THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: January 31

Sunday, October 25, 2009

January 31

Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

JANUARY 31

PSALMS: 31, 61, 91, 121

PROVERBS: 31

OLD TESTAMENT

JOSHUA 24:1 - 33

NEW TESTAMENT

LUKE 21:1 - 28

PSALMS: 31

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

2Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

3Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4Free me from the trap that is set for me,

for you are my refuge.

5Into your hands I commit my spirit;

redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

6I hate those who cling to worthless idols;

I trust in the LORD.

7I will be glad and rejoice in your love,

for you saw my affliction

and knew the anguish of my soul.

8You have not handed me over to the enemy

but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

my soul and my body with grief.

10My life is consumed by anguish

and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction,A

and my bones grow weak. [1]

11Because of all my enemies,

I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;

I am a dread to my friends--

those who see me on the street flee from me.

12I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;

I have become like broken pottery.

13For I hear the slander of many;

there is terror on every side;

they conspire against me

and plot to take my life.

14But I trust in you, O LORD;

I say, "You are my God."

15My times are in your hands;

deliver me from my enemies

and from those who pursue me.

16Let your face shine on your servant;

save me in your unfailing love.

17Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,

for I have cried out to you;

but let the wicked be put to shame

and lie silent in the grave.B

18Let their lying lips be silenced,

for with pride and contempt

they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19How great is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you,

which you bestow in the sight of men

on those who take refuge in you.

20In the shelter of your presence you hide them

from the intrigues of men;

in your dwelling you keep them safe [2]

from accusing tongues.

21Praise be to the LORD,

for he showed his wonderful love to me

when I was in a besieged city.

22In my alarm I said,

"I am cut off from your sight!"

Yet you heard my cry for mercy

when I called to you for help.

23Love the LORD, all his saints!

The LORD preserves the faithful,

but the proud he pays back in full.

24Be strong and take heart,

all you who hope in the LORD. [3]

PSALMS: 61

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

1Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

2From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.

4I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Selah

5For you have heard my vows, O God;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6Increase the days of the king's life,

his years for many generations.

7May he be enthroned in God's presence forever;

appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

8Then will I ever sing praise to your name

and fulfill my vows day after day. [4]

PSALMS: 91

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.A

2I will sayB of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

3Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you make the Most High your dwelling--

even the LORD, who is my refuge--

10then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent. [5]

14"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation." [6]

PSALMS: 121

A song of ascents.

1I lift up my eyes to the hills--

where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

3He will not let your foot slip--

he who watches over you will not slumber;

4indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The LORD watches over you--

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7The LORD will keep you from all harm--

he will watch over your life;

8the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore. [7]

PROVERBS: 31

311The sayings of King Lemuel--an oracleA his mother taught him:

2"O my son, O son of my womb,

O son of my vows,B

3do not spend your strength on women,

your vigor on those who ruin kings.

4"It is not for kings, O Lemuel--

not for kings to drink wine,

not for rulers to crave beer,

5lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,

and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

6Give beer to those who are perishing,

wine to those who are in anguish;

7let them drink and forget their poverty

and remember their misery no more.

8"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

9Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and needy." [8]

10C A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

11Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

12She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

13She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

14She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

15She gets up while it is still dark;

she provides food for her family

and portions for her servant girls.

16She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

18She sees that her trading is profitable,

and her lamp does not go out at night.

19In her hand she holds the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy.

21When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24She makes linen garments and sells them,

and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

26She speaks with wisdom, [9]

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

29"Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all."

30Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31Give her the reward she has earned,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.[10]

OLD TESTAMENT

JOSHUA 24:1 - 33

241Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

2Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the RiverA and worshiped other gods. 3But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

5" `Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemenB as far as the Red Sea.C 7But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.

8" `I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and [11]again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11" `Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you--also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'

14"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

16Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the [12]LORD, because he is our God."

19Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you."

21But the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."

22Then Joshua said, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD."

"Yes, we are witnesses," they replied.

23"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

24And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."

25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. 26And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD.

27"See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God."

28Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. [13]29After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath SerahD in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel.

32And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silverE from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants.

33And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.[14]

NEW TESTAMENT

LUKE 21:1 - 28

211As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.A 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

5Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."

7"Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"

8He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am he,' and, `The time is near.' Do not follow them. 9When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."

10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend [15]yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17All men will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By standing firm you will gain life. 20"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." [16]

^{John 3:16-21 16}"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^F that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.^G ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."^H

THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION

Sunday, October 25, 2009

January 31

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John 3:16-21