Throughout the Season of Lent please go to www.meanderingabout.com for a devotional and activity for each of these 40 days. Enjoy.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Posts for Lent
Throughout the Season of Lent please go to www.meanderingabout.com for a devotional and activity for each of these 40 days. Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Isaiah 58:1-12 and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Isaiah 58:1-12
[1] Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
[2] Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
[3] "Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
[4] Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
[5] Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
[6] Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
[7] Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
[8] Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
[9] Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
[10] if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
[11] The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
[12] Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
[1]"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
[2]"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [3]But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4]so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[5]"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [6]But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[16]"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [17]But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, [18]so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[19]"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; [20]but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21]For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
[1] Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
[2] Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
[3] "Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
[4] Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
[5] Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
[6] Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
[7] Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
[8] Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
[9] Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
[10] if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
[11] The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
[12] Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.
****************************************
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
[1]"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
[2]"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [3]But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4]so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[5]"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [6]But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[16]"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [17]But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, [18]so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[19]"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; [20]but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21]For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33 and Psalm 102
Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33
[1]The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
[2]Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
[3]I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
[4]Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person's name?
And what is the name of the person's child?
Surely you know!
[24]Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
[25]the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
[26]the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
[27]the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
[28]the lizard can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.
[29]Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
[30]the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
[31]the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
and a king striding before his people.
[32]If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
[33]For as pressing milk produces curds,
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.
[1]The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
[2]Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
[3]I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
[4]Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person's name?
And what is the name of the person's child?
Surely you know!
[24]Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
[25]the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
[26]the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
[27]the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
[28]the lizard can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.
[29]Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
[30]the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
[31]the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
and a king striding before his people.
[32]If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
[33]For as pressing milk produces curds,
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.
****************************************
Psalm 102
[1] Hear my
prayer, O LORD;
let my
cry come to you.
[2] Do not hide
your face from me
in the
day of my distress.
Incline your
ear to me;
answer me
speedily in the day when I call.
[3] For my days
pass away like smoke,
and my
bones burn like a furnace.
[4] My heart is
stricken and withered like grass;
I am too
wasted to eat my bread.
[5] Because of my
loud groaning
my bones
cling to my skin.
[6] I am like an
owl of the wilderness,
like a
little owl of the waste places.
[7] I lie
awake;
I am like
a lonely bird on the housetop.
[8] All day long
my enemies taunt me;
those who
deride me use my name for a curse.
[9] For I eat
ashes like bread,
and
mingle tears with my drink,
[10] because of
your indignation and anger;
for you
have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
[11] My days are
like an evening shadow;
I wither
away like grass.
[12] But you, O
LORD, are enthroned forever;
your name
endures to all generations.
[13] You will rise
up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is
time to favor it;
the
appointed time has come.
[14] For your
servants hold its stones dear,
and have
pity on its dust.
[15] The nations
will fear the name of the LORD,
and all
the kings of the earth your glory.
[16] For the LORD
will build up Zion;
he will
appear in his glory.
[17] He will
regard the prayer of the destitute,
and will
not despise their prayer.
[18] Let this be
recorded for a generation to come,
so that a
people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
[19] that he
looked down from his holy height,
from
heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
[20] to hear the
groans of the prisoners,
to set
free those who were doomed to die;
[21] so that the
name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his
praise in Jerusalem,
[22] when peoples
gather together,
and
kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
[23] He has broken
my strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.
[24] "O my
God," I say, "do not take me away
at the
mid-point of my life,
you whose
years endure
throughout all generations."
[25] Long ago you
laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your
hands.
[26] They will
perish, but you endure;
they will
all wear out like a garment.
You change
them like clothing, and they pass away;
[27] but you
are the same, and your years have no end.
[28] The children
of your servants shall live secure;
their
offspring shall be established in your presence.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12 and Philippians 2:1-13
Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12
[1]Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
[2]Let another praise you, and not your own mouth —
a stranger, and not your own lips.
[3]A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
[4]Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
[5]Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
[6]Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
[10]Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.
[11]Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
[12]The clever see danger and hide;
but the simple go on, and suffer for it.
Philippians 2:1-13
[1]If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, [2]make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3]Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. [4]Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. [5]Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, [6]who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, [7]but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, [8]he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. [9]Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, [10]so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11]and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[12]Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13]for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
[1]Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
[2]Let another praise you, and not your own mouth —
a stranger, and not your own lips.
[3]A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
[4]Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
[5]Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
[6]Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
[10]Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.
[11]Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
[12]The clever see danger and hide;
but the simple go on, and suffer for it.
****************************************
Philippians 2:1-13
[1]If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, [2]make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3]Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. [4]Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. [5]Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, [6]who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, [7]but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, [8]he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. [9]Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, [10]so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11]and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[12]Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13]for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
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