Devotions: Ps 88, 91, 92; Isa 61:1-9; 2 Tim 3:1-17; Mark 10:32-45
YHWH, I cry out for Your help day and night, all the time. Let my prayers come before You, and let Your answers and Your will be fulfilled in me and in my life. I have no strength in myself, yet with You, I can function and triumph. I cannot escape, and I'm learning to stay put and lean on You in order to cope with challenges I would not volunteer for. I cry to You! Don't cast me off. Bring Your light into my darkness, and guide me in the way everlasting. We who live in Your shadow, Most High, are protected from danger and pestilence. Your faithfulness is my shield and my strength. I will not fear the circumstances that befall me today. Because YHWH is my Refuge, because I live in the Most High, no evil will come down on me. He gives His angels charge concerning me; they guard my every step. I cling to God in love, and He delivers me. He answers my prayers and satisfies me with long life and eternal salvation. It is good and fitting to give thanks to YHWH, to praise the Most High God and to declare, Lord, Your steadfast love and faithfulness morning and night. You make me glad by the work of Your hands, and I sing for joy under Your protection. How great are Your works, O Lord! How profound are Your thoughts. Your enemies perish, and Your children are upheld. We are planted in YHWH's house, and bring forth fruit, even in old age. God keeps me flexible and strong, green and growing. He is my Rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
God's Spirit is upon me; because He has anointed me, I bring good tidings to the afflicted. He sends me out to bind up the brokenhearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives—the opening of the prison to those in bondage. Like Jesus, I proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. God comforts those who mourn; He gives them a bouquet in place of ashes, gladness and healing in place of mourning, praise rather than a faint spirit. Let us become oaks of righteousness under His care, a forest glorifying the Lord. Let us raise up the ancient ruins and the devastation of generations. Let us be priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. He provides a double portion of honor, and we can rejoice, for the lines fall in pleasant places by God's grace. God loves justice and repays faith with favor. I will greatly rejoice in YHWH; we are people blessed by the Lord.
Paul wrote to Timothy: You need to understand that there will be great stress in the last times. People will be ungodly: selfish, materialistic, proud, arrogant, abusive, dismissive of their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, hating whatever is good, treacherous, reckless, blown up with conceit, hedonistic, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will conform religiously, but they will be unaware of its power or reality. Avoid such people. Some of them take advantage of defenseless, weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by impulses. These will listen to anyone, but never reach a knowledge of the truth. They oppose truth today as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses in his day. They are men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith. But they will not get far, for their folly becomes evident to everyone—just as happened to those men in the Exodus times. You have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and suffering. You saw what befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. You know the persecutions that I've endured—and you know that the Lord has rescued me from all these. Everyone who desires to live a godly life in the Messiah Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors go from bad to worse, deceiving and themselves deceived. As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. From childhood, you have been acquainted with the sacred writings; these are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in the Messiah Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Jesus led His followers up toward Jerusalem; His closest followers were amazed, and many others who traveled with them were very frightened. Jesus again took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what would happen to Him: 'Look: we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him, spit on Him, scourge Him, and kill Him. And after three days, He will rise!' James and John came to Jesus and asked Him for a favor: 'Grant us to sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your glory.' But Jesus answered them, 'You don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup before Me? Can you be baptized as I will be?' They answered, 'Yes, we are able!' So Jesus said, 'You will drink the same cup and receive the same baptism, then. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to grant; those places are for persons chosen by My Father.' When the other ten apostles heard what James and John had requested, they were indignant at them. Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so with you. Whoever would be great among you must be your servant; and whoever would be first among you must become the slave of all. For the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.'
No comments:
Post a Comment