The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, May 6, 2019

Ezekiel's Vision of the Chariot
Ezekiel 1:1-25

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, May 6, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 121

Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1  I lift up my eyes to the hills—
     from where will my help come?
2  My help comes from the Lord,
     who made heaven and earth.

3  He will not let your foot be moved;
     he who keeps you will not slumber.
4  He who keeps Israel
     will neither slumber nor sleep.

5  The Lord is your keeper;
     the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6  The sun shall not strike you by day,
     nor the moon by night.

7  The Lord will keep you from all evil;
     he will keep your life.
8  The Lord will keep
     your going out and your coming in
     from this time on and forevermore.

Ezekiel 1:1-25

The Vision of the Chariot
1:1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was on him there.

4 As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. 5 In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form. 6 Each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another; each of them moved straight ahead, without turning as they moved. 10 As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; 11 such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 Each moved straight ahead; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 In the middle of the living creatures there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; the fire was bright, and lightning issued from the fire. 14 The living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning.

15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl; and the four had the same form, their construction being something like a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions without veering as they moved. 18 Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When they moved, the others moved; when they stopped, the others stopped; and when they rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was something like a dome, shining like crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 Under the dome their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another; and each of the creatures had two wings covering its body. 24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of mighty waters, like the thunder of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army; when they stopped, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the dome over their heads; when they stopped, they let down their wings.

Acts 9:19b-31

Saul Preaches in Damascus
19b For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.

Saul Escapes from the Jews
23 After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him; 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem
26 When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

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
As I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, May 6, 2019

James 5:16 (NIV) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Read all of James 5

Listen to James 5

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 - Monday, May 6, 2019

Oración por mis hijos

Ustedes, padres, no hagan enojar a sus hijos, sino críenlos según la disciplina e instrucción del Señor.

~ Efesios 6:4 (NVI)

Mi Dios, gracias porque puedo colocar el nombre de mis hijos en esta oración.

Gracias porque he comprendido que los hijos son más que una extensión de mi vida, que son una herencia tuya y que tengo mucho que aprender de ellos.

Te agradezco porque a partir de hoy, y con tu ayuda, sacaré adelante a mis hijos. Tendré más en cuenta sus talentos y sus sueños para instruirles y no para ser un obstáculo en sus vidas.

Como padres, te pedimos perdón por las veces que los humillamos con malas palabras.

Te pedimos perdón por las veces que los maltratamos de manera física para disciplinarlo.

Perdóname también por las veces que los reprendimos injustamente.

Ahora, te suplico que me ayudes a ganar el tiempo perdido y me des las palabras oportunas para pedirles perdón.

Sana sus corazones y danos la oportunidad de ser una nueva familia en Cristo Jesús.

Amén y amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Mi Dios, gracias porque puedo colocar el nombre de mis hijos en esta oración.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Monday, May 6, 2019

FAMILY PERSECUTION

“…I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”

~ Matthew 10:35-36 (NIV)

Anyone who has become a Christian in a family of unbelievers can testify to the hundreds of ways persecution can be experienced. Jesus warned us up front about this in chilling language. It was Jesus who experienced this from his own family, being chided and misunderstood (Luke 2:48), and his “own people did not accept him” (John 1:11).

Most families in the world are not nuclear in nature, but extended, so an entire web of kinship relations are fouled up by the action of becoming a Christian. It can be very difficult to make one’s way in the world accordingly. We could even say it is one’s family culture that rejects the Christian witness. One reason for this is over-familiarity. Jesus generalizes from his experience of rejection in Nazareth saying, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown” (Matthew 13:57).

This goes right back to the dawn of human history. The first recorded act of violence was due to family persecution—Cain murdering his brother Abel out of religious jealousy. King David bemoans the betrayal of a close friend in Psalm 41:9, “Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” Jeremiah is dismayed to find members of his own family involved in an assassination plot against him; “…even your kinsfolk and your own family, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you” (Jeremiah 12:6).

In China today, if a student converts to Christianity it is the parents that insist he or she give up her faith, for fear of an inferior work placement bringing dishonor to the family. In many Buddhist societies, like Burma, to become a Christian is tantamount to saying “I am no longer Burmese.”

It is family misunderstanding that is often hardest to bear. After all, we long for the love of those who have nurtured us. To have that love relationship ruptured ranks as one of the greatest traumas a human being can face.

In Pakistan, a father was asked why he murdered his daughter. He answered simply, “I didn’t murder my daughter. When she became a Christian, she was no longer my daughter.” He will never be charged for his crime.

RESPONSE: Today I will treasure my family and watch for Satan’s subtle attacks against it.

PRAYER: Pray for those experiencing Satan’s deadly tactic of persecution from family members.

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 - Monday, May 6, 2019

Michal

Her name means: "Who Is Like God?"

Her character: A woman of strong emotions, she was unable to control the important circumstances of her life. Forcibly separated from two husbands, she lost her father and her brother, who were savaged by their enemies.
Her sorrow: That she was ensnared in the drawn-out battle between Saul and David.
Her joy: Though short-lived, she enjoyed a passionate love for David.
Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 18:20-29; 19:11-17; 2 Samuel 6:16-23

Her Story

Scene One
Michal stretched herself across the window's edge. Leaning out as far as she dared, she could see her husband running through the night shadows, his movements swift and lithe, like a young stag evading its predators. Even if her father, the king, pursued with an army, she was confident he would not catch her David.

She had loved the shepherd boy since the day he had calmed Saul's troubled soul with his harp playing. After he defeated the hideous Goliath with only a sling and a stone, all Israel fell in love with him. But it was for her alone that David had slain two hundred Philistines—to prove his worth.

She turned from the window, grateful for the chance to have aided her husband's escape. Quickly she dressed one of the household idols, placing it in their bed and topping it with goat's hair to make it look like a sleeping David. She was ready for her father's men when they came pounding on her door.
"David is ill," she told them.

So they returned to King Saul, who immediately ordered them back, saying, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

Discovering the ruse, Saul confronted his daughter: "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?"

Michal lowered her eyes and replied, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?' " She held her breath, certain her father would never swallow so bold a lie.

Scene Two
Nine years or more have passed. Michal glanced out the window, arms folded tightly against her breast, observing the scene below. David, now the king, had entered Jerusalem, leaping and dancing as the ark of the covenant was carried into Jerusalem. He looked ridiculous to Michal, more like a romping goat than a great king.

David offered the sacrifices and blessed the people. Then he entered his own house to bless it. But Saul's daughter met him with scornful eyes: "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

"It was before the Lord, who chose me," he replied, "rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

Her Story

Twice, Michal stood at a window observing David. In the first scene, Scripture paints her as David's wife, in the second as Saul's daughter. In fact, her attitude is so changed that we feel perplexed, watching her as she watches David. To understand what may have shaped Michal's heart in the intervening years, we need to find a corridor connecting the two windows, a passageway that somehow led from love to scorn.

Michal may have expected her separation from David to be a short one, her idealism forging a happy ending to their fairy-tale love. Perhaps she believed David would find a way to protect her from her father's wrath. Was she shocked when real life intervened and her father punished her by marrying her to another man? Did her bitterness grow during David's long absence? Had she finally made peace with her new marriage only to be torn from her husband when David demanded her back after Saul's death? Did she question God's judgments, identifying more with the dead than the living after her father perished in a desperate battle with the Philistines?

Perhaps Michal's bitterness swelled to rage when she realized she had always been someone else's pawn, a mere woman manipulated by powerful men. Her own father used her, promising her to David in hopes she would prove a snare to him. And, finally, one of her brothers handed her back to David after Saul's death, further legitimizing David's claim to the throne. A princess, then a queen, she was still a slave.

Michal's story is tragic. Throughout the difficult circumstances of her life, we see little evidence of a faith to sustain her. Instead, she is tossed back and forth, her heart left to draw its own bitter conclusions. In the last scene with David, we see a woman blind with scorn, making the very mistake God cautioned the prophet Samuel against in his search for a king to succeed the wayward Saul: "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

The truth is, God is the only one who can see into the depths of anyone's heart, including Michal's. He knew everything that had happened, both good and bad. Still the story of Michal seems to indicate that she grew to be more like Saul than like David. As such, she reminds us that even victims have choices. No matter how much we've been sinned against, we still have the power to choose the attitude of our heart. If we cast ourselves on God's mercy, asking him to help us, he cannot refuse. Even in difficulty, he will dwell in us, shaping our own wayward hearts into the likeness of his own.

Her Promise

Michal's contempt for true worship can be contrasted with David's love of worship. He worshiped God with abandon, with a true heart. His devotion was so deep, so real, it had to be expressed in the most extravagant praise and in dancing "with all his might." That's the sort of worship God is looking for from his people, and he responds with a promise to bless.

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.
Michal stretched herself across the window's edge. Leaning out as far as she dared, she could see her husband running through the night shadows, his movements swift and lithe, like a young stag evading its predators.

Girlfriends in God - Monday, May 6, 2019

Evidence of God’s Love

Gwen Smith

Today’s Truth

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

~ John 15:2 (NIV)

Friend To Friend

Our hotel room had a small balcony that overlooked the swimming pool. Early one lazy vacation morning, I grabbed my journal, Bible, and a fresh cup of coffee then headed to the balcony for some quiet time.

As I settled in, movement by the pool caught my eye. I watched as a maintenance man approached a palm tree and briskly pulled a brown, life-less branch from underneath the green leaves. Oddly, before he pulled the dead branch off, I hadn’t even noticed it was there.

After he pulled it off, however, the palm tree looked fresh and vibrant.

Seriously.

The pruning made such a difference!

Jesus spoke to His disciples and said,

            I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

            I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8, NIV)

Whom we spend time with really matters. (Ahem… Jesus!)

And what we say and do and how we say and do it also really matters.

Stay with me here! Don’t let the familiarity of this Scripture fade the impact it has on you.

I understand to my core how horrible it feels when my walk and my talk do not line up. Withered branches in my heart constantly need to pulled off and thrown away. You too?

In order to experience the blessings and power of God’s Spirit in our lives we must root our faith deep in the soil of God’s Word and then allow His truth to produce fruits that are ripe with evidence of His love. These fruits are clearly seen (or not) at the intersection of our faith and our actions. I’ve found that when I have those I-just-want-to-scream-because-everyone-in-the-world-is-on-my-last-nerve days God meets me with His grace when I whisper His name.

God will deepen the roots and increase the fruits of your faith as you spend time talking to Him early in the morning over a hot mug of coffee. When you pray and worship on the way to work or on your powerwalk. When you feel a prick of conviction in your heart about that behavior – or about that response – that tone – that act of disobedience. When you call out to Him for patience and strength as your teenager slams his door in rebellion – or when your adult daughter “forgets the morals she was raised with” and moves in with her boyfriend – or when frustrations mount up at work.

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self control. To bring glory to God, this fruit of His Spirit must be seen in our lives.

Unfortunately, we have a keen ability to rationalize our less-than-fruitful behaviors.

But he… But she… But they… I just can’t…

Fortunately, God doesn’t expect us to behave like this without Him. In fact, we simply can’t. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing. Remember? (v5) But when we remain in Him – when we seek Him, obey Him, savor His presence, live for His glory, and prioritize Him above all else – we can and will make a big impact for God and experience the joy and peace we all long for.

The maintenance man at the resort didn’t pull the branch off to hurt the palm tree. He pruned it to increase its beauty, health, and vibrancy. God does the same for us. He prunes His children to increase our beauty, health and vibrancy for our good and for His glory - to make us more useful to Him and more fruitful.

Pause to ponder this question: Are there any dead branches hanging on your tree?

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, thank You for Your perfect love that enables me to be fruitful and beautiful. Please remove any lifeless branches in my life. As the psalmist prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).
In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

How fruitful is your life? Read John 15:1-17 and spend some time reflecting on God’s plan for you to become more fruitful.

Click over to Instagram or Facebook page and answer this question: What is one thing that you can do today to become more fruitful?

More From The Girlfriends

Have you listened to the GRACEOLOGIE with Gwen Smith podcast yet? Hang out with Gwen and friends when you commute to work, go on walks, exercise, run errands or travel. Podcasts are also perfect to listen to as you do household chores! (Laundry anyone?) Each GRACEOLOGIE with Gwen Smith podcast episode is filled with fun, faith-focused, grace-filled conversations that will help you know and trust God more.

These discussions are going to encourage you in meaningful ways to live out and lean onthe GRACE of Jesus in the midst of cluttered, messy days. CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes, or visit GwenSmith.net/Graceologie  for more information.

Seeking God?

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

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com

I understand to my core how horrible it feels when my walk and my talk do not line up.

LHM Daily Devotions - Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow

"Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow"

May 6, 2019

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

~ Psalm 23:6 (ESV)

"The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). In that statement, we hear a sheep talking. It is a sheep that has a lot to say about the shepherd, a sheep that is content and confident in the shepherd's care.

Sheep often get a great deal of bad press. They may be described as smelly and silly, which is to say that they are not highly regarded (perhaps unfairly so) for their intelligence. Sheep tend to wander away and get lost, which means the shepherd must go out and find them. They are sometimes accused of docilely following one another like, well, so many sheep.

Jesus the Good Shepherd, who knows some things about sheep, instructs us in His opinion about those in His care: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). Jesus is a Shepherd like no other: "I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15). He brings all His sheep safely into His fold.

We, of course, are the sheep that belong to our Good Shepherd. Like sheep, we had wandered, becoming hopelessly entangled in the temptations of the world and of our own sinful desires. We were thoroughly lost in the darkness of sin and unable to find our way to the fold. But our Shepherd came looking for us. He lifted each precious sheep to His shoulders—shoulders that once bore the heavy weight of the cross—and, rejoicing, He carried us home.

However undeserved, sheep may not have the best of reputations, but they know some things. They recognize the voice of their shepherd and they follow him. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we, the sheep of our Lord's pasture, we know some things, too. We hear and recognize our Shepherd's voice in His life-giving, restoring Word. We are fed at the Shepherd's table, where we receive His body and blood given and shed for us. We follow the Shepherd with confidence, even through the valley of the shadow of death, because He has been there before us.

Securely held in our Shepherd's nail-scarred hand, we confess, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

THE PRAYER: Good Shepherd, walk with me through every shadowed valley and hold me safely in Your hand until I dwell in Your house forever. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
"The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). In that statement, we hear a sheep talking.

Devocional de la CPTLN del 06 de Mayo de 2019 - Tu bondad y misericordia me acompañarán

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Tu bondad y misericordia me acompañarán

06 de Mayo de 2019

Sé que tu bondad y tu misericordia me acompañarán todos los días de mi vida, y que en tu casa, oh Señor, viviré por largos días.

~ Salmo 23:6 (RVC)

"El Señor es mi pastor; nada me falta" (Salmo 23:1). En esta declaración escuchamos a una oveja hablando. Es una oveja que tiene mucho que decir sobre su pastor, una oveja que está contenta y confiada en el cuidado de su pastor.

Las ovejas a menudo reciben mucha mala prensa. Se las puede describir como malolientes y tontas, lo que quiere decir que no son muy apreciadas (quizás de manera injusta) por su inteligencia; tienden a vagar y a perderse, lo que significa que el pastor debe ir a buscarlas, y a veces se las acusa de seguirse dócilmente la una a la otra como... ovejas.

Jesús, el buen pastor que sabe algo de ovejas, nos instruye acerca de quienes están a su cargo: "Las que son mis ovejas, oyen mi voz; y yo las conozco, y ellas me siguen. Y yo les doy vida eterna; y no perecerán jamás, ni nadie las arrebatará de mi mano" (Juan 10:27-28). Jesús es un Pastor como ningún otro: "Yo conozco a mis ovejas, y ellas me conocen a mí, así como el Padre me conoce a mí, y yo conozco al Padre; y yo pongo mi vida por las ovejas" (Juan 10:14-15). Él debe llevar a todas sus ovejas a salvo a su redil.

Nosotros somos las ovejas que pertenecemos al buen pastor. Como ovejas nos habíamos perdido y enredado irremediablemente en las tentaciones del mundo y de nuestros propios deseos pecaminosos. Estábamos completamente desorientados en la oscuridad del pecado e incapaces de encontrar nuestro camino hacia el redil. Pero nuestro pastor vino para buscarnos y, cuando nos encontró, nos levantó y nos puso sobre sus hombros (hombros que una vez llevaron el peso de la cruz) y, regocijándose, nos llevó a casa.

Aunque no tengan la mejor reputación, las ovejas saben algunas cosas: reconocen la voz de su pastor y lo siguen. Por el poder del Espíritu Santo nosotros, las ovejas de nuestro Señor, también sabemos algunas cosas: escuchamos y reconocemos la voz de nuestro pastor en su Palabra vivificadora y restauradora; somos alimentados en la mesa del pastor, donde recibimos su cuerpo y sangre entregados y derramados por nosotros y seguimos al pastor con confianza, incluso a través del valle de la sombra de la muerte, porque él ha estado allí antes que nosotros.

Sostenidos firmemente por las manos marcadas con cicatrices de nuestro pastor, confesamos: "Seguramente el bien y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida, y habitaré en la casa del SEÑOR para siempre" (Salmo 23:6).

ORACIÓN: Buen Pastor, camina conmigo a través de cada valle oscuro, y sostenme firme en tus manos hasta que permanezca en tu casa para siempre. Amén.

Dra. Carol Geisler

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
"El Señor es mi pastor; nada me falta" (Salmo 23:1). En esta declaración escuchamos a una oveja hablando.

Notre Pain Quotidien - Venez vous l’approprier !

Venez vous l’approprier !

Lisez : Ésaïe 55.1-6

La Bible en un an : 1 Rois 21 – 22 ; Luc 23.26-56

Prêtez l’oreille, et venez à moi, écoutez, et votre âme vivra. V. 3

En regardant par-dessus la clôture entourant notre jardin, j’ai vu des gens courir, faire du jogging, marcher et déambuler sur la piste autour du parc derrière la maison. J’en faisais autant quand j’étais plus robuste, me suis-je alors dit. Puis une vague d’insatisfaction m’a aussitôt envahi.

Plus tard, en lisant la Bible, je suis tombé sur Ésaïe 55.1 : « Vous tous qui avez soif, venez aux eaux », qui m’a rappelé que l’insatisfaction (la soif) est la règle, et non l’exception, ici-bas. Rien, pas même les bonnes choses de la vie, ne peut pleinement nous satisfaire. Si j’avais des jambes solides comme celles d’un sherpa (un guide de haute montagne dans l’Himalaya), il y aurait malgré tout autre chose qui me mécontenterait.

Notre culture nous indique constamment, d’une manière ou d’une autre, qu’il y a quelque chose que nous faisons, achetons, portons, sentons, pilotons ou conduisons qui nous procurera un plaisir sans fin. Or, c’est tout à fait faux. Nous ne pouvons nous satisfaire entièrement de quoi que ce soit de terrestre, et cela, en dépit de tous nos efforts.

Ésaïe nous invite plutôt à venir sans cesse à Dieu et à la Bible pour voir ce que le Seigneur a à nous dire. Et que nous dit-il ? Dans l’Antiquité, Dieu a manifesté son amour envers David selon « une alliance éternelle, pour rendre durables [ses] faveurs envers [celui-ci] » (V. 3). Or, cela vaut pour vous et moi également ! Nous pouvons sans cesse « venir » à lui.

Il n’y a rien dans la vie qui puisse pleinement nous satisfaire, sinon Christ.

par David H. Roper

© 2019 Ministères NPQ
Qui d’autre que toi, Seigneur, avons-nous pour étancher la soif de notre âme ?