THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: June 13

Thursday, October 22, 2009

June 13

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

JUNE 13

PSALMS: 13, 43, 73, 103, 133

PROVERBS: 13

OLD TESTAMENT

ECCLESIASTES 1:1 - 3:22

NEW TESTAMENT

2 CORINTHIANS 6:1 - 13

PSALMS: 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6I will sing to the LORD,

for he has been good to me. [1]

PSALMS: 43

1VindicateA me, O God,

and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

2You are God my stronghold.

Why have you rejected me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?

3Send forth your light and your truth,

let them guide me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain,

to the place where you dwell.

4Then will I go to the altar of God,

to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise you with the harp,

O God, my God.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.[2]

PSALMS: 73

A psalm of Asaph.

1Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.

3For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4They have no struggles;

their bodies are healthy and strong.A

5They are free from the burdens common to man;

they are not plagued by human ills.

6Therefore pride is their necklace;

they clothe themselves with violence.

7From their callous hearts comes iniquityB;

the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

8They scoff, and speak with malice;

in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

9Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

and their tongues take possession of the earth.

10Therefore their people turn to them

and drink up waters in abundance.C

11They say, "How can God know?

Does the Most High have knowledge?"

12This is what the wicked are like--

always carefree, they increase in wealth.[3]

A psalm of Asaph.

13Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;

in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

14All day long I have been plagued;

I have been punished every morning.

15If I had said, "I will speak thus,"

I would have betrayed your children.

16When I tried to understand all this,

it was oppressive to me

17till I entered the sanctuary of God;

then I understood their final destiny.

18Surely you place them on slippery ground;

you cast them down to ruin.

19How suddenly are they destroyed,

completely swept away by terrors!

20As a dream when one awakes,

so when you arise, O Lord,

you will despise them as fantasies.

21When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

22I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

23Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

24You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

25Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever. [4]

27Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds. [5]

PSALMS: 103

Of David.

1Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits--

3who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14for he knows how we are formed, [6]

he remembers that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD's love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children's children--

18with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

19The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20Praise the LORD, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

21Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

22Praise the LORD, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, O my soul. [7]

PSALMS: 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

1How good and pleasant it is

when brothers live together in unity!

2It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron's beard,

down upon the collar of his robes.

3It is as if the dew of Hermon

were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the LORD bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore. [8]

PROVERBS: 13

131 A wise son heeds his father's instruction,

but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

2From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,

but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.

3He who guards his lips guards his life,

but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

4The sluggard craves and gets nothing,

but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

5The righteous hate what is false,

but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.

6Righteousness guards the man of integrity,

but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

7One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

8A man's riches may ransom his life,

but a poor man hears no threat.

9The light of the righteous shines brightly,

but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

10Pride only breeds quarrels,

but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

11Dishonest money dwindles away,

but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. [9]

12Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

13He who scorns instruction will pay for it,

but he who respects a command is rewarded.

14The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

turning a man from the snares of death.

15Good understanding wins favor,

but the way of the unfaithful is hard.A

16Every prudent man acts out of knowledge,

but a fool exposes his folly.

17A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.

18He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame,

but whoever heeds correction is honored.

19A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but fools detest turning from evil.

20He who walks with the wise grows wise,

but a companion of fools suffers harm.

21Misfortune pursues the sinner,

but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.

22A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children,

but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. [10]

23A poor man's field may produce abundant food,

but injustice sweeps it away.

24He who spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

25The righteous eat to their hearts' content,

but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry. [11]

OLD TESTAMENT

ECCLESIASTES 1:1 - 3:22

11 The words of the Teacher,A son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2"Meaningless! Meaningless!"

says the Teacher.

"Utterly meaningless!

Everything is meaningless."

3What does man gain from all his labor

at which he toils under the sun?

4Generations come and generations go,

but the earth remains forever.

5The sun rises and the sun sets,

and hurries back to where it rises.

6The wind blows to the south

and turns to the north;

round and round it goes,

ever returning on its course.

7All streams flow into the sea,

yet the sea is never full.

To the place the streams come from,

there they return again.

8All things are wearisome,

more than one can say.

The eye never has enough of seeing,

nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9What has been will be again,

what has been done will be done again; [12]

there is nothing new under the sun.

10Is there anything of which one can say,

"Look! This is something new"?

It was here already, long ago;

it was here before our time.

11There is no remembrance of men of old,

and even those who are yet to come

will not be remembered

by those who follow.

12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15What is twisted cannot be straightened;

what is lacking cannot be counted.

16I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." 17Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;

the more knowledge, the more grief. [13]

21I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. 2"Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" 3I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

4I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a haremA as well--the delights of the heart of man. 9I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my work,

and this was the reward for all my labor.

11Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

nothing was gained under the sun. [14]

12Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,

and also madness and folly.

What more can the king's successor do

than what has already been done?

13I saw that wisdom is better than folly,

just as light is better than darkness.

14The wise man has eyes in his head,

while the fool walks in the darkness;

but I came to realize

that the same fate overtakes them both.

15Then I thought in my heart,

"The fate of the fool will overtake me also.

What then do I gain by being wise?"

I said in my heart,

"This too is meaningless."

16For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered;

in days to come both will be forgotten.

Like the fool, the wise man too must die!

17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20So my heart began to despair [15]over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

24A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

31 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build, [16]

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

9What does the worker gain from his toil? 10I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. 14I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

15Whatever is has already been,

and what will be has been before;

and God will call the past to account.A

16And I saw something else under the sun: [17]

In the place of judgment--wickedness was there,

in the place of justice--wickedness was there.

17I thought in my heart,

"God will bring to judgment

both the righteous and the wicked,

for there will be a time for every activity,

a time for every deed."

18I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breathB; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animalC goes down into the earth?"

22So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? [18]

NEW TESTAMENT

2 CORINTHIANS 6:1 - 13

6 1As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2For he says,

"In the time of my favor I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you."A

I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

3We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

11We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. 12We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13As a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts also. [19]

^{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

Thursday, October 22, 2009

June 13

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John 3:16-21