The Daily Lectionary for WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020

The Daily Lectionary

WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Numbers 11:24-30; John 7:37-39

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

Renewing the face of the earth

24 How many are your works, Lord!
     In wisdom you made them all;
     the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
     teeming with creatures beyond number—
     living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
     and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 All creatures look to you
     to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
     they gather it up;
   when you open your hand,
     they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
     they are terrified;
   when you take away their breath,
     they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
     they are created,
     and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
     may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
     who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
     I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
     as I rejoice in the Lord.

35b Praise the Lord, my soul.

   Praise the Lord.

Numbers 11:24-30

The spirit rests on Israel’s elders

11:24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.

26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

John 7:37-39

Jesus the true living water

7:37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

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, June 3, 2020
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Numbers 11:24-30; John 7:37-39

The Daily Prayer for WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020

The Daily Prayer

WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020

William Booth, co-founder of the Salvation Army, said, “While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight—I’ll fight to the very end!”

Lord, grant us courage to fight the good fight by treating everybody right. Amen.

Verse of the Day for WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020

Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Read all of Proverbs 15

Listen to Proverbs 15

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 03 de junio de 2020

Oración por dirección

Señor, hazme conocer tus caminos; muéstrame tus sendas. Encamíname en tu verdad, ¡enséñame!

— Salmo 25:4-5 (NVI)

Dios mío, te agradecemos este nuevo día. Gracias porque nos aumentas la bendición de un día más para vivir.

Vengo a ti reconociendo que eres Dios y que te necesitamos.

Señor, como intercesora tuya, te suplico que ayudes a cada uno de mis amigos, oyentes y a todos en general de modo que los llenes de sabiduría para que logren entender tus caminos y, por consiguiente, tu perfecta voluntad.

También te suplico que los ayudes siempre que se equivoquen y les extiendas tu misericordia las veces que sea necesaria.

Permite que la vida de cada persona que hoy lee este devocional se conmueva de tal manera que sea capaz de discernir y escuchar mejor tu voz y hacer tu voluntad. Dios mío, guarda a cada familia representada a través de este libro, a los oyentes y a todo el que lo pueda tener en sus manos.

No permitas que nos desviemos ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda. Ayúdanos a permanecer en ti.

Amén y amén.

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

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Wednesday, June 3, 2020

HOPE IN THE FACE OF BAD NEWS

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

— Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)

Our Open Doors colleague, Ron Boyd-MacMillan, shares the following insight from his teaching, “Why I Need to Encounter the Persecuted Church.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an idea of what God is really up to in this world? One thing we can be very sure of—that the story of the world as we find it in history books and newspapers is not to be confused with the real story of what God is doing underneath. But what is God’s story as opposed to history? What’s he really up to? Must the daily diet of wars, murder, and mayhem in my newspaper always get me down? Can I ever be sure something is going on underneath? Well, we can’t know perfectly as “his ways are so much higher than our ways” (Isaiah 55:9). But we are afforded glimpses. This glimpsing really excited the early Christians. You can hear the delight in Paul when he writes, “God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us...” (Ephesians 1:9). The persecuted seem to get more glimpses than most.

I think of China. The headlines said in June of 1989 a terrible massacre took place. Five thousand young people were mown down by the Chinese army. The headlines all mourned the death of the pro-democracy movement. It was terrible, but what was God up to underneath? Out of that massacre came a remarkable turning to Christ among China’s students for the first time in history! The headlines never saw it. It’s not part of history. But “His story” went on.

I think of Afghanistan. When the Soviet Union invaded that country in 1980 the world was outraged. The headlines were all full of fierce denunciations of the action, and rightly so. But I remember meeting a missionary from Kabul who said, “Yes, what the Russians did was wrong, but the fact is it is now much easier under the Russians for Christians to evangelize than it was before under the Islamic regime.” Again, another more significant story, of God building his kingdom, was going on undetected by the world at large.

I think of Sudan. The headlines in the 1980s were full of a dreadful civil war that isolated the Danka people from the outside world. It was terrible. There was untold suffering on a vast scale. But underneath, God was bringing the 2 million Dinks to himself. By 1993, 80% of them were Christians, and this among a tribe that was historically very resistant to the gospel.

Notice that these are all stories from the persecuted. They seem to be better placed to notice the real story. And so I need to keep in touch with them because this glimpse delivers me from despair. In 1989 in China, there was not just a massacre, but a revival. In 1980 in Afghanistan, there was not just an occupation, but new missionary opportunities. In Sudan, there was not just a brutal war that killed millions, but a new kingdom of believers among an unreached people.

So every day when I open my newspaper, I remind myself of two things, thanks to the persecuted: the story I see is not to be confused with the kingdom story; and underneath even the saddest news, God is surely up to something good. There is hope because God is always at work.

RESPONSE: Today when I read or hear the news, I will thank God that He is at work behind the scenes.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord, for Your promise to bring good out of the terrible events of this world.

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 - June 3, 2020 - "Tragedy or Comedy?"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Tragedy or Comedy?"

June 3, 2020

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ... "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, ... delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. ... This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ... Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

— Acts 2:14a, 22a, 23b-24, 32-33, 36 (ESV)

Some time ago, on an internet forum I belong to, someone started a conversation with the title, "Who killed Jesus?" From the opening post, it was clear the writer wanted a fight about whether it was the Jews or the Romans to blame. It didn't quite work out that way, though. Another poster nipped in and wrote, "I did." The discussion ended right there.

It's true, isn't it? I crucified Jesus. You crucified Jesus as well, if you admit that what the Bible says is true. Every human being has had a hand in that murder. It doesn't matter if we are Jews or Romans or modern-day human beings. There is a deadly infection of evil in the universe, and all of us suffer from it and contribute to it in some way. That's what Jesus came to destroy. It took His death to do it—to put things right again. So yes—His death is on us.

And yet, you'll notice that Peter starts with the bad news, but he doesn't end up there. Yes, we crucified the Son of God, but we weren't the only people involved in this story. God Himself raised Him up, raised Him from the dead, never to die again. And why? Precisely so that Jesus could share that joyful, perfect, never-ending life with us—the very people who killed Him!

The story starts out like a tragedy—an innocent person suffering and dying through no fault of His own. But once we get to the resurrection, it's clear that this is no tragedy—it's what the ancient poets called a comedy, a story with a happily-ever-after. That's exactly what we get. Jesus rises from the dead; evil is destroyed. He surprises His followers, and joy and forgiveness follow. Jesus' work is accomplished, new life is now available to anybody who will take it, and the disciples run out of their locked room to go and spread the good news to everyone who will listen.

I hope you like comedies—because the joy from that first explosion of wonder and delight on Easter Sunday is still echoing through the universe. Nothing will stuff it back in its bottle. Even today, people are coming to trust in Jesus, lives are changing, and God's light is shining into even the darkest corners of our world. The Man we crucified has turned out to be the risen Son of God who loves us. And He will share His life with all of us, everyone who believes.

THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for this wonderful Good News! Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you like comedies or tragedies best? Why?

2. Do you think any of the followers of Jesus saw the happy ending coming? Why or why not?

3. Are there other times you have heard of a victim becoming friends (or better!) with those who hurt him? How and why?

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 like comedies or tragedies best? Why?

Devocional CPTLN del 03 de junio de 2020 - ¿Tragedia o comedia?

ALIMENTO DIARIO

¿Tragedia o comedia?

03 de Junio de 2020

Entonces Pedro se puso de pie, junto con los otros once, y con potente voz dijo: «Varones judíos, y ustedes, habitantes todos de Jerusalén, sepan esto, y entiendan bien mis palabras... »Varones israelitas, escuchen mis palabras: Jesús nazareno, que fue el varón que Dios aprobó entre ustedes por las maravillas, prodigios y señales que hizo por medio de él, como ustedes mismos lo saben... fue entregado conforme al plan determinado y el conocimiento anticipado de Dios, y ustedes lo aprehendieron y lo mataron por medio de hombres inicuos, crucificándolo. Pero Dios lo levantó, liberándolo de los lazos de la muerte, porque era imposible que la muerte lo venciera... Pues a este Jesús Dios lo resucitó, y de eso todos nosotros somos testigos. Y como él fue exaltado por la diestra de Dios, recibió del Padre la promesa del Espíritu Santo, y ha derramado esto que ahora están viendo y oyendo... »Sépalo bien todo el pueblo de Israel, que a este Jesús, a quien ustedes crucificaron, Dios lo ha hecho Señor y Cristo.»

— Hechos 2:14, 22, 23-24, 32-33, 36 (RVC)

Hace algún tiempo, en un foro de Internet alguien comenzó una conversación con el título, "¿Quién mató a Jesús?" Desde el principio estaba claro que el escritor quería pelear sobre si habían sido los judíos o los romanos. Pero no resultó así. Alguien escribió: "Fui yo". Y allí se terminó la discusión.

Y es verdad: yo crucifiqué a Jesús, y tú también, si admites que lo que dice la Biblia es verdad. Todo ser humano ha intervenido en su muerte. No importa si somos judíos o romanos o seres humanos modernos. La humanidad sufre de una infección, por lo que todos contribuimos de alguna manera. Y eso es lo que Jesús vino a destruir con su propia muerte.

Si bien Pedro comienza su discurso con las malas noticias, no termina allí. Sí, crucificamos al Hijo de Dios, pero no fuimos las únicas personas involucradas en ello. Dios lo levantó de la muerte para nunca más morir. ¿Por qué? Precisamente para que Jesús pueda compartir esa vida plena, perfecta e interminable con nosotros, ¡las mismas personas que lo llevaron a la muerte!

La historia comienza como una tragedia: una persona inocente que sufre y muere sin culpa propia. Pero una vez que llegamos a la resurrección, está claro que no se trata de una tragedia, sino de una comedia, una historia con un final feliz para siempre: Jesús resucita de la muerte y el mal es destruido. El trabajo de Jesús está cumplido, ahora hay una nueva vida disponible para cualquiera que la reciba, y los discípulos salen corriendo de su encierro para ir y difundir las buenas noticias a todos los que escuchen.

La alegría de esa primera explosión de maravilla y deleite en el domingo de Pascua todavía resuena en el universo. Todavía hoy, millones alrededor del mundo confían en Jesús, sus vidas están cambiando y la luz de Dios brilla hasta en los rincones más oscuros de nuestro mundo. El hombre que crucificamos resultó ser el Hijo del Dios que nos ama. Y porque nos ama, compartirá su vida con todos los que creemos en él.

ORACIÓN: Señor, ¡gracias por estas maravillosas buenas noticias! Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

* ¿Crees que alguno de los seguidores de Jesús vio venir el final feliz? ¿Por qué sí o por qué no?

* ¿Has oído hablar de una víctima que se amiga con quienes le lastimaron? ¿Cómo y por qué?

© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Crees que alguno de los seguidores de Jesús vio venir el final feliz? ¿Por qué sí o por qué no?

Ministérios Pão Diário - Relógios e calendários

Relógios e calendários

Escritura de hoje: Salmo 62
Bíblia em um ano: 2 Crônicas 19–20; João 13:21-38

Ó meu povo, confie nele em todo tempo; derrame o coração diante dele, pois Deus é nosso refúgio.

— Salmo 62:8

Meu pai faleceu aos 58 anos. Desde então, na data de sua morte, eu paro para me lembrar dele e refletir sobre sua influência em minha vida. Quando percebi que tinha vivido mais sem o meu pai do que com ele, comecei a ponderar sobre a brevidade de minha própria vida.

Ao refletir, podemos lutar tanto com um acontecimento, quanto com os sentimentos que provocam em nós. Embora meçamos o tempo com relógios e calendários, lembramos de momentos por causa dos acontecimentos. Nas circunstâncias da vida que desencadeiam as nossas emoções mais profundas, podemos experimentar alegria, perda, bênção, dor, sucesso, fracasso.

As Escrituras nos encorajam: “Ó meu povo, confie nele em todo tempo; derrame o coração diante dele, pois Deus é nosso refúgio” (v.8). Essa declaração de confiança não aconteceu num momento tranquilo. Davi escreveu essas palavras enquanto estava cercado por inimigos (vv.3,4). Ainda assim, ele esperou tranquilamente diante de Deus (vv.1,5) nos lembrando de que o Seu amor infalível (v.12) é maior do que qualquer tempo de lutas que possamos enfrentar.

Em cada ocasião, temos essa confiança: Nosso Deus está conosco, e Ele é mais do que suficiente para nos levar por todos os momentos da vida. Quando certas ocasiões ameaçam nos sufocar, a ajuda de Deus chegará na hora certa.

Por:  Administrador do site

Refletir & Orar

Pai, somos gratos porque sempre és e sempre serás fiel a nós.

Nosso Deus está conosco em todos os momentos da vida.

© 2020 Ministérios Pão Diário
Meu pai faleceu aos 58 anos. Desde então, na data de sua morte, eu paro para me lembrar dele e refletir sobre sua influência em minha vida.