Хлеб наш насущный - Слишком тяжело?

автор: Анн Ситас

Читать сейчас: 1 Фессалоникийцам 5:12-28 | Библия за год: Исаия 50-52; Галатам 5

Он уходил в пустынные места и молился. — Луки 5:16

Джои начала урок в Воскресной школе с молитвы. Потом они с детьми спели песенку. После этого она представила нового учителя по имени Аарон и предложила помолиться за него. Шестилетний Эммануил нетерпеливо заерзал на своем месте. А уж когда Аарон начал и закончил свою беседу молитвой, малыш не выдержал: «Целых четыре молитвы! Это много, я не выдерживаю!»

Если вы думаете, что это много, вспомните, что пишет Павел: «Непрестанно молитесь» (1 Фес. 5:17), то есть всегда будьте настроены на молитву. Даже многие взрослые находят молитву утомительным занятием. Возможно, это потому, что они не знают, что сказать, или не понимают, что молитва – это общение с Небесным Отцом.

В XVII в. Франсуа Фенелон написал о молитве слова, которые в свое время помогли мне: «Расскажите Богу обо всем, что лежит у вас на сердце, так, как человек раскрывает свою радость и боль дорогому другу. Расскажите Ему о своих бедах, чтобы Он утешил вас. Расскажите Ему о радостях, чтобы Он отрезвил вас. Расскажите о желаниях, чтобы Он очистил их. Расскажите о неприязни, чтобы Он помог преодолеть ее. Поговорите с Ним об искушениях, чтобы Он уберег вас от них. Покажите Ему раны вашего сердца, чтобы Он исцелил их… Если вы изольете перед Ним все свои немощи, нужды, заботы, то у вас не будет недостатка в том, что сказать».

Будем возрастать в общении с Богом, чтобы время молитвы стало для нас особенно драгоценным.

Для дальнейшего изучения прочитайте о примере Иисуса Христа: Иоанна 17 и Луки 5:16.

Молитва – это общение с Богом.

© 2016 Хлеб Наш Насущный

Notre Pain Quotidien - Y sommes‑nous obligés ?

par Anne Cetas

Lisez : 1 Thessaloniciens 5.12‑28 | La Bible en un an : Ésaïe 50 – 52 et 1 Thessaloniciens 5

Et lui [Jésus], il se retirait dans les déserts, et priait. (Luc 5.16)

Joie a démarré le programme pour enfants dans la prière, puis a chanté avec ses tout‑petits. Emmanuel, six ans, s’est agité sur sa chaise lorsqu’elle a prié après avoir présenté Aaron, le professeur. Puis Aaron a commencé et terminé son exposé en prière. Emmanuel s’en est alors plaint : « Ça fait quatre prières ! Je peux pas rester sans bouger aussi longtemps ! »

Si vous croyez que le défi qu’Emmanuel doit relever est difficile, lisez 1 Thessaloniciens 5.17 : « Priez sans cesse » ou ayez toujours l’esprit en prière. Il nous arrive même adultes de trouver la prière ennuyeuse. Peut‑être parce que nous ignorons quoi dire ou ne comprenons pas qu’il s’agit d’une simple conversation avec notre Père.

Au xviie siècle, François Fénelon a parlé quelque peu de prières qui lui sont venues en aide : « Dites à Dieu tout ce que vous avez dans le coeur, comme si vous confiiez vos plaisirs et vos chagrins à un ami intime. Racontez‑lui vos problèmes, afin qu’il vous console ; racontez‑lui vos joies, afin qu’il les tempère ; racontez‑lui vos désirs, afin qu’il les purifie. » Puis il a ajouté : « Parlez‑lui de vos tentations, afin qu’il vous en protège ; montrez‑lui les blessures de votre coeur, afin qu’il les guérisse. […] Si vous lui livrez ainsi toutes vos faiblesses, tous vos besoins et tous vos problèmes, vous aurez toujours des choses à lui dire. »

Puissions‑nous grandir dans notre intimité avec Dieu, de sorte que nous désirions passer plus de temps avec lui.

La prière est une conversation intime avec notre Dieu.

© 2016 Ministères NPQ

Night Light for Couples - Differing Assumptions

Night Light for Couples, the couples' devotional from Focus on the Family ministry founder Dr. James Dobson and his wife, Shirley, brings spouses together each evening, helping them stay connected with each other and their Lord.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.” Romans 15:5

As in last night’s story, “The Argument,” a difficult day can quickly lead to an unnecessarily heated exchange between spouses. Fatigue, problems with the kids or job, illness, or financial worries can make anyone more susceptible to a fight. So can the condition I (jcd) call “differing assumptions.” For example, after a particularly grueling series of speaking appearances some years ago, I came dragging home on Friday night feeling I’d earned a day off. I planned to watch a USC‐Alabama football game on TV the next day. That seemed like a reasonable plan for a guy who had been out earning a living day and night. Shirley, on the other hand, had been running our home and watching the kids for six weeks and felt it was time I pitched in on a few chores. It was entirely reasonable for Shirley to think that she deserved some help at home after doing “domestic duty” for six weeks. Our assumptions collided about ten o’clock Saturday morning. Harsh words froze our relationship for three days. It was a stupid fight, but understandable in light of factors like overwork, fatigue, selfishness, and very different views of what the other was thinking.

When we’re making our own plans we need to remember to consider our partner’s mental and physical state. During stressful circumstances, we should take extra care to communicate our expectations ahead of time.

Just between us…

• Have differing assumptions caused us to argue recently?
• How can I do a better job of being aware of your mood?
• Do we communicate our expectations ahead of time?

Lord, by Your Spirit, help us to be aware of each other’s needs and to take care in our communication. Draw us together in unity and in love of You. Amen.

• From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
  Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Daily Readings for October 16, 2016 - 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

First Reading - Genesis 32:22-31
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Psalm 121 Levavi oculos
1   I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
2   My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
3   He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4   Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5   The LORD himself watches over you; the LORD is your shade at your right hand,
6   So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7   The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.
8   The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.

Second Reading - 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

Holy Gospel - Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

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.

The Sunday Sermon for October 16, 2016 - 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

 

"Go Into Your Room, Close The Door And Pray"

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:1-8)

Let us pray -- O' Heavenly Father, we come before you this day and we ask that you reveal more about the nature of prayer. May our hearts and our minds be open to your Word this day. We ask this in the blessed name of Jesus your son and our Savior .... Amen.

A young man went into a drugstore to buy 3 boxes of chocolate: small, medium, and large. When the pharmacist asked him about the three boxes, he said, ... "Well, I'm going over to my new girlfriend's house for supper. Then we are going out for the evening. If she only lets me hold her hand, ... then I'll give her the small box. If she lets me kiss her on the cheek, ... then I'll give her the medium box. But if she really lets me smooch seriously, ... I'll give her the large box." He made his purchase and left.

That evening as he sat down for dinner with his girlfriend's family, ... he asked if he could say the prayer before the meal. He began to pray, ... and he prayed a most earnest, and intense prayer ... that lasted for almost five minutes. When he finished his girlfriend said, ... "You never told me you were such a religious person." He said, ...... "You never told me your dad was a pharmacist!"

Beloved ... It is essential to pray...... whatever the circumstance!

Jesus told His disciples in our Gospel reading today their need to pray ...... when? .... Always.

According to many public opinion polls, .... prayer is still very important .... to most Americans.

The Gallup organization found 90 percent of Americans pray.

And 86 percent said they believed in God.

Isn't it interesting .... more people pray .... than claim to believe in God?

83 percent said they favor prayer at graduation exercises.

70 percent favor Christian prayers be spoken in school.

There is a story that ... true or not .... does make a point.

A small village church had a hall that needed a new roof.

So after every Sunday service, ...... the congregation would go over to the church hall .... to pray for a new roof.

And ...... at the end of the prayer meeting, .... there would be a collection.

One old villager, ...... renown for being very tight fisted, would come in and sit at the back of the prayer meeting ...... so he could make a quick escape ...... when the collection plate came around.

One Sunday just as he was going to the prayer meeting he was held up by the priest ...... so he came in a little late.

Unfortunately, ....... there was only room at the front.

So he went to the front and sat down.

During the prayer meeting, a piece of roof fell and hit him on the head.

Feeling spoken to; he stood up and said: "Lord, I'll give $1,000".

A voice in the back rang out: ....... "Hit him again Lord, hit him again".

In today's Gospel reading Jesus focuses on prayer ...... using the parable of the Unjust Judge to encourage us ....... to persevere at prayer. (Luke 18:1-8)

Prayer is very precious ...... to our Father in Heaven.

We read in Revelation that the prayers of the saints are equated with ...... incense offered to God .... at the altar. (Revelation 8:3-4)

It is important to note what Jesus is Not saying with the Parable of the Unjust Judge.

He is Not saying that God is as tightfisted in answering prayer, ....... as the unjust judge was frugal ... in dispensing justice.

Judges were notoriously corrupt in Israel during the 1st century.

And the implication in the parable would be ... that some rich person has bribed the judge Not to give the widow justice.

Possibly to stop her from inheriting ... her husband's estate.

Without the protection of a benefactor, .... the widow would have neither .... the strings to pull .... nor a bribe to offer.

Yet, in this parable, her persistence won the day.

What Jesus Is saying:

If the Unjust Judge in this parable gives justice to the woman .... surely God .... who wants to answer our prayers .... will do so.

It seems to me, ... there are three challenges from this passage:

1. God is calling his people to be persistent in prayer.
2. God is calling his people to be changed, ...... to be transformed through prayer
3. And God is calling to those who truly enjoy and who truly yearn to spend time with Him.

Let us look at the first of these challenges: God is calling his people to be persistent in prayer.

The Jews, .... in the first century, .... limited prayer to three times a day, .... so they would not wear God out by their petitions.

But Jesus taught quite the opposite.

God inhabits our praise ... and our prays.

And the real danger is...... that we will run out of energy .... and give up praying.

It is worth noting that the woman came to the judge .... because she ...... Expected to win.

In other words, ...... she had faith in receiving a fair judgment from the judge ....... Eventually.

I meet people far too often who do not Expect God to answer prayer.

And it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There may be some here today who find prayer .... very hard.

The reason we do not seem to get anywhere ...... may be ...... due to the fact ...... that our motivation is suspect:

Why do we pray?

Do we see prayer as something to do to appease an angry God; .... a sort of divine insurance policy?

Do we see it as a religious duty?

God wants me to pray, .... So I must do it.

Do I do it expecting a reward so I will be blessed?

Do I pray because I think I am a better person than others?

Or do you come to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords .... to be in Fellowship; ....... to hear His Voice?

Remember His promise "My Sheep, .... My Sheep hear my voice".

God is calling his people to be persistent in prayer.

The second challenge in this parable is that God is calling his people to be changed, .... to be transformed through prayer.

What is real prayer?

Prayer is the turning of a person to God.

As it states in the Scriptures ... "If my people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray .... and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, ...... then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

That is why our services .... are filled with prayer especially ...... of confession.

And when we repent ...... God can truly transform us.

In the 18th Century, John Newton was a slave trader.

He swore and cursed.

He bought and sold slaves.

He nearly lost his life in a storm and it was in that storm ...... that he found God.

He repented; ... he renounced his evil ways and eventually became a vicar in the Anglican Church.

Newton latter went on and helped William Wilberforce in outlawing slavery in the British Empire.

Newton was one of the leading men of the Evangelical Revival in England.

You may know him as the author of the hymn: "Amazing Grace".

Beloved .... No one is too lost ..... No one is too bad for the Grace of God.

The third challenge is that God is calling those who truly enjoy and truly yearn to spend time with Him.

Prayer is Fellowship; ... it is open Communication between God and each one of us ... much as one talks to their friend. (Exodus 33:11)

The Conversation needs to be two ways.

We need time for private prayer with God.

We need to shut ourselves away and have this intensely personal time with God.

The world and Satan are out to get us so busy - that we overlook our time with God.

Hear our Lords words: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men." "I tell you they have their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room close the door and pray to the Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:5-6)

Go into your room, close the door and pray.

How much clearing does our Lord need to make it?

One, go into your room, two, close the door, three pray!

Talk to God then listen!

Jesus - after intense ministry- would go away, even from his closest disciples to pray quietly.

St Mark records the following in the life of Jesus:

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went off to a solitary place where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)

If Jesus needed time alone with God, don't we ... even more?

We need also to Listen, ... to listen for the Voice of God.

When my children were young, ... they would ask me a question, ... and they did so ... in the expectation that they would Get an answer.

It might not always be the one they wanted to hear!!

Often, maybe too often the initial answer was NO!! ....... I can almost hear my wife Lee say Amen to that.

And if I did not give them an answer they would ask it again and again.

The same is true for our life with God.

If we expect to hear from God, then we need to learn to Listen.

You will not hear the response from God until you Listen to Him.

Hear God's Word from the Palms: "Be Still, Be still and Know that I am God." (Palms 46:10)

Beloved: God is calling his people to be persistent in prayer.

God is calling his people to be changed, ... to be transformed through prayer

And God is calling those ... who truly enjoy and truly yearn... to spend time with Him.

Nothing of eternal significance is ever accomplished apart from prayer.

Please, ... Please Beloved ... seek God in Prayer ...

And let the maker of the Universe Transform you ... and take you ... from Glory to Glory!

Amen and Amen!

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. Sermon shared by J Jeffrey Smead October 2013.

The Daily Meditation for October 16, 2016

From Forward Day By Day
Written by Scott B. Hayashi

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV) All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

Holy Scripture has God as its genesis. The people who wrote the books and the scribes who carefully copied the texts were inspired by God. It was a sacred duty and an act of love to those who would benefit from hearing and reading the stories.

Reading the Bible is the single best thing people can do to grow their spiritual lives. We don’t have to understand every word or assign huge meaning to every single verse. It’s okay if the lists of begats in Chronicles or Numbers don’t blow our hair back. However, daily reading of the Bible, even if we can’t commit to deep reading, has a way of changing us over time. The Bible, those inspired words of the Living God, become part of us and serve as a lens through which we can come to understand the world.

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Standing Strong Through the Storm - LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14

The scriptures teach that God is committed to one major objective in the lives of all His people; conforming us to the image of His Son. What is the “image of His Son?” It is found in the words of Jesus, Himself, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

It makes sense then to say that God desires the same for us. After bringing us into His family through faith in His Son, the Lord sets His sights on building into us the same qualities that made Jesus distinct—a servant’s heart and a giving spirit. It’s so easy to lose sight of our primary calling as Christians. Even those who lead must do so with an attitude of genuine humility and an authentic desire to help others.

The best-known symbols of Christianity are the cross, the ichthus (fish symbol), and the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Probably the least known—yet most appropriate for the Christian—is the symbol of the towel and basin. The towel Jesus used when in humility and service, he washed and wiped his disciples dirty feet. Jesus instructed his disciples after washing their feet that they were to wash one another’s feet.

J. Dudley Woodbury tells a poignant true story that occurred in the dismal refugee camps of Peshawar, Pakistan. The fighting between the Majahideen in post-Soviet Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban resulted in thousands of refugees flooding into the camps near the border. Most of the children in the camps ran around barefoot in both the intense heat and intense cold.

A Christian organization brought in hundreds of sandals for the children but decided not to just distribute them but care for the children’s feet as well. So they utilized as many Christian volunteers as possible who washed the children’s filthy feet, put medication on their sores and prayed for them silently as they gave out the sandals.

As he tells the story, some months later a Muslim primary school teacher in the camp asked her students who the best Muslims were. One little girl raised her hand and responded, “The kafirs.” (unbelievers).

After the teacher recovered from cardiac arrest, she asked, “Why?” The little girl said, “The Mujahedeen killed my father, but the kafirs washed my feet!”

Missions to the Muslims, he concludes, will be affected less by the flames of 9/11, or even the flames that started the Arab Spring, than by the inner flames that are ignited if we so follow our Lord.[1]

RESPONSE: Today I will look for ways to serve others in genuine humility as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord, help me love as You did, serve others as You did and give of myself as You did!

1. J. Dudley Woodberry, “Muslim Missions: Then & Now,” Christianity Today (September 2011), p. 36.

Un Dia a la Vez - Acércate a Él

Acérquense a Dios, y él se acercará a ustedes. ¡Pecadores, límpiense las manos! ¡Ustedes los inconstantes, purifiquen su corazón! Santiago 4:8

Cada día recibo correos electrónicos donde los oyentes me expresan que quieren un cambio en sus vidas y desean buscar a Dios para encontrar respuesta a sus necesidades. Yo le agradezco a Dios por ese privilegio de servirles de inspiración a fin de que pueda hablarles de lo que me cambió la vida.

Mi vida es Jesús y tal vez parezca que soy religiosa o fanática, pero nada de eso es verdad. He vivido la vida con Cristo y sin Él. Así que con toda certeza puedo dar testimonio de cómo Dios me alcanzó, me rescató y me perdonó.

Al cambiar mi vida, también les pude dar un mejor ejemplo a mis princesas, que son mi vida.

Te lo digo con todo mi corazón: ¡Vale la pena acercarse a Él! Cuando lo hacemos, le permitimos que obre en nuestra vida, que haga suyos nuestros problemas y que nos dé una salida para cada uno de ellos.

Dios te ama y te dice: «Ven, no te resistas. No sigas tratando de vivir la vida a tu manera. Ven, porque deseo bendecir tu vida, cambiarla y darte lo que tengo preparado para ti».

Acercarte al Padre es como volver a tu origen. Es volver a su manto, a su protección, donde estarás seguro, tranquilo y en paz. Deja el orgullo y búscale con un corazón arrepentido y dispuesto a dejarte llevar al taller del Maestro. En ese taller, Él pulirá tu vida, limará tus partes ásperas y te colocará a altas temperaturas. Entonces, después de salir de allí, saldrás nuevo y hermoso.

Verse of the Day - October 16, 2016

Psalm 19:14 (NIV) May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Read all of Psalm 19

Our Daily Bread - Keep Up the Good Work

By Keila Ochoa

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1–12 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 47–49; 1 Thessalonians 4

We . . . urge you . . . to do this more and more. 1 Thessalonians 4:1

My son loves to read. If he reads more books than what is required at school, he receives an award certificate. That bit of encouragement motivates him to keep up the good work.

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he motivated them not with an award but with words of encouragement. He said, “Brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more” (1 Thess. 4:1). These Christians were pleasing God through their lives, and Paul encouraged them to continue to live more and more for Him.

Maybe today you and I are giving our best to know and love and please our Father. Let’s take Paul’s words as an incentive to continue on in our faith.

But let’s go one step further. Who might we encourage today with Paul’s words? Does someone come to mind who is diligent in following the Lord and seeking to please Him? Write a note or make a phone call and urge this person to keep on in their faith journey with Him. What you say may be just what they need to continue following and serving Jesus.

Dear Lord, thank You for encouraging me through Your Word to keep living for You.

Encourage someone today to keep living for God.

© 2016 Our Daily Bread Ministries

Unser Täglich Brot - Bleib dran!

Von Keila Ochoa

Lesen: 1.Thessalonicher 4,1-12 | Die Bibel In Einem Jahr: Jesaja 47–49; 1.Thessalonicher 4

Weiter . . . ermahnen wir euch . . . wie ihr leben sollt, um Gott zu gefallen, was ihr ja auch tut. (1.Thessalonicher 4,1)

Mein Sohn liest gern. Wenn er mehr Bücher liest, als die Schule verlangt, bekommt er eine Auszeichnung. Das ermutigt und motiviert ihn, an der Sache dranzubleiben.

Als Paulus den Thessalonichern schrieb, motivierte er sie nicht mit einer Auszeichnung, sondern mit Worten der Ermunterung. „Weiter, liebe Brüder“, schrieb er, „bitten und ermahnen wir euch in dem Herrn Jesus—da ihr von uns empfangen habt, wie ihr leben sollt, um Gott zu gefallen, was ihr ja auch tut—, dass ihr darin immer vollkommener werdet!“ (1.Thess. 4,1). Die Christen gefielen Gott mit ihrem Leben. Paulus forderte sie auf, dranzubleiben und immer mehr für Gott zu leben.

Vielleicht geben wir heute unser Bestes, um dem Vater zu gefallen, ihn zu kennen und ihn zu lieben. Dann wollen wir die Worte von Paulus als Anreiz nehmen, am Glauben dranzubleiben.

Aber wir wollen noch einen Schritt weitergehen. Wen könnten wir selbst heute mit den Worten von Paulus ermutigen? Kommt uns jemand in den Sinn, der dem Herrn schon treu folgt und ihm gefallen will? Schreib ihm oder ihr einen Gruß oder rufe an und mache ihm oder ihr Mut, weiter mit Jesus zu leben. Vielleicht sind deine Worte genau das, was sie heute brauchen.

Lieber Herr, ich danke dir, dass du mich durch dein Wort ermutigst, für dich zu leben.

Mach heute jemandem Mut, an Gott dranzubleiben.

© 2016 Unser Täglich Brot

Хлеб наш насущный - Продолжайте доброе дело

автор: Кейла Очоа

Читать сейчас: 1 Фессалоникийцам 4:1-12 | Библия за год: Исаия 47-49; Галатам 4

...Умоляем вас Христом Иисусом, чтобы вы, приняв от нас, как должно вам поступать... более в том преуспевали. — 1 Фессалоникийцам 4:1

Мой сын любит читать. Если он читает больше книг, чем предписано школьной программой, ему дают почетную грамоту. Небольшое ободрение служит стимулом к продолжению доброго дела.

Обращаясь к фессалоникийцам, Павел также побуждает их к добрым делам словами ободрения и похвалы. Он пишет: «Братья, просим и умоляем вас Христом Иисусом, чтобы вы, приняв от нас, как должно вам поступать и угождать Богу, более в том преуспевали» (1 Фес. 4:1). Верующие этой молодой церкви угождали Богу своей преображенной жизнью, и Павел убеждает их продолжать идти намеченным курсом с еще большим усердием.

Будем и мы следовать этому доброму примеру, любя Небесного Отца и угождая Ему. Применим слова Павла к себе, усердно продвигаясь вперед в путешествии веры.

Но не будем ограничиваться собой. Возможно, кому-то тоже нужно ободрение. Кого вы можете вспомнить, также стремящегося угодить Господу? Напишите короткую записку или позвоните по телефону. Скажите несколько ободряющих слов. Это может оказаться именно тем, что нужно этому человеку, чтобы укрепиться в следовании за Христом и служении Ему.

Дорогой Господь, благодарю за ободрение, которое Ты посылаешь через Свое Слово, чтобы мне продолжать жить для Тебя.

Ободряйте друг друга и живите для Бога.

© 2016 Хлеб Наш Насущный

Notre Pain Quotidien - Continuez comme ça !

par Keila Ochoa

Lisez : 1 Thessaloniciens 4.1‑12 | La Bible en un an : Ésaïe 47 – 49 et 1 Thessaloniciens 4

[Nous] vous conjurons au nom du Seigneur Jésus de marcher à cet égard de progrès en progrès. (1 Thessaloniciens 4.1)

Mon fils aime beaucoup la lecture. S’il lit plus de livres que son école l’exige de lui, il reçoit un certificat de mérite. Ce petit encouragement le motive à continuer comme ça.

En écrivant aux croyants de Thessalonique, Paul les a motivés non par une récompense, mais par des paroles d’encouragement. Il a dit : « Au reste, frères, puisque vous avez appris de nous comment vous devez vous conduire et plaire à Dieu, et c’est là ce que vous faites, nous vous prions et nous vous conjurons au nom du Seigneur Jésus de marcher à cet égard de progrès en progrès » (1 TH 4.1). Ces chrétiens menaient une vie agréable à Dieu, et Paul les encourageait à vivre toujours plus pour le Seigneur.

Il se peut qu’aujourd’hui vous et moi fassions de notre mieux pour connaître et aimer le Père, et pour lui plaire. Laissons donc Paul nous convaincre de continuer ainsi avec foi.

Faisons un pas de plus. Qui pourrions‑nous encourager aujourd’hui par les paroles de Paul ? Quelqu’un vous vient‑il à l’esprit, une personne qui suit Dieu et qui cherche à lui plaire ? Écrivez un mot ou faites un appel téléphonique pour encourager cette personne à aller de l’avant par la foi en Dieu. Il se pourrait bien que ce que vous lui direz soit précisément ce dont elle a besoin pour continuer de suivre et de servir Jésus.

Encouragez quelqu’un aujourd’hui à continuer de vivre pour Dieu.

© 2016 Ministères NPQ

Night Light for Couples - The Argument

Night Light for Couples, the couples' devotional from Focus on the Family ministry founder Dr. James Dobson and his wife, Shirley, brings spouses together each evening, helping them stay connected with each other and their Lord.

by Gigi Graham Tchividjian

He walked out, closing the door firmly behind him. I heard the car drive away, and with a heavy, aching heart, I leaned against the closed door. Hot, angry tears filled my eyes, spilled over, and ran down my cheeks. How had it happened? How had things built to this point? Neither of us had intended our little discussion to develop into a heated disagreement. But it was late, and we had both experienced a hard day.

Stephan had risen early to drive for the car pool. Then he had seen several patients with difficult, heartbreaking problems. An emergency had taken up his lunch break, and he had been behind schedule for the rest of the afternoon. When he finally left the office, he hit a traffic jam on the freeway and arrived home tense and tired to a wife with seven children, all demanding his attention.

I, too, had endured a difficult day after a sleepless night with the baby. Besides the normal responsibilities involved with running a home, rain had kept us confined indoors all day. It was humid, and the children were more quarrelsome than usual, amusing themselves by picking on each other. Between settling arguments and soothing hurt feelings, I managed to get dinner on the table. But I hadn’t had time to comb my hair or freshen my makeup, and Stephan could sense my frustration when he came in.

Finally, when the kitchen was clean, the small children bathed and tucked into bed, and the teenagers talked out, Stephan and I found ourselves alone in our bedroom, trying to discuss a minor problem. It soon blew out of proportion. Angry feelings were vented, words spoken that we did not mean, and then—a slammed door and retreating car.

I slumped into a chair, dissolving into tears of discouragement and disappointment in myself. How long was it going to take to learn my lesson? Late at night, especially after a wearisome day, is not the time for arguing, but for comfort, encouragement, and loving.

As I sat there, I remembered that I had been so busy trying to handle the home front, keeping everything and everyone under control, that I had not spent time with the Lord that day. I had even failed to pray for Stephan. No wonder things had not gone well.

I glanced in the mirror and saw red, puffy eyes, no makeup, and hair in disarray. I saw lines of fatigue and tension where there should have been tenderness and love, and I understood Stephan’s desire to get away and cool off.

I fell on my knees beside the chair, asking the Lord to forgive me and to fill me with His Holy Spirit so I could be to Stephan all he had ever dreamed. I asked for the Lord’s strength, His sensitivity, His wisdom, so I could juggle my own schedule, the demands of my home and children, and still have time to meet my husband’s needs when he came home from the day’s work. Then I added a timid P. S. asking Him to give Stephan a change of heart, too.

I felt peace and a sudden refreshing. I got up, washed my face, added a little color to my cheeks and lips, combed my hair, lavished perfume on myself, and climbed into bed to wait.

Before long, I heard the front door open and familiar footsteps in the brick hallway. Our bedroom door opened quietly and Stephan stood there, his tired face and kind, loving eyes drawing me like a magnet. I flew into his arms. Later, our loving erased the last traces of frustration and anger. Clinging to each other as we fell into a much‐needed sleep, I couldn’t help wondering why we hadn’t thought of this in the first place.

LOOKING FORWARD…

Conflict in marriage is inevitable: You can’t live with someone every day of your life without occasional friction. In too many of today’s marriages, however, fights are the rule rather than the exception.

A sixth‐grade teacher shared with me the results of a writing project assigned to her class. She asked the kids to complete a series of sentences that began with the phrase “I wish….” She was shocked and saddened by the response. Instead of writing about toys, animals, and trips to theme parks, twenty of the thirty kids made reference to the breakup of their families or conflict at home.

Let’s talk this next week about what we can do to reduce conflict in marriage and to make sure that when we do disagree, it’s something worth arguing about.

- James C Dobson

• From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
  Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.
• “The Argument” by Gigi Graham Tchividjian. Taken from Weather of the Heart by Gigi Graham Tchividjian. © 1993. Used by permission of Baker Book House Company.

NIV Devotions for Couples - Don’t-Mean-It Sins

Leviticus 4:27–35

If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect. Leviticus 4:27–28

Everyone roared with laughter at Maggie’s story about Brad’s klutziness in fixing the car. Brad was mortified.

Thad had been paying bills online and then, without ever really planning to, he found himself deep in pornography. Melanie walked in and found him viewing images he had no business seeing.

Arthur and Gabriela thought they were just getting together with some friends from church, but then they found themselves caught up in an angry coup to get rid of the pastor. Six months later, the church was in shambles, and Arthur and Gabriela were wondering how they let themselves get involved in the mess.

Sometimes we sin without meaning to. We aim for righteousness, honor and wisdom, but we miss by a mile. Leviticus 4:2 introduces a Hebrew word for sin that means “to miss the mark.” George R. Knight, professor of church history at Andrews University Theological Seminary (Berrien Springs, Michigan), explains, “You have missed, not because you are wicked, but because you are stupid, silly, careless, inattentive, perhaps lazy, or more probably because you do not possess the proper aim in life.”

Add to that Hebrew word for sin the word “unintentionally,” and it suggests someone wandering away like a silly sheep or someone who isn’t thinking. We sometimes feel we ought to be given a break if we didn’t really mean to sin. But the Bible doesn’t cut us any slack. Whether we mean it or not, sin damages our relationship with God and with others. Anyone who is married knows that unintentional hurts, such as teasing about someone’s weaknesses or being chronically late or missing a birthday, can do a lot of harm.

Leviticus 4 shows that God takes unintentional sins seriously. Forgiveness is available, but it doesn’t come cheap. No quick, “Oops, sorry. Guess I wasn’t thinking.” Specific instructions were given in Leviticus 4 for how different groups were to deal with these kinds of sins. While the details differed a little from one group to another, the basic corrective steps were the same for each situation: bring an offering, then have it sacrificed to atone for the sin.

Today, we who confess Jesus Christ as Savior are grateful that we don’t have to go through the laborious and gruesome atonement rituals of the Old Testament. Still, as we read through the requirements in Leviticus, we realize how the sacrificial system illustrates the seriousness of sin. These sin sacrifices did not overdramatize the sinner’s situation; rather, they underdramatized it. The blood of animals could never pay for sin, whether unintentional or not. God mercifully accepted such sacrifices until his plan could be carried out to give his one and only Son, Jesus, as the complete sacrifice for sin.

Sin is terrible—even when it’s unintentional. Praise God that Christ’s death provides forgiveness for us and that his indwelling Spirit gives us the strength to aim straight at godliness.

Lee Eclov

Let’s Talk

• What unintentional sins have we committed that proved our aim was way off?
• What happens when we do not take such sins as seriously as God does?
• As we read Leviticus 4:27–35, let’s imagine doing each corrective step. What would it feel like? How would we be affected?

The Daily Readings for October 15, 2016

Ecclesiasticus 3:17-31
My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified. Neither seek what is too difficult for you, nor investigate what is beyond your power. Reflect upon what you have been commanded, for what is hidden is not your concern. Do not meddle in matters that are beyond you, for more than you can understand has been shown you. For their conceit has led many astray, and wrong opinion has impaired their judgment. Without eyes there is no light; without knowledge there is no wisdom. A stubborn mind will fare badly at the end, and whoever loves danger will perish in it. A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles, and the sinner adds sin to sins. When calamity befalls the proud, there is no healing, for an evil plant has taken root in him. The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise. As water extinguishes a blazing fire, so almsgiving atones for sin. Those who repay favors give thought to the future; when they fall they will find support.

Acts 28:17-31
Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. When they had examined me, the Romans wanted to release me, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor-- even though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." They replied, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken anything evil about you. But we would like to hear from you what you think, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against." After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe. So they disagreed with each other; and as they were leaving, Paul made one further statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, 'Go to this people and say, You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them.' Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

Luke 9:37-50
On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, "Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands." But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest." John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 20 Exaudiat te Dominus
1   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2   Send you help from his holy place and strengthen you out of Zion;
3   Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice;
4   Grant you your heart's desire and prosper all your plans.
5   We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God; may the LORD grant all your requests.
6   Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.
7   Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will call upon the Name of the LORD our God.
8   They collapse and fall down, but we will arise and stand upright.
9   O LORD, give victory to the king and answer us when we call.

Psalm 21 Domine, in virtute tua
1   The king rejoices in your strength, O LORD; how greatly he exults in your victory!
2   You have given him his heart's desire; you have not denied him the request of his lips.
3   For you meet him with blessings of prosperity, and set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4   He asked you for life, and you gave it to him: length of days, for ever and ever.
5   His honor is great, because of your victory; splendor and majesty have you bestowed upon him.
6   For you will give him everlasting felicity and will make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7   For the king puts his trust in the LORD; because of the loving-kindness of the Most High, he will not fall.
8   Your hand will lay hold upon all your enemies; your right hand will seize all those who hate you.
9   You will make them like a fiery furnace at the time of your appearing, O LORD;
10   You will swallow them up in your wrath, and fire shall consume them.
11   You will destroy their offspring from the land and their descendants from among the peoples of the earth.
12   Though they intend evil against you and devise wicked schemes, yet they shall not prevail.
13   For you will put them to flight and aim your arrows at them.
14   Be exalted, O LORD, in your might; we will sing and praise your power.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 110 Dixit Dominus
1   The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."
2   The LORD will send the scepter of your power out of Zion, saying, "Rule over your enemies round about you.
3   Princely state has been yours from the day of your birth; in the beauty of holiness have I begotten you, like dew from the womb of the morning."
4   The LORD has sworn and he will not recant: "You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."
5   The Lord who is at your right hand will smite kings in the day of his wrath; he will rule over the nations.
6   He will heap high the corpses; he will smash heads over the wide earth.
7   He will drink from the brook beside the road; therefore he will lift high his head.

Psalm 116 Dilexi, quoniam
1   I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
2   The cords of death entangled me; the grip of the grave took hold of me; I came to grief and sorrow.
3   Then I called upon the Name of the LORD: "O LORD, I pray you, save my life."
4   Gracious is the LORD and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
5   The LORD watches over the innocent; I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6   Turn again to your rest, O my soul. for the LORD has treated you well.
7   For you have rescued my life from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8   I will walk in the presence of the LORD in the land of the living.
9   I believed, even when I said, "I have been brought very low." In my distress I said, "No one can be trusted."
10   How shall I repay the LORD for all the good things he has done for me?
11   I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the LORD.
12   I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
13   Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his servants.
14   O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds.
15   I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the Name of the LORD.
16   I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
17   In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Psalm 117 Laudate Dominum
1   Praise the LORD, all you nations; laud him, all you peoples.
2   For his loving-kindness toward us is great, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures for ever. Hallelujah!

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.

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for October 15, 2016

From Forward Day By Day
Written by Scott B. Hayashi

Psalm 116:1a (NRSV) I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplication.

Many of us have prayed for an ill friend or relative who did not get better.

Many of us have questioned God or our faith when the person we prayed for didn’t get better.

Many of us have heard someone say that it was God’s will that the person died.

Many of us have heard the trite comfort that God wanted the person in heaven.

Many of us have hard questions that defy easy answers. The psalmist, it turns out, is a lot like us, proclaiming an abiding love for God, giving voice to many of the hurts and joys we experience in this life. The psalmist knows that God hears us when we pray, even when the response seems slow to come.

Like the psalmist, sometimes we see that our prayers are answered in straightforward ways, and other times, we have to remind ourselves of the wideness in God’s mercy. We pray anyway. We continue to hope.

Sometimes it is all we can do.

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Standing Strong Through the Storm - REJOICE IN PERSECUTION

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… John 1:10-12

The most recent edition of the famous prayer manual, Operation World, was published in November 2010 and was quick to highlight as a global trend, “...The rise in levels of persecution – especially for Christians.” The editors of the Operation World explained why:

“The end of the European colonial era, the end of Christianity’s status as state religion in most of the West and the resurgence of religious sentiments globally, especially fundamentalism, all mean that Christians generally no longer operate from a position of power or privilege. Christians are subject to persecution in much of the world. Evangelicals are subject to even more due to their proselytism and commitment to the uniqueness of Christ. The presence of persecution and hardship in the life of the Church appears to be normative in Scripture; contexts where persecution does not exist at all should be as much a cause for concern as places where it is intense.”

Open Doors’ Dr. Ron Boyd-MacMillan concludes:

In the end, the rise of persecution is paradoxically for Christians something to protest and to celebrate, for as a Beijing house church pastor says, “The church is always persecuted when it does something right...it shows Christ to a world that rejects him.” Persecution is the continual replaying of John chapter one verses ten and eleven: “[Jesus] came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, but even they rejected him.” And so in the challenging words of a Palestinian pastor, “Every Christian must rejoice to be persecuted, and fight for Christ to be recognized in the midst of suffering, for suffering is the gift by which we see our need of Him who came for us and loves us.”

RESPONSE: As Christians, persecution is not something to avoid but to celebrate.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to rejoice when persecution comes my way – whether mild, medium or hot! And help me to fight for Christ to be recognized in the midst of the suffering.

Un Dia a la Vez - Las cosas fluyen de Dios

Que el Señor, Dios de Israel, bajo cuyas alas has venido a refugiarte, te lo pague con creces. Rut 2:12

Amigos, ¡qué hermoso e importante es que Dios se involucre en nuestra vida! Aunque no lo veamos, Él se preocupa de nuestras cosas y le interesa favorecernos, guiarnos y ayudarnos.

De seguro has vivido situaciones en las que crees que Dios está en el asunto. Entonces, las cosas no se dan como esperabas y todo cambia de repente. Así que te sientes triste, derrotado y desconsolado. Lo que es peor, muchas veces ponemos nuestra confianza en nosotros mismos o en otra persona y nos frustramos.

Algo que he aplicado para mi propia tranquilidad es que todo lo que anhele y lo que quiera emprender debe llevar el sello de respaldo de mi Jesús. He comprobado que cuando las cosas son de Dios, fluyen con facilidad y se abren puertas. Es más, hay respaldo y bendición en medio de lo que hacemos.

Esto también se ajusta a nuestra vida espiritual, emocional y laboral. Por eso debemos entender que cuando las cosas se hacen realidad, son de Dios y serán duraderas. Las cosas de Dios son eternas…

Todo lo que emprendas y todas las decisiones que tengas que tomar ponlas en manos del Señor.

Verse of the Day - October 15, 2016

2 Samuel 7:22 (NIV) “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

Read all of 2 Samuel 7