Wisdom loves all God's children

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Devotions: Ps 119:145-76;128-30; Mic 2:1-13; Acts 23:23-35; Lk 7:18-35

Lord, I come to you with an open heart, crying out to You: answer and help! I'm up several times every night, struggling with the issues my household faces. So I pray: hear and answer; protect us from oppression; look on our affliction and deliver us. Great is Your mercy, O Lord; You have made me love Your precepts; all Your words are true and enduring. My heart stands in awe of Your words; I praise You all day long, and I long for Your salvation. Let my cries come before You, and help my tongue to sing Your praise. I have strayed like a lost sheep, but You, my great Shepherd, find and deliver me. All are blessed who fear YHWH and walk in His ways. We will eat the fruit of my hands' labor, in happiness and good health; my wife will be fruitful in my house, and our children and grandchildren will flourish. Let peace be upon Israel. I have been afflicted all my life, but God has freed and blessed me. Let my enemies be put to shame. I cry to God from the depths of my soul; Lord, let Your ears be attentive to my supplications. We stand only because of Your mercy and forgiveness, YHWH. Let all God's people place our faith in him and He will redeem us from all our sins.

Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds. They plot all night and scheme all day. They steal from the poor; they oppress the powerless. Let God arise and scatter all enemies; let Him judge and condemn the ungodly. God will gather His people and bless us in His presence forever. We will move forward with the Lord at our head!

After the plot against Paul was discovered, the Roman tribune in Jerusalem sent Paul under military escort to Caesarea, in the protective custody of governor Felix. He described Paul and the reason for his being sent in a letter to the governor. And the tribune directed those with grievances against Paul to bring their charges against him before the governor. Felix had Paul held in the praetorium under guard, awaiting his accusers' arrival.

John's disciples told him about what Jesus was doing, and from prison, the Forerunner sent two men to the Lord to ask, 'Are you the He Who is to come, or should we look for another?' In the hour when the two messengers arrived, Jesus had cured many of their diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and restored sight to many who were blind. So Jesus answered John's question this way: 'Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight; the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed; the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor have the good news preached to them. Blessed is he who takes no offense at Me.' The messengers went on their way, and Jesus turned to the crowds and spoke about John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Look: those who are gogeously appareled live in luxury in the courts of kings. So what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. John is he of whom it is written, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You." I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.' Hearing this, all the people and tax collectors justifed God, having been baptized with John's baptism; but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, for they had also rejected John and his baptism. Jesus continued, 'To what shall I compare this generation; what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, "We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep." For John the Baptizer came eating no bread, drinking no wine, and you said, "He has a demon." And the Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, "Look at him: a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Yet, wisdom is justified by all her children.'