Friday, June 30, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 30, 2017

Matthew 10:24-39Common English Bible (CEB)

24 “Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master. 25 It’s enough for disciples to be like their teacher and slaves like their master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, it’s certain that they will call the members of his household by even worse names.

Whom to fear

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing secret that won’t be brought out into the open. 27 What I say to you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, announce from the rooftops. 28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already. 30 Even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

Confessing Christ to people

32 “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Trouble in the family

34 “Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword. 35 I’ve come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 People’s enemies are members of their own households.[a]

37 “Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who love son or daughter more than me aren’t worthy of me.38 Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me. 39 Those who find their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives because of me will find them.

Footnotes:

Matthew 10:36 Mic 7:6

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 29, 2017

Romans 6:1-11Common English Bible (CEB)

Our new life in Christ

6 So what are we going to say? Should we continue sinning so grace will multiply? 2 Absolutely not! All of us died to sin. How can we still live in it?3 Or don’t you know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life. 5 If we were united together in a death like his, we will also be united together in a resurrection like his. 6 This is what we know: the person that we used to be was crucified with him in order to get rid of the corpse that had been controlled by sin. That way we wouldn’t be slaves to sin anymore, 7 because a person who has died has been freed from sin’s power. 8 But if we died with Christ, we have faith that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he will never die again. Death no longer has power over him. 10 He died to sin once and for all with his death, but he lives for God with his life. 11 In the same way, you also should consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 28, 2017

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

86 Lord, listen closely to me and answer me,
    because I am poor and in need.
2 Guard my life because I am faithful.
    Save your servant who trusts in you—you! My God!
3 Have mercy on me, Lord,
    because I cry out to you all day long.
4 Make your servant’s life[a] happy again
    because, my Lord, I offer my life to you,
5     because, my Lord, you are good and forgiving,
    full of faithful love for all those who cry out to you.
6 Listen closely to my prayer, Lord;
    pay close attention to the sound of my requests for mercy.
7 Whenever I am in trouble, I cry out to you,
    because you will answer me.

8 My Lord! There is no one like youamong the gods!
    There is nothing that can compare to your works!
9 All the nations that you’ve made will come
        and bow down before you, Lord;
    they will glorify your name,
10     because you are awesome
    and a wonder-worker.
        You are God. Just you.

Footnotes:

Psalm 86:4 Or soul; also in 86:4b, 13

Common English Bible (CEB)

Psalm 86:16-17Common English Bible (CEB)

16 Come back to me! Have mercy on me!
    Give your servant your strength;
    save this child of your servant!
17 Show me a sign of your goodness
    so that those who hate me will see it and be put to shame—
        show a sign that you, Lord,
        have helped me and comforted me.

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Daily Bible Readings July 8, 2017

2 Samuel 15:7-17Common English Bible (CEB)

7 At the end of four[a] years, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron so I can fulfill a promise I made to the Lord. 8 Your servant made this promise when I lived in Geshur, in Aram. I promised that if the Lord would bring me back to Jerusalem, then I would worship the Lord in Hebron.”[b]

9 “Go in peace,” the king said. So Absalom left and went to Hebron.

10 But Absalom sent secret agents throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom has become king in Hebron!’” 11 Two hundred invited guests went with Absalom from Jerusalem. They were innocent and knew nothing of this matter when they went. 12 While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he summoned David’s advisor Ahithophel, who was from Giloh, to come from his hometown. So the conspiracy grew stronger, and Absalom’s following grew.

David flees from Jerusalem

13 A messenger came to David, reporting, “The hearts of the Israelites have gone over to Absalom.” 14 Then David told all the servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come on! We have to run for it, or we won’t be able to escape Absalom. Hurry, or he will catch up with us in no time, destroy us,[c] and attack the city with the sword.”

15 The king’s servants said to him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our master the king decides.” 16 So the king left, with his entire household following him, but he left ten secondary wives behind to take care of the palace.

17 So the king left, with all his people following him, and they stopped at the last house.

Footnotes:

2 Samuel 15:7 LXX, Syr, Vulg, Josephus; MT forty
2 Samuel 15:8 LXX; MT lacks in Hebron.
2 Samuel 15:14 Heb uncertain; LXXL bring the city down on top of us

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Monday, June 26, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 26, 2017

1 Corinthians 3:5-9Common English Bible (CEB)

5 After all, what is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants who helped you to believe. Each one had a role given to them by the Lord: 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. 7 Because of this, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together, but each one will receive their own reward for their own labor. 9 We are God’s coworkers, and you are God’s field, God’s building.

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 25, 2017

Acts 4:24-35Common English Bible (CEB)

24 They listened, then lifted their voices in unison to God, “Master, you are the one who created the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 25 You are the one who spoke by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:

Why did the Gentiles rage,
    and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand
    and the rulers gathered together as one
    against the Lord and against his Christ.[a]

27 Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with Gentiles and Israelites, did gather in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.28 They did what your power and plan had already determined would happen. 29 Now, Lord, take note of their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with complete confidence. 30 Stretch out your hand to bring healing and enable signs and wonders to be performed through the name of Jesus, your holy servant.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence.

Sharing among the believers

32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. 33 The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, 35 and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need.

Footnotes:

Acts 4:26 Or anointed one; Ps 2:1-2

Common English Bible (CEB)

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 24, 2017

Acts 4:24-35Common English Bible (CEB)

Sharing among the believers

Footnotes:

Acts 4:26 Or anointed one; Ps 2:1-2

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Friday, June 23, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 23, 2017

Matthew 9:35-10:8Common English Bible (CEB)

Compassion

35 Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The size of the harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers.38 Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest.”

Mission of the Twelve

10 He called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to throw them out and to heal every disease and every sickness.2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee; and John his brother; 3 Philip; and Bartholomew; Thomas; and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean;[a] and Judas, who betrayed Jesus.

Commissioning of the Twelve

5 Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Don’t go among the Gentiles or into a Samaritan city. 6 Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. 7 As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment.

Footnotes:

Matthew 10:4 Or zealot

Common English Bible (CEB)

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Daily Bible Readings June 22, 2017

Romans 5:1-8Common English Bible (CEB)

Therefore, we have peace with God

5 Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness,[a] we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.2 We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. 3 But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 While we were still weak, at the right moment, Christ died for ungodly people. 7 It isn’t often that someone will die for a righteous person, though maybe someone might dare to die for a good person. 8 But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Footnotes:

Romans 5:1 Or faith

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission