The Daily Bible Readings for MONDAY, September 7, 2020

The Daily Readings

MONDAY, September 7, 2020

Psalm 121; Exodus 12:14-28; 1 Peter 2:11-17

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today's Verse-of-the-Day: Colossians 1:28

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

Today's Readings:

Psalm 121

My help is from the Lord

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Exodus 12:14-28

Instructions for the passover

12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

1 Peter 2:11-17

Live as servants of God

2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

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 MONDAY, September 7, 2020
Psalm 121; Exodus 12:14-28; 1 Peter 2:11-17 (KJV)

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, September 7, 2020

Colossians 1:28

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

Read all of Colossians 1

Listen to Colossians 1

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV).

Ichthus Ministries Daily Devotions — Remembered and Forgotten

Remembered and Forgotten

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.

— Psalm 103:10-12

It is no surprise that God remembers. He is God, after all, our all-knowing, almighty Creator, who says, "For 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). God remembered—and fulfilled—His covenant promise, sending His Anointed One, the long-awaited Messiah, His only Son. Yet Scripture also assures us that there are some things, surprisingly enough, that God does not remember. "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). His new covenant is a covenant of forgetting: "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah ... I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:31b, 34b).

Our sins are washed away in Jesus' blood, the blood of that new covenant. God does not remember those sins or hold them against us, but all too often we remember them quite clearly. Our sins can loom large in our eyes. We become fearful, wondering if we are truly forgiven, even imagining that we cannot be forgiven. Will God hold certain sins against us, those sins we find so hard to forget? Perhaps He forgives everything else, but what about those sins of which we are so ashamed, the ones we have confessed but cannot forget? Doubts arise in our hearts and minds.

Our psalm assures us, "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities." God deals with us, not according to our sins, but according to His grace. He sent His Son Jesus to be born among us, the Lamb who laid down His life as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus shouldered that guilt that is so hard for us to lay aside. The "record of debt that stood against us" has been canceled, nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). At the cross of Jesus, God canceled out our sins, not because we are worthy or deserving, but because His love for us is "as high as the heavens are above the earth." God removes our sins from us "as far as the east is from the west," distances that are beyond measure.

When we are tempted to dredge up the memory of our sins, we can turn to our Savior, and, through Him, we can measure the measureless love of God and determine the profound depths of His forgetfulness. His love is as wide and as tall as the rough-hewn cross once lifted up outside of Jerusalem. His forgetfulness concerning our sins is as deep and as dark as Easter's empty tomb.

Lord Jesus, when we are troubled by sin and guilt, turn our hearts and minds to You, to the cross and empty tomb, and to Your measureless love. Amen.

Dr. Carol Geisler

Reflection Questions:

1. How good are you at forgiving and forgetting sins done against you?

2. If God removes our sins "as far as the east is from the west," what does that say about them?

3. Do you practice forgiveness with others? How does that happen, and what do you do?

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
It is no surprise that God remembers. He is God, after all…

Standing Strong Through the Storm — FORGIVENESS CAN BRING HEALING AND RESTORATION

FORGIVENESS CAN BRING HEALING AND RESTORATION

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

— Matthew 5:43-45

The literal meaning of the word “forgiveness” in the New Testament is “to release; to hurl away; to free yourself.” The only way to break the chain or cycle of hurtfulness is to stop and ask forgiveness. This allows a relationship to start over and begin anew. The Russian writer, Solzhenitsyn, believed forgiveness is what truly makes us different from animals. Only humans can perform the most unnatural act of forgiveness that transcends the relentless law of nature.

A young Iranian lady, we’ll call Fatima, was full of hatred towards her mother-in-law. For fifteen years her mother-in-law was her enemy and there was a great deal of enmity in the family.

Several times Fatima had even tried to kill her mother-in-law. Once she put poison in her soup hoping to kill her. The mother-in-law felt very sick after that and was taken to the hospital. The doctors took the poison out of her stomach and were able to save her life. On another occasion, she had beaten her mother-in-law so badly that the ambulance took her to the hospital and again her life was saved. Other times she tried to kill her mother-in-law, but every time her life was saved miraculously.

The main reason for the hatred between Fatima and her mother-in-law was Fatima’s marriage to her son. The mother-in-law had even gone so far as to contact different witches in order to bring a curse on the life of Fatima.

One day Fatima got hold of the JESUS DVD and watched it. The love of Jesus had a great impact on her life. When she heard one of Jesus’ teachings that says: “Love your enemies and bless those who curse you,” she was deeply moved. She was especially touched by the fact that Jesus died on the cross for the sake of His enemies and even asked God to forgive them. At that moment Fatima fell on her knees and asked Jesus to come into her heart and change her. She turned over her entire life to Jesus. After that she sensed this deep love in her heart towards her mother-in-law.

After that experience, Fatima visited her mother-in-law taking flowers and sweets for her. She fell on her knees in front of her and asked for her forgiveness for all the bad things she had done against her. Fatima told her that her life was changed and Jesus had created a new love in her heart towards her. The mother-in-law in turn asked Fatima to forgive her for all the curses she had tried to bring into her life. She also gave her life to Jesus as the result of her daughter-in-law’s evangelism. They entered into a beautiful relationship with one another from that moment onwards.

RESPONSE: Today I will ask forgiveness—as Jesus said—of people I have hated and treated poorly.

PRAYER: Thank You Father for Your example in loving the just and the unjust. Help me to practice this as Your son or daughter.

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 — Mary, The Mother of Jesus

Mary, The Mother of Jesus

Her name means: "Bitterness"

Her character: She was a virgin from a poor family in an obscure village in Galilee. Her response to Gabriel reveals a young woman of unusual faith and humility. Her unqualified yes to God's plan for her life entailed great personal risk and suffering. She must have endured seasons of confusion, fear, and darkness as the events of her life unfolded. She is honored, not only as the mother of Jesus, but as his first disciple.
Her sorrow: To see the son she loved shamed and tortured, left to die like the worst kind of criminal.
Her joy: To see her child raised from the dead; to have received the Holy Spirit along with Christ's other disciples.
Key Scriptures: Matthew 1:18-25; 2; Luke 1:26-80; 2:1-52; John 19:25-27

Her Story

She sat down on the bench and closed her eyes, an old woman silhouetted against the blue Jerusalem sky. Even the wood beneath her conjured images. Though she could no longer recall the exact curl of his smile or the shape of his sleeping face resting next to hers, she could still see the rough brown hands, expertly molding the wood to his purposes. Joseph had been a good carpenter and an even better husband.

These days the memories came unbidden, like a gusty wind carrying her away to other times and places. Some said drowning people see their lives unfold in incredible detail just before they die. Age had a similar effect, she thought, except that you could relive your memories with a great deal more leisure …

A cool breeze teased at her skirts as she balanced the jug on her head, making her way toward the well. A stranger, she noticed, was approaching from the opposite direction. Even in the dusky light, his clothes shone, as though bleached bright by the strongest of fuller's soap.

"Greetings," he shouted, "you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

No Nazarene, she was sure, would ever dare greet a maiden like that. But with each step his words grew bolder, not softer, rushing toward her like water cascading over a cliff:

"Do not be afraid, Mary….
You have found favor with God….
You will give birth to a son….
He will be called the Son of the Most High….
The Holy Spirit will come upon you….
Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age."

Wave after wave broke over her as she listened to the angel's words—first confusion and fear, then awe and gratitude, and finally a rush of joy and peace. Her whole being drenched in light. Then she heard more words, this time cascading from her lips, not his:

"I am the Lord's servant.
May it be to me as you have said."

Though the angel departed, Mary's peace remained. The Most High had visited the lowliest of his servants and spoken the promise every Jewish woman longed to hear: "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." The moon hung like a smile in the night sky as Mary lifted the brimming buckets and began walking across the fields. As the water swayed and splashed to the rhythm of her movements, she realized that she too felt full and satisfied—as though she had just finished a favorite meal. Questions, she knew, would come with the morning. For now, it was enough to look up at the stars and know that God was at work shaping her future.

...

"Mama, Mama," he yelled, running toward her, chubby arms flung out beseechingly.

"Jesus, what is it now, child?" she smiled, scooping the chunky boy into her arms before he could topple over in the usual tangle of arms and legs. But he was all kisses, squealing and nuzzling his curly head against her breast, as though to bury himself in her soft, warm flesh. She sighed contentedly. How many mothers had she known? But none had adequately described the sheer wonder of a child—the laughter, the constant surprise, the tenderness. Not to mention the fear and worry that were also part of the bargain.

But this was no time to entertain such thoughts. The men from the East had recently left. How strange these Magi seemed, with their tales of a star that had led them all the way to Bethlehem in search of a new king. They had bowed before her dark-eyed child, laying out their treasures of gold, incense, and myrrh—as though paying homage to royalty. One morning, however, they had packed in haste, saying only that a dream had warned them to return home without reporting news of their successful search to King Herod. Even the mention of that king's name had filled her with dread. Bethlehem lay just six miles south of Jerusalem—dangerously close to the man who had murdered his own children out of jealousy for his throne. How would such a ruler respond to rumors of a child-king in Bethlehem?

Two nights ago Joseph had shaken her awake, shushing her with details of the dream he had just had: "Mary, an angel appeared to me. We must leave before sunrise. Herod plans to search for our child and kill him!"

Now they were on their way to Egypt, reversing the steps of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, who had led her ancestors to freedom so long ago. Mary wondered, as they rested, if they would ever see their homeland again.

...

"Woman," he breathed the word softly, painfully, through lips encrusted with blood, his lean arms flung out on either side of him, as though imploringly. The palms of his hands were pinned with spikes. He looked at her first and then at the young man standing beside her. "Here is your son." The words came haltingly.

Then to the man, he sighed: "Here is your mother."

She wanted to reach for him with all the might of her love, to bury his sorrow in her breasts, to tell him he was the son she needed most. Would not the God who pitied Abraham also pity her? Would he allow her to suffer what even the patriarch had been spared—the sacrifice of a child? All her life she had loved the God whose angel had spoken to her, calling her "highly favored." But how could a woman whose son was dying on a Roman cross ever consider herself "favored"?

Suddenly her own words came back to her, as though a younger version of herself was whispering them in her ear: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

The midday sky had blackened, but she could still see her son's twisted form on the cross, his eyes searching hers. Thorns circled his forehead in the shape of a crown, a crude reminder of the sign the Roman governor had fastened to the wood: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

She thought of the Magi and their priceless gifts. The gold and incense, royal treasures that had helped them survive their stay in Egypt. She had always wondered about the myrrh. Now she knew—it was embalming oil for the king the wise men had come to worship.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" His cry pierced her. The earth shook violently and she fell to her knees, barely able to complete the words of the psalm for the man who hung dead on the cross:

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent….
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads….
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God….
They have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
But you, O Lord, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me….
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! …
Future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it. — Psalm 22

By the time Mary opened her eyes, the setting sun had turned the city into a golden land. She smiled, wiping the tears from her wrinkled face. How true the angel's words had been. No woman from Eve onward had ever been blessed as she, the mother of the Messiah, had been. Yes, the past was alive inside her, but it was the future that filled her with joy. Soon, she would see her son again and this time it would be his hands that would wipe away the last of her tears.

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.
She sat down on the bench and closed her eyes, an old woman silhouetted against the blue Jerusalem sky. Even the wood beneath her conjured images. Though she could no longer recall the exact curl of his smile or the shape of his sleeping face resting next to hers, she could still see the rough brown hands, expertly molding the wood to his purposes. Joseph had been a good carpenter and an even better husband.

John Piper Devotional — God-Given Foes and Faith

God-Given Foes and Faith

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…not frightened in anything by your opponents. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

— Philippians 1:27–29

Paul told the Philippians that living worthy of the gospel of Christ meant fearlessness before enemies. Then he gave the logic of fearlessness.

The logic is this: God has given you two gifts, not just one—faith and suffering. That’s what verse 29 says.

In this context that means: Both your faith in the face of suffering, and your suffering are gifts of God. When Paul says, don’t be frightened by your opponents he had two reasons in his mind why they don’t need to be frightened:

1. One reason is that the opponents are in the hand of God. Their opposition is a gift from God. He governs it. That’s the first point of verse 29.
2. And the other reason not to be afraid is that your fearlessness, that is, your faith, is also in the hand of God. It too is a gift. That is the other point of verse 29.

So the logic of fearlessness in the face of adversity is this double truth: Both your adversity and your faith in the face of adversity are gifts of God.

Why is this called “living worthy of the gospel of Christ”? Because the gospel is the good news that Christ’s blood of the covenant infallibly obtained for all his people the sovereign working of God to give us faith and to govern our enemies—always for our eternal good.

Therefore, fear not. Your adversaries can do no more than God grants. And he will grant you the faith you need. These promises are blood bought and sealed. Gospel promises.
God has given you two gifts, not just one.

Un dia a la Vez — Una nueva oportunidad: Testimonio de sanidad (primera parte)

Una nueva oportunidad: Testimonio de sanidad

(primera parte)

En mi angustia invoqué al Señor; clamé a mi Dios, y él me escuchó desde su templo; ¡mi clamor llegó a sus oídos!

— Salmo 18:6

El mes de septiembre quedó marcado para siempre en mí, pues en un mes como este Dios me sanó de una grave enfermedad. Durante esa prueba, mi vida estuvo al borde de la muerte y pude comprender muchas cosas que vivo ahora: Disfrutar mi familia día a día, ser consciente que mi vida está en manos de Dios, que todo puede cambiar en un abrir y cerrar de ojos y que hoy estoy bien y mañana quizá no lo esté.

Esto nunca pasó por mi mente. Ni siquiera consideré que estaría casi cinco meses fuera de mi trabajo. Mis princesas tampoco se imaginaron jamás que una operación de colon se convirtiera en una pesadilla al ver a su mamá en una condición tan crítica por un mes y medio en el hospital, con ocho recaídas que significaron ocho veces más en el hospital y dos años de recuperación.

Hoy agradezco a mi Dios por sus cuidados. Mis hijas también valoran más a su mami y testifican que, a pesar de lo traumático que vivieron, saben que Dios me sanó y cuidó de ellas en esos días sombríos.

Además, pude experimentar el poder de la oración. Así que, debido a la oportunidad que tengo de escribir este libro, puedo agradecerles a cada uno de mis oyentes y familiares que alzaron una voz de clamor… ¡Gracias!

Cada prueba que vivas te hace crecer como persona. Maduras y aprendes una lección de vida. Por eso quiero repetirte la frase que aprendí de mi cuñado, el pastor Fernando García: «Dios es bueno todo el tiempo, todo el tiempo bueno es Dios».

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
El mes de septiembre quedó marcado para siempre en mí, pues en un mes como este Dios me sanó de una grave enfermedad.

Devocional CPTLN — Recordados y olvidados

Recordados y olvidados

No nos ha tratado como merece nuestra maldad, ni nos ha castigado como merecen nuestros pecados. Tan alta como los cielos sobre la tierra, es su misericordia con los que le honran. Tan lejos como está el oriente del occidente, alejó de nosotros nuestras rebeliones.

— Salmo 103:10-12

No es de extrañar que Dios recuerde. Después de todo, Él es Dios, nuestro Creador omnipotente y omnisciente, quien dice: "Así como los cielos son más altos que la tierra, también mis caminos y mis pensamientos son más altos que los caminos y pensamientos de ustedes" (Isaías 55:9). Dios recordó y cumplió su promesa de pacto, enviando a su Ungido, el Mesías tan esperado, su único Hijo. Sin embargo, las Escrituras también nos aseguran que hay algunas cosas que, sorprendentemente, Dios no recuerda. "Yo, y nadie más, soy el que borra tus rebeliones, porque así soy yo, y no volveré a acordarme de tus pecados" (Isaías 43:25). Su nuevo pacto es un pacto de olvido: "... haré un nuevo pacto con la casa de Israel y con la casa de Judá.... no volveré a acordarme de su pecado" (Jeremías 31:31b, 34b).

Nuestros pecados son lavados en la sangre de Jesús, la sangre de ese nuevo pacto. Dios no recuerda esos pecados ni los tiene en nuestra contra, pero con demasiada frecuencia nosotros sí los recordamos. Nuestros pecados pueden cobrar gran importancia a nuestros ojos. Nos asustamos, nos preguntamos si de verdad estamos perdonados, incluso imaginamos que no podemos ser perdonados. ¿Tomará Dios ciertos pecados contra nosotros, esos pecados que encontramos tan difíciles de olvidar? Quizás Él perdona todo lo demás, pero ¿qué hay de esos pecados que tanto nos avergüenzan, los que hemos confesado pero no podemos olvidar?

Nuestro salmo nos asegura: "[Dios] No nos ha tratado como merece nuestra maldad, ni nos ha castigado como merecen nuestros pecados". Dios nos trata según su gracia. Por esa gracia fue que envió a su Hijo Jesús a nacer entre nosotros y ser el Cordero que entregó su vida como sacrificio perfecto por nuestros pecados. Jesús cargó con esa culpa que es tan difícil para nosotros dejar de lado. El registro de la deuda contra nosotros ha sido cancelado (ver Colosenses 2:14). En la cruz de Jesús, Dios canceló nuestros pecados, no porque seamos dignos o merecedores, sino porque su amor por nosotros es tan alto como los cielos sobre la tierra. Dios quita nuestros pecados de nosotros tan lejos como está el oriente del occidente, distancia imposible de medir.

Cuando nos sentimos tentados a desenterrar el recuerdo de nuestros pecados, podemos volvernos a nuestro Salvador y, a través de Él, recordar el amor inconmensurable de Dios y la profundidad de su olvido. Su amor es tan ancho y alto como la cruz toscamente labrada que una vez fue levantada fuera de Jerusalén. Su olvido de nuestros pecados es tan profundo y oscuro como la tumba vacía de Pascua.

ORACIÓN: Señor Jesús, cuando estemos atormentados por el pecado y la culpa, vuelve nuestros corazones y mentes a ti, a la cruz y la tumba vacía, y a tu amor inconmensurable. Amén.

Dra. Carol Geisler

Para reflexionar:

* ¿Qué dice de nuestros pecados el que Dios los quite "tan lejos como está el oriente del occidente"?

* ¿De qué maneras practicas el perdón con los demás?

© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
No es de extrañar que Dios recuerde. Después de todo, Él es Dios …

Notre Pain Quotidien — Maintenant, et ensuite

Maintenant, et ensuite

Lisez : Proverbes 2.1-11
La Bible en un an : Proverbes 3 – 5 ; 2 Corinthiens 1

Il tient en réserve le salut pour les hommes droits.

— Proverbes 2.7

J’ai récemment assisté à la remise des diplômes d’un lycée durant laquelle l’orateur a lancé un défi utile aux jeunes adultes qui attendaient de recevoir leur diplôme. Il a mentionné qu’il s’agissait d’une période de leur vie où tout le monde leur demandait : « Et maintenant ? » Quelle carrière allaient-ils poursuivre ? Où iraient-ils étudier ou travailler ? Puis il leur a dit qu’une question plus importante à se poser serait : Qu’est-ce que je fais maintenant ?

Dans le contexte de leur parcours de foi, quelles décisions prendraient-ils jour après jour qui les amèneraient à vivre pour Jésus et non pour eux-mêmes ?

Ses paroles m’ont rappelé le livre des Proverbes, qui souligne nombre de déclarations pointues relatives au bon mode de vie – actuel. Par exemple : vivre maintenant avec honnêteté (11.1) ; choisir maintenant les bons amis. (12.26) ; vivre maintenant avec intégrité (13.6) ; adopter maintenant un bon jugement (13.15) ; parler maintenant avec sagesse (14.3).

Vivre maintenant pour Dieu, selon la direction du Saint-Esprit, facilite considérablement les décisions à prendre pour la suite. « Car l’Éternel donne la sagesse […] Il tient en réserve le salut pour les hommes droits […] En protégeant les sentiers de la justice, et en gardant la voie de ses fidèles » (2.6-8). Puisse Dieu nous fournir ce dont nous avons besoin pour vivre maintenant selon ses préceptes et nous guider vers ce qui l’honorera.

Père céleste, merci de me guider aujourd’hui dans la vie.

Faisons compter notre vie en honorant Dieu aujourd’hui et en vivant pour lui.

par Dave Branon

© 2020 Ministères NPQ
J’ai récemment assisté à la remise des diplômes d’un lycée durant laquelle l’orateur a lancé un défi utile aux jeunes adultes qui attendaient de recevoir leur diplôme.