Daily Bread 2012 - Monday January 2nd
(see www.moravian.org/daily_texts/ for more info on Daily Texts I will be using each day)
Readings for Today: (you can cut and paste these lessons to go online to read or of course read from your own bible!)
• Psalm 1
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%201&version=NIV
• Genesis 1-2:17
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201&version=NIV
• Matthew 1:1-17
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1&version=NIV
Thoughts for The Day:
Today is a day of new beginnings. Like the old saying goes, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” We cannot change the past we can only learn from it. I am excited for a new year to walk through the bible with you. As Psalm 1 says:
“1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.”
Instead of saying “Happy New Years”, we should have a “Blessed New Year” because that is what God intends for the person who is committed to following His ways. My prayer is that as we begin each day in God’s word and meditate on it then day and night, we will be like that tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season. Notice it says “seasons”, there will be times of more fruitfulness and less fruitfulness, but the promise of God is that as we stay planted in God’s Word we will be fruitful.
The other readings for today focus on “New Beginnings” too! In Genesis 1, we see how the world began and how God’s creation culminated in the crown of His Creation in Genesis 1:27 when the writer says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
In the next chapter, we see that God had provided everything for the first humans according to His permissive will, but gave just one command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Genesis 2:16-17 the author writes, “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
In our New Testament lesson today, the first Gospel according to Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus focusing particularly on the fact that Jesus descended from the lines of David and Abraham. Since God is a God of Covenant (a promise being two parties together as one), we see that the promises in the Old Testament to both Abraham and David are the basis for sending His Son to fulfill the purpose God had since the beginning of Creation.
We see the fact that all of this was in God’s timing in the fact our Gospel writer says in Matthew 1:17 says, “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.”
As we begin a New Year we see God’s faithfulness in the past and this reminds and assures us that He will be faithful to His people in the future. May you live each day this year planted in God’s Word and putting Your hope in His promises. I look forward to a great year together I pray you will make this a priority each day and through be like that tree planted in streams of water that yields its fruit in season and in whatever you do you will prosper!
Prayer for the Day: God of our future, things will happen this year which we can not
foresee. Some may delight us, and others may cause us grief. At year'send, we will look back and know you were with us. "Great is thy faithfulness!" Amen.
Readings for Today: (you can cut and paste these lessons to go online to read or of course read from your own bible!)
• Psalm 1
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%201&version=NIV
• Genesis 1-2:17
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201&version=NIV
• Matthew 1:1-17
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1&version=NIV
Thoughts for The Day:
Today is a day of new beginnings. Like the old saying goes, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” We cannot change the past we can only learn from it. I am excited for a new year to walk through the bible with you. As Psalm 1 says:
“1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.”
Instead of saying “Happy New Years”, we should have a “Blessed New Year” because that is what God intends for the person who is committed to following His ways. My prayer is that as we begin each day in God’s word and meditate on it then day and night, we will be like that tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season. Notice it says “seasons”, there will be times of more fruitfulness and less fruitfulness, but the promise of God is that as we stay planted in God’s Word we will be fruitful.
The other readings for today focus on “New Beginnings” too! In Genesis 1, we see how the world began and how God’s creation culminated in the crown of His Creation in Genesis 1:27 when the writer says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
In the next chapter, we see that God had provided everything for the first humans according to His permissive will, but gave just one command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Genesis 2:16-17 the author writes, “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
In our New Testament lesson today, the first Gospel according to Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus focusing particularly on the fact that Jesus descended from the lines of David and Abraham. Since God is a God of Covenant (a promise being two parties together as one), we see that the promises in the Old Testament to both Abraham and David are the basis for sending His Son to fulfill the purpose God had since the beginning of Creation.
We see the fact that all of this was in God’s timing in the fact our Gospel writer says in Matthew 1:17 says, “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.”
As we begin a New Year we see God’s faithfulness in the past and this reminds and assures us that He will be faithful to His people in the future. May you live each day this year planted in God’s Word and putting Your hope in His promises. I look forward to a great year together I pray you will make this a priority each day and through be like that tree planted in streams of water that yields its fruit in season and in whatever you do you will prosper!
Prayer for the Day: God of our future, things will happen this year which we can not
foresee. Some may delight us, and others may cause us grief. At year'send, we will look back and know you were with us. "Great is thy faithfulness!" Amen.
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