The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, September 23, 2019

Acts 4:12

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, September 23, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 106:40-48

40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his
     people, and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
     so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
     and they were brought into subjection under
     their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
     but they were rebellious in their purposes,
     and were brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress
     when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
     and showed compassion according to the abundance
     of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
     by all who held them captive.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,
     and gather us from among the nations,
   that we may give thanks to your holy name
     and glory in your praise.

48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
     from everlasting to everlasting.
   And let all the people say, “Amen.”
     Praise the Lord!

Jeremiah 9:12-26

9:12 Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accordance with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am feeding this people with wormwood, and giving them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.

The People Mourn in Judgment
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
   Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;
     send for the skilled women to come;
18 let them quickly raise a dirge over us,
     so that our eyes may run down with tears,
     and our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
     “How we are ruined!
     We are utterly shamed,
   because we have left the land,
     because they have cast down our dwellings.”

20 Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
     and let your ears receive the word of his mouth;
   teach to your daughters a dirge,
     and each to her neighbor a lament.
21 “Death has come up into our windows,
     it has entered our palaces,
   to cut off the children from the streets
     and the young men from the squares.”
22 Speak! Thus says the Lord:
   “Human corpses shall fall
     like dung upon the open field,
   like sheaves behind the reaper,
     and no one shall gather them.”

23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; 24 but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

25 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will attend to all those who are circumcised only in the foreskin: 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all those with shaven temples who live in the desert. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.

Acts 4:1-12

Peter and John before the Council
4:1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, 2 much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.

5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is

   ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
     it has become the cornerstone.’

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”

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
“Jesus... There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12

The Daily Prayer for MONDAY, September 23, 2019

The Daily Prayer

for MONDAY, September 23, 2019

Gregory Palamas, a fourteenth-century monk of Mount Athos, said, “This is the nature of prayer: that it raises one from earth to heaven, higher than every heavenly name and dignity, and brings one before the very God of all.”

Lift our hearts to you, Lord Jesus, that we might by your Spirit’s power be instruments of your mercy, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, September 23, 2019

Romans 5:3-4 (NIV) Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Read all of Romans 5

Listen to Romans 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 - Lunes 23 de Septiembre de 2019

La bendición da felicidad, no tristeza

Tuya es, Señor, la salvación; ¡envía tu bendición sobre tu pueblo!

~ Salmo 3:8 (NVI)

Si volteas la página y vuelves a leer el versículo de ayer, te darás cuenta que Dios afirma en su Palabra que su bendición enriquece y no da tristeza.

Quizá esta sería una buena prueba para nosotros y así poder estar seguros de que lo que Él nos da es perfecto. Además, que Él es el único que conoce el tiempo en que nos debe dar sus bendiciones y que no se equivoca, pues las conoce desde la eternidad.

Es normal que tengamos sueños que se convertirán realidad y otros que no pasarán de ser sueños o caprichos que no están en los planes de Dios. Lo que sí te puedo garantizar es que lo mejor para nuestra vida son los sueños que nos da nuestro Padre celestial, ya que Él sabe lo que nos hará felices.

Aprendamos a esperar ese día en que llegue la bendición. Sentirás paz, gozo y un gran respaldo espiritual. Entonces, gozarás en verdad de ese regalo y te sentirás feliz.

Lo más hermoso de todo esto es que siempre Dios tratará de cumplir tus más profundos anhelos para verte feliz.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Es normal que tengamos sueños que se convertirán realidad y otros que no pasarán de ser sueños o caprichos que no están en los planes de Dios.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Monday, September 23, 2019

SIMPLICITY OF THE CHURCH

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

~ Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)

Rene looked carefully both ways as he turned the corner. No one seemed to be watching. Wiping the perspiration from his forehead he glanced at his watch. He was five minutes early. He walked slowly around the block a second time to arrive at the large gate at exactly 7:14. He pressed the bell three times: short...long...short. It was the newly changed code to indicate he was a fellow-believer. The gate opened and closed quickly as Rene slipped inside. In two hours time there were several hundred believers gathered secretly in the basement for fellowship.

Rene sat quietly waiting for the others. He remembered reading in a magazine about a small group in China that gathered weekly in the back room of a small store to worship together. It was the era of the infamous Cultural Revolution. Since the believers could easily be overheard by anyone entering the store, they “sang” hymns together without words or music. Someone whispered the name of the song and they would silently move their lips and simply think of the words and music.

He chuckled out loud. The memory came of Pastor Wally saying, “We are an underground church like the believers behind the Bamboo Curtain, but the difference is that we can praise in full voice because the facilities are sound proofed. Not even our closest neighbor can hear us.”

This is a description of a church group in Saudi Arabia - a country that has not had an official church in over fourteen hundred years. And yet many believers meet together secretly and at great risk all over the country.

The most common way for the church to express its faith in western societies has been through the institutional pattern. Consequently, this is the only pattern with which many Christians are familiar. But this form can be easily eliminated by a repressive government, is difficult to maintain in other hostile environments, and may not be appropriate to local cultural needs. There are other options if you and your fellow believers were under the rule of those who were trying to repress Christianity.

RESPONSE: Today I will accept that there are many forms of church to fulfill the five biblical functions of the church.

PRAYER: Pray for those around the world who must meet in secret for worship services.

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, September 23, 2019

The Woman of Samaria 

Her character: Looked down upon by the Jews because she was a Samaritan and disdained because of her many romantic liaisons, she would not have been most people's first choice to advance the gospel in a region where it had not yet been heard.
Her sorrow: To have lived in a way that relegated her to the margins of her society.
Her joy: That Jesus broke through barriers of culture, race, and religion in order to reveal himself to her.
Key Scriptures: John 4:1-42

Her Story

Every day, the woman carried her water jug to Jacob's well just outside Sychar, a town midway between Jerusalem and Nazareth. Even though it was the hottest time of the day, she preferred it to the evening hours, when the other women gathered. How tired she was of their wagging tongues. Better the scorching heat than their sharp remarks.

She was surprised, however, to see that today someone had already arrived at the well—a Jew from Galilee by the looks of him. At least she had nothing to fear from his tongue, for Jews did their best to avoid Samaritans, despising them as half-breeds who worshiped not in the temple at Jerusalem but at their shrine on Mount Gerizim. For once she was glad to be ignored, grateful, too, that men did not address women in public.

But as she approached the well, the man startled her, breaking the rules she had counted on to protect her. "Will you give me a drink?" he asked.

What kind of a Jew was this? she wondered. Certainly not a Pharisee, or he would have taken the long way around Samaria to get to Galilee. With a toss of her head, she replied, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"

But he wouldn't be put off. "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

"Sir," she replied, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" That should take him down a notch or two.

But the man kept pressing. "Go," he told her, "call your husband and come back."

This last request took the wind out of her. Her quick tongue was barely able to reply, "I have no husband."

"You are right when you say you have no husband," Jesus said. "The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

His words cut her. Shaking off the hurt, she tried changing the subject, diverting him by stirring up the old controversy between Jews and Samaritans. "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."

The woman said, "I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, "Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

Meanwhile, his disciples, who had gone into the town to look for food, returned and urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

But Jesus replied, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

...

Dodge, counterdodge—nothing the woman said would keep Jesus at bay. He kept pressing beneath the surface, inviting her to a deeper understanding, hemming her in by revealing his knowledge of the most intimate details of her life. Overwhelmed, she finally admitted the truth. And when she did, Jesus startled her with a revelation about himself: He admitted, for the first time, that he was the Messiah. Though she hadn't known it, she had been conversing with her Savior.

Jesus had arrived at the well thirsty, hungry, and tired from the journey north to Galilee. But by the time his disciples returned from their shopping trip in Sychar, he seemed refreshed and restored by his encounter with the woman.

She, in turn, was so deeply affected by him that she exclaimed to whoever would listen: "He told me everything I ever did." At the Samaritans' urging, Jesus stayed on for two days and many came to believe, saying to the woman: "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

Her Promise

Are you thirsty? Is there a longing in you that you just can't seem to meet? Do you hunger for something to fill some void, some emptiness you can't even explain? Look everywhere, try everything—you'll find nothing in this world that will satisfy. Only Jesus can provide the living water that will fill you to overflowing, that will satisfy your longing, that will soothe your thirst so completely you'll never be thirsty again.

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.
How tired she was of their wagging tongues. Better the scorching heat than their sharp remarks.

LHM Daily Devotions September 23, 2019 - Wings and Shadows

"Wings and Shadows"

Sep. 23, 2019

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

~ Psalm 91:1-4 (ESV)

A familiar hymn calls our God "a mighty fortress." In the psalm on which that hymn is based, the psalmist uses the refrain, "The God of Jacob is our fortress" (Psalm 46:7). In the above verses, the psalmist again says that God is "my refuge and my fortress." These descriptions may bring to mind images of towering stone walls and medieval castles. But in this psalm the sheltering might of the Most High God is also described in a different way. Sheltered by the power of God, we "abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Just a shadow—although on a hot summer day or on a desert hike, a restful shadow is no small thing—but the shadow of the Almighty is more than enough. Another picture of the Most High's sheltering might is not formed of immovable stone, but of feathers, the spreading wings that hide us just as a hen covers her chicks. These shelters—shadows and feathers—appear to be weak so far as protection goes, but they are far stronger than we could ever imagine. What seems weak is not weak at all, for as Paul said, "the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25).

When we were caught, like frightened birds in a fowler's snare, in the trap of sin and death, we could not free ourselves. Through the weakness of the infant in Bethlehem's manger, through the helpless weakness of the Savior on the cross, God delivered us from Satan's deadly snare. The Most High covers each of us with His sheltering love, as if with wings, and refreshes us with His forgiveness, as if in a cool shadow on a hot day.

The psalmist lists some of the fearful things we may face in life: "the terror of the night ... the arrow that flies by day ... the pestilence that stalks in the darkness ... the destruction that wastes at noonday" (see Psalm 91:5-6). In all of these circumstances, even in the face of death itself, you can be certain, as the psalmist is, that God's faithfulness covers you like a shield. You do not need to be afraid "because you have made the LORD your dwelling place" (Psalm 91:9). By God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, you stand, today and forever, in the refreshing shadow of the Almighty, in the shadow of the cross.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the sheltering love and forgiveness that are ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us by our witness to extend to others the strong and welcome shadow of Your love. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• Do you sense that you are under God's protection during the day? How so?
• What do you think it means to dwell "in the shelter of the Most High"?
• Though God's protection is mighty, Jesus certainly was vulnerable in this world. Does that say anything about how God operates?

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).
Do you sense that you are under God's protection during the day?

Devocional del CPTLN del 23 de Septiembre de 2019 - Alas y sombras

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Alas y sombras

23 de Septiembre de 2019

El que habita al abrigo del Altísimo y se acoge a la sombra del Omnipotente, dice al Señor: «Tú eres mi esperanza, mi Dios, ¡el castillo en el que pongo mi confianza!» El Señor te librará de las trampas del cazador; te librará de la peste destructora. El Señor te cubrirá con sus plumas, y vivirás seguro debajo de sus alas. ¡Su verdad es un escudo protector!

~ Salmo 91:1-4 (RVC)

Un himno bien conocido se refiere a nuestro Dios como "un castillo fuerte". En el salmo en el que se basa ese himno, el salmista usa el refrán: "El Dios de Jacob es nuestra fortaleza" (Salmo 46:7). En los versículos anteriores, el salmista nuevamente dice que Dios es "mi refugio y mi fortaleza". Estas descripciones pueden llevarnos a imaginar imponentes muros de piedra y castillos medievales. Pero en este salmo, el poder protector del Dios Altísimo también se describe de una manera diferente: cuando somos protegidos por el poder de Dios, "permanecemos a la sombra del Todopoderoso". Aunque en un caluroso día de verano o en una caminata por el desierto una sombra apacible no es poca cosa, la sombra del Todopoderoso es mucho más que eso. También tenemos otra imagen del poder protector del Altísimo y no está hecha de piedra fuerte, sino de plumas. Son sus alas extendidas que nos esconden como una gallina cubre a sus polluelos. Estos refugios, sombras y plumas, pueden parecer frágiles cuando hablamos de protección, pero son mucho más fuertes de lo que podríamos imaginar. Lo que parece débil no es débil en absoluto, porque "la debilidad de Dios es más fuerte que los hombres" (1 Corintios 1:25).

Cuando fuimos atrapados en la trampa del pecado y la muerte como pájaros asustados en la trampa de un cazador, no pudimos liberarnos. Sin embargo, a través de la debilidad del niño Jesús en el pesebre de Belén y a través de la debilidad indefensa del Salvador en la cruz, Dios nos libró de la trampa mortal de Satanás. El Altísimo nos cubre a cada uno con su amor protector, como con alas, y nos refresca con su perdón, como en una sombra fresca en un día caluroso.

El salmista enumera algunos de los temores que podemos enfrentar en la vida: "terrores nocturnos... flechas lanzadas de día...peste que ronda en la oscuridad...mortandad que destruye a pleno sol." (ver Salmo 91:5-6) En todas estas circunstancias, incluso ante la muerte misma, puedes estar seguro, como lo dice el salmista, que la fidelidad de Dios te cubre como un escudo. No es necesario tener miedo "porque has hecho del Señor tu morada" (Salmo 91:9). Por la gracia de Dios, a través de la fe en Jesucristo, te encuentras, hoy y siempre, a la sombra refrescante del Todopoderoso, a la sombra de la cruz.

ORACIÓN: Padre celestial, gracias por el amor protector y el perdón que son nuestros por la fe en Jesucristo nuestro Señor. Ayúdanos para que con nuestro testimonio podamos extender a otros la fuerte y refrescante sombra de Tu amor. Amén.

Dra. Carol Geisler

Para reflexionar:

¿Sientes que estás bajo la protección de Dios durante el día? ¿De qué manera?
Aunque la protección de Dios es poderosa, Jesús ciertamente fue vulnerable durante su vida en este mundo. ¿Qué te dice eso acerca de cómo actúa Dios?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Sientes que estás bajo la protección de Dios durante el día?

Notre Pain Quotidien - Mon bouclier

Mon bouclier

Lisez : Psalms 3

La Bible en un an : Cantique des cantiques 1 – 3 ; Galates 2

Mais toi, ô Éternel ! tu es mon bouclier, tu es ma gloire, et tu relèves ma tête. V. 4

Notre Église a vécu un terrible deuil lorsque Paul, notre directeur de la louange si doué, a péri à l’âge de trente et un ans dans un accident de bateau. Paul et sa femme, DuRhonda, n’en étaient pas à leur première épreuve ; ils avaient enterré plusieurs enfants morts en cours de grossesse. Il y aurait désormais une autre tombe à côté de celles de leurs tout-petits. La crise accablante que traversait cette famille a assommé ceux qui l’aimaient.

David n’était pas étranger aux crises personnelles et familiales. Dans le Psaume 3, on voit que la rébellion de son fils Absalom l’a décontenancé. Au lieu de rester et de se battre, il a choisi de fuir et de renoncer à son trône (2 S 15.13-23). Même si « beaucoup de gens » jugeaient que Dieu l’avait renié (PS 3.2), David savait qu’il n’en était rien. Ayant le Seigneur pour bouclier (V. 4), il a donc crié à lui (V. 5). Or, DuRhonda en a fait autant. Au cœur de son deuil et entourée des centaines de gens venus assister aux funérailles de son mari, elle a élevé sa douce voix pour entonner un chant témoignant de sa confiance en Dieu.

Quand les diagnostics des médecins ne sont pas encourageants, les pressions financières perdurent, les efforts de réconciliation échouent ou la mort laisse nos êtres chers dans son sillage, puissions-nous nous aussi puiser en Dieu la force de déclarer : « Mais toi, ô Éternel ! tu es mon bouclier, tu es ma gloire, et tu relèves ma tête » (V. 4).

Dans les situations déconcertantes, le Seigneur est notre aide et notre bouclier.

par Arthur Jackson

© 2019 Ministères NPQ
Notre Église a vécu un terrible deuil lorsque Paul, notre directeur de la louange si doué, a péri à l’âge de trente et un ans dans un accident de bateau.