God is always thinking about you
Psalm 139:17,18a
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand.
What do you think about God? Do you think He really cares or do you think He cares about only the really important things in the world?
The first eighteen verse of Psalm 139 talks about how well God knows you. When we begin to realize how well God knows us and cares about us, we can begin to believe that our future and all of our present struggles are in His hands.
God desires a deep abiding relationship with each of us. He wants us to understanding that he knows and understands everything. He knows are gifts, skills and talents and he knows are heart aches and heart breaks. He knows how to guide us through the hard times and cause us to be fulfilled with all that He has given us.
He is the one who knows us better than anyone else He even knows us better than we know our selves.
You are never alone, never abandoned and the one who gave you your dreams is always working to help you realize those dreams and to always in every way feel and know that we are loved.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Reading through the Word...Day 18
GENESIS 37:1- 38:30
MATTHEW 12:22- 45
PSALM 16:1- 11
PROVERBS 3:27- 32
So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived. 2 This is the history of Jacob's family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father's flocks with his half brothers, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. 3 Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day he gave Joseph a special gift-- a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because of their father's partiality. They couldn't say a kind word to him. 5 One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the details to his brothers, causing them to hate him even more. 6 "Listen to this dream," he announced. 7 "We were out in the field tying up bundles of grain. My bundle stood up, and then your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before it!" 8 "So you are going to be our king, are you?" his brothers taunted. And they hated him all the more for his dream and what he had said. 9 Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers about it. "Listen to this dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!" 10 This time he told his father as well as his brothers, and his father rebuked him. "What do you mean?" his father asked. "Will your mother, your brothers, and I actually come and bow before you?" 11 But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father gave it some thought and wondered what it all meant. 12 Soon after this, Joseph's brothers went to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem. 13 When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, "Your brothers are over at Shechem with the flocks. I'm going to send you to them." "I'm ready to go," Joseph replied. 14 "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along," Jacob said. "Then come back and bring me word." So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from his home in the valley of Hebron. 15 When he arrived there, a man noticed him wandering around the countryside. "What are you looking for?" he asked. 16 "For my brothers and their flocks," Joseph replied. "Have you seen them?" 17 "Yes," the man told him, "but they are no longer here. I heard your brothers say they were going to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. 18 When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance and made plans to kill him. 19 "Here comes that dreamer!" they exclaimed. 20 "Come on, let's kill him and throw him into a deep pit. We can tell our father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what becomes of all his dreams!" 21 But Reuben came to Joseph's rescue. "Let's not kill him," he said. 22 "Why should we shed his blood? Let's just throw him alive into this pit here. That way he will die without our having to touch him." Reuben was secretly planning to help Joseph escape, and then he would bring him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph arrived, they pulled off his beautiful robe 24 and threw him into the pit. This pit was normally used to store water, but it was empty at the time. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they noticed a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking spices, balm, and myrrh from Gilead to Egypt. 26 Judah said to the others, "What can we gain by killing our brother? That would just give us a guilty conscience. 27 Let's sell Joseph to those Ishmaelite traders. Let's not be responsible for his death; after all, he is our brother!" And his brothers agreed. 28 So when the traders came by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver, and the Ishmaelite traders took him along to Egypt. 29 Sometime later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the pit. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in anguish and frustration. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, "The boy is gone! What can I do now?" 31 Then Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They took the beautiful robe to their father and asked him to identify it. "We found this in the field," they told him. "It's Joseph's robe, isn't it?" 33 Their father recognized it at once. "Yes," he said, "it is my son's robe. A wild animal has attacked and eaten him. Surely Joseph has been torn in pieces!" 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He mourned deeply for his son for many days. 35 His family all tried to comfort him, but it was no use. "I will die in mourning for my son," he would say, and then begin to weep. 36 Meanwhile, in Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard. 38:1 ABOUT this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he visited a man named Hirah. 2 There he met a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. 3 She became pregnant and had a son, and Judah named the boy Er. 4 Then Judah's wife had another son, and she named him Onan. 5 And when she had a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah's birth, they were living at Kezib. 6 When his oldest son, Er, grew up, Judah arranged his marriage to a young woman named Tamar. 7 But Er was a wicked man in the LORD's sight, so the LORD took his life. 8 Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "You must marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. Her first son from you will be your brother's heir." 9 But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with Tamar, he spilled the semen on the ground to keep her from having a baby who would belong to his brother. 10 But the LORD considered it a wicked thing for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan's life, too. 11 Then Judah told Tamar, his daughter- in- law, not to marry again at that time but to return to her parents 'home. She was to remain a widow until his youngest son, Shelah, was old enough to marry her. (But Judah didn't really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went home to her parents. 12 In the course of time Judah's wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep. 13 Someone told Tamar that her father- in- law had left for the sheep- shearing at Timnah. 14 Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but they had not called her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. 15 Judah noticed her as he went by and thought she was a prostitute, since her face was veiled. 16 So he stopped and propositioned her to sleep with him, not realizing that she was his own daughter- in- law. "How much will you pay me?" Tamar asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," Judah promised. "What pledge will you give me so I can be sure you will send it?" she asked. 18 "Well, what do you want?" he inquired. She replied, "I want your identification seal, your cord, and the walking stick you are carrying." So Judah gave these items to her. She then let him sleep with her, and she became pregnant. 19 Afterward she went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing as usual. 20 Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat back to her and to pick up the pledges he had given her, but Hirah couldn't find her. 21 So he asked the men who lived there, "Where can I find the prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to the village?" "We've never had a prostitute here," they replied. 22 So Hirah returned to Judah and told him that he couldn't find her anywhere and that the men of the village had claimed they didn't have a prostitute there. 23 "Then let her keep the pledges!" Judah exclaimed. "We tried our best to send her the goat. We'd be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again." 24 About three months later, word reached Judah that Tamar, his daughter- in- law, was pregnant as a result of prostitution. "Bring her out and burn her!" Judah shouted. 25 But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father- in- law:"The man who owns this identification seal and walking stick is the father of my child. Do you recognize them?" 26 Judah admitted that they were his and said, "She is more in the right than I am, because I didn't keep my promise to let her marry my son Shelah." But Judah never slept with Tamar again. 27 In due season the time of Tamar's delivery arrived, and she had twin sons. 28 As they were being born, one of them reached out his hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around the wrist of the child who appeared first, saying, "This one came out first." 29 But then he drew back his hand, and the other baby was actually the first to be born. "What!" the midwife exclaimed. "How did you break out first?" And ever after, he was called Perez. 30 Then the baby with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.
Then a demon- possessed man, who was both blind and unable to talk, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed. "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?" they wondered out loud. 24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom at war with itself is doomed. A city or home divided against itself is doomed. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by the prince of demons, what about your own followers? They cast out demons, too, so they will judge you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 Let me illustrate this. You can't enter a strong man's house and rob him without first tying him up. Only then can his house be robbed! 30 Anyone who isn't helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me. 31" Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven-- except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who blasphemes against me, the Son of Man, can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. 33 "A tree is identified by its fruit. Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned." 38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove that you are from God." 39 But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The people of Nineveh will rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now someone greater than Jonah is here-- and you refuse to repent. 42 The queen of Sheba will also rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And now someone greater than Solomon is here-- and you refuse to listen to him. 43" When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, `I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. "
A psalm of David.
1 Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
2 I said to the LORD," You are my Master!
All the good things I have are from you. "
3 The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
4 Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow.
I will not take part in their sacrifices
or even speak the names of their gods.
5 LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
7 I will bless the LORD who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I know the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is filled with joy,
and my mouth shouts his praises!
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your godly one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say," Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you. "Do not plot against your neighbors, for they trust you. Don't make accusations against someone who hasn't wronged you. Do not envy violent people; don't copy their ways. Such wicked people are an abomination to the LORD, but he offers his friendship to the godly
MATTHEW 12:22- 45
PSALM 16:1- 11
PROVERBS 3:27- 32
So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived. 2 This is the history of Jacob's family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father's flocks with his half brothers, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. 3 Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day he gave Joseph a special gift-- a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because of their father's partiality. They couldn't say a kind word to him. 5 One night Joseph had a dream and promptly reported the details to his brothers, causing them to hate him even more. 6 "Listen to this dream," he announced. 7 "We were out in the field tying up bundles of grain. My bundle stood up, and then your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before it!" 8 "So you are going to be our king, are you?" his brothers taunted. And they hated him all the more for his dream and what he had said. 9 Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers about it. "Listen to this dream," he said. "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!" 10 This time he told his father as well as his brothers, and his father rebuked him. "What do you mean?" his father asked. "Will your mother, your brothers, and I actually come and bow before you?" 11 But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father gave it some thought and wondered what it all meant. 12 Soon after this, Joseph's brothers went to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem. 13 When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, "Your brothers are over at Shechem with the flocks. I'm going to send you to them." "I'm ready to go," Joseph replied. 14 "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along," Jacob said. "Then come back and bring me word." So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from his home in the valley of Hebron. 15 When he arrived there, a man noticed him wandering around the countryside. "What are you looking for?" he asked. 16 "For my brothers and their flocks," Joseph replied. "Have you seen them?" 17 "Yes," the man told him, "but they are no longer here. I heard your brothers say they were going to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. 18 When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance and made plans to kill him. 19 "Here comes that dreamer!" they exclaimed. 20 "Come on, let's kill him and throw him into a deep pit. We can tell our father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what becomes of all his dreams!" 21 But Reuben came to Joseph's rescue. "Let's not kill him," he said. 22 "Why should we shed his blood? Let's just throw him alive into this pit here. That way he will die without our having to touch him." Reuben was secretly planning to help Joseph escape, and then he would bring him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph arrived, they pulled off his beautiful robe 24 and threw him into the pit. This pit was normally used to store water, but it was empty at the time. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they noticed a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking spices, balm, and myrrh from Gilead to Egypt. 26 Judah said to the others, "What can we gain by killing our brother? That would just give us a guilty conscience. 27 Let's sell Joseph to those Ishmaelite traders. Let's not be responsible for his death; after all, he is our brother!" And his brothers agreed. 28 So when the traders came by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver, and the Ishmaelite traders took him along to Egypt. 29 Sometime later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the pit. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in anguish and frustration. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, "The boy is gone! What can I do now?" 31 Then Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They took the beautiful robe to their father and asked him to identify it. "We found this in the field," they told him. "It's Joseph's robe, isn't it?" 33 Their father recognized it at once. "Yes," he said, "it is my son's robe. A wild animal has attacked and eaten him. Surely Joseph has been torn in pieces!" 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He mourned deeply for his son for many days. 35 His family all tried to comfort him, but it was no use. "I will die in mourning for my son," he would say, and then begin to weep. 36 Meanwhile, in Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard. 38:1 ABOUT this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he visited a man named Hirah. 2 There he met a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. 3 She became pregnant and had a son, and Judah named the boy Er. 4 Then Judah's wife had another son, and she named him Onan. 5 And when she had a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah's birth, they were living at Kezib. 6 When his oldest son, Er, grew up, Judah arranged his marriage to a young woman named Tamar. 7 But Er was a wicked man in the LORD's sight, so the LORD took his life. 8 Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "You must marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. Her first son from you will be your brother's heir." 9 But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with Tamar, he spilled the semen on the ground to keep her from having a baby who would belong to his brother. 10 But the LORD considered it a wicked thing for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan's life, too. 11 Then Judah told Tamar, his daughter- in- law, not to marry again at that time but to return to her parents 'home. She was to remain a widow until his youngest son, Shelah, was old enough to marry her. (But Judah didn't really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went home to her parents. 12 In the course of time Judah's wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep. 13 Someone told Tamar that her father- in- law had left for the sheep- shearing at Timnah. 14 Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but they had not called her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. 15 Judah noticed her as he went by and thought she was a prostitute, since her face was veiled. 16 So he stopped and propositioned her to sleep with him, not realizing that she was his own daughter- in- law. "How much will you pay me?" Tamar asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," Judah promised. "What pledge will you give me so I can be sure you will send it?" she asked. 18 "Well, what do you want?" he inquired. She replied, "I want your identification seal, your cord, and the walking stick you are carrying." So Judah gave these items to her. She then let him sleep with her, and she became pregnant. 19 Afterward she went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing as usual. 20 Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat back to her and to pick up the pledges he had given her, but Hirah couldn't find her. 21 So he asked the men who lived there, "Where can I find the prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to the village?" "We've never had a prostitute here," they replied. 22 So Hirah returned to Judah and told him that he couldn't find her anywhere and that the men of the village had claimed they didn't have a prostitute there. 23 "Then let her keep the pledges!" Judah exclaimed. "We tried our best to send her the goat. We'd be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again." 24 About three months later, word reached Judah that Tamar, his daughter- in- law, was pregnant as a result of prostitution. "Bring her out and burn her!" Judah shouted. 25 But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father- in- law:"The man who owns this identification seal and walking stick is the father of my child. Do you recognize them?" 26 Judah admitted that they were his and said, "She is more in the right than I am, because I didn't keep my promise to let her marry my son Shelah." But Judah never slept with Tamar again. 27 In due season the time of Tamar's delivery arrived, and she had twin sons. 28 As they were being born, one of them reached out his hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around the wrist of the child who appeared first, saying, "This one came out first." 29 But then he drew back his hand, and the other baby was actually the first to be born. "What!" the midwife exclaimed. "How did you break out first?" And ever after, he was called Perez. 30 Then the baby with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.
Then a demon- possessed man, who was both blind and unable to talk, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed. "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?" they wondered out loud. 24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom at war with itself is doomed. A city or home divided against itself is doomed. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by the prince of demons, what about your own followers? They cast out demons, too, so they will judge you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 Let me illustrate this. You can't enter a strong man's house and rob him without first tying him up. Only then can his house be robbed! 30 Anyone who isn't helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me. 31" Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven-- except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who blasphemes against me, the Son of Man, can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. 33 "A tree is identified by its fruit. Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned." 38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove that you are from God." 39 But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The people of Nineveh will rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now someone greater than Jonah is here-- and you refuse to repent. 42 The queen of Sheba will also rise up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, because she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And now someone greater than Solomon is here-- and you refuse to listen to him. 43" When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, `I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. "
A psalm of David.
1 Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
2 I said to the LORD," You are my Master!
All the good things I have are from you. "
3 The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
4 Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow.
I will not take part in their sacrifices
or even speak the names of their gods.
5 LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
7 I will bless the LORD who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I know the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is filled with joy,
and my mouth shouts his praises!
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your godly one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say," Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you. "Do not plot against your neighbors, for they trust you. Don't make accusations against someone who hasn't wronged you. Do not envy violent people; don't copy their ways. Such wicked people are an abomination to the LORD, but he offers his friendship to the godly
Friday, January 17, 2014
What the Bible says about you.....Day 17
You have wisdom, righteousness and are sanctified and redeemed!
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
Sometimes we develop a mindset that we have to work to "earn" things from God. Christ has already paid the price and/or made the way for all that we have need of for life.
Most of us have so many questions or we simply don't know how to walk this walk, Christ gave His life so that we might have wisdom. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father now so the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and truth might always be with us.
As for righteousness, we can't be good enough to make it into heaven or even come into God's presence here on earth. Jesus became sin for us talking on all of our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God through Him. Does that mean we always act righteously or that God will bless everything we do? No! But what it does mean is that we have the privilege of having fellowship with the Lord always and have gained entrance into heaven not based on our works but His righteousness. As we mature, or grow in our sanctification we desire to sin less not out of fear of punishment but out of love for the Lord because of our growing love for Him.
I promised to keep these short so, very quickly. Sanctification is our process of growing to become like the Lord. Redemption is that a price had to be paid for our sin, we could not pay it with our works only Christ could pay it out of His great love for us. It has been paid in full. We just have to accept it.
Reading through the Word...Day 17
GENESIS 35:1- 36:43
MATTHEW 12:1- 21
PSALM 15:1- 5
PROVERBS 3:21- 26
God said to Jacob, "Now move on to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to worship me-- the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau." 2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, "Destroy your idols, wash yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has stayed with me wherever I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all their idols and their earrings, and he buried them beneath the tree near Shechem. 5 When they set out again, terror from God came over the people in all the towns of that area, and no one attacked them. 6 Finally, they arrived at Luz (now called Bethel) in Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and named it El- bethel, because God had appeared to him there at Bethel when he was fleeing from Esau. 8 Soon after this, Rebekah's old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called the "Oak of Weeping." 9 God appeared to Jacob once again when he arrived at Bethel after traveling from Paddan- aram. God blessed him 10 and said, "Your name is no longer Jacob; you will now be called Israel." 11 Then God said, "I am God Almighty. Multiply and fill the earth! Become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! 12 And I will pass on to you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants." 13 Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. 14 Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. He then poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15 Jacob called the place Bethel-- "house of God"-- because God had spoken to him there. 16 Leaving Bethel, they traveled on toward Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). But Rachel's pains of childbirth began while they were still some distance away. 17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, "Don't be afraid-- you have another son!" 18 Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named him Ben- oni; the baby's father, however, called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a stone monument over her grave, and it can be seen there to this day. 21 Jacob then traveled on and camped beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While he was there, Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and someone told Jacob about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob's oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant, were Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons born to Jacob at Paddan- aram. 27 So Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, which is near Kiriath- arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham had also lived. 28 Isaac lived for 180 years, 29 and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. Then his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him. 36:1 THIS is the history of the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom). 2 Esau married two young women from Canaan:Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. 3 He also married his cousin Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth. 4 Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz. Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel. 5 Esau and Oholibamah had sons named Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan. 6 Then Esau took his wives, children, household servants, cattle, and flocks-- all the wealth he had gained in the land of Canaan-- and moved away from his brother, Jacob. 7 There was not enough land to support them both because of all their cattle and livestock. 8 So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. 9 This is a list of Esau's descendants, the Edomites, who lived in the hill country of Seir. 10 Among Esau's sons were Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah; and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Eliphaz had another son named Amalek, born to Timna, his concubine. These were all grandchildren of Esau's wife Adah. 13 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were all grandchildren of Esau's wife Basemath. 14 Esau also had sons through Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon. Their names were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 15 Esau's children and grandchildren became the leaders of different clans. The sons of Esau's oldest son, Eliphaz, became the leaders of the clans of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These clans in the land of Edom were descended from Eliphaz, the son of Esau and Adah. 17 The sons of Esau's son Reuel became the leaders of the clans of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These clans in the land of Edom were descended from Reuel, the son of Esau and Basemath. 18 The sons of Esau and his wife Oholibamah became the leaders of the clans of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the clans descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. 19 These are all the clans descended from Esau (also known as Edom). 20 These are the names of the tribes that descended from Seir the Horite, one of the families native to the land of Seir:Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the Horite clans, the descendants of Seir, who lived in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Lotan's sister was named Timna. 23 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father's donkeys. 25 The son of Anah was Dishon, and Oholibamah was his daughter. 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 29 So the leaders of the Horite clans were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. The Horite clans are named after their clan leaders, who lived in the land of Seir. 31 These are the kings who ruled in Edom before there were kings in Israel:32 Bela son of Beor, who ruled from his city of Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who destroyed the Midianite army in the land of Moab. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River became king. 38 When Shaul died, Baal- hanan son of Acbor became king. 39 When Baal- hanan died, Hadad became king and ruled from the city of Pau. Hadad's wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me- zahab. 40 These are the leaders of the clans of Esau, who lived in the places named for them:Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These are the names of the clans of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites, each clan giving its name to the area it occupied.
At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off heads of wheat and eating the grain. 2 Some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, "Your disciples shouldn't be doing that! It's against the law to work by harvesting grain on the Sabbath." 3 But Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what King David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and they ate the special bread reserved for the priests alone. That was breaking the law, too. 5 And haven't you ever read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! 7 But you would not have condemned those who aren't guilty if you knew the meaning of this Scripture:`I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. '8 For I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath." 9 Then he went over to the synagogue, 10 where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath day?" (They were, of course, hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) 11 And he answered, "If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you get to work and pull it out? Of course, you would. 12 And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then he said to the man, "Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal, just like the other one. 14 Then the Pharisees called a meeting and discussed plans for killing Jesus. 15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. He left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to say who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:18 "Look at my Servant,
whom I have chosen.
He is my Beloved,
and I am very pleased with him.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not fight or shout;
he will not raise his voice in public.
20 He will not crush those who are weak,
or quench the smallest hope,
until he brings full justice with his final victory.
21 And his name will be the hope
of all the world."
A psalm of David.
1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
2 Those who lead blameless lives
and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
3 Those who refuse to slander others
or harm their neighbors
or speak evil of their friends.
4 Those who despise persistent sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the LORD
and keep their promises even when it hurts.
5 Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend,
and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.
My child, don't lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect. They keep you safe on your way and keep your feet from stumbling. You can lie down without fear and enjoy pleasant dreams. You need not be afraid of disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap
MATTHEW 12:1- 21
PSALM 15:1- 5
PROVERBS 3:21- 26
God said to Jacob, "Now move on to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to worship me-- the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau." 2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, "Destroy your idols, wash yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has stayed with me wherever I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all their idols and their earrings, and he buried them beneath the tree near Shechem. 5 When they set out again, terror from God came over the people in all the towns of that area, and no one attacked them. 6 Finally, they arrived at Luz (now called Bethel) in Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and named it El- bethel, because God had appeared to him there at Bethel when he was fleeing from Esau. 8 Soon after this, Rebekah's old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called the "Oak of Weeping." 9 God appeared to Jacob once again when he arrived at Bethel after traveling from Paddan- aram. God blessed him 10 and said, "Your name is no longer Jacob; you will now be called Israel." 11 Then God said, "I am God Almighty. Multiply and fill the earth! Become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! 12 And I will pass on to you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants." 13 Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. 14 Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. He then poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15 Jacob called the place Bethel-- "house of God"-- because God had spoken to him there. 16 Leaving Bethel, they traveled on toward Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). But Rachel's pains of childbirth began while they were still some distance away. 17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, "Don't be afraid-- you have another son!" 18 Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named him Ben- oni; the baby's father, however, called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a stone monument over her grave, and it can be seen there to this day. 21 Jacob then traveled on and camped beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While he was there, Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and someone told Jacob about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob's oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant, were Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons born to Jacob at Paddan- aram. 27 So Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, which is near Kiriath- arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham had also lived. 28 Isaac lived for 180 years, 29 and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. Then his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him. 36:1 THIS is the history of the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom). 2 Esau married two young women from Canaan:Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. 3 He also married his cousin Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth. 4 Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz. Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel. 5 Esau and Oholibamah had sons named Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan. 6 Then Esau took his wives, children, household servants, cattle, and flocks-- all the wealth he had gained in the land of Canaan-- and moved away from his brother, Jacob. 7 There was not enough land to support them both because of all their cattle and livestock. 8 So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. 9 This is a list of Esau's descendants, the Edomites, who lived in the hill country of Seir. 10 Among Esau's sons were Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah; and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Eliphaz had another son named Amalek, born to Timna, his concubine. These were all grandchildren of Esau's wife Adah. 13 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were all grandchildren of Esau's wife Basemath. 14 Esau also had sons through Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon. Their names were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 15 Esau's children and grandchildren became the leaders of different clans. The sons of Esau's oldest son, Eliphaz, became the leaders of the clans of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These clans in the land of Edom were descended from Eliphaz, the son of Esau and Adah. 17 The sons of Esau's son Reuel became the leaders of the clans of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These clans in the land of Edom were descended from Reuel, the son of Esau and Basemath. 18 The sons of Esau and his wife Oholibamah became the leaders of the clans of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the clans descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. 19 These are all the clans descended from Esau (also known as Edom). 20 These are the names of the tribes that descended from Seir the Horite, one of the families native to the land of Seir:Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the Horite clans, the descendants of Seir, who lived in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Lotan's sister was named Timna. 23 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father's donkeys. 25 The son of Anah was Dishon, and Oholibamah was his daughter. 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 29 So the leaders of the Horite clans were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. The Horite clans are named after their clan leaders, who lived in the land of Seir. 31 These are the kings who ruled in Edom before there were kings in Israel:32 Bela son of Beor, who ruled from his city of Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who destroyed the Midianite army in the land of Moab. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River became king. 38 When Shaul died, Baal- hanan son of Acbor became king. 39 When Baal- hanan died, Hadad became king and ruled from the city of Pau. Hadad's wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me- zahab. 40 These are the leaders of the clans of Esau, who lived in the places named for them:Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These are the names of the clans of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites, each clan giving its name to the area it occupied.
At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off heads of wheat and eating the grain. 2 Some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, "Your disciples shouldn't be doing that! It's against the law to work by harvesting grain on the Sabbath." 3 But Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what King David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and they ate the special bread reserved for the priests alone. That was breaking the law, too. 5 And haven't you ever read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! 7 But you would not have condemned those who aren't guilty if you knew the meaning of this Scripture:`I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. '8 For I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath." 9 Then he went over to the synagogue, 10 where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath day?" (They were, of course, hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) 11 And he answered, "If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you get to work and pull it out? Of course, you would. 12 And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then he said to the man, "Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal, just like the other one. 14 Then the Pharisees called a meeting and discussed plans for killing Jesus. 15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. He left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to say who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:18 "Look at my Servant,
whom I have chosen.
He is my Beloved,
and I am very pleased with him.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not fight or shout;
he will not raise his voice in public.
20 He will not crush those who are weak,
or quench the smallest hope,
until he brings full justice with his final victory.
21 And his name will be the hope
of all the world."
A psalm of David.
1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
2 Those who lead blameless lives
and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
3 Those who refuse to slander others
or harm their neighbors
or speak evil of their friends.
4 Those who despise persistent sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the LORD
and keep their promises even when it hurts.
5 Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend,
and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.
My child, don't lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect. They keep you safe on your way and keep your feet from stumbling. You can lie down without fear and enjoy pleasant dreams. You need not be afraid of disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap
Thursday, January 16, 2014
What the Bible says about you...Day 16
You are no longer a slave to sin!
Romans 6:6
"Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin"
There are many things that want to hold us back from the plan God has for us. Memories carry us through great times but they can also be used to keep us in bondage to past sins Christ took all of our sins all of our failures on the cross. They don't need to control us any more.
Christ died for all of our sin, present, past, and future. We no longer need to be slaves to our sins, we can simply take them to the Lord and he will forgive because of the blood of Jesus.
Look at your life. See what is holding you back. Evaluate what is holding you back from moving on in your walk with the Lord. Recognize there is no reason to allow it to stop you or hinder you from becoming all that God has called you to be.
You are free, choose to live like it!
Romans 6:6
"Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin"
There are many things that want to hold us back from the plan God has for us. Memories carry us through great times but they can also be used to keep us in bondage to past sins Christ took all of our sins all of our failures on the cross. They don't need to control us any more.
Christ died for all of our sin, present, past, and future. We no longer need to be slaves to our sins, we can simply take them to the Lord and he will forgive because of the blood of Jesus.
Look at your life. See what is holding you back. Evaluate what is holding you back from moving on in your walk with the Lord. Recognize there is no reason to allow it to stop you or hinder you from becoming all that God has called you to be.
You are free, choose to live like it!
Reading through the Word...Day 16
GENESIS 32:13- 34:31
MATTHEW 11:7- 30
PSALM 14:1- 7
PROVERBS 3:19- 20
Jacob stayed where he was for the night and prepared a present for Esau:14 two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16 He told his servants to lead them on ahead, each group of animals by itself, separated by a distance in between. 17 He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group:"When you meet Esau, he will ask, `Where are you going? Whose servants are you? Whose animals are these? '18 You should reply, `These belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present for his master Esau! He is coming right behind us.'" 19 Jacob gave the same instructions to each of the herdsmen and told them, "You are all to say the same thing to Esau when you see him. 20 And be sure to say, `Your servant Jacob is right behind us. '" Jacob's plan was to appease Esau with the presents before meeting him face to face. "Perhaps," Jacob hoped, "he will be friendly to us." 21 So the presents were sent on ahead, and Jacob spent that night in the camp. 22 But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. 23 After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. 25 When the man saw that he couldn't win the match, he struck Jacob's hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is dawn." But Jacob panted, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 "What is your name?" the man asked. He replied, "Jacob." 28 "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won." 29 "What is your name?" Jacob asked him. "Why do you ask?" the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel-- "face of God"-- for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared." 31 The sun rose as he left Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 That is why even today the people of Israel don't eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night. 33:1 THEN, in the distance, Jacob saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. 2 Jacob now arranged his family into a column, with his two concubines and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed low seven times before him. 4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him affectionately and kissed him. Both of them were in tears. 5 Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, "Who are these people with you?" "These are the children God has graciously given to me," Jacob replied. 6 Then the concubines came forward with their children and bowed low before him. 7 Next Leah came with her children, and they bowed down. Finally, Rachel and Joseph came and made their bows. 8 "And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?" Esau asked. Jacob replied, "They are gifts, my lord, to ensure your goodwill." 9 "Brother, I have plenty," Esau answered. "Keep what you have." 10 "No, please accept them," Jacob said, "for what a relief it is to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the smile of God! 11 Please take my gifts, for God has been very generous to me. I have more than enough." Jacob continued to insist, so Esau finally accepted them. 12 "Well, let's be going," Esau said. "I will stay with you and lead the way." 13 But Jacob replied, "You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, they may die. 14 So go on ahead of us. We will follow at our own pace and meet you at Seir." 15 "Well," Esau said, "at least let me leave some of my men to guide and protect you." "There is no reason for you to be so kind to me," Jacob insisted. 16 So Esau started back to Seir that same day. 17 Meanwhile, Jacob and his household traveled on to Succoth. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his flocks and herds. That is why the place was named Succoth. 18 Then they arrived safely at Shechem, in Canaan, and they set up camp just outside the town. 19 Jacob bought the land he camped on from the family of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 And there he built an altar and called it El- Elohe- Israel. 34:1 ONE day Dinah, Leah's daughter, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. 2 But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 But Shechem's love for Dinah was strong, and he tried to win her affection. 4 He even spoke to his father about it. "Get this girl for me," he demanded. "I want to marry her." 5 Word soon reached Jacob that his daughter had been defiled, but his sons were out in the fields herding cattle so he did nothing until they returned. 6 Meanwhile, Hamor, Shechem's father, came out to discuss the matter with Jacob. 7 He arrived just as Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob's family, a thing that should never have been done. 8 Hamor told Jacob and his sons, "My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter, and he longs for her to be his wife. Please let him marry her. 9 We invite you to let your daughters marry our sons, and we will give our daughters as wives for your young men. 10 And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. You are free to acquire property among us." 11 Then Shechem addressed Dinah's father and brothers. "Please be kind to me, and let me have her as my wife," he begged. "I will give whatever you require. 12 No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will pay it-- only give me the girl as my wife." 13 But Dinah's brothers deceived Shechem and Hamor because of what Shechem had done to their sister. 14 They said to them, "We couldn't possibly allow this, because you aren't circumcised. It would be a disgrace for her to marry a man like you! 15 But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, 16 we will intermarry with you and live here and unite with you to become one people. 17 Otherwise we will take her and be on our way." 18 Hamor and Shechem gladly agreed, 19 and Shechem lost no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Dinah desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, 20 and he appeared with his father before the town leaders to present this proposal. 21 "Those men are our friends," they said. "Let's invite them to live here among us and ply their trade. For the land is large enough to hold them, and we can intermarry with them. 22 But they will consider staying here only on one condition. Every one of us men must be circumcised, just as they are. 23 But if we do this, all their flocks and possessions will become ours. Come, let's agree to this so they will settle here among us." 24 So all the men agreed and were circumcised. 25 But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, took their swords, entered the town without opposition, and slaughtered every man there, 26 including Hamor and Shechem. They rescued Dinah from Shechem's house and returned to their camp. 27 Then all of Jacob's sons plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. 28 They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys-- everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. 29 They also took all the women and children and wealth of every kind. 30 Afterward Jacob said to Levi and Simeon, "You have made me stink among all the people of this land-- among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will come and crush us. We will all be killed!" 31 "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" they retorted angrily.
When John's disciples had gone, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. "Who is this man in the wilderness that you went out to see? Did you find him weak as a reed, moved by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? Those who dress like that live in palaces, not out in the wilderness. 9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, `Look, I am sending my messenger before you,
and he will prepare your way before you.'
11" I assure you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people attack it. 13 For before John came, all the teachings of the Scriptures looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. 15 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! 16 "How shall I describe this generation? These people are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 17 `We played wedding songs, and you weren't happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren't sad. '18 For John the Baptist didn't drink wine and he often fasted, and you say, `He's demon possessed.' 19 And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say, `He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst sort of sinners! 'But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where he had done most of his miracles, because they hadn't turned from their sins and turned to God. 21 "What horrors await you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have sat in deep repentance long ago, clothed in sackcloth and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 22 I assure you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on the judgment day than you! 23 And you people of Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today. 24 I assure you, Sodom will be better off on the judgment day than you." 25 Then Jesus prayed this prayer:"O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! 27" My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. "28 Then Jesus said," Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. "
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 Only fools say in their hearts,
" There is no God. "
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
no one does good!
2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding,
one who seeks for God.
3 But no, all have turned away from God;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not even one!
4 Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread;
they wouldn't think of praying to the LORD.
5 Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.
6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the LORD will protect his people.
7 Oh, that salvation would come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel!
For when the LORD restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.
By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the clouds poured down rain
MATTHEW 11:7- 30
PSALM 14:1- 7
PROVERBS 3:19- 20
Jacob stayed where he was for the night and prepared a present for Esau:14 two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16 He told his servants to lead them on ahead, each group of animals by itself, separated by a distance in between. 17 He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group:"When you meet Esau, he will ask, `Where are you going? Whose servants are you? Whose animals are these? '18 You should reply, `These belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present for his master Esau! He is coming right behind us.'" 19 Jacob gave the same instructions to each of the herdsmen and told them, "You are all to say the same thing to Esau when you see him. 20 And be sure to say, `Your servant Jacob is right behind us. '" Jacob's plan was to appease Esau with the presents before meeting him face to face. "Perhaps," Jacob hoped, "he will be friendly to us." 21 So the presents were sent on ahead, and Jacob spent that night in the camp. 22 But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. 23 After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. 25 When the man saw that he couldn't win the match, he struck Jacob's hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is dawn." But Jacob panted, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 "What is your name?" the man asked. He replied, "Jacob." 28 "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won." 29 "What is your name?" Jacob asked him. "Why do you ask?" the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel-- "face of God"-- for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared." 31 The sun rose as he left Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 That is why even today the people of Israel don't eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night. 33:1 THEN, in the distance, Jacob saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. 2 Jacob now arranged his family into a column, with his two concubines and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed low seven times before him. 4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him affectionately and kissed him. Both of them were in tears. 5 Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, "Who are these people with you?" "These are the children God has graciously given to me," Jacob replied. 6 Then the concubines came forward with their children and bowed low before him. 7 Next Leah came with her children, and they bowed down. Finally, Rachel and Joseph came and made their bows. 8 "And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?" Esau asked. Jacob replied, "They are gifts, my lord, to ensure your goodwill." 9 "Brother, I have plenty," Esau answered. "Keep what you have." 10 "No, please accept them," Jacob said, "for what a relief it is to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the smile of God! 11 Please take my gifts, for God has been very generous to me. I have more than enough." Jacob continued to insist, so Esau finally accepted them. 12 "Well, let's be going," Esau said. "I will stay with you and lead the way." 13 But Jacob replied, "You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, they may die. 14 So go on ahead of us. We will follow at our own pace and meet you at Seir." 15 "Well," Esau said, "at least let me leave some of my men to guide and protect you." "There is no reason for you to be so kind to me," Jacob insisted. 16 So Esau started back to Seir that same day. 17 Meanwhile, Jacob and his household traveled on to Succoth. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his flocks and herds. That is why the place was named Succoth. 18 Then they arrived safely at Shechem, in Canaan, and they set up camp just outside the town. 19 Jacob bought the land he camped on from the family of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 And there he built an altar and called it El- Elohe- Israel. 34:1 ONE day Dinah, Leah's daughter, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. 2 But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 But Shechem's love for Dinah was strong, and he tried to win her affection. 4 He even spoke to his father about it. "Get this girl for me," he demanded. "I want to marry her." 5 Word soon reached Jacob that his daughter had been defiled, but his sons were out in the fields herding cattle so he did nothing until they returned. 6 Meanwhile, Hamor, Shechem's father, came out to discuss the matter with Jacob. 7 He arrived just as Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob's family, a thing that should never have been done. 8 Hamor told Jacob and his sons, "My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter, and he longs for her to be his wife. Please let him marry her. 9 We invite you to let your daughters marry our sons, and we will give our daughters as wives for your young men. 10 And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. You are free to acquire property among us." 11 Then Shechem addressed Dinah's father and brothers. "Please be kind to me, and let me have her as my wife," he begged. "I will give whatever you require. 12 No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will pay it-- only give me the girl as my wife." 13 But Dinah's brothers deceived Shechem and Hamor because of what Shechem had done to their sister. 14 They said to them, "We couldn't possibly allow this, because you aren't circumcised. It would be a disgrace for her to marry a man like you! 15 But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, 16 we will intermarry with you and live here and unite with you to become one people. 17 Otherwise we will take her and be on our way." 18 Hamor and Shechem gladly agreed, 19 and Shechem lost no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Dinah desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, 20 and he appeared with his father before the town leaders to present this proposal. 21 "Those men are our friends," they said. "Let's invite them to live here among us and ply their trade. For the land is large enough to hold them, and we can intermarry with them. 22 But they will consider staying here only on one condition. Every one of us men must be circumcised, just as they are. 23 But if we do this, all their flocks and possessions will become ours. Come, let's agree to this so they will settle here among us." 24 So all the men agreed and were circumcised. 25 But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, took their swords, entered the town without opposition, and slaughtered every man there, 26 including Hamor and Shechem. They rescued Dinah from Shechem's house and returned to their camp. 27 Then all of Jacob's sons plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. 28 They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys-- everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. 29 They also took all the women and children and wealth of every kind. 30 Afterward Jacob said to Levi and Simeon, "You have made me stink among all the people of this land-- among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will come and crush us. We will all be killed!" 31 "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" they retorted angrily.
When John's disciples had gone, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. "Who is this man in the wilderness that you went out to see? Did you find him weak as a reed, moved by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? Those who dress like that live in palaces, not out in the wilderness. 9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, `Look, I am sending my messenger before you,
and he will prepare your way before you.'
11" I assure you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people attack it. 13 For before John came, all the teachings of the Scriptures looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. 15 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! 16 "How shall I describe this generation? These people are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 17 `We played wedding songs, and you weren't happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren't sad. '18 For John the Baptist didn't drink wine and he often fasted, and you say, `He's demon possessed.' 19 And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say, `He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst sort of sinners! 'But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where he had done most of his miracles, because they hadn't turned from their sins and turned to God. 21 "What horrors await you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have sat in deep repentance long ago, clothed in sackcloth and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 22 I assure you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on the judgment day than you! 23 And you people of Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today. 24 I assure you, Sodom will be better off on the judgment day than you." 25 Then Jesus prayed this prayer:"O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! 27" My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. "28 Then Jesus said," Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. "
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 Only fools say in their hearts,
" There is no God. "
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
no one does good!
2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding,
one who seeks for God.
3 But no, all have turned away from God;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not even one!
4 Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread;
they wouldn't think of praying to the LORD.
5 Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.
6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the LORD will protect his people.
7 Oh, that salvation would come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel!
For when the LORD restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.
By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the clouds poured down rain
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
What the Bible says about you...Day 15
You are a branch that bears fruit
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing"
John15: 1,5
We are in the vine. A branch in the vine naturally will have the flow of strength, life, power, health from the vine. A branch will naturally bear fruit not of its own but simply because it is tied into the vine.
We worry so often about accomplishing things for the Lord. We get concerned about hearing from the Lord or flowing by the Spirit. We are part of the vine we have the Lord flowing in and through us all of the time.
Relax, the Lord is always pouring through you. You are connected to the Lord always. He will never leave us or forsake us because He is always living life through us, there is no limit to what we can accomplish in the Kingdom because we are plugged directly into the vine.
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing"
John15: 1,5
We are in the vine. A branch in the vine naturally will have the flow of strength, life, power, health from the vine. A branch will naturally bear fruit not of its own but simply because it is tied into the vine.
We worry so often about accomplishing things for the Lord. We get concerned about hearing from the Lord or flowing by the Spirit. We are part of the vine we have the Lord flowing in and through us all of the time.
Relax, the Lord is always pouring through you. You are connected to the Lord always. He will never leave us or forsake us because He is always living life through us, there is no limit to what we can accomplish in the Kingdom because we are plugged directly into the vine.
Reading through the Word....Day 15
GENESIS 31:17- 32:12
MATTHEW 10:24- 11:6
PSALM 13:1- 6
PROVERBS 3:16- 18
So Jacob put his wives and children on camels. 18 He drove the flocks in front of him-- all the livestock he had acquired at Paddan- aram-- and set out on his journey to the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived. 19 At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father's household gods and took them with her. 20 They set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving. 21 Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the territory of Gilead. 22 Laban didn't learn of their flight for three days. 23 But when he did, he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with them seven days later in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But the previous night God had appeared to Laban in a dream. "Be careful about what you say to Jacob!" he was told. 25 So when Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, he set up his camp not far from Jacob's. 26 "What do you mean by sneaking off like this?" Laban demanded. "Are my daughters prisoners, the plunder of war, that you have stolen them away like this? 27 Why did you slip away secretly? I would have given you a farewell party, with joyful singing accompanied by tambourines and harps. 28 Why didn't you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good- bye? You have acted very foolishly! 29 I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and told me, `Be careful about what you say to Jacob! '30 I know you feel you must go, and you long intensely for your childhood home, but why have you stolen my household gods?" 31 "I rushed away because I was afraid," Jacob answered. "I said to myself, `He'll take his daughters from me by force.' 32 But as for your household gods, let the person who has taken them die! If you find anything that belongs to you, I swear before all these relatives of ours, I will give it back without question." But Jacob didn't know that Rachel had taken them. 33 Laban went first into Jacob's tent to search there, then into Leah's, and then he searched the tents of the two concubines, but he didn't find the gods. Finally, he went into Rachel's tent. 34 Rachel had taken the household gods and had stuffed them into her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. So although Laban searched all the tents, he couldn't find them. 35 "Forgive my not getting up, Father," Rachel explained. "I'm having my monthly period." So despite his thorough search, Laban didn't find them. 36 Then Jacob became very angry. "What did you find?" he demanded of Laban. "What is my crime? You have chased me as though I were a criminal. 37 You have searched through everything I own. Now show me what you have found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them decide who is the real owner! 38" Twenty years I have been with you, and all that time I cared for your sheep and goats so they produced healthy offspring. In all those years I never touched a single ram of yours for food. 39 If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, did I show them to you and ask you to reduce the count of your flock? No, I took the loss! You made me pay for every animal stolen from the flocks, whether the loss was my fault or not. 40 I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. 41 Yes, twenty years-- fourteen of them earning your two daughters, and six years to get the flock. And you have reduced my wages ten times! 42 In fact, except for the grace of God-- the God of my grandfather Abraham, the awe- inspiring God of my father, Isaac-- you would have sent me off without a penny to my name. But God has seen your cruelty and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and vindicated me. "43 Then Laban replied to Jacob," These women are my daughters, and these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks and all that you have-- all are mine. But what can I do now to my own daughters and grandchildren? 44 Come now, and we will make a peace treaty, you and I, and we will live by its terms. "45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. 46 He also told his men to gather stones and pile them up in a heap. Jacob and Laban then sat down beside the pile of stones to share a meal. 47 They named it" Witness Pile, "which is Jegar- sahadutha in Laban's language and Galeed in Jacob's. 48" This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of our agreement, "Laban said. 49 This place was also called Mizpah, for Laban said," May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this treaty when we are out of each other's sight. 50 I won't know about it if you are harsh to my daughters or if you take other wives, but God will see it. 51 This heap of stones and this pillar 52 stand between us as a witness of our vows. I will not cross this line to harm you, and you will not cross it to harm me. 53 I call on the God of our ancestors-- the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor-- to punish either one of us who harms the other. "So Jacob took an oath before the awesome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. 54 Then Jacob presented a sacrifice to God and invited everyone to a feast. Afterward they spent the night there in the hills. 55 Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his daughters and grandchildren and blessed them. Then he returned home. 32:1 AS Jacob and his household started on their way again, angels of God came to meet him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed," This is God's camp! "So he named the place Mahanaim. 3 Jacob now sent messengers to his brother, Esau, in Edom, the land of Seir. 4 He told them," Give this message to my master Esau:`Humble greetings from your servant Jacob! I have been living with Uncle Laban until recently, 5 and now I own oxen, donkeys, sheep, goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform you of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to us. '"6 The messengers returned with the news that Esau was on his way to meet Jacob-- with an army of four hundred men! 7 Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps. 8 He thought," If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape. "9 Then Jacob prayed," O God of my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac-- O LORD, you told me to return to my land and to my relatives, and you promised to treat me kindly. 10 I am not worthy of all the faithfulness and unfailing love you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home, I owned nothing except a walking stick, and now my household fills two camps! 11 O LORD, please rescue me from my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to kill me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised to treat me kindly and to multiply my descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore-- too many to count. "
" A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. 25 The student shares the teacher's fate. The servant shares the master's fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household! 26 But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. 27 What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear! 28 "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows. 32" If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven. 33 But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven. 34 "Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. 35 I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household! 37 If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it. 40" Anyone who welcomes you is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me. 41 If you welcome a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will receive the same reward a prophet gets. And if you welcome good and godly people because of their godliness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded. "11:1 WHEN Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went off teaching and preaching in towns throughout the country. 2 John the Baptist, who was now in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3" Are you really the Messiah we've been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else? "4 Jesus told them," Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen-- 5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him:`God blesses those who are not offended by me.' "
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don't let my enemies gloat, saying," We have defeated him! "
Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailinglove.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.
She [wisdom] offers you life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Reading through the Word.....Day 14
GENESIS 30:1- 31:16
MATTHEW 10:1- 23
PSALM 12:1- 8
PROVERBS 3:13- 15
When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children, she became jealous of her sister. "Give me children, or I'll die!" she exclaimed to Jacob. 2 Jacob flew into a rage. "Am I God?" he asked. "He is the only one able to give you children!" 3 Then Rachel told him, "Sleep with my servant, Bilhah, and she will bear children for me." 4 So Rachel gave him Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, "God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son." 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, "I have had an intense struggle with my sister, and I am winning!" 9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, so she gave her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob to be his wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with another son. 11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, "How fortunate I am!" 12 Then Zilpah produced a second son, 13 and Leah named him Asher, for she said, "What joy is mine! The other women will consider me happy indeed!" 14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought the roots to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah to give some of them to her. 15 But Leah angrily replied, "Wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son's mandrake roots, too?" Rachel said, "I will let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for the mandrake roots." 16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me tonight!" she said. "I have paid for you with some mandrake roots my son has found." So Jacob slept with her. 17 And God answered her prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to her fifth son. 18 She named him Issachar, for she said, "God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife." 19 Then she became pregnant again and had a sixth son. 20 She named him Zebulun, for she said, "God has given me good gifts for my husband. Now he will honor me, for I have given him six sons." 21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by giving her a child. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. "God has removed my shame," she said. 24 And she named him Joseph, for she said, "May the LORD give me yet another son." 25 Soon after Joseph was born to Rachel, Jacob said to Laban, "I want to go back home. 26 Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them from you, and let me be on my way. You know I have fully paid for them with my service to you." 27 "Please don't leave me," Laban replied, "for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because you are here. 28 How much do I owe you? Whatever it is, I'll pay it." 29 Jacob replied, "You know how faithfully I've served you through these many years, and how your flocks and herds have grown. 30 You had little indeed before I came, and your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD has blessed you from everything I do! But now, what about me? When should I provide for my own family?" 31 "What wages do you want?" Laban asked again. Jacob replied, "Don't give me anything at all. Just do one thing, and I'll go back to work for you. 32 Let me go out among your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the dark- colored sheep. Give them to me as my wages. 33 This will make it easy for you to see whether or not I have been honest. If you find in my flock any white sheep or goats that are not speckled, you will know that I have stolen them from you." 34 "All right," Laban replied. "It will be as you have said." 35 But that very day Laban went out and removed all the male goats that were speckled and spotted, the females that were speckled and spotted with any white patches, and all the dark- colored sheep. He placed them in the care of his sons, 36 and they took them three days 'distance from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for Laban's flock. 37 Now Jacob took fresh shoots from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of the bark to make white streaks on them. 38 Then he set up these peeled branches beside the watering troughs so Laban's flocks would see them as they came to drink, for that was when they mated. 39 So when the flocks mated in front of the white- streaked branches, all of their offspring were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob added them to his own flock, thus separating the lambs from Laban's flock. Then at mating time, he turned the flocks toward the streaked and dark- colored rams in Laban's flock. This is how he built his flock from Laban's. 41 Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob set up the peeled branches in front of them. 42 But he didn't do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob's. 43 As a result, Jacob's flocks increased rapidly, and he became very wealthy, with many servants, camels, and donkeys. 31:1 BUT Jacob soon learned that Laban's sons were beginning to grumble. "Jacob has robbed our father!" they said. "All his wealth has been gained at our father's expense." 2 And Jacob began to notice a considerable cooling in Laban's attitude toward him. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you." 4 Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching the flocks, 5 so he could talk things over with them. "Your father has turned against me and is not treating me like he used to," he told them. "But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I have worked for your father, 7 but he has tricked me, breaking his wage agreement with me again and again. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. 8 For if he said the speckled animals were mine, the whole flock began to produce speckled lambs. And when he changed his mind and said I could have the streaked ones, then all the lambs were born streaked. 9 In this way, God has made me wealthy at your father's expense. 10 During the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, `Jacob!' And I replied, `Yes, I'm listening! '12 The angel said, `Look, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God you met at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land you came from.'" 14 Rachel and Leah said, "That's fine with us! There's nothing for us here-- none of our father's wealth will come to us anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. He sold us, and what he received for us has disappeared. 16 The riches God has given you from our father are legally ours and our children's to begin with. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you."
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles:first Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter's brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James's brother), 3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, 4 Simon (the Zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). 5 Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with these instructions:"Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel-- God's lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! 9" Don't take any money with you. 10 Don't carry a traveler's bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick. Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. 11 Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy man and stay in his home until you leave for the next town. 12 When you are invited into someone's home, give it your blessing. 13 If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. 14 If a village doesn't welcome you or listen to you, shake off the dust of that place from your feet as you leave. 15 I assure you, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off on the judgment day than that place will be. 16 "Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. 18 And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me-- yes, to witness to the world. 19 When you are arrested, don't worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. 20 For it won't be you doing the talking-- it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21" Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22 And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I assure you that I, the Son of Man, will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel. "
For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight- stringed instrument.
1 Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and insincere hearts.
3 May the LORD bring their flattery to an end
and silence their proud tongues.
4 They say," We will lie to our hearts 'content.
Our lips are our own-- who can stop us? "
5 The LORD replies," I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do. "
6 The LORD's promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
and silence their proud tongues.
4 They say," We will lie to our hearts 'content.
Our lips are our own-- who can stop us? "
5 The LORD replies," I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do. "
6 The LORD's promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, LORD, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.
Happy is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding. For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her
MATTHEW 10:1- 23
PSALM 12:1- 8
PROVERBS 3:13- 15
When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children, she became jealous of her sister. "Give me children, or I'll die!" she exclaimed to Jacob. 2 Jacob flew into a rage. "Am I God?" he asked. "He is the only one able to give you children!" 3 Then Rachel told him, "Sleep with my servant, Bilhah, and she will bear children for me." 4 So Rachel gave him Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, "God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son." 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, "I have had an intense struggle with my sister, and I am winning!" 9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, so she gave her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob to be his wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with another son. 11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, "How fortunate I am!" 12 Then Zilpah produced a second son, 13 and Leah named him Asher, for she said, "What joy is mine! The other women will consider me happy indeed!" 14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought the roots to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah to give some of them to her. 15 But Leah angrily replied, "Wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son's mandrake roots, too?" Rachel said, "I will let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for the mandrake roots." 16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me tonight!" she said. "I have paid for you with some mandrake roots my son has found." So Jacob slept with her. 17 And God answered her prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to her fifth son. 18 She named him Issachar, for she said, "God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife." 19 Then she became pregnant again and had a sixth son. 20 She named him Zebulun, for she said, "God has given me good gifts for my husband. Now he will honor me, for I have given him six sons." 21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by giving her a child. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. "God has removed my shame," she said. 24 And she named him Joseph, for she said, "May the LORD give me yet another son." 25 Soon after Joseph was born to Rachel, Jacob said to Laban, "I want to go back home. 26 Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them from you, and let me be on my way. You know I have fully paid for them with my service to you." 27 "Please don't leave me," Laban replied, "for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because you are here. 28 How much do I owe you? Whatever it is, I'll pay it." 29 Jacob replied, "You know how faithfully I've served you through these many years, and how your flocks and herds have grown. 30 You had little indeed before I came, and your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD has blessed you from everything I do! But now, what about me? When should I provide for my own family?" 31 "What wages do you want?" Laban asked again. Jacob replied, "Don't give me anything at all. Just do one thing, and I'll go back to work for you. 32 Let me go out among your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the dark- colored sheep. Give them to me as my wages. 33 This will make it easy for you to see whether or not I have been honest. If you find in my flock any white sheep or goats that are not speckled, you will know that I have stolen them from you." 34 "All right," Laban replied. "It will be as you have said." 35 But that very day Laban went out and removed all the male goats that were speckled and spotted, the females that were speckled and spotted with any white patches, and all the dark- colored sheep. He placed them in the care of his sons, 36 and they took them three days 'distance from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for Laban's flock. 37 Now Jacob took fresh shoots from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of the bark to make white streaks on them. 38 Then he set up these peeled branches beside the watering troughs so Laban's flocks would see them as they came to drink, for that was when they mated. 39 So when the flocks mated in front of the white- streaked branches, all of their offspring were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob added them to his own flock, thus separating the lambs from Laban's flock. Then at mating time, he turned the flocks toward the streaked and dark- colored rams in Laban's flock. This is how he built his flock from Laban's. 41 Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob set up the peeled branches in front of them. 42 But he didn't do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob's. 43 As a result, Jacob's flocks increased rapidly, and he became very wealthy, with many servants, camels, and donkeys. 31:1 BUT Jacob soon learned that Laban's sons were beginning to grumble. "Jacob has robbed our father!" they said. "All his wealth has been gained at our father's expense." 2 And Jacob began to notice a considerable cooling in Laban's attitude toward him. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you." 4 Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching the flocks, 5 so he could talk things over with them. "Your father has turned against me and is not treating me like he used to," he told them. "But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I have worked for your father, 7 but he has tricked me, breaking his wage agreement with me again and again. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. 8 For if he said the speckled animals were mine, the whole flock began to produce speckled lambs. And when he changed his mind and said I could have the streaked ones, then all the lambs were born streaked. 9 In this way, God has made me wealthy at your father's expense. 10 During the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, `Jacob!' And I replied, `Yes, I'm listening! '12 The angel said, `Look, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God you met at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land you came from.'" 14 Rachel and Leah said, "That's fine with us! There's nothing for us here-- none of our father's wealth will come to us anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. He sold us, and what he received for us has disappeared. 16 The riches God has given you from our father are legally ours and our children's to begin with. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you."
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles:first Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter's brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James's brother), 3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, 4 Simon (the Zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). 5 Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with these instructions:"Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel-- God's lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! 9" Don't take any money with you. 10 Don't carry a traveler's bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick. Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. 11 Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy man and stay in his home until you leave for the next town. 12 When you are invited into someone's home, give it your blessing. 13 If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. 14 If a village doesn't welcome you or listen to you, shake off the dust of that place from your feet as you leave. 15 I assure you, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off on the judgment day than that place will be. 16 "Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. 18 And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me-- yes, to witness to the world. 19 When you are arrested, don't worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. 20 For it won't be you doing the talking-- it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21" Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22 And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I assure you that I, the Son of Man, will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel. "
For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight- stringed instrument.
1 Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and insincere hearts.
3 May the LORD bring their flattery to an end
and silence their proud tongues.
4 They say," We will lie to our hearts 'content.
Our lips are our own-- who can stop us? "
5 The LORD replies," I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do. "
6 The LORD's promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
and silence their proud tongues.
4 They say," We will lie to our hearts 'content.
Our lips are our own-- who can stop us? "
5 The LORD replies," I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do. "
6 The LORD's promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, LORD, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.
Happy is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding. For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her
Monday, January 13, 2014
What the Bible says about you...Day 13
I am a friend of Jesus
John 15:15
"I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me"
What does it mean to you to have a good friend or even a best friend?
Put all of those things together and multiply them but hundreds of times and you have the beginnings of what a friend you have in Jesus.
We are told the Lord is a friend who is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
Jesus loves you unconditionally, supports you and believes in you completely. He always wants your best and has your back.
Friends are someone you can completely be yourself with and they still love you. They are someone who enjoys being with you. they are someone who likes and loves you just for you.
This is all part of what it means to have Jesus as a friend. Think about that today. In what whys do you need Him to be your friend today?
He will be there for you!
John 15:15
"I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me"
What does it mean to you to have a good friend or even a best friend?
Put all of those things together and multiply them but hundreds of times and you have the beginnings of what a friend you have in Jesus.
We are told the Lord is a friend who is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
Jesus loves you unconditionally, supports you and believes in you completely. He always wants your best and has your back.
Friends are someone you can completely be yourself with and they still love you. They are someone who enjoys being with you. they are someone who likes and loves you just for you.
This is all part of what it means to have Jesus as a friend. Think about that today. In what whys do you need Him to be your friend today?
He will be there for you!
Reading through the Word...Day 13
GENESIS 28:1- 29:35
MATTHEW 9:18- 38
PSALM 11:1- 7
PROVERBS 3:11- 12
So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, "Do not marry any of these Canaanite women. 2 Instead, go at once to Paddan- aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban's daughters. 3 May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants become a great assembly of nations! 4 May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where we now are foreigners, for God gave it to Abraham." 5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan- aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean. 6 Esau heard that his father had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan- aram to find a wife, and that he had warned Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. 7 He also knew that Jacob had obeyed his parents and gone to Paddan- aram. 8 It was now very clear to Esau that his father despised the local Canaanite women. 9 So he visited his uncle Ishmael's family and married one of Ishmael's daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife's name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son. 10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone for a pillow and lay down to sleep. 12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from earth to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down on it. 13 At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, "I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I will give it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. *15 What's more, I will be with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. I will someday bring you safely back to this land. I will be with you constantly until I have finished giving you everything I have promised." 16 Then Jacob woke up and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God-- the gateway to heaven!" 18 The next morning he got up very early. He took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named the place Bethel-- "house of God"-- though the name of the nearby village was Luz. 20 Then Jacob made this vow:"If God will be with me and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothing, 21 and if he will bring me back safely to my father, then I will make the LORD my God. 22 This memorial pillar will become a place for worshiping God, and I will give God a tenth of everything he gives me." 29:1 JACOB hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. 2 He saw in the distance three flocks of sheep lying in an open field beside a well, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well. 3 It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone. After watering them, the stone would be rolled back over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked them, "Where do you live?" "At Haran," they said. 5 "Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?" "Yes, we do," they replied. 6 "How is he?" Jacob asked. "He's well and prosperous. Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 7 "Why don't you water the flocks so they can get back to grazing?" Jacob asked. "They'll be hungry if you stop so early in the day." 8 "We don't roll away the stone and begin the watering until all the flocks and shepherds are here," they replied. 9 As this conversation was going on, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 And because she was his cousin, the daughter of his mother's brother, and because the sheep were his uncle's, Jacob went over to the well and rolled away the stone and watered his uncle's flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and tears came to his eyes. 12 He explained that he was her cousin on her father's side, her aunt Rebekah's son. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban. 13 As soon as Laban heard about Jacob's arrival, he rushed out to meet him and greeted him warmly. Laban then brought him home, and Jacob told him his story. 14 "Just think, my very own flesh and blood!" Laban exclaimed. After Jacob had been there about a month, 15 Laban said to him, "You shouldn't work for me without pay just because we are relatives. How much do you want?" 16 Now Laban had two daughters:Leah, who was the oldest, and her younger sister, Rachel. 17 Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel was beautiful in every way, with a lovely face and shapely figure. 18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, "I'll work for you seven years if you'll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife." 19 "Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you than to someone outside the family." 20 So Jacob spent the next seven years working to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. 21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. "I have fulfilled my contract," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife so we can be married." 22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood to celebrate with Jacob at a wedding feast. 23 That night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid. 25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning-- it was Leah! "What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?" 26 "It's not our custom to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn," Laban replied. 27 "Wait until the bridal week is over, and you can have Rachel, too-- that is, if you promise to work another seven years for me." 28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 And Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid. 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her more than Leah. He then stayed and worked the additional seven years. 31 But because Leah was unloved, the LORD let her have a child, while Rachel was childless. 32 So Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me." 33 She soon became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, "The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son." 34 Again she became pregnant and had a son. She named him Levi, for she said, "Surely now my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!" 35 Once again she became pregnant and had a son. She named him Judah, for she said, "Now I will praise the LORD!" And then she stopped having children.
As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt down before him. "My daughter has just died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand upon her." 19 As Jesus and the disciples were going to the official's home, 20 a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed." 22 Jesus turned around and said to her, "Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed at that moment. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official's home, he noticed the noisy crowds and heard the funeral music. 24 He said, "Go away, for the girl isn't dead; she's only asleep." But the crowd laughed at him. 25 When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. 27 After Jesus left the girl's home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" 28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do." 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen." 30 And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, "Don't tell anyone about this." 31 But instead, they spread his fame all over the region. 32 When they left, some people brought to him a man who couldn't speak because he was possessed by a demon. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man could talk. The crowds marveled. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!" they exclaimed. 34 But the Pharisees said, "He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons." 35 Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. 36 He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields."
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 I trust in the LORD for protection.
So why do you say to me,
"Fly to the mountains for safety!
2 The wicked are stringing their bows
and setting their arrows in the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows at those who do right.
3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?"
4 But the LORD is in his holy Temple;
the LORD still rules from heaven.
He watches everything closely,
examining everyone on earth.
5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.
He hates everyone who loves violence.
6 He rains down blazing coals on the wicked,
punishing them with burning sulfur and scorching winds.
7 For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice.
Those who do what is right will see his face.
My child, don't ignore it when the LORD disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights
MATTHEW 9:18- 38
PSALM 11:1- 7
PROVERBS 3:11- 12
So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, "Do not marry any of these Canaanite women. 2 Instead, go at once to Paddan- aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban's daughters. 3 May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants become a great assembly of nations! 4 May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where we now are foreigners, for God gave it to Abraham." 5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan- aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean. 6 Esau heard that his father had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan- aram to find a wife, and that he had warned Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. 7 He also knew that Jacob had obeyed his parents and gone to Paddan- aram. 8 It was now very clear to Esau that his father despised the local Canaanite women. 9 So he visited his uncle Ishmael's family and married one of Ishmael's daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife's name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son. 10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone for a pillow and lay down to sleep. 12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from earth to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down on it. 13 At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, "I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I will give it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. *15 What's more, I will be with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. I will someday bring you safely back to this land. I will be with you constantly until I have finished giving you everything I have promised." 16 Then Jacob woke up and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God-- the gateway to heaven!" 18 The next morning he got up very early. He took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named the place Bethel-- "house of God"-- though the name of the nearby village was Luz. 20 Then Jacob made this vow:"If God will be with me and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothing, 21 and if he will bring me back safely to my father, then I will make the LORD my God. 22 This memorial pillar will become a place for worshiping God, and I will give God a tenth of everything he gives me." 29:1 JACOB hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. 2 He saw in the distance three flocks of sheep lying in an open field beside a well, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well. 3 It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone. After watering them, the stone would be rolled back over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked them, "Where do you live?" "At Haran," they said. 5 "Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?" "Yes, we do," they replied. 6 "How is he?" Jacob asked. "He's well and prosperous. Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 7 "Why don't you water the flocks so they can get back to grazing?" Jacob asked. "They'll be hungry if you stop so early in the day." 8 "We don't roll away the stone and begin the watering until all the flocks and shepherds are here," they replied. 9 As this conversation was going on, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 And because she was his cousin, the daughter of his mother's brother, and because the sheep were his uncle's, Jacob went over to the well and rolled away the stone and watered his uncle's flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and tears came to his eyes. 12 He explained that he was her cousin on her father's side, her aunt Rebekah's son. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban. 13 As soon as Laban heard about Jacob's arrival, he rushed out to meet him and greeted him warmly. Laban then brought him home, and Jacob told him his story. 14 "Just think, my very own flesh and blood!" Laban exclaimed. After Jacob had been there about a month, 15 Laban said to him, "You shouldn't work for me without pay just because we are relatives. How much do you want?" 16 Now Laban had two daughters:Leah, who was the oldest, and her younger sister, Rachel. 17 Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel was beautiful in every way, with a lovely face and shapely figure. 18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, "I'll work for you seven years if you'll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife." 19 "Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you than to someone outside the family." 20 So Jacob spent the next seven years working to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. 21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. "I have fulfilled my contract," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife so we can be married." 22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood to celebrate with Jacob at a wedding feast. 23 That night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid. 25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning-- it was Leah! "What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?" 26 "It's not our custom to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn," Laban replied. 27 "Wait until the bridal week is over, and you can have Rachel, too-- that is, if you promise to work another seven years for me." 28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 And Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid. 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her more than Leah. He then stayed and worked the additional seven years. 31 But because Leah was unloved, the LORD let her have a child, while Rachel was childless. 32 So Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me." 33 She soon became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, "The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son." 34 Again she became pregnant and had a son. She named him Levi, for she said, "Surely now my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!" 35 Once again she became pregnant and had a son. She named him Judah, for she said, "Now I will praise the LORD!" And then she stopped having children.
As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt down before him. "My daughter has just died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand upon her." 19 As Jesus and the disciples were going to the official's home, 20 a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed." 22 Jesus turned around and said to her, "Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed at that moment. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official's home, he noticed the noisy crowds and heard the funeral music. 24 He said, "Go away, for the girl isn't dead; she's only asleep." But the crowd laughed at him. 25 When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. 27 After Jesus left the girl's home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" 28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do." 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen." 30 And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, "Don't tell anyone about this." 31 But instead, they spread his fame all over the region. 32 When they left, some people brought to him a man who couldn't speak because he was possessed by a demon. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man could talk. The crowds marveled. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!" they exclaimed. 34 But the Pharisees said, "He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons." 35 Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. 36 He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields."
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 I trust in the LORD for protection.
So why do you say to me,
"Fly to the mountains for safety!
2 The wicked are stringing their bows
and setting their arrows in the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows at those who do right.
3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?"
4 But the LORD is in his holy Temple;
the LORD still rules from heaven.
He watches everything closely,
examining everyone on earth.
5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.
He hates everyone who loves violence.
6 He rains down blazing coals on the wicked,
punishing them with burning sulfur and scorching winds.
7 For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice.
Those who do what is right will see his face.
My child, don't ignore it when the LORD disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights
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