Un Dia a la Vez - Oración por madurez espiritual

No juzguen a nadie, para que nadie los juzgue a ustedes. Porque tal como juzguen se les juzgará.
Mateo 7:1-2

¡Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos! Acudo a ti porque me he dado cuenta que con mis palabras y con mis comentarios muchas veces he ofendido y herido a otros.

Dios mío, deseo ser una persona más espiritual sin caer en el fanatismo. Guíame a fin de que, cuando vea o escuche cosas que no me gustan o no me parezcan bien, no sea quien levante ni una palabra en contra de nadie.

Si me has perdonado y me has aceptado como soy, ¿quién soy yo para juzgar a los demás?

Te pido que me des la oportunidad de cambiar y poder ser sabio y prudente.

Enséñame a medir las consecuencias de mis palabras y pon en mí misericordia por los demás. También ayúdame a comprender que cuando señalo a alguien, hay otros cuatro dedos señalándome a mí.

Te amo y te necesito.

Amén y amén.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - ANGELIC STRENGTHENING: THE GARDEN

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

Luke 22:43

Today’s devotional comes from a Chinese house church pastor who was arrested and held for three weeks just prior to this talk. He says his experience was going with Christ to the Garden and to the Cross. Today he explains The Garden:

My arrest was totally unexpected. There was no warning. I was teaching a seminar in one of our church groups in northeast China, when in the middle of the afternoon, six policemen burst in and the next thing I knew I was punched in the stomach and lying on the floor. One of the policemen put his foot hard on my neck and I couldn’t move. I was then allowed to get up. Someone rammed me in the kidneys with a baton and I fell again, gasping from the pain. The pain was sharp and severe all the way to the police station, and I couldn’t take anything but the shallowest breaths. It turned out my digestion was ruined for months.

Although it was unexpected, there was a strange way in which I had been prepared for it. The night before, I was praying at midnight for the seminar. I had a list of all the participants, and was praying for each one. The more I prayed, the more discouraged I became. These men and women were too young, or too uneducated, or too wounded. I just felt that they were not good enough to be leaders in our movement. I slumped and sighed and felt very depressed. Also, I was having a bad stomach ache. For weeks my stomach was sore and nausea had been my constant companion.

Then all of a sudden I felt a depression on the sofa, like someone had entered the room and sat down beside me. I opened my eyes. There was no one there, but the depression on the sofa remained. Then I felt a large hand on my back. It was hot and pressed into my lower spine, straightening me up. I felt strong again and my nausea disappeared. Then a soft voice said, “I am strengthening you for the fight. Do not worry about these young people. I am the strength of God, sent by Jesus to look after them and you. I will help you because He loves you.”

That was an angel. I am convinced of that. Just as the Scripture says of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength” (Luke 22:43), so it was for me. Angels appear to give us strength. And so all the time I was being taken to the police station in a cramped van, I was repeating the words of the angel to me, “I will help you because He loves you.”

So I want to make this clear to you all. Whenever you face the challenge of suffering for Christ, you will be angelically strengthened beforehand. You need to keep praying, because that’s when the angel comes. But if you pray, you will be ready, because an angel will be there to strengthen you to bear anything.

RESPONSE: Today I will continue to pray and trust God for His angelic strengthening.

PRAYER: Thank You, God, for Your angelic host who come to strengthen in our greatest point of need.

NIV Devotions for Couples - Parental Lessons to Avoid

Ezekiel 20:1–29

“Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Ezekiel 20:18–19

Most children follow the example of their parents. Even as we move into adulthood and marriage, it is natural to mirror our parents’ attitudes and actions. Following their examples can be positive and productive. But what some parents teach can also be difficult and destructive, or somewhere in between.

Jim and Jolene wrestled with the lessons each had learned in their dysfunctional families. When they gave their lives and their marriage to Jesus Christ, they found themselves on a healthier path. But the lessons each had learned from parents and other family members required a lot of sifting. As the couple grew in Christ, they learned three important lessons that the people of Israel also had to learn. The prophet Ezekiel provided specific directions:

First, do not follow the rules (written and unwritten) of sinful parents. Their destructive behavior, broken relationships and spiritual emptiness can lead to death. That was Jim’s experience. He had witnessed drunkenness, abuse and betrayal in his parents’ relationship, and as a teen Jim followed their example as he got into drugs, alcohol and trouble with the law.

Even religious parents can provide poor examples to follow. Jolene often went to church with her family and took part in a youth group. But her mother was judgmental, and her father was preoccupied with his own life. Neither one modeled for Jolene how to behave in a long-term relationship.

Second, do everything you can to pattern your lives and relationship after Christ and his followers. Before meeting each other, Jim and Jolene had become believers. Yet they had to learn how to live as authentic Christians in marriage. They learned as much as they could from Christ’s teachings and example as well as from godly couples in church.

Third, keep the Sabbath. It’s easy to organize life around each other, your jobs, recreational activities, house and yard upkeep, or caring for the kids. But as God says in Ezekiel 20:20, we must keep the Sabbaths holy, “that they may be a sign between us.” When our lives conform to the pattern suggested to us by Scripture, setting aside a day to worship God with other believers and letting everything else line up after that, then, as Ezekiel said, we will know God is our Lord.

John R. Throop

Let’s Talk

• What were some of the lessons our parents taught us about being a husband or wife? How did they model good behavior? Not-so-good behavior?
• What are some practical and productive ways we can follow the commands of Christ to build a spiritual life as a couple and together glorify him?
• In a time-challenged world, what are some ways we can keep the Sabbath together? How can we worship and obey God together?

LHM Daily Devotion - "A Thinly Veiled Parable"

Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"A Thinly Veiled Parable"

March 25, 2017

And He began to tell the people this parable ... (Luke 20:9a).

Read Luke 20:9-19

The representatives of the Jewish high court have been humiliated in front of the crowd. They just want to slink back to the high priest's house, but Jesus isn't done with them yet. Since they won't be honest enough to say what they truly feel about John the Baptist, Jesus uses a parable that answers their original question and asserts His authority to carry on His ministry.

In His parable Jesus uses a few brush strokes to quickly paint a picture of God's people. He planted them in the Promised Land, as a man would plant a vineyard. He lent His nation out to the priests and religious leaders, who should use His Word to tend His people and prepare them to serve one another and glorify God with their lives.

When the leaders failed to lead His people correctly, God sent servant-prophets to call them back to faithfully fulfill their work of leading the nation in repentance, faith and good works. But the leaders beat and mistreated the prophets and sent them away empty-handed. Finally, the owner sends His beloved Son-and they plot to kill Him.

The drama is intense. The leaders know Jesus is speaking about them, and their rage and fury grow, even as their hidden plan to murder God's own Son is openly exposed by Jesus to all the pilgrims, who have gathered at the temple courts in Jerusalem.

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You loved the Jewish leaders and used a parable they understood to reveal the enormity of what they were planning to do. Help me see my sins and run to You for forgiveness and peace. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

The representatives of the Jewish high court have been humiliated in...

Devociones de Cuaresma - Ahora vemos bien

Devociones de Cuaresma  2017

Ahora vemos bien

25 de Marzo de 2017

Yo soy la luz del mundo. Juan 8:12

El Nuevo Testamento reconoce dos "imperios", uno dominado por Cristo y otro por Satanás. San Pablo explica este tema en Colosenses 1:12-13. Tal vez el contraste entre estos dos imperios o reinos nos ayude a entender esta palabra de Jesús: "Yo soy la luz del mundo."

Aunque sabemos lo que es la oscuridad física, la Biblia la explica en toda su dimensión espiritual. De niño, la oscuridad nunca me gustaba. Aunque la oscuridad nunca me hizo nada, me producía una sensación de inseguridad y de temor muy grande. 'Acompáñame afuera, está oscuro, tengo miedo', solía pedirle a mi hermano mayor o a uno de mis padres.

Tenemos mucha razón en tenerle temor a la oscuridad espiritual. Tanto Jesús como Pablo explican que en las tinieblas se tejen toda clase de males: adulterios, adicciones, odios, estafas, robos. La oscuridad ampara lo malo, y los malos se sienten libres de hacer sus maldades sin que nadie los vea. Pero Jesús es enfático: "Yo soy la luz del mundo." Ante Jesús, nada queda oculto: ni la maldad de los otros, ni la nuestra. No hay pecado que él no traiga a la luz. ¿Cómo librarnos del pecado que nos condena y de la oscuridad que nos atemoriza? San Pablo nos da esta buena noticia: "[Dios] nos ha librado del poder de la oscuridad y nos ha trasladado al reino de su amado Hijo, en quien tenemos redención por su sangre, el perdón de los pecados" (Colosenses 1:13-14).

¿Vives con temores? Sigue a Jesús y confía en su obra y en su poder, porque su promesa es efectiva: "El que me sigue no andará en tinieblas, sino que tendrá la luz de la vida" (Juan 8:12).

Gracias, Padre, porque por la muerte y resurrección de Jesús nos sacaste de la oscuridad, del miedo y de la incertidumbre, y nos trajiste a la luz donde podemos verte. Amén.

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones.

Our Daily Bread® - Not the One

Read: 1 Chronicles 17:1–4, 16–25 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 19–21; Luke 2:25–52

Do as you promised, so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. 1 Chronicles 17:23–24

David had drawn up the plans. He designed the furniture. He collected the materials. He made all the arrangements (see 1 Chron. 28:11–19). But the first temple built in Jerusalem is known as Solomon’s Temple, not David’s.

For God had said, “You are not the one” (1 Chron. 17:4). God had chosen David’s son Solomon to build the temple. David’s response to this denial was exemplary. He focused on what God would do, instead of what he himself could not do (vv. 16–25). He maintained a thankful spirit. He did everything he could and rallied capable men to assist Solomon in building the temple (see 1 Chron. 22).

Bible commentator J. G. McConville wrote: “Often we may have to accept that the work which we would dearly like to perform in terms of Christian service is not that for which we are best equipped, and not that to which God has in fact called us. It may be, like David’s, a preparatory work, leading to something more obviously grand.”

David sought God’s glory, not his own. He faithfully did all he could for God’s temple, laying a solid foundation for the one who would come after him to complete the work. May we, likewise, accept the tasks God has chosen for us to do and serve Him with a thankful heart! Our loving God is doing something “more obviously grand.”

Father, we want our hopes and dreams and our hearts to align with Yours. Teach us to praise You when we are tempted to doubt Your goodness.

God may conceal the purpose of His ways, but His ways are not without purpose.

By Poh Fang Chia

© 2017 Our Daily Bread Ministries

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Không Phải Con

Đọc: I Sử ký 17:1-4, 16-25 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: Giô-suê 19-21; Lu-ca 2:25-52

Cầu xin Chúa làm đúng như Ngài đã phán. Nguyện điều ấy được vững chắc, và danh Chúa được tán dương đến đời đời. (I Sử ký 17:23-24)

Đa-vít đã lập kế hoạch. Ông thiết kế mọi đồ vật. Ông thu thập nguyên liệu. Ông sắp xếp tất cả mọi thứ (xem I Sử 28:11-19). Nhưng đền thờ đầu tiên được xây dựng ở Giê-ru-sa-lem được biết đến là Đền Thờ của Sa-lô-môn, chứ không phải của Đa-vít.

Vì Chúa đã phán: “Con không phải là người xây cất đền thờ cho Ta ngự đâu” (I Sử. 17:4). Chúa đã chọn Sa-lô-môn, con trai Đa-vít để xây đền thờ. Đáp ứng của Đa-vít đối với sự từ chối này thật mẫu mực. Ông tập chú vào điều Chúa sẽ làm, thay vì điều ông không thể làm (I Sử 17:16-25). Ông luôn giữ tinh thần biết ơn. Ông làm mọi thứ có thể và tập hợp những người có khả năng để giúp đỡ Sa-lô-môn trong việc xây đền thờ (xem I Sử 22).

Nhà giải kinh J. G. McConville viết: “Đôi khi chúng ta phải thừa nhận rằng công việc mà mình muốn phục vụ không phải là điều chúng ta được trang bị tốt nhất, và không phải là điều Chúa kêu gọi. Giống như Đa-vít, có lẽ đó là bước chuẩn bị, nhằm dẫn đến điều gì đó lớn lao hơn.”

Đa-vít đã tìm kiếm sự vinh hiển của Chúa chứ không phải của bản thân. Ông trung tín làm mọi điều có thể cho đền thờ của Chúa, lập nền tảng vững chắc cho người đến sau ông hoàn tất công việc. Cũng vậy, nguyện chúng ta chấp nhận những nhiệm vụ Chúa giao và phục vụ Ngài với tấm lòng biết ơn! Đức Chúa Trời yêu thương đang làm những điều “lớn lao hơn”.

Lạy Cha, chúng con muốn những hy vọng, ước mơ và tấm lòng chúng con sẽ đi theo đường lối Ngài. Xin dạy con ngợi khen Chúa khi chúng con bị cám dỗ nghi ngờ sự tốt lành của Ngài.

Chúa có thể giấu kín mục đích của đường lối Ngài, nhưng đường lối Ngài không phải là không có mục đích.

bởi Poh Fang Chia

© 2017 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày

Nuestro Pan Diario - Tú no

Leer: 1 Crón 17:1-4, 16-25 | La Biblia en un año: Lucas 2:25-52

… haz como has dicho. Permanezca, pues, y sea engrandecido tu nombre para siempre… (1 Crón 17:23-24).

David había hecho los planos. Diseñó el mobiliario, reunió los materiales, organizó todo (ver 1 Crónicas 28:11-19), pero el primer templo que se construyó en Jerusalén se conoce como el templo de Salomón, no de David.

El Señor había dicho: «Tú no» (1 Crónicas 17:4). Había decidido que Salomón, el hijo de David, construyera el templo. La reacción de David ante esta negativa fue ejemplar. Se enfocó en lo que Dios haría, no en lo que él no podría hacer (1 Crónicas 17:16-25). Mantuvo un espíritu de gratitud, hizo todo lo que pudo y consiguió hombres talentosos para que ayudaran a Salomón en la construcción (ver 1 Crónicas 22).

Un comentarista bíblico escribió: «Tal vez tengamos que aceptar que el servicio que anhelamos no es aquello para lo que Dios nos ha llamado […]. Como David, quizá nos espere algo más grandioso».

David deseaba que el Señor fuera glorificado, no él. Con fidelidad, hizo todo lo que pudo por el templo de Dios, colocando un fundamento sólido para aquel que viniera después de él para concluir la obra. ¡Que nosotros, del mismo modo, aceptemos la tarea que el Señor ha elegido para darnos y que lo sirvamos con un corazón agradecido! Nuestro Dios amoroso está haciendo algo «más grandioso».

Señor, que nuestras esperanzas y sueños más íntimos coincidan con los tuyos.

Dios tal vez esconda el propósito de sus caminos, pero sus caminos siempre tienen sus propósitos.

Por Poh Fang Chia

© 2017 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario

Unser Täglich Brot - Du nicht

Lesen: 1.Chronik 17,1-4.16-25 | Die Bibel In Einem Jahr: Josua 19–21; Lukas 2,25-52

Tu, wie du geredet hast! Und dein Name werde wahr und groß ewiglich. 1.Chronik 17,23-24

David hatte die Pläne gezeichnet. Er hatte die Einrichtung entworfen und das Material herangeschafft. Er hatte alle Vorbereitungen getroffen (siehe 1.Chron. 28,11-19). Aber der erste Tempel, der in Jerusalem gebaut wurde, ist als Tempel Salomos bekannt geworden, nicht Davids.

Denn Gott hatte gesagt: „Nicht du sollst mir ein Haus bauen“ (1.Chron. 17,4). Gott hatte Davids Sohn Salomo für diese Aufgabe erwählt. Davids Reaktion war vorbildlich. Er sah auf das, was Gott tun wollte, anstatt auf das, was er selbst nicht tun konnte (1.Chron. 17,16-25). Er blieb dankbar. Und er tat alles, was in seiner Macht stand, um Salomo beim Bau des Tempels zu unterstützen (siehe 1.Chron. 22).

Ein Ausleger schreibt dazu: „Oft werden wir akzeptieren müssen, dass die Arbeit, die wir für Gott so gern tun würden, nicht die ist, für die wir auch die Fähigkeiten haben, oder das, wozu Gott uns tatsächlich berufen hat. Sie kann, wie bei David, nur die Vorbereitung sein auf etwas viel Größeres.“

David suchte Gottes Ehre, nicht seine eigene. Er tat treu alles, was er konnte, für Gottes Tempel und legte ein solides Fundament für den, der nach ihm die Arbeit vollenden würde. Mögen auch wir die Aufgaben akzeptieren, die Gott uns zugedacht hat, und ihm mit dankbarem Herzen dienen! Unser liebender Gott kann „viel Größeres“ tun.

Vater, wir möchten, dass unsere Hoffnungen und Träume und Herzen im Einklang sind mit dir. Lehre uns, dich auch dann zu preisen, wenn wir an deiner Güte zweifeln.

Gott mag seine Ziele vor uns verborgen halten, aber er handelt nie ziellos.

Von Poh Fang Chia

© 2017 Unser Täglich Brot

Notre Pain Quotidien - Pas lui !

Lisez : 1 Chroniques 17.1‑4, 16‑25 | La Bible en un an : Josué 19 – 21 et Luc 2.25-52

[Agis] selon ta parole ! Qu’elle subsiste, afin que ton nom soit à jamais glorifié. (1 Chroniques 17.23,24)

David en avait tracé les plans, conçu les meubles et trouvé les matériaux. Or, même s’il avait tout prévu (Voir 1 CH 28.11‑19), la construction du premier Temple de Jérusalem est attribuée à Salomon, et non à lui. Dieu lui avait dit : « Ce ne sera pas toi » (1 CH 17.4), car il avait choisi Salomon, son fils, pour bâtir le Temple. David a réagi de façon exemplaire à ce déni divin, se concentrant sur ce que Dieu ferait plutôt que sur ce qu’il ne pouvait lui‑même faire (1 CH 17.16‑25). Nourrissant une attitude de reconnaissance, il a tout fait pour rallier des hommes capables à la cause de la construction du Temple sous Salomon (Voir 1 CH 22).

Le commentateur biblique J. G. McConville a écrit : « Il arrive souvent que nous devions accepter que le travail que nous aurions tant aimé accomplir en matière de service chrétien ne soit pas celui pour lequel nous avons été le mieux formés ni celui auquel Dieu nous a appelés en réalité. Il se peut que nous soit confié, comme cela a été le cas de David, un travail préparatoire conduisant à quelque chose de manifestement plus grand. »

David cherchait la gloire de Dieu, et non la sienne. Il a fidèlement veillé à ce que le Temple de Dieu se réalise, créant un solide fondement à celui qui viendrait après lui pour achever le travail. Comme lui, puissions‑nous accepter d’accomplir les tâches que Dieu a choisi de nous confier et le servir d’un coeur reconnaissant ! Notre Dieu bienveillant est en train d’accomplir une chose « manifestement plus grande ».

Même si Dieu tait le but de ses voies, celles‑ci ne sont pas sans but.

par Poh Fang Chia

© 2017 Ministères NPQ

Хліб Наш Насущній - Не ти

Читати: 1 Хронік 17:1-4, 16-25 | Біблія за рік: Ісуса Навина 19–21 ; Луки 2:25-52

Зроби, як говорив! А Твоє Ім’я нехай буде міцне, і нехай буде велике аж навіки. — 1 Хронік 17:23-24

Давид зробив проект будівлі. Зібрав необхідні матеріали. Зробив усі приготування (1 Хр. 28:11-19). Але перший храм, що був побудований в Єрусалимі, відомий нам як Соломонів храм, а не Давидів.

І все тому, що Бог сказав Давиду: “Не ти” (1 Хр. 17:4). Для будівництва храму Бог вибрав Соломона, сина Давида. І реакція Давида на рішення Бога варта наслідування. Він більше переймався тим, що вчинить Бог, а не тим, що самому йому не вдалося зробити (1 Хр. 17:16-25). Він навчився зберігати вдячний дух, зробив усе, що міг, щоб Соломон побудував Богові храм. І навіть знайшов майстрів йому в допомогу (1 Хр. 22).

Біблійний коментатор Дж. Макконвілл писав: “Нерідко маємо прийняти той факт, що ми недостатньо споряджені для тієї чи іншої праці, яку залюбки б зробили в якості християнського служіння, – і що Бог насправді не покликав нас це робити. Можливо, Він доручив нам лише підготовчу роботу, що веде до більш величних перспектив”.

Давид шукав слави Божої, а не своєї. Він вірно робив усе, що міг. Давайте й ми, наслідуючи приклад Давида, приймати ті доручення, що Бог запланував для нас. І давайте звершувати таке служіння Йому з вдячним серцем! Наш люблячий Бог завжди веде нас до “більш величних перспектив”.

Отче, ми бажаємо, щоб надії та мрії наших сердець завжди співпадали з Твоїми бажаннями. Навчи нас славити Тебе навіть тоді, коли в душу вкрадаються сумніви.

Бог може приховувати цілі Своїх дій, але Його дії ніколи не бувають безцільними.

Автор Пох Фанг Чіа

© 2017 Хліб Наш Насущній

Хлеб наш насущный - Не ты

Читать сейчас: 1 Паралипоменон 17:1-4, 16-25 | Библия за год: Иисуса Навина 19-21; Луки 2:25-52

Сделай, как Ты сказал. И да пребудет и возвеличится имя Твое вовеки. — 1 Паралипоменон 17:23-24

Давид начертил проект. Он придумал убранство. Он собрал материалы. Он произвел все приготовления (см. 1 Пар. 28:11-19). Но первый храм, построенный в Иерусалиме, известен как храм Соломона, а не Давида.

Потому что Бог сказал: «Не ты» (1 Пар. 17:4). Он избрал для строительства сына Давида, Соломона. Отклик Давида на этот отказ был показательным. Вместо того чтобы горевать о том, чего он не смог сделать, благочестивый царь обратился к тому, что совершил для него Бог (1 Пар. 17:16-25). Он имел благодарное сердце. Он сделал все, что смог. Кроме того, он нашел способных людей для помощи Соломону в строительстве храма (см. 1 Пар. 22).

Толкователь Дж. Макконвил писал: «Зачастую нам нужно просто принять, что труд, который мы так хотели исполнить в христианском служении, предназначен не для нас. Бог призвал нас к иному. Это может быть, как в случае Давида, подготовительная работа, ведущая к чему-то более великому».

Давид искал славы Богу, а не самому себе. Он верно делал все, что мог, для Божьего храма, полагая прочное основание для того, кто придет после него, чтобы завершить дело. Будем и мы принимать определенный для нас труд и служить Ему с благодарным сердцем.

Отче, мы хотим совместить свои надежды и мечты с Твоей волей. Научи нас славить Тебя и тогда, когда приходят сомнения в Твоей благости.

Бог может скрывать от нас Свои намерения, но они, несомненно, существуют.

автор: По Фанг Чиа

© 2017 Хлеб Наш Насущный

What is Easter about?

Easter Makes Life Worth Living

Think about what happened that first Easter morning. Because of Jesus, one thief was in Paradise. Eternal death was gutted and emptied of its power for all who trust in Him. Satan and all of his angels were already informed about their utter demise. Because of Jesus, God at work, eternal life, forgiveness, and salvation were won for all, as God's pure gift of grace.

In the middle of people's most difficult days, full of tears or of never-ending pain and fear, the resurrected Jesus says, "Share My words with them now, words like, 'Because I live, you will live also' or ‘I am the resurrection and the life; though you die, yet shall you live."'

Easter–Resurrection Sunday–is not about Easter bunnies and colored eggs. It's not about the end of winter or the freshness of spring. It's about God at work in this world for you, no matter the circumstance. It's about real hope in the midst of hopelessness, real life in the middle of the shadows of death. It's about God's forgiveness and life where there is guilt and sin.

The resurrection of Jesus makes Easter the key to a life worth living, because when God is at work for you, there is nothing to fear.

The Daily Readings for FRIDAY, March 24, 2017

The Old Testament Lesson

The Old Testament Lesson for today is taken from Jeremiah 11:1-20

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant, which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron-smelter, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day. Then I answered, "So be it, LORD." And the LORD said to me: Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them. For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of an evil will. So I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not. And the LORD said to me: Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors. Therefore, thus says the LORD, assuredly I am going to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they will never save them in the time of their trouble. For your gods have become as many as your towns, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal. As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? The LORD once called you, "A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit" but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. The LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal. It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!" But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!

The Epistle Lesson

The Epistle Lesson for today is taken from Romans 6:1-11

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!

The Holy Gospel Lesson

The Holy Gospel is written in John 8:33-47
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!

They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father." They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does." They said to him, "We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."

Here ends the Gospel lesson for today
Glory be to Thee ,O Christ!

Morning Psalms

Psalm 88 Domine, Deus
1   O LORD, my God, my Savior, by day and night I cry to you.
2   Let my prayer enter into your presence; incline your ear to my lamentation.
3   For I am full of trouble; my life is at the brink of the grave.
4   I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I have become like one who has no strength;
5   Lost among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave,
6   Whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
7   You have laid me in the depths of the Pit, in dark places, and in the abyss.
8   Your anger weighs upon me heavily, and all your great waves overwhelm me.
9   You have put my friends far from me; you have made me to be abhorred by them; I am in prison and cannot get free.
10   My sight has failed me because of trouble; LORD, I have called upon you daily; I have stretched out my hands to you.
11   Do you work wonders for the dead? will those who have died stand up and give you thanks?
12   Will your loving-kindness be declared in the grave? your faithfulness in the land of destruction?
13   Will your wonders be known in the dark? or your righteousness in the country where all is forgotten?
14   But as for me, O LORD, I cry to you for help; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
15   LORD, why have you rejected me? why have you hidden your face from me?
16   Ever since my youth, I have been wretched and at the point of death; I have borne your terrors with a troubled mind.
17   Your blazing anger has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me;
18   They surround me all day long like a flood; they encompass me on every side.
19   My friend and my neighbor you have put away from me, and darkness is my only companion.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 91 Qui habitat
1   He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty.
2   He shall say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I put my trust."
3   He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence.
4   He shall cover you with his pinions, and you shall find refuge under his wings; his faithfulness shall be a shield and buckler.
5   You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6   Of the plague that stalks in the darkness, nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day.
7   A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
8   Your eyes have only to behold to see the reward of the wicked.
9   Because you have made the LORD your refuge, and the Most High your habitation,
10   There shall no evil happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11   For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
12   They shall bear you in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13   You shall tread upon the lion and the adder; you shall trample the young lion and the serpent under your feet.
14   Because he is bound to me in love, therefore will I deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my Name.
15   He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I am with him in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him to honor.
16   With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Psalm 92 Bonum est confiteri
1   It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;
2   To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning and of your faithfulness in the night season;
3   On the psaltery, and on the lyre, and to the melody of the harp.
4   For you have made me glad by your acts, O LORD; and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.
5   LORD, how great are your works! your thoughts are very deep.
6   The dullard does not know, nor does the fool understand, that though the wicked grow like weeds, and all the workers of iniquity flourish,
7   They flourish only to be destroyed for ever; but you, O LORD, are exalted for evermore.
8   For lo, your enemies, O LORD, lo, your enemies shall perish, and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
9   But my horn you have exalted like the horns of wild bulls; I am anointed with fresh oil.
10   My eyes also gloat over my enemies, and my ears rejoice to hear the doom of the wicked who rise up against me.
11   The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.
12   Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God;
13   They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be green and succulent;
14   That they may show how upright the LORD is, my Rock, in whom there is no fault.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Verse of the Day - March 24, 2017

Romans 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Read all of Romans 6

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - "A Full Life"

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

—Isaiah 53:3 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ was, according to the Bible, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He knows and understands the pain and hurt deep inside your soul when you have lost someone you love.

John 11:35 tells us, “Jesus wept.” Tears rolled down His cheeks, tears of sympathy for Mary and Martha for all the sorrow that is caused by sin and death. And in that sense, Jesus has wept with us as well.

Death never was God’s plan in the beginning. But now, because of the entrance of sin into the human race, all of us will die one day. Some will live longer than others, but we all will die. And we think the greatest tragedy is when someone dies young. While this is an extreme tragedy, I don’t think it is the ultimate tragedy. I think the ultimate tragedy is when a life has been lived to its entire length and has been entirely wasted and squandered on sin.

I think of the words of Jim Elliot, who was a modern-day martyr of the faith, put to death as he tried to bring the gospel to a tribe in Ecuador known at the time as the Aucas. Jim was lanced through with a spear, and wrapped around that spear was one of the gospel tracts he and missionary pilot Nate Saint had dropped over their village from the air. In his journal Jim Elliot had written, “I seek not a long life but a full one like Yours, Lord Jesus.”

We think that length of life is the ultimate goal. And yes, it’s good to live long. But what is more important is to live right, to do what is right before God. What is more important is to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny 

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion by Greg Laurie © 2017 Harvest Christian Fellowship; all rights reserved.

Un Dia a la Vez - Que la crítica no te desenfoque

El Señor afirma los pasos del hombre cuando le agrada su modo de vivir; podrá tropezar, pero no caerá, porque el Señor lo sostiene de la mano.
Salmo 37:23-24, NVI

Hoy vamos a ver la otra parte, la crítica que no te deja vivir, que no te deja tomar decisiones importantes por pensar en el que dirán. En cosas que dejamos de hacer para que no nos critiquen.

Si te identificas con esta breve introducción, quiero que sepas que el más criticado y el más señalado fue Jesús.

Nosotros debemos entender que siempre existirá la acción de la crítica, pues muchas personas te pueden criticar por envidia. La crítica bien manejada puede ser constructiva y te puede ayudar a corregir cosas en las que tal vez estés fallando.

No obstante, nuestra vida no puede estar solo pendiente de a quién le gusta o quién le parece lo que hacemos o dejamos de hacer.

A veces necesitamos que nos aprueben y la crítica es casi un estilo de vida.

Mi consejo en este día está dividido en dos:

1. La crítica constructiva es importante para evaluar lo que estamos haciendo y no debemos despreciarla. Y, como dice la Palabra de Dios, de lo que te digan saca lo bueno y desecha lo malo: «Examinadlo todo; retened lo bueno» (1 Tesalonicenses 5:21, RV-60).

2. No vivas del que dirán, y esto se ajusta a cualquiera que sea tu ocupación. Recuerda que nunca le caeremos bien a todo el mundo y que a todas las personas no les gustará lo que hacemos en la vida.

Por lo tanto, enfócate en hacer lo que Dios te aprueba y no te desenfoques.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - TO THE GARDEN AND THE CROSS

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. John 18:1, NIV
 
Today’s devotional comes from a Chinese house church pastor who was arrested and held for three weeks just prior to this talk. He says:

When we suffer for Christ, what actually happens? I mean, what really goes on spiritually within us when we are going through suffering?

I ask the question because a young sister was listening to me recently recount my experience of being in jail for three weeks last year. She said, “You talked of having constant diarrhea, of being kicked and punched painfully, and you even feared that God was punishing you…yet you talked also of feeling joy and experiencing peace.” She said to me, “I don’t understand how these things go together.”

My reply to her, and I give it also as an instruction to you all (for you will all suffer at some point for His Name), is that when we suffer, three spiritual experiences happen to us all at once: angelic strengthening, superhuman forgiveness, and human incomprehension. These three things appear contradictory, but if you suffer, you will find they come together as they did in the life of Christ.

An old Christian used to say to me, “When they lead you away to jail, tell yourself you are merely going with Christ to the Garden of Gethsemane, and to the Cross.” To the Garden, and to the Cross. I liked that. I tested it. It’s true…

So that is why suffering Christians appear to speak out of “both sides of their mouth.” On the one hand we talk of joy and endurance. On the other hand, there is anger at God, pain and a feeling of spiritual desertion. They sit together, because there is always a war of different feelings and emotions.

Although we are angelically strengthened and the recipients of superhuman forgiveness, we also experience a sense of spiritual abandonment as a result of our human incomprehension.

But the greatest thing of all is to walk the way of Christ. That is the privilege of suffering: to suffer a little as our Lord Jesus suffered. As He identified with us by suffering pain, so some are called to identify even more closely with Him by going into the Garden, and onto the Cross.

Never fear, my friends, when you are arrested. You will receive strength. You will also be bewildered. Think of Christ, and follow him into the Garden, and onto the Cross.

For the next three days we will listen to his contrasting explanation of the Garden and the Cross: angelic strengthening; superhuman forgiveness; and human incomprehension.

RESPONSE: Today I will walk with Jesus whether into the Garden or onto the Cross.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord that You strengthen Your people in preparation for suffering and even during it.

Men of the Bible - Achan

His name means: "Troublemaker"

His character: Achan's greed for the spoils of war and his attempt to hide his sin led to a situation that endangered Israel's relationship with God. By disregarding God's command, he brought trouble and judgment on his own people.
His sorrow: His disobedience resulted in the loss of many lives, including his own.
His triumph: To have participated in the victory over Jericho.
Key Scriptures: Joshua 7:1-8:2

A Look at the Man

Achan may not have been a bad man, at least to begin with. While living for many years in the desert, he may even have fed himself on dreams of what life would be like in the Promised Land, where he could build a life for his family. He may have rushed into Jericho fully intending to follow the Lord's commands. But then came an opportunity to do otherwise. And that's when his resolve faded.

Achan's disobedience then produced a kind of foolishness in him; he attempted to hide what he had done, burying stolen goods beneath his tent. But he was hiding from the God who made him, from the same God who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River, and from the God who had just caused the walls of a fortified city to crumble without a weapon being raised against it. Why was Achan foolish enough to think that God would find it hard to see through his little deception?

The truth is that it's sin's nature to hide. Consider your own experience. Isn't it hard to admit your sins to others? Isn't it difficult to admit them to yourself? Most of us have found ingenious ways to hide the ugliness of sin from ourselves and others, by rationalizing, excusing, and even forgetting things we've done wrong. But Achan's story tells us that God is never fooled by such foolishness.

Simple obedience and the cleansing power of God's grace are the best defense against sin. But when we fail to do the right thing, we should remind ourselves not to compound the problem by hiding what we've done. Instead, we can go directly to God, expressing our sorrow and asking his forgiveness, confident that he will give it.

Reflect On: Deuteronomy 6:1–3
Praise God: Because his commandments are meant to bless us, not to enslave us.
Offer Thanks: That God has not hidden his commands from us. Confess: Any tendency to value your opinion about a course of action more than you value God's.
Ask God: To make you humble enough to realize that you do not always know what is best.

Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media. Coming this fall: watch for Wicked Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler.

Girlfriends in God - An Uncommon Calling

by Michele Cushatt

Today’s Truth

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people’” (Mark 1:16–17, NIV).

Friend to Friend

I imagine it was an ordinary day, not all that different from most of our days.

Up before dawn. Stumble around getting dressed in the dark. Make a beeline for the programmable coffee pot. 

Stop. Let’s just take a moment to thank the Lord in heaven for programmable coffee pots. Yes, and amen.

So maybe Simon Peter didn’t have a programmable coffee pot. But he must’ve grabbed something to eat and drink before he headed out the door for another long day of fishing.

That was his occupation. No college degree required. It was hard, smelly work. But it paid the bills. And one can’t be choosy when it comes to paying the bills.

I can’t help but wonder if Simon ever dreamed of doing something more noble, more—how shall I say?—aromatic. But fishing was his calling. 

Then an ordinary day turned extraordinary with the visit of a rabbi.

Come, follow me, the Rabbi said.

No introductions or small talk, at least none Mark recorded. Instead, a radical invitation. To leave one calling for another. To abandon fish for people.

The Bible says Simon packed up and followed Jesus “at once” (v. 18). No hesitation or second thoughts.

But I imagine his lack of doubts in that moment were multiplied in countless moments yet to come. Like when the religious leaders of the day mocked Jesus’ unlikely choice of disciples. When naysayers questioned the sanity of a fisherman who claimed that Jesus was God.

I know what it’s like to have someone question my calling. The man who questioned my speaking ability or the woman who criticized my writing. Not to mention the children who gripe and whine nearly every day about what I don’t do to their complete satisfaction. 

It’s never fun to be on the receiving end of hurtful words. I may act tough, but the truth is criticism usually stirs up questions and self-doubts about my calling.

And yet the calling wasn’t mine. Just as Jesus stood on a beach and spoke to a fisherman, Jesus stands in front of us and speaks the same words:

Come, follow me.

The calling has nothing to do with our qualifications. Jesus didn’t choose me because I was polished and professional. He chose me because He wanted to. And He’s done the same for you.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Those are Peter’s words, spoken years after Jesus called him out of a boat and into discipleship. Follow Jesus he did. He may have had moments of doubt, but they were soon overshadowed by the confidence that comes when you know your calling is from God.

A chosen people. A called people. Peter. And you and me.

Criticism and questions are part of the path. But if we keep our eyes focused on the one who leads the way, the voices of naysayers will fade away.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, I stand on the beach along with Peter and hear you offer your invitation: Come, follow me. I long to follow you, God! But I doubt my worth, my place, and whether or not I have what it takes. Give me confidence in YOUR choosing, God, that I may follow you faithfully wherever you take me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Today, spend time considering and embracing the fact that our God has called you to be His. His! Relish His choosing, and find new confidence in it.

More from the Girlfriends

It’s here! Michele’s new book, I Am: A 60-day Journey To Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is, is now available. If you’re tired of doubting your worth and feeling exhausted from all the effort at being “enough,” this daily journey may finally deliver the peace you crave. For short, inspirational devotional messages delivered right to your inbox, check out Michele’s FREE I Am Video Experience. 

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