The Daily Lectionary for THURSDAY, December 13, 2018

Encouragement to Be Generous
2 Corinthians 8:1-15

The Daily Lectionary

THURSDAY, December 13, 2018

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Isaiah 12:2-6

2 Surely God is my salvation;
    I will trust, and will not be afraid,
  for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
    he has become my salvation.

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

  Give thanks to the Lord,
    call on his name;
  make known his deeds among the nations;
    proclaim that his name is exalted.

5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
    let this be known in all the earth.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Amos 6:1-8

Complacent Self-Indulgence Will Be Punished
6:1 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,
    and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
  the notables of the first of the nations,
    to whom the house of Israel resorts!
2 Cross over to Calneh, and see;
    from there go to Hamath the great;
    then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
  Are you better than these kingdoms?
    Or is your territory greater than their territory,
3 O you that put far away the evil day,
    and bring near a reign of violence?

4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,
    and lounge on their couches,
  and eat lambs from the flock,
    and calves from the stall;
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,
    and like David improvise on instruments of music;
6 who drink wine from bowls,
    and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
    but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,
    and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

8 The Lord God has sworn by himself
  (says the Lord, the God of hosts):
  I abhor the pride of Jacob
    and hate his strongholds;
    and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Encouragement to Be Generous
8:1 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2 for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, 4 begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— 5 and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6 so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written,

  “The one who had much did not have too much,
    and the one who had little did not have too little.”

Optional parts of the readings are set off in square brackets.

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.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

The Morning Prayer for THURSDAY, December 13, 2018

Thursday Morning Prayer

Lord on this day I remember that You go before me, so I pause to meditate on Your promises. Thank You Lord that You go with me, You lay a pathway, You watch over me like a shepherd. So I give You my fears, worries and anxieties. I lay all tension and stress at the foot of the cross. Thank You that You arose from the death, and that You bring life, freedom, hope and the promise of Heaven! Praise You that I am safe in Your presence.

May Thursday be a hope filled day, that floods my fears with light, a day that quiets all anxious thoughts as I encounter Christ. Let Thursday always prompt my heart to stop and find Your peace, and live upon the truth You give my eyes to You I lift.

Amen

Verse of the Day for THURSDAY, December 13, 2018

Matthew 2:4-6 (NIV) When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Read all of Matthew 2

Listen to Matthew 2

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 - Oración por el lugar en Cristo

Oración por el lugar en Cristo

Dios puede hacer que toda gracia abunde para ustedes, de manera que [...] toda buena obra abunde en ustedes.

~2 Corintios 9:8 (NVI)

Dios mío, gracias por este nuevo día que nos regalas. Hoy vengo delante de ti presentando a cada uno de tus hijos, a cada persona que hoy lee estas cortas líneas o que escuchan a través de la radio o la Internet esta pequeña, pero muy significativa oración.

Te pido, mi Dios, que estas palabras logren tener el efecto en las vidas de las personas que necesitan poner su vida por completo en tus manos.

Te ruego por cada uno de esas personas que no se aprecia, ni valora o que su autoestima está por los suelos, a fin de que pueda colocar su identidad en ti. Que con tu ayuda, salgan a conquistar el mundo, sientan el deseo de alcanzar metas y, lo más importante, sentir tu compañía.

Señor, rompe toda cadena de amargura y de depresión. Corta todos los lazos del pasado y en este momento infunde en sus corazones un nuevo soplo de vida cargado de deseos de vivir, de superarse, de olvidar y perdonar. Que de ahora en adelante, sin importar la situación que atraviesen, sepan que su lugar está en ti.

Acompáñanos, mi Dios, y ten misericordia de nosotros.

En el nombre de Jesús, amén y amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Hoy vengo delante de ti presentando a cada uno de tus hijos, a cada persona que hoy lee estas cortas líneas o que escuchan a través de la radio o la Internet esta pequeña, pero muy significativa oración.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - KEEPING FAITH SIMPLE

KEEPING FAITH SIMPLE

The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

~ Psalm 25:14 (NIV)

Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight from his teaching, “Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church.”

On his first visit to America, I took a Chinese Bible teacher to a Christian bookstore. I was not prepared for his reaction. I thought he would be overwhelmed by the variety of Bibles, reading aids, books and multi-media material on show. He was, but not in the way I expected. He stopped in the middle of the store, turned to me and said, “It must be very hard to be a Christian here.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“How are you going to keep your faith simple with all this available?” We walked around the store as he told me what he meant. He picked five books off the shelf. All had similar titles like The Christian’s secret of a happy life. He leafed through them and said, “Each book seems to say there’s a secret to living a happy life in Jesus. But their secrets are all different. They all say there is one secret, but each has a different secret? That’s confusing.”

“Well, that’s just marketing” I explained a little defensively. But he went on. “Does that mean I have to buy all five books to really know Christ? That makes me anxious. What other secrets might I not be aware of? I have to buy more books. And soon, I would have more books than I could read, and I would not be happy, but guilty that I had spent money on all these books that I had no time to read.”

He put the books down on the floor and said quietly, “In China, I prayed for God to bring me books. He did, but only at the rate of about four per year. So I read those books thoroughly. I copied out passages. I made summaries for teachers. I learned whole chunks by heart. These books really formed me. The point I’m trying to make is that if you have too many books, it’s difficult to read one properly. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just hard. And this variety actually makes faith more complicated than it really is.”

He taught me a daily habit he learned in prison. “Every morning when you wake up, don’t get up; just stay in bed and for ten minutes thank God for anything that comes into your mind. It might be the wallpaper, it might be for friends, it might just be for life. Anything. Once you get going you discover that the world is full of grace, God’s grace. With that attitude you are ready to live the day for God because you are overwhelmed at how generous God is to you.”

It’s so simple, and yet isn’t there something in us that finds the simplest activities so hard to keep up? Maybe that is why we pack our lives with an infinite variety of routines and habits. Anything but just continually doing what is simple.

A Vietnamese evangelist said, “We are to stay in the first grade, grateful to Jesus, repentant for our sins, expectant of his coming. Don’t graduate or you’ll leave the basics behind.”

RESPONSE: Today I will live my life simply – back to basics of praising, praying, witnessing, awaiting.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to stay in first grade so that I will never leave behind the basics.

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

NIV Devotionals for Men - Faithless vs. Unfaithful

Faithless vs. Unfaithful

Jeremiah 3:6–20
Recommended Reading: 2 Chronicles 26:16–21; Luke 18:9–14; John 9:41; Hebrews 10:26–31

Two words for wanderers: faithless and unfaithful.

The faithless people of Israel forgot their first love. They lost their passion for service. Though they had once enjoyed a close relationship with their Maker, they turned from him, rejecting truths they had once held dear. And so they struggled just beyond the safe harbor, battered by the seas of uncertainty.

Unfaithful Judah, by contrast, knew the truth but denied its footing in the nation’s heart. An unfaithful man may say that he’s on God’s side, but his actions, words and priorities prove otherwise. By God’s measure, an unfaithful person ranks with a traitor—wicked and treacherous. Why? Because he mocks the very relationship he pretends to honor. Simply put, he pretends to be a believer, while deep down he’s a phony.

For the unfaithful, faking love for God can become an addiction. We all know people who have all the right moves. At church they pray with impressive sincerity, but at home they shred their spouses with cruel comments. This inconsistency is like a ten-foot-long fingernail screeching across God’s chalkboard. It grates on the soul.

The unfaithful float through life, sinning without shame. They’re in the most dangerous place imaginable. They hang in the balance. Unless they reestablish their bond with God, replacing showiness with sincerity, they will be damned.

The faithless and the unfaithful—the Bible holds out hope for both. For the former, however, the journey to the Savior seems shorter, more direct. Sometimes faithless men can learn to trust more by admitting their doubt. Slipping away from the mark and sliding back from the goal are synonyms for faithless. The remedy is simple: Return to the Lord.

Contrast that with the unfaithful person. He pretends his life is sewn up tight while he’s busy yanking out the stitches with his own hands.

If you think either template fits your life, stop your wandering. Come back to your God and King.

To Take Away

• Would you rather be the faithless man or the unfaithful man? Why?
• Do you know any faithless or unfaithful men? How can you offer them encouragement?
• What people or circumstances cause you to wander away from Jesus? What practical steps can you take to protect yourself from these stumbling blocks?

Would you rather be the faithless man or the unfaithful man?

Girlfriends in God - Leaving the Land of Disappointment

Leaving the Land of Disappointment

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

~ John 20:1 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

Sometimes you expect you’re getting a Rachel and you wake up with a Leah. Okay, I know that example might connect better with a guy, but you get the point.

Let me try that again. What do you do after you’ve crossed the Red Sea of obstacles, only to be dying of thirst at Marah three days later? How do you keep your dancing from turning into disappointment? One thing is for sure; you don’t drive down your tent pegs by the disappointing waters of Marah and camp out there. You move on.

I think of the women on Jesus’s ministry team. They had committed their lives to the Messiah and believed that He would restore Israel. Mary Magdalene and a handful of other women had followed him for more three years. But life had not turned out like they thought it would. Their hopes and dreams were nailed to a cross and the lifeblood spilled on the ground to be trampled underfoot. Their future lay in a borrowed tomb—sealed behind an imposing stone.

It appeared Jesus was not going to be the ruler and set things right after all. The very people He came to save had killed Him. This was not how the story was supposed to go . . . at least in their eyes.

So what did Mary and the other women do? On the third day after Jesus’s death, while it was still dark,they got up, gathered their spices and started walking to the tomb (John 20:1).  Never mind that it was still dark. Never mind that a giant boulder blocked the tomb’s entrance . . . a stone too heavy for the women to move.

Never mind that armed Roman soldiers stood guard over the grave. Never mind that the disciples were so discouraged and disillusioned that they hid away in a secret room. Never mind all that. The women didn’t have all the details worked out in their heads, but they were not going to sit home in their discouragement—paralyzed into inactivity. They were going to move forward . . . while it was still dark.

Mary Magdalene got up, and she got going . . . while it was still dark. In the end, she was not disappointed that she took this step of faith, and you won’t be either. Just as assuredly as Jesus met her at her greatest point of need, He will meet you at yours.

Did you notice that Mary Magdalene didn’t wait until her circumstances changed before she got moving? Jesus was still dead as far as she knew. But she got up and moved forward anyway.

And where did she go? Yes, she went to the tomb, but there is more. She went back to the last pace she had seen Him. Perhaps that is where you need to go today. Go back to the last place you encountered Jesus. Even if it is still dark. Even if you are still in a dark place. Even if a seemingly impossible imposing boulder of disappointment is blocking your dreams. Don’t worry about moving the stone. God’s good at that. You just keep putting one faithful foot in front of the other and let God take care of the rest.

Oh, what we miss when we make camp in the painful place of disappointment and refuse God’s invitation to continue the adventurous journey. We miss the moments of sudden glory when our eyes are shut tight because of discouragement, and our hearts are bolted fast with despair.

Never allow the weight of discouragement hold you down or lower your expectations of the life in Christ. Get up. Get moving. Open your eyes. Open your heart. There’s more to experience just around the bend.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, sometimes I get so discouraged that I just stop. I drive my tent pegs down in the soil of discouragement and camp out. I know I need to leave the past behind and press on toward what is ahead. That is exactly what I’m going to do today. Give me the courage and the power of the Holy Spirit to take the next step out of the wilderness and head toward my Promised Land.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Is there an area of deep disappointment in your life that you’ve gotten stuck in?

What is one thing that you can do to put the past behind and move forward…even if it is still dark? Even if you don’t see a break in the clouds? Even if you don’t see God moving?

More from the Girlfriends

A mediocre, mundane faith is not your destiny! In Take Hold of the Faith You Long For: Let God, Move Forward, Live Bold, I reveal the most common reasons we get stuck in our Christian faith. I show you how to break free of all that holds you back, move forward with all that God promises, and live the adventurous faith of bold believing. It’s time to leave behind feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy that hold you hostage and take hold of the mountain-moving faith God intends. Let’s uncover untapped sources of confidence and courage, and see how to move from simply knowing the truth to actually living it out boldly in a life marked by true freedom and expectancy. It’s time to get UNSTUCK! (Includes a Bible Study Guide for group or individual study.)

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com

Sometimes you expect you’re getting a Rachel and you wake up with a Leah.

LHM Daily Devotions - THE RIGHT PERSON?

"THE RIGHT PERSON?"

Dec. 13, 2018

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

~ Luke 1:26-29 (ESV)

Every so often I pick up the phone, only to hear an unfamiliar voice saying things that make no sense in my situation. "Sorry, wrong number," I say, and hang up. Mary couldn't "hang up" on Gabriel, but she seems to have been thinking much the same thing: "'Favored one'? The Lord is with me? Is he talking to the right girl? What sort of greeting is this?"

But Gabriel went on to confirm he had it right. "You have found favor with God," he said. Mary was on the receiving end of God's favor, God's grace—and so, yes, she was the right girl, and she would conceive Jesus and give birth to the Savior of the world.

God calls to us too, and sometimes we're tempted to hang up on Him. "What's this you're calling me?" we think. "Child of God, beloved one, saint, precious and bought with a price—are You talking to the wrong person here?" We certainly don't feel like all of that. Our sins are staring us right in the face!

But all those names—that's what God sees when He looks at us. And like Mary, we too have found favor with God. By Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, we really are those things now—beloved, holy children of God. It's not a wrong number when God calls us His own. Like Mary, we are now "the right people."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for loving me and making me Your own. Thank You that when You call me "beloved" and "child," You really do mean me, the one You have saved. Amen.

The Coming King REFLECTION QUESTIONS!

• What is the funniest or strangest wrong number call you have received?

• On what occasions do you feel the most like "the wrong person" —awkward, uncomfortable, out of place?

• Which of the many names God uses to describe you has the most meaning for you today?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Every so often I pick up the phone, only to hear an unfamiliar voice saying things that make no sense in my situation. "Sorry, wrong number," I say, and hang up.

Devocional del CPTLN de 13 de Diciembre de 2018 - ¿La persona correcta?

ALIMENTO DIARIO

¿La persona correcta?

13 de Diciembre de 2018

Seis meses después, Dios envió al ángel Gabriel a la ciudad galilea de Nazaret para ver a María, una virgen que estaba comprometida con José, un hombre que era descendiente de David. El ángel entró en donde ella estaba y le dijo: «¡Salve, muy favorecida! El Señor está contigo.» Cuando ella escuchó estas palabras, se sorprendió y se preguntaba qué clase de saludo era ése.

~ Lucas 1:26-29 (RVC)

De vez en cuando tomo el teléfono sólo para escuchar una voz desconocida que dice cosas que para mí no tienen sentido. "Lo siento, número equivocado", le digo, y cuelgo. María no pudo "colgarle" a Gabriel, pero parece haber pensado más o menos lo mismo: "¿Favorecida? ¿El Señor está conmigo? ¿Qué tipo de saludo es este?"

Pero Gabriel continuó, confirmando que no estaba equivocado. "Has encontrado el favor de Dios", le dijo. No había dudas, ella era la persona correcta, quien concebiría a Jesús y daría a luz al Salvador del mundo.

Dios también nos llama a nosotros, y algunas veces estamos tentados de colgarle. "¿Qué es esto a lo que me estás llamando?", pensamos. "Hijo de Dios, amado, santo, precioso y comprado a un precio", nos dice. ¿No estás hablando con la persona equivocada? Ciertamente no nos identificamos con todo eso. ¡Nuestros pecados nos miran directamente a la cara!

Pero todas esas cosas son las que Dios ve cuando nos mira. Y al igual que María, nosotros también hemos encontrado el favor de Dios. Gracias a la vida, muerte y resurrección de Jesús, realmente somos esas cosas ahora: amados, santos hijos de Dios. Cuando Dios nos llama suyos, no está hablando a un número equivocado. Al igual que María, ahora somos "las personas correctas".

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, gracias por amarme y hacerme tuyo. Gracias porque cuando dice "amado" e "hijo" te estás refiriendo a mí, a quien has salvado a través del sacrificio de tu Hijo. Amén.

PREGUNTAS DE REFLEXIÓN:

• ¿En qué circunstancias te sientes incómodo, fuera de lugar, como "la persona equivocada"?

• ¿Cuál de los muchos nombres que Dios usa para describirte significa más para ti?

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿En qué circunstancias te sientes incómodo, fuera de lugar, como "la persona equivocada"?

Хлеб наш насущный - Дерево надежды

Дерево надежды

Читать сейчас: Плач Иеремии 3:1-3, 12-24 | Библия за год: Осии 12-14; Откровение 4

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Милосердие Его не истощилось: оно обновляется каждое утро. Велика верность Твоя! — Плач Иеремии 3:22-23

Я развесила на елке разноцветные мигающие фонарики, украсила ветки розовыми и голубыми гирляндами и окрестила ее «Елка ожидания». Мы с мужем четыре года ждали, когда нам разрешат усыновить ребенка. И вот, появилась надежда, что малыш появится у нас на Рождество.

Каждое утро я останавливалась возле елки и молилась, напоминая себе о Божьей верности. 21 декабря мы получили известие: ребенка не будет. Разочарованная, я встала перед елкой, которая была для меня символом Божьего провидения. Был ли Бог действительно верен? Или я что-то сделала не так?

Иногда Бог отказывает нам в чем-то, потому что хочет воспитать в нас терпение. А иногда Он делает это, чтобы укрепить нашу веру. В книге Плач Иеремии древний пророк описывает, как Бог наказывал Израиль. Боль была неописуемой. «[Он] натянул лук Свой и поставил меня как бы целью для стрел – послал в почки мои стрелы из колчана Своего» (Плач 3:12-13). Но при всем этом Иеремия выражает полную убежденность в Божьей верности. «Милосердие Его не истощилось: оно обновляется каждое утро. Велика верность Твоя!» (Плач 3:22-23).

Я продолжала молиться по утрам возле елки и после Рождества. Перед самой Пасхой мы наконец получили девочку! Бог всегда верен, хотя не всегда действует в соответствии с нашими сроками и ожиданиями.

Теперь моим детям за тридцать. Но каждый год я украшаю маленькую елочку и напоминаю себе и другим о Божьей верности.

Боже, помоги мне доверять Тебе, даже если я не вижу того, что Ты делаешь. Я знаю, Ты верен.

Главное основание нашей надежды – Божья верность.

автор: Элиза Морган

© 2018 Хлеб Наш Насущный
Я развесила на елке разноцветные мигающие фонарики, украсила ветки розовыми и голубыми гирляндами и окрестила ее «Елка ожидания».