Give forth God's peace

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Devotions: Ps 26 28, 36, 39; Sirach 6:5-17; Rev 7:9-17; Lk 10:1-16

Lord, vindicate me, for I walk in the integrity of Your Son, Jesus, my Master. I will not associate with willful sinners; I love Your house and workshiping near You. In the great assembly I will bless YHWH! YHWH is my Strength and my Shelter; my heart trusts in Him. He is the Strength of His people and the Refuge of His anointed ones. Transgression tempts the wicked; there is no fear of God in them. They believe their sins are invisible; they deceive themselves while they welcome evil. YHWH's steadfast love extends to the heavens, His faithfulness to the clouds. God's righteousness is like the mighty mountains, and His justice rolls like the ocean tides. How precious, my Lord, is Your steadfast love to all who know You. Keep the wicked and arrogant from harming me. Thrust down the evildoers, and help me keep my commitment to discipline my ways and my tongue. Keep my end before me; let my death and eternal prospect be a counselor to me. Deliver me from my sins; answer my prayers, YHWH, for I am a sojourner in Your world, seeking Your path to Your holy habitation!

A pleasant voice multiplies friends; a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies. Be at peace with many, but take advice from few. Make friends carefully, with those who stand by you when times are hard. Keep distance from enemies and be guarded even toward friends. A faithful friend is a treasure, a sturdy shelter against harm, an elixir of life. Those who fear YHWH will find such friends.

In John's heavenly vision, he perceived a countless multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language groups, all standing before the throne and the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out loudly, 'Salvation belongs to our God, Who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb.' All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and all fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.' One of the elders asked me if I knew who the robed ones were; I did not, but he told me: 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they have before God's throne and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He Who sits upon the throne will shelter them with His presence. They will neither hunger nor thirst again; the sun will not strike or scorch them. The Lamb will be their Shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'

Jesus appointed seventy others, sending them in pairs into every town and place He was about to come. He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. Now go; notice: I send you as lambs amid wolves. Take no purse, no bag, no sandals, and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say "Peace to this house." If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; and if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house; eat and drink whatever you are offered, for the worker deserves his wages. Don't go from house to house. When you enter a village and they receive you, eat and drink whatever they provide, heal the sick, and tell them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you." If you enter a town and they will not receive you, go into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your streets that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; know this: the kingdom of God has come near to you!" I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the Day of judgment for Sodom than for that town! Woe to you, Chorazin and Bethsaida; if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. It will be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you! And Capernaum: will you be exalted? No, you will be brought down to Hades. Whoever hears you, hears Me; and whoever rejcts you, rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me, rejects Him Who sent Me.'