The Daily Bible Readings for TUESDAY, September 1, 2020

The Daily Readings

TUESDAY, September 1, 2020

Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18; Exodus 5:1—6:13; Revelation 3:7-13

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today's Verse-of-the-Day: Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Today's Readings:

Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18

God’s power like blazing fire

1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

Exodus 5:1—6:13

Moses confronts Pharaoh

5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?

15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.

18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

21 And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

6:1 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord:

3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.

4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord.

9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

10 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

12 And Moses spake before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?

13 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Revelation 3:7-13

Wake up to your faithlessness

3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto 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 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 Readings for TUESDAY, September 1, 2020
Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18; Exodus 5:1—6:13; Revelation 3:7-13 (KJV)

The Daily Prayer for TUESDAY, September 1, 2020

The Daily Prayer

TUESDAY, September 1, 2020

Seventh-century monk and bishop Isaac of Syria said, “Do not fall into despair because of your stumblings, for you should not consider them incurable. There is indeed a healer: he who on the cross asked for mercy on those who were crucifying him, who pardoned murderers as he hung on the cross. Christ came on behalf of sinners, to heal the brokenhearted and to bind up their wounds.”

Lord, you are a God who heals and calls forth life. Keep us from the pitfalls of self-pity and despair, lest we ridicule your grace and power, and forsake our own healing. Amen.

Ichthus Ministries Daily Devotions — Duty to Warn

Duty to Warn

(The Word of the Lord said) "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul."

— Ezekiel 33:7-9

Last year my son was working with a crew of friends to build an outdoor stairway at a local bird sanctuary. It was an Eagle Scout project, and involved a lot of digging. We couldn't finish everything the first day, so we wrapped the whole area in yellow caution tape. We wanted to make sure that nobody tried to climb the half-finished stairway and ended up with a broken leg.

Some people probably thought it was overkill. After all, people should know better than to walk on half-finished work, right? And the holes in the ground were so obvious. Why should we have to spend money on flags and tape when any idiot could see the danger? Wouldn't it be their own fault if they fell in?

Well, yes, it would. But common decency means we have to do the best we can to protect people—even the ones who aren't using their common sense. And there are children, and people with bad eyesight. We knew the dangers. We had a duty to warn people.

Are you a parent, a teacher, a pastor, or leader of some sort? You, too, have a duty to warn. If the people under your care get involved in some kind of evil that leads to destruction, you cannot walk away and pretend you didn't notice. You have to try to fish them out of the danger they are in.

This is tough for a lot of us. Some of us really enjoy laying down the law, and do it in a self-righteous or ham-handed way that causes unnecessary pain and shame for the people involved. Others of us are just the opposite—we shrink away from getting involved, and we hope that somebody else will handle it. How can we get this right?

One of the earliest Christians, James, tells us, "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20). We can only do this right if we are acting under the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit—if we truly love the person we are trying to reach, and we show that love through everything we do and say in the situation. If God's love is acting through us, that will stop us from either ignoring the dangerous situation or doing things that will make it worse.

Want an example? Look to Jesus our Savior. When we were in danger of death and hell, He warned us—and He did more than just warn us. He loved us so much that He came down into our mess as a human being to rescue us. He laid down His life for us in His death on the cross, destroying the power sin had over us. And He conquered death for us by rising to life again and sharing that life with everyone who trusts in Him. This is how much He loves us.

Lord, thank You for warning and saving us. Amen.

Dr. Kari Vo

Reflection Questions:

1. What warnings about danger do you see in your everyday life?

2. Has anybody ever warned you about a spiritual danger?

3. Is it easy or difficult for you to warn people you love about spiritual dangers? How can you find help for this?

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What warnings about danger do you see in your everyday life?

Standing Strong Through the Storm — RECONCILIATION IN THE MIDST OF PAIN

RECONCILIATION IN THE MIDST OF PAIN

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

— 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

The first of September is a memorial day for the people of Beslan in North Ossetia as they remember the awful events of September first, 2004. More than one thousand children and adults were taken hostage in School Number One and two days later more than three hundred and thirty of them were killed in the violence.

Memorial services are held and memories of the nightmare overwhelm everyone in town. Beslan’s cemetery is unique; it has the youngest average age in the world (7-12 years old). The sight of so many graves of children deeply affects any visitor. One said, “People who do not live in Beslan have often forgotten the tragedy already, but as soon as you enter the city, you cannot escape the atmosphere of grief and deep mourning that is still enveloping the city.”

When the tragedy occurred at School Number One, almost every family in Beslan was affected. A peculiarity in Ossetia is that nearly everybody is related to one another, so the catastrophe has affected many people in a personal way. Even those who were watching television during the event suffered diseases, heart attacks and strokes.

Pastor Taimuraz Totiev and his wife Ria had their five children at school; only the eldest daughter, Madina, survived the attack. Their four other children, Larissa, Luba, Albina, and Boris, were buried on September 7, 2004.

The pastor’s brother, Sergey Totiev, also had children at the school. Sergey and his wife Bela buried two of their children on the same day: Dzerassa (15) and Anna (9). Their son Azamat lost his sight in one of his eyes and is having surgery to save his other eye.

Both men are pastors of the Beslan Baptist Church. At the children’s funeral Sergey spoke of forgiveness and advised people not to seek revenge, but to serve as peacemakers. His exact words were: “Yes, we have an irreplaceable loss, but we cannot take revenge. As Christians, the Bible teaches us that we must forgive. Vengeance is in God’s hands.” According to a Christian worker in the area, a demonic plan was broken when those words were spoken!

Since that time they have been doing everything they can think of to minister to families of the victims. Other churches and ministries have also taken up the enormous task of counseling and helping the survivors and the bereaved. Others decided to reach out to Chechen people (nationality of the neighboring terrorists) and are finding ways to minister God’s love to them.

RESPONSE: Today I commit to being a messenger of God’s reconciliation through Christ—even to those who may cause harm to me or my family.

PRAYER: Pray for the church to be an instrument of reconciliation and restoration in this volatile area of Central Asia.

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 — He Does All That He Pleases

He Does All That He Pleases

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

— Psalm 115:3

This verse teaches that whenever God acts, he acts in a way that pleases him.

God is never constrained to do a thing that he despises. He is never backed into a corner where his only recourse is to do something he hates to do.

He does whatever he pleases. And therefore, in some sense, he has pleasure in all that he does.

This should lead us to bow before God and praise his sovereign freedom—that in some sense at least he always acts in freedom, according to his own “good pleasure,” following the dictates of his own delights.

God never becomes the victim of circumstance. He is never forced into a situation where he must do something in which he cannot rejoice. He is not mocked. He is not trapped or cornered or coerced.

Even at the one point in history where he did what in one sense was the hardest thing for God to do, “not spare his own Son” (Romans 8:32), God was free and doing what pleased him. Paul says that the self-sacrifice of Jesus in death was “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). The greatest sin and the greatest death and the hardest act of God was pleasing to the Father.

And on his way to Calvary, Jesus himself had legions at his disposal. “No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord”—of his own good pleasure, for the joy that is set before him. At the one point in the history of the universe where Jesus looked trapped, he was totally in charge doing precisely what he pleased—dying to justify the ungodly like you and me.

So let us stand in awe and wonder. And let us tremble that not only our praises of God’s sovereignty but also our salvation through the death of Christ for us, hang on this: “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever he pleases.”
This verse teaches that whenever God acts, he acts in a way that pleases him.

Un dia a la Vez — Un nuevo día

Un nuevo día

¡Despierten, arpa y lira! ¡Haré despertar al nuevo día! [...] Te alabaré, Señor [...] Pues tu amor es tan grande que rebasa los cielos.

— Salmo 108:2-4

Cada día trae su propio afán. Entonces, ¿por qué nos vamos a afanar por el día de mañana? Hasta la Biblia nos recomienda que dejemos el estrés y vivamos cada día como si fuera el último.

Eso no significa que no te proyectes al futuro y que no planifiques. Estas cosas son buenas. Lo que no es bueno es que te dejes robar la bendición al preocuparte antes de tiempo.

Aprender a descansar en el Señor nos trae muchas ventajas, pues vives en paz y afrontas tus problemas confiando en que tendrán solución. Aun estando en aprietos financieros, conoces quién es Dios que no te desampara ni de día ni de noche. Cuando descansas en Dios, es porque has entendido en realidad que tu Padre que está en los cielos cuidará de tus hijos aun cuando partas de este mundo.

Comencemos entonces a darle gracias a Dios por el día de hoy. Además, vivamos a plenitud y saquemos el mejor provecho del mismo aunque venga con cosas que no esperábamos.

Ora cada mañana y encomiéndale tu camino al Señor. Preocúpate por los negocios de Dios y Él se preocupará por los tuyos.

Gracias, Señor, por este nuevo amanecer. Lo entrego en tus manos. En el nombre de Jesús, amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Cada día trae su propio afán. Entonces, ¿por qué nos vamos a afanar por el día de mañana? Hasta la Biblia nos recomienda que dejemos el estrés y vivamos cada día como si fuera el último.

Devocional CPTLN — Obligación de advertir

Obligación de advertir

Es a ti, hijo de hombre, a quien yo he puesto como atalaya para el pueblo de Israel. Tú oirás de mí mismo la advertencia, y les advertirás para que se prevengan. Cuando yo le diga a algún impío que está en peligro de muerte, si tú no le adviertes que se aparte de su mal camino, el impío morirá por causa de su pecado, pero yo te haré responsable de su muerte. Por el contrario, si tú le adviertes al impío que se aparte de su mal camino, y éste no te hace caso, morirá por causa de su pecado, pero tú habrás puesto a salvo tu vida.

— Ezequiel 33:7-9

El año pasado ayudé a mi hijo quien, junto con un grupo de amigos, tenía que construir una escalera al aire libre en un santuario de aves, un proyecto que involucró muchas excavaciones. No pudimos terminar todo el primer día, así que cerramos el área con una cinta amarilla de peligro. Queríamos asegurarnos de que nadie intentara subir la escalera a medio terminar y se rompiera una pierna.

Algunos pensaron que era una exageración. Después de todo, todos saben que no se debe caminar sobre un trabajo a medio terminar, y los pozos eran bien obvios. ¿Por qué gastar dinero en cintas cuando cualquiera podía ver el peligro? ¿No sería culpa suya si cayera?

Aun así, era nuestro deber hacer lo mejor que podíamos para proteger a las personas, incluso a las que no utilizan su sentido común. Además, hay niños y personas con mala vista. Conocíamos los peligros. Teníamos el deber de advertir a la gente.

Si eres padre, maestro, pastor o líder de algún tipo, tú también tienes el deber de advertir. Si las personas bajo tu cuidado se involucran en algo que conduce a la destrucción, no puedes alejarte y fingir que no lo has notado: tienes que intentar sacarlos del peligro en el que se encuentran.

Para muchos de nosotros esto es muy difícil, porque nos gusta imponer la ley y hacerlo de una manera moralista que causa un dolor y vergüenza innecesarios. Otros somos todo lo contrario: nos rehuimos de involucrarnos y esperamos que otro se encargue de ello. ¿Qué hacer?

Santiago nos dice: "Hermanos, si alguno de ustedes se ha apartado de la verdad y otro lo hace volver a ella, sepan que el que haga volver al pecador de su mal camino, lo salvará de la muerte y cubrirá una gran cantidad de pecados." (Santiago 5:19-20). Solo podemos hacer esto correctamente si actuamos bajo la guía del Espíritu Santo, si realmente amamos a la persona a la que estamos tratando de alcanzar y mostramos ese amor a través de todo lo que hacemos y decimos en la situación. Si el amor de Dios vive en nosotros, nos impedirá ignorar la situación peligrosa o hacer cosas que la empeorarán.

Si quieres un ejemplo mira a Jesús, nuestro Salvador. Cuando estábamos en peligro de muerte y del infierno él no solo nos advirtió, sino que nos amó tanto que vino a nuestro mundo dar su vida por nosotros en la cruz, destruyendo el poder que el pecado tenía sobre nosotros, conquistando la muerte al resucitar y compartiendo esa vida con todos los que confían en él. Tanto nos ama.

ORACIÓN: Señor, gracias por advertirnos y salvarnos. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

* ¿Alguien te ha advertido alguna vez sobre un peligro espiritual?

* ¿Te resulta fácil o difícil advertir a las personas que amas sobre los peligros espirituales? ¿Cómo puedes encontrar ayuda para esto?

© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Alguien te ha advertido alguna vez sobre un peligro espiritual?

Nuestro Pan Diario — Sufrir juntos

Sufrir juntos

La escritura de hoy: 1 Corintios 12:14-26
La Biblia en un año: Salmos 135–136; 1 Corintios 12

… si un miembro padece, todos los miembros se duelen con él…

—  1 Corintios 12:26

En 2013, James McConnell, un veterano de guerra de la Marina Real Británica, murió a los 70 años de edad. Como no tenía familia, el personal del hogar de ancianos donde vivía temía que nadie asistiera a su funeral. El hombre designado para oficiar su servicio de recordación publicó en Facebook: «En esta época, es trágico que alguien tenga que dejar este mundo sin que nadie lamente su partida, pero este hombre era familia […]. Si puedes, trata de acercarte a su tumba […] para honrar a este hermano de armas». ¡Doscientos marinos colmaron los asientos!

Estos compatriotas británicos manifestaron una verdad bíblica: estamos vinculados unos con otros. «El cuerpo no es un solo miembro, sino muchos», dice Pablo (1 Corintios 12:14). No estamos aislados, sino unidos en Cristo. La Escritura revela una interconexión orgánica: «si un miembro padece, todos los miembros se duelen con él» (v. 26). Como creyentes en Cristo y miembros de la familia de Dios, entramos juntos a esos lugares oscuros de dolor y tristeza a los que tememos ir solos. Pero gracias a Dios, no vamos solos.

Quizá lo peor del sufrimiento es sentir que nos estamos hundiendo solos en la oscuridad, pero Dios ha creado una nueva comunidad que comparte ese dolor y nos saca a la luz.

De:  Winn Collier

Reflexiona y ora

Dios, gracias por ser parte de tu familia que me ama y se duele conmigo.

¿Cuándo te sentiste más solo? ¿Cómo la gracia, la bondad y la amistad de Dios te ayudan a enfrentar la soledad?

© 2020 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
En 2013, James McConnell, un veterano de guerra de la Marina Real Británica, murió a los 70 años de edad. Como no tenía familia, el personal del hogar de ancianos donde vivía temía que nadie asistiera a su funeral.…