PM Devotion
I read Joel Chapters 1-3
Commentary/ Practical points.
1. Now is the time to turn to God and obey Him.
2. We please God through repenting (turn away from sin and turn to God).
3. God is not impress with outward displays and public rituals.
note: In the O.T., people would tear their clothes off to show repentance and sadness
4. The Holy Spirit living within us is evidence of God's generous love.
5. God warns us about His judgment of sin because He is merciful and wants all men to repent and be saved.
Scriptures:
Joel 1-3King James Version (KJV)
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn.
10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19 O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
2 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.
22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
3 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017 – Delivered from Bondage
Friday, February 10, 2017 – Delivered from Bondage
Lesson: Galatians 4:8-20
Read: Galatians 4:1-31
Galatians 4New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Sonship in Christ
4 Now I say, as long as the heir is a [a]child, he does not
differ at all from a slave although he is [b]owner of everything, 2 but he is
under guardians and [c]managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we,
while we were children, were held in bondage under the [d]elemental things of
the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman, born under [e]the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who
were under [f]the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because
you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying,
“Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son,
then an heir [g]through God.
8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were
slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9 But now that you have come to
know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to
the weak and worthless [h]elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved
all over again? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear
for you, that perhaps I have labored [i]over you in vain.
12 I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have
become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13 but you know that it was
because of a [j]bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the [k]first
time; 14 and that which was a [l]trial to you in my [m]bodily condition you did
not despise or [n]loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ
Jesus Himself. 15 Where then is [o]that sense of blessing you had? For I bear
you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given
them to me. 16 So have I become your enemy by [p]telling you the truth? 17 They
eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you
will seek them. 18 But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable
[q]manner, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My children, with whom I
am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be
present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
Bond and Free
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen
to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the
bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the bondwoman [r]was
born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.
24 [s]This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one
proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children [t]who are to be slaves; [u]she is
Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the
present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the
Jerusalem above is free; [v]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29
But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who
was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the
Scripture say?
“Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the
son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman,
[w]but of the free woman.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Friday, January 27, 2017 - All Creation Praises The Lord
PM Devotion
Exercise: Total body workout class
Psalm 148New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c]highest heavens,
And the waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also established them forever and ever;
He has made a decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
Sea monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people,
Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him.
[d]Praise [e]the Lord!
Summary:
1. This earth is not the Christians final destination: It will be replaced by a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)
2 Peter 3:13(NASB)
13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Revelation 21:1 (NASB)
The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2. God expects heaven and earth to give praise to the one true God. Please elevate Nature and the Earth has deity and this displeases God. Heaven and earth are not God; rather, they testify to God the Creator.
3. Hallelu Yah "Praise Ye The Lord". It is an imperative call to laud the superior qualities of the Lord. This particular call is for praise to be given from "the heavens." Everything beyond the physical realm of the earth.
4. Vs 2 calls on the agels to Praise the Lord. Angels are spirit beings and they are superior to human beings in power and rank; Yet, like us, they are called on to praise the Almighty.
5. "Hosts," which often refers to armies, functions here as another name for the angelic throng in heaven.
6. The heavenly bodies should praise the Lord: the sun, the moon and the starts. There were created to provide light and to distinguish the seasons but they were also given as signs that testify to the creator.
7. Praise is also commanded from the "heavens of heavens." aka "Highest heavens." The equivalent to the earth's atmosphere. Gen. 1:7 probably refers to moisture in the earth's atmostphere which falls to the earth in some form or precipitation.
8. The question becomes, How can inanimate things such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and rain Praise Him? The very design and function of nature points to the divine Designer to whom all praises is due.
9. God deserves praise because He issued His command, and everything came into existence. His power in creating all things and the wisdom displayed in His creation warrants universal praise. The Lord's glory is revealed through His establishment forever of the inhabitants of heaven. By an unalterable decree, He has "permanently ordered and regulated the world of nature" which speaks eloquently of God's glory (Ps. 19:1).
The orderly operations of nature also testify to the faithfulness of the God who established the laws that govern it (Jer. 31:35-36). It is only appropriate that everything God has created should give praise to Him.
Jeremiah 31:35-36(NASB)
35 Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the [a]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
36 “If [b]this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me [c]forever.”
10. Praise is to come "from the earth," that is, from every thing on the earth.
A large sea creature (i.e. dragons, whales)
11. Earth forces: fire, Hail, snow. Vapor (is either smoke from fire or the appearance of thick clouds).
These forces reminds us that we CAN NOT control nature. Yet nature is under God's control. He uses these forces of nature to accomplish His purposes, whether those purposes are to water the earth, clear land, or judge His people.
12. God calls various features of the earth to testify to God's creative power. Mountains, Hill countries. There are a variety of fruit trees that provided food for humans and animals. Cedar trees, so prized in ancient Israel, represent trees that are useful for construction.
13. Cattle and wild animals, Creeping things (reptiles), flying fowl or birds, all animal life.
14. Kings of the Earth (represent the most powerful). Princes (are leaders), Judges of the earth (those who rule in legal matters or carry out government function).
15. young men, old men, maindens, singles, marry people
16. Praise the Lord in all his fulness.
17. Israel should praise him because they are the chosen one.
Exercise: Total body workout class
Psalm 148New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c]highest heavens,
And the waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also established them forever and ever;
He has made a decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
Sea monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people,
Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him.
[d]Praise [e]the Lord!
Summary:
1. This earth is not the Christians final destination: It will be replaced by a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)
2 Peter 3:13(NASB)
13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Revelation 21:1 (NASB)
The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2. God expects heaven and earth to give praise to the one true God. Please elevate Nature and the Earth has deity and this displeases God. Heaven and earth are not God; rather, they testify to God the Creator.
3. Hallelu Yah "Praise Ye The Lord". It is an imperative call to laud the superior qualities of the Lord. This particular call is for praise to be given from "the heavens." Everything beyond the physical realm of the earth.
4. Vs 2 calls on the agels to Praise the Lord. Angels are spirit beings and they are superior to human beings in power and rank; Yet, like us, they are called on to praise the Almighty.
5. "Hosts," which often refers to armies, functions here as another name for the angelic throng in heaven.
6. The heavenly bodies should praise the Lord: the sun, the moon and the starts. There were created to provide light and to distinguish the seasons but they were also given as signs that testify to the creator.
7. Praise is also commanded from the "heavens of heavens." aka "Highest heavens." The equivalent to the earth's atmosphere. Gen. 1:7 probably refers to moisture in the earth's atmostphere which falls to the earth in some form or precipitation.
8. The question becomes, How can inanimate things such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and rain Praise Him? The very design and function of nature points to the divine Designer to whom all praises is due.
9. God deserves praise because He issued His command, and everything came into existence. His power in creating all things and the wisdom displayed in His creation warrants universal praise. The Lord's glory is revealed through His establishment forever of the inhabitants of heaven. By an unalterable decree, He has "permanently ordered and regulated the world of nature" which speaks eloquently of God's glory (Ps. 19:1).
The orderly operations of nature also testify to the faithfulness of the God who established the laws that govern it (Jer. 31:35-36). It is only appropriate that everything God has created should give praise to Him.
Jeremiah 31:35-36(NASB)
35 Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the [a]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
36 “If [b]this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me [c]forever.”
10. Praise is to come "from the earth," that is, from every thing on the earth.
A large sea creature (i.e. dragons, whales)
11. Earth forces: fire, Hail, snow. Vapor (is either smoke from fire or the appearance of thick clouds).
These forces reminds us that we CAN NOT control nature. Yet nature is under God's control. He uses these forces of nature to accomplish His purposes, whether those purposes are to water the earth, clear land, or judge His people.
12. God calls various features of the earth to testify to God's creative power. Mountains, Hill countries. There are a variety of fruit trees that provided food for humans and animals. Cedar trees, so prized in ancient Israel, represent trees that are useful for construction.
13. Cattle and wild animals, Creeping things (reptiles), flying fowl or birds, all animal life.
14. Kings of the Earth (represent the most powerful). Princes (are leaders), Judges of the earth (those who rule in legal matters or carry out government function).
15. young men, old men, maindens, singles, marry people
16. Praise the Lord in all his fulness.
17. Israel should praise him because they are the chosen one.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 - O Lord, How manifold are thy works!
Golden Text - "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all" (Psalm 104:24)
Psalm 104:1-4New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Lord’s Care over All His Works.
104 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
3 [a]He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
[b]He makes the clouds His chariot;
[c]He walks upon the wings of the wind;
4 [d]He makes [e]the winds His messengers,
[f]Flaming fire His ministers.
Commentary:
God is the wise Creator. The earth is full of delightful things He created. From the largest whale to the tiniest plant in the ocean, His design is perfect. Best of all, He takes care of every creature He made.
Look around at the things that were created by God. Even insects, just one part of creation, are so plentiful that scientists still discover new kinds each year. As part of His creation, each has different features that allow it to function as God designed.
You are His special creation. Everything about you was deliberately planned by God before you were born, and He does not make any mistakes. God's plan for you today is to learn about Him. Listen and learn the Bible; it will help you know what He wants you to do. However, there is one more step: you must do what you know is right.
All creation works together to praise God. You can honor God by living your life to please God.
Psalm 104:1-4New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Lord’s Care over All His Works.
104 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
3 [a]He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
[b]He makes the clouds His chariot;
[c]He walks upon the wings of the wind;
4 [d]He makes [e]the winds His messengers,
[f]Flaming fire His ministers.
Commentary:
God is the wise Creator. The earth is full of delightful things He created. From the largest whale to the tiniest plant in the ocean, His design is perfect. Best of all, He takes care of every creature He made.
Look around at the things that were created by God. Even insects, just one part of creation, are so plentiful that scientists still discover new kinds each year. As part of His creation, each has different features that allow it to function as God designed.
You are His special creation. Everything about you was deliberately planned by God before you were born, and He does not make any mistakes. God's plan for you today is to learn about Him. Listen and learn the Bible; it will help you know what He wants you to do. However, there is one more step: you must do what you know is right.
All creation works together to praise God. You can honor God by living your life to please God.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Friday, December 2, 2016 - The Promise of a Savior
Friday, December 2, 2016
Promise of a Savior - Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:26-38New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the [b]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [c]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, [d]favored one! The Lord [e]is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How [f]can this be, since I [g]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the [h]holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and [i]she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For [j]nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the [k]bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Footnotes:
- Luke 1:27 Or betrothed; i.e. the first stage of marriage in Jewish culture, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night. More legal than engagement
- Luke 1:27 Lit house
- Luke 1:27 Gr Mariam; i.e. Heb Miriam; so throughout Luke
- Luke 1:28 Or woman richly blessed
- Luke 1:28 Or be
- Luke 1:34 Lit will
- Luke 1:34 Lit know no man
- Luke 1:35 Lit the holy thing begotten
- Luke 1:36 Lit this is the sixth month to her who
- Luke 1:37 Lit not any word
- Luke 1:38 I.e. female slave
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 - Isaiah 2 (Review)
AM Devotion/Prayer
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Isaiah 2 (NKJV)
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Isaiah 2 (MSG)
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Isaiah 2New King James Version (NKJV)
The Future House of God
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem.
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
The Day of the Lord
5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the Lord.
6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with eastern ways;
They are soothsayers like the Philistines,
And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is also full of silver and gold,
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is also full of idols;
They worship the work of their own hands,
That which their own fingers have made.
9 People bow down,
And each man humbles himself;
Therefore do not forgive them.
10 Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled,
The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
13 Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 Upon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
16 Upon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.
17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the earth,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
22 Sever yourselves from such a man,
Whose breath is in his nostrils;
For of what account is he?
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Isaiah 2The Message (MSG)
Climb God’s Mountain
2 1-5 The Message Isaiah got regarding
Judah and Jerusalem:
There’s a day coming
when the mountain of God’s House
Will be The Mountain—
solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it,
people from all over set out for it.
They’ll say, “Come,
let’s climb God’s Mountain,
go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He’ll show us the way he works
so we can live the way we’re made.”
Zion’s the source of the revelation.
God’s Message comes from Jerusalem.
He’ll settle things fairly between nations.
He’ll make things right between many peoples.
They’ll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won’t play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob,
let’s live in the light of God.
6-9 God, you’ve walked out on your
family Jacob
because their world is full of hokey religion,
Philistine witchcraft, and pagan
hocus-pocus,
a world rolling in wealth,
Stuffed with things,
no end to its machines and gadgets,
And gods—gods of all sorts and sizes.
These people make their own gods and worship what they make.
A degenerate race, facedown in the
gutter.
Don’t bother with them! They’re not worth forgiving!
Pretentious Egos Brought Down to Earth
10 Head for the hills,
hide in the caves
From the terror of God,
from his dazzling presence.
11-17 People with a big head are headed
for a fall,
pretentious egos brought down a peg.
It’s God alone at front-and-center
on the Day we’re talking about,
The Day that God-of-the-Angel-Armies
is matched against all big-talking rivals,
against all swaggering big names;
Against all giant sequoias
hugely towering,
and against the expansive chestnut;
Against Kilimanjaro and Annapurna,
against the ranges of Alps and Andes;
Against every soaring skyscraper,
against all proud obelisks and statues;
Against ocean-going luxury liners,
against elegant three-masted schooners.
The swelled big heads will be punctured
bladders,
the pretentious egos brought down to earth,
Leaving God alone at front-and-center
on the Day we’re talking about.
18 And all those sticks and stones
dressed up to look like gods
will be gone for good.
19 Clamber into caves in the cliffs,
duck into any hole you can find.
Hide from the terror of God,
from his dazzling presence,
When he assumes his full stature on
earth,
towering and terrifying.
20-21 On that Day men and women will
take
the sticks and stones
They’ve decked out in gold and silver
to look like gods and then worshiped,
And they will dump them
in any ditch or gully,
Then run for rock caves
and cliff hideouts
To hide from the terror of God,
from his dazzling presence,
When he assumes his full stature on
earth,
towering and terrifying.
22 Quit scraping and fawning over mere
humans,
so full of themselves, so full of hot air!
Can’t you see there’s nothing to them?
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Monday, November 7, 2016
Monday, November 17, 2016 - Isaiah 4/ Review Isaiah 1
AM Devotion/Prayer
Isaiah 1
Isaiah 4
Isaiah 4 NIV
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Isiah 4
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Isaiah 4New International Version
4 1 In that day seven women
will take hold of one man
and say, “We will eat our own food
and provide our own
clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
Take away our disgrace!”
The Branch of the Lord
2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious,
and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in
Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called
holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will
wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains
from Jerusalem by a spirit[a] of judgment and a spirit[b] of fire. 5 Then the
Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a
cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything
the glory[c] will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat
of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
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Isaiah 4The Message
4 That will be the day when seven women
will gang up on one man,
saying,
“We’ll take care of ourselves,
get our own food and
clothes.
Just give us a child. Make us pregnant
so we’ll have something to
live for!”
God’s Branch
2-4 And that’s when God’s Branch will sprout green and lush. The
produce of the country will give Israel’s survivors something to be proud of
again. Oh, they’ll hold their heads high! Everyone left behind in Zion, all
the discards and rejects in Jerusalem, will be reclassified as “holy”—alive
and therefore precious. God will give Zion’s women a good bath. He’ll scrub
the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a
firestorm of judgment.
5-6 Then God will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and
the pillar of fire by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his
glorious presence, his immense, protective presence, shade from the burning
sun and shelter from the driving rain.
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Isaiah 1 The Message (MSG)
Messages of Judgment
Quit Your Worship Charades
1 The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw regarding Judah and Jerusalem during the times of the kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
2-4 Heaven and earth, you’re the jury.
Listen to God’s case:
“I had children and raised them well,
and they turned on me.
The ox knows who’s boss,
the mule knows the hand that feeds him,
But not Israel.
My people don’t know up from down.
Shame! Misguided God-dropouts,
staggering under their guilt-baggage,
Gang of miscreants,
band of vandals—
My people have walked out on me, their God,
turned their backs on The Holy of Israel,
walked off and never looked back.
5-9 “Why bother even trying to do anything with you
when you just keep to your bullheaded ways?
You keep beating your heads against brick walls.
Everything within you protests against you.
From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head,
nothing’s working right.
Wounds and bruises and running sores—
untended, unwashed, unbandaged.
Your country is laid waste,
your cities burned down.
Your land is destroyed by outsiders while you watch,
reduced to rubble by barbarians.
Daughter Zion is deserted—
like a tumbledown shack on a dead-end street,
Like a tarpaper shanty on the wrong side of the tracks,
like a sinking ship abandoned by the rats.
If God-of-the-Angel-Armies hadn’t left us a few survivors,
we’d be as desolate as Sodom, doomed just like Gomorrah.
10 “Listen to my Message,
you Sodom-schooled leaders.
Receive God’s revelation,
you Gomorrah-schooled people.
11-12 “Why this frenzy of sacrifices?”
God’s asking.
“Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don’t you think I’ve had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that—
all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
13-17 “Quit your worship charades.
I can’t stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You’ve worn me out!
I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I’ll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don’t have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.
Let’s Argue This Out
18-20 “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.”
This is God’s Message:
“If your sins are blood-red,
they’ll be snow-white.
If they’re red like crimson,
they’ll be like wool.
If you’ll willingly obey,
you’ll feast like kings.
But if you’re willful and stubborn,
you’ll die like dogs.”
That’s right. God says so.
Those Who Walk Out on God
21-23 Oh! Can you believe it? The chaste city
has become a whore!
She was once all justice,
everyone living as good neighbors,
And now they’re all
at one another’s throats.
Your coins are all counterfeits.
Your wine is watered down.
Your leaders are turncoats
who keep company with crooks.
They sell themselves to the highest bidder
and grab anything not nailed down.
They never stand up for the homeless,
never stick up for the defenseless.
24-31 This Decree, therefore, of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
the Strong One of Israel:
“This is it! I’ll get my oppressors off my back.
I’ll get back at my enemies.
I’ll give you the back of my hand,
purge the junk from your life, clean you up.
I’ll set honest judges and wise counselors among you
just like it was back in the beginning.
Then you’ll be renamed
City-That-Treats-People-Right, the True-Blue City.”
God’s right ways will put Zion right again.
God’s right actions will restore her penitents.
But it’s curtains for rebels and God-traitors,
a dead end for those who walk out on God.
“Your dalliances in those oak grove shrines
will leave you looking mighty foolish,
All that fooling around in god and goddess gardens
that you thought was the latest thing.
You’ll end up like an oak tree
with all its leaves falling off,
Like an unwatered garden,
withered and brown.
‘The Big Man’ will turn out to be dead bark and twigs,
and his ‘work,’ the spark that starts the fire
That exposes man and work both
as nothing but cinders and smoke.”
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