The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, August 7, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

WEDNESDAY, August 7, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 60

Prayer for National Victory after Defeat
To the leader: according to the Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1  O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
     you have been angry; now restore us!
2  You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
     repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3  You have made your people suffer hard things;
     you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.

4  You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
     to rally to it out of bowshot.   Selah
5  Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,
     so that those whom you love may be rescued.

6  God has promised in his sanctuary:
     “With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
     and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7  Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
     Ephraim is my helmet;
     Judah is my scepter.
8  Moab is my washbasin;
     on Edom I hurl my shoe;
     over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

9  Who will bring me to the fortified city?
     Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
     You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe,
     for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
     it is he who will tread down our foes.

Hosea 14:1-9

A Plea for Repentance
14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
     for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2  Take words with you
     and return to the Lord;
   say to him,
     “Take away all guilt;
   accept that which is good,
     and we will offer
     the fruit of our lips.
3  Assyria shall not save us;
     we will not ride upon horses;
   we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
     to the work of our hands.
   In you the orphan finds mercy.”

Assurance of Forgiveness
4  I will heal their disloyalty;
     I will love them freely,
     for my anger has turned from them.
5  I will be like the dew to Israel;
     he shall blossom like the lily,
     he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.
6  His shoots shall spread out;
     his beauty shall be like the olive tree,
     and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.
7  They shall again live beneath my shadow,
     they shall flourish as a garden;
   they shall blossom like the vine,
     their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8  O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
     It is I who answer and look after you.
   I am like an evergreen cypress;
     your faithfulness comes from me.
9  Those who are wise understand these things;
     those who are discerning know them.
   For the ways of the Lord are right,
     and the upright walk in them,
     but transgressors stumble in them.

Luke 12:22-31

Do Not Worry
12:22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

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
He [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

The Morning Prayer for WEDNESDAY, August 7, 2019

Wednesday Morning Prayer

Lord on this day of the week I recall the strength of the Trinity in my life. Thank you for the strands that hold me safe in the Father, that bring redemption and grace in the Son, and freedom and hope through the Holy Spirit. Thank you for this cord of strength. May I celebrate with the Three that encircle my life! And this day may I give out the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the freedom of the Holy Spirit in all I do. Amen.

May Wednesday be a dwelling day,
Curled up on Abba's knee.
Following in the path of Christ,
With His Spirit I'm set free.
Let Wednesday always prompt my heart
To travel home to nest.
To feel the blessings of my faith
To know Your peace and rest.

Verse of the Day for WEDNESDAY, August 7, 2019

Isaiah 33:22 (NIV) For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.

Read all of Isaiah 33

Listen to Isaiah 33

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 - Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Hijos abusivos

Hijo mío, escucha las correcciones de tu padre y no abandones las enseñanzas de tu madre. Adornarán tu cabeza como una diadema.

~ Proverbios 1:8-9, NVI

Hace unos días me contaron de un hecho que uno pensaría que es increíble.

Hijos que maltratan a sus padres e hijas que le pegan a su mamá. Un abuso que puede ser más común de lo que creemos. En este caso, madre e hija se congregan en la iglesia y aparentan tener una vida normal. Sin embargo, la gran realidad es que la hija, que es una mujer hecha y derecha, le pega a su mamá.

Lo más triste de esta situación es que la mamá le tiene miedo a su hija y nunca se ha atrevido a denunciarla ni a hablar del problema en la iglesia. ¿Cómo es posible que suceda algo así?

Lo que estas personas están sembrando es destrucción, fracaso y un juicio de Dios sobre sus vidas.

Sé que a veces los papás somos exigentes, pero nada les da el derecho a los hijos de maltratarlos. Dios diseñó a los padres con suficiente carácter para disciplinar y con mucho amor. Es más, hagan lo que hagan los hijos, el corazón de padre no va a cambiar. Esto no quiere decir que tú los maltrates con palabras groseras, mucho menos que les pongas una mano encima.

Padres, si están viviendo una situación así con sus hijos, deben buscar ayuda de inmediato. 

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Hijos que maltratan a sus padres e hijas que le pegan a su mamá. Un abuso que puede ser más común de lo que creemos.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Wednesday, August 7, 2019

THE PROCESS OF PERSECUTION-1: OPPOSITION

Consider [Jesus] who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

~ Hebrews 12:3 (NIV)

Whenever we ask audiences in free societies to word-associate “persecution,” most responses are what we refer to as the “big three”: torture, imprisonment and martyrdom. Many would agree that persecution is much more than the “big three” which are often only experienced in the final stage of the process of persecution.

Jesus repeatedly warned his followers that if the world hated Him, it would hate them also (John 15:18). In Luke 6:22, Jesus reminds his disciples that this opposition is a blessing. Not a blessing I ever hear many Christians praying for.

So the very basic and first step in this process is awareness that as a follower of Jesus, you can expect opposition, just as Jesus Himself experienced (Hebrews 12:3). He indicated that it will come from the world and possibly even from your own family and friends.

So do we walk around with a persecution complex, chip on our shoulder attitude, because of this? Absolutely not. The good news is that Jesus says we can live a life of joy in the midst of these troubles because He has overcome the world and so can we (John 16:33).

And this opposition is in every country and culture, not just those where severe persecution is being experienced. A few years ago Jim Cunningham and I wrote a little booklet about experiencing mild persecution right here in North America entitled Red Skies @ Dawn available at Open Doors offices. It is a dialogue between two young couples. Here’s a relevant excerpt:

Sam responded. “Ultimately Satan, our real enemy, wants to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ, wherever it’s located. And Jesus Himself is the stumbling block to those who don’t believe. When we say He is the only way, we are labeled as exclusivists and on this basis we are then considered intolerant.”

Yvonne added, “I heard a program host on the radio the other day and he was obviously upset by this. When someone told him that Jesus is the only way to God, he shouted that we evangelicals are the scum of the earth!”

“Whoa,” Sanjit reacted. “That’s a little heavy, isn’t it?”

Yvonne continued, “Well, he went on to say that it wasn’t the belief to which he objected so much but he objected to the arrogance of any person claiming ‘my way or the highway’ and writing off the rest of the human race to eternal damnation.”

All of this discussion clearly points out, “Sam concluded, “we are facing—and will face even more—attacks because of Jesus in us. Persecution may not be just for those brothers and sisters across the seas in places like East Africa and China, but perhaps even for us.”

RESPONSE: Today I will rejoice that in the face of general opposition to Jesus in me, I can be an overcomer like Jesus.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to be aware of any opposition without it negatively affecting my witness.

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

LHM Daily Devotions - August 7, 2019 - Longing for Home

"Longing for Home"

Aug. 7, 2019

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.

~ Hebrews 11:13-16 (ESV)

Our Bible passage for today deals with a paradox—the whole "already/not yet" situation of the Christian life living by faith in this world. We know that we are already God's children, and that He forgives us our sin, gives us the Holy Spirit, helps us grow in the faith, and listens to our prayers.

But at the very same time we are painfully aware that we are not at home yet. We are God's children—but we still deal with sin and temptation, and at times we act very unlike our Father. We have the Holy Spirit, and sometimes we listen to Him—and many times we don't. We grow in our faith—but that growth is painful, slow, and sometimes completely invisible, at least to our own eyes. (Others may see it more clearly.) And we ask for what we need, but we don't always get what we pray for, and often we don't know why.

Welcome to the life of an alien, a foreigner "passing through" on the way to a different country! We live in this world "as strangers and exiles on the earth," people who just don't fit in, don't belong. Sometimes we suffer for it. It can be painful watching everyone else fitting in so easily, while we get hung up on points of right and wrong that don't seem to faze anybody else. "Everybody's doing it," our friends say, eyebrows raised, wondering why we're making such a fuss about a minor wrongdoing. But we can never forget our Lord Jesus Christ who loves us, and we can't face doing something that would make Him unhappy. Explaining that to our non-Christian friends gets us pitying looks—if not rolled eyes. We just don't belong.

God understands this, and so He encourages us through the words of the writer of Hebrews. He describes our ancestors in the faith, Abraham and Sarah and others, who didn't receive everything they were promised on earth—but looked forward to the day God would keep His promises in Jesus Christ. They were waiting for a homeland where they would be truly at home—the kingdom of God, the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (see 2 Peter 3:13).

That is what we are waiting for too—a place where we can truly be at home, where our trust in Jesus will not be a joke to the people around us, where we can live as His people in love and innocence. It will be a better country, the place mankind was truly made to live, where we will reach the full potential God designed us for. We long for this—to come home from our exile. "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city" (Hebrews 11:16b). And in that city we will live forever with our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and with all the other people He has used us to bring to Himself. That's something to look forward to!

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, make my heart and life more and more those of a citizen of Your country. Use me to bring others to trust in You. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Do you consider yourself a patient person? When's the last time you had to be really patient?
• God has prepared us a city. What do you think that will be like?
• What's your idea of heaven? Does it include everything you love here on earth?

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).
Do you consider yourself a patient person?

Devocional de la CPTLN del 07 de Agosto de 2019 - Anhelando una nueva tierra

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Anhelando una nueva tierra

07 de Agosto de 2019

Por la fe, todos ellos murieron sin haber recibido lo que se les había prometido, y sólo llegaron a ver esto a lo lejos; pero lo creyeron y lo saludaron, pues reconocieron que eran extranjeros y peregrinos en esta tierra. Porque los que dicen esto, claramente dan a entender que buscan una patria; pues si hubieran estado pensando en la patria de donde salieron, tiempo tenían para volver. Pero ellos anhelaban una patria mejor, es decir, la patria celestial. Por eso Dios no se avergüenza de llamarse su Dios; al contrario, les ha preparado una ciudad.

~ Hebreos 11:13-16 (RVC)

Nuestro pasaje bíblico para hoy trata con una paradoja: la situación "ya/todavía no" del cristiano que vive por fe en este mundo. Sabemos que ya somos hijos de Dios, y que Él nos perdona nuestros pecados, nos da su Espíritu Santo, nos ayuda a crecer en la fe y escucha nuestras oraciones.

Pero al mismo tiempo somos dolorosamente conscientes de que todavía no estamos en casa. Somos hijos de Dios, pero aún nos enfrentamos con el pecado y la tentación y en ocasiones actuamos de manera muy diferente a nuestro Padre. Tenemos el Espíritu Santo y algunas veces lo escuchamos; pero muchas veces no lo hacemos. Crecemos en la fe, pero ese crecimiento es doloroso, lento y, a veces, completamente invisible, al menos para nuestros propios ojos (otros pueden verlo más claramente). Pedimos en oración lo que necesitamos, pero no siempre lo obtenemos y, a menudo, no sabemos por qué.

¡Bienvenido a la vida de un extranjero que "pasa" en camino a un país diferente! Vivimos en este mundo "como extranjeros y peregrinos en esta tierra", como personas que simplemente no encajan, no pertenecen. A veces sufrimos por ello. Puede ser doloroso ver a todos los demás encajar tan fácilmente, mientras nosotros nos estancamos entre lo correcto y lo incorrecto que no parece perturbar a nadie más. "Todo el mundo lo hace", dicen nuestros amigos, preguntándose por qué hacemos tanto alboroto por una falta menor. Pero no podemos olvidar que nuestro Señor Jesucristo nos ama, y no podemos hacer algo que no es de su agrado. Al explicar eso a nuestros amigos no cristianos, recibimos miradas compasivas o de incredulidad. Simplemente, no pertenecemos.

Dios sabe esto, y por eso nos alienta a través de las palabras del escritor de Hebreos, quien describe a nuestros antepasados en la fe, Abrahán, Sara y otros, que no recibieron todo lo que se les prometió en la tierra, pero esperaron el día en que Dios cumpliera sus promesas en Jesucristo. Ellos esperaron la patria donde estarían realmente en casa: "un cielo nuevo y una tierra nueva, donde reinará la justicia" (2 Pedro 3:13).

Eso es lo que nosotros también esperamos: un lugar donde podamos estar realmente en casa, donde nuestra confianza en Jesús no sea una broma para las personas que nos rodean, donde podamos vivir como su pueblo en amor e inocencia. Un lugar donde alcanzaremos todo el potencial con que Dios nos diseñó. "Por eso Dios no se avergüenza de llamarse su Dios; al contrario, les ha preparado una ciudad" (Hebreos 11:16b). Y en esa ciudad viviremos para siempre con nuestro amado Señor y Salvador Jesucristo. ¡Eso sí es algo que esperamos!

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, haz que mi corazón y mi vida sean cada vez más los de un ciudadano de tu reino y úsame para hacer que muchos más confíen en ti. En Jesús. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

• ¿Cómo crees que será la ciudad que Dios nos ha preparado?
• ¿Cuál es tu idea del cielo? ¿Incluye todo lo que amas aquí en la tierra?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Cómo crees que será la ciudad que Dios nos ha preparado?

Ministérios Pão Diário - Vida plena

Vida plena


Leia: Mc 10:28-31; Jo 10:9,10
 | A Bíblia em um ano: Salmos 72–73; Romanos 9:1-15


Baixe a versão MP3

…eu vim para que tenham vida e a tenham em abundância. João 10:10


Quando visitei minha irmã, meus sobrinhos me mostraram com entusiasmo o seu novo sistema de registro de tarefas, o quadro eletrônico Choropoly, específico para o registro das tarefas diárias. O trabalho bem feito dá direito a apertar o botão verde, que adiciona pontos à conta de “gastos”. Um delito como “deixar a porta de trás aberta” resulta em multa que é deduzida do total. Se pontuarem bem alto, eles recebem recompensas emocionantes, como tempo no computador, e as transgressões são deduzidas desse total. Elas estão motivadas para cumprir seus deveres e manter a porta fechada!

Esse engenhoso sistema me fez desejar ter uma ferramenta motivacional tão emocionante quanto essa! Mas é claro que Deus nos deu motivação. Em vez de simplesmente ordenar a obediência, Jesus prometeu que a vida, quando o seguimos, mesmo custosa, é também uma “vida de abundância” (Jo 10:10). Experimentar a vida em Seu reino vale “o cêntuplo” do seu custo — agora e eternamente (Mc 10:29,30).

Podemos nos alegrar por servirmos esse Deus generoso, que não nos pune como merecemos. Ele aceita os nossos mais fracos esforços, e acolhe e recompensa os retardatários ao Seu reino tão generosamente como os que que foram a Ele primeiro (Mt20:1-16). Diante desta realidade, vamos servi-lo alegremente hoje.

Seguir a Jesus é o caminho para a vida abundante e satisfatória.

por Monica Brands

© 2019 Ministérios Pão Diário
Esse engenhoso sistema me fez desejar ter uma ferramenta motivacional tão emocionante quanto essa!