20th January Living Words

Reading Programme

We begin with Worship:

Psalm 23

Authorized (King James) Version

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Joshua 17

More on the need to possess the territory that God has given us. Consider this violent capture of the Land of Promise with the enigmatic Matthew 11:12

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Do we need to struggle to enter into God’s promise?

Mark 7 – words in Red

‘This people honours me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

But they worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ See Isaiah 29:13

“Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

…making void the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down.

“That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

1 Corinthians 4

Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.

For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

I don’t write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, you don’t have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the Good News. I beg you therefore, be imitators of me.

For God’s Kingdom is not in word, but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

We conclude with Wisdom:

Proverbs 20

The spirit of man is Yahweh’s lamp,

searching all his innermost parts.

Hence the central importance of a daily ‘Quiet Time’ to give the spirit space to carry out the work of sanctification.

Wounding blows cleanse away evil,

and beatings purge the innermost parts.

Now, there’s a thought…