Monday, August 23, 2021

Bible Readings for August 23, 2021

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Job 8:1–11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; and Proverbs 21:28-29. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  


Job 8-11:20 (Contemporary English Version)


Job 8

Bildad's First Speech
How Long Will You Talk?

 1Bildad from Shuah [a] said: 2How long will you talk    and keep saying nothing?
    3Does God All-Powerful
   stand in the way of justice?
    4He made your children pay
   for their sins.
    5So why don't you turn to him
    6and start living right?
   Then he will decide
   to rescue and restore you
   to your place of honor.
    7Your future will be brighter
   by far than your past.     

Our Ancestors Were Wise

 8Our ancestors were wise,    so learn from them.
    9Our own time has been short,
   like a fading shadow,
   and we know very little.
    10But they will instruct you
   with great understanding.
    11Papyrus reeds grow healthy
   only in a swamp,
    12and if the water dries up,
   they die sooner than grass.
    13Such is the hopeless future
   of all who turn from God
    14and trust in something as frail
   as a spider's web--
    15they take hold and fall
   because it's so flimsy.
    16Sinful people are like plants
   with spreading roots
   and plenty
   of sun and water.
    17They wrap their roots tightly
   around rocks. [b] 18But once they are pulled up,
   they have no more place;
    19their life slips away, [c] and other plants grow there.
    20We know God doesn't reject
   an innocent person
   or help a sinner.
    21And so, he will make you happy
   and give you something
   to smile about.
    22But your evil enemies
   will be put to shame
   and disappear forever.
    

Job 9

Job's Reply to Bildad
What You Say Is True

 1Job said:     2What you say is true.
   No human is innocent
   in the sight of God.
    3Not once in a thousand times
   could we win our case
   if we took him to court.
    4God is wise and powerful--
   who could possibly
   oppose him and win?
    5When God becomes angry,
   he can move mountains
   before they even know it.
    6God can shake the earth loose
   from its foundations
    7or command the sun and stars
   to hold back their light.
    8God alone stretched out the sky,
   stepped on the sea, [d] 9and set the stars in place--
   the Big Dipper and Orion,
   the Pleiades and the stars
   in the southern sky.
    10Of all the miracles God works,
   we cannot understand a one.
    11God walks right past me,
   without making a sound.
    12And if he grabs something,
   who can stop him
   or raise a question?
    13When God showed his anger,
   the servants of the sea monster [e] fell at his feet.
    14How, then, could I possibly
   argue my case with God?     

Though I Am Innocent

 15Even though I am innocent,    I can only beg for mercy.
    16And if God came into court
   when I called him,
   he would not hear my case.
    17He would strike me with a storm [f] and increase my injuries
   for no reason at all.
    18Before I could get my breath,
   my miseries would multiply.
    19God is much stronger than I am,
   and who would call me into court
   to give me justice?
    20Even if I were innocent,
   God would prove me wrong. [g] 21I am not guilty,
   but I no longer care
   what happens to me.
    22What difference does it make?
   God destroys the innocent
   along with the guilty.
    23When a good person dies
   a sudden death,
   God sits back and laughs.
    24And who else but God
   blindfolds the judges,
   then lets the wicked
   take over the earth?     

My Life Is Speeding By

 25My life is speeding by,    without a hope of happiness.
    26Each day passes swifter
   than a sailing ship
   or an eagle swooping down.
    27Sometimes I try to be cheerful
   and to stop complaining,
    28but my sufferings frighten me,
   because I know that God
   still considers me guilty.
    29So what's the use of trying
   to prove my innocence?
    30Even if I washed myself
   with the strongest soap,
    31God would throw me into a pit
   of stinking slime,
   leaving me
   disgusting to my clothes.
    32God isn't a mere human like me.
   I can't put him on trial.
    33Who could possibly judge
   between the two of us?
    34Can someone snatch away
   the stick God carries
   to frighten me?
    35Then I could speak up
   without fear of him,
   but for now, I cannot speak. [h] 

Job 10

Job Complains to God
I Am Sick of Life!

 1I am sick of life!    And from my deep despair,
   I complain to you, my God.
    2Don't just condemn me!
   Point out my sin.
    3Why do you take such delight
   in destroying those you created
   and in smiling on sinners?
    4Do you look at things
   the way we humans do?
    5Is your life as short as ours?
    6Is that why you are so quick
   to find fault with me?
    7You know I am innocent,
   but who can defend me
   against you?
    8Will you now destroy
   someone you created?
    9Remember that you molded me
   like a piece of clay.
   So don't turn me back
   into dust once again.
    10As cheese is made from milk,
   you created my body
   from a tiny drop.
    11Then you tied my bones together
   with muscles
   and covered them
   with flesh and skin.
    12You, the source of my life,
   showered me with kindness
   and watched over me.     

You Have Not Explained

 13You have not explained    all of your mysteries,
    14but you catch and punish me
   each time I sin.
    15Guilty or innocent,
   I am condemned and ashamed
   because of my troubles.
    16No matter how hard I try,
   you keep hunting me down
   like a powerful lion. [i] 17You never stop accusing me;
   you become furious and attack
   over and over again.
    18Why did you let me be born?
   I would rather have died
   before birth
    19and been carried to the grave
   without ever breathing.
    20I have only a few days left.
   Why don't you leave me alone? [j] Let me find some relief,
    21before I travel to the land
    22of darkness and despair,
   the place of no return.
    

Job 11

Zophar's First Speech
So Much Foolish Talk

 1Zophar from Naamah [k] said: 2So much foolish talk    cannot go unanswered.
    3Your words have silenced others
   and made them ashamed;
   now it is only right for you
   to be put to shame.
    4You claim to be innocent
   and argue that your beliefs
   are acceptable to God.
    5But I wish he would speak
    6and let you know
   that wisdom
   has many different sides.
   You would then discover
   that God has punished you
   less
   than you deserve.
    7Can you understand the mysteries
   surrounding God All-Powerful?
    8They are higher than the heavens
   and deeper than the grave.
   So what can you do
   when you know so little,
    9and these mysteries outreach
   the earth and the ocean?
    10If God puts you in prison
   or drags you to court,
   what can you do?
    11God has the wisdom to know
   when someone is worthless
   and sinful,
    12but it's easier to tame
   a wild donkey
   than to make a fool wise. [l] 

Surrender Your Heart to God

 13Surrender your heart to God,    turn to him in prayer,
    14and give up your sins--
   even those you do in secret.
    15Then you won't be ashamed;
   you will be confident
   and fearless.
    16Your troubles will go away
   like water beneath a bridge,
    17and your darkest night
   will be brighter than noon.
    18You will rest safe and secure,
   filled with hope
   and emptied of worry.
    19You will sleep without fear
   and be greatly respected.
    20But those who are evil
   will go blind and lose their way.
   Their only escape is death!
    
Footnotes:
  1. Job 8:1 Shuah: See the note at 2.11.
  2. Job 8:17 rocks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.
  3. Job 8:19 their. . . away: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. Job 9:8 sea: Or "sea monster" (see verse 13 and the note there).
  5. Job 9:13 the sea monster: The Hebrew text has "Rahab," which was some kind of sea monster with supernatural powers (see the notes at 3.8 and 26.12).
  6. Job 9:17 strike. . . storm: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  7. Job 9:20 God. . . wrong: Or "my own words would prove me wrong."
  8. Job 9:35 but. . . speak: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  9. Job 10:16 lion: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 16.
  10. Job 10:20 I have only. . . alone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  11. Job 11:1 Naamah: See the note at 2.11.
  12. Job 11:12 it's. . . wise: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.


1 Corinthians 15:1-28 (Contemporary English Version)


1 Corinthians 15

Christ Was Raised to Life

 1My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. 2You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing.     3I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:
   Christ died for our sins,
   as the Scriptures say.
    4He was buried,
   and three days later
   he was raised to life,
   as the Scriptures say.
    5Christ appeared to Peter, [a] then to the twelve.
    6After this, he appeared
   to more than five hundred
   other followers.
   Most of them are still alive,
   but some have died.
    7He also appeared to James,
   and then to all
   of the apostles.
    8Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. [b] 9I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle. 10But God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's kindness at work and not me. 11But it doesn't matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same.     

God's People Will Be Raised to Life

 12If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? 13If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life. 14And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. 15If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.     16So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life. 17Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. 18And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. 19If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.
    20But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. 21Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. 22Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. 23But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. 24Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.
    25Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, 26and the last enemy he destroys will be death. 27When the Scriptures say that he will put everything under his power, they don't include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ. 28After everything is under the power of God's Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son's power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.
    
Footnotes:
  1. 1 Corinthians 15:5 Peter: See the note at 1.12.
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:8 who was born at the wrong time: The meaning of these words in Greek is not clear.


Psalm 38:1-22 (Contemporary English Version)


Psalm 38

(A psalm by David to be used when an offering is made.)
A Prayer in Times of Trouble

 1When you are angry, LORD,    please don't punish me
   or even correct me.
    2You shot me with your arrows,
   and you struck me
   with your hand.
    3My body hurts all over
   because of your anger.
   Even my bones are in pain,
   and my sins 4are so heavy
   that I am crushed.
    5Because of my foolishness,
   I am covered with sores
   that stink and spread.
    6My body is twisted and bent,
   and I groan all day long.
    7Fever has my back in flames,
   and I hurt all over.
    8I am worn out and weak,
   moaning and in distress.
    9You, Lord, know every one
   of my deepest desires,
   and my noisy groans
   are no secret to you.
    10My heart is beating fast.
   I feel weak all over,
   and my eyes are red.
    11Because of my sickness,
   no friends or neighbors
   will come near me.
    12All who want me dead
   set traps to catch me,
   and those who want
   to harm and destroy me
   plan and plot all day.
    13I am not able to hear
   or speak a word;
    14I am completely deaf
   and can't make a sound.
    15I trust you, LORD God,
   and you will do something.
    16I said, "Don't let them laugh
   or brag because I slip."
    17I am about to collapse
   from constant pain.
    18I told you my sins,
   and I am sorry for them.
    19Many deadly and powerful
   enemies hate me,
    20and they repay evil for good
   because I try to do right.
    21You are the LORD God!
   Stay nearby
   and don't desert me.
    22You are the one who saves me.
   Please hurry and help.


Feeding on Christ Preaching the Proverbs - Feeding on Christ

Proverbs 21:28-29 (Contemporary English Version)


28If you tell lies in court,
   you are done for;
   only a reliable witness
   can do the job.
    29Wicked people bluff their way,
   but God's people think
   before they take a step. 







Thought for the Day
 

“When I felt my feet slipping, you came with your love and kept me steady. And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.” (Psalm 94:18-19 - Contemporary English Version) When we feel overwhelmed by problems and pain, it's important to remember that the creator of the universe loves us. And even though that may not solve the problems we face right now, it may give us peace and hope as we move into the future.



Quote for the Day

American economist, mathematician, writer, and political theorist, Kenneth Arrow wrote, “Any purchase is one for the future. If you buy a refrigerator, you are making a commitment to the future so that you have food to eat for the next ten years.”


Joke for Today

A company, feeling it was time for a shake-up, hires a new CEO. This new boss is determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO notices a guy leaning on a wall. The room is full of workers and he thinks this is his chance to show everyone he means business!

The CEO walks up the guy and asks, "And how much money do you make a week?"

Undaunted, the young fellow looks at him and replies, "I make $200.00 a week. Why?"
The CEO then hands the guy $200 in cash and screams, "Here's a week's pay, now GET OUT and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the room and asks, "Does anyone want to tell me what that slacker did here?"

With a sheepish grin, one of the other workers mutters, "He's the pizza delivery guy."






















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 those in the arts would be open to biblical world views and principles.

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