The Daily Lectionary for TUESDAY, Sept 17, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

TUESDAY, September 17, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 94

God the Avenger of the Righteous
1  O Lord, you God of vengeance,
     you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2  Rise up, O judge of the earth;
     give to the proud what they deserve!
3  O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
     how long shall the wicked exult?

4  They pour out their arrogant words;
     all the evildoers boast.
5  They crush your people, O Lord,
     and afflict your heritage.
6  They kill the widow and the stranger,
     they murder the orphan,
7  and they say, “The Lord does not see;
     the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8  Understand, O dullest of the people;
     fools, when will you be wise?
9  He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
   He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations,
   he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
     does he not chastise?
11   The Lord knows our thoughts,
     that they are but an empty breath.

12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord,
     and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble,
     until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
     he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
     and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
     Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
     my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
     your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
     your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
     those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous,
     and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
     and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity
     and wipe them out for their wickedness;
     the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Jeremiah 5:18-31

5:18 But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. 19 And when your people say, “Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?” you shall say to them, “As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.”

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob,
     proclaim it in Judah:
21 Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
     who have eyes, but do not see,
     who have ears, but do not hear.
22 Do you not fear me? says the Lord;
     Do you not tremble before me?
   I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
     a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
   though the waves toss, they cannot prevail,
     though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
     they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say in their hearts,
     “Let us fear the Lord our God,
   who gives the rain in its season,
     the autumn rain and the spring rain,
   and keeps for us
     the weeks appointed for the harvest.”
25 Your iniquities have turned these away,
     and your sins have deprived you of good.
26 For scoundrels are found among my people;
     they take over the goods of others.
   Like fowlers they set a trap;
     they catch human beings.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
     their houses are full of treachery;
   therefore they have become great and rich,
28   they have grown fat and sleek.
   They know no limits in deeds of wickedness;
     they do not judge with justice
   the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper,
     and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
29 Shall I not punish them for these things?
       says the Lord,
     and shall I not bring retribution
     on a nation such as this?

30 An appalling and horrible thing
     has happened in the land:
31 the prophets prophesy falsely,
     and the priests rule as the prophets direct;
   my people love to have it so,
     but what will you do when the end comes?

2 Peter 3:8-13

3:8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.

The Daily Prayer for TUESDAY, Sept 17, 2019

The Daily Prayer

for TUESDAY, September 17, 2019

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

Hildegard was sent to the convent at the age of eight, where she learned to read Scripture, pray, and chant. Even as a child, she experienced supernatural religious visions in which she saw things invisible to others, foretold the future, and was filled with a luminosity she later called “the reflection of the Living Light.” At age thirty-eight, she became abbess of the Benedictine community in which she was raised and, five years later, received her call to prophesy when she saw a fiery light that infused her heart and mind with knowledge. She finally was able to understand her visions as a means of divine revelation and began to write extensively about them. Her term for the grace of God inherent in all living things was viriditas, or greenness, endearing her in our generation to followers of creation spirituality. Hildegard’s holistic approach to God and humanity is relevant today, particularly to those longing for wholeness and healing for all of creation.

Hildegard wrote, “We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.”

Lord, when you invited Adam to name the animals, you invited us all to participate in your creative work. Teach us to rejoice in your creation and assist in its care, that we, your humble creatures, may in all things give you praise. Amen.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, Sept 17, 2019

Ephesians 5:1 (NIV) Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

Read all of Ephesians 5

Listen to Ephesians 5

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

Un dia a la Vez - Tuesday, Sept 17, 2019

Los ángeles

Fortalézcanse con el gran poder del Señor. Pónganse toda la armadura de Dios para que puedan hacer frente a las artimañas del diablo.

~ Efesios 6:10-11 (NVI)

Ayer analizamos que los ángeles existen y la Biblia registra su existencia. Sin embargo, hay personas que se desvían con este asunto. Estudian los ángeles más que la misma Biblia. Los endiosan y hablan de los milagros que hicieron los ángeles en sus vidas. Así que dejan a Dios en un segundo plano. Debemos reconocer que los ángeles existen, pero sin olvidarnos de Dios.

Nada ni nadie debe ser más importante en nuestras vidas que Dios.

Me impresionó mucho saber que el diablo no es como lo pintan: rojo, con cuernos y cola. Resulta que el diablo era un ángel muy hermoso llamado Lucero, o Lucifer, que significa «hijo de la mañana». Su gran pecado fue su enorme egoísmo y su deseo de igualarse a Dios o estar por encima de Él. Deseaba que lo adoraran y le reconocieran como a Dios.

A raíz de esto, se formó una gran batalla en el cielo y expulsaron de allí a Lucifer y la tercera parte de ellos, a los que se les conoce como ángeles caídos. A partir de ese momento, Satanás se convirtió en el príncipe de este mundo que solo desea robar, matar y destruir.

Por eso debemos entender que el enemigo quiere siempre hacernos daño. Entonces, cuando nos quiere tentar y hacer caer, se presenta con cosas agradables y llamativas, pues quiere engañarnos.

Por eso, mi invitación hoy es a que nos pongamos la armadura de Dios, a fin de estar firme contra todas las cosas que trama el diablo en nuestra contra.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Ayer analizamos que los ángeles existen y la Biblia registra su existencia. Sin embargo, hay personas que se desvían con este asunto. Estudian los ángeles más que la misma Biblia.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Tuesday, Sept 17, 2019

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

~ Matthew 5:42 (NIV)

The second part of the Great Commandment (Luke 10:27) is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan. In this story Jesus defines our neighbor as anyone in need of help. This kind of love is very practical.

It was the middle of winter and the elderly Christian in prison had a badly infected ear. He thanked God that he had been able to keep his fur hat affording him some protection from the biting cold. At least he had a pillow at night.

One day one of his cellmates asked him for his fur hat. The Christian had been willing to share food with his cellmates, but felt he could not give up his hat. After all, he had an infected ear. He needed that hat.

Through the night he wrestled with his conscience. He was haunted by this scripture: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42).

After a night of prayer, he sought forgiveness before God and was ready to hand over his hat. In the morning he learned that during the night the guards had taken the cellmate to another prison with a more severe climate.

That same morning, the guards held a routine check of the cell and among the personal objects confiscated was the believer’s fur hat.

He had tried to keep something that he was about to lose and God wanted to see the hat used for continued good with the other prisoner. Many years later, this believer remembered that lesson in Christian maturity which the Holy Spirit taught him.

RESPONSE: Today I will live in the realization that people are more important than things.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to not be tied down by my possessions but be open to sharing what You have given me with others in need.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Daily Devotions - September 17, 2019 - The Price of a Person

"The Price of a Person"

Sep. 17, 2019

Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat? The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds."

~ Amos 8:4-7 (ESV)

When I read this part of the Bible, I remember a hot summer day years ago when I went to help a refugee with some paperwork at her job. She was 70 years old and tiny, with bones like a hummingbird's. She did assembly work in St. Louis; I hope she made minimum wage, but I can't be sure. I am very sure that she had no insurance through her job.

What I remember most was the blast of hot air that came at me when I walked into the building she stood in. "Stood," I say; there were no chairs for the workers, and not even a floor. The building was nothing but a metal hut set up in the middle of the asphalt parking lot near a strip mall. There was no air conditioning and no windows. It must have been 120 degrees in there. I was not surprised when she fainted.

We didn't know how to help her. Oh, we took her to the hospital—which resulted in a bill she could not afford to pay. But she could not afford to quit working in the sweatshop: her family needed the money. And there were no other jobs she was qualified for—none, at least, that didn't have the same impossible working conditions.

What was the value of her life?

To her children and grandchildren, she meant everything. They loved her, and she was their breadwinner. To her bosses, well, she was an easily replaceable worker. There is always another desperate person to do this work. And everybody knows the sweatshop won't get shut down.

And the work itself? Well, it was some sort of plastic toy, I believe. The kind of thing that works for a week and then gets broken and tossed in the trash. The cost of a few dollars. The value of her life.
"That we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals." These things—injustice and danger and deep, deep poverty—they happen in America. They may not be happening to you. They are certainly happening around you, possibly to your children or grandchildren, probably to your neighbors.

And who cares? You, I hope. The Lord Jesus, certainly. Because He is the One who bought every single one of us human beings at infinite cost, at the cost of His own life. You are not a disposable plastic toy in Jesus' eyes; you are cherished and valuable, whether you are rich or poor, comfortable or suffering. And so are your neighbors.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to grasp the value You set on us, and to show that same love and value to my neighbors. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• What is the most valuable thing you own? How do you treat it?
• What helps you to remember the immense value Jesus set on your life?
• Do you know anyone who is suffering right now? How can you help?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What is the most valuable thing you own?

Devocional del CPTLN del 17 de Septiembre de 2019 -

ALIMENTO DIARIO

El precio de una persona

17 de Septiembre de 2019

Oigan esto, ustedes, los que explotan a los menesterosos y dejan en la ruina a los pobres de la tierra. Ustedes dicen: «¿Cuándo pasará la fiesta de luna nueva? ¡Entonces podremos vender el trigo! ¿Y cuándo pasará el día de reposo, para que abramos los graneros? ¡Achicaremos la medida, subiremos el precio, y adulteraremos la balanza! ¡Así podremos comprar a los pobres por dinero, y a los necesitados a cambio de un par de zapatos! ¡Hasta los desechos del trigo podremos vender!» Pero el Señor ha jurado por la gloria de Jacob: «¡No voy a olvidar ninguna de sus malas acciones!»

~ Amós 8:4-7 (RVC)

Cuando leo esta parte de la Biblia, recuerdo un caluroso día de verano hace años cuando fui a ayudar a una refugiada con algunos documentos en su trabajo. Tenía 70 años y era pequeña, con huesos como los de un colibrí. Hacía trabajos de ensamblaje en St. Louis; imagino que ganaría el salario mínimo, pero no puedo estar segura. De lo que sí estoy muy segura es de que no tenía seguro de salud a través de su trabajo.

Lo que más recuerdo fue la ráfaga de aire caliente que me llegó cuando entré en el edificio en el que ella estaba de pie. "De pie", digo; no había sillas para los trabajadores, y ni siquiera piso. El edificio no era más que una cabaña de metal en medio del estacionamiento de asfalto cerca de un centro comercial. No había aire acondicionado ni ventanas. Debe haber estado a 120 grados allí. No me sorprendió cuando se desmayó.

No sabíamos cómo ayudarla. La llevamos al hospital, lo que resultó en una factura que no podía pagar. Pero no podía darse el lujo de dejar de trabajar en la fábrica de explotación: su familia necesitaba el dinero. Y no había otros trabajos para los cuales estuviera capacitada, al menos ninguno que no tuviera las mismas condiciones de trabajo imposibles.

¿Cuánto valía su vida?

Para sus hijos y nietos, ella valía todo. La amaban y ella era el sostén de la familia. Para sus jefes, bueno, ella era una trabajadora fácilmente reemplazable. Siempre hay otra persona desesperada que quiera hacer ese trabajo. Y todos sabemos que a la fábrica de explotación no la van a cerrar.

¿Y el trabajo en sí? Bueno, creo que era una especie de juguete de plástico. El tipo de cosa que sirve durante una semana y luego se rompe y se tira a la basura. El costo de unos pocos dólares. El valor de su vida.

"¡Así podremos comprar a los pobres por dinero, y a los necesitados a cambio de un par de zapatos!" Estas cosas: injusticia y peligro y pobreza profunda, suceden en Estados Unidos. Puede que te estén pasando a ti. Ciertamente están sucediendo a tu alrededor, posiblemente a tus hijos o nietos, probablemente a tus vecinos.

¿Y a quién le importa? A ti, espero. Al Señor Jesús, ciertamente. Porque Él es quien compró a cada uno de nosotros, seres humanos, a un costo infinito: a costa de su propia vida. A los ojos de Jesús no eres un juguete de plástico desechable; eres apreciado y valioso, ya seas rico o pobre, estés cómodo o sufriendo. Y también tus vecinos.

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, ayúdame a comprender el valor que Tú nos asignas y a mostrar el mismo amor y valor a mi prójimo. Amén.

Dra. Kari Vo

Para reflexionar:

• ¿Qué te ayuda a recordar el inmenso valor que Jesús da a tu vida?
• ¿Conoces a alguien que esté sufriendo en este momento? ¿Cómo puedes ayudar?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué te ayuda a recordar el inmenso valor que Jesús da a tu vida?

Nuestro Pan Diario - Más que agua

Más que agua

Leer: Gálatas 3:23-29 | La Biblia en un año: Proverbios 27−29 2 Corintios 10

Descargar MP3

Porque todos los que habéis sido bautizados en Cristo, de Cristo estáis revestidos (v. 27).

Uno de mis recuerdos más tempranos de la niñez en la iglesia es el de un pastor que caminaba por el pasillo y nos alentaba a «recordar las aguas del bautismo». ¿Recordar las aguas? —me preguntaba yo—. ¿Cómo se recuerda el agua? Luego, nos rociaba a todos con agua, lo cual, a esa edad, me encantaba pero también me confundía.

¿Por qué debemos pensar en el bautismo? Cuando una persona se bautiza, hay mucho más que solo agua: simboliza que por la fe en Jesús, fuimos revestidos de Él (Gálatas 3:27). En otras palabras, se celebra que pertenecemos a Cristo, y que Él vive en y a través de nosotros.

Como si esto significara poco, el pasaje nos dice que si hemos sido revestidos de Cristo, nuestra identidad está en Él: somos hijos de Dios (v. 26). Y como tales, por la fe en Jesucristo —no por cumplir la ley del Antiguo Testamento—, recompusimos nuestra relación con Dios (vv. 23-25). Fuimos liberados y unidos por medio de Cristo, y ahora somos de Él (v. 29).

Por eso, hay muy buenas razones para recordar el bautismo y todo lo que este representa. No es el simple hecho en sí, sino que demuestra que le pertenecemos a Cristo y somos hijos de Dios. Nuestra identidad, futuro y libertad espiritual se encuentran en Él.

Dios, ayúdame a recordar siempre que por la fe en Jesús, soy tu hijo.

¿Qué significa para ti estar revestido de Cristo y pertenecerle? ¿Cómo puedes celebrar con regularidad el significado del bautismo?

Por Peter Chin

© 2019 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario
Cuando una persona se bautiza, hay mucho más que solo agua: simboliza que por la fe en Jesús, fuimos revestidos de Él.

The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, Sept 16, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, September 16, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 94

God the Avenger of the Righteous
1  O Lord, you God of vengeance,
     you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2  Rise up, O judge of the earth;
     give to the proud what they deserve!
3  O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
     how long shall the wicked exult?

4  They pour out their arrogant words;
     all the evildoers boast.
5  They crush your people, O Lord,
     and afflict your heritage.
6  They kill the widow and the stranger,
     they murder the orphan,
7  and they say, “The Lord does not see;
     the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8  Understand, O dullest of the people;
     fools, when will you be wise?
9  He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
   He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations,
   he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
     does he not chastise?
11   The Lord knows our thoughts,
     that they are but an empty breath.

12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord,
     and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble,
     until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
     he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
     and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
     Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
     my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
     your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
     your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
     those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous,
     and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
     and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity
     and wipe them out for their wickedness;
     the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Jeremiah 5:1-17

The Utter Corruption of God’s People
5:1 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
     look around and take note!
   Search its squares and see
     if you can find one person
   who acts justly
     and seeks truth—
   so that I may pardon Jerusalem.
2  Although they say, “As the Lord lives,”
     yet they swear falsely.
3  O Lord, do your eyes not look for truth?
   You have struck them,
     but they felt no anguish;
   you have consumed them,
     but they refused to take correction.
   They have made their faces harder than rock;
     they have refused to turn back.

4  Then I said, “These are only the poor,
     they have no sense;
   for they do not know the way of the Lord,
     the law of their God.
5  Let me go to the rich
     and speak to them;
   surely they know the way of the Lord,
     the law of their God.”
   But they all alike had broken the yoke,
     they had burst the bonds.

6  Therefore a lion from the forest shall kill them,
     a wolf from the desert shall destroy them.
   A leopard is watching against their cities;
     everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces—
   because their transgressions are many,
     their apostasies are great.

7  How can I pardon you?
     Your children have forsaken me,
     and have sworn by those who are no gods.
   When I fed them to the full,
     they committed adultery
     and trooped to the houses of prostitutes.
8  They were well-fed lusty stallions,
     each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.
9  Shall I not punish them for these things?
       says the Lord;
     and shall I not bring retribution
     on a nation such as this?

10 Go up through her vine-rows and destroy,
     but do not make a full end;
    strip away her branches,
     for they are not the Lord’s.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
     have been utterly faithless to me,
       says the Lord.
12 They have spoken falsely of the Lord,
     and have said, “He will do nothing.
   No evil will come upon us,
     and we shall not see sword or famine.”
13 The prophets are nothing but wind,
     for the word is not in them.
   Thus shall it be done to them!

14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts:
   Because they have spoken this word,
   I am now making my words in your mouth a fire,
     and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.
15 I am going to bring upon you
     a nation from far away, O house of Israel,
       says the Lord.
   It is an enduring nation,
     it is an ancient nation,
   a nation whose language you do not know,
     nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their quiver is like an open tomb;
     all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They shall eat up your harvest and your food;
     they shall eat up your sons and your daughters;
   they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
     they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
   they shall destroy with the sword
     your fortified cities in which you trust.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

1:18 I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; 20 among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
Paul writes in his letters to Timothy and warns about those who have turned away or deserted him!

The Daily Prayer for MONDAY, Sept 16, 2019

The Daily Prayer

for MONDAY, September 16, 2019

Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, wrote, “The most wonderful thing is unity with Jesus and with the Father. In him we shall partake in God if we firmly resist and flee all the arrogant attacks of the prince of this world. Unity of prayer, unity of supplication, unity of mind, unity of expectancy in love and in blameless joy: this is Jesus Christ and there is nothing greater than he. Flock together, all of you, as to one temple of God, as to one altar, to one Jesus Christ, who proceeded from the one Father, who is in the one and returned to the one.”

Bind us to you, O Lord, even when we are tempted to fall away, so we might witness to your faithfulness in your Spirit’s power. Amen.

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, Sept 16, 2019

James 3:13 (NIV) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Read all of James 3

Listen to James 3

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

Un dia a la Vez - Monday, Sept 16, 2019

Ángeles a nuestro alrededor

Ningún mal habrá de sobrevenirte, ninguna calamidad llegará a tu hogar. Porque él ordenará que sus ángeles te cuiden en todos tus caminos.

~ Salmo 91:10-11 (NVI)

Hablar de los ángeles son palabras mayores y la verdad es que no voy a entrar en ese tema de explicarte cómo son. Lo único que puedo decirte es que la Biblia registra más de cien versículos donde los ángeles tuvieron su aparición en diferentes momentos de la historia bíblica.

En el mundo actual, hay personas que dicen que han tenido experiencias con ángeles, que los han visto. Aunque yo no he visto ninguno, sí creo que Dios nos envía ángeles que nos protegen de todo mal y peligro.

En realidad, es importante que te acostumbres a orar y a pedirle a Dios que les ordene a sus ángeles que estén alrededor de nuestras casas, autos e hijos. En mi caso, confío en que a pesar de que no los veo, están siempre conmigo. Además, sé que en muchas ocasiones me han librado del peligro.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Hablar de los ángeles son palabras mayores y la verdad es que no voy a entrar en ese tema de explicarte cómo son. Lo único que puedo decirte es que la Biblia registra más de cien versículos donde los ángeles tuvieron su aparición en diferentes momentos de la historia bíblica.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Monday, Sept 16, 2019

LOVE’S SACRIFICE

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

~ John 15:13 (NIV)

Jesus says the ultimate test of true love is the willingness to die for others—especially your friends. Of course, He personally demonstrated this Himself in giving His life on the cross for you and me. And today He continues to call those who follow Him to make this sacrifice as well. This classic war zone missionary story illustrates the point:

The mortar rounds landed in an orphanage run by missionaries. The missionaries and one or two children were killed outright and several more children were wounded including one girl about eight years old.

The medical staff who arrived to help soon realized that the young girl was the most critically injured. Without quick action she would die from shock and loss of blood.

When explained to the other children that a blood transfusion was imperative, the request for a blood donor met with wide-eyed silence.

Then one small hand went up and a young boy volunteered. He was quickly laid on a pallet, his arm swabbed with alcohol, and the needle inserted into his vein.

Through the ordeal, he lay stiff and silent but continued to sob later turning into steady, silent crying. The medical team kept asking if it was hurting but he would shake his head and continue to cry.

After a while the boy stopped crying, opened his eyes and looked questioningly at the nurse who took the needle out of his arm. When she nodded, a look of great relief spread over his face.

The boy had all along thought he was dying. He misunderstood, thinking that he was to give ALL his blood so the other little girl could live. And she was his friend.

RESPONSE: Jesus calls me today to show sacrificial love—especially for those I consider friends.

PRAYER: Pray that this depth of love will become a reality in the church of Jesus Christ and in your life.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

Women of the Bible - Monday, Sept 16, 2019

Anna

Her name means: "Favor" or "Grace"

Her character: Married for only seven years, she spent the long years of her widowhood fasting and praying in the temple, abandoning herself entirely to God. A prophetess, she was one of the first to bear witness to Jesus.
Her sorrow: As a widow, she would probably have been among the most vulnerable members of society, with no one to provide for her financially or to take care of her if her health failed.
Her joy: That her own eyes beheld the Messiah she had longed to see.
Key Scriptures: Luke 2:22-38

Her Story

A small bird darted past the Court of the Gentiles, flew up to the Women's Court, and then on to the Court of Israel (one of the inner courts of the temple, accessible only to Jewish men). Anna blinked as she watched the beating wings swerve into the sunlight and vanish. She wondered into which privileged corner of the temple the little bird had disappeared.

For most of her eighty-four years, she had been a widow who spent her days praying and fasting in the temple. Though Anna had walked past the outer court thousands of times, she never failed to notice the warning inscribed in its walls in both Greek and Latin: "No stranger is to enter within the balustrade round the temple and enclosure. Whoever is caught will be responsible to himself for his death, which will ensue." It was an awesome thing to come into the presence of the Holy One.

Though she could not echo the prayer of Jewish men, who praised God for creating them neither Gentiles nor women, she could at least be grateful for the privilege of ascending beyond the Court of the Gentiles to the Women's Court, where she would be that much closer to the Most Holy Place. Having done so, she bowed her head, rocking back and forth to the rhythm of her prayers (Psalm 84:1-3).

Suddenly a voice interrupted her recitation of the familiar psalm. Old Simeon, she saw, was holding a baby to his breast, pronouncing words that thrilled her soul: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Like her, Simeon had lived for nothing but Israel's consolation. Though he had not seen, yet he had believed. Anna watched as the child's parents hung on the old man's words. Then he handed the infant back to his mother, this time speaking more softly: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

Anna placed her arms gently around the young mother's shoulders and gazed at the sleeping infant. Words of thanksgiving spilled from her lips. Her heart felt buoyant, her hope unsinkable. More vividly than Jacob, who had dreamed of a ladder full of angels, or Moses, who had beheld a bush burning in the desert, she, Anna, a widow and prophetess from the tribe of Asher, had experienced the very presence of God. Her eyes had seen the promised child, whose brilliance would scatter the darkness and bring deliverance for all God's people.

Now she too felt like a sparrow soaring freely in the house of God. It no longer mattered that she was forbidden entry into the innermost courts of the temple. God himself was breaking down the dividing walls between Jew and Gentile, male and female, revealing himself to all who hungered for his presence. That day a child had transformed the Women's Court into the holiest place of all.

Scripture doesn't tell us whether Anna ever actually wished she were allowed to enter the innermost courts of the temple in Jerusalem. But her longing for God is obvious. Clearly, she was a woman with a great spiritual appetite, who abandoned her life to God and was rewarded by meeting Jesus and his parents just forty days after his birth, during the presentation in the temple.

Her Promise

Anna's life revolved around prayer and fasting in the temple. She evidently had no family, no home, no job. Instead, God was her family, the temple her home, and prayer her occupation. Though you may not have the freedom to spend every moment in prayer, as she did, you can be sure the time you do spend is never wasted. If you long to see your Savior, to experience his presence in your life, let Anna's devotion encourage you.

This devotional is drawn from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda. Used with permission.
A small bird darted past the Court of the Gentiles, flew up to the Women's Court, and then on to the Court of Israel (one of the inner courts of the temple, accessible only to Jewish men). Anna blinked as she watched the beating wings swerve into the sunlight and vanish. She wondered into which privileged corner of the temple the little bird had disappeared.

LHM Daily Devotions - Sept 16, 2019 - Raised Up

"Raised Up"

Sep. 16, 2019

Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.

~ Psalm 113:5-8 (ESV)

In some legends and fairy tales, the king on his throne, surrounded and sheltered by soldiers and court advisers, grows curious about the lives of his subjects. So one day the king lays aside his royal robes and dresses in ragged clothing. Avoiding his guards, the king slips out the back door of the palace (if the palaces has a back door) and walks, unrecognized, through the town. He sees how his people live and work and listens to their troubles. He learns lessons that hopefully will make him a better and wiser king.

According to the psalmist, the Lord is seated on His heavenly throne, looking far down on the heavens and earth over which He rules. In an account that is no legend or fairy tale, but the absolute Gospel truth, our Heavenly King laid aside His glory and descended to earth. He took on human flesh and was born among us, as one of us. The God-Man, Jesus Christ, did not just mingle with His subjects for a day or a few days or weeks. He lived and worked and healed and taught among His people for some 30 years. Then, at the appointed time, the King who had laid aside the glory of heaven was crowned, not with gold but with thorns, stripped of even His common, earthly garments and nailed to a cross. Jesus our King not only took onto Himself our human flesh, but He bore our sins in His own body on the cross. He suffered the penalty of death that we deserved for our sins and by His death and resurrection He lifted us up from the dust and ashes of sin and death.

Joined in Baptism to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, we have been raised up "to sit with princes"—and princesses, our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Our God and Savior looked down on us with compassion and love. He left His throne and came to earth to live and die and rise to make us His own people, His royal priesthood, His holy nation. God made us alive together with Christ and "raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). Now, like our risen and reigning King, we can reach down and lift others up through faith in Christ so that they too might join in fellowship with us, now and for all eternity.

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, by Your death and resurrection we have been raised up to new life as Your holy people. Lead us to be faithful witnesses for You and to serve others with compassion and love. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

• How has God become like one of us?
• Why would God care about lifting the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap?
• The world is full of beat-down people. Does your heart go out to them? Are there human conditions or circumstances that move/touch your heart more than others?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
How has God become like one of us?

Devocional del CPTLN del 16 de Septiembre de 2019 -

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Levantados

16 de Septiembre de 2019

¿Quién como el Señor nuestro Dios? El Señor tiene su trono en las alturas, pero se digna inclinarse para ver lo que ocurre en el cielo y en la tierra. El Señor levanta de la nada al pobre, y saca del muladar al pordiosero, para darles a los dos un lugar entre los príncipes, entre los gobernantes de su pueblo.

~ Salmo 113:5-8 (RVC)

En algunas leyendas y cuentos de hadas, el rey en su trono, rodeado y protegido por soldados y asesores judiciales, siente curiosidad por la vida de sus súbditos. Entonces, un día, el rey deja a un lado sus túnicas reales y se viste con harapos. Evitando a sus guardias, el rey se desliza por la puerta trasera del palacio (sí los palacios tienen una puerta trasera) y camina, sin ser reconocido, por la ciudad. Él ve cómo vive y trabaja su gente y escucha sus problemas. Aprende lecciones que, con suerte, lo convertirán en un rey mejor y más sabio.

Según el salmista, el Señor está sentado en su trono celestial, mirando hacia abajo a los cielos y la tierra sobre los cuales Él gobierna. En un relato que no es una leyenda o un cuento de hadas, sino la verdad absoluta del Evangelio, nuestro Rey celestial dejó a un lado Su gloria y descendió a la tierra. Tomó en sí mismo carne humana, y nació entre nosotros como uno de nosotros. El Dios-Hombre, Jesucristo, no solo se mezcló con sus súbditos por un día o un par de días o semanas. Vivió, trabajó, curó y enseñó entre su pueblo durante unos 30 años. Luego, a la hora señalada, el Rey que había dejado a un lado la gloria del cielo fue coronado, no con oro sino con espinas, despojado incluso de sus vestiduras terrenales comunes y clavado en una cruz. Jesús nuestro Rey no solo tomó sobre sí nuestra carne humana, sino que llevó nuestros pecados en su propio cuerpo en la cruz. Sufrió la pena de muerte que merecíamos por nuestros pecados y, con su muerte y resurrección, nos levantó del polvo y las cenizas del pecado y la muerte.

Unidos en el bautismo a la muerte, sepultura y resurrección de Jesús, hemos sido levantados "para sentarnos con príncipes", y princesas, nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo Jesús. Nuestro Dios y Salvador nos miró con compasión y amor. Él dejó su trono y vino a la tierra para vivir, morir y resucitar para hacernos su propio pueblo, su sacerdocio real, su nación santa. Dios nos dio vida junto con Cristo "y también junto con él nos resucitó, y asimismo nos sentó al lado de Cristo Jesús en los lugares celestiales" (Efesios 2:6). Ahora, como nuestro Rey resucitado y reinante, podemos alcanzar y levantar a otros a través de la fe en Cristo para que ellos también puedan unirse en comunión con nosotros, ahora y por toda la eternidad.

ORACIÓN: Señor Jesús, por tu muerte y resurrección hemos sido levantados y resucitados a una nueva vida como tu pueblo santo. Guíanos a ser testigos fieles de ti y a servir a los demás con compasión y amor. Amén.

Dra. Carol Geisler

Para reflexionar:

• ¿Por qué le importaría a Dios levantar a los pobres del polvo y a los necesitados del montón de cenizas?
• El mundo está lleno de gente golpeada. ¿Tu corazón está con ellos? ¿Existen condiciones o circunstancias humanas que muevan / toquen tu corazón más que otras?

© Copyright 2019 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Por qué le importaría a Dios levantar a los pobres del polvo y a los necesitados del montón de cenizas?

Notre Pain Quotidien - Ne nourrissez pas les trolls

Ne nourrissez pas les trolls

Lisez : Proverbes 26.4-12

La Bible en un an : Proverbes 25 – 26 ; 2 Corinthiens 9

[Rachetez] le temps. Que votre parole soit toujours accompagnée de grâce. Colossiens 4.5,6

Avez-vous déjà entendu l’expression « Ne nourrissez pas les trolls » ? Les « trolls » désignent un nouveau problème dans le monde numérique actuel : les usagers qui affichent des remarques délibérément incendiaires et blessantes sur les forums de discussion des médias d’actualités ou de réseaux sociaux. Or, faire fi de ces remarques – évitant ainsi de « nourrir » les trolls – leur rend la tâche difficile quand il s’agit de faire dérailler une conversation.

Bien entendu, ce n’est pas d’hier que nous tombons sur des gens qui ne cherchent pas sincèrement à entretenir une conversation productive. « Ne nourrissez pas les trolls » pourrait presque constituer un équivalent moderne de Proverbes 26.4, qui nous exhorte à éviter de discuter avec les arrogants et les gens obtus, ce qui risquerait de nous amener à nous abaisser à leur niveau.

Reste que… même le pire des entêtés a de la valeur aux yeux de Dieu, qui l’a créé à son image. Si nous sommes prompts à juger les gens, nous risquons de devenir nous-mêmes arrogants et sourds à la grâce de Dieu (voir MT 5.22). Cela expliquerait d’ailleurs en partie que Proverbes 26.5 offre la directive contraire. Nous devons dépendre de Dieu avec humilité et prière pour toujours savoir user d’amour (voir COL 4.5,6). Parfois, il faut parler ; d’autres fois, il est préférable de se taire. En toute situation, nous trouvons la paix dans le fait que le Dieu qui nous a adoptés alors que nous étions des impies (RO 5.6) agit puissamment en nous. Comptons donc sur sa sagesse dans nos efforts pour transmettre l’amour de Christ.

Demandons à Dieu de nous aider à discerner comment manifester de l’amour en diverses situations.

par Monica Brands

© 2019 Ministères NPQ
Avez-vous déjà entendu l’expression « Ne nourrissez pas les trolls » ? Les « trolls » désignent un nouveau problème dans le monde numérique actuel : les usagers qui affichent des remarques délibérément incendiaires et blessantes sur les forums de discussion des médias d’actualités ou de réseaux sociaux.

The Sunday Lectionary Readings for SUNDAY, September 15, 2019 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost

The Parable of the Coin and the Lost Sheep
Luke 15:1-10

The Sunday Lectionary Readings

SUNDAY, September 15, 2019 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost

[Ordinary 24, Proper 19]

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

From Despair to Rejoicing

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28, Psalm 14, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10

Opening

The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Confession

O Most Patient God, we recognize how much we need you for life itself.
But how often have we behaved as if we did not know or even care about you?

How often have we become the ones who do not carry out justice?

How often have we tried to dominate others even as you stand with them?

How often have we participated in the desolation of your creation by our treatment of the heavens, the earth and its waters?

Forgive us for these times when we have lost our way.

Know, All Loving God, that we want to be among those whom you seek.

Shower your mercy upon us. Find us, and lead us safely home to faithfulness.

Assurance of Pardon

My friends, when we are lost, all is not lost. God is seeking us, ready to turn our lives around, gathering us in to the people of God. Let us rejoice in God’s mercy!   Amen.

First Reading

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

4:11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse— 12 a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.

22 “For my people are foolish,
     they do not know me;
   they are stupid children,
     they have no understanding.
   They are skilled in doing evil,
     but do not know how to do good.”

23 I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void;
     and to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking,
     and all the hills moved to and fro.
25 I looked, and lo, there was no one at all,
     and all the birds of the air had fled.
26 I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert,
     and all its cities were laid in ruins
     before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

27 For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.

28 Because of this the earth shall mourn,
     and the heavens above grow black;
   for I have spoken, I have purposed;
     I have not relented nor will I turn back.

Psalm 14 Dixit insipiens

1  The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." *
   All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;
   there is none who does any good.

2  The Lord looks down from heaven upon us all, *
   to see if there is any who is wise,
   if there is one who seeks after God.

3  Every one has proved faithless;
   all alike have turned bad; *
   there is none who does good; no, not one.

4  Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers *
   who eat up my people like bread
   and do not call upon the Lord?

5  See how they tremble with fear, *
   because God is in the company of the righteous.

6  Their aim is to confound the plans of the afflicted, *
   but the Lord is their refuge.

7  Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come out of Zion! *
   when the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
   Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.

Second Reading

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Gratitude for Mercy
1:12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel

Luke 15:1-10

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
Today’s passages are a study in contrasts.