THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: June 14

Thursday, October 22, 2009

June 14

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

JUNE 14

PSALMS: 14, 44, 74, 104, 144

PROVERBS: 14

OLD TESTAMENT

ECCLESIASTES 4:1 – 6:12

NEW TESTAMENT

2 CORINTHIANS 6:14 – 7:7

PSALMS: 14

For the director of music. Of David.

1The foolA says in his heart,

"There is no God."

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no one who does good.

2The LORD looks down from heaven

on the sons of men

to see if there are any who understand,

any who seek God.

3All have turned aside,

they have together become corrupt;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.

4Will evildoers never learn--

those who devour my people as men eat bread

and who do not call on the LORD?

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is present in the company of the righteous.

6You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,

but the LORD is their refuge.

7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! [1]

PSALMS: 44

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.A

1We have heard with our ears, O God;

our fathers have told us

what you did in their days,

in days long ago.

2With your hand you drove out the nations

and planted our fathers;

you crushed the peoples

and made our fathers flourish.

3It was not by their sword that they won the land,

nor did their arm bring them victory;

it was your right hand, your arm,

and the light of your face, for you loved them.

4You are my King and my God,

who decreesB victories for Jacob.

5Through you we push back our enemies;

through your name we trample our foes.

6I do not trust in my bow,

my sword does not bring me victory;

7but you give us victory over our enemies,

you put our adversaries to shame.

8In God we make our boast all day long,

and we will praise your name forever.

Selah

9But now you have rejected and humbled us;

you no longer go out with our armies.

10You made us retreat before the enemy,

and our adversaries have plundered us. [2]

11You gave us up to be devoured like sheep

and have scattered us among the nations.

12You sold your people for a pittance,

gaining nothing from their sale.

13You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,

the scorn and derision of those around us.

14You have made us a byword among the nations;

the peoples shake their heads at us.

15My disgrace is before me all day long,

and my face is covered with shame

16at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,

because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

17All this happened to us,

though we had not forgotten you

or been false to your covenant.

18Our hearts had not turned back;

our feet had not strayed from your path.

19But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals

and covered us over with deep darkness.

20If we had forgotten the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21would not God have discovered it,

since he knows the secrets of the heart?

22Yet for your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

23Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep?

Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. [3]

24Why do you hide your face

and forget our misery and oppression?

25We are brought down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground.

26Rise up and help us;

redeem us because of your unfailing love. [4]

PSALMS: 74

A maskilA of Asaph.

1Why have you rejected us forever, O God?

Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

2Remember the people you purchased of old,

the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed--

Mount Zion, where you dwelt.

3Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,

all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

4Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;

they set up their standards as signs.

5They behaved like men wielding axes

to cut through a thicket of trees.

6They smashed all the carved paneling

with their axes and hatchets.

7They burned your sanctuary to the ground;

they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.

8They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!"

They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.

9We are given no miraculous signs;

no prophets are left,

and none of us knows how long this will be.

10How long will the enemy mock you, O God?

Will the foe revile your name forever?

11Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!

12But you, O God, are my king from of old;

you bring salvation upon the earth. [5]

13It was you who split open the sea by your power;

you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

14It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan

and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.

15It was you who opened up springs and streams;

you dried up the ever flowing rivers.

16The day is yours, and yours also the night;

you established the sun and moon.

17It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made both summer and winter.

18Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD,

how foolish people have reviled your name.

19Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;

do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

20Have regard for your covenant,

because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

21Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;

may the poor and needy praise your name.

22Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;

remember how fools mock you all day long.

23Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,

the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually. [6]

PSALMS: 104

1Praise the LORD, O my soul.

O LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2He wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

4He makes winds his messengers,A

flames of fire his servants.

5He set the earth on its foundations;

it can never be moved.

6You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

7But at your rebuke the waters fled,

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8they flowed over the mountains,

they went down into the valleys,

to the place you assigned for them.

9You set a boundary they cannot cross;

never again will they cover the earth.

10He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains.

11They give water to all the beasts of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12The birds of the air nest by the waters;

they sing among the branches.

13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14He makes grass grow for the cattle,

and plants for man to cultivate--

bringing forth food from the earth: [7]

15wine that gladdens the heart of man,

oil to make his face shine,

and bread that sustains his heart.

16The trees of the LORD are well watered,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17There the birds make their nests;

the stork has its home in the pine trees.

18The high mountains belong to the wild goats;

the crags are a refuge for the coneys.B

19The moon marks off the seasons,

and the sun knows when to go down.

20You bring darkness, it becomes night,

and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21The lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

22The sun rises, and they steal away;

they return and lie down in their dens.

23Then man goes out to his work,

to his labor until evening.

24How many are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

25There is the sea, vast and spacious,

teeming with creatures beyond number--

living things both large and small.

26There the ships go to and fro,

and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. [8]

27These all look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

28When you give it to them,

they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.

29When you hide your face,

they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

they die and return to the dust.

30When you send your Spirit,

they are created,

and you renew the face of the earth.

31May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in his works--

32he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,

who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33I will sing to the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34May my meditation be pleasing to him,

as I rejoice in the LORD.

35But may sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked be no more.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Praise the LORD.C [9]

PSALMS: 134

A song of ascents.

1Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD

who minister by night in the house of the LORD.

2Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and praise the LORD.

3May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,

bless you from Zion. [10]

PROVERBS: 14

141 The wise woman builds her house,

but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

2He whose walk is upright fears the LORD,

but he whose ways are devious despises him.

3A fool's talk brings a rod to his back,

but the lips of the wise protect them.

4Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,

but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

5A truthful witness does not deceive,

but a false witness pours out lies.

6The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,

but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

7Stay away from a foolish man,

for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

8The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,

but the folly of fools is deception.

9Fools mock at making amends for sin,

but goodwill is found among the upright.

10Each heart knows its own bitterness,

and no one else can share its joy.

11The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish. [11]

12There is a way that seems right to a man,

but in the end it leads to death.

13Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and joy may end in grief.

14The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,

and the good man rewarded for his.

15A simple man believes anything,

but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

16A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil,

but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

17A quick-tempered man does foolish things,

and a crafty man is hated.

18The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19Evil men will bow down in the presence of the good,

and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,

but the rich have many friends.

21He who despises his neighbor sins,

but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

22Do not those who plot evil go astray?

But those who plan what is good findA love and faithfulness. [12]

23All hard work brings a profit,

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

24The wealth of the wise is their crown,

but the folly of fools yields folly.

25A truthful witness saves lives,

but a false witness is deceitful.

26He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,

and for his children it will be a refuge.

27The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

turning a man from the snares of death.

28A large population is a king's glory,

but without subjects a prince is ruined.

29A patient man has great understanding,

but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

30A heart at peace gives life to the body,

but envy rots the bones.

31He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,

but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

32When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,

but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

33Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning

and even among fools she lets herself be known.B [13]

34Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people.

35A king delights in a wise servant,

but a shameful servant incurs his wrath. [14]

OLD TESTAMENT

ECCLESIASTES 4:1 – 6:16

41Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed--

and they have no comforter;

power was on the side of their oppressors--

and they have no comforter.

2And I declared that the dead,

who had already died,

are happier than the living,

who are still alive.

3But better than both

is he who has not yet been,

who has not seen the evil

that is done under the sun.

4And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5The fool folds his hands

and ruins himself.

6Better one handful with tranquillity

than two handfuls with toil

and chasing after the wind.

7Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:[15]

8There was a man all alone;

he had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil,

yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.

"For whom am I toiling," he asked,

"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"

This too is meaningless--

a miserable business!

9Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:

10If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!

11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

12Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

13Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning. 14The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor. 16There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

51Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

2Do not be quick with your mouth,

do not be hasty in your heart

to utter anything before God.

God is in heaven

and you are on earth,

so let your words be few.

3As a dream comes when there are many cares,

so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

4When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 6Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

8If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is [16] [17] eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10Whoever loves money never has money enough;

whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.

This too is meaningless.

11As goods increase,

so do those who consume them.

And what benefit are they to the owner

except to feast his eyes on them?

12The sleep of a laborer is sweet,

whether he eats little or much,

but the abundance of a rich man

permits him no sleep.

13I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,

so that when he has a son

there is nothing left for him.

15Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, [18]

and as he comes, so he departs.

He takes nothing from his labor

that he can carry in his hand.

16This too is a grievous evil:

As a man comes, so he departs,

and what does he gain,

since he toils for the wind?

17All his days he eats in darkness,

with great frustration, affliction and anger.

18Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him--for this is his lot. 19Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God. 20He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

61I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: 2God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.

3A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. 5Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man-- 6even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

7All man's efforts are for his mouth,

yet his appetite is never satisfied.

8What advantage has a wise man

over a fool?

What does a poor man gain

by knowing how to conduct himself before others?

9Better what the eye sees

than the roving of the appetite.

This too is meaningless,

a chasing after the wind.

10Whatever exists has already been named,

and what man is has been known;

no man can contend

with one who is stronger than he.

11The more the words,

the less the meaning,

and how does that profit anyone? [19] [20]

12For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone? [21]

NEW TESTAMENT

2 CORINTHIANS 6:14 – 7:7

14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and BelialB? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."C

17"Therefore come out from them

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you."D

18"I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty."E

71Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our [22] troubles my joy knows no bounds.

5For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. [23]

^{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 14

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