” Helen continues. “I looked up and I said, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, yes, it is worth it, for You are worthy!’” She concludes, “When you ask the right question, you’ll always know that He is absolutely worthy of anything you can give Him or do for Him!”

Phil Callaway of SERVANT magazine once asked her, “Did you ever struggle to forgive those men?”

“No,” she replied. “There was no sense of bitterness or even anger. I was overwhelmed by the sense that God was graciously using me in His purpose. All He asked of me was the loan of my body. The consequences were His. A year later when I returned to Congo and met the man who had humiliated me, I realized that I did carry some resentment and I wasn’t sure I had forgiven him. But God led me to accept from Him the forgiveness that only God can give, and He gave me His peace again.”[1]

Helen returned to Congo after all the above and continued her life of service for Jesus among the African people.

RESPONSE: Today I will ask the right question, “Is Jesus worthy of the sacrifices He asks me to make?” Then I will answer affirmatively and take up my cross and follow Him!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for the wonderful trophies of grace, like Helen Rosevere, who encourage us in our walk with You who are truly worthy.

1. Phil Callaway, “Is it worth it?” Servant (Issue 85, 2010), p.11.

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 - Digging Out of a Little Sin

Digging Out of a Little Sin

Joshua 7:1–26

“Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.”

~ Joshua 7:11 (NIV)

I’m tempted to cry, “Not fair!” upon reading the story of Achan. First, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal for him to have taken some treasure as reward for victory in battle. And second, all of the Israelites were held responsible for the sin of one man who had stolen and hidden plunder after the battle of Jericho against God’s direct command. Because of the “small” sin of one man, God punished all of Israel by withdrawing his blessing and allowing the people to be humiliated and defeated at the battle of Ai.

I remember when my young children would complain that a punishment was too harsh for their “teeny” disobedience. I’d bring up Adam and Eve’s teeny bite of the forbidden fruit. I’d ask them how many bites of the fruit it would have taken to become a punishable act. They got it—that it’s not the size of the disobedience but the meaning behind it that’s the problem. Like Achan, Adam and Eve disrespected God by their disobedience.

Likewise, in marriage, individual actions reflect one’s commitment to the marriage covenant. When I’m tempted to do something selfish, I ask myself two questions: (1) “How would I feel if Grey did this?” and (2) “How would I feel if our children found out?” I’m stopped in my tracks every time. So, something like an “innocent” email exchange with an old flame is now revealed to my own heart for what it is: betrayal.

Sin in marriage is not an individual issue. It affects the marriage relationship, the wider family and also the entire community. Who would deny that infidelity and divorce have wreaked havoc upon millions of children and ripped the fabric of our society? In the same way, Achan’s selfish act ripped the fabric of Israel’s relationship with God.

Achan’s other sin was the cover-up; he deceitfully hid the plunder he had stolen. But eventually the truth was revealed, just as it is in twenty-first-century families. A woman writes in her journal about her intimate relationship with another man. She thinks no one will ever know. But one day her husband does the unthinkable; he decides to clean all the books on the bookshelf and discovers the diary behind the dusty volumes. Or a husband thinks he can cover his gambling losses by taking greater risks that promise bigger payoffs. But when the bank statement arrives with a negative balance—and his wife gets the mail—the whole family suffers the painful consequences of financial loss.

Achan’s lesson still holds true: Everyone loses in the sin game.

Mary Ann Jeffreys

Let’s Talk

• What steps will we take to stay honest with each other about money, friends, and recreational activities? In what areas have we been less than fully honest?
• What effect might “hidden” sins have on our marriage if we continue doing them for several months or even years?
• What “no big deal” sins are we willing to overlook in our relationship? If we continue doing them, what or who might then bring them to light?

I’m tempted to cry, “Not fair!”

LHM Daily Devotions - No Other Gospel

"No Other Gospel"

Nov. 10, 2018

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ.

~ Galatians 1:5-6 (ESV)

What I am talking about today is not religion, but faith. What I am telling about today does not come from me, nor from any other human being. It comes from God. What comes from God is the Gospel-the Good News-what God did in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what God does in the hearts of people even today through the good news of His action in Jesus Christ. In Christ! That's the secret of the Gospel.

People have a natural feeling, deeply ingrained in them, that they ought to be doing something to win the favor of God. It goes against their grain to hear the news, good as it may be, that God forgives and accepts sinful people like ourselves simply for the sake of Christ. It is hard to believe. It is hard to accept. It goes against everything we have even learned, especially the principle that "you get what you pay for." The grace of God is really an affront to the pride of man. A television commercial in the United States has a girl saying to her mother, "I'd rather do it myself." That's human. It's so human that an advertiser latched onto it as a principle of life.

There is another principle: God is still God. He has the right to do what He wants to do. He has decided to do it by grace. He has said, "I'd rather do it Myself." He did it Himself in His Son Jesus Christ. It isn't so much that we love God as that He loved us and gave us His Son to be a sacrifice in our place. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us.

Christ died on His cross, and He did it His own way. When He was reviled, He reviled not in return. When He suffered, He did not spend His time threatening the people who caused Him suffering. He bore in His own body our sins on that cross of His, that we might get the idea of God's grace and might make a clean break with our sins to take the righteousness He has to give: His righteousness. It is something you can't buy, no matter how you try. You get it by grace, or you don't get it at all. There is no other Gospel.

Jesus died for our sins, and God forgives for the sake of His Son Jesus. God raised His Son from the dead, and declared Him to be the Son of God with power. His Lordship is God's glory. Jesus Christ is Good News from God! He is the Gospel of God's grace and glory.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, the Gospel You have given us in Your Son is the only route to salvation. The cross of Jesus destroys any notion that we can get to You on our own. Increase our faith in Your Son and the redemption He so earnest won on our behalf. In His Name we pray. Amen.

From "No Other Gospel," a sermon excerpt from Oswald Hoffmann, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What I am talking about today is not religion, but ...

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Sự Hiện Diện Của Ngài

Sự Hiện Diện Của Ngài

Đọc: Xuất Ê-díp-tô ký 3:7-12 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: Giê-rê-mi 48-49; Hê-bơ-rơ 7

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Đức Giê-hô-va phán: “Chính Ta sẽ đi với con, và Ta sẽ cho con được an nghỉ.” Xuất Ê-díp-tô ký 33:14

Người cha lo lắng và đứa con trai tuổi thiếu niên ngồi trước thầy pháp. Thầy pháp hỏi: “Con ông sẽ đi bao xa?” Người đàn ông trả lời: “Đến một thành phố lớn,” “và nó sẽ đi lâu ngày.” Đưa cho người cha một lá bùa (loại bùa may mắn), thầy pháp nói: “Cái này sẽ bảo vệ nó bất cứ nơi nào nó đi.”

Tôi là cậu bé đó. Tuy nhiên, thầy pháp và lá bùa đó đã chẳng giúp được gì cho tôi. Trong thời gian ở thành phố đó, tôi tin nhận Chúa Jêsus. Tôi ném bỏ lá bùa đó và bám chặt lấy Đấng Christ. Tôi được bảo đảm về sự hiện diện của Đức Chúa Trời khi có Chúa Jêsus trong cuộc đời mình.

Ba mươi năm sau, bố tôi giờ đây là một tín hữu, ông nói với tôi khi chúng tôi vội vàng đưa em tôi đến bệnh viện: “Chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện; Thánh Linh Chúa đi với con và sẽ ở cùng con trên mọi nẻo đường!” Chúng tôi đã học biết rằng sự hiện diện và năng quyền của Chúa là sự đảm bảo duy nhất của chúng tôi.

Môi-se đã học bài học tương tự. Ông được Chúa giao cho một công tác đầy thách thức, là dẫn dân sự thoát khỏi ách nô lệ tại Ai Cập và bước vào Đất Hứa (Xuất. 3:10). Nhưng Chúa bảo đảm với ông: “Ta sẽ ở với con” (c.12).

Hành trình của chúng tôi cũng không thiếu những thách thức, nhưng chúng tôi được bảo đảm về sự hiện diện của Đức Chúa Trời. Như Chúa Jêsus phán cùng các môn đồ: “Ta luôn ở với các con cho đến tận thế” (Mat. 28:20).

Lạy Chúa, khi hành trình dường như quá dài và mỏi mệt, xin giúp con nhớ rằng Ngài đang đồng hành cùng con.

Chúng ta không cần phải sợ hãi bởi vì Chúa Jêsus đi cùng chúng ta trên mọi nẻo đường.

bởi Lawrence Darmani

© 2018 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày
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