Saturday, January 28, 2012
Psalm 144 (with text - press on more info.)
Psalm 144 (New International Version)
Psalm 144
Of David.
1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples [a] under me.
3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies}; shoot your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners
8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.
11 Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;
14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. [b] There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Can you go back and be born a second time?
John 3 (Complete Jewish Bible)
1There was a man among the P'rushim, named Nakdimon, who was a ruler of the Judeans.2This man came to Yeshua by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know it is from God that you have come as a teacher; for no one can do these miracles you perform unless God is with him."3"Yes, indeed," Yeshua answered him, "I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."4Nakdimon said to him, "How can a grown man be `born'? Can he go back into his mother's womb and be born a second time?"5Yeshua answered, "Yes, indeed, I tell you that unless a person is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.6What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit. Stop being amazed at my telling you that you must be born again7from above!8The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it's going. That's how it is with everyone who has been born from the Spirit."9Nakdimon replied, "How can this happen?"10Yeshua answered him, "You hold the office of teacher in Isra'el, and you don't know this?11Yes, indeed! I tell you that what we speak about, we know; and what we give evidence of, we have seen; but you people don't accept our evidence!12If you people don't believe me when I tell you about the things of the world, how will you believe me when I tell you about the things of heaven?13No one has gone up into heaven; there is only the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.14Just as Moshe lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up;15so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life.16"For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed.17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved.18Those who trust in him are not judged; those who do not trust have been judged already, in that they have not trusted in the one who is God's only and unique Son.19"Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked.20For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won't be exposed.21But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that his actions are accomplished through God."22After this, Yeshua and his talmidim went out into the countryside of Y'hudah, where he stayed awhile with them and immersed people.23Yochanan too was immersing at Einayim, near Shalem, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to be immersed.24(This was before Yochanan's imprisonment.)25A discussion arose between some of Yochanan's talmidim and a Judean about ceremonial washing;26and they came to Yochanan and said to him, "Rabbi, you know the man who was with you on the other side of the Yarden, the one you spoke about? Well, here he is, immersing; and everyone is going to him!"27Yochanan answered, "No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from Heaven.28You yourselves can confirm that I did not say I was the Messiah, but that I have been sent ahead of him.29The bridegroom is the one who has the bride; but the bridegroom's friend, who stands and listens to him, is overjoyed at the sound of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine is now complete.30He must become more important, while I become less important.31"He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and talks from an earthly point of view; he who comes from heaven is above all.32He testifies about what he has actually seen and heard, yet no one accepts what he says!33Whoever does accept what he says puts his seal on the fact that God is true,34because the one whom God sent speaks God's words. For God does not give him the Spirit in limited degree --35the Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands.36Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life. But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God's wrath."
Yahweh
Deuteronomy 7:9 (Complete Jewish Bible)
9 From this you can know that ADONAI your God is indeed God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot, to a thousand generations.
Hebrew Bible
The feminine noun mitzvah (מִצְוָה) occurs over 180 times in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible. The first use is in Genesis 26:5 where God says that Abraham has "obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments (מִצְוֹתַי mitzoti ), my statutes, and my laws." In the Septuagint the word is usually translated with entole (ἐντολὴ).[1] In Second Temple period funeral inscriptions the epithet phil-entolos, "lover of the commandments," was sometimes inscribed on Jewish tombs.[2] Other words are also used in Hebrew for commands and statutes, for example the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדיברות) are the "Ten Words".[3]
Psalm 143 (with text - press on more info.)
Psalm 143 (New International Version)
Psalm 143
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Who is this person that gives living water?
John 4:1-30 (The Message)
1Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed2(although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people.3So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.4To get there, he had to pass through Samaria.5He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph.6Jacob's well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.7A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give me a drink of water?"8(His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)9The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)10Jesus answered, "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water."11The woman said, "Sir, you don't even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this 'living water'?12Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?"13Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again.14Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst - not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life."15The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!"16He said, "Go call your husband and then come back."17"I have no husband," she said.18You've had five husbands, and the man you're living with now isn't even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough."19"Oh, so you're a prophet!20Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?"21"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem.22You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews.23But the time is coming - it has, in fact, come - when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.24God is sheer being itself - Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."25The woman said, "I don't know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we'll get the whole story."26"I am he," said Jesus. "You don't have to wait any longer or look any further."27Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn't believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.28The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people,29"Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?"30And they went out to see for themselves.
Jan 26: Asia, Hot Spots of Asia
Asia
World
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Geography
Area: 31,829,200 sq kmApproximately 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 | 0.0 |
| Evangelicals | 146,854,085 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Muslim | 1,100,825,428 | 26.42 |
Answer to Prayer
China is in the midst of amazing changes.Beyond the economic shift that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, beyond the positive changes that the further opening of the country has brought, the Church in China is signalling a massive change in this, the world’s largest population. Christians in China now almost certainly exceed 100 million. They are present in all regions of the country and come from all walks of life. They love their country and have ambitious visions to see it transformed by the power of the gospel. The government, traditionally a ruthless persecutor of the Church, now recognizes the positive social impact Christians can make and increasingly accepts the reality that the Church in China is there to stay – and will play a major role in shaping the country’s future.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.Hot Spots of Asia
Asia
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Challenge for Prayer
The Himalayas region simmers with tension.The conflict over Kashmir is the most intractable of problems, with Pakistan and India (and China) holding conflicting claims over territory. The Kashmir dispute has profoundly shaped Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policies, has provoked an arms race between Pakistan and India and has already resulted in four wars. China and India are in dispute over territorial claims not just in Kashmir but also in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Strife also exists over India’s hosting of the Tibetan government-in-exile and in Tibet itself. Add to this the Nepal Civil War of 1996-2006 (and continuing tensions), and you have a region filled with potential flashpoints.For an additional 8 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 Hot Spots of Asia.Psalm 142 (with text - press on more info.)
Psalm 142 (New International Version)
Psalm 142
A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. [a]
1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.
3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."
6 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.
7 Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.
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