The Daily Bible Readings for Saturday, December 5, 2020

 

The Daily Readings
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Mark 11:27-33
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today’s Verse-of-the-Day:

John 10:7, 9-10

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.… I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

There is only one door to heaven. Jesus is not one route among several to an intimate relationship with God, but the only way. Some may think, “That is very narrow-minded.” However, it was the greatest mind, the most profound wisdom, and the deepest thoughts that ever existed that implemented the plan of how you and I would be reconciled to God and have a home in heaven. The Lord, who created us is the One who decides how we can know Him—and that way is through Jesus Christ.

Do you know how Jesus gives us abundant life? He does so by giving us Himself! You could have all the money, relationships, wealth, and power, but you would still have a deep sense of emptiness because life isn’t found in these things. The only One who can truly satisfy you is Jesus Christ. To live the abundant Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life through us. His love motivates and empowers us, so we obey Him out of joy and thankfulness.

Today’s Readings:

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
Righteousness and peace

1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

Commentary
Sooner or later, God will speak peace to his people. If he do not command outward peace, yet he will suggest inward peace; speaking to their hearts by his Spirit. Peace is spoken only to those who turn from sin. All sin is folly, especially backsliding; it is the greatest folly to return to sin. Surely God's salvation is nigh, whatever our difficulties and distresses are. Also, his honour is secured, that glory may dwell in our land. And the truth of the promises is shown by the Divine mercy in sending the Redeemer. The Divine justice is now satisfied by the great atonement. Christ, the way, truth, and life, sprang out of the earth when he took our nature upon him, and Divine justice looked upon him well pleased and satisfied. For his sake all good things, especially his Holy Spirit, are given to those who ask him. Through Christ, the pardoned sinner becomes fruitful in good works, and by looking to and trusting in the Saviour's righteousness, finds his feet set in the way of his steps. Righteousness is a sure guide, both in meeting God, and in following him.

Ezekiel 36:24-28
A new heart and a new spirit

36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Commentary
Water is an emblem of the cleansing our polluted souls from sin. But no water can do more than take away the filth of the flesh. Water seems in general the sacramental sign of the sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost; yet this is always connected with the atoning blood of Christ. When the latter is applied by faith to the conscience, to cleanse it from evil works, the former is always applied to the powers of the soul, to purify it from the pollution of sin. All that have an interest in the new covenant, have a new heart and a new spirit, in order to their walking in newness of life. God would give a heart of flesh, a soft and tender heart, complying with his holy will. Renewing grace works as great a change in the soul, as the turning a dead stone into living flesh. God will put his Spirit within, as a Teacher, Guide, and Sanctifier. The promise of God's grace to fit us for our duty, should quicken our constant care and endeavour to do our duty. These are promises to be pleaded by, and will be fulfilled to, all true believers in every age.

Mark 11:27-33
Jesus a prophet like John the Baptist

11:27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.

31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Commentary
Our Saviour shows how near akin his doctrine and baptism were to those of John; they had the same design and tendency, to bring in the gospel kingdom. These elders did not deserve to be taught; for it was plain that they contended not for truth, but victory: nor did he need to tell them; for the works he did, told them plainly he had authority from God; since no man could do the miracles which he did, unless God were with him.

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV).

Commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible.

The Daily Bible Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year B. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2021, we will be in Year C. The year which ended at Advent 2020 was Year A. 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 Saturday, December 5, 2020
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Mark 11:27-33 (KJV)

Prayer of the Day for Saturday, December 5, 2020

 

Prayer of the Day
Saturday, December 5, 2020

Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.

— Daniel 7:27 (NIV)

Lord our God, dear Father, you have made yourself known on earth so that we may love you and be loved by you. Give us your Spirit, we pray. Give us your Spirit to strengthen us in the life and work you offer us. Watch over us on all our ways. Wherever your children are sighing and calling for you, protect and guide them with your mighty hand. Let your kingdom spread over the whole world, over all people, over all races and nations, that we may become united as servants of Jesus Christ to your honor. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Saturday, December 5, 2020

 

Verse of the Day
Saturday, December 5, 2020

John 10:7, 9-10

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.… I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

There is only one door to heaven. Jesus is not one route among several to an intimate relationship with God, but the only way. Some may think, “That is very narrow-minded.” However, it was the greatest mind, the most profound wisdom, and the deepest thoughts that ever existed that implemented the plan of how you and I would be reconciled to God and have a home in heaven. The Lord, who created us is the One who decides how we can know Him—and that way is through Jesus Christ.

Do you know how Jesus gives us abundant life? He does so by giving us Himself! You could have all the money, relationships, wealth, and power, but you would still have a deep sense of emptiness because life isn’t found in these things. The only One who can truly satisfy you is Jesus Christ. To live the abundant Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life through us. His love motivates and empowers us, so we obey Him out of joy and thankfulness.

Read all of John 10

Listen to John 10

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Standing Strong Through the Storm — FULFILLING THE FIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE CHURCH

 

FULFILLING THE FIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE CHURCH

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

— Hebrews 10:24-25

In the summer of 2010, I led an excellent team of Open Doors staff and supporters on a visit to North Korea. We were allowed to pray publicly in the areas we visited and, of course, were presented with a formal church service on Sunday morning at one of the three churches functioning in Pyongyang. It was a well-executed performance–especially the choir. On its website, the Korean Christian Federation claims that there are ten thousand Protestant Christians in North Korea meeting at five hundred designated centers. In reality, Christians in the country experience tremendous challenges in worshiping publicly.

Brother Simon, the leader of the Open Doors work in North Korea, says that the true church must operate underground in the country. “They can’t simply go to church to sing and to listen to the sermon. It is clear that being a Christian in North Korea is a lonely business.”

Simon’s thoughts turn to Sundays in North Korea. “It happens only sporadically that Christians consider themselves safe enough to meet together in small groups. Usually, gatherings consist of only two people. For example, a Christian goes and sits on a bench in the park. Another Christian comes and sits next to him. Sometimes it’s dangerous even to speak to one another, but they know they are both Christians, and at such a time, this is enough. If there is no one around, they may be able to share a Bible verse which they have learned off by heart and briefly say something about it. They also share prayer topics with each other. Then they leave one another and go and look for a Christian in some other part of their town or village. This continues throughout the Sunday. A cell group usually consists of fewer than twenty Christians, who encourage and strengthen one another, plus one-to-one meetings in people’s homes.

“Only if the whole family has turned to Christ is it possible to have something like a real fellowship gathering, as long as you keep your faith hidden from the neighbors. Besides this, it is sometimes possible to hold a meeting in remote areas with a group of ten to twenty people. Very occasionally, it is possible for Christians to go unobtrusively into the mountains and to hold a ‘service’ at a secret location like a cave. Then it may be the case that there are as many as sixty or seventy North Korean Christians gathered together.”

In spite of severe limitations, believers can fulfill all five biblical functions of the church.

RESPONSE: I will thankfully take my place in the assembly of believers to fulfill the church’s functions.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for the faithfulness of Your church in North Korea against all obstacles.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.
In spite of severe limitations, believers can fulfill all five biblical functions of the church.

The NIV Couples Devotional — Cheating Together

 

Cheating Together

1 Kings 14:1–18

At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go, disguise yourself, so you won’t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there—the one who told me I would be king over this people.”

— 1 Kings 14:1–2

Jeroboam was in a predicament. He had served the great Israelite ruler Solomon as an official in the department of public works. Encouraged by the words of Ahijah the prophet that he would one day be king, Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon, resulting in his exile to Egypt (see 1 Kings 11:26–40). When Solomon died and Rehoboam took over, Jeroboam returned from Egypt and seized the opportunity to lure away most of the kingdom.

Originally, Jeroboam’s main goal was to help the Israelites find a better government than the one offered by Solomon and his self-absorbed son. But, along the way, power corrupted Jeroboam; he did things to ensure his tenacious leadership while minimizing God’s influence.

Now Jeroboam’s son was sick. So the king began weaving a web of deception, enlisting his wife to dress like someone else and feign piety before Ahijah to manipulate him into giving a good report on their son. Rather than seeking God’s guidance, the couple tried to use the prophet like a good-luck charm. Things turned out very badly for them as a result.

Marriage binds husband and wife into a unity that changes both of them. While individual identities shouldn’t be crushed as “two become one,” it is also true that we cannot remain isolated or independent from one another. But in the fusing that takes place, both good and bad things can happen.

When we share our lives well, we can strengthen our mate’s resolve, nurture our spouse’s well-being, and encourage each other’s gifts. Unfortunately, we can also have a negative impact on each other. We can entice our partner into supporting our mistakes and sins. We can ask our spouse to cover up for us when the phone rings, and we don’t wish to be found. We can lie for our mate in public settings. We can manipulate our spouse into falsifying tax returns or hiding assets.

Marriage makes us complicit in the morality of our mate. That is an important reason to choose wisely before we wed and to build upon a strong moral center in our relationship after we are joined. Great businesses don’t collapse overnight through some minor accounting error; their foundations slowly erode as leaders make each other complicit in deceptive schemes. So it is in marriages. While we can win for a while as we help each other cheat on the truth, in the long run, we build a kingdom of facades in which we can neither trust our partner’s face nor clearly see our own.

On the other hand, when we learn from mistakes like those of Jeroboam and his wife, we can build a complicity of goodness that our children and friends will admire someday when they help us celebrate our silver and golden wedding anniversaries.

Wayne Brouwer

Let’s Talk

• Are we playing games of deception right now? What might we lose through them?
• How can we keep one another morally committed to what is right? Should we schedule regular opportunities for accountability checks? What would we ask each other?
• In what areas are we most vulnerable to temptation or sin? What do we need most from each other to strengthen these vulnerable places?

Marriage binds husband and wife into a unity that changes both of them.

John Piper Devotional — No Detour from Calvary

 

No Detour from Calvary

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

— Luke 2:6–7

Now you would think that if God so rules the world as to use an empire-wide census to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, he surely could have seen to it that a room was available in the inn.

Yes, he could have. And Jesus could have been born into a wealthy family. He could have turned stone into bread in the wilderness. He could have called 10,000 angels to his aid in Gethsemane. He could have come down from the cross and saved himself. The question is not what God could do, but what he willed to do.

God’s will was that though Christ was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor. The “No Vacancy” signs over all the motels in Bethlehem were for your sake. “For your sake he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

God rules all things—even motel capacities—for the sake of his children. The Calvary road begins with a “No Vacancy” sign in Bethlehem and ends with the spitting and scoffing of the cross in Jerusalem.

And we must not forget that he said, “He who would come after me must deny himself and take up his cross.”

We join him on the Calvary road and hear him say, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20).

To the one who calls out enthusiastically, “I will follow you wherever you go!” Jesus responds, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Yes, God could have seen to it that Jesus have a room at his birth. But that would have been a detour off the Calvary road.
Now you would think that if God so rules the world as to use an empire-wide census to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, he surely could have seen to it that a room was available in the inn.

Un dia a la Vez — No atrases tu restitución

 

No atrases tu restitución

El que es fiel en lo muy poco, también en lo más es fiel.

— Lucas 16:10, rv-60

Una vez que tomamos decisiones radicales para el cambio, o que quizá saliéramos de alguna crisis emocional o de cualquier tipo, es muy normal sentirse cansado, sin fuerzas y a veces hasta sin ánimos de seguir. No obstante, ahí es cuando viene la promesa de Dios de que Él te sanará, restituirá y devolverá todo lo que te quitó el enemigo.

En esta parte de nuestra situación, debemos tomar muy en serio las cosas que le hemos prometido a nuestro Padre celestial. Después que pasa un tiempo y nos sentimos mejor, la tendencia humana es a olvidarse de Dios y nos podemos desviar del verdadero propósito.

Por eso no se nos puede olvidar de dónde nos levanta Dios y ser muy sabios en todas las decisiones que tomemos.

La recaída en un error cuando estamos saliendo de una prueba es muy perjudicial. Esto no solo es un retroceso en la sanidad que estamos teniendo, sino que le estamos fallando a Dios. Además, lo único que lograremos será el atraso de nuestro milagro, cambio y restitución.

De ahí que no valga la pena volver a empezar un proceso cuando no hemos salido del otro.

Es hermoso ver cómo Dios nos devuelve más de lo que teníamos antes y nos pone en lugares de privilegio. Sin embargo, el secreto está en «ser fieles».

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Una vez que tomamos decisiones radicales para el cambio, o que quizá saliéramos de alguna crisis emocional o de cualquier tipo, es muy normal sentirse cansado, sin fuerzas y a veces hasta sin ánimos de seguir.

Хліб Наш Насущній — Різдво з розпродажу

 

Різдво з розпродажу

Читати: 1 Тимофія 6:6-10, 17-19 | Біблія за рік: Даниїла 1–2 ; 1 Івана 4

Завантажити MP3

Великий же зиск – то благочестя із задоволенням.

— 1 Тимофія 6:6

Одній матері здалося, що вона занадто багато витрачала коштів на різдвяні подарунки дітям, тому одного року вона вирішила спробувати дещо інше. Упродовж декількох місяців перед Різдвом жінка вишукувала на розпродажах недорогі вживані речі. Вона придбала більше подарунків, ніж зазвичай, втім за значно дешевшими цінами. На Святвечір діти радісно відкривали один подарунок за іншим. Наступного дня подарунків було ще більше! Мати почувалася винною через те, що не купила нові подарунки, тому вона придбала ще. Діти почали їх відкривати, втім швидко поскаржилися: “Ми втомилися відкривати подарунки! Ти подарувала їх занадто багато!” Нетипова реакція дітей різдвяного ранку, чи не так?!

Бог благословив нас багатьма речами, втім здається, що ми завжди прагнемо чогось більшого: просторішого будинку, кращої машини, більше коштів на банківському рахунку тощо. Апостол Павло спонукав Тимофія нагадувати членам церкви, що “ми не принесли в світ нічого, то нічого не можемо й винести. А як маєм поживу та одяг, то ми задоволені будьмо з того” (1 Тим. 6:7-8).

Крім забезпечення наших потреб, Бог дарував нам дихання й життя. Наскільки чудово радіти Його дарам, бути ними задоволеними та сказати: “Ти подарував нам так багато! Нам більше не треба”. “Великий же зиск – то благочестя із задоволенням” (в. 6).

За що ви сьогодні вдячні Богу? Як можна навчитися бути задоволеними?

Отче, Ти благословив нас багатьма речами. Навчи нас дякувати щоденно.

Автор Енн Сітас

© 2020 Хліб Наш Насущні
Одній матері здалося, що вона занадто багато витрачала коштів на різдвяні подарунки дітям, тому одного року вона вирішила спробувати дещо інше.