THEINC-HIM DAILY BIBLE MEDITATION: May 25

Friday, October 23, 2009

May 25

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

MAY 25

PSALMS: 25, 55, 85, 115, 145

PROVERBS: 25

OLD TESTAMENT

NEHEMIAH 7:36b - 9:21

NEW TESTAMENT

1 CORINTHIANS 9:1 - 18

PSALMS: 25

Of David.

1ToA you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse.

4Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;

5guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

6Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,

for they are from of old.

7Remember not the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you are good, O LORD.

8Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them his way.

10All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful

for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11For the sake of your name, O LORD,

forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? [1]

He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13He will spend his days in prosperity,

and his descendants will inherit the land.

14The LORD confides in those who fear him;

he makes his covenant known to them.

15My eyes are ever on the LORD,

for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

17The troubles of my heart have multiplied;

free me from my anguish.

18Look upon my affliction and my distress

and take away all my sins.

19See how my enemies have increased

and how fiercely they hate me!

20Guard my life and rescue me;

let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you.

21May integrity and uprightness protect me,

because my hope is in you.

22Redeem Israel, O God,

from all their troubles! [2]

PSALMS: 55

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskilA of David.

1Listen to my prayer, O God,

do not ignore my plea;

2hear me and answer me.

My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

3at the voice of the enemy,

at the stares of the wicked;

for they bring down suffering upon me

and revile me in their anger.

4My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death assail me.

5Fear and trembling have beset me;

horror has overwhelmed me.

6I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest--

7I would flee far away

and stay in the desert;

Selah

8I would hurry to my place of shelter,

far from the tempest and storm."

9Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

10Day and night they prowl about on its walls;

malice and abuse are within it.

11Destructive forces are at work in the city;

threats and lies never leave its streets. [3]

12If an enemy were insulting me,

I could endure it;

if a foe were raising himself against me,

I could hide from him.

13But it is you, a man like myself,

my companion, my close friend,

14with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship

as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

15Let death take my enemies by surprise;

let them go down alive to the grave,B

for evil finds lodging among them.

16But I call to God,

and the LORD saves me.

17Evening, morning and noon

I cry out in distress,

and he hears my voice.

18He ransoms me unharmed

from the battle waged against me,

even though many oppose me.

19God, who is enthroned forever,

will hear them and afflict them--

Selah

men who never change their ways

and have no fear of God.

20My companion attacks his friends;

he violates his covenant.

21His speech is smooth as butter,

yet war is in his heart;

his words are more soothing than oil, [4]

yet they are drawn swords.

22Cast your cares on the LORD

and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.

23But you, O God, will bring down the wicked

into the pit of corruption;

bloodthirsty and deceitful men

will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you. [5]

PSALMS: 85

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

1You showed favor to your land, O LORD;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2You forgave the iniquity of your people

and covered all their sins.

Selah

3You set aside all your wrath

and turned from your fierce anger.

4Restore us again, O God our Savior,

and put away your displeasure toward us.

5Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

6Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

7Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,

and grant us your salvation.

8I will listen to what God the LORD will say;

he promises peace to his people, his saints--

but let them not return to folly.

9Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12The LORD will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

13Righteousness goes before him [6]

and prepares the way for his steps. [7]

PSALMS: 115

1Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

2Why do the nations say,

"Where is their God?"

3Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

4But their idols are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

5They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but they cannot see;

6they have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but they cannot smell;

7they have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but they cannot walk;

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

9O house of Israel, trust in the LORD--

he is their help and shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD--

he is their help and shield.

11You who fear him, trust in the LORD--

he is their help and shield.

12The LORD remembers us and will bless us:

He will bless the house of Israel,

he will bless the house of Aaron,

13he will bless those who fear the LORD--

small and great alike. [8]

14May the LORD make you increase,

both you and your children.

15May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

16The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

but the earth he has given to man.

17It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

those who go down to silence;

18it is we who extol the LORD,

both now and forevermore.

Praise the LORD.A [9]

PSALMS: 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1IA will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

3Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

4One generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.

5They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.B

6They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

9The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

10All you have made will praise you, O LORD;

your saints will extol you.

11They will tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

12so that all men may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations. [10]

The LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.C

14The LORD upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

16You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and loving toward all he has made.

18The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever. [11]

PROVERBS: 25

251These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

3As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,

so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

4Remove the dross from the silver,

and out comes material forA the silversmith;

5remove the wicked from the king's presence,

and his throne will be established through righteousness.

6Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence,

and do not claim a place among great men;

7it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here,"

than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.

What you have seen with your eyes

8 do not bringB hastily to court,

for what will you do in the end

if your neighbor puts you to shame?

9If you argue your case with a neighbor,

do not betray another man's confidence,

10or he who hears it may shame you

and you will never lose your bad reputation.

11A word aptly spoken

is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

12Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold

is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear. [12]

13Like the coolness of snow at harvest time

is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

14Like clouds and wind without rain

is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

15Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

16If you find honey, eat just enough--

too much of it, and you will vomit.

17Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house--

too much of you, and he will hate you.

18Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow

is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

19Like a bad tooth or a lame foot

is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

20Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,

or like vinegar poured on soda,

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the LORD will reward you.

23As a north wind brings rain,

so a sly tongue brings angry looks. [13]

24Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

25Like cold water to a weary soul

is good news from a distant land.

26Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

27It is not good to eat too much honey,

nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

28Like a city whose walls are broken down

is a man who lacks self-control. [14]

OLD TESTAMENT

NEHEMIAH 7:36b - 9:21

37of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721

38of Senaah 3,930

39The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

40of Immer 1,052

41of Pashhur 1,247

42of Harim 1,017

43The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74

44The singers:

the descendants of Asaph 148

45The gatekeepers:

the descendants of

Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

46The temple servants:

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, [15]

47Keros, Sia, Padon,

48Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

49Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

50Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

51Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

52Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,

53Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

54Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

55Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

56Neziah and Hatipha

57The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of

Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

58Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

59Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

60The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

61The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

62the descendants of

Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642 [16]

63And from among the priests:

the descendants of

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

64These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

66The whole company numbered 42,360, 67besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 245 men and women singers. 68There were 736 horses, 245 mules,B 69435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

70Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmasC of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmasD of gold and 2,200 minasE of silver. 72The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minasF of silver and 67 garments for priests.

73The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns

81all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.

2So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

4Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. [17]

5Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7The Levites--Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah--instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clearA and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

11The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve."

12Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

13On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law. 14They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month 15and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths"--as it is written.B

16So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

18Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.[18]

91On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. 3They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. 4Standing on the stairs were the Levites--Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani--who called with loud voices to the LORD their God. 5And the Levites--Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah--said: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.A"

"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

7"You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

9"You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.B 10You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. 12By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13"You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.

16"But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. 17They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their [19]slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, `This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,' or when they committed awful blasphemies.

19"Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. [20]

NEW TESTAMENT

1 CORINTHIANS 9:1 - 18

91Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4Don't we have the right to food and drink? 5Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and CephasA? 6Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."B Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it. [21]

^{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

Friday, October 23, 2009

May 25

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for Visiting THEINC-HIM Daily Bilble Meditation blog

John 3:16-21