The Daily Lectionary for FRIDAY, January 18, 2019

Directions concerning Marriage
1 Corinthians 7:1-7

The Daily Lectionary

FRIDAY, January 18, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 36:5-10

5  Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
     your faithfulness to the clouds.
6  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
     your judgments are like the great deep;
     you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

7  How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
     All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8  They feast on the abundance of your house,
     and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9  For with you is the fountain of life;
     in your light we see light.

10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
     and your salvation to the upright of heart!

Jeremiah 3:19-25

19 I thought
     how I would set you among my children,
   and give you a pleasant land,
     the most beautiful heritage of all the nations.
   And I thought you would call me, My Father,
     and would not turn from following me.
20 Instead, as a faithless wife leaves her husband,
     so you have been faithless to me, O house of Israel,
   says the Lord.

21 A voice on the bare heights is heard,
     the plaintive weeping of Israel’s children,
   because they have perverted their way,
     they have forgotten the Lord their God:
22 Return, O faithless children,
     I will heal your faithlessness.

   “Here we come to you;
     for you are the Lord our God.
23 Truly the hills are a delusion,
     the orgies on the mountains.
   Truly in the Lord our God
     is the salvation of Israel.

24 “But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our ancestors had labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our ancestors, from our youth even to this day; and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”

1 Corinthians 7:1-7

Directions concerning Marriage
7:1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is well for a man not to touch a woman.” 2 But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 This I say by way of concession, not of command. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.

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
Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

The Morning Prayer for FRIDAY, January 18, 2019

Friday Morning Prayer

Lord on this day I am aware of the troubles and darkness in our world. Please come and lead me in prayers for my community, my nation and the world. You are the light that shines in the bleakest times, let your Kingdom be built on earth. May those who suffer be comforted, may those who are at war search for peace, and may those who are in pain find healing. Guide us in the imprint of Christ’s footsteps to pursue justice, counting our neighbors’ welfare to be as important as our own.

Amen

Verse of the Day for FRIDAY, January 18, 2019

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 10

Listen to 1 Corinthians 10

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 - Deja el pasado y mira el futuro

Deja el pasado y mira el futuro

Olvidando lo que queda atrás y esforzándome por alcanzar lo que está delante, sigo avanzando hacia la meta para ganar el premio que Dios ofrece mediante su llamamiento celestial en Cristo Jesús.

~ Filipenses 3:13-14 (NVI)

Estamos comenzando un nuevo año y es tiempo de dejar atrás nuestros errores. Es tiempo de comenzar con nuevas actitudes. Dios te quiere feliz y desea que puedas alcanzar tus metas en este nuevo año. No se trata solo de dejar de fumar, comenzar una nueva dieta, ni iniciar una temporada en el gimnasio. Nuestras metas deben ir más allá de esto, aunque todo lo que mencioné antes es clave para un cambio. Esas propuestas para este año deben ir acordes a lo que Dios espera de nosotros.

He experimentado en mi andar con Cristo que lo mejor en la vida es hacer la voluntad de Dios. La obediencia trae bendición. Es una fórmula que no falla.

Cuando hacemos la voluntad de Dios, vemos que todo sale bien. Vemos un respaldo en cada plan que desarrollamos. Las puertas se abren y nos sorprendemos porque sabemos que Él va delante. Y algo muy especial… sentimos paz.

Si para este nuevo año aún no tienes metas o sigues pegado a las cosas del pasado que te restan felicidad, pídele en oración a Dios que te muestre su plan perfecto para ti. Y dile: «Señor, quiero hacer tu voluntad y no la mía. Ayúdame a comenzar una nueva vida. Amén y amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Estamos comenzando un nuevo año y es tiempo de dejar atrás nuestros errores. Es tiempo de comenzar con nuevas actitudes. Dios te quiere feliz y desea que puedas alcanzar tus metas en este nuevo año.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - SATAN’S TACTICS

SATAN’S TACTICS

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

~ James 4:7 (NIV)

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from family values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ.

“If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ.

“This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”

“How shall we do this?” shouted the evil angels.

“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered.

“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work and the husbands to work six or seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.

“Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to keep the TV, the DVD, and their CD’s going constantly in their homes. Tempt them to spend more time on their computers, especially watching internet pornography.

“Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news twenty-four-hours-a-day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services and false hopes.

“When they meet for fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength.”

RESPONSE: Today I will live in awareness of Satan’s subtle tactics to keep me from victory. I will stand against him and he will flee.

PRAYER: Lord, help me remain close to You today and not allow the “things” and “busyness” of life to crowd You out.

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

Men of the Bible - Abraham

Abraham

His name means: "Father of a Multitude"

His work: A tender of livestock.
His character: Abraham was a man of faith who followed God even in the most challenging of circumstances.
His sorrow: At times Abraham compromised God's instructions.
His triumph: Abraham obeyed God, and God blessed him with a son in his old age.
Key Scriptures: Genesis 12-23

A Look at the Man

The life of Abraham is a study in faithfulness, obedience, and sometimes blind trust. It's also the story of a God who keeps his covenant promises.

Abram (later named Abraham) and his wife Sarai (later named Sarah) lived in Haran where Abraham was a prosperous livestock owner. By all accounts, he was comfortable. But an order from the living God changed all that.

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." God did not mince his words. He didn't even ask Abraham to consider moving. He told him to go. And to make it even more of a challenge, God didn't specify Abraham's destination. He only said, "Go." And then God made Abraham a promise. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you."

It's hard to imagine how shocking this news was to Abraham. And when Sarah heard Abraham's report of what God had said, she must have been overwhelmed. "Leave our home? Go on a journey to nowhere? Have children even though we are barren?"

But Sarah trusted Abraham, just as Abraham trusted God. They said good-bye to their families and, along with their nephew, Lot, their possessions, and a caravan of servants, they set out southwest toward Canaan, the area where Abraham's descendants would call "home" to this day.

Time and again, throughout his life, God tested Abraham's resolve to obey him. And, time and again, God reconfirmed his promise to Abraham—a land, a nation, and a blessing.

Abraham is the most revered of the patriarchs. His name and God's promise of a nation were even recalled as Mary accepted her call to be the mother of Jesus. "God has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever even as he promised."

But Abraham's place in history is not only well established because of the millions who count themselves as his offspring. Nor is Abraham honored because he was a perfect man. He wasn't.

Abraham is the most significant patriarch because of God's call and covenant with him and Abraham's remarkable courage to be obedient.

Reflect On: Genesis 12:10-20
Praise God: For not hiding his plans but revealing his intentions through the promises he has made.
Offer Thanks: For the way you have benefited from this one man’s obedience.
Confess: Your failure at times to believe God’s promises.
Ask God: To enable you to make faith visible through your obedience.

Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.
The life of Abraham is a study in faithfulness, obedience, and sometimes blind trust. It's also the story of a God who keeps his covenant promises.

Girlfriends in God - What Word Will You Not Choose this Year?

What Word Will You Not Choose this Year?

Holley Gerth

Today’s Truth

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

~ Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

Friend to Friend

Every January the internet has been abuzz with “word of the year” talk. I’ve joined right in, and I shared in my first post of the year that I’m focusing on “content.”

But the other day a new thought occurred to me: What word am I not going to choose this year? What’s the opposite of contentment in my life? It might seem simple to say worry or fear or envy. But none of those rang quite true.

Then as I sat with my dear friends Suzie Eller and Jennifer Watson doing a Facebook Live video, Jennifer said, “When we take the ‘shoulds’ off the table we find out why we’re really waking up in the morning and our true purpose.” That statement kept ringing in my ears and in my heart long after we stopped recording.

I thought back to a year ago when I sat in a counselor’s office and she said to me with a gentle smile, “You say ‘should’ a lot.” I’d tilted my head and responded with surprise, “Really, do I?” It turned out to be true. I had a secret favorite word.

I should do this. I should do that. I shouldn’t feel this way. The applications ranged from flossing to the big, deep questions of my life. As an unintended consequence, fear and guilt could become the motivation behind what I did rather than love.

As I realized the prevalence of “should” in my life and considered the consequences, I began to ask, “What can replace the ‘shoulds’ in my life?” It came to me that gratitude is what belongs in my heart and on my lips.

For example, I took a nap the other day. As I woke up I thought, “I should never have let myself rest. I should have gotten more done during that amount of time. I should be more responsible.” Then I looked at the sunlight streaming through the windows and the squirrels playing tag in the yard because they know their Maker will take care of them. I whispered, “God, thank You for the gift of this nap. I must have really needed it.” I got up and finished my work.

‘Should’ in my life is a shamer and a trickster, a liar and taskmaster. I have decided that for this year I will not speak its name. Instead I will choose love. I will choose gratitude. I will choose contentment.

What is the word you will not choose this year?

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, As a new year begins, I look to You for our hope, joy and peace. Give me the courage to do all that You ask of me. Please also make me brave to not do what isn’t from You. Show me how to walk in grace and embrace Your love for me even more.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

What word will you not choose this year? Take a moment to consider that question and write down your answer in a place where it will remind you.

More from the Girlfriends

Holley Gerth is a bestselling author who loves connecting with the hearts of women. If you’d like more encouragement to start your new year, you’ll find it in her latest devotional, Hope Your Heart Needs.

Seeking God?

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

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com

Every January the internet has been abuzz with “word of the year” talk. I’ve joined right in, and I shared in my first post of the year that I’m focusing on “content.”

LHM Daily Devotions - Waiting for You

"Waiting for You"

Jan. 18, 2019

The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

~ 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

Repentance.

No matter what potential for good you see in yourself and in the world, you are irrevocably messed up. No matter how hard you try, you are destined to fail on your own, and just trying is not good enough. The God who made you and loves you desires perfection. When Adam and Eve messed up in the garden, bringing evil into the world, they earned the death sentence for you, for me, for all of us.
The apostle Paul in Romans 5:12 puts it this way: "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."

That's about as grim as it gets, but it doesn't stop there—with us fading to black, that is.

You see, God loved us so much He immediately put into place a promise to substitute His own Son Jesus, who was perfect (see Genesis 3:15). That promise was fulfilled 2,000 years ago when Jesus, born in Bethlehem, lived a life as both God and Man and died on a cross for our sins, outside of Jerusalem. He was then raised from the dead on the third day and now reigns at the right hand of God the Father.

So, by the grace of God, there is a way out of the situation we find ourselves in due to sin. It's available to all, and it can be received as simply as accepting a gift—because, in fact, that's just what it is. Here's Paul again, Romans 5:15, "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ, how much more did it overflow to the many?"

And what is it about this one Man, this Jesus Christ, that's such a big deal? It is this: Jesus is here for you, as opposed to you being here for some god. It's that simple. It's not about your actions upward toward some higher power, earning favor or achieving enlightenment. It's about Jesus' action downward, the Son of God giving His own life for you so that you could receive His peace for today's ups and down and, more importantly, life with Him forever.

So, how are you doing in the all-important issue of Jesus? Angry, happy, full of questions? You can talk to Him, you know. Use your own words. Nothing fancy is required. He's there. He's here, listening. He's waiting for you.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, it's all about Your Son and how His life—given on the cross, resurrected by Your command—He has the power to transform us, me, through the gift of faith. Thank You for Jesus, Your inexpressible Gift. In His Name. Amen.

This Daily Devotion is adapted from a booklet written by Tara Mulder, Here: You Are Here in God's Plan. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
No matter what potential for good you see in yourself and in the world, you are irrevocably messed up.

Devocional del CPTLN de 18 de Enero de 2019 - Esperando por ti

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Esperando por ti

18 de Enero de 2019

El Señor no se tarda para cumplir su promesa, como algunos piensan, sino que nos tiene paciencia y no quiere que ninguno se pierda, sino que todos se vuelvan a él.

~ 2 Pedro 3:9 (RVC)

A menudo se dice que, si sabes de lo que estás hablando, puedes expresar tu opinión en 30 segundos o menos. Advertencia: esto se vuelve personal y puede tardar un poco más de 30 segundos.

Aquí va: por más potencial para hacer el bien que veas en ti mismo y en el mundo, estás arruinado de manera irrevocable. Por más que lo intentes, estás destinado a fallar; y solo intentarlo no es suficiente. ¡El Dios que te creó y te ama exige perfección! Cuando Adán y Eva desobedecieron en el jardín, trayendo el mal al mundo, recibieron la sentencia de muerte para ti, para mí y para todos los seres humanos.

En su carta a los Romanos, el apóstol Pablo lo expresa de esta manera: "Por tanto, como el pecado entró en el mundo por un solo hombre, y por medio del pecado entró la muerte, así la muerte pasó a todos los hombres, por cuanto todos pecaron" (Romanos 5:12).

¡Guau! Esto es totalmente deprimente, pero no termina ahí, con nosotros desapareciendo hasta perdernos por completo.

Es que Dios nos amó tanto, que inmediatamente prometió enviar un salvador: su propio Hijo, quien era perfecto (ver Génesis 3:15). Esa promesa se cumplió hace 2.000 años cuando Jesús nació en Belén, vivió en este mundo como Dios y como hombre, murió en una cruz por nuestros pecados, resucitó de entre los muertos y ahora reina a la diestra de Dios Padre.

Entonces, por la gracia de Dios, hay una manera de salir de la situación en la que nos encontramos por causa del pecado. Es tan simple como aceptar un regalo porque, de hecho, eso es lo que es. Escuchemos otra vez a Pablo: "Pero el pecado de Adán no puede compararse con el don de Dios. Pues si por el pecado de un solo hombre muchos murieron, la gracia y el don que Dios nos dio por medio de un solo hombre, Jesucristo, abundaron para el bien de muchos" (Romanos 5:15).

¿Qué hay de tan importante en este Jesucristo? Que Jesús está aquí para ti, en vez de que tú estés aquí para algún otro dios. Es así de simple. No se trata de lo que tú hagas por un poder superior para ganarte un favor o lograr la iluminación. Se trata de lo que Jesús, el Hijo de Dios, hizo al dar su vida por ti para que puedas recibir su paz para los altibajos de hoy y, lo que es más importante, para que tengas vida con él en el cielo para siempre.

Entonces, ¿qué piensas de Jesús y de todo lo que él ha hecho? ¿Estás enojado, feliz, lleno de preguntas? Puedes hablar con él. Usa tus propias palabras. Él no espera nada sofisticado. Él está dispuesto a escucharte. Él te está esperando.

ORACIÓN: Padre celestial, la vida, muerte y resurrección de tu hijo Jesucristo tienen el poder de transformarnos a través del don de la fe. Gracias por Jesús, tu regalo inefable. En su nombre. Amén.

Adaptación del folleto escrito por Tara Mulder, Aquí: estás aquí en el plan de Dios.

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
A menudo se dice que, si sabes de lo que estás hablando, puedes expresar tu opinión en 30 segundos o menos. Advertencia: esto se vuelve personal y puede tardar un poco más de 30 segundos.

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Thờ Phượng Chúa Với Những Thắc Mắc

Thờ Phượng Chúa Với Những Thắc Mắc

Đọc: Thi Thiên 13 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: Sáng thế ký 43–45; Ma-thi-ơ 12:24–50

Download MP3

Nhưng con đã tin cậy nơi sự nhân từ Chúa; Xin cho lòng con vui mừng về sự cứu rỗi của Chúa. Thi Thiên 13:5 

Sẽ là điều khá bình thường khi trong một chuyến đi dài (hoặc ngắn), có người hỏi: “Mình tới nơi chưa?” hoặc “Còn bao xa nữa?” Có ai chưa từng nghe những thắc mắc như thế từ miệng của con trẻ hoặc cả người lớn đang mong chờ đến nơi đã định? Thế nhưng, dù ở độ tuổi nào thì con người vẫn thường có khuynh hướng đưa ra câu hỏi tương tự khi mệt mỏi, nản lòng vì cớ những thử thách trong đời dường như không ngừng ập tới.

Đó cũng chính là trải nghiệm của Đa-vít trong Thi Thiên 13. Chỉ trong hai câu (c.1–2), Đa-vít đã bốn lần than khóc: “Cho đến chừng nào?” – ông cảm thấy bị quên lãng, bị bỏ rơi và bị đánh bại. Trong câu 2, ông hỏi: “Con phải khốn khổ trong tâm hồn, hằng ngày con phải buồn thảm trong lòng cho đến bao giờ?” Các bài Thi Thiên có những câu than khóc tương tự như thế này, ngụ ý rằng chúng ta được phép đến thờ phượng Chúa cùng với những câu hỏi của chính mình. Xét cho cùng thì ngoài Chúa ra, còn có ai tốt hơn để chúng ta giãi bày khi trải qua những lúc căng thẳng và mệt mỏi không nguôi? Chúng ta hãy trình dâng lên Chúa những tranh chiến của mình trong bệnh tật, đau buồn, sự bướng bỉnh của con cái và cả những khó khăn trong các mối liên hệ.

Chúng ta không cần phải ngừng thờ phượng Chúa khi có thắc mắc. Vua thiên đàng luôn chào đón chúng ta và Ngài sẵn sàng lắng nghe những thắc mắc và lo lắng mà chúng ta trình dâng lên Ngài. Và có lẽ giống như Đa-vít, vào đúng thời điểm, các thắc mắc của chúng ta sẽ biến thành những lời cầu xin, tin cậy và ca ngợi Chúa (c.3–6).

Lạy Chúa, cảm ơn Ngài vì con không cần phải ngừng thờ phượng Ngài khi có những thắc mắc; con có thể thờ phượng Ngài trong lúc trình dâng những thắc mắc lên cho Ngài.

Hãy trình dâng những thắc mắc của bạn lên cho Chúa.

bởi Arthur Jackson

© 2019 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày
Sẽ là điều khá bình thường khi trong một chuyến đi dài (hoặc ngắn), có người hỏi: “Mình tới nơi chưa?” hoặc “Còn bao xa nữa?” Có ai chưa từng nghe những thắc mắc như thế từ miệng của con trẻ hoặc cả người lớn đang mong chờ đến nơi đã định?