The Daily Bible Readings for Friday, May 20, 2022

 

The Daily Bible Readings
Friday, May 20, 2022
Psalm 67; Proverbs 2:6-8; Acts 16:1-8
with commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Today’s Verse of the Day:
Romans 15:5-6

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Unity in the church is essential if God is to be glorified. Paul has demonstrated that humanity, which has fallen short of God’s glory, is restored to it in Christ’s reconciling work (1:21, 23; 3:23; 5:2, 11; 8:17, 30).

Today’s Lectionary Readings:
From the Psalter
Psalm 67
Let the Nations be Glad

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
     and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
     your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, God;
     may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
     for you rule the peoples with equity
     and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
     may all the peoples praise you.

6 The land yields its harvest;
     God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still,
     so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Commentary

A prayer for the enlargement of Christ's kingdom.

All our happiness comes from God's mercy; therefore the first thing prayed for is, God be merciful to us, to us sinners, and pardon our sins. Pardon is conveyed by God's blessing, and secured in that. If we, by faith, walk with God, we may hope that his face will shine on us. The psalmist passes on to a prayer for the conversion of the Gentiles, which shows that the Old Testament saints desired that their advantages might also be enjoyed by others. And many Scripture prophecies and promises are wrapped up in prayers: the answer to the prayer of the church is as sure as the performance of God's promises. The joy wished to the nations, is holy joy. Let them be glad that by his providence the Lord will overrule the affairs of kingdoms; that even the kingdoms of this world shall became the kingdom of the Lord, and of his Christ. Then is declared a joyful prospect of all good when God shall do this. The success of the gospel brings outward mercies with it; righteousness exalts a nation. The blessing of the Lord sweetens all our creature-comforts to us, and makes them comforts indeed. All the world shall be brought to worship Him. When the gospel begins to spread, it shall go forward more and more, till it reaches to the ends of the earth. It is good to cast in our lot with those that are the blessed of the Lord. If nothing had been spoken in Scripture respecting the conversion of the heathen, we might think it vain to attempt so hopeless a work. But when we see with what confidence it is declared in the Scriptures, we may engage in missionary labors, assured that God will fulfill his own word. And shall we be backward to make known to the heathen the knowledge with which we are favored, and the salvation we profess to glory in? They cannot learn unless they are taught. Then let us go forward in the strength of the Lord, and look to him to accompany the word the Holy Ghost; then Satan's kingdom shall be destroyed, and the kingdom of our Redeemer established.

From the Books of Wisdom
Proverbs 2:6-8
God Gives Wisdom

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
     from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
     he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
     and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Commentary

Promises to those who seek wisdom.

Those who earnestly seek heavenly wisdom, will never complain that they have lost their labor; and the freeness of the gift does not do away the necessity of our diligence (John 6:27). Let them seek, and they shall find it; let them ask, and it shall be given them. Observe who are thus favored. They are the righteous, on whom the image of God is renewed, which consists in righteousness. If we depend upon God, and seek to him for wisdom, he will enable us to keep the paths of judgment.

From the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 16:1-8
Timothy Accompanies Paul

16:1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

Commentary

Paul takes Timothy to be his assistant.

Well may the church look for much service from youthful ministers who set out in the same spirit as Timothy. But when men will submit in nothing, and oblige in nothing, the first elements of the Christian temper seem to be wanting; and there is great reason to believe that the doctrines and precepts of the gospel will not be successfully taught. The design of the decree being to set aside the ceremonial law, and its carnal ordinances, believers were confirmed in the Christian faith, because it set up a spiritual way of serving God, as suited to the nature both of God and man. Thus the church increased in numbers daily.

Today’s Lectionary Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2022, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2021 was Year B. 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 Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Commentaries from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible.

The Morning Prayer for Friday, May 20, 2022

 

The Morning Prayer
Friday, May 20, 2022

Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4, NET

Lord our God, give us your Spirit, we pray, that we may learn to understand what we are and what tasks you have set for us. We thank you for all the light you give us. Grant that we and many others may come closer to knowledge of the truth and be at peace about all that belongs in your hands, our Father in heaven. Keep us now and forevermore in your almighty hand. May we know your goodness and the blessing it brings. For through your goodness we can endure even the hardest days and be victorious in the battle of life. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Friday, May 20, 2022

 

Verse of the Day
Friday, May 20, 2022

Romans 15:5-6

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Unity in the church is essential if God is to be glorified. Paul has demonstrated that humanity, which has fallen short of God’s glory, is restored to it in Christ’s reconciling work (1:21, 23; 3:23; 5:2, 11; 8:17, 30).

Read the Full Chapter

Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Our Daily Bread — Refreshed at Simon’s House

 

Refreshed at Simon’s House

They refreshed my spirit and yours also. 1 Corinthians 16:18

READ 1 Corinthians 16:15–18

LISTEN ONLINE

My trip to Simon’s house was unforgettable. Under the cover of a starlit sky in Nyahururu, Kenya, we made our way to his modest home for dinner. The dirt floor and the lantern light reflected Simon’s limited means. What was on the menu, I don’t recall. What I can’t forget was Simon’s joy that we were his guests. His gracious hospitality was Jesus like—selfless, life-touching, and refreshing.

In 1 Corinthians 16:15–18, Paul mentioned a family—the household of Stephanas (v. 15)—who had a reputation for their caregiving. They’d “devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people” (v. 15). While their service likely included tangible things (v. 17), the impact was such that Paul wrote, “they refreshed my spirit and yours also” (v. 18).

When we have opportunities to share with others, we rightly give attention to matters of food, setting, and other things that are fitting for such occasions. But we sometimes forget that although “the what” and “the where” matter, they’re not the most important things. Memorable meals are great and pleasant settings have their place, but food is limited in its capacity to fully nourish and encourage. True refreshment flows from God and is a matter of the heart; it reaches the hearts of others, and it continues to nourish long after the meal is over.

By Arthur Jackson

REFLECT & PRAY

What occasions stand out where you were memorably refreshed by the hospitality or welcome of others? How can you change the way you serve others to make such occasions more spiritually meaningful?

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve made welcoming others more about me than those I seek to serve. Help me to extend myself in ways that truly refresh others.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In the conclusion of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reemphasized a central theme of his message to them—to “do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). One example of what love looks like in action is found in the service of the household of Stephanas, the “first converts in Achaia” (v. 15), who were also baptized by Paul (1:16). Stephanas and his companions had come to Paul delivering a letter from the Corinthians along with an update on the church, and they were also likely the ones to deliver this return letter from Paul. By pointing to Stephanas and his companions’ character as examples of love—“devoted … to the service of the Lord’s people” (16:15), Paul could help ensure they’d be received with welcome and respect (vv. 16–18).

Monica La Rose