Sunday, October 25, 2026

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 25, 2026

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Lectionary Readings for

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Morning Psalm 108

1   My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
          I will sing and make melody.
          Awake, my soul!
2   Awake, O harp and lyre!
          I will awake the dawn.
3   I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples,
          and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4   For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
          and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.


5   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
          and let your glory be over all the earth.
6   Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,
          so that those whom you love may be rescued.


7   God has promised in his sanctuary:
          “With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
          and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
8   Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
          Ephraim is my helmet;
          Judah is my scepter.
9   Moab is my wash-basin;
          on Edom I hurl my shoe;
          over Philistia I shout in triumph."


10  Who will bring me to the fortified city?
          Who will lead me to Edom?
11  Have you not rejected us, O God?
          You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12  O grant us help against the foe,
          for human help is worthless.
13  With God we shall do valiantly;
          it is he who will tread down our foes.

Morning Psalm 150

1   Praise the Lord!
     Praise God in his sanctuary;
          praise him in his mighty firmament!
2   Praise him for his mighty deeds;
          praise him according to his surpassing greatness!


3   Praise him with trumpet sound;
          praise him with lute and harp!
4   Praise him with tambourine and dance;
          praise him with strings and pipe!
5   Praise him with clanging cymbals;
          praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6   Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
     Praise the Lord!

First Reading Jonah 1:1-17a

1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2"Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me." 3But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

4But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. 5Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6The captain came and said to him, "What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish."

7The sailors said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8Then they said to him, "Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?" 9"I am a Hebrew," he replied. "I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." 10Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.

11Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quieten down for us?" For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. 12He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you." 13Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. 14Then they cried out to the Lord, "Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you." 15So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. 16Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah;

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 10:15-24

15I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

23"All things are lawful," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. 24Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other.

Gospel Reading Matthew 18:15-20

15"If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Evening Psalm 66

1   Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2        sing the glory of his name;
          give to him glorious praise.
3   Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
          Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4   All the earth worships you;
          they sing praises to you,
          sing praises to your name. Selah


5   Come and see what God has done:
          he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6   He turned the sea into dry land;
          they passed through the river on foot.
     There we rejoiced in him,
7        who rules by his might forever,
     whose eyes keep watch on the nations —
          let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah


8   Bless our God, O peoples,
          let the sound of his praise be heard,
9   who has kept us among the living,
          and has not let our feet slip.
10  For you, O God, have tested us;
          you have tried us as silver is tried.
11  You brought us into the net;
          you laid burdens on our backs;
12  you let people ride over our heads;
          we went through fire and through water;
     yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.


13  I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
          I will pay you my vows,
14  those that my lips uttered
          and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15  I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings,
          with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
     I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah


16  Come and hear, all you who fear God,
          and I will tell what he has done for me.
17  I cried aloud to him,
          and he was extolled with my tongue.
18  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
          the Lord would not have listened.
19  But truly God has listened;
          he has given heed to the words of my prayer.


20  Blessed be God,
          because he has not rejected my prayer
          or removed his steadfast love from me.

Evening Psalm 23

1   The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2        He makes me lie down in green pastures;
     he leads me beside still waters;
3        he restores my soul.
     He leads me in right paths
          for his name’s sake.

4   Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
          I fear no evil;
     for you are with me;
          your rod and your staff —
          they comfort me.


5   You prepare a table before me
          in the presence of my enemies;
     you anoint my head with oil;
          my cup overflows.
6   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
          all the days of my life,
     and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
          my whole life long.

 

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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 24, 2026

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Lectionary Readings for

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Morning Psalm 122

1   I was glad when they said to me,
          “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2   Our feet are standing
          within your gates, O Jerusalem.


3   Jerusalem — built as a city
          that is bound firmly together.
4   To it the tribes go up,
          the tribes of the LORD,
     as was decreed for Israel,
          to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5   For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
          the thrones of the house of David.


6   Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
          “May they prosper who love you.
7   Peace be within your walls,
          and security within your towers.”
8   For the sake of my relatives and friends
          I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9   For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
          I will seek your good.

Morning Psalm 149

1   Praise the Lord!
     Sing to the Lord a new song,
          his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2   Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
          let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3   Let them praise his name with dancing,
          making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4   For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
          he adorns the humble with victory.
5   Let the faithful exult in glory;
          let them sing for joy on their couches.
6   Let the high praises of God be in their throats
          and two-edged swords in their hands,
7   to execute vengeance on the nations
          and punishment on the peoples,
8   to bind their kings with fetters
          and their nobles with chains of iron,
9   to execute on them the judgment decreed.
          This is glory for all his faithful ones.
     Praise the Lord!

First Reading Micah 7:1-7

1Woe is me! For I have become like one who,
     after the summer fruit has been gathered,
     after the vintage has been gleaned,
finds no cluster to eat;
     there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger.
2The faithful have disappeared from the land,
     and there is no one left who is upright;
they all lie in wait for blood,
     and they hunt each other with nets.
3Their hands are skilled to do evil;
     the official and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the powerful dictate what they desire;
     thus they pervert justice.
4The best of them is like a brier,
     the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their sentinels, of their punishment, has come;
     now their confusion is at hand.
5Put no trust in a friend,
     have no confidence in a loved one;
guard the doors of your mouth
     from her who lies in your embrace;
6for the son treats the father with contempt,
     the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
     your enemies are members of your own household.
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
     I will wait for the God of my salvation;
     my God will hear me.

Second Reading Revelation 10:1-11

1And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." 5Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven 6and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will be no more delay, 7but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets."

8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." 10So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

11Then they said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."

Gospel Reading Luke 11:1-13

1He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."

5And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' 7And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

9"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Evening Psalm 100

1   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2        Worship the LORD with gladness;
          come into his presence with singing.


3   Know that the LORD is God.
          It is he that made us, and we are his;
          we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


4   Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
          and his courts with praise.
          Give thanks to him, bless his name.


5   For the LORD is good;
          his steadfast love endures for ever,
          and his faithfulness to all generations.

Evening Psalm 63

1   O God, you are my God, I seek you,
          my soul thirsts for you;
     my flesh faints for you,
          as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2   So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
          beholding your power and glory.
3   Because your steadfast love is better than life,
          my lips will praise you.
4   So I will bless you as long as I live;
          I will lift up my hands and call on your name.


5   My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
          and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6   when I think of you on my bed,
          and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7   for you have been my help,
          and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8   My soul clings to you;
          your right hand upholds me.


9   But those who seek to destroy my life
          shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10  they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
          they shall be prey for jackals.
11  But the king shall rejoice in God;
          all who swear by him shall exult,
          for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

 

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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Bible Readings for October 25, 2026

 

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are Jeremiah 48:1–49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 95:1–96:13; and Proverbs 26:9-12. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.



Jeremiah 48-49:22 (The Message)


Jeremiah 48

Get Out While You Can!

 1-10 The Message on Moab from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel:    "Doom to Nebo! Leveled to the ground!
   Kiriathaim demeaned and defeated,
The mighty fortress reduced to a molehill,
   Moab's glory—dust and ashes.
Conspirators plot Heshbon's doom:
   'Come, let's wipe Moab off the map.'
Dungface Dimon will loudly lament,
   as killing follows killing.
Listen! A cry out of Horonaim:
   'Disaster—doom and more doom!'
Moab will be shattered.
   Her cries will be heard clear down in Zoar.
Up the ascent of Luhith
   climbers weep,
And down the descent from Horonaim,
   cries of loss and devastation.
Oh, run for your lives! Get out while you can!
   Survive by your wits in the wild!
You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes?
   But it won't help you now.
Your big god Chemosh will be hauled off,
   his priests and managers with him.
A wrecker will wreck every city.
   Not a city will survive.
The valley fields will be ruined,
   the plateau pastures destroyed, just as I told you.
Cover the land of Moab with salt.
   Make sure nothing ever grows here again.
Her towns will all be ghost towns.
   Nobody will ever live here again.
Sloppy work in God's name is cursed,
   and cursed all halfhearted use of the sword.
 11-17"Moab has always taken it easy—
   lazy as a dog in the sun,
Never had to work for a living,
   never faced any trouble,
Never had to grow up,
   never once worked up a sweat.
But those days are a thing of the past.
   I'll put him to work at hard labor.
That will wake him up to the world of hard knocks.
   That will smash his illusions.
Moab will be as ashamed of god Chemosh
   as Israel was ashamed of her Bethel calf-gods,
   the calf-gods she thought were so great.
For how long do you think you'll be saying, 'We're tough.
   We can beat anyone anywhere'?
The destruction of Moab has already begun.
   Her choice young soldiers are lying dead right now."
The King's Decree—
   his full name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
"Yes. Moab's doom is on countdown,
   disaster targeted and launched.
Weep for Moab, friends and neighbors,
   all who know how famous he's been.
Lament, 'His mighty scepter snapped in two like a toothpick,
   that magnificent royal staff!'
 18-20"Come down from your high horse, pampered beauty of Dibon.
   Sit in dog dung.
The destroyer of Moab will come against you.
   He'll wreck your safe, secure houses.
Stand on the roadside,
   pampered women of Aroer.
Interview the refugees who are running away.
   Ask them, 'What's happened? And why?'
Moab will be an embarrassing memory, nothing left of the place.
   Wail and weep your eyes out!
Tell the bad news along the Arnon river.
   Tell the world that Moab is no more.
 21-24"My judgment will come to the plateau cities: on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath; on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim; on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon; on Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of Moab, far and near.
 25"Moab's link to power is severed.
   Moab's arm is broken." God's Decree. 

The Sheer Nothingness of Moab

 26-27"Turn Moab into a drunken sot, drunk on the wine of my wrath, a dung-faced drunk, filling the country with vomit—Moab a falling-down drunk, a joke in bad taste. Wasn't it you, Moab, who made crude jokes over Israel? And when they were caught in bad company, didn't you cluck and gossip and snicker?  28"Leave town! Leave! Look for a home in the cliffs,
   you who grew up in Moab.
Try living like a dove
   who nests high in the river gorge.
 29-33"We've all heard of Moab's pride,
   that legendary pride,
The strutting, bullying, puffed-up pride,
   the insufferable arrogance.
I know"—God's Decree—"his rooster-crowing pride,
   the inflated claims, the sheer nothingness of Moab.
But I will weep for Moab,
   yes, I will mourn for the people of Moab.
   I will even mourn for the people of Kir-heres.
I'll weep for the grapevines of Sibmah
   and join Jazer in her weeping—
Grapevines that once reached the Dead Sea
   with tendrils as far as Jazer.
Your summer fruit and your bursting grapes
   will be looted by brutal plunderers,
Lush Moab stripped
   of song and laughter.
And yes, I'll shut down the winepresses,
   stop all the shouts and hurrahs of harvest.
 34"Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out, and the people in Jahaz will hear the cries. They will hear them all the way from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up.
 35"I will put a stop in Moab"—God's Decree—"to all hiking to the high places to offer burnt sacrifices to the gods.
 36"My heart moans for Moab, for the men of Kir-heres, like soft flute sounds carried by the wind. They've lost it all. They've got nothing.
 37"Everywhere you look are signs of mourning:
   heads shaved, beards cut,
Hands scratched and bleeding,
   clothes ripped and torn.
 38"In every house in Moab there'll be loud lamentation, on every street in Moab, loud lamentation. As with a pottery jug that no one wants, I'll smash Moab to bits." God's Decree.
 39"Moab ruined!
   Moab shamed and ashamed to be seen!
Moab a cruel joke!
   The stark horror of Moab!"
 40-42God's verdict on Moab. Indeed!
   "Look! An eagle is about to swoop down
   and spread its wings over Moab.
The towns will be captured,
   the fortresses taken.
Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight,
   like a woman giving birth to a baby.
There'll be nothing left of Moab, nothing at all,
   because of his defiant arrogance against me.
 43-44"Terror and pit and trap
   are what you have facing you, Moab." God's Decree.
"A man running in terror
   will fall into a trap.
A man climbing out of a pit
   will be caught in a trap.
This is my agenda for Moab
   on doomsday." God's Decree.
 45-47"On the outskirts of Heshbon,
   refugees will pull up short, worn out.
Fire will flame high from Heshbon,
   a firestorm raging from the capital of Sihon's kingdom.
It will burn off Moab's eyebrows,
   will scorch the skull of the braggarts.
That's all for you, Moab!
   You worshipers of Chemosh will be finished off!
Your sons will be trucked off to prison camps;
   your daughters will be herded into exile.
But yet there's a day that's coming
   when I'll put things right in Moab.

   "For now, that's the judgment on Moab." 

Jeremiah 49

You're a Broken-Down Has-Been

 1-6 God's Message on the Ammonites: "Doesn't Israel have any children,
   no one to step into her inheritance?
So why is the god Milcom taking over Gad's land,
   his followers moving into its towns?
But not for long! The time's coming"
   —God's Decree—
"When I'll fill the ears of Rabbah, Ammon's big city,
   with battle cries.
She'll end up a pile of rubble,
   all her towns burned to the ground.
Then Israel will kick out the invaders.
   I, God, say so, and it will be so.
Wail Heshbon, Ai is in ruins.
   Villages of Rabbah, wring your hands!
Dress in mourning, weep buckets of tears.
   Go into hysterics, run around in circles!
Your god Milcom will be hauled off to exile,
   and all his priests and managers right with him.
Why do you brag of your once-famous strength?
   You're a broken-down has-been, a castoff
Who fondles his trophies and dreams of glory days
   and vainly thinks, 'No one can lay a hand on me.'
Well, think again. I'll face you with terror from all sides."
   Word of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
"You'll be stampeded headlong,
   with no one to round up the runaways.
Still, the time will come
   when I will make things right with Ammon." God's Decree.

Strutting Across the Stage of History

 7-11The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies on Edom:    "Is there nobody wise left in famous Teman?
   no one with a sense of reality?
Has their wisdom gone wormy and rotten?
   Run for your lives! Get out while you can!
Find a good place to hide,
   you who live in Dedan!
I'm bringing doom to Esau.
   It's time to settle accounts.
When harvesters work your fields,
   don't they leave gleanings?
When burglars break into your house,
   don't they take only what they want?
But I'll strip Esau clean.
   I'll search out every nook and cranny.
I'll destroy everything connected with him,
   children and relatives and neighbors.
There'll be no one left who will be able to say,
   'I'll take care of your orphans.
   Your widows can depend on me.'"
 12-13Indeed. God says, "I tell you, if there are people who have to drink the cup of God's wrath even though they don't deserve it, why would you think you'd get off? You won't get off. You'll drink it. Oh yes, you'll drink every drop. And as for Bozrah, your capital, I swear by all that I am"—God's Decree—"that that city will end up a pile of charred ruins, a stinking garbage dump, an obscenity—and all her daughter-cities with her."
 14I've just heard the latest from God.
   He's sent an envoy to the nations:
"Muster your troops and attack Edom.
   Present arms! Go to war!"
 15-16"Ah, Edom, I'm dropping you to last place among nations,
   the bottom of the heap, kicked around.
You think you're so great—
   strutting across the stage of history,
Living high in the impregnable rocks,
   acting like king of the mountain.
You think you're above it all, don't you,
   like an eagle in its aerie?
Well, you're headed for a fall.
   I'll bring you crashing to the ground." God's Decree.
 17-18"Edom will end up trash. Stinking, despicable trash. A wonder of the world in reverse. She'll join Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors in the sewers of history." God says so.
   "No one will live there,
   no mortal soul move in there.
 19"Watch this: Like a lion coming up
   from the thick jungle of the Jordan
Looking for prey in the mountain pastures,
   I will come upon Edom and pounce.
I'll take my pick of the flock—and who's to stop me?
   The shepherds of Edom are helpless before me."
 20-22So, listen to this plan that God has worked out against Edom, the blueprint of what he's prepared for those who live in Teman:
   "Believe it or not, the young, the vulnerable—
   mere lambs and kids—will be dragged off.
Believe it or not, the flock
   in shock, helpless to help, will watch it happen.
The very earth will shudder because of their cries,
   cries of anguish heard at the distant Red Sea.
Look! An eagle soars, swoops down,
   spreads its wings over Bozrah.
Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight,
   like a woman giving birth to a baby."
 



2 Timothy 4:1-22 (The Message)


2 Timothy 4


 1-2I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple.  3-5You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.
 6-8You take over. I'm about to die, my life an offering on God's altar. This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting—God's applause! Depend on it, he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.
 9-13Get here as fast as you can. Demas, chasing fads, went off to Thessalonica and left me here. Crescens is in Galatia province, Titus in Dalmatia. Luke is the only one here with me. Bring Mark with you; he'll be my right-hand man since I'm sending Tychicus to Ephesus. Bring the winter coat I left in Troas with Carpus; also the books and parchment notebooks.
 14-15Watch out for Alexander the coppersmith. Fiercely opposed to our Message, he caused no end of trouble. God will give him what he's got coming.
 16-18At my preliminary hearing no one stood by me. They all ran like scared rabbits. But it doesn't matter—the Master stood by me and helped me spread the Message loud and clear to those who had never heard it. I was snatched from the jaws of the lion! God's looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven. All praise to him, praise forever! Oh, yes!
 19-20Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila; also, the family of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed behind in Corinth. I had to leave Trophimus sick in Miletus.
 21Try hard to get here before winter.
   Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all your friends here send greetings.
 22God be with you. Grace be with you.



Psalm 95-96:13 (The Message)


Psalm 95


    Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
   Let's march into his presence singing praises,
      lifting the rafters with our hymns!
 3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
      High King over all the gods.
   In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
      in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
   He made Ocean—he owns it!
      His hands sculpted Earth!
 6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
      on your knees before God, who made us!
   Oh yes, he's our God,
      and we're the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

 7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
      "Don't turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
   As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
      when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
   For forty years they watched me at work among them,
      as over and over they tried my patience.
   And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
      'Can't they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
      Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?'
   Exasperated, I exploded,
      'They'll never get where they're headed,
      never be able to sit down and rest.'"

Psalm 96


    Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing!
   Sing to God—worship God!
 2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
   Take the news of his glory to the lost,
   News of his wonders to one and all!
 4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
   His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
   Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
 5-6 God made the heavens—
   Royal splendor radiates from him,
   A powerful beauty sets him apart.
 7 Bravo, God, Bravo!
   Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
   In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
 8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
   Bow before the beauty of God,
   Then to your knees—everyone worship!

 10 Get out the message—God Rules!
   He put the world on a firm foundation;
   He treats everyone fair and square.

 11 Let's hear it from Sky,
   With Earth joining in,
   And a huge round of applause from Sea.

 12 Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
   Animals, come dance,
   Put every tree of the forest in the choir—

 13 An extravaganza before God as he comes,
   As he comes to set everything right on earth,
   Set everything right, treat everyone fair.



Proverbs 26:9-12 (The Message)


 9 To ask a moron to quote a proverb
   is like putting a scalpel in the hands of a drunk.

 10 Hire a fool or a drunk
   and you shoot yourself in the foot.

 11 As a dog eats its own vomit,
   so fools recycle silliness.

 12 See that man who thinks he's so smart?

   You can expect far more from a fool than from him. 



Thought for the Day

“When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything.” (Ephesians 5:19-20 - Contemporary English Version) Our worship must be an expression of praise and thanks. When we sing the songs and offer the prayers, we're letting God know how grateful we are for who he is and what he's done. 


Quote for the Day

Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1966, Galina Vishnevskaya wrote, "Wanting to be understood by an audience that didn't know Russian, I tried to paint musical pictures by emphasizing the phrasing, using voice color more boldly, and varying the shade and nuance."




Joke for Today

A man goes to a bar with his dog. He goes up to the bar and asks for a drink. The bartender says "You can't bring that dog in here!" The guy, without missing a beat, says "This is my seeing-eye dog." "Oh man, " the bartender says, "I'm sorry, here, the first one's on me." The man takes his drink and goes to a table near the door.

Another guy walks in the bar with a Chihuahua. The first guys sees him, stops him and says "You can't bring that dog in here unless you tell him it's a seeing-eye dog." The second man graciously thanks the first man and continues to the bar. He asks for a drink. The bartender says "Hey, you can't bring that dog in here!"

The second man replies "This is my seeing-eye dog." The bartender says, "No, I don't think so. They do not have Chiwauas as seeing-eye dogs." The man pauses for a half-second and replies "What?!?! They gave me a Chihuahua?!?"

A Prayer Request

As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.

That God brings peace to the Middle East.