The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, January 14, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, January 14, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 106:1-12

A Confession of Israel’s Sins
1  Praise the Lord!
     O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
     for his steadfast love endures forever.
2  Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord,
     or declare all his praise?
3  Happy are those who observe justice,
     who do righteousness at all times.

4  Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
     help me when you deliver them;
5  that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
     that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
     that I may glory in your heritage.

6  Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
     we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7  Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
     did not consider your wonderful works;
   they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
     but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
8  Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
     so that he might make known his mighty power.
9  He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry;
     he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe,
     and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
     not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words;
     they sang his praise.

Judges 4:1-16

Deborah and Barak
4:1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.

4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him. 15 And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, 16 while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.

Ephesians 6:10-17

The Whole Armor of God
6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

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
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The Morning Prayer for MONDAY, January 14, 2019

Monday morning prayer

Lord,

Sometimes, Monday can be a hard day. Dreaded on Sunday and fled from on a Friday. Yet why Lord as Monday could be the beginning of a work adventure, the new challenge of a week filled with potential? So I pray you would help me to embrace this day.

Let it be a new day and a wonder day. Help me to see not the clouds but the sunrise, not the rain but the ripples of falling drops. Show me the joy of the embrace with loved ones, not the tensions and troubles. Monday need not be the grudge day to be endured but the fun day to be embraced.

Lord -Jesus Christ, your blood washes away our sins and reconciles us to you. May we never get used to the wonder of a God who gives his own life for those who are killing him. This day, help me to turn my eyes towards your Kingdom, of love, hope and new beginnings.

Amen

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, January 14, 2019

1 John 4:20-21 (NIV) Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Read all of 1 John 4

Listen to 1 John 4

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 - ¿Por qué voy a desanimarme?

¿Por qué voy a desanimarme?

¿Por qué voy a desanimarme? ¿Por qué voy a estar preocupado? Mi esperanza he puesto en Dios.

~ Salmo 42:11 (DHH)

El desánimo, la tristeza, la frustración y la baja autoestima son aliados para hacernos infelices. Dios, en su Palabra, dice: «El gozo del Señor es nuestra fortaleza» (Nehemías 8:10). Si comprendemos esta frase, veremos que este consejo que nos dejó Dios lo hizo como un Padre que sabía que tendríamos dificultades y momentos de prueba. Entonces, si nos manteníamos con gozo, que significa estar en Él, creyendo que está de nuestro lado, que no nos abandona en las situaciones que se presentan, sino que en cambio nos da la fuerza, tendremos la sabiduría y el entendimiento para escuchar su voz y salir adelante triunfantes. Eso nos ayudará a ver y vivir la vida de otra manera.

Esto no quiere decir que no sea válido sentirse mal. Somos humanos, pero nuestra manera de pensar debe cambiar y acoplarse a la mentalidad de Dios que solo espera que tú y yo seamos felices.

Es posible que en este mismo momento estés pasando la peor situación de tu vida. A lo mejor estás considerando si vale la pena seguir adelante. Por eso, Dios en este día te dice: «No pierdas la esperanza, no te desanimes, pues yo estoy contigo y te sacaré adelante. Así, podrás reconocer que yo soy tu Dios. Solo cree en mí».

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
El desánimo, la tristeza, la frustración y la baja autoestima son aliados para hacernos infelices. Dios, en su Palabra, dice: ...

Standing Strong Through the Storm - LEAVES ARE ALWAYS GREEN

LEAVES ARE ALWAYS GREEN

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…its leaves are always green…”

~ Jeremiah 17:7-8b (NIV)

Trees were not plentiful in Israel and most grew by sources of water like an oasis or a stream. Jeremiah’s simile indicates a person with confidence in the Lord is like a deep-rooted tree by the stream whose leaves never die but are always green.

Aunty Esther was the first Christian I met inside China thirty years ago. She was a diminutive elderly Chinese medical doctor with a soft, kind voice that masks the many years of suffering through which she has passed.

“During the Cultural Revolution,” she says, “I was called in by my superior one day. At that time I was in charge of eight large pediatric wards in my hospital. “The communists were cracking down on people who did not toe the current party line. My superior warned me that I should deny my faith and join the communist party or I may have to face the serious consequences of job demotion and salary reduction.

“A few days later, I was rudely awakened by four nurses who roughly pulled me from my bed and marched me to the hospital. En route they stopped at a barbershop and shaved off half of my hair. In front of the rest of the staff, I was confronted to renounce my faith in Christ and join the communist party.

“I responded, ‘I can’t deny Jesus. I love Jesus!’ At the mention of his name they threw me down on the ground and cursed. Later, the communist cadre at my hospital tore the stethoscope from my neck and said, ‘You are no longer Esther; you are now The Fool.’

Esther continues. For the next eleven years she lived in the basement of the hospital and obediently submitted to her new task—cleaning the floors and toilets of the hospital wards that she previously headed. Her already meager salary of 50 dollars per month was reduced to 15 dollars. And she had to buy the cleaning materials from it. The rest was used up on food.

But Esther practiced the presence of Jesus in her job. She sang as she toiled. With a twinkle in her eyes she adds, “My hospital had the cleanest floors and cleanest toilets in all of China!” Hospital staff would come to her and with great envy question her source of joy in spite of her troubles. Esther responded, “When you have Jesus in your heart, it doesn’t matter what job you do or what position you have. It only matters that you love Him and are faithful and loyal to Him!”

When the Cultural Revolution period ended, Aunty Esther was reinstated in her original job and given back pay for all that she had been deprived during those eleven years. This amount enabled her to send one of her children to the USA for higher education. She faithfully carried on her public witness for Jesus until the day she died in her late nineties.

RESPONSE: I will allow my roots to grow deep in the Lord so that my leaves will always be green.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the example of faithful Aunty Esther whose life reflected Your love.

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

Women of the Bible - Hagar

Hagar

Her name means: "Fugitive" or "Immigrant"

Her character: A foreigner and slave, Hagar let pride overtake her when she became Abraham's wife. A lonely woman with few resources, she suffered harsh punishment for her mistake. She obeyed God's voice as soon as she heard it and was given a promise that her son would become the father of a great nation.
Her sorrow: That she was taken from her homeland to become a slave in a foreign land, where she was mistreated for many years.
Her joy: To know that God cared, that he saw her suffering and heard her cry, and that he helped her when she needed him most.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 16; 21:8-21; Galatians 4:22-31

Her Story

An Egyptian slave and Sarah's bitter rival, Hagar still had one thing going for her that her mistress never enjoyed: a personal revelation of God, who lovingly intervened on her behalf, not once but twice. It happened when she was alone and afraid, without a shekel to her name—but that's getting ahead of the story.

You may remember that Abraham, whom we honor as the father of faith, showed little evidence of that faith when he and Sarah first entered Egypt to escape a famine in Canaan. Certain the Egyptians would kill him once they caught sight of his beautiful wife, he advised her to pose as his sister. Soon enough, Pharaoh added Sarah to his harem and rewarded Abraham with an abundance of camels, sheep, cattle, donkeys, and servants. But God punished Pharaoh for his unwitting error so effectively that, when he found out that Sarah was actually Abraham's wife, he ordered the two of them to leave Egypt with all their belongings. Possibly, Hagar was part of the booty Abraham and Sarah took with them—a gift they later regretted.

Still, of the three parties involved in the scheme to make Hagar a surrogate mother, she was perhaps the only innocent one, a slave with little power to resist. When Sarah told Abraham to sleep with her maid, she opened the door to spiritual catastrophe. As soon as Hagar discovered her pregnancy, she began lording it over her mistress, hardly a smart move for a young foreigner up against a woman entrenched in her husband's affections.

In fact, Sarah made life so difficult for Hagar that she fled into the desert, a desperate move for a pregnant woman who was so far from home. She hadn't gotten far before she heard a voice calling, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going? Go back to your mistress and submit to her." But then, as if to sweeten the order, came a word of assurance: "You will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery."

Remarkably, Hagar didn't argue but returned to Abraham and Sarah. Like a stream of water in the desert, God's word had penetrated the wilderness of her heart. Her bondage, her bitterness, her anxiety about the future—God had seen every bit of it. He knew about the child in her womb, naming him Ishmael, meaning "God Hears." In the years to come, whenever Hagar would hold her son close, watch him play, or worry about his future, she would remember that God was near, listening for the child's cry. Little wonder that she had responded to the voice in the desert by calling the Lord "the God who sees me."

Some sixteen years later, Hagar found herself once again in the wilderness, this time by force rather than by choice. In a crescendo of bitterness against her younger rival, Sarah had expelled Hagar and Ishmael from their home. Dying from thirst, Hagar placed her son under a bush and withdrew, unable to witness his agony.

Her weeping was soon broken by an angel's voice, "Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." With that, the angel of the Lord opened Hagar's eyes so that she discovered a well of water nearby that would save her son's life.

The last we see of Hagar, she is living in the Desert of Paran in the Sinai Peninsula, busy securing a wife, and, therefore, a future, for Ishmael. God had made a way in the wilderness for a single woman and her son, without friends, family, or resources to help her. He had seen, he had heard, and he had indeed been faithful.

Her Promise

A thin young woman sits huddled in the front seat of her car. She covers her ears to block out the sound of her little son as he whimpers with cold in the backseat. Her husband abandoned her and the boy two months before. Left without resources, she was soon turned out of her apartment. The car is now their only home. It has long since seen its last drop of gasoline, and its worn interior provides little protection from the winter winds outside.

This modern-day Hagar is no further from God's promises than was Hagar herself as she poured out her sorrow in the desert. God sees her heartache, just as he saw Hagar's. Though you may not be as desperate as Hagar or her modern counterpart, you may have experienced times in your life that made you fear for the future. Whether you are living in a wilderness of poverty or loneliness or sorrow, God's promises, love, and protection are just as available to you now as they were to Hagar.

This devotional is drawn from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda. Used with permission.
Her sorrow: That she was taken from her homeland to become a slave in a foreign land, where she was mistreated for many years.

Girlfriends in God - Will God Really Help Me?

Will God Really Help Me?

Kelly Balarie

Today’s Truth

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

~ John 19:30 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

I want to rescue him.

That's what I thought on school field day, as I stood on that white painted gym-floor line getting ready to race.

I want to save him from all the bullying, taunting, and discouragement that destroyed him at his last school. Because, I know his pain. If we win, my little guy will finally see He's worthy of love.

At the sound of "Go!” I exploded off the line with all the weight of a six-year-old boy loaded up on my back. It was amazing. With everything in me, my body seemed to run faster than itself. So much so, that I’m sure I was close to twisting my ankle. In fact, we nearly toppled over two times, but I didn't care. No sooner had I crossed the line to win, a mom turned to me to say, "I didn't know if you two were going to make it...and then, you did."

"And then, we did..."

We made it. And I felt happy. On my back, I carried my son's pain because I believed in his redemption.

Likewise, on Jesus' back, He carried our pain because He believed in our redemption.

Jesus ran His race fully invested in our victory, and He won. He carried our pains, faults, and tears-to-come. Taking all the guilt, shame, and self-reproach we are prone to heap on our back.

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30, NIV)

Jesus gave up His life, so we could find ours. Jesus gave up His life, so we could find true hope. Jesus gave up His life, so we could be set free. This is redemption-life.

Oxford dictionary defines redemption as, "the action of gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt."

New friend in Christ, your debt has been cleared. Every old mistakes, trauma, humiliation, and embarrassment has been carried and covered by the love of Jesus. Redemption ran the race and paid the price – for you. You have “new life,” Choose today to believe in it.

“New life” believes the following:
- I have been forgiven, and I am free indeed.
- Jesus loves me, and I am entirely loved.
- Jesus saved m, and I cannot be un-saved.
- God wants me and will not reject me.
- God’s gift and call on my life are irrevocable (see: Romans 11:29)
- I am no longer enslaved to my flesh, but alive to the Holy Spirit.

By Jesus' stripes we are healed. Praise be to God! It is done.

No longer dwell on days of old, for today is a new day. It is full of “new life.” Go forth and live in the joy of your Savior. He has given much to love you.

Let’s Pray

Father, I give to You my fear, worry, anxiety, stress and uncertainty. I let go of shame and regret. Forgive me for carrying these things.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Reflect on how much Jesus has done for you. Thank Him for it.

More from the Girlfriends

Kelly Balarie, blogger at Purposeful Faith and author of the new book “Battle Ready: Train Your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt and Live Victoriously” is passionate about joining hands with women who often find themselves stuck in the pits of life. Step-by-step, word-by-word, her dream is that together they can emerge better - fear, fret and panic-free. Get all of Kelly’s Purposeful Faith blog posts by email for a dose of inspiration and encouragement.

Seeking God?

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

relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Oxford dictionary defines redemption as ...

LHM Daily Devotions - The God-fearing Man or Woman

"The God-fearing Man or Woman"

Jan. 14, 2019

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

~ Psalm 128:1-2 (ESV)

There used to be a time in our nation's history that if someone called you a "God-fearing" man or woman, it was a high compliment. Today the phrase sounds not only archaic and anachronistic but laughable. "God-fearing," you say? Whose god and what are you fearing? If there is a "God," He must be pure love. Therefore, there is nothing to be feared.

Once upon a time in the premodern worldview, everybody knew that God reigned supreme. Yes, of course, He will judge the world. Facts are facts; therefore, live a God-fearing life. Then the 18th century Age of Enlightenment dawned, and modern man displaced fearing God with the power of human reason as supreme over any concept of God. Today in our postmodern world, many have given up on the hope that reason alone can establish any universal standard of justice for mankind. So what is left? The free-floating malaise of despair. Everyone is left to their own devices to meander through life choosing and defining their own values, their own realities and ethics. The premodern God that use to be became the modern God that could have been -- shaped and controlled through human reason -- only to discover that the postmodern God who now has been deemed to be altogether useless. How clever man has become! Fear God? I think not. Postmodern man fears only one thing. Have I made enough good choices to squeeze in the maximum meaning out of life before I die and dissolve back into the nothingness in the universe?

Holy Scripture has another viewpoint: Psalm 128:1 says, "Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways!" This is a statement of eternal reality. All those who fear the Lord shall enjoy the fruit of their labors with a multitude of blessings in this life. For those who don't fear the Lord -- who are lost in a myopic delusion of life-draining narcissism, who seek life's pleasures with no thought for tomorrow -- they shall discover the moment their souls are loosed from their bodies that the God they feared not in this life is now standing before them demanding an accounting.

It will not be a pleasant accounting.

The fear of God is more than just a special sense of awe or reverence. It is also a fear of sinning in the presence of the God who sees all. Proverbs 3:7-8 say, "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, turn away from evil. It will be healing in your flesh and refreshment to your bones" Fear God? Why? Why turn away from any evil that appears to be pleasant to the flesh? In a word, love: our response to God's love for us. For example, can parents hold a newborn child in their arms and not be filled with overpowering love? Imagine you are the God-fearing parents of Jesus holding this newborn Child in your arms for the first time. Love overflows! Joy cascades from heaven! Now imagine your child, your newborn, all grown up ... hanging on a cross, brutally beaten, left to die. Your heart would be broken into a thousand pieces unable to live for a moment longer. But thanks be to God, the Babe of Bethlehem lives! Christ is risen! We are redeemed. Blessed is everyone who fears and loves the Lord in this way. This is the fear and incomprehensible love of God that saves your soul ... and mine.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, through the precious cross of Your dear Son, magnify Your grace in my life so that daily I walk worthy of the Gospel as a God-fearing saint before Your eyes. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Mark Schreiber. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
There used to be a time in our nation's history that if someone called you a "God-fearing" man or woman, it was a high compliment.

Devocional del CPTLN de 14 de Enero de 2019 - Temerosos de Dios

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Temerosos de Dios

14 de Enero de 2019

¡Dichosos todos los que honran al Señor! ¡Dichosos los que van por sus caminos! ¡Dichoso serás, y te irá bien, cuando te alimentes del fruto de tu trabajo!

~ Salmo 128:1-2 (RVC)

Hubo un tiempo en la historia de nuestra nación en el que era un gran cumplido que alguien le dijera a uno que era "temeroso de Dios". Hoy la frase suena no solo arcaica y anacrónica, sino también risible. ¿"Temeroso de Dios", dices? ¿A qué dios le temes? Y ¿qué es lo que temes? Si hay un "Dios", debe ser puro amor; por lo tanto, no hay nada que temer.

Alguna vez, en la era premoderna, todos sabían que Dios era el rey supremo. Es cierto que él volverá a juzgar al mundo. Los hechos son hechos; por lo tanto, vive una vida temerosa de Dios. Luego comenzó la era de la Ilustración del siglo XVIII, y el hombre pasó de temer a Dios a confiar en el poder de la razón por sobre cualquier concepto de Dios. Hoy, en nuestro mundo posmoderno, hemos perdido toda esperanza de que la razón por sí sola pueda establecer un estándar universal de justicia para la humanidad.

¿Qué nos queda entonces? Un malestar general de desesperación. Cada uno debe buscar su manera de deambular por la vida eligiendo y definiendo sus propios valores, realidades y ética. El Dios premoderno se convirtió en el Dios moderno moldeado y controlado por la razón, solo para descubrir ahora que es inútil. ¡Qué inteligente se ha vuelto el hombre! ¿Temerle a Dios? Creo que no. El hombre posmoderno teme solo una cosa. ¿He tomado suficientes decisiones buenas como para sacarle la máxima diversión a la vida antes de morir y disolverme en el universo hasta no ser nada?

La Sagrada Escritura lo ve de otra forma: "¡Dichosos todos los que honran al Señor! ¡Dichosos los que van por sus caminos!" (Salmo 128:1). Esta es una declaración de la realidad eterna. Todos aquellos que temen al Señor disfrutarán del fruto de su labor con una multitud de bendiciones en esta vida. Todos aquellos que no temen al Señor, aquellos que están perdidos en una ilusión miope de narcisismo y que buscan los placeres de la vida sin pensar en el futuro descubrirán, en el momento en que sus almas se liberen de sus cuerpos, que el Dios al que no temieron en esta vida ahora está ante ellos para exigir cuentas. No será un momento agradable.

El temor de Dios es más que un sentimiento especial de asombro o reverencia. Es también el temor de pecar en la presencia del Dios que lo ve todo. "No seas sabio en tu propia opinión; teme al Señor y apártate del mal. Él será la medicina de tu cuerpo; ¡infundirá alivio a tus huesos!" (Proverbios 3:7-8). ¿Temer a Dios? ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué alejarse de cualquier mal que parezca agradable a la carne? Simplemente por amor, solo por eso.

¿Pueden los padres sostener a su niño recién nacido en sus brazos y no llenarse de amor? Imagina que eres el padre de Jesús recién nacido y, temeroso de Dios, lo sostienes en tus brazos por primera vez. ¡El amor desborda! ¡La alegría fluye como una cascada desde el cielo! Ahora imagina a tu hijo, tu recién nacido, ya crecido... colgando de una cruz, brutalmente golpeado, abandonado a la muerte. Tu corazón se rompería en mil pedazos, incapaz de seguir viviendo. Pero gracias a Dios, ¡el niño de Belén vive! ¡Cristo ha resucitado! Estamos redimidos. Dichosos los que temen y aman al Señor de esta manera. Este es el temor y el incomprensible amor de Dios que salva tu alma.

ORACIÓN: Padre celestial, a través de la preciosa cruz de tu querido Hijo, magnifica tu gracia en mi vida para que diariamente camine de acuerdo con tu Palabra. En el nombre de Jesús. Amén.

Dr. Mark Schreiber

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Hubo un tiempo en la historia de nuestra nación en el que era un gran cumplido que alguien le dijera a uno que era "temeroso de Dios".

Notre Pain Quotidien - Le bon fondement de l’espoir

Le bon fondement de l’espoir

Lisez : Hebrews 11.1-6

La Bible en un an : Genèse 33 – 35 ; Matthieu 10.1-20

Et mon Dieu pourvoira à tous vos besoins selon sa richesse, avec gloire, en Jésus-Christ. Philippiens 4.19

Les leçons de foi peuvent nous venir de situations inattendues, comme celle que j’ai apprise auprès de mon Labrador noir de 50 kilos. Le grand bol à eau de métal de Bear se trouvait dans un coin de la cuisine. Quand il était vide, au lieu d’aboyer après lui ou de lui donner des coups de patte, Bear s’allongeait à côté de son bol et attendait en silence. Il devait parfois attendre ainsi plusieurs minutes, mais il avait appris à compter sur moi pour finir par entrer dans la pièce, le voir là et combler son besoin d’eau. Sa simple foi en moi me rappelait la nécessité de compter encore plus sur Dieu.

La Bible nous dit que « la foi est une ferme assurance des choses qu’on espère, une démonstration de celles qu’on ne voit pas » (HÉ 11.1). Dieu est le fondement même de cette confiance et de cette assurance, « le rémunérateur de ceux qui le cherchent » (V. 6). Le Seigneur tient ses promesses avec fidélité envers tous ceux qui croient en lui et qui viennent à lui en Jésus.

Il n’est pas toujours facile d’avoir foi en ce « qu’on ne voit pas ». Nous pouvons néanmoins compter sur la bonté et l’amour de Dieu, convaincus que sa sagesse est parfaite en toutes choses – même lorsqu’il nous faut attendre. Il fait inévitablement ce qu’il dit qu’il fera : sauver notre âme éternelle et combler nos besoins les plus profonds, maintenant et pour toujours.

Ne vous inquiétez pas du lendemain, Dieu y est déjà rendu.

par James Banks

© 2019 Ministères NPQ
Les leçons de foi peuvent nous venir de situations inattendues, comme celle que j’ai apprise auprès de mon Labrador noir de 50 kilos.