Thursday, October 7, 2021

Bible Readings for October 7, 2021

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Jeremiah 8:8–9:26; Colossians 3:1-17; Psalm 78:32-55; and Proverbs 24:27. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  


Jeremiah 8:8-9:26 (Contemporary English Version)


8You say, "We are wise
   because we have the teachings
   and laws of the LORD."
   But I say that your teachers
   have turned my words
   into lies!
    9Your wise men
   have rejected what I say,
   and so they have no wisdom.
   Now they will be trapped
   and put to shame;
   they won't know what to do.
    10I'll give their wives and fields
   to strangers.
   Everyone is greedy and dishonest,
   whether poor or rich.
   Even the prophets and priests
   cannot be trusted.
    11All they ever offer
   to my deeply wounded people
   are empty hopes for peace.
    12They should be ashamed
   of their disgusting sins,
   but they don't even blush.
   And so, when I punish Judah,
   they will end up on the ground,
   dead like everyone else.
    13I will wipe them out. a] They are vines without grapes;
   fig trees without figs or leaves.
   They have not done a thing
   that I told them! b] I, the LORD, have spoken.   

The People and Their Punishment

 14The people of Judah   say to each other,
   "What are we waiting for?
   Let's run to a town with walls
   and die there.
   We rebelled against the LORD,
   and we were sentenced to die
   by drinking poison.
    15We had hoped for peace
   and a time of healing,
   but all we got was terror.
    16Our enemies have reached
   the town of Dan in the north,
   and the snorting of their horses
   makes us tremble with fear.
   The enemy will destroy Jerusalem
   and our entire nation.
   No one will survive."
    17"Watch out!" the LORD says.
   "I'm sending poisonous snakes
   to attack you,
   and no one can stop them."   

Jeremiah Mourns for His People

 18I'm burdened with sorrow   and feel like giving up.
    19In a foreign land
   my people are crying.
   Listen! You'll hear them say,
   "Has the LORD deserted Zion?
   Is he no longer its king?"
   I hear the LORD reply,
   "Why did you make me angry
   by worshiping useless idols?"
    20The people complain,
   "Spring and summer
   have come and gone,
   but still the LORD
   hasn't rescued us."
    21My people are crushed,
   and so is my heart.
   I am horrified and mourn.
    22If medicine and doctors
   may be found in Gilead,
   why aren't my people healed?
   

Jeremiah 9


 1I wish that my eyes   were fountains of tears,
   so I could cry day and night
   for my people
   who were killed.
    2I wish I could go into the desert
   and find a hiding place
   from all who are treacherous
   and unfaithful to God.   

The LORD Answers Jeremiah

 3The LORD replied:   Lies come from the mouths
   of my people,
   like arrows from a bow.
   With each dishonest deed
   their power increases,
   and not one of them will admit
   that I am God.
    4Jeremiah, all your friends
   and relatives
   tell lies about you,
   so don't trust them.
    5They wear themselves out,
   always looking for a new way
   to cheat their friends.
    6Everyone takes advantage
   of everyone else,
   and no one will admit
   that I am God.
    7And so I will purify
   the hearts of my people
   just as gold is purified
   in a furnace.
   I have no other choice.
    8They say they want peace,
   but this lie is deadly,
   like an arrow that strikes
   when you least expect it.
    9Give me one good reason
   not to punish them
   as they deserve.
   I, the LORD All-Powerful,
   have spoken.   

Jeremiah Weeps for His People

 10I weep for the pastureland   in the hill country.
   It's so barren and scorched
   that no one travels there.
   No cattle can be found there,
   and birds and wild animals
   have all disappeared.
    11I heard the LORD reply,
   "When I am finished,
   Jerusalem and the towns of Judah
   will be piles of ruins
   where only jackals c] live."

Why the Land Was Destroyed

 12I said to the LORD, "None of us can understand why the land has become like an uncrossable desert. Won't you explain why?"    13The LORD said:
   I destroyed the land because the people disobeyed me and rejected my laws and teachings. 14They were stubborn and worshiped Baal, d] just as their ancestors did. 15So I, the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, promise them poison to eat and drink. e] 16I'll scatter them in foreign countries that they and their ancestors have never even heard of. Finally, I will send enemy soldiers to kill every last one of them.

The Women Who Are Paid To Weep

 17The LORD All-Powerful said,   "Send for the women
   who are paid to weep
   at funerals, f] especially the women
   who can cry the loudest."
    18The people answered,
   "Let them come quickly
   and cry for us,
   until our own eyes
   are flooded with tears.
    19Now those of us on Zion cry,
   `We are ruined!
   We can't stand the shame.
   Our homes have been destroyed,
   and we must leave our land.'
    20"We ask you women
   to pay attention
   to what the LORD says.
   We will teach you a funeral song
   that you can teach
   your daughters and friends:
    21'We were in our fortress,
   but death sneaked in
   through our windows.
   It even struck down
   children at play
   and our strongest young men.'
    22"The LORD has told us
   the ground will be covered
   with dead bodies,
   like stalks of ungathered grain
   or like manure."   

What the LORD Likes Best

 23The LORD says:   Don't brag about your wisdom
   or strength or wealth.
    24If you feel you must brag,
   then have enough sense
   to brag about worshiping me,
   the LORD.
   What I like best
   is showing kindness,
   justice, and mercy
   to everyone on earth.
    25-26Someday I will punish the nations of Egypt, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, and the tribes of the desert. g] The men of these nations are circumcised, but they don't worship me. And it's the same with you people of Judah. Your bodies are circumcised, but your hearts are unchanged.
Footnotes:
  1. Jeremiah 8:13 I will wipe them out: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. Jeremiah 8:13 They have not. . . them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. Jeremiah 9:11 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller.
  4. Jeremiah 9:14 Baal: See the note at 2.23.
  5. Jeremiah 9:15 poison to eat and drink: Or "bitter disappointment to eat, and tears to drink."
  6. Jeremiah 9:17 women. . . weep at funerals: Or "the women who weep for Baal"; the god Baal was believed to have died and come back to life, and some women would go to places of worship and weep over the death of Baal.
  7. Jeremiah 9:25 the tribes of the desert: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.



Colossians 3:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)


Colossians 3


 1You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God's right side. a]   2Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth.
   3You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God.
   4Christ gives meaning to your b] life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory.
   5Don't be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don't be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don't be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols.
   6God is angry with people who disobey him by doing c] these things.
   7And that is exactly what you did, when you lived among people who behaved in this way.
   8But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others.
   9And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits.
   10Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.
   11It doesn't matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, d] and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
   12God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.
   13Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you.
   14Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.
   15Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.
   16Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
   17Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him. 
Footnotes:
  1. Colossians 3:1 right side: The place of power and honor.
  2. Colossians 3:4 your: Some manuscripts have " our."
  3. Colossians 3:6 people who disobey him by doing: Some manuscripts do not have these words.
  4. Colossians 3:11 a barbarian or a Scythian: Barbarians were people who could not speak Greek and would be in the lower class of society. Scythians were people who were known for their cruelty.


Psalm 78:32-55 (Contemporary English Version)


32But the rest kept on sinning
   and would not trust
   God's miracles.
    33So he cut their lives short
   and made them terrified.
    34After he killed some of them,
   the others turned to him
   with all their hearts.
    35They remembered God Most High,
   the mighty rock a] that kept them safe.
    36But they tried to flatter God,
   and they told him lies;
    37they were unfaithful
   and broke their promises.
    38Yet God was kind.
   He kept forgiving their sins
   and didn't destroy them.
   He often became angry,
   but never lost his temper.
    39God remembered that they
   were made of flesh
   and were like a wind
   that blows once
   and then dies down.
    40While they were in the desert,
   they often rebelled
   and made God sad.
    41They kept testing him
   and caused terrible pain
   for the Holy One of Israel.
    42They forgot about his power
   and how he had rescued them
   from their enemies.
    43God showed them all kinds
   of wonderful miracles
   near Zoan b] in Egypt. 44He turned the rivers of Egypt
   into blood,
   and no one could drink
   from the streams.
    45He sent swarms of flies
   to pester the Egyptians,
   and he sent frogs
   to cause them trouble.
    46God let worms and grasshoppers
   eat their crops.
    47He destroyed their grapevines
   and their fig trees
   with hail and floods. c] 48Then he killed their cattle
   with hail
   and their other animals
   with lightning.
    49God was so angry and furious
   that he went into a rage
   and caused them great trouble
   by sending swarms
   of destroying angels.
    50God gave in to his anger
   and slaughtered them
   in a terrible way.
    51He killed the first-born son
   of each Egyptian family.
    52Then God led his people
   out of Egypt
   and guided them in the desert
   like a flock of sheep.
    53He led them safely along,
   and they were not afraid,
   but their enemies drowned
   in the sea.
    54God brought his people
   to the sacred mountain
   that he had taken
   by his own power.
    55He made nations run
   from the tribes of Israel,
   and he let the tribes
   take over their land. 
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 78:35 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.
  2. Psalm 78:43 Zoan: See the note at 78.12.
  3. Psalm 78:47 floods: Or " frost."



Proverbs 24:27 (Contemporary English Version)


27Get your fields ready
   and plant your crops
   before starting a home.







Thought for the Day
 

“You are my God. I worship you. In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert.” (Psalm 63:1 -  Contemporary English Version) When we appreciate the love and care God offers, we'll want to respond. We won't need threats or promises. Instead, we'll look for opportunities to express our thanks and praise.



Quote for the Day

American writer, poet, and best-selling author, James Whitcomb Riley wrote, “When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.”


Joke for Today

After spending 3 1/2 hours enduring the long lines, surly clerks and insane regulations at the department of motor vehicles, a lady stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for her son. She brought her selection - a baseball bat to the cash register.

"Cash or charge," the clerk asked.

"Cash," she snapped. Then apologizing for her rudeness, she explained, "I've spent the afternoon at the motor-vehicle bureau. I am not too sane right now!!"

"Shall I gift wrap the bat?" the clerk asked sweetly, "Or are you going back?"






















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 people are sensitive to the vulnerability of their neighbors.

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