The Daily Lectionary for THURSDAY, May 16, 2019

The Angel with the Little Scroll
Revelation 10:1-11

The Daily Lectionary

THURSDAY, May 16, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 148

Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1  Praise the Lord!
   Praise the Lord from the heavens;
     praise him in the heights!
2  Praise him, all his angels;
     praise him, all his host!

3  Praise him, sun and moon;
     praise him, all you shining stars!
4  Praise him, you highest heavens,
     and you waters above the heavens!

5  Let them praise the name of the Lord,
     for he commanded and they were created.
6  He established them forever and ever;
     he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

7  Praise the Lord from the earth,
     you sea monsters and all deeps,
8  fire and hail, snow and frost,
     stormy wind fulfilling his command!

9  Mountains and all hills,
     fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
     creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
     princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
     old and young together!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
     for his name alone is exalted;
     his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
     praise for all his faithful,
     for the people of Israel who are close to him.
   Praise the Lord!

Ezekiel 2:8—3:11

2:8 But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. 9 I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. 10 He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

3:1 He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.

4 He said to me: Mortal, go to the house of Israel and speak my very words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me; because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. 9 Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not fear them or be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 10 He said to me: Mortal, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears; 11 then go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, “Thus says the Lord God”; whether they hear or refuse to hear.

Revelation 10:1-11

The Angel with the Little Scroll
10:1 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land

   raised his right hand to heaven
6    and swore by him who lives forever and ever,

who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will be no more delay, 7 but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, “Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10 So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

11 Then they said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

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
I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring.

Verse of the Day THURSDAY, May 16, 2019

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Read all of Zephaniah 3

Listen to Zephaniah 3

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 - Thursday, May 16, 2019

La honra

Ámense los unos a los otros con amor fraternal, respetándose y honrándose mutuamente.

~ Romanos 12:10 (NVI)

Según nuestras propias palabras, la honra es reconocimiento, respeto y una bendición cuando honramos a quien merece la honra. Debemos honrar, como ya dijimos, a nuestros padres, a nuestros líderes, a nuestros jefes y a nuestros hijos, cuando hacen algo que amerita el reconocimiento.

Honrar a Dios con nuestros diezmos y ofrendas es una manera de regresarle lo que Él nos ha dado. Es devolverle lo que es suyo.

También se honra a Dios con nuestro comportamiento y cuidando nuestro testimonio. De manera que, como existe la honra, también existe la deshonra, que es todo lo contrario. Con la deshonra nos desacreditamos, lastimamos nuestro testimonio, perdemos el propósito y avergonzamos a nuestro Dios.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Según nuestras propias palabras, la honra es reconocimiento, respeto y una bendición cuando honramos a quien merece la honra.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Thursday, May 16, 2019

SINGING PRAISES

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

~ 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (NIV)

The overflow of singing praises amid great difficulties has tremendous spiritual power for helping to win the spiritual battle. Paul and Silas set the biblical pattern in the prison in Philippi. Pastor Jack Hayford enjoys sharing the story as told by his favorite black preacher. Paul and Silas' prison cell singing was heard all the way to the throne room of God. He began to tap his toe to the music. Since heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool; that created an earthquake!!!

Ivan Antonov spent twenty-four years in Russian prison camps for preaching the gospel. He later shared how he survived:

I would sing hymns. I was really glad that I knew so many. I had memorized about one hundred seventy hymns, and in order not to forget them, I reviewed several every day. So over a time, I sang through all of them. I want to emphasize to my young friends that you should worship God with songs and poems and memorize them. They will come in handy...I sang hymns every morning and at night before going to bed...In those quiet [morning] hours, I would go outside in the fresh air and sing hymns of praise to God and pray. Then I went in for breakfast with everyone else.[1]

China’s notable pastor Wang Ming-dao shared upon his release from prison that he frequently sang praises to God to buoy his spirits. The songs that meant the most to him were “All The Way My Saviour Leads Me” and “Safe In The Arms Of Jesus.”

His contemporary, Allen Yuan shared with me two songs which he repeatedly sang aloud throughout his nearly twenty-two years in prison. One was “The Old Rugged Cross” and the other “Psalm Twenty-Seven” from the Chinese Psalter. It was always an emotional highlight to hear him sing these songs.

RESPONSE: Today I will sing praises to the Lord my God.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to rejoice and sing praises to You, especially when I feel the challenges of spiritual warfare.

1. Ivan Antonov, “Survival 101: How to prepare for imprisonment,” Prisoner Bulletin (1989), p.13.

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

Men's Devotional Bible - Thursday, May 16, 2019

Abraham: The Father of Faith

Genesis 12:1—25:11

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

~ Genesis 15:1 (NIV)

You lived before monotheistic religion existed. How did you know there was a God?

I’ve always believed in God, even when others didn’t. I remember getting up early as a young boy and watching the morning sun light up the mountains as if they were on fire. It stirred something inside me, and I remember thinking, “There must be something that made all this beauty.” Or I’d see the moonlight dancing on the ripples in the Euphrates River at night, and local people would say it was a moon god, but that didn’t quite sit right with me. So it didn’t surprise me when the Lord showed up on my doorstep one day. Looking back on it, I think he’d been calling to my heart for a long time.

One of your defining moments was when God made a covenant with you. What do you remember about that moment?

Actually, I remember my fear more than anything else. Looking back, I wish I’d had more faith. But the Lord had promised so many things that seemed, in my mind, impossible. Most of my life I’ve been afraid. Afraid that things were too good to be true. Afraid that my land or my wife or my life would be snatched by desert raiders or evil foreign leaders. I’m ashamed to admit this now, but I had trouble believing that the covenant promises would come true.

So what changed?

It all changed that night. I brought the cow, goat, ram and birds and cut each in half as God directed. Traditionally, I would have walked between the two sections as a pledge to keep my promise. But I fell into a deep sleep and saw a vision of a blazing torch passing between the animal pieces. It was God taking the covenant walk, telling me that he would never break his promises! My heart leaps with joy whenever I remember that vision.

Another defining moment of your life had to be the near sacrifice of Isaac. How did you know that God was going to come through when he told you to kill your son?

I can’t begin to put into words the anguish I felt on that long, three-day journey. And tying Isaac to the altar was more difficult than you could ever imagine. But I had courage because God had already proven to me that he was a God of life. He had helped my wife Sarah—who had never been able to have children—to have a son. I knew he was a miracle-working, life-creating God. The only way I was able to fathom the thought of driving a knife into my son was that I knew Yahweh was fully capable of bringing life back into being.

Back to the Future

• What tests of faith are you facing right now?
• In what ways has God been faithful to his promises to you in the past?
• How can you develop a greater trust in God and his promises?

Read Abraham’s Story

For the full story of Abraham, read Genesis 12:1—25:11.
How did you know there was a God?

Girlfriends in God - Thursday, May 16, 2019

Just Breathe

Lauren Gaskill

Today’s Truth

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

~ Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

I am a woman with an affinity for turbulence. When a thunderstorm comes rolling in, I pop a bag of popcorn and sit back and watch. When the plane I’m traveling on goes through a series of dark and ominous clouds, I grin, waiting eagerly for the first bump. When the ocean rages and the waves start to crash wildly on the shore, I run to meet them. I love a good thrill or plot twist. Put a predictable, slow-moving book or movie in front of me and I’ll leave to find a new adventure.

But there’s a catch. You see, I’m fine with observing exterior turbulence, but when commotion and agitation touch down in my own personal life, well, that’s a different story.

Sitting here on the eve of my twenty-sixth birthday, I crave a calmer and more predictable life — one with fewer health problems, deadlines, doctor’s appointments and unknowns and more peaceful, sure and solid moments. To put it simply, if my life could mirror that of someone who went on a permanent beach vacation, I’d be happy as a clam. But life is not a permanent beach vacation. If anything, it’s more like a shipwreck from which we have to swim for our lives, and half the time we can feel like we are navigating blind.

For the love of peanut butter cups, could someone please tell the sea to calm down?

Some of us, by God’s grace, are fortunate enough to experience smooth sailing for a good number of our days. But if you’re like most people, including me, eventually the waves will pick up and something will cause your ship to wreck. Case and point, John 16:22: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this verse and looked heavenward to ask the question, but why? Why, Jesus? Why do we have to experience trouble? Why can’t life be sunny with a high of 75˚ every day? Why can’t you just come back today and make all of the pain go away?

While I’ve never received an audible answer, this is what I sense our Savior saying to all of us when we find ourselves asking, why?

Precious One, just breathe. I promise you, everything is going to be OK. I’ve got you in my arms, and I’m not going to let you go. So, look up and just breathe.

Let’s Pray

Lord, thank you for your promise and gift of peace. Thank you that YOU are my PEACE — my perfect Prince of Peace who died on my behalf so that I could live in peace, because you have conquered the king of fear. You have trampled the enemy under your feet. Help me not to be afraid when trouble comes my way. Help me trust and rest in you at all times, regardless of what my feelings try to convince me to think. I joyfully receive your peace.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Every inhale we take brings life to our minds, souls and bodies, and every exhale brings peace as we remember Who our breath comes from. Spend five minutes breathing deep through your chest and belly — in for several seconds and out for several seconds — and focus on the wonderful sustaining power of our God, the One who fills our lungs with the air we need to keep on living.

More from the Girlfriends

Lauren Gaskill is the author of Into the Deep: Diving into a Life of Courageous Faith, a national speaker and the president of She Found Joy. Diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder (Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), Lauren is passionate about encouraging others to fight for faith and keep hope alive — no matter what. You can order a copy of Lauren’s book on her website.

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 am a woman with an affinity for turbulence. When a thunderstorm comes rolling in, I pop a bag of popcorn and sit back and watch.

LHM Daily Devotions - Learning from the Spirit

"Learning from the Spirit"

May 16, 2019

(Jesus said) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you."

~ John 16:12-15 (ESV)

"I want an answer." Who hasn't said those words, even to God? At LHM, we regularly get contacts from people who are looking for an answer—and they want it right now. "Why did my son die? Why does God allow evil in the world? What am I supposed to do with my life?"

Jesus knows we have questions, millions of questions. So did the disciples. And He wants to answer those questions—but He is running up against the same problem parents and teachers face around the world. "My child isn't ready to hear this yet." "The students only get confused when I try to explain this to them." "They don't yet have the foundation they need to understand the answers they are looking for."

And so Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to His disciples. The Spirit will continue to teach them, step by step, until they get to the point where they are ready to understand. And we can trust the Spirit, Jesus says, because He will not be "making things up," but He will be reporting what He hears. The Holy Spirit will pass on to us what the one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—wants us to know. There is no danger of Him teaching us anything different from what Jesus has taught us.

So how does the Spirit teach us? Maybe you've heard people who walk around saying, "God spoke to me this morning, and He said ..." That's a dangerous assumption to make, actually. Human ideas and desires can and do get in the way of hearing what God says. One fellow back in college even told me God told him I should marry him! (I told him to ask God to tell me also. It didn't happen.)

So where do we learn from the Spirit? One huge place is from the Bible, God's own Word. God the Holy Spirit uses the Bible, whenever we read or hear it, to teach us and to help us grow spiritually. We can use the Bible to test messages we are hearing from other people, whether they are preachers, Christian friends, or people in media. If their message does not agree with what God says in the Bible, it's wrong. It is not for us.

Of course, if we want to use the Bible to tell the difference between true and false ideas, we need to know the Bible first of all. And that's scary for a lot of us. If you'd like an easier place to start, try the Gospel of Mark or Luke. Then try the book of Acts. The more you read, the more the Spirit will use what you read and help it to stick in your memory. You can trust what He says.

THE PRAYER: Lord Holy Spirit, please teach me and help me to listen. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was 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).
"I want an answer." Who hasn't said those words, even to God?

Devocional de la CPTLN del 16 de Mayo de 2019 - Aprendiendo del Espíritu

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Aprendiendo del Espíritu

16 de Mayo de 2019

(Jesús dijo) "Aún tengo muchas cosas que decirles, pero ahora no las pueden sobrellevar. Pero cuando venga el Espíritu de verdad, él los guiará a toda la verdad; porque no hablará por su propia cuenta, sino que hablará todo lo que oiga, y les hará saber las cosas que habrán de venir. Él me glorificará, porque tomará de lo mío y se lo hará saber. Todo lo que tiene el Padre es mío; por eso dije que tomará de lo mío, y se lo dará a conocer a ustedes. Todavía un poco, y no me verán; y de nuevo un poco, y me verán."

~ Juan 16:12-15 (RVC)

"Quiero una respuesta." ¿Quién no ha dicho estas palabras, incluso a Dios? En los Ministerios de la Hora Luterana frecuentemente hay personas que nos contactan buscando una respuesta, y la quieren en ese momento. "¿Por qué murió mi hijo? ¿Por qué Dios permite el mal en el mundo? ¿Qué se supone que debo hacer con mi vida?"

Jesús sabe que tenemos preguntas, millones de preguntas. Los discípulos también las tenían. Y él quiere responder esas preguntas, pero se enfrenta al mismo problema que enfrentan los padres y maestros en todo el mundo. "Mi hijo no está listo para escuchar esto." "Los estudiantes se confunden cuando trato de explicarles esto." "Todavía no tienen la base que necesitan para entender las respuestas que están buscando."

Entonces Jesús promete el Espíritu Santo a sus discípulos. El Espíritu continuará enseñándoles, paso a paso, hasta que lleguen al punto en que estén listos para entender. Y podemos confiar en el Espíritu, dice Jesús, porque él no va a "inventar" cosas, sino que informará lo que oye. El Espíritu Santo nos transmitirá lo que el único Dios —Padre, Hijo, y Espíritu Santo— quiere que sepamos. No hay peligro de que él nos enseñe algo diferente de lo que Jesús nos enseñó.

Entonces, ¿cómo nos enseña el Espíritu? Todos hemos escuchado a personas decir: "Esta mañana Dios me dijo...". Esa es, en realidad, una suposición peligrosa. Las ideas y los deseos humanos pueden ser un obstáculo para escuchar lo que Dios dice. Un compañero en la universidad me dijo que Dios le había dicho que debía casarme con él! Le dije que le pidiera a Dios que también me lo dijera a mí. No sucedió.

Entonces, ¿dónde aprendemos del Espíritu? Un gran lugar es en la Biblia, la Palabra de Dios. Dios el Espíritu Santo usa la Biblia para enseñarnos y ayudarnos a crecer espiritualmente. Podemos usar la Biblia para probar los mensajes que escuchamos de otras personas, ya sean predicadores, amigos cristianos o personas en los medios de comunicación. Si su mensaje no está de acuerdo con lo que Dios dice en la Biblia, no es para nosotros.

Por supuesto que, si queremos usar la Biblia para distinguir entre ideas verdaderas y falsas, primero debemos conocerla. Y eso nos da miedo a muchos de nosotros. Si quieres un lugar fácil para comenzar, prueba con Marcos o Lucas. Luego sigue con Hechos. Cuanto más leas, más utilizará el Espíritu lo que leas y te ayudará a que te quede en la memoria. Puedes confiar en lo que él dice.

ORACIÓN: Espíritu Santo, enséñame y ayúdame a escuchar bien. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
"Quiero una respuesta." ¿Quién no ha dicho estas palabras, incluso a Dios?

Хлеб наш насущный - Объятия медвежонка

Объятия медвежонка

Читать сейчас: 1 Иоанна 4:13-19 | Библия за год: 4 Царств 24-25; Иоанна 5:1-24

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Бог есть любовь. — 1 Иоанна 4:16

На день рождения я подарила своему внуку большого пушистого медведя – знак моей любви. Какой была реакция малыша? Сначала удивление. Потом благоговейный трепет. Затем любопытство, которое подтолкнуло именинника к смелому исследованию. Пухлым пальчиком он ткнул игрушку в нос. Медведь потерял равновесие и повалился ему на руки. Малыш невероятно обрадовался! Ребенок положил свою маленькую головку на мягкую грудь медведя и крепко обнял своего нового друга. На детском личике сияла счастливая улыбка, когда он блаженно погрузился в мягкую шерсть медведя. Малыш не понимал, что игрушка не может его любить. Движение игрушки он воспринял как проявление любви и отозвался на нее всем сердцем.

В первом из своих трех посланий ранним христианам апостол Иоанн дерзновенно заявляет, что Бог есть любовь. «Мы познали любовь, которую имеет к нам Бог, и уверовали в нее. Бог есть любовь», – пишет он (1 Ин. 4:16).

Бог любит. Не так, как мягкий игрушечный медведь. Он раскрывает Свои объятия, а в Его груди бьется живое, готовое принимать нас сердце (Ин. 3:16). Через Иисуса Христа Бог явил нам Свою непостижимую, жертвенную любовь.

Иоанн продолжает: «Будем любить Его, потому что Он прежде возлюбил нас» (1 Ин. 4:19). Когда мы верим, что любимы, наше сердце откликается и мы тоже начинаем любить. Божья любовь делает нас способными любить Его и других – всем своим сердцем.

Что вы считаете самым изумительным в Божьей любви к вам? Как вы сегодня можете открыть Его любовь другим людям?

Боже, помоги мне открыться Твоей любви. Помоги любить Тебя всем сердцем.

автор: Элиза Морган

© 2019 Хлеб Наш Насущный
Ребенок положил свою маленькую головку на мягкую грудь медведя и крепко обнял своего нового друга.