The Daily Bible Readings for TUESDAY, August 18, 2020

The Daily Bible Readings

TUESDAY, August 18, 2020

Psalm 130; Genesis 44:1-34; Romans 11:13-29

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Psalm 130

With you there is forgiveness

1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.

2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

7 Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Genesis 44:1-34

Judah pleads for Benjamin

44:1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

17 And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

26 And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

28 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

29 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Romans 11:13-29

God saves Jews and Gentiles

11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

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, King James Version (KJV).

The Daily Bible Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, 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 Bible Readings for TUESDAY, August 18, 2020
Psalm 130; Genesis 44:1-34; Romans 11:13-29 (KJV)

The Daily Prayer for TUESDAY, August 18, 2020

The Daily Prayer

TUESDAY, August 18, 2020

Ambrose, bishop of Milan and a doctor of the church, said this in the fourth century: “Death comes to every person. You must keep facing it with perseverance. Death is a passover from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality, from rough seas to a calm harbor. The word ‘death’ must not trouble us; the blessings that come from a safe journey should bring us joy. What is death, but the burial of sin and the resurrection of goodness? Scripture says: Let my soul die among the souls of the just; that is, let me be buried with the just, so that I may cast off my sins and put on the grace of the just, of those who bear the death of Christ with them, in their bodies and in their souls.”

Lord, you have conquered death and triumphed over evil. There is nothing left for us to fear. Put us to work on this earth, striving for the kingdom in everything we do. Let us die to ourselves each day that we might find ourselves made new in you. Amen.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, August 18, 2020

Philippians 1:21

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Read all of Philippians 1

Listen to Philippians 1

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV).

LHM Daily Devotions — Looking to Our Roots

Looking to Our Roots

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. ... My righteousness draws near, My salvation has gone out, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for Me, and for My arm they wait. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will never be dismayed.

- Isaiah 51:1-2, 5-6

God gives us a strange direction today. He says, "You who seek the Lord ... look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you."

All right, I think. I'll do that. I'll probably find a great role model to learn from. So I turn to their story, and what do I find? A mess, that's what. Sure, Abraham and Sarah followed God's command to leave their home behind and move to a land far away, waiting faithfully for Him to keep His promises to them. That's great. But I also find a man who passed off his wife as his sister, putting her in danger, all because he was afraid of the locals. I find a woman who used her servant's body to get a baby, and then treated that woman badly. I find a couple who had the usual mix of good and evil, obedience to God and—well, the exact opposite. Am I supposed to imitate these people?

But I've missed the point. That isn't what God is asking us to look at. In the very next line of Isaiah He makes the point clear: "for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him." Pay attention to Abraham and Sarah, God says, because of what I did with them—because of my choosing and blessing and saving—that is the thing you should notice. That is what you should seek for yourselves, and put your full confidence in. My choosing and My blessing make all the difference.

It's the same for us too, isn't it? We are mixtures of good and evil just as Sarah and Abraham were. We have done nothing to merit attention—at least positive attention!

But that's no longer important. God has set His choice on us. He has called us out of the crowd and said, "You will be Mine. For you I will be born as a human being; I will live and serve and suffer and die. I will take away your guilt and your evil from you, because I choose to do so, and I will pay the price. And I will rise from the dead, and share with you My joyful, everlasting life. You are Mine—chosen, blessed, saved."

This is how much God has loved you, and will love you always. Who else could you share this good news with?

Lord, thank You for choosing us to be Your own through Your own gracious love. Please bring many more to faith in Your Son Jesus. Amen.

Dr. Kari Vo

Reflection Questions:

1. What Bible character do you most admire, and why?

2. Did he or she have a serious flaw you know of? How do you feel about that?

3. What does it mean to you, that God knows all your flaws and chooses and loves you anyway?

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What Bible character do you most admire, and why?

Standing Strong Through the Storm — PERSEVERANCE

PERSEVERANCE

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

— Hebrews 10:36-37

The greatest example of Christian perseverance for me is Sister Alice Yuan from China. Her pastor husband, Allen Yuan, was imprisoned for almost twenty-two years for refusing to join the government-controlled church in the middle 1950s. She says:

“When my husband Allen was sent to prison in April 1958, I was told that I would never see him again. I felt completely miserable and continually blamed God. The future looked so terribly bleak. I had the care of six children and my mother-in-law. I was only earning 80 cents a day. How could I keep my family alive on that?

“When it all became too much for me, one night I heard a voice: ‘My child, I have everything in My hands. These things come from Me.’ I replied, ‘If these things come from You, please protect me and my family. Do not allow me to dishonor Your name. I want to serve You and glorify Your name’

“Then I received peace in my heart. I was encouraged by Psalm 68:19, Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. In those difficult years, people let me down, but God never abandoned me. But he did put me through trials.

“The first trial was the struggle to survive. I was only earning 80 cents a day. How could we get by on that? But God took care of us, in the same way that he took care of Elijah. He promised to be my shepherd and provider.

“One evening, my mother-in-law said that there was no food anymore in the house. The next morning, at five to six there was a knock on the door. ‘Are you sister Alice?’ asked a woman in her sixties, whom I didn’t know. ‘God wanted me to give you this.’ She put a package in my hand and disappeared. When I opened the parcel I found there was rice in it and some other food and a banknote to the value of about four month’s salary of a professor! Praise the Lord. Where man comes to an end, God begins! This was only one of the many miracles which kept us alive all those years.”

Tomorrow we’ll conclude her story of faithfulness and perseverance as well as God’s miraculous care for His own.

RESPONSE: Today I will not complain about discomforts but thank God for all His blessings!

PRAYER: Lord, You desire faithfulness and perseverance. Help me develop these qualities in my life.

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

John Piper Devotional — Hope to Obey Hard Commands

Hope to Obey Hard Commands

For he that will love life, and see good days…Let him eschew evil, and do good.

— 1 Peter 3:10–11

There is only one basic reason why we disobey the commands of Jesus: it’s because we don’t have confidence that obeying will bring more blessings than disobeying. We do not hope fully in God’s promise.

What did he promise? Peter passes on his teaching like this:

Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called that you may obtain a blessing. He who would love life and see good days…let him turn away from evil and do good.

You will always be better off to obey than to disobey, even if it costs you your life.

Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time…with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:29–30).

The only way to have the power to follow Christ in the costly way of love is to be filled with hope, with strong confidence that if we lose our life doing his will, we will find it again and be richly rewarded.
There is only one basic reason why we disobey the commands of Jesus…

Un dia a la Vez — Demos testimonio en todo lugar

Demos testimonio en todo lugar

Dios haga resplandecer su rostro sobre nosotros, para que se conozcan en la tierra sus caminos, y entre todas las naciones su salvación.

— Salmo 67:1-2

El testimonio muestra la clase de personas que somos. También nos permite dar fe de lo que nos ha dado Dios y de los cambios que nos ha permitido tener. Sobre todo, con el testimonio podemos influir en muchas personas a nuestro alrededor.

A veces nos pasa que quisiéramos que nadie nos conociera porque nos daría pena, ¿verdad? No desearíamos que se percibiera nuestro verdadero YO, en especial cuando somos personas públicas.

Cuando decidimos representar a nuestro Dios en la tierra, el testimonio cobra más importancia, por una sencilla razón: Son muchas las miradas puestas en ti y en mí. Tal parece que no podemos darnos el lujo de ser como somos quizá en la iglesia o en la casa porque alguien nos pudiera ver o escuchar. Sin duda, esto es muy bueno, pues nos obligamos a ser siempre hombres y mujeres comprometidos con la Palabra y con un deseo ferviente de mostrar lo que Dios ha hecho en nosotros.

En los lugares menos esperados, me he encontrado gente que conoce de mi trabajo en la radio y me han visto tal cual soy. Me ha sucedido muchas veces en supermercados, en la calle, en el hospital y, lo que menos me he imaginado, en un avión, donde el auxiliar de vuelo es oyente de la radio.

Mi enseñanza en este día es que tú y yo debemos guardar nuestro testimonio. En primer lugar, por agradar y obedecer a nuestro Dios. En segundo lugar, porque no sabemos quién nos mira y lo que mostremos puede ser determinante en la vida de otra persona.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
El testimonio muestra la clase de personas que somos.

Devocional CPTLN — Mirando nuestras raíces

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Mirando nuestras raíces

Escúchenme ustedes, los que me buscan y van en pos de la justicia. Miren la piedra de donde ustedes fueron cortados; el hueco de la cantera de donde fueron sacados. Miren a Abrahán, su padre; miren a Sara, la mujer que los dio a luz. Cuando él era uno solo, yo lo llamé, lo bendije y lo multipliqué... Ya está cerca mi justicia; ya ha salido mi salvación. Mis brazos juzgarán a los pueblos, pues los habitantes de la costa esperan en mí, y en mi brazo han puesto su esperanza. Levanten los ojos a los cielos, y vuelvan la mirada hacia la tierra: los cielos se desvanecerán como el humo, la tierra se envejecerá como la ropa, y así también perecerán sus habitantes; pero mi salvación permanecerá para siempre, ¡mi justicia no perecerá!

— Isaías 51:1-2, 5-6

Aquí Dios nos da una dirección extraña: "Ustedes, los que me buscan... miren la piedra de donde ustedes fueron cortados; el hueco de la cantera de donde fueron sacados. Miren a Abrahán, su padre; miren a Sara, la mujer que los dio a luz".

De acuerdo, haré eso, pero primero buscaré un modelo a seguir. Entonces me vuelvo a su historia, ¿y qué encuentro? ¡Un desastre! Es cierto que Abraham y Sara siguieron la orden de Dios de abandonar su hogar y mudarse a una tierra lejana, esperando fielmente que Él cumpliera sus promesas. Pero también encuentro a un hombre que hizo pasar a su esposa como su hermana poniéndola en peligro, todo porque tenía miedo de los lugareños. Encuentro a una mujer que usó el cuerpo de su sirviente para tener un bebé y luego la trató mal. Encuentro una pareja que tenía la mezcla habitual de bien y mal, obediencia a Dios y, bueno, todo lo contrario. ¿Se supone que debo imitar a esas personas?

Es que eso no es lo que Dios nos pide que miremos. En la línea siguiente, Isaías aclara el punto: "Cuando él era uno solo, yo lo llamé, lo bendije y lo multipliqué... ". Presten atención a Abraham y Sara, dice Dios, por lo que hice con ellos, por mi elección, bendición y salvación, eso es lo que deben notar. Eso es lo que deben buscar para ustedes mismos y en lo que deben confiar plenamente. Mi elección y mi bendición son lo que hacen la diferencia.

Es lo mismo para nosotros también, ¿no? Somos mezclas del bien y del mal, tal como lo fueron Sarah y Abraham. No hemos hecho nada para merecer atención, ¡al menos atención positiva!

Pero eso ya no es importante. Dios ha puesto su elección en nosotros. Nos ha llamado de entre la multitud y nos ha dicho: "Serás mío. Por ti naceré como ser humano, viviré, serviré, sufriré y moriré. Te quitaré tu culpa y tu maldad porque elijo hacerlo, y pagaré el precio. Y resucitaré de entre los muertos y compartiré contigo mi vida gozosa y eterna. Eres mío: elegido, bendecido, salvado.

Así es como Dios te ha amado y siempre te amará. ¿Con quién puedes compartir estas buenas noticias?

ORACIÓN: Señor, gracias por elegirnos para ser tuyos a través de tu amor. Utilízanos para traer muchos más a la fe en tu Hijo Jesús. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

* ¿Qué personaje de la Biblia admiras más y por qué?

* ¿Qué significa para ti que Dios conoce todos tus defectos y de todos modos te elige y te ama?

© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué personaje de la Biblia admiras más y por qué?

Nuestro Pan Diario — ¿Rivales o aliados?

¿Rivales o aliados?

La escritura de hoy: 1 Corintios 1:10-17
La Biblia en un año: Salmos 100–102; 1 Corintios 1

… estéis perfectamente unidos en una misma mente y en un mismo parecer.

— 1 Corintios 1:10

Texarkana está en la frontera entre Texas y Arkansas. Tiene dos alcaldes, dos consejos, y dos departamentos de policía y de bomberos. La rivalidad deportiva entre las escuelas de ambas secciones de la ciudad atrae a una enorme asistencia, lo que refleja la profunda lealtad de los residentes a su estado. Pero también surgen disputas sobre temas como el sistema de agua compartido, regido por leyes estatales diferentes. Aun así, la ciudad es conocida por su unidad. Todos los años, los residentes se reúnen en la Avenida State Line para comer juntos y celebrar su unidad como comunidad.

Los creyentes corintios tal vez no habían trazado una línea en su calle principal, pero estaban divididos. Peleaban por su lealtad a quienes les habían enseñado de Jesús: Pablo, Apolos o Cefas (Pedro). Pablo los llamó a tener «una misma mente y […] parecer» (1 Corintios 1:10), recordándoles que Cristo había sido crucificado por ellos y no sus líderes espirituales.

Hoy actuamos parecido, ¿no? A veces, convertimos en rivales en lugar de aliados a los que comparten nuestra particularmente importante creencia en el sacrificio de Jesús por nuestros pecados. Como representantes terrenales del Cristo indiviso, no permitamos que temas triviales nos dividan, sino celebremos nuestra unidad en Él.

De:  Kirsten Holmberg

Reflexiona y ora

Dios, ayúdame a promover la unidad en la fe.

¿Sobre qué asuntos espirituales intrascendentes es probable que des lugar a una división? ¿Cómo puedes, en cambio, promover la unidad?

© 2020 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
Texarkana está en la frontera entre Texas y Arkansas. Tiene dos alcaldes, dos consejos, y dos departamentos de policía y de bomberos.