The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020

The Daily Lectionary

WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020

Psalm 100; Jeremiah 23:1-8; Matthew 20:17-28

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Psalm 100

We are the sheep of God’s pasture

1  Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2    Worship the Lord with gladness;
     come before him with joyful songs.
3  Know that the Lord is God.
     It is he who made us, and we are his;
     we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving
     and his courts with praise;
     give thanks to him and praise his name.
5  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
     his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Jeremiah 23:1-8

God will gather the flock

23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

5  “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
     “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
   a King who will reign wisely
     and do what is just and right in the land.
6  In his days Judah will be saved
     and Israel will live in safety.
   This is the name by which he will be called:
     The Lord Our Righteous Savior.

7 “So then, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus came to serve

20:17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Daily Lectionary is a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2020, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2019 was Year C. 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 what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020
Psalm 100; Jeremiah 23:1-8; Matthew 20:17-28

The Daily Prayer for WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020

The Daily Prayer

WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel prayed, “I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And You gave it to me.”

You hear our prayers whether they are full of thanksgiving or full of complaints. Your mercy is unending. Even in your discipline you restrain yourself in ways we cannot know. May our mumbled words of gratitude and our fleeting praises find crevices where they can grow within your presence, Lord of light and morning. Amen.

Verse of the Day for WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Read all of James 5

Listen to James 5

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Miércoles 06 de mayo de 2020

Oración por mis hijos

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

— Efesios 6:4, NVI

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

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

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

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

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

Perdóname también por las veces que los reprendimos injustamente.

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

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

Amén y amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Oración por mis hijos

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Wednesday, May 6, 2020

NATIONALISM

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

— Galatians 3:28, NIV

Satan has inspired rulers to try to force Christians to return to their former folk religions or the pagan gods of their ancestors—all in the name of patriotism or nationalism. Religious nationalism is where a particular territory or culture is staked out exclusively in religious terms.

Leaders say, “Only Hindus are allowed to stay in India.” Or, “You are a true Sri Lankan only if you are a Buddhist.” In such cases where religious nationalism reigns, Christians either must accept second-class citizen status, face daily discrimination, or leave.

Research done by Open Doors indicates that to establish a “religious state” the religious nationalists require four elements: a villain, a lie, a mob, and a vacuum. They need a “villain” who can unite the people with a powerful message; a “lie” (Christians are intolerant); a “mob” to create chaos (media support helps); and a “vacuum” (absence of moderates in power to control the nation).

Some in India and Nepal argue that their country is Hindu hence other religions are foreign and imperialistic. State assistance is denied to those who convert to non-Hindu religions.

At one point, the Mongolian State Intelligence Bureau described Christianity as a “foreign religion.” And today, Mongolia’s new laws imply that Christianity is “against Mongolian customs.”

In Mexico, a mayor of a community in the southern state of Chiapas has tried to justify the ongoing persecution of evangelicals with the claim that they “attack…our culture and traditions.” In reality, tens of thousands of Christians have been expelled from their homes for not joining in the syncretistic community's spiritual activities.

Christians in an area of Swaziland were told by their chief that each Christian would be fined a cow for not attending the annual cultural ceremonies at the king’s royal cattle kraal. The chief announced that he had compiled a list of all his subjects who deliberately avoided two yearly ceremonies: the umhlanga (reed dance) and the incwala (first fruit). Pastors of churches accused of preaching against Swazi culture are among those fined. Pastors in the area plan to challenge the chief’s fines in a court of law.

Christians must avoid the mistake of identifying religion with nation, and nation with religion—even in the West. To do so severely hinders the growth of the Body of Christ where there is “neither Jew nor Greek.”

RESPONSE: I will not make the mistake of identifying religion with nation…and pray for those who do.

PRAYER: Pray for Christians who struggle to survive in the midst of religious nationalism and extreme patriotism.

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 - May 6, 2020 - "Closeness to Jesus"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Closeness to Jesus"

May 6, 2020

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

— 1 Peter 2:2-3, ESV

Peter uses a really interesting picture of the Lord in his letter. He compares God to a nursing mother, feeding her newborn babies in her arms.

When my son was born, he weighed a little over five pounds. He had trouble sucking. It took him forever to nurse. He spent several days in intensive care, and then we brought him home.

The next several months are a blur. My son had to nurse every two hours, and it took him a full hour to complete a feeding. That meant that 12 hours out of every 24 he spent feeding. You can imagine how sleep deprived I was!

But we did gain one wonderful gift from all that time spent feeding. To nurse the baby, you have to hold him close to your body. The baby snuggles up in your arms. He is comfortable, safe, and warm—in the arms of someone who loves him very much. I think God intended this. It's one of the reasons He designed the human body the way He did.

In our reading for today, Peter invites us to have the same kind of closeness with Jesus. He urges us to be like newborn babies, crying out for pure spiritual milk. And where does that pure milk come from? It comes from the Lord, the Source of our life. He teaches us what we need to know. But He does more than that. He draws us close to Him, where we can be safe, comforted, and peaceful. He knows that we need this, just as we need to grow in our understanding of Him.

To be sure, we don't always feel a sense of closeness with Jesus. There were times when my son fell asleep in my arms. There were other times when he was preoccupied with something else: a tummy ache, a strange noise, or his daddy waving at him and trying to catch his attention. I was the last thing on his mind at those times. And that's okay! He still got the milk he needed. He still went on growing and getting stronger. He knew that I would be there for him, whether he was focusing on me or not. He knew that I loved him.

And we know that about Jesus, too. There are times when we remember His presence and there are times when we don't. There are times when we feel Him close and there are times when we can't feel anything. That's okay. Jesus is still there, still feeding us, still protecting and caring for us just as He always has been. He will not leave us. After all, He is the One who suffered, died, and rose again to make us children of God. Absolutely He will continue to feed us and help us grow up to full maturity in God's family.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for giving me the spiritual food that I need. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever fed a baby? How did you hold it, and how did the experience feel?

2. New babies need a lot of care. How does God care for new Christians?

3. What do you do when you cannot feel God's presence? Does it help?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. 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 fed a baby? How did you hold it, and how did the experience feel?

Devocional CPTLN del 06 de mayo de 2020 - "Cerca de Jesús"

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Cerca de Jesús

06 de Mayo de 2020

Busquen, como los niños recién nacidos, la leche espiritual no adulterada, para que por medio de ella crezcan y sean salvos, si es que han probado ya la bondad del Señor.

— 1 Pedro 2:2-3, RVC

En su carta, Pedro usa una imagen del Señor realmente interesante: compara a Dios con una madre que alimenta con su leche a sus bebés recién nacidos.

Al nacer, mi hijo pesaba un poco más de cinco libras y al principio tuvo problemas para succionar, por lo que le llevaba una eternidad amamantar. Pasó varios días en cuidados intensivos hasta que lo pudimos llevar a casa. Los meses que siguieron son borrosos. Tenía que amamantarlo cada dos horas, y cada vez le llevaba una hora hasta terminar. Eso significaba que 12 de cada 24 horas las pasaba alimentándose. ¡Puedes imaginar lo poco que podía dormir!

Pero todas esas horas invertidas en alimentarlo nos dieron un maravilloso regalo. Para amamantar a un bebé, hay que sostenerlo bien cerca del cuerpo. Allí el bebé se acurruca y se siente cómodo, seguro y abrigado en los brazos de alguien que lo ama mucho. Creo que Dios quiso que así fuera, y es por ello que diseñó el cuerpo humano como lo hizo.

En nuestra lectura de hoy, Pedro nos invita a tener el mismo tipo de cercanía con Jesús: nos insta a ser como bebés recién nacidos, clamando por pura leche espiritual. ¿De dónde viene esa leche pura? Viene del Señor, la fuente de nuestra vida. Él no solo nos enseña lo que necesitamos saber, sino que también nos acerca a Él, donde podemos estar seguros, abrigados y en paz. Él sabe que necesitamos esto, así como necesitamos crecer en nuestra comprensión de Él.

Por cierto que no siempre nos sentimos cerca de Jesús. Hubo momentos en que mi hijo se durmió en mis brazos. Hubo otros momentos en que estaba ocupado con otras cosas: un dolor de barriga, un ruido extraño, o con su papá que intentaba llamarle la atención. ¡Y está bien! Igual consiguió la leche que necesitaba y seguía creciendo y volviéndose más fuerte. Sabía que estaría allí para él, tanto si se estaba centrando en mí como si no. Sabía que yo lo amaba.

Con Jesús es igual. Hay momentos en que recordamos su presencia y hay momentos en que no. Hay momentos en que lo sentimos cerca y hay momentos en que no sentimos nada. Está bien. Jesús sigue estando a nuestro lado alimentándonos, protegiéndonos y cuidándonos, como siempre lo ha estado. Él no nos va a dejar. Después de todo, Él es quien sufrió, murió y resucitó para hacernos hijos de Dios. Él continuará alimentándonos y ayudándonos a crecer hasta la plena madurez en la familia de Dios.

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, gracias por darme la comida espiritual que necesito. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

* Los bebés recién nacidos necesitan mucho cuidado. ¿Cómo se ocupa Dios por los cristianos recién nacidos?

* ¿Qué haces cuando no puedes sentir la presencia de Dios? ¿Dónde buscas ayuda?

© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Los bebés recién nacidos necesitan mucho cuidado. ¿Cómo se ocupa Dios por los cristianos recién nacidos?

Ministérios Pão Diário - Firmando-se nas promessas

Firmando-se nas promessas

Escritura de hoje: João 15:5-8
Bíblia em um ano: 1 Reis 21–22; Lucas 23:26-56

…pedirão o que quiserem, e isso lhes será concedido!

— João 15:7

Quando uma de minhas amigas e seu irmão eram crianças, ele a convenceu de que um guarda-chuva poderia fazê-la voar se ela apenas “acreditasse”. Então “pela fé” ela pulou do telhado de um celeiro e se esborrachou no chão, sofrendo uma pequena concussão.

O que Deus prometeu, Ele fará. Mas devemos ter certeza de estar de acordo com a verdadeira palavra de Deus quando reivindicamos uma promessa, pois somente assim temos a garantia de que o Senhor fará ou dará o que prometeu. A fé não tem poder em si mesma. Só é válida quando está firmada numa promessa clara e inequívoca de Deus. Qualquer outra coisa, não passa de pura ilusão.

Deus prometeu: “…pedirão o que quiserem, e isso lhes será concedido! Quando vocês produzem muitos frutos, trazem grande glória a meu Pai…” (vv.7,8). Esses versículos não são uma promessa de que Deus responderá cada oração que fizermos, mas de que Ele responderá a cada anseio por justiça pessoal, o que Paulo chama de “o fruto do Espírito” (Gálatas 5:22,23 ARA). Se tivermos fome e sede de santidade e pedirmos a Deus, Ele começará a nos satisfazer. Levará tempo, pois o crescimento espiritual, como o físico, é gradual. Não desista. Continue pedindo que Deus o santifique. Em Seu tempo e ritmo, “isso lhes será concedido”, pois Deus não faz promessas que não cumpre.

Por:  David H. Roper

Refletir & Orar

Senhor, obrigado por Tuas muitas promessas em Tua Palavra. E obrigado por enviares Teu Santo Espírito, que nos concede o discernimento.

Servimos ao Deus que cumpre as Suas promessas.

© 2020 Ministérios Pão Diário
Quando uma de minhas amigas e seu irmão eram crianças, ele a convenceu de que um guarda-chuva poderia fazê-la voar se ela apenas “acreditasse”.