Monday, January 31, 2022

Bible Readings for January 31, 2022

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are Exodus 12:14–13:16; Matthew 20:29–21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; and Proverbs 6:12-15. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.  


Exodus 12:14-13:16 (The Message)

 14-16 "This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses—anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that.
 17-20 "Keep the Festival of Unraised Bread! This marks the exact day I brought you out in force from the land of Egypt. Honor the day down through your generations, a fixed festival to be observed always. In the first month, beginning on the fourteenth day at evening until the twenty-first day at evening, you are to eat unraised bread. For those seven days not a trace of yeast is to be found in your houses. Anyone, whether a visitor or a native of the land, who eats anything raised shall be cut off from the community of Israel. Don't eat anything raised. Only matzoth."
 21-23 Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, "Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning. God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, God will pass over the doorway; he won't let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.
 24-27 "Keep this word. It's the law for you and your children, forever. When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this. And when your children say to you, 'Why are we doing this?' tell them: 'It's the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.'"
   The people bowed and worshiped.
 28 The Israelites then went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it all.

29 At midnight God struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, right down to the firstborn of the prisoner locked up in jail. Also the firstborn of the animals.
 30 Pharaoh got up that night, he and all his servants and everyone else in Egypt—what wild wailing and lament in Egypt! There wasn't a house in which someone wasn't dead.
 31-32 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron that very night and said, "Get out of here and be done with you—you and your Israelites! Go worship God on your own terms. And yes, take your sheep and cattle as you've insisted, but go. And bless me."
 33 The Egyptians couldn't wait to get rid of them; they pushed them to hurry up, saying, "We're all as good as dead."
 34-36 The people grabbed their bread dough before it had risen, bundled their bread bowls in their cloaks and threw them over their shoulders. The Israelites had already done what Moses had told them; they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold things and clothing. God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people and so readily gave them what they asked for. Oh yes! They picked those Egyptians clean.
 37-39 The Israelites moved on from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 on foot, besides their dependents. There was also a crowd of riffraff tagging along, not to mention the large flocks and herds of livestock. They baked unraised cakes with the bread dough they had brought out of Egypt; it hadn't raised—they'd been rushed out of Egypt and hadn't time to fix food for the journey.
The Passover
40-42 The Israelites had lived in Egypt 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, God's entire army left Egypt. God kept watch all night, watching over the Israelites as he brought them out of Egypt. Because God kept watch, all Israel for all generations will honor God by keeping watch this night—a watchnight.
43-47 God said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the rules for the Passover:
   No foreigners are to eat it.
   Any slave, if he's paid for and circumcised, can eat it.
   No casual visitor or hired hand can eat it.
   Eat it in one house—don't take the meat outside the house.
   Don't break any of the bones.
   The whole community of Israel is to be included in the meal.
 48 "If an immigrant is staying with you and wants to keep the Passover to God, every male in his family must be circumcised, then he can participate in the Meal—he will then be treated as a native son. But no uncircumcised person can eat it.
 49 "The same law applies both to the native and the immigrant who is staying with you."
 50-51 All the Israelites did exactly as God commanded Moses and Aaron. That very day God brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, tribe by tribe.

Exodus 13

 1-2 God spoke to Moses, saying, "Consecrate every firstborn to me— the first one to come from the womb among the Israelites, whether person or animal, is mine."  3 Moses said to the people, "Always remember this day. This is the day when you came out of Egypt from a house of slavery. God brought you out of here with a powerful hand. Don't eat any raised bread.
 4-5 "You are leaving in the spring month of Abib. When God brings you into the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he promised to your fathers to give you, a land lavish with milk and honey, you are to observe this service during this month:
 6 "You are to eat unraised bread for seven days; on the seventh day there is a festival celebration to God.
 7 "Only unraised bread is to be eaten for seven days. There is not to be a trace of anything fermented—no yeast anywhere.
 8 "Tell your child on that day: 'This is because of what God did for me when I came out of Egypt.'
 9-10 "The day of observance will be like a sign on your hand, a memorial between your eyes, and the teaching of God in your mouth. It was with a powerful hand that God brought you out of Egypt. Follow these instructions at the set time, year after year after year.
 11-13 "When God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and turns it over to you, you are to set aside the first birth out of every womb to God. Every first birth from your livestock belongs to God. You can redeem every first birth of a donkey if you want to by substituting a lamb; if you decide not to redeem it, you must break its neck.
 13-16 "Redeem every firstborn child among your sons. When the time comes and your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you tell him, 'God brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery, with a powerful hand. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, God killed every firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of both humans and animals. That's why I make a sacrifice for every first male birth from the womb to God and redeem every firstborn son.' The observance functions like a sign on your hands or a symbol on the middle of your forehead: God brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand."



Matthew 20:29-21:22 (The Message)

 29-31As they were leaving Jericho, a huge crowd followed. Suddenly they came upon two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard it was Jesus passing, they cried out, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!" The crowd tried to hush them up, but they got all the louder, crying, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!"
 32Jesus stopped and called over, "What do you want from me?"
 33They said, "Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!"
 34Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession.

Matthew 21

The Royal Welcome

 1-3When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: "Go over to the village across from you. You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, say, 'The Master needs them!' He will send them with you."
 4-5This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet:

   Tell Zion's daughter,
   "Look, your king's on his way,
      poised and ready, mounted
   On a donkey, on a colt,
      foal of a pack animal."
 6-9The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, "Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in highest heaven!"
 10As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, "What's going on here? Who is this?"
 11The parade crowd answered, "This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee."
He Kicked Over the Tables
 12-14Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

   My house was designated a house of prayer;
   You have made it a hangout for thieves.
Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.
 15-16When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task. "Do you hear what these children are saying?"
   Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?"
 17Fed up, Jesus turned on his heel and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night.
The Withered Fig Tree
 18-20Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, "No more figs from this tree—ever!" The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, "Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?"
 21-22But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God."


Psalm 25:16-22 (The Message)

 16 Look at me and help me!
   I'm all alone and in big trouble.

 17 My heart and kidneys are fighting each other;
   Call a truce to this civil war.

 18 Take a hard look at my life of hard labor,
   Then lift this ton of sin.

 19 Do you see how many people
   Have it in for me?
   How viciously they hate me?

 20 Keep watch over me and keep me out of trouble;
   Don't let me down when I run to you.

 21 Use all your skill to put me together;
   I wait to see your finished product.

 22 God, give your people a break
   From this run of bad luck.



Proverbs 6:12-15 (The Message)

Always Cooking Up Something Nasty
 12-15 Riffraff and rascals
   talk out of both sides of their mouths.
They wink at each other, they shuffle their feet,
   they cross their fingers behind their backs.
Their perverse minds are always cooking up something nasty,
   always stirring up trouble.
Catastrophe is just around the corner for them,
   a total smashup, their lives ruined beyond repair.






Thought for the Day
 

“You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you.” (Psalm 86:5 - Contemporary English Version) We can be confident that our Lord forgives us, because he loves us. And through prayer, we can express our praise and thanks to him. 


Quote for the Day

American stage and screen actress, Tallulah Bankhead wrote, "I'd rather be strongly wrong than weakly right."



Joke for Today

The condemned man was waiting for his execution, when the priest arrived.

"My son, I came to bring the word of God to you."

"No thanks, Father. I'm going to talk to Him in a little while, personally. Any message?"























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 put the needs of others before their own wants.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Bible Readings for January 30, 2022

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are Exodus 10:1–12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15; and Proverbs 6:6-11. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.  


Exodus 10-12:13 (The Message)


Exodus 10

Strike Eight: Locusts

 1-2 God said to Moses: "Go to Pharaoh. I've made him stubborn, him and his servants, so that I can force him to look at these signs and so you'll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you'll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you'll all know that I am God."  3-6Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "God, the God of the Hebrews, says, 'How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me. If you refuse to release my people, watch out; tomorrow I'm bringing locusts into your country. They'll cover every square inch of ground; no one will be able to see the ground. They'll devour everything left over from the hailstorm, even the saplings out in the fields—they'll clear-cut the trees. And they'll invade your houses, filling the houses of your servants, filling every house in Egypt. Nobody will have ever seen anything like this, from the time your ancestors first set foot on this soil until today.'"
   Then he turned on his heel and left Pharaoh.
 7 Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long are you going to let this man harass us? Let these people go and worship their God. Can't you see that Egypt is on its last legs?"
 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. He said to them, "Go ahead then. Go worship your God. But just who exactly is going with you?"
 9 Moses said, "We're taking young and old, sons and daughters, flocks and herds—this is our worship-celebration ofGod."
 10-11 He said, "I'd sooner send you off with God's blessings than let you go with your children. Look, you're up to no good—it's written all over your faces. Nothing doing. Just the men are going—go ahead and worship God. That's what you want so badly." And they were thrown out of Pharaoh's presence.
 12 God said to Moses: "Stretch your hand over Egypt and signal the locusts to cover the land of Egypt, devouring every blade of grass in the country, everything that the hail didn't get."
 13 Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt. God let loose an east wind. It blew that day and night. By morning the east wind had brought in the locusts.
 14-15 The locusts covered the country of Egypt, settling over every square inch of Egypt; the place was thick with locusts. There never was an invasion of locusts like it in the past, and never will be again. The ground was completely covered, black with locusts. They ate everything, every blade of grass, every piece of fruit, anything that the hail didn't get. Nothing left but bare trees and bare fields—not a sign of green in the whole land of Egypt.
 16-17 Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron back in no time. He said, "I've sinned against your God and against you. Overlook my sin one more time. Pray to your God to get me out of this—get death out of here!"
 18-19 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to GodGod reversed the wind—a powerful west wind took the locusts and dumped them into the Red Sea. There wasn't a single locust left in the whole country of Egypt.
 20 But God made Pharaoh stubborn as ever. He still didn't release the Israelites. 

Strike Nine: Darkness

21 God said to Moses: "Stretch your hand to the skies. Let darkness descend on the land of Egypt—a darkness so dark you can touch it."  22-23 Moses stretched out his hand to the skies. Thick darkness descended on the land of Egypt for three days. Nobody could see anybody. For three days no one could so much as move. Except for the Israelites: they had light where they were living.
 24 Pharaoh called in Moses: "Go and worship God. Leave your flocks and herds behind. But go ahead and take your children."
 25-26 But Moses said, "You have to let us take our sacrificial animals and offerings with us so we can sacrifice them in worship to our God. Our livestock has to go with us with not a hoof left behind; they are part of the worship of our God. And we don't know just what will be needed until we get there."
 27 But God kept Pharaoh stubborn as ever. He wouldn't agree to release them.
 28 Pharaoh said to Moses: "Get out of my sight! And watch your step. I don't want to ever see you again. If I lay eyes on you again, you're dead."
 29 Moses said, "Have it your way. You won't see my face again." 

Exodus 11

Strike Ten: Death

 1God said to Moses: "I'm going to hit Pharaoh and Egypt one final time, and then he'll let you go. When he releases you, that will be the end of Egypt for you; he won't be able to get rid of you fast enough.  2-3 "So here's what you do. Tell the people to ask, each man from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor, for things made of silver and gold." God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people. Also, Moses was greatly admired by the Egyptians, a respected public figure among both Pharaoh's servants and the people at large.
 4-7 Then Moses confronted Pharaoh: "God's Message: 'At midnight I will go through Egypt and every firstborn child in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl working at her hand mill. Also the firstborn of animals. Widespread wailing will erupt all over the country, lament such as has never been and never will be again. But against the Israelites—man, woman, or animal—there won't be so much as a dog's bark, so that you'll know that God makes a clear distinction between Egypt and Israel.'
 8 "Then all these servants of yours will go to their knees, begging me to leave, 'Leave! You and all the people who follow you!' And I will most certainly leave."
   Moses, seething with anger, left Pharaoh.
 9 God said to Moses, "Pharaoh's not going to listen to a thing you say so that the signs of my presence and work are going to multiply in the land of Egypt."
 10 Moses and Aaron had performed all these signs in Pharaoh's presence, but God turned Pharaoh more stubborn than ever—yet again he refused to release the Israelites from his land. 

Exodus 12


 1-10 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, "This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk. Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don't eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it's roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don't leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.  11 "And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it's the Passover to God.
 12-13 "I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.



Matthew 20:1-28 (The Message)


Matthew 20

A Story About Workers

 1-2 "God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. 3-5"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.
 5-6"He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'
 7"They said, 'Because no one hired us.'
   "He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
 8"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'
 9-12"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'
 13-15"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'
 16"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."

To Drink from the Cup

 17-19Jesus, now well on the way up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve off to the side of the road and said, "Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive."
 20It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.
 21"What do you want?" Jesus asked.
   She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand."
 22Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?"
   They said, "Sure, why not?"
 23Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."
 24-28When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."


Psalm 25:1-15 (The Message)


Psalm 25

A David Psalm

 1-2 My head is high, God, held high; I'm looking to you, God;
   No hangdog skulking for me.

 3 I've thrown in my lot with you;
   You won't embarrass me, will you?
   Or let my enemies get the best of me?    Don't embarrass any of us
   Who went out on a limb for you.
   It's the traitors who should be humiliated.

 4 Show me how you work, God;
   School me in your ways.

 5 Take me by the hand;
   Lead me down the path of truth.
   You are my Savior, aren't you?

 6 Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;
   Rebuild the ancient landmarks!

 7 Forget that I sowed wild oats;
   Mark me with your sign of love.
   Plan only the best for me, God!

 8 God is fair and just;
   He corrects the misdirected,
   Sends them in the right direction.

 9 He gives the rejects his hand,
   And leads them step-by-step.

 10 From now on every road you travel
   Will take you to God.
   Follow the Covenant signs;
   Read the charted directions.

 11 Keep up your reputation, God;
   Forgive my bad life;
   It's been a very bad life.

 12 My question: What are God-worshipers like?
   Your answer: Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye.

 13 They settle down in a promising place;
   Their kids inherit a prosperous farm.

 14 God-friendship is for God-worshipers;
   They are the ones he confides in.

 15 If I keep my eyes on God,
   I won't trip over my own feet.



Proverbs 6:6-11 (The Message)

A Lesson from the Ant

 6-11 You lazy fool, look at an ant.
   Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Nobody has to tell it what to do.
   All summer it stores up food;
   at harvest it stockpiles provisions.
So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?
   How long before you get out of bed?
A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
   sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
   poverty your permanent houseguest!






Thought for the Day
 

“Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other.” (Ephesians 4:2 - Contemporary English Version) We live in an increasingly harsh world, one in which people are often arrogant and cruel. But we can buck this trend and choose to be humble, gentle, patient, and loving.


Quote for the Day

American artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist, Gelett Burgess wrote, "If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead."



Joke for Today

Doctor: "I've got some bad news and some really bad news. The bad news is you only have a week to live."

Patient: "What could be worse news than that?"

Doctor: "I've been trying to contact you for the last 6 days."























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 the body of Christ in America would fervently pray for our nation and its leaders.