THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: June 3

Thursday, October 22, 2009

June 3

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

JUNE 3

PSALMS: 3, 33, 63, 93, 123

PROVERBS: 3

OLD TESTAMENT

JOB 8:1 - 11:20

NEW TESTAMENT

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1 - 28

PSALMS: 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1O LORD, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

2Many are saying of me,

"God will not deliver him."

SelahA

3But you are a shield around me, O LORD;

you bestow glory on me and liftB up my head.

4To the LORD I cry aloud,

and he answers me from his holy hill.

Selah

5I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6I will not fear the tens of thousands

drawn up against me on every side.

7Arise, O LORD!

Deliver me, O my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.

8From the LORD comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people. Selah [1]

PSALMS: 33

1Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4For the word of the LORD is right and true;

he is faithful in all he does.

5The LORD loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,

their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7He gathers the waters of the sea into jarsA;

he puts the deep into storehouses.

8Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all the people of the world revere him.

9For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10The LORD foils the plans of the nations;

he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he chose for his inheritance.

13From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all mankind;

14from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth--

15he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

16No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength. [2]

17A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

20We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

21In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

22May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,

even as we put our hope in you. [3]

PSALMS: 63

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

2I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

3Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

4I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

7Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

9They who seek my life will be destroyed;

they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10They will be given over to the sword

and become food for jackals.[4]

11But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by God's name will praise him,

while the mouths of liars will be silenced. [5]

PSALMS: 93

1The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;

the LORD is robed in majesty

and is armed with strength.

The world is firmly established;

it cannot be moved.

2Your throne was established long ago;

you are from all eternity.

3The seas have lifted up, O LORD,

the seas have lifted up their voice;

the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

4Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea--

the LORD on high is mighty.

5Your statutes stand firm;

holiness adorns your house

for endless days, O LORD. [6]

PSALMS: 123

A song of ascents.

1I lift up my eyes to you,

to you whose throne is in heaven.

2As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

till he shows us his mercy.

3Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,

for we have endured much contempt.

4We have endured much ridicule from the proud,

much contempt from the arrogant. [7]

PROVERBS: 3

31 My son, do not forget my teaching,

but keep my commands in your heart,

2for they will prolong your life many years

and bring you prosperity.

3Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.A

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD and shun evil.

8This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

9Honor the LORD with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline

and do not resent his rebuke,

12because the LORD disciplines those he loves,

as a fatherB the son he delights in. [8]

13Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who gains understanding,

14for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

15She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

16Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

19By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations,

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20by his knowledge the deeps were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

21My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,

do not let them out of your sight;

22they will be life for you,

an ornament to grace your neck.

23Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble;

24when you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25Have no fear of sudden disaster

or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26for the LORD will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from being snared.

27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,

when it is in your power to act. [9]

28Do not say to your neighbor,

"Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"--

when you now have it with you.

29Do not plot harm against your neighbor,

who lives trustfully near you.

30Do not accuse a man for no reason--

when he has done you no harm.

31Do not envy a violent man

or choose any of his ways,

32for the LORD detests a perverse man

but takes the upright into his confidence.

33The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34He mocks proud mockers

but gives grace to the humble.

35The wise inherit honor,

but fools he holds up to shame.

OLD TESTAMENT

JOB 8:1 - 11:20

81Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2"How long will you say such things?

Your words are a blustering wind.

3Does God pervert justice?

Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4When your children sinned against him,

he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.

5But if you will look to God

and plead with the Almighty,

6if you are pure and upright,

even now he will rouse himself on your behalf

and restore you to your rightful place.

7Your beginnings will seem humble,

so prosperous will your future be.

8"Ask the former generations

and find out what their fathers learned,

9for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,

and our days on earth are but a shadow.

10Will they not instruct you and tell you?

Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?

11Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?

Can reeds thrive without water?

12While still growing and uncut,

they wither more quickly than grass. [10]

13Such is the destiny of all who forget God;

so perishes the hope of the godless.

14What he trusts in is fragileA;

what he relies on is a spider's web.

15He leans on his web, but it gives way;

he clings to it, but it does not hold.

16He is like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,

spreading its shoots over the garden;

17it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks

and looks for a place among the stones.

18But when it is torn from its spot,

that place disowns it and says, `I never saw you.'

19Surely its life withers away,

andB from the soil other plants grow.

20"Surely God does not reject a blameless man

or strengthen the hands of evildoers.

21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

and your lips with shouts of joy.

22Your enemies will be clothed in shame,

and the tents of the wicked will be no more."

91Then Job replied:

2"Indeed, I know that this is true. [11]

But how can a mortal be righteous before God?

3Though one wished to dispute with him,

he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.

4His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.

Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

5He moves mountains without their knowing it

and overturns them in his anger.

6He shakes the earth from its place

and makes its pillars tremble.

7He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;

he seals off the light of the stars.

8He alone stretches out the heavens

and treads on the waves of the sea.

9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,

the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

10He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,

miracles that cannot be counted.

11When he passes me, I cannot see him;

when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.

12If he snatches away, who can stop him?

Who can say to him, `What are you doing?'

13God does not restrain his anger;

even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet. [12]

14"How then can I dispute with him?

How can I find words to argue with him?

15Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;

I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.

16Even if I summoned him and he responded,

I do not believe he would give me a hearing.

17He would crush me with a storm

and multiply my wounds for no reason.

18He would not let me regain my breath

but would overwhelm me with misery.

19If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!

And if it is a matter of justice, who will summon himA?

20Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;

if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.

21"Although I am blameless,

I have no concern for myself;

I despise my own life.

22It is all the same; that is why I say,

`He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.'

23When a scourge brings sudden death,

he mocks the despair of the innocent.

24When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,

he blindfolds its judges.

If it is not he, then who is it? [13]

25"My days are swifter than a runner;

they fly away without a glimpse of joy.

26They skim past like boats of papyrus,

like eagles swooping down on their prey.

27If I say, `I will forget my complaint,

I will change my expression, and smile,'

28I still dread all my sufferings,

for I know you will not hold me innocent.

29Since I am already found guilty,

why should I struggle in vain?

30Even if I washed myself with soapB

and my hands with washing soda,

31you would plunge me into a slime pit

so that even my clothes would detest me.

32"He is not a man like me that I might answer him,

that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to arbitrate between us,

to lay his hand upon us both,

34someone to remove God's rod from me,

so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him,

but as it now stands with me, I cannot. [14]

101 "I loathe my very life;

therefore I will give free rein to my complaint

and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.

2I will say to God: Do not condemn me,

but tell me what charges you have against me.

3Does it please you to oppress me,

to spurn the work of your hands,

while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?

4Do you have eyes of flesh?

Do you see as a mortal sees?

5Are your days like those of a mortal

or your years like those of a man,

6that you must search out my faults

and probe after my sin--

7though you know that I am not guilty

and that no one can rescue me from your hand?

8"Your hands shaped me and made me.

Will you now turn and destroy me?

9Remember that you molded me like clay.

Will you now turn me to dust again?

10Did you not pour me out like milk

and curdle me like cheese,

11clothe me with skin and flesh [15]

and knit me together with bones and sinews?

12You gave me life and showed me kindness,

and in your providence watched over my spirit.

13"But this is what you concealed in your heart,

and I know that this was in your mind:

14If I sinned, you would be watching me

and would not let my offense go unpunished.

15If I am guilty--woe to me!

Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,

for I am full of shame

and drowned inA my affliction.

16If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion

and again display your awesome power against me.

17You bring new witnesses against me

and increase your anger toward me;

your forces come against me wave upon wave.

18"Why then did you bring me out of the womb?

I wish I had died before any eye saw me.

19If only I had never come into being,

or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!

20Are not my few days almost over?

Turn away from me so I can have a moment's joy

21before I go to the place of no return,

to the land of gloom and deep shadow,B [16]

22to the land of deepest night,

of deep shadow and disorder,

where even the light is like darkness."

111Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2"Are all these words to go unanswered?

Is this talker to be vindicated?

3Will your idle talk reduce men to silence?

Will no one rebuke you when you mock?

4You say to God, `My beliefs are flawless

and I am pure in your sight.'

5Oh, how I wish that God would speak,

that he would open his lips against you

6and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,

for true wisdom has two sides.

Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

7"Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

8They are higher than the heavens--what can you do?

They are deeper than the depths of the graveA--what can you know?

9Their measure is longer than the earth

and wider than the sea. [17]

10"If he comes along and confines you in prison

and convenes a court, who can oppose him?

11Surely he recognizes deceitful men;

and when he sees evil, does he not take note?

12But a witless man can no more become wise

than a wild donkey's colt can be born a man.B

13"Yet if you devote your heart to him

and stretch out your hands to him,

14if you put away the sin that is in your hand

and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,

15then you will lift up your face without shame;

you will stand firm and without fear.

16You will surely forget your trouble,

recalling it only as waters gone by.

17Life will be brighter than noonday,

and darkness will become like morning.

18You will be secure, because there is hope;

you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

19You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,

and many will court your favor.

20But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

and escape will elude them;

their hope will become a dying gasp." [18]

NEW TESTAMENT

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1 - 28

151Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importanceA: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter,B and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he "has put everything under his feet."C Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. [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 3

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John 3:16-21