Devotions: Ps 31, 35, 37, 95; Deut 7:6-16; Titus 1:1-2:15; Jn 1:29-42
YHWH, I seek my refuge in You alone; guide me away from the snares that would entrap me; intoYour hand I commit my spirit, my Redeemer. I will trust in Your steadfast love, because my own strength is nearly gone. There is terror on every side; hide me in the covert of Your presence. Let us be strong and courageous, all who wait upon YHWH! Let God contend with my enemies; He will destroy them in dishonor. Let His wind blow them away, and let my bones rejoice in God my Savior. I praise God before His assembly. Lord, vindicate me according to the righteousness of Jesus the Son. And let us all rejoice who love and trust in You. Believers, let us trust in the Lord and do good; commit your way to Him, and He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun! Refrain from anger; leave the wicked to God's judgment and watch what happens! God knows everything, and He requites us according to our faith and good deeds. A mortal's life and pathway come from YHWH; He loves justice and shows great mercy. The wicked He will destroy, and the righteous God will preserve and prosper. Amen, Lord! Let us sing to the Lord and make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! YHWH is the great God, High King above all gods and spiritual beings. He is Sovereign over all creation. Bow to Him and let Him rule in your hearts, today and always.
Moses preached to the Israelites: You are holy to YHWH your God, Who selected you to be His special possession—not because of your numbers or merits, which are small, but because of His inscrutable and immense mercy. He makes and keeps His covenant with those who love and obey Him. He will love you, bless you and multiply you; He will make you fruitful as parents and as landholders and workers. God will give you health and strength and sovereignty over what He has set aside for you.
Paul wrote to Titus: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Messiah Jesus, our Savior. I left you in Crete that you might amend what was defective in that church and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. Elders must be blameless, one-woman men, whose children are well-behaved believers. As God's steward, a bishop must be blameless, humble, slow to anger, self-controlled; he must hold the the sure word and sound doctrine; he must confute those who contradict orthodox doctrine. There are many insubordinate people, empty talkers, deceivers—especially in the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they upset whole families, teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach. One of their own prophets rightly said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons.' That is correct! So rebuke them sharply, to make them sound in faith, rather than heeding Jewish myths or the commands of men who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure; but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing can be pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but they deny Him by their actions; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed. As for you, Titus: teach sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, sensible, sound in faith, in love and in steadfastness. Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to slander or to be slaves to drink. They are to teach what is good and train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind and submissive to their husbands, so that God's word will not be discredited. Likewise urge the younger men to control themselves. Show yourself in all respects a model of good deeds, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured, putting our opponents to shame with nothing they can say against us. Tell slaves to submit to their masters and give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to be refractory nor to steal, but to show entire and true fidelity, so that in everything them may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. God's grace has appeared for the salvation of all people, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world, as we await our blessed hop, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus the Messiah, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous to do good works. Titus, declare all these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you!
John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him; and immediately John said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. It is He of Whom I said, 'After me comes a Man Who ranks before me, because He existed before me.' I didn't know Him myself, but I came baptizing with water exactly so that He might be revealed to Israel.' John's witness continued: 'I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on Him. I myself didn't know Him, but the One Who sent me to baptize with water told me, "He on Whom you see the Spirit descend and remain: He is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." Now I have seen and have borne witness: this is the Son of God!' The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples when Jesus walked by; John said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' And the two disciples, hearing this, followed Jesus. He noticed and asked them, 'What are you seeking?' They answered, 'Rabbi, where are You staying?' Jesus said, 'Come and see.' They followed, and saw where Jesus was staying unti the tenth hour. One of the two was Simon Peter's brother Andrew; he hurried to find his brother and told Simon, 'We have found the Messiah!' And Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'So you are Simon son of John? You shall be called Cephas' [which is Petros in Greek, Peter in English].
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