(Isaiah 40:25-31)
To whom can the holy God be compared?
Is there anyone else like him?
Look up the sky!
Who created the stars you see?
The one who leads them out like an army,
he knows how many there are and calls
each one by name!
His power is so great-
not one of them is ever missing!
Israel, why then do you complain
that the Lord doesn’t know your troubles
or care if you suffer injustice?
Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God;
He created all the world.
He never grows tired or weary.
No one understands his thoughts.
He strengthens those who are weak and tied.
Even those who are young grow weak;
young men can fall exhausted.
But those who trust in the Lord for help
will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;
they will run and not get weary;
they will walk and not grow weak.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
13.1 The Just God Lives Forever
(Deuteronomy 32:36-41)
The Lord will rescue his people when he sees
that their strength is gone.
He will have mercy on those who serve him,
when he sees how helpless they are.
Then the Lord will ask his people,
“Where are those mighty gods you trusted?
You fed them the fat of your sacrifices
and offered them wine to drink.
Let them come and help you now;
let them run to your rescue.
“I, and I alone, am God; no other god is real.
I kill and I give life, I wound and I heal,
and no one can oppose what I do.
As surely as I am the living God,
I raise my hand and I vow that I will sharpen
my flashing sword
and see that justice is done.
I will take revenge on my enemies
and punish those who hate me.
The Lord will rescue his people when he sees
that their strength is gone.
He will have mercy on those who serve him,
when he sees how helpless they are.
Then the Lord will ask his people,
“Where are those mighty gods you trusted?
You fed them the fat of your sacrifices
and offered them wine to drink.
Let them come and help you now;
let them run to your rescue.
“I, and I alone, am God; no other god is real.
I kill and I give life, I wound and I heal,
and no one can oppose what I do.
As surely as I am the living God,
I raise my hand and I vow that I will sharpen
my flashing sword
and see that justice is done.
I will take revenge on my enemies
and punish those who hate me.
12.4 The Righteous Will Flourish
(Psalm 92)
How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord,
to sing in your honor, O Most High God,
to proclaim your constant love every morning
and your faithfulness every night,
with the music of stringed instruments
and with the melody on the harp.
Your mighty deeds, O Lord, make me glad;
because of what you have done, I sing for joy.
How great are you actions, Lord!
How deep are your thoughts!
This is something a fool cannot know;
a stupid man cannot understand:
the wicked may grow like weeds,
those who do wrong may prosper;
yet they will be totally destroyed,
because you, Lord, are supreme forever.
We know that your enemies will die,
and all the wicked will be defeated.
You have made me a strong as a wild ox;
you have blessed me with happiness.
I have seen the defeat of my enemies
and heard the cries of the wicked.
The righteous will flourish like palm trees;
they will grow like the cedars of Lebanon.
They are like trees planted in the house of the Lord,
that flourish in the Temple of our God,
that still bear fruit in old age
and are always green and strong.
This shows that the Lord is just,
that there is no wrong in my protector.
How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord,
to sing in your honor, O Most High God,
to proclaim your constant love every morning
and your faithfulness every night,
with the music of stringed instruments
and with the melody on the harp.
Your mighty deeds, O Lord, make me glad;
because of what you have done, I sing for joy.
How great are you actions, Lord!
How deep are your thoughts!
This is something a fool cannot know;
a stupid man cannot understand:
the wicked may grow like weeds,
those who do wrong may prosper;
yet they will be totally destroyed,
because you, Lord, are supreme forever.
We know that your enemies will die,
and all the wicked will be defeated.
You have made me a strong as a wild ox;
you have blessed me with happiness.
I have seen the defeat of my enemies
and heard the cries of the wicked.
The righteous will flourish like palm trees;
they will grow like the cedars of Lebanon.
They are like trees planted in the house of the Lord,
that flourish in the Temple of our God,
that still bear fruit in old age
and are always green and strong.
This shows that the Lord is just,
that there is no wrong in my protector.
12.3 My Time Has Come. I Ran The Race, I Kept The Faith
(2 Timothy 4:6-8)
As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life. I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the prize of victory awarded for a righteous life, the prize which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day- and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.
As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life. I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the prize of victory awarded for a righteous life, the prize which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day- and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.
12.2 We Should Always Be Ready
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
There is no need to write you, brothers, about the times and occasions when these things will happen. For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night. When people say, “Everything is quiet and safe,” then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober. It is at night when people sleep; it is at night they get drunk. But we belong to the day, and we should sober. We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet. God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to posses salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes. And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing.
There is no need to write you, brothers, about the times and occasions when these things will happen. For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night. When people say, “Everything is quiet and safe,” then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober. It is at night when people sleep; it is at night they get drunk. But we belong to the day, and we should sober. We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet. God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to posses salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes. And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing.
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