Wednesday, January 25th
www.moravian.org/daily_texts/
Readings for Today:
Psalm 17:1-7
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm17&version=NIV
Genesis 26
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis26&version=NIV
Matthew 9:17-38
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew9&version=NIV
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
Today we see King David pouring his heart out to God and his desire for God to hear his prayers. We see his trust in God and his own reflection on his own heart and life. As we come before God each day in prayer it is always a good time for a “heart-check”. To confess is literally “to say the same thing before God”. Meaning a time of honesty, after all you can’t fool God so why try? The value of daily prayer is keeping short accounts with your Maker. There is also a clarity in our prayer life when we have done our business with God first, and then receive His forgiveness for the things we have done wrong and the good we have failed to do. I know I was reminded this morning of a situation where I went I probably went a little overboard on.
Genesis 26
Isaac and Abimelek
1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b] 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”
Issac continues to live out the Covenant promise that God had made to Abraham and encounter similar trials and the temptation to trust in his own wisdom instead of God’s clear provision and protection. Similar to his dad he attempts to deceive Abimelek and his men by saying his wife is his sister. Although God has promised Issac protection he goes to his own ways and his plan goes sideways when the king sees Issac and Rebekah together. And yes the bible doesn’t spare the details! The bottom line is Abimelek sees that God is with Issac and instead of being hostile he wants to cut a deal with him and go into partnership with him because he is shrewd man and sees God’s blessing on Issac’s life in all he does. But after a while as Issac’s flocks and wells increase exponentially he becomes a threat to the Philistines so he moves on to a new place.
When there are famines in your life are you tempted to go back to your old ways of trusting in self rather than God. God makes us His promise that he is with us in the good and bad times, and yet it is in the bad times when our trust in his provision is most challenged. May we hear the promise God re-affirmed in Isaac’s life, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
Matthew 9 The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:35-38 marks a parenthetic end to the first phase of Jesus’ ministry. It is a summary of how God’s kingdom came through Jesus as he taught, proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, and then demonstrated the power of the kingdom by healing every disease and sickness. As Jesus sees the huge need and that he is only one person, he prays to His father to send more workers into the harvest field.
In the next chapter we will see the next phase of Jesus’ ministry as he equips his disciples to do all the things he was doing. As we look out on our world today, Jesus sees the crowds in our world and that they are harassed and helpless and like sheep without a shepherd. He looks for workers like me and you to go out and bring a harvest into His kingdom through the power of the Church.
Faithful God, when we feel the weakest, you become our strength. You send your presence through those who come to us - sometimes angels, sometimes each other. Thank you for the nearness we feel this day through your servants. Amen.
Readings for Today:
Psalm 17:1-7
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm17&version=NIV
Genesis 26
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis26&version=NIV
Matthew 9:17-38
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew9&version=NIV
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
Today we see King David pouring his heart out to God and his desire for God to hear his prayers. We see his trust in God and his own reflection on his own heart and life. As we come before God each day in prayer it is always a good time for a “heart-check”. To confess is literally “to say the same thing before God”. Meaning a time of honesty, after all you can’t fool God so why try? The value of daily prayer is keeping short accounts with your Maker. There is also a clarity in our prayer life when we have done our business with God first, and then receive His forgiveness for the things we have done wrong and the good we have failed to do. I know I was reminded this morning of a situation where I went I probably went a little overboard on.
Genesis 26
Isaac and Abimelek
1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b] 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”
Issac continues to live out the Covenant promise that God had made to Abraham and encounter similar trials and the temptation to trust in his own wisdom instead of God’s clear provision and protection. Similar to his dad he attempts to deceive Abimelek and his men by saying his wife is his sister. Although God has promised Issac protection he goes to his own ways and his plan goes sideways when the king sees Issac and Rebekah together. And yes the bible doesn’t spare the details! The bottom line is Abimelek sees that God is with Issac and instead of being hostile he wants to cut a deal with him and go into partnership with him because he is shrewd man and sees God’s blessing on Issac’s life in all he does. But after a while as Issac’s flocks and wells increase exponentially he becomes a threat to the Philistines so he moves on to a new place.
When there are famines in your life are you tempted to go back to your old ways of trusting in self rather than God. God makes us His promise that he is with us in the good and bad times, and yet it is in the bad times when our trust in his provision is most challenged. May we hear the promise God re-affirmed in Isaac’s life, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
Matthew 9 The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:35-38 marks a parenthetic end to the first phase of Jesus’ ministry. It is a summary of how God’s kingdom came through Jesus as he taught, proclaimed the good news of the kingdom, and then demonstrated the power of the kingdom by healing every disease and sickness. As Jesus sees the huge need and that he is only one person, he prays to His father to send more workers into the harvest field.
In the next chapter we will see the next phase of Jesus’ ministry as he equips his disciples to do all the things he was doing. As we look out on our world today, Jesus sees the crowds in our world and that they are harassed and helpless and like sheep without a shepherd. He looks for workers like me and you to go out and bring a harvest into His kingdom through the power of the Church.
Faithful God, when we feel the weakest, you become our strength. You send your presence through those who come to us - sometimes angels, sometimes each other. Thank you for the nearness we feel this day through your servants. Amen.
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