October 23 Bible Reading

October 23 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 20:7-22:30

• Psalm 119:49-52

• Proverbs 25:14-15

• 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18

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Jeremiah 20:7-22:30

Jeremiah’s Complaint

O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. 9 But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in;  indeed, I cannot. 10 I hear many whispering,   “Terror on every side!  Report him! Let’s report him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him  and take our revenge on him.”

11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 O Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

13 Sing to the Lord!  Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.

14 Cursed be the day I was born!   May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! 15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying,  “A child is born to you—a son!” 16 May that man be like the towns  the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. 17 For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. 18 Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?

Jeremiah 21

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said:  2 “Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perh aps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath. 6 I will strike down those who live in this city—both men and animals—and they will die of a terrible plague. 7 After that, declares the Lord, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’

8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; he will escape with his life. 10 I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’

11 “Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord; 12 O house of David, this is what the Lord says:

“‘Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—  burn with no one to quench it. 13 I am against you, Jerusalem, you who live above this valley on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—you who say, “Who can come against us?   Who can enter our refuge?” 14 I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the Lord. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you.’”

Jeremiah 22

Judgment Against Evil Kings

This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”

6 For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah: “Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a desert, like towns not inhabited. 7 I will send destroyers against you,  each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire.

8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’ 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’”

10 Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again. 11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return.  12 He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. 14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace  with spacious upper rooms.’ So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.

15 “Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink?  He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. 16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord. 17 “But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him:   ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him:   ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’ 19 He will have the burial of a donkey— dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,  let your voice be heard in Bashan, cry out from Abarim, for all your allies are crushed. 21 I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me. 22 The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness. 23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!

24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those you fear—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians. 26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return to.”

28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know? 29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! 30 This is what the Lord says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper,  none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.”

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Psalm 119:49-52

49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

51 The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law.

52 I remember your ancient laws, O Lord, and I find comfort in them.

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Proverbs 25:14-15

14 Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

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2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18

Stand Firm

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 3

Request for Prayer

Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Warning Against Idleness

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Final Greetings

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17  I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

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October 22 Bible Reading

October 22 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 17:19-20:6

• Psalm 119:45-48

• Proverbs 25:13

• 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12

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Jeremiah 17:19-20:6

Keeping the Sabbath Holy

This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. 24 But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, 25 then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings, incense and thank offerings to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.’”

Jeremiah 18

At the Potter’s House

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

13 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Inquire among the nations:  Who has ever heard anything like this? A most horrible thing has been done by Virgin Israel. 14 Does the snow of Lebanon  ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever cease to flow? 15 Yet my people have forgotten me;  they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways  and in the ancient paths. They made them walk in bypaths and on roads not built up. 16 Their land will be laid waste, an object of lasting scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads. 17 Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them my back and not my face in the day of their disaster.”

18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not be lost, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”

19 Listen to me, O Lord; hear what my accusers are saying! 20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them. 21 So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. 23 But you know, O Lord,  all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes  or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.

Jeremiah 19

This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 4 For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned sacrifices in it to gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.

7 “‘In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 8 I will devastate this city and make it an object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds. 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the stress of the siege imposed on them by the enemies who seek their lives.’

10 “Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 12 This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs to all the starry hosts and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”

14 Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’”

Jeremiah 20

Jeremiah and Pashhur

When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”

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Psalm 119:45-48

45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

46 I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,

47 for I delight in your commands because I love them.

48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

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Proverbs 25:13 

Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

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2 Thessalonians 1

1 Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2

The Man of Lawlessness

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

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October 21 Bible Reading

October 21 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 15:5-17:18

• Psalm 119:41-44

• Proverbs 25:11-12

• 1 Thessalonians 5:8-28

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Jeremiah 15:5-17:18

“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?  Who will mourn for you?   Who will stop to ask how you are? 6 You have rejected me,” declares the Lord.  “You keep on backsliding. So I will lay hands on you and destroy you;  I can no longer show compassion. 7 I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways. 8 I will make their widows more numerous than the sand of the sea. At midday I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their young men; suddenly I will bring down on them anguish and terror. 9 The mother of seven will grow faint and breathe her last. Her sun will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated. I will put the survivors to the sword before their enemies,” declares the Lord.

10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land strives and contends! I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.

11 The Lord said, “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress. 12 “Can a man break iron— iron from the north—or bronze? 13 Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without charge, because of all your sins throughout your country. 14 I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for my anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you.”

15 You understand, O Lord; remember me and care for me.  Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake. 16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty. 17 I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?

19 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,  you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you,  but you must not turn to them. 20 I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord. 21 “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel.”

Jeremiah 16

Day of Disaster

Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers: 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like refuse lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.”

5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut himself or shave his head for them. 7 No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.

8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.

10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your fathers forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when men will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers.

16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. 18 I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”

19 O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good. 20 Do men make their own gods?   Yes, but they are not gods!”

21 “Therefore I will teach them— this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the Lord.

Jeremiah 17

“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point,on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. 2 Even their children remember their altars and Asherah polesbeside the spreading trees and on the high hills. 3 My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasuresI will give away as plunder,  together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country. 4 Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever.”

5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.

12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.

14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;  save me and I will be saved,  for you are the one I praise. 15 They keep saying to me,  “Where is the word of the Lord?   Let it now be fulfilled!” 16 I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair.  What passes my lips is open before you. 17 Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster. 18 Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring on them the day of disaster;  destroy them with double destruction.

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Psalm 119:41-44

41 May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise;

42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

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Proverbs 25:11-12

11 A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

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1 Thessalonians 5:8-28

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 25 Brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

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October 20 Bible Reading

October 20 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 13:1-15:4

• Psalm 119:37-40

• Proverbs 25:8-10

• 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:7

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Jeremiah 13:1-15:4

A Linen Belt

This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath  and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.

6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless!  11 For as a belt is bound around a man’s waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’

Wineskins

12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike, declares the Lord.  I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.’”

Threat of Captivity

15 Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken. 16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to thick darkness and change it to deep gloom. 17 But if you do not listen,  I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.

18 Say to the king and to the queen mother,   “Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads.” 19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up, and there will be no one to open them. All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away.

20 Lift up your eyes and see those who are coming from the north. Where is the flock that was entrusted to you, the sheep of which you boasted? 21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you those you cultivated as your special allies?Will not pain grip you like that of a woman in labor? 22 And if you ask yourself,  “Why has this happened to me?”—it is because of your many sins that your skirts have been torn off and your body mistreated. 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.

24 “I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind. 25 This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you,” declares the Lord,“ because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods. 26 I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen— 27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,  your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem!  How long will you be unclean?”

Jeremiah 14

Drought, Famine, Sword

This is the word of the Lord to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

2 “Judah mourns,  her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. 3 The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled;  dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. 4 The ground is cracked  because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads. 5 Even the doe in the field  deserts her newborn fawn  because there is no grass. 6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights and pant like jackals; their eyesight fails for lack of pasture.”

7 Although our sins testify against us, O Lord, do something for the sake of your name. For our backsliding is great;  we have sinned against you. 8 O Hope of Israel,  its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? 9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are among us, O Lord,  and we bear your name;  do not forsake us!

10 This is what the Lord says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness  and punish them for their sins.”

11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

13 But I said, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, the prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.

17 “Speak this word to them: “‘Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for my virgin daughter—my people— has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow. 18 If I go into the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I go into the city,  I see the ravages of famine. Both prophet and priest have gone to a land they know not.’”

19 Have you rejected Judah completely?    Do you despise Zion? Why have you afflicted us  so that we cannot be healed? We hoped for peace  but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror. 20 O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers;  we have indeed sinned against you. 21 For the sake of your name do not despise us;  do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it. 22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?   Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O Lord our God.  Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.

Jeremiah 15

Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!  2 And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.’

3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.

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Psalm 119:37-40

37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

40 How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

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Proverbs 25:8-10

8  Do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?

9 If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence,

10 or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.

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1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:7

Living to Please God

Finally, brothers, 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. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.,

9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

The Coming of the Lord

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

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October 19 Bible Reading

October 19 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 10:18-12:17

• Psalm 119:33-36

• Proverbs 25:4-7

• 1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13

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Jeremiah 10:18-12:17

For this is what the Lord says:  “At this time I will hurl out those who live in this land; I will bring distress on them so that they may be captured.”

19 Woe to me because of my injury!   My wound is incurable! Yet I said to myself,    “This is my sickness, and I must endure it.” 20 My tent is destroyed; all its ropes are snapped. My sons are gone from me and are no more; no one is left now to pitch my tent or to set up my shelter. 21 The shepherds are senseless  and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered. 22 Listen! The report is coming—a great commotion from the land of the north! It will make the towns of Judah desolate,  a haunt of jackals.

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own;  it is not for man to direct his steps. 24 Correct me, Lord, but only with justice— not in your anger,  lest you reduce me to nothing. 25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob;  they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland.

Jeremiah 11

The Covenant Is Broken

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the man who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.”

I answered, “Amen, Lord.” 6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your forefathers up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’”

9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. 13 You have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’

14 “Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. 15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple as she works out her evil schemes with many?   Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”

16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree  with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken. 17 The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done evil and provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal.

Plot Against Jeremiah

18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;  let us cut him off from the land of the living,  that his name be remembered no more.” 20 But, O Lord Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. 21 “Therefore this is what the Lord says about the men of Anathoth who are seeking your life and saying, ‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands’— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.’”

Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah’s Complaint

You are always righteous, O Lord,  when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice:   Why does the way of the wicked prosper?   Why do all the faithless live at ease? 2 You have planted them, and they have taken root;  they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips  but far from their hearts. 3 Yet you know me, O Lord;  you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!   Set them apart for the day of slaughter! 4 How long will the land lie parched  and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying,  “He will not see what happens to us.”

God’s Answer

5 “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,  how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? 6 Your brothers, your own family— even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you. 7 “I will forsake my house, abandon my inheritance; I will give the one I love into the hands of her enemies. 8 My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest. She roars at me;  therefore I hate her. 9 Has not my inheritance become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack? Go and gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour. 10 Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard  and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. 11 It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares. 12 Over all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will swarm, for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other;  no one will be safe. 13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. So bear the shame of your harvest because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”

14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country. 16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.

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Psalm 119:33-36

33 Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

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Proverbs 25:4-7

4 Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith;

5 remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.

6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men;

7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.

What you have seen with your eyes.

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1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

17 But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18 For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. 19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

1 Thessalonians 3

So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. 2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. 5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

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October 18 Bible Reading

October 18 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 8:14-10:17

• Psalm 119:28-32

• Proverbs 25:1-3

• 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12

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Jeremiah 8:14-10:17

“Why are we sitting here?   Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities  and perish there! For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish  and given us poisoned water to drink,  because we have sinned against him. 15 We hoped for peace  but no good has come, for a time of healing  but there was only terror. 16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses  is heard from Dan; at the neighing of their stallions  the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there.”

17 “See, I will send venomous snakes among you,  vipers that cannot be charmed,  and they will bite you,” declares the Lord.

18 O my Comforter in sorrow,  my heart is faint within me. 19 Listen to the cry of my people  from a land far away: “Is the Lord not in Zion?   Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,  with their worthless foreign idols?” 20 “The harvest is past,  the summer has ended,  and we are not saved.”

21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;  I mourn, and horror grips me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead?  Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?

Jeremiah 9

Oh, that my head were a spring of water  and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night  for the slain of my people. 2 Oh, that I had in the desert  a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers,  a crowd of unfaithful people.

3 “They make ready their tongue  like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth  that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the Lord. 4 “Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. 5 Friend deceives friend,  and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. 6 You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the Lord.

7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do  because of the sin of my people? 8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him. 9 Should I not punish them for this?”  declares the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?”

10 I will weep and wail for the mountains  and take up a lament concerning the desert pastures. They are desolate and untraveled, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds of the air have fled and the animals are gone. 11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,  a haunt of jackals; and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there.” 12 What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them.” 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them.”

17 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come;  send for the most skillful of them. 18 Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears  and water streams from our eyelids. 19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:  ‘How ruined we are!   How great is our shame! We must leave our land because our houses are in ruins.’” 20 Now, O women, hear the word of the Lord;  open your ears to the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to wail;  teach one another a lament. 21 Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares. 22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares: “‘The dead bodies of men will lie like refuse on the open field, like cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast about this:  that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the desert in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

Jeremiah 10

God and Idols

Hear what the Lord says to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations  or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them;  they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

6 No one is like you, O Lord; you are great,  and your name is mighty in power. 7 Who should not revere you,  O King of the nations?    This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. 8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish  and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple— all made by skilled workers. 10 But the Lord is the true God;  he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles;  the nations cannot endure his wrath. 11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’” 12 But God made the earth by his power;  he founded the world by his wisdom  and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. 13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;  he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;  every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery;  when their judgment comes, they will perish. 16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,  for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name.

Coming Destruction

17 Gather up your belongings to leave the land,  you who live under siege.

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Psalm 119:28-32

28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

29 Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.

30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

31 I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.

32 I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

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Proverbs 25:1-3

1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

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1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12

Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith

2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 2

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.

As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

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October 17 Bible Reading

October 17 MWC Bible Reading

References:

• Jeremiah 6:22-8:13

• Psalm 119:25-27

• Proverbs 24:30-34

• Colossians 3:18-4:18

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Jeremiah 6:22-8:13

This is what the Lord says:

“Look, an army is coming  from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up  from the ends of the earth. 23 They are armed with bow and spear;  they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea  as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, O Daughter of Zion.”

24 We have heard reports about them,  and our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us,  pain like that of a woman in labor. 25 Do not go out to the fields  or walk on the roads, for the enemy has a sword,  and there is terror on every side. 26 O my people, put on sackcloth  and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

27 “I have made you a tester of metals  and my people the ore, that you may observe  and test their ways. 28 They are all hardened rebels,  going about to slander. They are bronze and iron; they all act corruptly. 29 The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire, but the refining goes on in vain;  the wicked are not purged out. 30 They are called rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.”

Jeremiah 7

False Religion Worthless

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:  2 “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message: “‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord.  3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

9 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. 15 I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.’

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and not be quenched.

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers.’

27 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips. 29 Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.

Jeremiah 8

“‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. 2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse lying on the ground. 3 Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When men fall down, do they not get up?    When a man turns away, does he not return? 5 Why then have these people turned away?   Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness,  saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues his own course  like a horse charging into battle. 7 Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush  observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know  the requirements of the Lord.

8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,  for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes  has handled it falsely? 9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? 10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike,  all practice deceit. 11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say,  when there is no peace. 12 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?    No, they have no shame at all;  they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen;  they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.

13 “‘I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord.  There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree,  and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.’”

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Psalm 119:25-27

25 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.

26 I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.

27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.

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Proverbs 24:30-34

30 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;

31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—

34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

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Colossians 3:18-4:18

Rules for Christian Households

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Colossians 4

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Final Greetings

7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you,that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

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October 16 Bible Reading

October-16-Bible-Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 5:1-6:21

• Psalm 119:21-24

• Proverbs 24:28-29

• Colossians 2:16-3:17

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Jeremiah 5:1-6:21

Not One Is Upright

“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,  look around and consider,  search through her squares. If you can find but one person  who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city. 2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’  still they are swearing falsely.”

3 O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?   You struck them, but they felt no pain;  you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent. 4 I thought, “These are only the poor;  they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord,  the requirements of their God. 5 So I will go to the leaders  and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord,  the requirements of their God.” But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke  and torn off the bonds. 6 Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them,  a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns  to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great  and their backslidings many.

7 “Why should I forgive you?   Your children have forsaken me  and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs,  yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes. 8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,  each neighing for another man’s wife. 9 Should I not punish them for this?”  declares the Lord.“ Should I not avenge myself  on such a nation as this?

10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,  but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches,  for these people do not belong to the Lord. 11 The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord. 12 They have lied about the Lord;  they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. 13 The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them.”

14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says: “Because the people have spoken these words,  I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes. 15 O house of Israel,” declares the Lord,  “I am bringing a distant nation against you—an ancient and enduring nation,  a people whose language you do not know,  whose speech you do not understand. 16 Their quivers are like an open grave;  all of them are mighty warriors. 17 They will devour your harvests and food,  devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds,  devour your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy  the fortified cities in which you trust.

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy you completely. 19 And when the people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’

20 “Announce this to the house of Jacob  and proclaim it in Judah: 21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see,  who have ears but do not hear: 22 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.  “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea,  an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;  they may roar, but they cannot cross it. 23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;  they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say to themselves,  ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season,  who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ 25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.

26 “Among my people are wicked men  who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. 27 Like cages full of birds,  their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful 28  and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit;   they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it,  they do not defend the rights of the poor. 29 Should I not punish them for this?”  declares the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself  on such a nation as this?

30 “A horrible and shocking thing  has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies,  the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.   But what will you do in the end?

Jeremiah 6

Jerusalem Under Siege

“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!    Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa!    Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north,  even terrible destruction. 2 I will destroy the Daughter of Zion,  so beautiful and delicate. 3 Shepherds with their flocks will come against her;  they will pitch their tents around her,  each tending his own portion.” 4 “Prepare for battle against her!   Arise, let us attack at noon! But, alas, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long. 5 So arise, let us attack at night  and destroy her fortresses!”

6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Cut down the trees  and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished;   it is filled with oppression. 7 As a well pours out its water,  so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her;  her sickness and wounds are ever before me. 8 Take warning, O Jerusalem,  or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so no one can live in it.”

9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Let them glean the remnant of Israel  as thoroughly as a vine; pass your hand over the branches again,  like one gathering grapes.” 10 To whom can I speak and give warning?    Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed  so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them;  they find no pleasure in it. 11 But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,  and I cannot hold it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street  and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it,  and the old, those weighed down with years. 12 Their houses will be turned over to others,  together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand  against those who live in the land,” declares the Lord. 13 “From the least to the greatest,  all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike,  all practice deceit. 14 They dress the wound of my people  as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say,  when there is no peace. 15 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?    No, they have no shame at all;  they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen;  they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look;  ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,  and you will find rest for your souls.    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ 17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,  ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ 18 Therefore hear, O nations;  observe, O witnesses,  what will happen to them. 19 Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people,   the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words  and have rejected my law. 20 What do I care about incense from Sheba  or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;  your sacrifices do not please me.”

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “I will put obstacles before this people.  Fathers and sons alike will stumble over them;  neighbors and friends will perish.”

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Psalm 119:21-24

21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands.

22 Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.

23 Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees.

24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

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Proverbs 24:28-29

28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive.

29 Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.”

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Colossians 2:16-3:17

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Colossians 3

Rules for Holy Living

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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October 15 Bible Reading

October 15 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 3:1-4:31

• Psalm 119:17-20

• Proverbs 24:26-27

• Colossians 1:21-2:50

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Jeremiah 3:1-4:31

“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again?  Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—would you now return to me?” declares the Lord. 2 “Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame. 4 Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth, 5 will you always be angry?  Will your wrath continue forever?’ This is how you talk,  but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

6 During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord.

11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,  ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,  ‘I will not be angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree,  and have not obeyed me,’” declares the Lord.

14 “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance. 

19 “I myself said, ‘How gladly would I treat you like my children  and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away  from following me. 20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,  so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord.

21 A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you,  for you are the Lord our God. 23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the Lord our God  is the salvation of Israel. 24 From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—their flocks and herds,  their sons and daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame,  and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God,  both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the Lord our God.” 

Jeremiah 4

“If you, Israel, will return,  then return to me,” declares the Lord. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, 2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.”

3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,  circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it.

Disaster From the North

5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say:  ‘Gather together!  Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ 6 Raise the signal to go to Zion!  Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north,  even terrible destruction.” 7 A lion has come out of his lair;  a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place  to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant. 8 So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord  has not turned away from us.  

9 “In that day,” declares the Lord, “the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be  horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.” 10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How  completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats!” 11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them.” 13 Look! He advances like the clouds,   his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles.   Woe to us! We are ruined! 14 Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved.  How long will you harbor wicked thoughts? 15 A voice is announcing from Dan,  proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim. 16 “Tell this to the nations,  proclaim concerning Jerusalem: ‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,  raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. 17 They surround her like men guarding a field,  because she has rebelled against me,’” declares the Lord. 18 “Your own conduct and actions  have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!”

19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!  I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart!   My heart pounds within me,  I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;  I have heard the battle cry. 20 Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed,  my shelter in a moment. 21 How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? 

22 “My people are fools;  they do not know me. They are senseless children;  they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” 23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens,  and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains,  and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25 I looked, and there were no people;  every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
all its towns lay in ruins  before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

27 This is what the Lord says: “The whole land will be ruined,  though I will not destroy it completely. 28 Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent,  I have decided and will not turn back.” 29 At the sound of horsemen and archers  every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets;  some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted;  no one lives in them.

30 What are you doing, you devastated one?  Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup?  You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you. 31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,  a groan as of one bearing her first child—the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,  stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting;  my life is given over to murderers.”

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Psalm 119:17-20

17 Be good to your servant while I live,  that I may obey your word.

18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

19 I am a stranger on earth;  do not hide your commands from me.

20 My soul is consumed with longing  for your laws at all times.

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Proverbs 24:26-27

26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

27 Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;  after that, build your house.

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Colossians 1:21-2:23

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Paul’s Labor for the Church

24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

Colossians 2

I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Freedom From Human Rules

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

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October 14 Bible Reading

October 14 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Jeremiah 1:1-2:37

• Psalm 119:12-16

• Proverbs 24:23-25

• Colossians 1:1-20

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Jeremiah 1:1-2:37

The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

The Call of Jeremiah

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,    before you were born I set you apart;  I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 6 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” 11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. 12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” 13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?” “I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north,” I answered. 14 The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord. “Their kings will come and set up their thrones  in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah. 16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.

17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 2

Israel Forsakes God

The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: “‘I remember the devotion of your youth,  how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert,  through a land not sown. 3 Israel was holy to the Lord,  the first fruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty,  and disaster overtook them,’” declares the Lord.

4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, all you clans of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says: “What fault did your fathers find in me,  that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols  and became worthless themselves. 6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,  who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness,  through a land of deserts and rifts, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’ 7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land  and made my inheritance detestable. 8 The priests did not ask,  ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me;  the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal,  following worthless idols.

9 “Therefore I bring charges against you again,” declares the Lord.  “And I will bring charges against your children’s children. 10 Cross over to the coasts of Kittim and look, send to Kedar and observe closely;  see if there has ever been anything like this: 11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?  (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. 12 Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. 13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me,  the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns,    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.14 Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?  Why then has he become plunder? 15 Lions have roared;  they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land;  his towns are burned and deserted. 16 Also, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved the crown of your head. 17 Have you not brought this on yourselves  by forsaking the Lord your God  when he led you in the way? 18 Now why go to Egypt  to drink water from the Shihor? And why go to Assyria  to drink water from the River? 19 Your wickedness will punish you;    your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize  how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God  and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds;  you said, ‘I will not serve you! ’Indeed, on every high hill  and under every spreading tree  you lay down as a prostitute. 21 I had planted you like a choice vine  of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine? 22 Although you wash yourself with soda  and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord. 23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;  I have not run after the Baals’? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done. You are a swift she-camel  running here and there, 24 a wild donkey accustomed to the desert,  sniffing the wind in her craving— in her heat who can restrain her? Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;  at mating time they will find her. 25 Do not run until your feet are bare and your throat is dry. But you said, ‘It’s no use!    I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’

26 “As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced—they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets. 27 They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’  and to stone, ‘You gave me birth. ’They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say,  ‘Come and save us!’ 28 Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?    Let them come if they can save you  when you are in trouble! For you have as many gods    as you have towns, O Judah.

29 “Why do you bring charges against me?    You have all rebelled against me,” declares the Lord. 30 “In vain I punished your people;  they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets  like a ravening lion.

31 “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;  we will come to you no more’? 32 Does a maiden forget her jewelry,  a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me,  days without number. 33 How skilled you are at pursuing love!    Even the worst of women can learn from your ways. 34 On your clothes men find  the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this 35  you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me. ’But I will pass judgment on you  because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ 36 Why do you go about so much,  changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria.37 You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those you trust;  you will not be helped by them.

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Psalm 119:12-16

12 Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

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Proverbs 24:23-25

23 These also are sayings of the wise:

To show partiality in judging is not good:

24 Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.

25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

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Colossians 1:1-20

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

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October 13 Bible Reading

October 13 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 64:1-66:24

• Psalm 119:9-11

• Proverbs 24:21-22

• Philippians 4:1-23

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Isaiah 64:1-66:24

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,  that the mountains would tremble before you! 2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies  and cause the nations to quake before you! 3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,  who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry.  How then can we be saved? 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf,  and like the wind our sins sweep us away. 7 No one calls on your name  or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.

8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.    We are the clay, you are the potter;  we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord;  do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people. 10 Your sacred cities have become a desert;  even Zion is a desert, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and glorious temple, where our fathers praised you, has been burned with fire,  and all that we treasured lies in ruins. 12 After all this, O Lord, will you hold yourself back?   Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

Isaiah 65

Judgment and Salvation

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;    I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name,   I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ 2 All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—3 a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; 4 who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs,  and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat;5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,  for I am too sacred for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils,  a fire that keeps burning all day.

6 “See, it stands written before me:  I will not keep silent but will pay back in full;  I will pay it back into their laps—7 both your sins and the sins of your fathers,”  says the Lord. “Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.”

8 This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and men say, ‘Don’t destroy it, there is yet some good in it,’ so will I do in behalf of my servants;  I will not destroy them all. 9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live. 10 Sharon will become a pasture for flocks,  and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,  for my people who seek me.

11 “But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune  and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, 12 I will destine you for the sword,  and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer,  I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight  and chose what displeases me.”

13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“My servants will eat,  but you will go hungry; my servants will drink,  but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice,  but you will be put to shame. 14 My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit. 15 You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name. 16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight  and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying  will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,  or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. 23 They will not toil in vain  or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,  they and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer;  while they are still speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,  and the lion will eat straw like the ox,  but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy  on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 66

Judgment and Hope

This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,  and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?    Where will my resting place be? 2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

“This is the one I esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. 3 But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering  is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense,  like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways,  and their souls delight in their abominations; 4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered,  when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight  and chose what displeases me.”

5 Hear the word of the Lord,  you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy!’   Yet they will be put to shame. 6 Hear that uproar from the city,  hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve.

7 “Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her,  she delivers a son. 8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?    Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor  than she gives birth to her children. 9 Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. 10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her,  all you who mourn over her. 11 For you will nurse and be satisfied  at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.”

12 For this is what the Lord says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. 13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you;  and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants,  but his fury will be shown to his foes. 15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,  and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury,  and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men,  and many will be those slain by the Lord.

17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things—they will meet their end together,” declares the Lord.

18 “And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. 19 “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring all your brothers, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the Lord. 22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

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Psalm 119:9-11

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

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Proverbs 24:21-22

21 Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious,

22 for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?

———————-

Philippians 4:1-23

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

Exhortations

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thanks for Their Gifts

10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

21 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

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OCTOBER 12 BIBLE READING

October 12 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 60:17-63:19

• Psalm 119:5-8

• Proverbs 24:19-20

• Philippians 3:1-21

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Isaiah 60:17-63:19

Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor  and righteousness your ruler. 18 No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. 19 The sun will no more be your light by day,  nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light,  and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set again,  and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. 21 Then will all your people be righteous  and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted,  the work of my hands,  for the display of my splendor. 22 The least of you will become a thousand,  the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord;  in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Isaiah 61

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,  because the Lord has anointed me  to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,  to proclaim freedom for the captives  and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor  and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty  instead of ashes, the oil of gladness  instead of mourning, and a garment of praise  instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness,  a planting of the Lord  for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins  and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities  that have been devastated for generations. 5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 6 And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations,  and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of their shame  my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,  and everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;  I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them  and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations  and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge  that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;  my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation  and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,  and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up  and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise  spring up before all nations.

Isaiah 62

Zion’s New Name

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,  for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,  her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your righteousness,  and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name  that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. 3 You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand,  a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 No longer will they call you Deserted,  or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you,  and your land will be married. 5 As a young man marries a maiden,  so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,  so will your God rejoice over you.

6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;  they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord,  give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem  and makes her the praise of the earth.

8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand  and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain  as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine  for which you have toiled; 9 but those who harvest it will eat it  and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it  in the courts of my sanctuary.”

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!   Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway!  Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation  to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion,   ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him,  and his recompense accompanies him.’” 12 They will be called the Holy People,  the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After,  the City No Longer Deserted.

Isaiah 63

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor,  striding forward in the greatness of his strength?

“It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”

2 Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress?

3 “I have trodden the winepress alone;  from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger  and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments,  and I stained all my clothing. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help,  I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me,  and my own wrath sustained me. 6 I trampled the nations in my anger;  in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,  the deeds for which he is to be praised,  according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done  for the house of Israel,  according to his compassion and many kindnesses. 8 He said, “Surely they are my people,  sons who will not be false to me”;  and so he became their Savior. 9 In all their distress he too was distressed,  and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them;  he lifted them up and carried them  all the days of old. 10 Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.

11 Then his people recalled the days of old,  the days of Moses and his people—where is he who brought them through the sea,  with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, 12 who sent his glorious arm of power  to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them,  to gain for himself everlasting renown, 13 who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country,  they did not stumble; 14 like cattle that go down to the plain,  they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord. This is how you guided your people  to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven and see  from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your might?  Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us. 16 But you are our Father,  though Abraham does not know us  or Israel acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father,  our Redeemer from of old is your name. 17 Why, O Lord, do you make us wander from your ways  and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants,  the tribes that are your inheritance. 18 For a little while your people possessed your holy place,  but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary. 19 We are yours from of old;  but you have not ruled over them,  they have not been called by your name.

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Psalm 119:5-8

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

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Proverbs 24:19-20

19 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked,

20 for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

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Philippians 3:1-21

No Confidence in the Flesh

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing on Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

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October 11 Bible Reading

October 11 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 57:14-60:16

• Psalm 119:1-4

• Proverbs 24:17-18

• Philippians 2:12-30

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Isaiah 57:14-60:16

And it will be said:  “Build up, build up, prepare the road!  Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”  15 For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy:“  I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. 16 I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me— the breath of man that I have created. 17 I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;  I will guide him and restore comfort to him, 19 creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord.  “And I will heal them.” 20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest,  whose waves cast up mire and mud. 21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 58

True Fasting

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out;  they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,  ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves,  and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today  and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,  only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast,  a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice  and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry  and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;  you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,  with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry  and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness,  and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you always;  he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land  and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden,  like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins  and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,  Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way  and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,  and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land  and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 59

Sin, Confession and Redemption

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,  nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated  you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies,  and your tongue mutters wicked things. 4 No one calls for justice;  no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. 5 They hatch the eggs of vipers  and spin a spider’s web.  Whoever eats their eggs will die,  and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. 6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds,  and acts of violence are in their hands. 7 Their feet rush into sin;  they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts;  ruin and destruction mark their ways. 8 The way of peace they do not know;  there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace.

9 So justice is far from us,  and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness;  for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. 10 Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;  among the strong, we are like the dead.  11 We all growl like bears;  we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none;  for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses are many in your sight,  and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us,  and we acknowledge our iniquities: 13 rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt,  uttering lies our hearts have conceived. 14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is nowhere to be found,  and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased  that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. 17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance  and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. 18 According to what they have done,  so will he repay wrath to his enemies  and retribution to his foes;  he will repay the islands their due. 19 From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood  that the breath of the Lord drives along.

20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,  to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 60

The Glory of Zion

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,  and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth  and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you  and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light,  and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:   All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar,  and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come,  bearing gold and incense  and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. 7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,  the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,  and I will adorn my glorious temple.

8 “Who are these that fly along like clouds,  like doves to their nests? 9 Surely the islands look to me;   in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your sons from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. 10 “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,  and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you,  in favor I will show you compassion. 11 Your gates will always stand open,  they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession. 12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;  it will be utterly ruined.

13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,  the pine, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary;  and I will glorify the place of my feet. 14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;  all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord,  Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Although you have been forsaken and hated,  with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride  and the joy of all generations. 16 You will drink the milk of nations  and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,  your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

 ———————-

Psalm 119:1-4

1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.

2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.  4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

———————-

Proverbs 24:17-18

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, 18 or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.

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Philippians 2:12-30

Shining as Stars

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.  24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

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October 10 Bible Reading

October 10 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 54:4-57:13

• Psalm 118:22-29

• Proverbs 24:15-16

• Philippians 1:21-2:11

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Isaiah 54:4-57:13 

“Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.   Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. 5 For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;  he is called the God of all the earth. 6 The Lord will call you back  as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God. 7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you,  but with deep compassion I will bring you back. 8 In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”  says the Lord your Redeemer. 9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,  when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. 10 Though the mountains be shaken  and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,”  says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

11 “O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,  I will build you with stones of turquoise,  your foundations with sapphires. 12 I will make your battlements of rubies,  your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. 13 All your sons will be taught by the Lord,  and great will be your children’s peace. 14 In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed;  it will not come near you. 15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;  whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame  and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; 17  no weapon forged against you will prevail,  and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,  and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

Isaiah 55

Invitation to the Thirsty

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money,  come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,  and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me;  hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. 4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. 5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel,  for he has endowed you with splendor.”

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;  call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,  and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,  so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,  so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire  and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy  and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field  will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown,  for an everlasting sign,  which will not be destroyed.”

Isaiah 56

Salvation for Others

This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice  and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this,  the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,  and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say,  “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let not any eunuch complain,  “I am only a dry tree.” 4 For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,  who choose what pleases me  and hold fast to my covenant—5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name  that will not be cut off. 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord,  and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it  and who hold fast to my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” 8 The Sovereign Lord declares— he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them  besides those already gathered.”  

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

9 Come, all you beasts of the field,  come and devour, all you beasts of the forest! 10 Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. 11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;  they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding;  they all turn to their own way,  each seeks his own gain. 12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!   Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better.”

Isaiah 57

The righteous perish,  and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away,  and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. 2 Those who walk uprightly  enter into peace;  they find rest as they lie in death.

3 “But you—come here, you sons of a sorceress,  you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! 4 Whom are you mocking?   At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars? 5 You burn with lust among the oaks  and under every spreading tree; you sacrifice your children in the ravines and under the overhanging crags. 6 The idols among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;  they, they are your lot. Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings  and offered grain offerings.    In the light of these things, should I relent?7 You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;  there you went up to offer your sacrifices. 8 Behind your doors and your doorposts  you have put your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,  you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love, and you looked on their nakedness. 9 You went to Molech with olive oil  and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors far away;  you descended to the grave itself! 10 You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength,  and so you did not faint.

11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared  that you have been false to me, and have neither remembered me  nor pondered this in your hearts? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me? 12 I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you. 13 When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”

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Psalm 118:22-29

22 The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.

27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

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Proverbs 24:15-16

15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house, do not raid his dwelling place;

16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

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Philippians 1:21-2:11

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Philippians 2

Imitating Christ’s Humility

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,  did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,  he humbled himself and became obedient to death—  even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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October 9 Bible Reading

October 9 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 51:1-54:3

• Psalm 118:15-21

• Proverbs 24:13-14

• Philippians 1:1-20

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Isaiah 51:1-54:3

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; 2 look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many. 3 The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden,  her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her,  thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

4 “Listen to me, my people;  hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me;  my justice will become a light to the nations. 5 My righteousness draws near speedily,  my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me  and wait in hope for my arm. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever,  my righteousness will never fail.

7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,  you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men  or be terrified by their insults. 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;  the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever,  my salvation through all generations.”

9 Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength,  O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? 10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea  so that the redeemed might cross over? 11 The ransomed of the Lord will return.  They will enter Zion with singing;  everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them,  and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

12 “I, even I, am he who comforts you.   Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, 13 that you forget the Lord your Maker,  who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? 14  The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon,  nor will they lack bread. 15 For I am the Lord your God,  who churns up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name. 16 I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand—I who set the heavens in place,  who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

17 Awake, awake!   Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord  the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger. 18 Of all the sons she bore there was none to guide her; of all the sons she reared there was none to take her by the hand. 19 These double calamities have come upon you— who can comfort you? —ruin and destruction, famine and sword— who can console you? 20 Your sons have fainted;  they lie at the head of every street,  like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord and the rebuke of your God.

21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk, but not with wine. 22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,  your God, who defends his people: “See, I have taken out of your hand  the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again. 23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you,  ‘Fall prostrate that we may walk over you.’ And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked over.”

Isaiah 52

Awake, awake, O Zion,  clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor,  O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. 2 Shake off your dust;  rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck,  O captive Daughter of Zion.

3 For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”

4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them.

5 “And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock,” declares the Lord. “And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people will know my name;  therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it.  Yes, it is I.”

7 How beautiful on the mountains  are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings,  who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,  “Your God reigns!” 8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;  together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion,  they will see it with their own eyes. 9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm  in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

11 Depart, depart, go out from there!  Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. 12 But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you,  the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant will act wisely;  he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man  and his form marred beyond human likeness—15 so will he sprinkle many nations,  and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see,  and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message  and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,  nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men,  a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces  he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God,  smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,  he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,  each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him  the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.  And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living;  for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,  and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,  and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,  and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,  and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,  and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death,  and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many,  and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 54

The Future Glory of Zion

“Sing, O barren woman,  you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy,  you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman  than of her who has a husband, ”says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,  stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords,  strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;  your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.

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Psalm 118:15-21

15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!

16 he Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”

17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

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Proverbs 24:13-14

13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

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Philippians 1:1-20

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel

12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

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October 8 Bible Reading

October 8 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 48:12-50:11

• Psalm 118:10-14

• Proverbs 24:10-12

• Ephesians 6:1-24
  

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Isaiah 48:12-50:11

 “Listen to me, O Jacob,  Israel, whom I have called: I am he;  I am the first and I am the last. 13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,  and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.

14 “Come together, all of you, and listen:   Which of the idols has foretold these things? The Lord’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon;  his arm will be against the Babylonians. 15 I, even I, have spoken;  yes, I have called him. I will bring him,  and he will succeed in his mission.

16 “Come near me and listen to this:

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;  at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, with his Spirit.

17 This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commands,  your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from before me.”

20 Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.” 21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;  he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.

22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 49

The Servant of the Lord

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, “You are my servant,  Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” 4 But I said, “I have labored to no purpose;  I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,  and my reward is with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord  and my God has been my strength—6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,  that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

7 This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Restoration of Israel

8 This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor I will answer you,  and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you  to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, 9 to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. 10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. 11 I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. 12 See, they will come from afar—some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.”

13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth;  burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,  the Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget,  I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;  your walls are ever before me. 17 Your sons hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. 18 Lift up your eyes and look around;  all your sons gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride. 19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away. 20 The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’ 21 Then you will say in your heart,  ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren;  I was exiled and rejected.   Who brought these up? I was left all alone,  but these—where have they come from?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,  I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. 23 Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord;  those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

24 Can plunder be taken from warriors,  or captives rescued from the fierce?

25 But this is what the Lord says:

“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,  and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. 26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,  your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Isaiah 50

Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce  with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors  did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold;  because of your transgressions your mother was sent away. 2 When I came, why was there no one?   When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to ransom you?   Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea,  I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water  and die of thirst. 3 I clothe the sky with darkness  and make sackcloth its covering.”

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue,  to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning,  wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious;  I have not drawn back. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me,  my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face  from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,  I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint,  and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near.  Who then will bring charges against me?  Let us face each other! Who is my accuser?    Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.  Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment;  the moths will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord  and rely on his God. 11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand:  You will lie down in torment.

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Psalm 118:10-14

10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

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Proverbs 24:10-12

10 If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!

11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who guards your life know it?  Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

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Ephesians 6:1-24

Children and Parents

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Final Greetings

21 Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.

23 Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

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October 7 Bible Reading

October 7 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References:

• Isaiah 45:11-48:11

• Psalm 118:5-9

• Proverbs 24:7-9

• Ephesians 5:15-35

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Isaiah 45:11-48:11

“This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? 12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens;  I marshaled their starry hosts. 13 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness:  I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city  and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward,  says the Lord Almighty.”

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,  and those tall Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.’”

15 Truly you are a God who hides himself,  O God and Savior of Israel. 16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; they will go off into disgrace together. 17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord  with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.

18 For this is what the Lord says—he who created the heavens,  he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth,  he founded it; he did not create it to be empty,  but formed it to be inhabited—he says: “I am the Lord,  and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret,  from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,  ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth;  I declare what is right.

20 “Gather together and come;  assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,  who pray to gods that cannot save. 21 Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord?    And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior;  there is none but me.

22 “Turn to me and be saved,  all you ends of the earth;  for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn,  my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow;  by me every tongue will swear. 24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. 25 But in the Lord all the descendants of Israel  will be found righteous and will exult. 

Isaiah 46

Gods of Babylon

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome,  a burden for the weary. 2 They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.

3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs  I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

5 “To whom will you compare me or count me equal?   To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? 6 Some pour out gold from their bags  and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god,  and they bow down and worship it. 7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;  they set it up in its place, and there it stands.   From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer;  it cannot save him from his troubles.

8 “Remember this, fix it in mind,  take it to heart, you rebels. 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;  I am God, and there is no other;  I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning,  from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand,  and I will do all that I please. 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;  from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about;  what I have planned, that will I do. 12 Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted,  you who are far from righteousness. 13 I am bringing my righteousness near,  it is not far away;  and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.

Isaiah 47

The Fall of Babylon

“Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne,  Daughter of the Babylonians.No more will you be called  tender or delicate. 2 Take millstones and grind flour;  take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs,  and wade through the streams. 3 Your nakedness will be exposed  and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”

4 Our Redeemer—the Lord Almighty is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.

5 “Sit in silence, go into darkness,  Daughter of the Babylonians; no more will you be called  queen of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people    and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. 7 You said, ‘I will continue forever— the eternal queen!’ But you did not consider these things  or reflect on what might happen.

8 “Now then, listen, you wanton creature, lounging in your security and saying to yourself,  ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ 9 Both of these will overtake you  in a moment, on a single day:  loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. 10 You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me. ’Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ 11 Disaster will come upon you,  and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.

12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed,  perhaps you will cause terror. 13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!    Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. 14 Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves  from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by. 15 That is all they can do for you— these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you.

Isaiah 48

Stubborn Israel

“Listen to this, O house of Jacob,  you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel— but not in truth or righteousness— 2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel— the Lord Almighty is his name: 3 I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. 4 For I knew how stubborn you were;  the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze. 5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;  before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say,  ‘My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ 6 You have heard these things; look at them all.  Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. 7 They are created now, and not long ago;  you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, ‘Yes, I knew of them.’ 8 You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. 9 For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath;  for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off. 10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver;  I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.  How can I let myself be defamed?  I will not yield my glory to another.

 ——————-

Psalm 118:5-9

5 In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free.

6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

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Proverbs 24:7-9

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.

8 He who plots evil will be known as a schemer.

9 The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker.

 ———————-

Ephesians 5:15-35

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Wives and Husbands

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

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October 6 Bible Reading

October 6 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References

• Isaiah 43:14-45:10

• Psalm 117:1-118:4

• Proverbs 24:5-6

• Ephesians 4:25-5:14

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Isaiah 43:14-45:10

This is what the Lord says—  your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:  “For your sake I will send to Babylon  and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians,  in the ships in which they took pride.  15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,  Israel’s Creator, your King.”

16 This is what the Lord says—  he who made a way through the sea,  a path through the mighty waters,  17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again,  extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 “Forget the former things;  do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert  and streams in the wasteland.  20 The wild animals honor me,  the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert  and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21  the people I formed for myself  that they may proclaim my praise.

22 “Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob,  you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,  nor honored me with your sacrifices.  I have not burdened you with grain offerings  nor wearied you with demands for incense. 24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,  or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.  But you have burdened me with your sins  and wearied me with your offenses.

25 “I, even I, am he who blots out  your transgressions, for my own sake,  and remembers your sins no more.  26 Review the past for me,  let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.  27 Your first father sinned;  your spokesmen rebelled against me.  28 So I will disgrace the dignitaries of your temple,  and I will consign Jacob to destruction  and Israel to scorn.

Isaiah 44

Israel the Chosen

“But now listen, O Jacob, my servant,  Israel, whom I have chosen.  2 This is what the Lord says—  he who made you, who formed you in the womb,  and who will help you:  Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,  Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.  3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,  and streams on the dry ground;  I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.  4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,  like poplar trees by flowing streams.  5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;  another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’  and will take the name Israel.

The Lord, Not Idols

6 “This is what the Lord says—  Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last;  apart from me there is no God.  7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.  Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people,  and what is yet to come—  yes, let him foretell what will come.  8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.  Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?  You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?   No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

9 All who make idols are nothing,  and the things they treasure are worthless.  Those who would speak up for them are blind;  they are ignorant, to their own shame.  10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,  which can profit him nothing?  11 He and his kind will be put to shame;  craftsmen are nothing but men.  Let them all come together and take their stand;  they will be brought down to terror and infamy.

12 The blacksmith takes a tool  and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers,  he forges it with the might of his arm.  He gets hungry and loses his strength;  he drinks no water and grows faint.  13 The carpenter measures with a line  and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels  and marks it with compasses.  He shapes it in the form of man,  of man in all his glory,  that it may dwell in a shrine.  14 He cut down cedars,  or perhaps took a cypress or oak.  He let it grow among the trees of the forest,  or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.  15 It is man’s fuel for burning;  some of it he takes and warms himself,   he kindles a fire and bakes bread.  But he also fashions a god and worships it;  he makes an idol and bows down to it.  16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;  over it he prepares his meal,  he roasts his meat and eats his fill.  He also warms himself and says,   “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”  17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;  he bows down to it and worships.  He prays to it and says,  “Save me; you are my god.”  18 They know nothing, they understand nothing;  their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,  and their minds closed so they cannot understand.  19 No one stops to think,  no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel;  I even baked bread over its coals,  I roasted meat and I ate.  Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?   Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”  20 He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;  he cannot save himself, or say,   “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

21 “Remember these things, O Jacob,  for you are my servant, O Israel.  I have made you, you are my servant;    O Israel, I will not forget you.  22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,  your sins like the morning mist.  Return to me,  for I have redeemed you.”

23 Sing for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done this;  shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains,  you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,  he displays his glory in Israel.

Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

24 “This is what the Lord says—  your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:  I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself, 25 who foils the signs of false prophets  and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise  and turns it into nonsense, 26 who carries out the words of his servants  and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’  of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be built,’  and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ 27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,  and I will dry up your streams,’  28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd  and will accomplish all that I please;  he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”    and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’

Isaiah 45

“This is what the Lord says to his anointed,  to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him  and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him  so that gates will not be shut: 2 I will go before you  and will level the mountains;  I will break down gates of bronze  and cut through bars of iron.  3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,  riches stored in secret places,so that you may know that I am the Lord,  the God of Israel, who summons you by name.  4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,  of Israel my chosen,  I summon you by name  and bestow on you a title of honor,  though you do not acknowledge me.  5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;  apart from me there is no God.  I will strengthen you,  though you have not acknowledged me, 6 so that from the rising of the sun  to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me.    I am the Lord, and there is no other.  7 I form the light and create darkness,  I bring prosperity and create disaster;  I, the Lord, do all these things.

8 “You heavens above, rain down righteousness;  let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide,  let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it;  I, the Lord, have created it.  9 “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,  to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.  Does the clay say to the potter,  ‘What are you making?’  Does your work say,   ‘He has no hands’?  10 Woe to him who says to his father,  ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother,  ‘What have you brought to birth?’

 ———————-

Psalm 117:1-118:4

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.

2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”  4 Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”

———————-

Proverbs 24:5-6

5 A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; 

6 for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.

  ———————-

Ephesians 4:25-5:14

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 5

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

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October 5 Bible Reading

October 5 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

References

• Isaiah 41:21-43:13

• Psalm 116:15-19

• Proverbs 24:3-4

• Ephesians 4:1-24

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Isaiah 41:21-43:13

“Present your case,” says the Lord.    “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. 22 “Bring in your idols to tell us  what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were,  so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, 23  tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. 24 But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless;  he who chooses you is detestable.

25 “I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes— one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. 26 Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. 27 I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’  I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings. 28 I look but there is no one— no one among them to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them. 29 See, they are all false!   Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion.

Isaiah 42

The Servant of the Lord

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,  my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break,  and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—he who created the heavens and stretched them out,  who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people,  and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;  I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!    I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,  you islands, and all who live in them. 11 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;  let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy;  let them shout from the mountaintops. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord  and proclaim his praise in the islands. 13 The Lord will march out like a mighty man,  like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,  I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth,  I cry out, I gasp and pant. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills  and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. 16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them  and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do;  I will not forsake them. 17 But those who trust in idols,  who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’  will be turned back in utter shame.

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;  look, you blind, and see! 19 Who is blind but my servant,  and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me,  blind like the servant of the Lord? 20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;  your ears are open, but you hear nothing.” 21 It pleased the Lord  for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious. 22 But this is a people plundered and looted,  all of them trapped in pits  or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder,  with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot,  with no one to say, “Send them back.”

23 Which of you will listen to this  or pay close attention in time to come? 24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,  and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord,  against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways;  they did not obey his law. 25 So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

Isaiah 43

Israel’s Only Savior

But now, this is what the Lord says—  he who created you, O Jacob,  he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;  I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters,  I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,  they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,  you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord, your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,  and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you,  and people in exchange for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar  and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,  whom I formed and made.”

8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,  who have ears but are deaf. 9 All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this  and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,  so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” 10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,  “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me  and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed,  nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord,  and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—  I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God. 13  Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand.   When I act, who can reverse it?”

 ———————-

Psalm 116:15-19

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16 O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.

18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

19 in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.

———————- 

Proverbs 24:3-4

3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;

4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

 ———————-

Ephesians 4:1-24

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,    he led captives in his train  and gave gifts to men.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Living as Children of Light

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

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October 4 Bible Reading

October 4 MWC Bible Reading

Steven Nicaud

REFERENCES

• Isaiah 40:1-41:20

• Psalm 116:8-14

• Proverbs 24:1-2

• Ephesians 3:1-21

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Isaiah 40:1-41:20

Comfort, comfort my people,  says your God.  2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,  and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed,  that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand  double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare  the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness  a highway for our God.  4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level,  he rugged places a plain.  5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,  and all mankind together will see it.  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out.”   

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All men are like grass,  and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.  7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,  because the breath of the Lord blows on them.  Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,  but the word of our God stands forever.”

9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,  go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,  lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid;  say to the towns of Judah,  “Here is your God!”  10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,  and his arm rules for him.  See, his reward is with him,  and his recompense accompanies him.  11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:  He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;  he gently leads those that have young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?  Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales  and the hills in a balance?  13 Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor?  14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?  Who was it that taught him knowledge  or showed him the path of understanding?

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;  they are regarded as dust on the scales;  he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.  16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,  nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.  17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;  they are regarded by him as worthless  and less than nothing.

18 To whom, then, will you compare God?    What image will you compare him to?  19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold  and fashions silver chains for it.  20 A man too poor to present such an offering  selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman  to set up an idol that will not topple.

21 Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  Has it not been told you from the beginning?    Have you not understood since the earth was founded?  22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,  and its people are like grasshoppers.  He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,  and spreads them out like a tent to live in.  23 He brings princes to naught  and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.  24 No sooner are they planted,  no sooner are they sown,  no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither,  and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

25 “To whom will you compare me?    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.  26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:  Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one,  and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,  and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord;  my cause is disregarded by my God”?  28 Do you not know?    

Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God,  the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary,  and his understanding no one can fathom.  29 He gives strength to the weary  and increases the power of the weak.  30 Even youths grow tired and weary,  and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord  will renew their strength.   They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary,  they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 41

The Helper of Israel

“Be silent before me, you islands!   Let the nations renew their strength!  Let them come forward and speak;  let us meet together at the place of judgment.

2 “Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service?  He hands nations over to him  and subdues kings before him.  He turns them to dust with his sword,  to windblown chaff with his bow.  3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,  by a path his feet have not traveled before.  4 Who has done this and carried it through,  calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—with the first of them  and with the last—I am he.”

5 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble.  They approach and come forward;  6  each helps the other  and says to his brother, “Be strong!”  7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,  and he who smooths with the hammer  spurs on him who strikes the anvil.  He says of the welding, “It is good.”    He nails down the idol so it will not topple.

8 “But you, O Israel, my servant,  Jacob, whom I have chosen,  you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.  I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  10 So do not fear, for I am with you;  do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you;  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you  will be as nothing and perish.  12 Though you search for your enemies,  you will not find them. Those who wage war against you  will be as nothing at all.  13 For I am the Lord, your God,  who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear;  I will help you.  14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,   O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,  your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.  15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,  new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them,  and reduce the hills to chaff.  16 You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,  and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord  and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 “The poor and needy search for water,  but there is none;  their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them;  I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.  18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,  and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water,  and the parched ground into springs.  19 I will put in the desert  the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland,  the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know,  may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this,  that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

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Psalm 116:8-14

8 For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10 I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

11 And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.”

12 How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

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Proverbs 24:1-2

1 Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company;

2 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.

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Ephesians 3:1-21

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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