Sunday, August 28, 2011

Daily Devotional Sunday 28th August

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"How long will it be ere they believe me?"
Numbers 14:11

Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonours Christ, that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we can never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, he may well cry out, "Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." This is crowning his head with thorns of the sharpest kind. It is very cruel for a well-beloved wife to mistrust a kind and faithful husband. The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given the slightest ground for suspicion, and it is hard to be doubted by those to whom our conduct is uniformly affectionate and true. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unbounded wealth; it is shameful to doubt Omnipotence and distrust all-sufficiency. The cattle on a thousand hills will suffice for our most hungry feeding, and the granaries of heaven are not likely to be emptied by our eating. If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust his fulness, but who can drain a fountain? Myriads of spirits have drawn their supplies from him, and not one of them has murmured at the scantiness of his resources. Away, then, with this lying traitor unbelief, for his only errand is to cut the bonds of communion and make us mourn an absent Saviour. Bunyan tells us that unbelief has "as many lives as a cat:" if so, let us kill one life now, and continue the work till the whole nine are gone. Down with thee, thou traitor, my heart abhors thee.

Evening

"Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth."
Psalm 31:5

These words have been frequently used by holy men in their hour of departure. We may profitably consider them this evening. The object of the faithful man's solicitude in life and death is not his body or his estate, but his spirit; this is his choice treasure--if this be safe, all is well. What is this mortal state compared with the soul? The believer commits his soul to the hand of his God; it came from him, it is his own, he has aforetime sustained it, he is able to keep it, and it is most fit that he should receive it. All things are safe in Jehovah's hands; what we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening. It is peaceful living, and glorious dying, to repose in the care of heaven. At all times we should commit our all to Jesus' faithful hand; then, though life may hang on a thread, and adversities may multiply as the sands of the sea, our soul shall dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting places.

"Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." Redemption is a solid basis for confidence. David had not known Calvary as we have done, but temporal redemption cheered him; and shall not eternal redemption yet more sweetly console us? Past deliverances are strong pleas for present assistance. What the Lord has done he will do again, for he changes not. He is faithful to his promises, and gracious to his saints; he will not turn away from his people.

"Though thou slay me I will trust,

Praise thee even from the dust,

Prove, and tell it as I prove,

Thine unutterable love.

Thou mayst chasten and correct,

But thou never canst neglect;

Since the ransom price is paid,

On thy love my hope is stay'd."

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Today's reading: Psalm 120-122, 1 Corinthians 9 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Psalm 120-122

A song of ascents.

1 I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.
2 Save me, LORD,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.

3 What will he do to you,
and what more besides,
you deceitful tongue?
4 He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom bush.

5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war....

...read the rest on Bible Gateway

Today's New Testament reading: 1 Corinthians 9

Paul's Rights as an Apostle

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4Don't we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned?10 Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?

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Greetings from Bible Gateway! We hope that those of you bracing for Hurricane Irene will stay safe this weekend. You're in our prayers.

We have two pieces of Bible Gateway news to share:

Do You Have Tough Questions About the Bible?

Even the most devout Bible reader would probably admit to running into confusion at points, or to harboring tough questions about Scripture's reliability and accuracy. And so next week, we're kicking off a new free email newsletter specifically for anyone who's ever asked a tough question about Scripture:Questions Answered.

Every week, Questions Answered will tackle a different question about the Bible and offer an honest answer that doesn't beat around the bush. Here are some of the questions you'll see addressed:
  • Can the Bible exaggerate and still be true?
  • Why do details sometimes differ from one Gospel account to another?
  • Are proverbs iron-clad promises?
It's not wrong to ask tough questions like these of the Bible-in fact, in earnestly looking for answers, you might be surprised how much you learn about God's Word. So whether you've asked these questions yourself or have been challenged by others to answer them, you'll find Questions Answered to be a thought-provoking exploration of the Bible and its claims.

Questions Answered begins on August 30-sign up today!

Farewell to Eugene Nida, Father of Dynamic Equivalence

Eugene Nida, the man who developed the "dynamic equivalence" Bible translation philosophy, passed away this week at age 96.

Nida's name might not be familiar to many Christians, but his ideas had a massive influence on modern Bible translation. His translation philosophy (also known as functional equivalence) encourages Bible translators to convey the thoughts and ideas expressed in Bible passages, rather than translating each phrase word-for-word. The driving goal behind the philosophy is to make the meaning of each Scripture passage clear and accessible to modern readers, even if it means sacrificing the exact form of the passages in their original language.

His might not be a household name, but Nida's work and ideas had a lasting influence on many of the Bibles on our bookshelves-and on the way that scholars today approach the task of translating Scripture. You can read more about Nida's life and legacy on the Bible Gateway blog.

That's all for now. Thanks, as always, for your continued support of Bible Gateway!

Sincerely,
the Bible Gateway team
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