Genesis 1:1 1 In 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.
1 In you, O LORD, I have
taken refuge;
let me never be put to
shame;
deliver me in your
righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to
me,
come quickly to my
rescue;
be my rock of
refuge,
a strong fortress to
save me.
3 Since you are my rock
and my fortress,
for the sake of your
name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap
that is set for me,
for you are my
refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit
my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the
God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling
to worthless idols;
I trust in the
LORD.
7 I will be glad and
rejoice in your love,
for you saw my
affliction
and knew the anguish of
my soul.
8 You have not handed me
over to the enemy
but have set my feet in
a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O
LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with
sorrow,
my soul and my body with
grief.
10 My life is consumed by
anguish
and my years by
groaning;
my strength fails
because of my affliction, A
and my bones grow weak.
[1]
11 Because 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.
12 I am forgotten by them
as though I were dead;
I have become like
broken pottery.
13 For I hear the slander
of many;
there is terror on every
side;
they conspire against
me
and plot to take my
life.
14 But I trust in you, O
LORD;
I say, "You are my
God."
15 My times are in your
hands;
deliver me from my
enemies
and from those who
pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on
your servant;
save me in your
unfailing love.
17 Let 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
18 Let their lying lips be
silenced,
for with pride and
contempt
they speak arrogantly
against the righteous.
19 How 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.
20 In the shelter of your
presence you hide them
from the intrigues of
men;
in your dwelling you
keep them safe [2]
from accusing
tongues.
21 Praise be to the
LORD,
for he showed his
wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged
city.
22 In 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.
23 Love the LORD, all his
saints!
The LORD preserves the
faithful,
but the proud he pays
back in full.
24 Be strong and take
heart,
all you who hope in the
LORD. [3]
PSALMS: 61
For the director of
music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear my cry, O
God;
listen to my
prayer.
2 From 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.
3 For you have been my
refuge,
a strong tower against
the foe.
4 I long to dwell in your
tent forever
and take refuge in the
shelter of your wings.
Selah
5 For you have heard my
vows, O God;
you have given me the
heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Increase the days of the
king's life,
his years for many
generations.
7 May he be enthroned in
God's presence forever;
appoint your love and
faithfulness to protect him.
8 Then will I ever sing
praise to your name
and fulfill my vows day
after day. [4]
PSALMS: 91
1 He who dwells in the
shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow
of the Almighty. A
2 I will say B
of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I
trust."
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly
pestilence.
4 He will cover you with
his feathers,
and under his wings you
will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be
your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the
terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies
by day,
6 nor the pestilence that
stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that
destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at
your side,
ten thousand at your
right hand,
but it will not come
near you.
8 You will only observe
with your eyes
and see the punishment
of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most
High your dwelling--
even the LORD, who is my
refuge--
10 then no harm will befall
you,
no disaster will come
near your tent.
11 For he will command his
angels concerning you
to guard you in all your
ways;
12 they will lift you up in
their hands,
so that you will not
strike your foot against a stone.
13 You 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.
15 He will
call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will
be with him in trouble,
I will
deliver him and honor him.
16 With
long life will I satisfy him
and show
him my salvation." [6]
PSALMS: 121
A song of
ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the
hills--
where does my help come
from?
2 My help comes from the
LORD,
the Maker of heaven and
earth.
3 He will not let your
foot slip--
he who watches over you
will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches
over Israel
will neither slumber nor
sleep.
5 The LORD watches over
you--
the LORD is your shade
at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm
you by day,
nor the moon by
night.
7 The LORD will keep you
from all harm--
he will watch over your
life;
8 the LORD will watch over
your coming and going
both now and
forevermore. [7]
PROVERBS: 31
31 1 The
sayings of King Lemuel--an oracle A his mother taught
him:
2 "O my son, O son of my
womb,
O son of my vows,
B
3 do 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,
5 lest they drink and
forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the
oppressed of their rights.
6 Give beer to those who
are perishing,
wine to those who are in
anguish;
7 let 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.
9 Speak up
and judge fairly;
defend
the rights of the poor and needy." [8]
10 C A wife of noble
character who can find?
She is worth far more
than rubies.
11 Her husband has full
confidence in her
and lacks nothing of
value.
12 She brings him good, not
harm,
all the days of her
life.
13 She selects wool and
flax
and works with eager
hands.
14 She is like the merchant
ships,
bringing her food from
afar.
15 She gets up while it is
still dark;
she provides food for
her family
and portions for her
servant girls.
16 She considers a field
and buys it;
out of her earnings she
plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work
vigorously;
her arms are strong for
her tasks.
18 She sees that her
trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go
out at night.
19 In her hand she holds
the distaff
and grasps the spindle
with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to
the poor
and extends her hands to
the needy.
21 When it snows, she has
no fear for her household;
for all of them are
clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for
her bed;
she is clothed in fine
linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected
at the city gate,
where he takes his seat
among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments
and sells them,
and supplies the
merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with
strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the
days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
[9]
and faithful instruction
is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the
affairs of her household
and does not eat the
bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and
call her blessed;
her husband also, and he
praises her:
29 "Many women do noble
things,
but you surpass them
all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and
beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears
the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she
has earned,
and let her works bring
her praise at the city gate. [10]
OLD
TESTAMENT: JOSHUA 24:1 - 33
24
1
Then
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.
2
Joshua
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 River A and worshiped other gods. 3 But 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, 4 and 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.
6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt,
you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen
B as far as the Red Sea.
C 7 But 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. 9
When 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. 10
But 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.
12
I 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. 13
So 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.
15
But 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."
16
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other
gods! 17
It 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.
18
And 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."
19
Joshua
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. 20
If 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."
21
But
the people said to Joshua, "No! We will serve the LORD."
22
Then
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."
24
And
the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."
25
On
that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up
for them decrees and laws. 26 And 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."
28
Then
Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. [13]
29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD,
died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the
land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah D in the hill country of
Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31
Israel
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.
32
And
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 silver
E from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the
inheritance of Joseph's descendants.
33
And
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
21
1
As
he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.
2 He 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. 4 All
these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty
put in all she had to live on."
5
Some 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?"
8
He
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. 9 When you hear of wars
and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the
end will not come right away."
10
Then
he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. 11 There
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. 13
This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14
But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend [15]
yourselves. 15
For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able
to resist or contradict. 16
You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they
will put some of you to death. 17
All men will hate you because of me. 18
But not a hair of your head will perish. 19
By standing firm you will gain life. 20
"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its
desolation is near.
21
Then 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. 22
For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.
23
How 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.
24
They 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.
26
Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the
heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27
At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory. 28
When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because
your redemption is drawing near."
[16]
[1]
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[10]
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[12]
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[13]
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[15] Excerpted from
Compton
[16] Excerpted from
Compton
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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever 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 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But 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
