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Daily Bible reading

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January 7, 2009
First John 3: 22 - 4: 6
We can be sure that God is with us and that we will receive at his hands whatever we ask. Why" Because we are keeping his commandments and doing what is pleasing in his sight. His commandment is this: we are to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and we are to love one another as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him and he in them. And this is how we know that he remains in us: from the Spirit that he gave us.
Beloved, do not trust every spirit, but put the spirits to a test to see if they belong to God, because many false prophets have appeared in the World. This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, while every spirit that fails to acknowledge him does not belong to God. Such is the spirit of the antichrist which, as you have heard, is to come; in fact, it is in the world already. You are of god, you little ones, and thus you have conquered the false prophets. For there is One greater in you than there is in the world; that is why theirs is the language of the world and why the world listens to them. We belong to God and anyone who has knowledge of God gives us a hearing, while anyone who is not of God refuses to hear us. Thus do we distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of deception.
Psalms 2: 7 - 8, 1- 11
I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: The Lord said to me, "You are my son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possesson.
And now, O kings, give heed; take warning, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him; with trembling pay homage to him, lest he be angry and you perish from the way, when his anger blazes suddenly. Happy are all who take refuge in him!
Matthew 4: 12 - 17, 23 - 25
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazarath and went down to live in Capernaum by the sea near the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, to fulfill what had been said through Isaiah the prophet:
"Land of Zabulun, land of Naphtali along the sea beyond the Jordan, heathen Galilee: a people living in darkness has seen a great light. On those who inhabit a land overshadowed by death, light has arisen."
From that time on on Jesus began to proclaim this theme: "Reform your lives! The Kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Jesus toured all of Galilee. He taught in their synagogues, proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, and cured the people of every disease and illness. As a consequence of this, his reputation traveled the length of Syria. They carried to him all those afflicted with varius diseases and racked with pain: the possessed, the lunatics, the paralyzed. He cured them all. The great crowds that followed him came from Galilee, the Ten Cities, Jerusalem and Judea, and from across the Jordan.
 
January 8, 2009
First John 4: 7 - 10
Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God. The man without love has known nothing of God, for God is love. God's love was revealed in our midst in this way: he sent his only Son to the world that we might have life through him. Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God, but that he has loved us and has sent his Son as an offering for our sins.
Psalms 72: 1 - 4, 7 - 8
O God, with your judgement endow the king, and with your justice, the king''s son; he shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgement. The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice. He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor, and crush the oppressor.
Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Mark 6: 34 - 44
Upon disembarking Jesus saw a vast crowd. He pitied them for they were like sheep without a shepherds; and he began to teach them at great length. It was now getting late and his disciples came to him with a suggestion: "This is a deserted place and it is already late. Why do you not dismiss them so that they can go to the crossroads and villages around here and buy themselves something to eat?" "You give them something to eat," Jesus replied. At that they said, "Are we to go and spend two hundred days' wages for bread to feed them?" "How many loves have you?" Jesus asked. "Go and see." When they learned the number they answered, "Five, and two fish." He told them to make the people sit down on the green grass in groups or parties. The people took their places in hundreds and fifites, neatly arranged like flower beds..
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to distribute. He divided the two fish among all of them and they ate until they had their fill. They gatherered up enough leftovers to fill twelve baskets, besides what remained of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
 
January 9, 2009
First John 4: 11 - 18
Beloved, if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet if we love one another God dwells in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. The way we know we remain in him and he in us is that he has given us of his Spirit. We have seen for ourselves and can testify, that the Father has sent the Son as a savior of the world. When anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Our love is brought to perfection in this, that we should have confidence on the day of judgement; for our relation to this world is just like his. Love has no room for fear; rather, perfect love casts out all fear. And since fear has to do with punishment, love is not yet perfect in one who is afraid.

Psalms 72: 1 - 2, 10, 12 - 13
O God, with your judgement endow the king, and with your justice the king's son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgement.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor, the lives of the poor he shall save.

Mark 6: 45 - 52
Imediately afterward he insisted that his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. When he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. As evening drew on, the boat was far out on the lake while he was alone on the land.
Then, seeing them tossed about as they tried to row with the wind against them, he came walking toward them on the water; the time was between three and six in the morning. He meant to pass them by. When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and they began to cry out. They had all seen him and were terrified. He hastened to reassure them: "Get hold of yourselves! It is I. Do not be afraid!" He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were taken aback by these happenings, for they had not understood about the loaves. On the contrary, their minds were completely closed to the meaning of the events.
 
January 10, 2009
First John 4: 19 - 5: 4
We, for our part, love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "My love is fixed on God, " yet hates his brother, he is a liar. One who has no love for the brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God. Now, everyone who loves the father loves the child he has begotten. We can be sure that we love God's children when we love God and do what he has commanded. The love of God consists in this: that we keep his commandments - and his commandments are not burdensome. Everyone begotten of God conquers the world, and the power that has conquered the world is the faith of ours.

Psalms 72: 1 - 2, 14 - 15, 17
O God, with your judgement endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son, He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgement.
From fraud and violence he shall redeem them, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. May he live to be given the gold of Arabia, and to be prayed for continually; day by day shall they bless him.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.

Luke 4: 14 - 22
Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region. He was teaching in their synagogues, and all were loud in his praise.
He came to Nazareth where he had been reared, and entering the synagogue on the sabbath as he was in the habit of doing, he stood up to do the reading. When the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed him, he unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore, he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tiding to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord."
Rolling up the scroll he gave it back to the assistant and sat down. All in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him. Then he began by saying to them. "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." All who were present spoke favorably of him; they marveled at the appealing discourse which came from his lips. They also asked "Is not this Joseph's son?"
 
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Isaiah 42: 1 - 4, 6 - 7
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Psalms 29: 1 - 4, 9 - 10
Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise, give to the Lord the glory due his name; adore the Lord in holy attire. The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over vast waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests, and in his temple all say, "Glory!"

Acts 10: 34 - 38
Peter proceeded to address them in these words: "I began to see how true it is that God shows no partiality. Rather, the man of any nation who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. This is the message he has sent to the sons of Israel, the good news of peace proclaimed through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all. I take it you know what has been reported all over Judea about Jesus of Nazareth, beginning in Galilee with the baptism John preached; of the way God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil, and God was with him.

Mark 1: 6 - 11
John was clothed in camel's hair, and wore a leather belt around his waist. His food was grasshoppers and wild honey. The theme of his preaching was: "One more powerful than I is to come after me. I am not fit to stoop and untie his sandal straps. I have baptized you in water; he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit."
During that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. Immediately on coming up out of the water he saw the sky rent in two and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Then a voice came from the heavens: "You are my beloved Son, On you my favor rests."
 
January 12, 2009
Hebrews 1: 1 - 6
In times past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our fathers through the prophets; in this, the final age, he has spoken to us through his Son, whom he has made heir of all things and through whom he first created the universe. This Son is the reflection of the Father's glory, the exact representation of the Father's being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
To which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my son; today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son"? And again, when he leads his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

Psalms 97: 1 - 2, 6 - 7, 9
The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgement are the foundation of his throne.
The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. All who worship graven things are put to shame, who glory in the things of nought; all gods are prostrate before him.
Because you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods.

Mark 1: 14 - 20
After John's arrest, Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaliming the good news of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the gospel!"
As he made his way along the Sea of Galilee, he observed Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them; "Come after me; I will make you fishers of men." They immediately abandoned their nets and became his followers. Proceeding a little farther along, he caught sight of James, Zebedee's son, and his brother John. They too were in their boat putting their nets in order. He summoned them on the spot. They abandoned their father Zebedee, who was in the boat with the hired men, and went off in his company.
 
January 13, 2009
Hebrews 2: 5 - 12
For he did not make the world to come - that world of which we speak - subject to angels. Somewhere this is testified to, in the passage that says: "What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, and put all things under his feet." In subjecting all things to him, God left nothing unsubjected. At present we do not see all things thus subject, but we do see Jesus crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death: Jesus, who was made for a little while lower than the angels, that through God's gracious will he might taste death for the sake of all men. Indeed, it was fitting that when bringing many sons to glory God, for whom and through whom all things exist, should make their leader in the work of salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are consecrated have one and the same Father. Therefore he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, "I will announce your name to my brothers, I will sing your praise in the midst of the assembly".

Psalms 8: 2, 5 - 9
O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth! You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.
What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

Mark 1: 21 - 28
There appeared in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit that shrieked: "What do you want of us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the holy one of God!" Jesus rebuked him sharply: "Be quiet! Come out of the man!" At that the unclean spirit convulsed the man violently and with a loud shriek came out of him. All who looked on were amazed. They began to ask one another: "What does this mean? A completely new teaching in a spirit of authority! He gives orders to unclean spirits and they obey!" From that point on his reputation spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
 
January 14, 2009
Hebrews 2: 14 - 18
Now, since the chldren are men of blood and flesh, Jesus likewise had a full share in ours, that by his death he might rob the devil, the prince of death, of his power, and free those who through fear of death had been slaves with their whole life long. Surely he did not come to help angels, but rather the children of Abraham; therefore he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God on their behalf, to expiate the sins of the people. Since he was himself tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Psalms 105: 1 - 9
Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds. Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord! Look to the Lord in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgements he has uttered, your descendants of Abraham, his servants sons of Jacob his chosen ones!
He, the Lord is our God; throughout the earth his judgements prevail. He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations - which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac.

Mark 1: 29 - 39
Immediately upon leaving the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever and the first thing they did was to tell him about her. He went over to her and grasped her hand and helped her up, and the fever left her. She immediately began to wait on them.
After sunset, as evening drew on, they brought him all who were ill, and those possessed by demons. Before long the whole town was gathered outside the door. Those whom he cured, who were variously afflicted, were many, and so were the demons he expelled. But he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. Rising early the next morning he went off to a lonely place in the desert; there he was absorbed in prayer. Simon and his companions managed to track him down, and when they found him, they told him, "Everybody is looking for you!" He said to them: "Let us move on to the neighboring villages so that I may proclaim the good news there also. That is what I have come to do." So he went into their synagogues preaching the good news and expelling demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
 
January 15, 2009
Hebrews 3: 7 - 14
Wherefore, as the Holy spirit says: "Today, if you should hear his voice, harden not your hearts as at the revolt in the day of testing in the desert, when your fathers tested and tried me, and saw my works for forty years. Because of this I was angered with that generation and I said, 'They have always been of erring heart, and have never known my ways.' "Thus I swore in my anger 'They shall never enter into my rest.'"
Take care, my brothers, lest any of you have an evil and unfaithful spirit and fall away from the living God. Encourage one another daily while it is still "today," so that no one grows hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we maintain to the end that confidence with which we began.

Psalms 95: 6 - 11
Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. O, that today you would hear his voice: "Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert. Where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works. Forty years I loathed that generation, and I said: They are a people of erring heart, and they know not my ways. Therefore I swore in my anger: They shall not enter into my rest."

Mark 1: 40 - 45
A leper approached him with a request, kneeling down as he addressed him: "If you will to do so, you can cure me." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said: "I do will it. Be cured." Jesus gave him a stern warning and sent him on his way. "Not a word to anyone, now," he said. "Go off and present yourself to the priest and offer for your cure what Moses prescribed. That should be a proof for them." The man went off and began to proclaim the whole matter freely, making the story public. As a result of this, it was no longer possible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He stayed in desert places; yet people kept coming to him from all sides.
 
January 16, 2009
Hebrews 4: 1 - 5, 11
Therefore, while the promise of entrance into his rest still holds, we ought to be fearful of disobeying lest any one of you be judged to have lost his chance of entering. We have indeed heard the good news, as they did. But the word which they heard did not profit them, for they did not receive it in faith. It is we who have believed who enter into that rest, just as God said: " Thus I swore in my anger they shall never enter into my rest."
Yet God's work was finished when he created the world, for in reference to the seventh day Scripture somewhere says, "And God rested from all his work on the seventh day"; and again, in the place we have referred to, God says, "They shall never enter into my rest."
Let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall, in imitation of the example of Israel's unbelief.

Psalms 78: 3 - 4, 6 - 8
What we have heard and know, and what our fathers have declared to us, We will not hide from their sons; we will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength and the wonders that he wrought.
So that the generation to come might know, their sons yet to be born, that they too may rise and declare to their sons that they should put their hope in God, and not forget the deeds of God but keep his commands, and not be like their fathers, a generation wayward and rebellious, a generation that kept not its heart steadfast nor its spirit faithful toward God.

Mark 2: 1 - 12
He came back to Capernaum after a lapse of several days and word got around that he was at home. At that they began to gather in great numbers. There was no longer any room for them, even around the door. While he was delivering God's word to them, some people arrived bringing a paralyzed man to him. The four who carried him were unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they began to open up the roof over the spot where Jesus was. When they had made a hole, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man. "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves: "Why does the man talk in that way? He commits blasphemy! Who can forgive sins except God alone?" Jesus was immediately aware of their reasoning, though they kept it to themselves, and he said to them. "Why do you harbor these thoughts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up, pick uo your mat, and walk again'? That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (he said to the paralyzed man), "I command you: Stand up! Pick up your mat and go home." The man stood and picked up his mat and went outside in the sight of everyone. They were awestruck; all gave praise to God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
 
January 17, 2009
Hebrews 4: 12 - 16
Indeed, God's word is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the reflections and thoughts of the heart. Nothing is concealed from him; all lies bare and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession of faith. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need.

Psalms 19: 8 - 10, 15
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear enlightening the eye; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Mark 2: 13 - 17
Another time, while he went walking along the lakeshore, people kept coming to him in crowds and he taught them. As he moved on he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus at his tax collector's post, and said to him. "Follow me." Levi got up and became his follower. While Jesus was reclining to eat in Levi's house, many tax collectors and those known as sinners joined him and his disciples at dinner. The number of those who followed him was large. When the scribes who belonged to the Pharisee party saw that he was eating with tax collectors and offenders of the law, they complained to his disciples, "Why does he eat with such as these?" Overhearing the remark, Jesus said to them, "People who are healthy do not need a doctor; sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not the self-righteous.

Optional Gospel reading: Matthew 19: 16 - 26
Another time a man came up to him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to possess everlasting life?" He answered, "Why do you question me about what is good? There is One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." "Which ones?" he asked. Jesus replied, "'You shall not kill'; 'You shall not commit adultery'; ' You shall not steal'; 'You shall not bear false witness'; ' Honor your father and your mother'; and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him. "I have kept all these; what do I need to do further?"
Jesus told him, "If you seek perfection, go, sell your possesssions, and give to the poor. You will then have treasure in heaven. Afterward, come back and follow me." Hearing these words, the young man went away sad, for his possessions were many.
Jesus said to his disciples, "I assure you, only with difficulty will a rich man enter into the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this they were completely overwhelmed, and exclaimed, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For man it is impossible; but for God all things are possible."
 
Sunday, January 18, 2009
1 Samuel 3: 3 - 10, 19
The lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am." He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, You called me." "I did not call you, " Eli said, "Go back to sleep. Again the Lord called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. "Here I am," He said. "You called me." But he answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep." At that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet. The Lord called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the Lord came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening.
Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.

Psalms 40: 2, 4, 7 - 10
He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp; He set my feet upon a crag; he made firm my steps.
And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. Many shall look on in awe and trust in the Lord
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocasts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come; in the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!" I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know.

First Corintinans 6: 13 - 15, 17 - 20
"Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will do away with them both in the end" - but the body is not for immorality; it is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. God who raised up the Lord, will raise us also by his power. Do you not see that your bodies are members of Christ: Would you have me take Christ's members and make them the members of a prostitute: God forbid!
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun lewd conduct. Every other sin a man commits is outside his body, but the fornicator sins agains his own body. You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within - the Spirit you have received from God. You are not your own. You have been purchased , and at a price! So glorify God in your body.

John 1: 35 - 42
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. As he watched Jesus walk by he said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard what he said, and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned around and noticed them following him, he asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi (which means Teacher), where do you stay?" "Come and see, " he answered. So they went to see where he was lodged, and stayed with him that day. (It was about four in the afternoon.)
One of the two who had followed him after hearing John was Simon Peter's brother Andrew. The first thing he did was seek out his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" (This term means the Anointed.) He brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John; your name shall be Cephas (Which is rendered Peter.)"
 
January 19, 2009
Hebrews 5: 1 - 10
Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with erring sinners, for he himself is beset by weakness and so must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. One does not take this honor on his own initiative, but only when called by God as Aaron was. Even Christ did not glorify himself with the office of high priest; he received it from the One who said to him,
"You are my son; today I have begotten you", just as he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to God, who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, designated by God as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Psalms 110: 1 - 4
The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool." The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Zion: "Rule in the midst of your enemies. Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you." The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

Mark 2: 18 - 20
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus with the objection, "Why do John's disciples and those of the Pharisees fast while yours do not?" Jesus replied: "How can the guests at a wedding fast as long as the groom is still among them: So long as the groom stays with them, they cannot fast. The day will come, however when the groom will be taken away from them; on that day they will fast.
 
January 20, 2009
Hebrews 6: 10 - 20
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him by your service past and present, to his holy people. Our desire is that each of you show the same zeal till the end, fully assured of that for which you hope. Do not grow lazy, but imitate those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
When god made his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself, having no one greater to swear by, and said, "I will indeed bless you, and multiply you." And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained what God had promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves; an oath gives firmness to a promise and puts an end to all argument. God, wishing to give the heirs of his promise even clearer evidence that his purpose would not change, guaranteed it by oath, so that, by two things that are unchangeable, we who have taken refuge in him might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope which is placed before us. Like a sure and firm anchor, that hope extends beyond the veil through which Jesus, our forerunner, had entered on our behalf, being made high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Psalms 111: 1 - 2, 4 - 5, 9 - 10
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart in the company and assembly of the just. Great are the works of the Lord, exquisite in all their delights.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds; gracious and merciful is the Lord. He has given food to those who fear him; he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has sent deliverance to his people; he has ratified his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it. His praise endures forever.

Mark 2: 23 - 28
It happened that he was walking through standing grain on the sabbath, and his disciples began to pull off heads of grain as they went along. At this the Pharisees protested: "Look! Why do they do a thing not permitted on the sabbath?" He said to them: "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his men were hungry? How he entered God's house in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the holy bread which only the priests were permitted to eat: He even gave it to his men." Then he said to them: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.
 
January 21, 2009
Hebrews 7: 1 - 3, 15 - 17
This Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from his defeat of the kings and blessed him. And Abraham apportioned to him one tenth of all his booty. His name means "king of justice", he was also king of Salem, that is, 'King of peace." Without a father, mother or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
The matter is clearer still if another priest is appointed according to the likeness of Meschizedek: one who has become a priest, not in virtue of a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent, but in virtue of the power of a life which cannot be destroyed. Scripture testifies: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Psalms 110: 1 - 4
The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool." The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Zion: "Rule in the midst of your enemies. Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you." The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

Mark 3: 1 - 6
He returned to the Synagogue where there was a man whose hand was shriveled up. They kept an eye on Jesus to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, hoping to be able to bring an accusation against him. He addressed the man with the shriveled hand: "Stand up here in front!" Then he said to them: "Is it permitted to do a good deed on the sabbath - or an evil one? To preserve life - or destroy it?" At this they remained silent. He looked around at them with anger, for he was deeply grieved that they had closed their minds against him. Then he said to the man. "Stretch out your hand." The man did so and his hand was perfectly restored. When the Pharisees went outside, they immediately began to plot with the Herodians how they might destroy him.
 
January 22, 2009
Hebrews 7: 25 - 8: 6
Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood which does not pass away. Therefore he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he forever lives to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law sets up as high priests men who are weak, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints as priest the Son, made perfece forever.
The main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, minister of the sanctuary and of that true tabernacle set up, not by man, but by the Lord. Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence the necessity for this one to have something to offer. If he were on earth he would not be a priest for there are priests already offering the gifts which the law prescribes. They offer worship in a sanctuary which is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly one, for Moses, when about to erect the tabernacle was warned, "See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry now, just as he is mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises.

Psalms 40: 7 - 10, 17
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sough not; then said I, "Behold I come; in the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!" I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, Know.
But may all who seek you exult and be glad in you, and may those who love your salvation say ever, "The Lord be glorified."

Mark 3: 7 - 12
Jesus withdrew toward the lake with his disciples. A great crowd followed him from Galilee, and an equally great multitude came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon, because they had heard what he had done. In view of their numbers, he told his disciples to have a fishing boat ready for him so that he could avoid the press of the crowd against him. Because he had cured many, all who had afflictions kept pushing toward him to touch him. Unclean spirits would catch sight of him, fling themselves down at his feet, and shout, "You are the Son of God!" while he kept ordering them sternly not to reveal who he was.
 
January 23, 2009
Hebrews 8: 6 - 13
Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry now, just as he is mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no place for a second one. But God, finding fault with them, says:
"Days are coming, says the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt: for they broke my covenant and I grew weary of them says the Lord, But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will place my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts; I will be their God and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach their fellow citizens or their brothers, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from least to greatest. I will forgive their evildoing, and their sins I will remember no more."
When he says, "a new covenent," he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is close to disappearing.

Psalms 85: 8, 10 - 14
Show us, O Lord, your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps.

Mark 3: 13 - 19
He then went up the mountain and summoned the men he himself had decided on, who came and joined him. He named twelve as his companioins whom he would send to preach the good news; they were likewise to have authority to expel demons. He appointed the Twelve as follows: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter; James, son of Zebedee; and John, the brother of James (he gave these two the name Boanerges, or "sons of thunder"); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus, Simon of the Zealot Party, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
 
January 24, 2009
Hebrews 9: 2 - 4, 6 - 9
A tabernacle was constructed, the outer one in which were the lampstand, the table, and the showbread; this was called the holy place. Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the holy of holies, in which were the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant entirely covered with gold. In the ark were the golden jar containing the manna, the rod of Aaron which had blossomed, and the tablets of the covenant.
But when Christ came as high priest of the good things which have come to be, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation. He entered, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, and achieved eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled, so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself up unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God!

Psalms 47: 2 - 3, 6 - 9
All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, for the Lord, the Most High the awesome, is the great king over all the earth.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. For the king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne.

Mark 3: 20 - 30
He returned to the house with them and again the crowd assembled, making it impossible for them to get any food whatever. When his family heard of this they came to take charge of him, saying, "He is out of his mind"; while the scribes who arrived from Jerusalem asserted, "He is possessed by Beelzebul." and "He expels demons with the help of the prince of demons." Summoning them, he then began to speak to them by way of examples: "How can Satan expel Satan? If a kingdom is torn by civil strife, that kingdom cannot last. If a household is divided according to loyalties, that household wil not survive. Similarly, if Satan has suffered mutiny in his ranks and is torn by dissension, he cannot endure; he is finished. No one can enter a strong man's house and despoil his property unless he has first put him under restraint. Only then can he plunder his house.
 
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Jonah 3: 1 -5 , 10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I well tell you." So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord's bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them great and small, put on sackcloth.
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Psalms 25: 4 - 9
Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my savior, and for you I wait all the day. Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way.

First Corinthians 7: 29 - 31
I tell your, brothers, the time is short. From now on those with wives should live as though they had none; those who weep should live as though they were not weeping, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing; buyers should conduct themselves as though they owned nothing, and those who make use of the world as though they were not using it, for the world as we know it is passing away.

Mark 1: 14 - 20
After John's arrest Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the good news of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the gospel!"
As he made his way along the Sea of Galilee, he observed Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me; I will make you fishers of men." They immediately abandoned their nets and became his followers. Proceeding a little farther along, he caught sight of James, Zebedee's son, and his brother John. They too were in their boat putting their nets in order. He summoned them on the spot. They abandoned their father Zebedee, who was in the boat with the hired men, and went off in his company.
 
January 26, 2009
2 Timothy 1: 1 - 8
Paul, by the will of God an apostle of Christ Jesus sent to proclaim the promise of life in him, to Timothy, my child whom I love. May grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord be with you. I thank God, the God of my forefathers whom I worship with a clear conscience, whenever I remember you in my prayers - as indeed I do constantly, night and day. Recalling your tears when we parted, I yearn to see you again. That would make my happiness complete. I find myself thinking of your sincere faith - faith which first belonged to your grandmother Lois and to your mother Eunice, and which (I am confident) you also have.
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid on you. The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit, but rather one that makes us strong, loving and wise. Therefore never be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but with the strength which comes from God bear your share of the hardship which the gospel intails.
Titus 1: 1 - 5
Paul, a servant of God, sent as an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of those whom God has chosen, and to promote their knowledge of the truth as our religion embodies it. In the hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised in endless ages past. This he has now manifested in his own good time as his word, in the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. Paul to Titus, my own true child in our common faith: May grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Savior, be with you.

Psalms 98: 1 - 6
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Song joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfuly before the King, the Lord.

Mark 3: 28 - 30
" I give you my word, every sin will be forgiven mankind and all the blasphemies men utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He carries the guilt of his sin without end." He spoke thus because they had said, "He is possessed by an unclean spirit."
 

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