The Daily Lectionary for TUESDAY, August 27, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

TUESDAY, August 27, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 10

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
1  Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
     Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2  In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
     let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3  For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
     those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
4  In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
     all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”

5  Their ways prosper at all times;
     your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
     as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6  They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
     throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”

7  Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
     under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8  They sit in ambush in the villages;
     in hiding places they murder the innocent.

   Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9    they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;
   they lurk that they may seize the poor;
     they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

10 They stoop, they crouch,
     and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten,
     he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
     do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God,
     and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,
     that you may take it into your hands;
   the helpless commit themselves to you;
     you have been the helper of the orphan.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
     seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
     the nations shall perish from his land.

17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
     you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
     so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Jeremiah 7:16-26

The People’s Disobedience
7:16 As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise a cry or prayer on their behalf, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 19 Is it I whom they provoke? says the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own hurt? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on human beings and animals, on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.” 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backward rather than forward. 25 From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; 26 yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did.

Revelation 3:7-13

The Message to Philadelphia
3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

   These are the words of the holy one, the true one,
     who has the key of David,
     who opens and no one will shut,
         who shuts and no one opens:

8 “I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

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
These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens:

The Morning Prayer for TUESDAY, August 27, 2019

Tuesday Morning Prayer

Psalm 122:6-9

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.

Peace be within your walls: and security within your towers.

For the sake of my relatives and friends: I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God: I will seek your good.

May we become the church we pray for: and glimpse the New Jerusalem now.

In his book City of God, Augustine of Hippo wrote, “The heavenly city, while it sojourns on earth, calls citizens out of all nations and gathers together a society of pilgrims of all languages. In its pilgrim state the heavenly city possesses peace by faith; and by this faith it lives.”

Our Father Steadfast God, perhaps one of the greatest mysteries is why you continue to entrust the work of your kingdom into our clumsy hands. But we are forever grateful that you do not want to change the world without us. May we become the church you dream of. Amen.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, August 27, 2019

Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Read all of Isaiah 26

Listen to Isaiah 26

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 - Tuesday, August 27, 2019

La pobreza del alma

Cumple los mandatos del Señor tu Dios [...] Así prosperarás en todo lo que hagas y por dondequiera que vayas.

~ 1 Reyes 2:3, NVI

Sin duda, todos sabemos que hay ricos y pobres. Las clases sociales han existido toda la vida.

En el mundo se acepta muy bien esta frase que hasta forma parte de una canción: «Cuanto tienes cuanto vales». No obstante, cuando tú y yo conocemos el camino, la verdad y la vida, nos damos cuenta de que estábamos muy equivocados.

El Señor en su Palabra nos dice que cuando lo aceptamos a Él y lo reconocemos como nuestro Salvador, nos convertimos en hijos de Dios y, a su vez, coherederos con Cristo. Además, nos dice que será nuestro Proveedor y nuestro Guardador, prometiéndonos prosperarnos y bendecirnos.

En ninguna parte de la Palabra se habla que debemos permanecer en pobreza o que debemos llegar a un estado de conformismo. Sin embargo, en mi viaje misionero pude ver de cerca, y sé que pasa en todo el mundo, que hay personas que aunque son libres porque conocieron a Jesús, viven con una mentalidad de pobreza absoluta. Creen que al estar así en medio del abandono van a agradar más a Dios o le van a conmover su corazón.

¡Qué equivocados están! A Dios lo mueve la fe y nuestros pasos confiados en Él. Lo mueve, como ya dije, la obediencia.

Por eso hoy te invito a que te sacudas de la tierra de la pobreza, pues Dios quiere bendecir tu vida. Te invito a que renuncies a estructuras que te hacen pensar que no se puedes ser tan próspero como Jesús. Abandónate en sus brazos y déjate consentir por tu Padre celestial.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Sin duda, todos sabemos que hay ricos y pobres. Las clases sociales han existido toda la vida.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Tuesday, August 27, 2019

REFINER’S FIRE

“…I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

~ Zechariah 13:9 (NIV)

In 2004, my colleague and friend Dr. Jim Cunningham was in Ethiopia teaching Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS). His teaching assignments took him to the far western province of Gambella where many Christians of the Anuak tribe had been killed in recent fighting. The believers there told him about one of their pastors, Okok Ojula, who was in prison in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Okok had been head of the Bureau of Social Rehabilitation in Gambella. He was falsely accused of corruption and taking three million Ethiopian Birr. No evidence was presented so the trial was moved to Addis—three days away by bus—to a federal court. He had been sitting in jail for two years waiting for a trial date to be set! His wife Nuno and their six children were patiently waiting back in Gambella. They asked Jim to visit Pastor Okok in prison.

Jim went to the Administrator’s Office of the main federal prison back in Addis to try and see Pastor Okok. “Why do you want to see him?” the administrator asked. Jim responded, “Because I was in Gambella, met his wife Nuno and their six children and I told them I would come and give him greetings from them.”

He replied rather directly, “Why do YOU want to see him?” Jim looked him in the eye and said, “Okuk is a Christian and a pastor in Gambella, I am a Christian and a pastor in Canada. I want to meet him and pray with him!” At that moment the administrator’s countenance changed. He turned to Jim and said, “You may meet him next door in the Deputy Administrator’s office.”

Okuk was brought in for forty-five minutes—with coffee provided—and they shared and prayed together! It was a great time of blessing for both men.

After three and a half years, Okuk was released from prison as a free man completely exonerated. He then shared with Jim by mail that he had earlier conformed his life around serving the Lord, resuming his education at the highest level, doing research work, and other valuable good things to help people. But he had never thought of imprisonment at any time. Time was very precious to him and he never thought of wasting it in prison sitting under a hostile situation. But having been in prison he learned many lessons.

Commenting about Moses’ burning bush, he said, “Prison to me, is a place where the Lord can appear to us in flames of fire to refine us—but never ‘burn us up.’ I see that the Lord is more concerned with our perfection obtained through walks in all levels of patience, endurance, character, and hope in order to expel fear and self-centeredness in our lives—and prepare us to see and believe that He is God Almighty as He appeared to Moses. He intends for us not to put Him in our little box to use Him as an instrument to suit our release from the prison. [Rather] patience, endurance, character, and hope have to finish their work to perfection.”

RESPONSE: Today I will accept that God may have to put me through the refiner’s fire to perfect me.

PRAYER: Lord, build patience, endurance, character and hope into my life in Your way and purpose.

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 27, 2019 - Gossip and Judgment

"Gossip and Judgment"

Aug. 27, 2019

What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another's secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.

~ Proverbs 25:7b-10 (ESV)

Have you ever been misjudged?

I knew a man once who climbed the outside of a house trying to get into a second-story window. A year or two later he was publicly accused of having an affair with the young woman who lived in that house. "He was trying to climb in her window so her mother wouldn't know," the accuser said. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

Unfortunately for the accuser, I too saw it with my own eyes. I was there. The woman's mother had called him because her daughter had locked herself in her room and threatened to commit suicide. There was no answer when she called through the door, and she was afraid her daughter was lying in the room dead. That's why she asked the man to climb the wall.

Jumping to conclusions is a very human trait, but it's also a terribly damaging one. Gossip and rumors can destroy relationships and reputations. God warns us about this because He loves us and does not want to see us harmed. Nor does He want to see us harm our neighbors!

But it isn't easy to control the urge to gossip—to judge—to jump to conclusion. And have you noticed that those conclusions are always bad ones, by the way? Nobody seems to jump to complimentary conclusions. When was the last time you heard someone gossiping about the good behavior of another person?

Gossip is so hard to resist, though. As the Bible says, "The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body" (Proverbs 18:8).

There's really only one permanent solution to the temptation to gossip, and that is for us to learn—really learn—to love our neighbors. We are much less likely to spread harmful judgments about people we love. Rather, we will shield their reputations and protect them to the best of our ability, whether they are present to hear the conversation or not. And if we come across something that at first glance seems damaging—something that makes us suspect they are involved in evil-we will take it to them privately, rather than spreading it around the office or the church.

But that only pushes the problem back one more level, doesn't it? Now the question is, "How can we learn to love our neighbors?" It doesn't come naturally to us. We can only do this if God the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, loving those people through us, doing it for us. Then we can really love them.

The apostle John tells us, "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Although He could have done so, Jesus refused to judge and condemn us for our messed-up lives. Instead, He came to be our Savior—to suffer and die for us—to rise from the dead for us, and to transform us with His power. He is making us more and more like Himself. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," writes Paul (Romans 8:1). And with the Holy Spirit's help, we will learn to show that same mercy to others around us.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, rule over my tongue and let me speak with the care and love You do. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Have you ever been the victim of gossip?
• What do you do when you are tempted to gossip?
• How has Jesus used His own speech to love and care for you?

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).
Have you ever been the victim of gossip?

Devocional de la CPTLN del 27 de Agosto de 2019 - Chismes y juicios

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Chismes y juicios

27 de Agosto de 2019

Es mejor que se te invite a subir, y no ser humillado en presencia del príncipe. Lo que veas con tus propios ojos no lo pongas enseguida en disputa, no sea que al final no sepas qué hacer, y tu prójimo acabe por ponerte en vergüenza. Defiende tu caso ante tu compañero, y no reveles a nadie el secreto; no sea que alguien te oiga y te deshonre, y ya no puedas reparar tu mala fama.

~ Proverbios 25:7b-10 (RVC)

¿Alguna vez te han juzgado mal?

Una vez conocí a un hombre que trepó por el exterior de una casa tratando de entrar por una ventana del segundo piso. Un año o dos después, fue acusado públicamente de tener una aventura con la joven que vivía en esa casa. "Estaba tratando de trepar por su ventana para que su madre no lo supiera", dijo el acusador. "¡Lo vi con mis propios ojos!"

Desafortunadamente para el acusador, yo también lo vi con mis propios ojos. Yo estuve ahí. La madre de la mujer lo había llamado porque su hija se había encerrado en su habitación y había amenazado con suicidarse. No hubo respuesta cuando llamó por la puerta, y temía que su hija estuviera muerta en la habitación. Por eso le pidió al hombre que trepara la pared.

Sacar conclusiones es un rasgo muy humano, pero también es terriblemente dañino. Los chismes y los rumores pueden destruir las relaciones y la reputación. Dios nos advierte sobre esto porque nos ama y no quiere vernos perjudicados. ¡Tampoco quiere vernos dañar a nuestros vecinos!

Pero no es fácil controlar el impulso de chismear, juzgar, llegar a una conclusión. ¿Y has notado que esas conclusiones siempre son malas? Nadie parece saltar a conclusiones halagadoras. ¿Cuándo fue la última vez que escuchaste a alguien chismear sobre el buen comportamiento de otra persona?

El chisme es muy difícil de resistir. Como dice la Biblia: "Los chismes empalagan, pero calan hasta lo más profundo" (Proverbios 18:8).

Solo hay una solución permanente a la tentación de chismear, y es que debemos aprender, realmente aprender, a amar a nuestro prójimo. Es mucho menos probable que difundamos juicios perjudiciales sobre las personas que amamos. Más bien protegeremos su reputación lo mejor que podamos, ya sea que estén presentes para escuchar la conversación o no. Y si nos encontramos con algo que a primera vista parece perjudicial, algo que nos hace sospechar que están involucrados en el mal, se lo diremos en privado, en lugar de difundirlo.

Pero eso solo complica el problema un nivel más. Ahora la pregunta es: "¿Cómo podemos aprender a amar a nuestro prójimo?" No es algo natural para nosotros. Solo podemos hacerlo si el Espíritu Santo de Dios está viviendo en nosotros, amando a esas personas a través de nosotros, haciéndolo por nosotros.

El apóstol Juan nos dice: "Nosotros lo amamos a él, porque él nos amó primero" (1 Juan 4:19). Aunque pudo haberlo hecho, Jesús se negó a juzgarnos y condenarnos por nuestras vidas desastrosas. En cambio, vino a ser nuestro Salvador, a sufrir y morir por nosotros, a resucitar de entre los muertos por nosotros y a transformarnos con su poder. Nos está haciendo más y más como él. "Por tanto, no hay ninguna condenación para los que están unidos a Cristo Jesús, los que no andan conforme a la carne, sino conforme al Espíritu", escribe Pablo (Romanos 8:1). Y, con la ayuda del Espíritu Santo, aprenderemos a mostrar esa misma misericordia a los que nos rodean.

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, gobierna mi lengua y déjame hablar con el cuidado y el amor que tú hablas. En Jesús. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

• ¿Qué haces cuando estás tentado a chismear?
• ¿Cómo ha usado Jesús su palabra para amarte y cuidarte?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué haces cuando estás tentado a chismear?

Nuestro Pan Diario - Una razón para cantar

Una razón para cantar

Leer: Salmo 121 | La Biblia en un año: Salmos 120–122 1 Corintios 9

Descargar MP3

He aquí, no se adormecerá ni dormirá el que guarda a Israel (v. 4).

Para un hombre que vive según códigos, por así decir, me pareció un gran fracaso. ¿Qué podía hacer? Y bueno, me quedé dormido. Nuestros hijos tienen un horario establecido para volver a casa cuando salen de noche. Son chicos buenos, pero yo acostumbro esperar hasta que escucho que abren la puerta de casa. Quiero saber que llegaron bien. No tengo que hacerlo, pero lo hago porque quiero. Pero una noche, me desperté con mi hija diciéndome sonriente: «Papá, llegué bien. Deberías irte a la cama». A pesar de nuestras mejores intenciones, a veces, los padres se duermen en sus puestos. Fue muy humillante, pero también muy humano.

Pero a Dios esto no le sucede nunca. El Salmo 121 es un cántico tranquilizador sobre su papel como guardián y protector de sus hijos. El salmista declara que Dios, quien nos guarda, «no se dormirá» (v. 3). Y para enfatizarlo, repite esta verdad en el versículo 4: «No se adormecerá ni dormirá».

¿Puedes siquiera imaginarlo? Dios nunca se duerme en su puesto. Siempre está cuidándonos: a hijos, tíos, madres, e incluso a padres. No se trata tanto de que tenga que hacerlo, sino que por amor, lo hace porque quiere. Sin duda, esta promesa es algo por lo cual cantar.

Padre, gracias por la certeza de que siempre estás en tu puesto y por cuidarnos constantemente.

¿De qué maneras percibes la presencia de Dios? Cuando no la percibes, ¿de qué verdades puedes depender?

Por James Bank

© 2019 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
Para un hombre que vive según códigos, por así decir, me pareció un gran fracaso. ¿Qué podía hacer? Y bueno, me quedé dormido.