Thursday, January 30, 2014

Proverbs 30 (NIV)

Proverbs 30 (New International Version)

Proverbs 30

Sayings of Agur

1 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an oracle [a] : This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal: [b]
2 "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding.

3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!

5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:

8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

10 "Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it.

11 "There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;

12 those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;

14 those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.

15 "The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!':

16 the grave, [c] the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'

17 "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

18 "There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:

19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.

20 "This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'

21 "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food,

23 an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

24 "Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:

25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

26 coneys [d] are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;

27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;

28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.

29 "There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:

30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king with his army around him. [e]

32 "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth!

33 For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."

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Psalm 108 (NIV)

Psalm 108 (New International Version)

Psalm 108

A song. A psalm of David.

1 My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

6 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

7 God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

9 Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph."

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

11 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?

12 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

13 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Micah 7 (NIV)

Micah 7 (New International Version)

Micah 7

Israel's Misery

1 What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.
2 The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net.

3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together.

4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion.

5 Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words.

6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies are the members of his own household.

7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Israel Will Rise

8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
9 Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.

10 Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.

11 The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.

12 In that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.

13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds.

Prayer and Praise

14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. [a] Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.
15 "As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders."

16 Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf.

17 They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the LORD our God and will be afraid of you.

18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

20 You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.

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Proverbs 28 (NIV)

Proverbs 28 (New International Version)

Proverbs 28

1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

3 A ruler [a] who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

8 He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.

10 He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

11 A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

16 A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment, but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

17 A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him.

18 He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

21 To show partiality is not good— yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.

24 He who robs his father or mother and says, "It's not wrong"— he is partner to him who destroys.

25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

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Psalm 107 (NIV)

Psalm 107 (New International Version)

Psalm 107

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

²Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.^[a]

⁴Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
⁵They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
⁶Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
⁸Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
⁹for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
¹¹because they rebelled against God’s commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
¹²So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
¹³Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
¹⁴He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
¹⁵Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
¹⁶for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

¹⁷Some became fools through their rebellious ways
    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
¹⁸They loathed all food
    and drew near the gates of death.
¹⁹Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
²⁰He sent out his word and healed them;
    he rescued them from the grave.
²¹Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
²²Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

²³Some went out on the sea in ships;
    they were merchants on the mighty waters.
²⁴They saw the works of the Lord,
    his wonderful deeds in the deep.
²⁵For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
    that lifted high the waves.
²⁶They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
    in their peril their courage melted away.
²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
    they were at their wits’ end.
²⁸Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out of their distress.
²⁹He stilled the storm to a whisper;
    the waves of the sea^[b] were hushed.
³⁰They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them to their desired haven.
³¹Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
³²Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.

³³He turned rivers into a desert,
    flowing springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,
    because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water
    and the parched ground into flowing springs;
³⁶there he brought the hungry to live,
    and they founded a city where they could settle.
³⁷They sowed fields and planted vineyards
    that yielded a fruitful harvest;
³⁸he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
    and he did not let their herds diminish.

³⁹Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
⁴⁰he who pours contempt on nobles
    made them wander in a trackless waste.
⁴¹But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
    and increased their families like flocks.
⁴²The upright see and rejoice,
    but all the wicked shut their mouths.

⁴³Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Footnotes:

Psalm 107:3 Hebrew north and the sea
Psalm 107:29 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / their waves

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for The Church in the Country of Asia

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)

Jan 28: Asia, The Church in Asia

Asia, The Church in Asia

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Asia

World

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Geography

Area: 31,829,200 sq km
Approximately 23.5% of the world’s surface area. Russia east of the Ural Mountains is geographically part of Asia, but here all of the Russian Federation is included with Europe. Included here are the Trans-Caucasus states (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) as well as the West Asian/Middle Eastern countries. Includes amazing geographic and ecological diversity – tropical rain forest, desert, alluvial plains, hills and the world’s highest
Population: 4,166,741,314 Annual Growth: 1.10%
Urbanites: 43%

Peoples

Peoples: 4,860 (0% unreached)
Languages: 2,322

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	368,075,984	8.83	2.3
Evangelicals	146,854,085	3.5	3.0
Muslim	1,100,825,428	26.42

Answer to Prayer

Lands previously cut off from overt Christian ministry are now home to dynamic, growing churches and unprecedented numbers of believers. This started with China in earlier decades, then moved to the former Soviet countries in Central Asia, the Caucasus Republics and Mongolia in the 1990s, and most recently in a number of Southeast Asian countries. Even in the heart of the Muslim world, thriving ministry to Christian populations (and other expatriate, non-Muslim peoples) is happening. Only in Saudi Arabia and Maldives are there no public-meeting Christian congregations; even in these countries (and many others), there are numbers of believers meeting together privately or in secret.
For an additional 8 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Asia.

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The Church in Asia

Asia

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Challenge for Prayer

Central Asia.
a) Indigenous evangelical Christians have multiplied to number tens of thousands in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and even Turkey, but in all of these places they face pressures from many sides – the government, Islamist groups, the Orthodox hierarchy and family members/society at large. The perception of evangelicalism as being foreign is one reason for such trouble; the hard line taken by many governments against religious extremism has unintended consequences for Christian groups. Pray for the rooting of the Christian faith in Central Asian cultural forms, for continued growth, for the positive witness of believers and for the further development of mature indigenous leadership. Pray also for Russian, Ukrainian, German, Korean and other expatriate believers who still comprise a majority of evangelicals in these lands.
b) Pressures on Christians are more severe in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and especially Turkmenistan. Foreign workers have been expelled from these countries, congregations scattered and church leaders imprisoned. Pray that the remnant might stand strong and even grow amid these tribulations. In Afghanistan, despite the defeat of the Taliban as a military force, indigenous believers face great risks and must be very cautious in meeting together.
c) Multi-national partnerships of expatriate believers exist for each of these nations. They have raised up intercession, mobilized mission, fostered cooperation and encouraged local believers. Pray that their continued carrying of these burdens might bring forth greater harvest in these needy regions.
For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of The Church in Asia.

Micah 6 (NIV)

Micah 6 (New International Version)

Micah 6

The LORD's Case Against Israel

1 Listen to what the LORD says: "Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.

3 "My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.

4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.

5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."

6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Israel's Guilt and Punishment

9 Listen! The LORD is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— "Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. [a]
10 Am I still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures and the short ephah, [b] which is accursed?

11 Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?

12 Her rich men are violent; her people are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully.

13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.

14 You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. [c] You will store up but save nothing, because what you save I will give to the sword.

15 You will plant but not harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil on yourselves, you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.

16 You have observed the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab's house, and you have followed their traditions. Therefore I will give you over to ruin and your people to derision; you will bear the scorn of the nations. [d] "

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Proverbs 28 (NIV)

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Psalm 106 (NIV)

Psalm 106

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 106

¹Praise the Lord.^[a]

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

²Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
or fully declare his praise?
³Blessed are those who act justly,
who always do what is right.

⁴Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people,
    come to my aid when you save them,
⁵that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
    that I may share in the joy of your nation
    and join your inheritance in giving praise.

⁶We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
⁷When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.^[b]
⁸Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
    to make his mighty power known.
⁹He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
    he led them through the depths as through a desert.
¹⁰He saved them from the hand of the foe;
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
¹¹The waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
¹²Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.

¹³But they soon forgot what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
¹⁴In the desert they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness they put God to the test.
¹⁵So he gave them what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶In the camp they grew envious of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
¹⁷The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
    it buried the company of Abiram.
¹⁸Fire blazed among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰They exchanged their glorious God
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹They forgot the God who saved them,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
²²miracles in the land of Ham
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³So he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴Then they despised the pleasant land;
    they did not believe his promise.
²⁵They grumbled in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
²⁶So he swore to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
²⁷make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter them throughout the lands.

²⁸They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
²⁹they aroused the Lord’s anger by their wicked deeds,
    and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.
³¹This was credited to him as righteousness
    for endless generations to come.
³²By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
³³for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[c]

³⁴They did not destroy the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded them,
³⁵but they mingled with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
³⁶They worshiped their idols,
    which became a snare to them.
³⁷They sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to false gods.
³⁸They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
³⁹They defiled themselves by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

⁴⁰Therefore the Lord was angry with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.
⁴¹He gave them into the hands of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
⁴²Their enemies oppressed them
    and subjected them to their power.
⁴³Many times he delivered them,
    but they were bent on rebellion
    and they wasted away in their sin.
⁴⁴Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;
⁴⁵for their sake he remembered his covenant
    and out of his great love he relented.
⁴⁶He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.

⁴⁷Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

⁴⁸Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord.