10/31/2017 DAB Transcript

Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalms 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23

Today is the 31st day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. Of course, it’s awesome to be here with you today as we prepare to close down the 10th month of the year. Today is the 304th day of the year, which leaves us with 61 steps to go to the finish line. And, also today, we will conclude the book of Lamentations. So, let’s get to that. We are reading from the Good News translation this week. Lamentations chapter 4 verse 1 through 5 verse 22 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’re quite a bit of ways into the book of Proverbs and we have been dispensed. Each day, a bit of wisdom has been given to us that is practical and usable and true. And we also notice that it deals with all of the different postures and issues of our lives, encouraging us in the path that leads to and operates within wisdom. But we also have to acknowledge that where it is taking is now, the territory that we are going through right now, is pretty close to home, because its dealing with the things that were saying and how that affects things and it uses metaphors that we can understand to show us what we’re doing, which gives us a great opportunity to ask ourselves, ‘is that what I want to be doing with my words’. In other words, if this is what is happening, is that who I want to be? So, let’s look at this proverb. Insincere talk is how this proverb begins. So, what are we talking about we talk about insincere talk? We’re talking about language or the portrayal of an emotion that is not authentic, that is not genuine. In other words, we don’t mean what we’re actually saying and we don’t feel what we’re actually portraying or saying it because it’s what we feel like we should say or we’re exaggerating what we’re saying or what we’re portraying ourselves to be feeling, we’re exaggerating and stretching that beyond what is true and authentic. And the proverb says this is cheap talk. And we know that euphemism. We know that proverb - talk is cheap. This is what we’re talking about. But underneath that, we have to understand that it’s a sham. It’s not true. It’s not genuine. It’s not authentic. It’s not real. It veils the truth. It hides what you’re really thinking. So, as the proverb goes, ‘insincere talk that hides what you really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot’. So, if we’re looking at the metaphor, then the clay pot is made of cheap materials is maybe poorly constructed, isn’t going to hold together all that well, maybe it’s porous and actually won’t hold liquid, and so there’s a glaze that’s put over the top but that’s going to break down and it’s going to leak, which probably brings us to another euphemism -  that won’t hold water. That’s what we’re talking about here. So, this glaze is slapped on top of it to make it look like it’s a finely crafted piece, but it’s not. It’s cheap. It’s going to hold up. It’s not what it’s being presented to be. So, put that starkly, as the Proverbs are prone to do, we immediately have the mirror that the Scriptures become up in front of our faces and we have to examine ourselves. That’s the invitation of the proverb. Do you want to live wise or not? If you do, then this is this is what you need to pay attention to. This is what the Proverbs teach us. So, we have to look at ourselves and say, am I true, am I real, am I authentic and genuine in the things that I communicate or is most of this a sham? I don’t think there’s anyone listening right now that’s like yes, yes, every day I roll out of bed and see how fake I can possibly be and when I lay my head down at night, if I can feel like I fooled everyone, then mission accomplished. Like, I don’t think we live our lives that way. But using this proverb and the metaphor that it presents us, we might find that we very much are participating in insincere talk throughout any given day. And according to the proverb, we’re trying to pass off something as valuable that is cheap. And if we’ll pay attention to this proverb, if we’ll put it in our hearts and walk through this day observing ourselves, we’ll probably catch ourselves. And as we observe ourselves being this way, then we have the opportunity to name it and change it.

Prayer:

Father, we come into Your presence asking for Your help with this, the false places inside of us that just come spilling out all kinds of social situations. How is it that we can be true and sincere and present in our language, in our speech, rather than peddling something off that isn’t true? Come Jesus we pray, we need Your help, and we ask for in Your name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

What has been going on around here for the last week is the Global Campfire Initiative and that initiative will be concluded today. It was our hope to move through a week of the initiative and then be able to move forward in the development that we’ve been talking about. And, so, before the days out, the Hatch Prints will be gone. There are a few left. You can still certainly get involved. I don’t know what else to say to say that I am humbled that we can do this together and that we have done this together and that you’ve cared that were in this together and were doing this together. That is so heartening to know that there are passions about the spoken word of God in community that are beyond my own. So, thank you. And if you do want to participate, dailyaudiobible.com is the place to go. Just scroll down and you’ll find the Global Campfire Initiative. And thank you for helping us finish this strong and completely. From the bottom of my heart and the heart of all of the team, everybody who’s involved in writing lines of code or praying or whiteboarding or dreaming, thank you.

Of course, one of the things that we do very well around here is pray for each other. If you have a prayer request or comment, if you’re shouldering burdens, there’s a place to bring them and have them shouldered together in community. 877-942-4253 is the number you can dial.

And that’s it for today. This concludes the 10th month of our year together, concludes the month of October. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow as we begin a new month.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning my Daily Audio Bible family. I hope you are well. This is Erin in Michigan and I am calling with a prayer request for my niece, that she would turn back to God and also to take care of yourself. She has health issues and needs to eat well and sleep well and then do her college work. So, just lifting her up and holding her out to God because I know that she’s been chosen by him and has a great purpose in life. Lord, just ask for truth, health, and strength to get there. And my main request, Lord, and family, is to pray for me. I am embarking on a path that leads towards working towards racial reconciliation and I want to arrive in a church that believes that this is the church’s work and I totally and fully believe that as the body of Christ we are the ones to heal the divisions that have long been not even recognized as a division. So, Lord, I lift up our churches. I lift up our brothers and sisters of color, Lord. And I lift up those of us in the church, as it is our work to heal the racial divide that has scared our country since its inception. So, thank you for praying with me family. I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day. Bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible DABbers. This is Dianne B. from Newburg, Indiana and I’m calling to mainly pray for Rayna from LA. Sister, I am in your shoes right now and want you to know that hang in there and just obey Psalm 91 -  the secret place. Get in the secret place every day. Focus on that. Focus on the word. Focus on worship. And I hear your pain and you feel hopeless. And people are saying, ‘what’s wrong with you’? And you love your job and you were free of fibromyalgia once but it’s come back full force. And I stand with you sister. I stand with you and I am fighting with you in my own battles in similar ways. So, every single day I am going to lift up your name to the Lord and I am going to pray that you be restored better than you were before because it is (singing) Him whom we love, it is Him whom we follow, it is Him whom we trust, it is Him, Jesus (singing stops). God bless you sister. I am going to pray every day. Shalom, shalom. Nothing is missing. Nothing is broken.

Good morning DAB family. This is Cheryl from Arkansas. And I have a prayer request today and ask that all of you guys, myself included, that we pray for our sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico. I pray that we the Spirt of Jesus and the love of Jesus when we think of them and our hearts go out to them and that we treat them as one of us and that we treat them as the sisters and the brothers that they are, just like the sisters and the brothers to the right of us and to the left of us in the different states and cities within the United States. I ask that you pray with me, that we pray for the love that we have unconditionally and that we not treat them any differently because they’re not different. And that’s my prayer. And I just thank you guys are praying with me. Thank you, have a good day. Bye-bye.

Almighty and powerful God, I come to you tonight on behalf of Lee, who confessed his sin of anger to the DAB family. We are told to confess our sins, one to another, and to pray for one another and as the DAB family we do that right now. At the same time, You tell us, if we confess that You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father God, Lee’s anger must have been like a powder keg, he lost control and the flames were explosive, not just singing the relationship with his wife and his 13-year-old daughter but charring the relationship to the point of ashes. Oh, Father the family is deeply hurt. Lee is depleted, feeling unworthy of love and respect and a place within the family. Oh God, I pray that Lee’s anger will not go unchecked, the festering great bitterness. I pray Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit that Lee will embrace as the elective God always because of confession and beloved. Because he is Your child, that he will put on tender mercy, that he will put on kindness, that he will put on humility and meekness and longsuffering as You tell all of us, all of us as Your servants, and as the servants of our family. Father, we can’t do it without the powerful work of the spirit within. Grant it, I pray. At the same time, I ask, that in time that his wife and his daughter and his little son will see that Lee is repentant and they will have listening ears and open hearts and that by Your Spirit You will grant supernatural willingness to forgive and that restoration of the family will be Lees gift from You. Oh, Father I pray in the strong name of Jesus. I leave this petition with You and thank You.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 31, 2017 (NIV)

Lamentations 4-5

Jerusalem after Its Fall

Our glittering gold has grown dull;
the stones of the Temple lie scattered in the streets.

Zion's young people were as precious to us as gold,
but now they are treated like common clay pots.

Even a mother wolf will nurse her cubs,
but my people are like ostriches, cruel to their young.

They let their babies die of hunger and thirst;
children are begging for food that no one will give them.

People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets;
those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.

(A)My people have been punished even more than the inhabitants of Sodom,
which met a sudden downfall at the hands of God.

Our princes[a] were undefiled and pure as snow,
vigorous and strong, glowing with health.

Now they lie unknown in the streets, their faces blackened in death;
their skin, dry as wood, has shriveled on their bones.

Those who died in the war were better off than those who died later,
who starved slowly to death, with no food to keep them alive.

10 (B)The disaster that came to my people brought horror;
loving mothers boiled their own children for food.

11 The Lord turned loose the full force of his fury;
he lit a fire in Zion that burned it to the ground.

12 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations,
believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.

13 But it happened, because her prophets sinned and her priests were guilty
of causing the death of innocent people.

14 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind,
so stained with blood that no one would touch them.

15 “Get away!” people shouted. “You're defiled! Don't touch me!”
So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.

16 The Lord had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself.
He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

17 For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer.
We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

18 The enemy was watching for us; we could not even walk in the streets.
Our days were over; the end had come.

19 Swifter than eagles swooping from the sky, they chased us down.
They tracked us down in the hills; they took us by surprise in the desert.

20 They captured the source of our life, the king the Lord had chosen,
the one we had trusted to protect us from every invader.

21 Laugh on, people of Edom and Uz; be glad while you can.
Your disaster is coming too; you too will stagger naked in shame.

22 Zion has paid for her sin; the Lord will not keep us in exile any longer.
But Edom, the Lord will punish you; he will expose your guilty acts.

A Prayer for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us.
Look at us, and see our disgrace.

Our property is in the hands of strangers;
foreigners are living in our homes.

Our fathers have been killed by the enemy,
and now our mothers are widows.

We must pay for the water we drink;
we must buy the wood we need for fuel.

Driven hard like donkeys or camels,
we are tired, but are allowed no rest.

To get food enough to stay alive,
we went begging to Egypt and Assyria.

Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone,
and we are suffering for their sins.

Our rulers are no better than slaves,
and no one can save us from their power.

Murderers roam through the countryside;
we risk our lives when we look for food.

10 Hunger has made us burn with fever
until our skin is as hot as an oven.

11 Our wives have been raped on Mount Zion itself;
in every Judean village our daughters have been forced to submit.

12 Our leaders have been taken and hanged;
our elders are shown no respect.

13 Our young men are forced to grind grain like slaves;
boys go staggering under heavy loads of wood.

14 The old people no longer sit at the city gate,
and the young people no longer make music.

15 Happiness has gone out of our lives;
grief has taken the place of our dances.

16 Nothing is left of all we were proud of.
We sinned, and now we are doomed.

17 We are sick at our very hearts
and can hardly see through our tears,

18 because Mount Zion lies lonely and deserted,
and wild jackals prowl through its ruins.

19 But you, O Lord, are king forever
and will rule to the end of time.

20 Why have you abandoned us so long?
Will you ever remember us again?

21 Bring us back to you, Lord! Bring us back!
Restore our ancient glory.

22 Or have you rejected us forever?
Is there no limit to your anger?

Footnotes:

  1. Lamentations 4:7 princes; or Nazirites.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 2

The Great Salvation

That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

The One Who Leads Us to Salvation

God has not placed the angels as rulers over the new world to come—the world of which we speak. (A)Instead, as it is said somewhere in the Scriptures:

“What are human beings, O God, that you should think of them;
mere human beings, that you should care for them?
You made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor,[a]
and made them rulers over all things.”

It says that God made them “rulers over all things”; this clearly includes everything. We do not, however, see human beings ruling over all things now. But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, so that through God's grace he should die for everyone. We see him now crowned with glory and honor because of the death he suffered. 10 It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

11 He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. 12 (B)He says to God,

“I will tell my people what you have done;
I will praise you in their meeting.”

13 (C)He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.”

14 Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, 15 and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 (D)For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. 17 This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 2:7 Many manuscripts add: You made them rulers over everything you made (see Ps 8.6).
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 103

The Love of God[a]

103 Praise the Lord, my soul!
All my being, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and do not forget how kind he is.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He keeps me from the grave
and blesses me with love and mercy.
He fills my life[b] with good things,
so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.

The Lord judges in favor of the oppressed
and gives them their rights.
He revealed his plans to Moses
and let the people of Israel see his mighty deeds.
(A)The Lord is merciful and loving,
slow to become angry and full of constant love.
He does not keep on rebuking;
he is not angry forever.
10 He does not punish us as we deserve
or repay us according to our sins and wrongs.
11 As high as the sky is above the earth,
so great is his love for those who honor him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our sins from us.
13 As a father is kind to his children,
so the Lord is kind to those who honor him.
14 He knows what we are made of;
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for us, our life is like grass.
We grow and flourish like a wild flower;
16 then the wind blows on it, and it is gone—
no one sees it again.
17 But for those who honor the Lord, his love lasts forever,
and his goodness endures for all generations
18 of those who are true to his covenant
and who faithfully obey his commands.

19 The Lord placed his throne in heaven;
he is king over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels,
who obey his commands,
who listen to what he says.
21 Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers,
you servants of his, who do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, all his creatures
in all the places he rules.
Praise the Lord, my soul!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 103:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David.
  2. Psalm 103:5 Probable text my life; Hebrew unclear.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 103:8 : Jas 5:11
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:23

23 Insincere[a] talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze[b] on a cheap clay pot.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 26:23 One ancient translation Insincere; Hebrew Burning.
  2. Proverbs 26:23 Probable text fine glaze; Hebrew unrefined silver.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday October 31, 2017 (NIV)

Lamentations 4-5

Jerusalem after Its Fall

Our glittering gold has grown dull;
the stones of the Temple lie scattered in the streets.

Zion's young people were as precious to us as gold,
but now they are treated like common clay pots.

Even a mother wolf will nurse her cubs,
but my people are like ostriches, cruel to their young.

They let their babies die of hunger and thirst;
children are begging for food that no one will give them.

People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets;
those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.

(A)My people have been punished even more than the inhabitants of Sodom,
which met a sudden downfall at the hands of God.

Our princes[a] were undefiled and pure as snow,
vigorous and strong, glowing with health.

Now they lie unknown in the streets, their faces blackened in death;
their skin, dry as wood, has shriveled on their bones.

Those who died in the war were better off than those who died later,
who starved slowly to death, with no food to keep them alive.

10 (B)The disaster that came to my people brought horror;
loving mothers boiled their own children for food.

11 The Lord turned loose the full force of his fury;
he lit a fire in Zion that burned it to the ground.

12 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations,
believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.

13 But it happened, because her prophets sinned and her priests were guilty
of causing the death of innocent people.

14 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind,
so stained with blood that no one would touch them.

15 “Get away!” people shouted. “You're defiled! Don't touch me!”
So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.

16 The Lord had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself.
He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

17 For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer.
We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

18 The enemy was watching for us; we could not even walk in the streets.
Our days were over; the end had come.

19 Swifter than eagles swooping from the sky, they chased us down.
They tracked us down in the hills; they took us by surprise in the desert.

20 They captured the source of our life, the king the Lord had chosen,
the one we had trusted to protect us from every invader.

21 Laugh on, people of Edom and Uz; be glad while you can.
Your disaster is coming too; you too will stagger naked in shame.

22 Zion has paid for her sin; the Lord will not keep us in exile any longer.
But Edom, the Lord will punish you; he will expose your guilty acts.

A Prayer for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us.
Look at us, and see our disgrace.

Our property is in the hands of strangers;
foreigners are living in our homes.

Our fathers have been killed by the enemy,
and now our mothers are widows.

We must pay for the water we drink;
we must buy the wood we need for fuel.

Driven hard like donkeys or camels,
we are tired, but are allowed no rest.

To get food enough to stay alive,
we went begging to Egypt and Assyria.

Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone,
and we are suffering for their sins.

Our rulers are no better than slaves,
and no one can save us from their power.

Murderers roam through the countryside;
we risk our lives when we look for food.

10 Hunger has made us burn with fever
until our skin is as hot as an oven.

11 Our wives have been raped on Mount Zion itself;
in every Judean village our daughters have been forced to submit.

12 Our leaders have been taken and hanged;
our elders are shown no respect.

13 Our young men are forced to grind grain like slaves;
boys go staggering under heavy loads of wood.

14 The old people no longer sit at the city gate,
and the young people no longer make music.

15 Happiness has gone out of our lives;
grief has taken the place of our dances.

16 Nothing is left of all we were proud of.
We sinned, and now we are doomed.

17 We are sick at our very hearts
and can hardly see through our tears,

18 because Mount Zion lies lonely and deserted,
and wild jackals prowl through its ruins.

19 But you, O Lord, are king forever
and will rule to the end of time.

20 Why have you abandoned us so long?
Will you ever remember us again?

21 Bring us back to you, Lord! Bring us back!
Restore our ancient glory.

22 Or have you rejected us forever?
Is there no limit to your anger?

Footnotes:

  1. Lamentations 4:7 princes; or Nazirites.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 2

The Great Salvation

That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

The One Who Leads Us to Salvation

God has not placed the angels as rulers over the new world to come—the world of which we speak. (A)Instead, as it is said somewhere in the Scriptures:

“What are human beings, O God, that you should think of them;
mere human beings, that you should care for them?
You made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor,[a]
and made them rulers over all things.”

It says that God made them “rulers over all things”; this clearly includes everything. We do not, however, see human beings ruling over all things now. But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, so that through God's grace he should die for everyone. We see him now crowned with glory and honor because of the death he suffered. 10 It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation.

11 He purifies people from their sins, and both he and those who are made pure all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his family. 12 (B)He says to God,

“I will tell my people what you have done;
I will praise you in their meeting.”

13 (C)He also says, “I will put my trust in God.” And he also says, “Here I am with the children that God has given me.”

14 Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, 15 and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 (D)For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. 17 This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 2:7 Many manuscripts add: You made them rulers over everything you made (see Ps 8.6).
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 103

The Love of God[a]

103 Praise the Lord, my soul!
All my being, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and do not forget how kind he is.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He keeps me from the grave
and blesses me with love and mercy.
He fills my life[b] with good things,
so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.

The Lord judges in favor of the oppressed
and gives them their rights.
He revealed his plans to Moses
and let the people of Israel see his mighty deeds.
(A)The Lord is merciful and loving,
slow to become angry and full of constant love.
He does not keep on rebuking;
he is not angry forever.
10 He does not punish us as we deserve
or repay us according to our sins and wrongs.
11 As high as the sky is above the earth,
so great is his love for those who honor him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our sins from us.
13 As a father is kind to his children,
so the Lord is kind to those who honor him.
14 He knows what we are made of;
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for us, our life is like grass.
We grow and flourish like a wild flower;
16 then the wind blows on it, and it is gone—
no one sees it again.
17 But for those who honor the Lord, his love lasts forever,
and his goodness endures for all generations
18 of those who are true to his covenant
and who faithfully obey his commands.

19 The Lord placed his throne in heaven;
he is king over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you strong and mighty angels,
who obey his commands,
who listen to what he says.
21 Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers,
you servants of his, who do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, all his creatures
in all the places he rules.
Praise the Lord, my soul!

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 103:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David.
  2. Psalm 103:5 Probable text my life; Hebrew unclear.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 103:8 : Jas 5:11
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:23

23 Insincere[a] talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze[b] on a cheap clay pot.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 26:23 One ancient translation Insincere; Hebrew Burning.
  2. Proverbs 26:23 Probable text fine glaze; Hebrew unrefined silver.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

10/30/2017 DAB Transcript

Lamentations 3:1-66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalms 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22

Today is the 30th day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. Great to be here with you today as we settle into the rhythm of this week. And, so, we got off to a big start yesterday, beginning the book of Lamentations and then reading Paul’s letter to Philemon. We’ll continue in Lamentations today, but we read Philemon in one sitting, which will bring us to the book of Hebrews, where we’ll camp out for a while, once we get to the New Testament. And we’ll talk about that when we get there, but now we are here. Lamentations, chapter 3 verses 1 through 66 today. And we’re reading from the Good News translation this week.

Okay. So, the book of Hebrews that we’re about to begin is one of the most compelling exhortations to stay true, to keep the faith that we have, in all of the New Testament. And while that’s true, the letter to the Hebrews is a bit of an anomaly, because we don’t know, fully, its origins. Although the apostle Paul’s been credited with authorship in several traditions, this is not very likely. And its also unclear which Hebrews are being written too. It could have been Jewish believers in Jerusalem or possibly believers in Rome. So, biblical hermeneutics is the study of the where and the why and the when of a sacred writing, believing that it mattered, that God inspired something to be written at a specific time and that that specific time matters to our interpretation. We can’t fully do that with the book of Hebrews, although we can get close. Timothy, Paul’s spiritual son, is mentioned in the letter. So, it’s contemporary with Paul’s writings or maybe just slightly after. What is very clear is that persecution has begun to take place in the Jewish community and, although it’s not martyrdom, what’s happened is that the Jewish believers and those who sympathize with them have begun to suffer ridicule. They’re looked at with contempt. And, so they been thrust to the sidelines. They been marginalized as irrelevant and weird. And this part we can apply directly to our cultures around the world today, as the efforts of the culture try to frame followers of Jesus as irrelevant, backwards, a little weird. The pressures placed on those early Jewish believer because of this were making many of them just this kind of like fade back into the woodwork, like hiding their faith, doing what they could blend in. And at the same time, others were turning their backs on the faith altogether and not moving back into Judaism. The letter to the Hebrews steps in and encourages Jewish believers to stay faithful to Jesus and not to turn back to their former ways. It encourages them to hold on. And, through them, it tells us the hold fast of the hope that we have in Christ without wavering at all. So, this is a very important message for believers today and it just happens to be given brilliantly through the Jewish heritage in the lens of the Old Testament. And, so, we begin. Hebrews chapter 1.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’ve done a little bit of a flyover of Hebrews to give ourselves some context for where we’re going in that letter. And then we get to the Proverbs and its continuing on with what we began to talk about yesterday, when we were told that when you remove the fuel from a fire the fire goes out and equates it to gossip. When you remove gossip, the quarreling stops. Which should tell us just how insidious that kind of behavior can be in a community and should give us pause before we pass on those tasty morsels. And the proverb continues with that thought today - charcoal keeps the embers glowing. Right? So, it keeps this thing simmering down below, hot coals just waiting to flare up. Wood keeps the fire burning. Troublemakers keep arguments alive. Gossip is so tasty and how we love to swallow it. Now it’s easy enough to come to these kinds of passages in the Scriptures and go, okay, I’m reminded again that my words matter, okay, I’m reminded again that in my interactions lead to things and create things, and this is a good devotional thing, I should remember this. And, so, we kind of move past it without realizing just how significant of the thing we’re talking about here. For the Proverbs to use fire as the metaphor for what we’re talking about when we talk about gossip and arguments, we should pay attention because fire consumes things, burns things up, burns things down, which can be fine if you trying to incinerate garbage, but not so good if you’re burning your house down. Right? So, like, if you’re burning down all of the relationships around you, that’s not a good recipe for life, but that’s not going to stop until the fuel is removed, which is our words. And gossip is one of those transmission vehicles that, it’s like the Bible says, it’s tasty. It’s tasty to be in the know and to have some little bit of information that nobody else has and then to pass it along and then to create a reality around that little bit of information filling in all of the blanks, we love to swallow that stuff. We just need to understand that were swallowing poison. So, it’s easy enough for us to go like, okay, if I am a gossip, I should stop. But it’s not just that, it’s the willingness to listen to the gossip that perpetuates the problem. Like, if there is no place to pour out the gossip, well, then it can’t take hold. So, it’s not just for those who are willing to gossip about someone else. It’s also about those who are willing to listen to such things without pointing out to that person, look, you need to take that up with them, like, this isn’t me, and we don’t have all the details here. So, you need to take that up with them and then I’m happy to have a conversation if they’re here but I’m not going to talk behind their back. That wouldn’t be right. I wouldn’t want that done to me. You wouldn’t want that done to you. So, we can’t do that to them. And that’s fair. And that may get you on the outs for a minute. You’re no longer the place where the gossip gets dumped on but that’s kind of the point. Troublemakers keep arguments alive, the proverb says, in the same way that charcoal keeps embers glowing and wood keeps fires burning. And we shouldn’t participate in any of it if wholeness and restoration and renewal are really what we’re after. And so, let’s remember this as we move through our day. Let’s pay attention to the things that we’re saying and the things that are being said to us. And it’s simple enough to use the proverb. Am I adding fuel to the fire by saying this or by listening to this?

Prayer:

Father, we submit our tongues and our ears to You because we’ve submitted everything - our heart our spirit, our body - everything that we are - our identity, our awareness – we’ve submitted these things to You. And, in doing so, You promise to renew and re-create us as we were intended to be. This is sanctification. And, so, this becomes a much bigger matter. So, come Holy Spirit. We invite You into this area of perpetuating arguments that don’t need to exist and spreading gossip that is full of things that aren’t even real. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

Right now, what’s going on is the Global Campfire Initiative, which is our move as a community to face outward and march forward. And I told the whole story of that last week, of all of the new technologies that we’ve been building for years, literally. But it’s now kind of reaching a culmination point, a sort of phase one point, where we’re about to unveil this new integrated Daily Audio Bible app that is completely ours, that is connected to our system that is completely ours, and the new web player that also looks like the app and is integrated and works because it’s ours. And all of that is great. We are going to take some big steps forward. But in prayer, over this year, God has invited us to make this app free. And in the past it’s always been $0.99. And that was kind of always the plan, to keep it that way, until we felt God impressing upon us – nope, this is to be given away. So, we’re inviting the community, the global campfire community to dive in and participate in the Global Campfire Initiative as we face forward and outward toward those who will come into contact because were doing this. And that is really a beautiful thing because, as we take the journey next year, we’re going to hear brand-new voices who are going to find this because of what we’re doing right now. So, we began this last Tuesday with the hope and wish and prayer that we could finish the Global Campfire Initiative by the end of this month, which is tomorrow. And it looks like that’s about where we are. And, so…man…I mean I’m humbled every day that we get to do this at all and I’m doubly humbled when we need to do something together that we do. And, so, I thank you, all of you who have participated in the Global Campfire Initiative up to this point. I thank you from the bottom of my heart because we’re taking some big risks now. And, so, to step forward in faith, and watch God show up through his people is a humbling thing indeed. So, we made these Hatch Show Prints here in the rolling hills of Tennessee, these unique posters that are beautiful in their old school technology, as a memento as a commemorative of this moment in our history. And we only have a few of those left. So, if it’s in your heart to partner with Daily Audio Bible in this way, to do this mission, we’ll send you one of those for your contribution of $200 or more. And you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. Just scroll down and you’ll find, in the initiative section, the Global Campfire Initiative. And you can read about it there and see the Hatch Show Print. And, of course, I told the whole story about this last Tuesday. So, you can just kind of scroll back and listen to that if you haven’t had the chance, but I thank you in advance for your partnership as we step into this new season together.

Of course, if you have a prayer request or comment, if you’re carrying burdens that are best not carried alone, that’s what we do, that’s what the Global Campfire is. It’s a community where we come around the light and warmth of the word and let it wash over us and wash into us each and every day and then we live it out. And one of the ways we live it out is that we’re good at praying for each other. So, if you’re carrying burdens you shouldn’t carry alone, there’s a number you call, 877-942-4253 is that number. And that’s one of a couple of numbers. That’s the number you can call if you are in the Americas. If you are in the UK or Europe we have a number 44-20-3608-8078 and if you are in Australia or the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning my DAB family. I hope you are all well. It’s Margo from Australia and I’ve got something on my heart. I’ve been wanting to call in and I am really hoping that it will encourage some of us as it has encouraged me. I want to say something to those of us, and I include myself, who suffer from depression and anxiety. I’ve had the illness for 18 years and it is a horrible thing to live with and it does make life really tough. Unfortunately, in this society it’s really become an epidemic. But what I want to say though is, do not give up on God. If you’ve been this way for a long time, like me, that doesn’t mean that He’s not still going to heal you. I’ve always likened this illness to like being in a prison. So many times, I have cried out to God and just begged Him so to just let me out of this prison, to please set me free from this prison of depression. At this point in time He hasn’t, yet. Just because He hasn’t yet doesn’t mean He’s not going to. It really struck me the other day when we read in Jeremiah chapter 37. When it said that Jeremiah was put in prison and he stayed there for very long time. Now, I don’t know how long that means but maybe it was 18 years like me. I just want to say, don’t ever give up on God. His arm is not to short that it cannot save. Personally, I cannot wait for 2017 to be over. It has been, by far, the worst year of my life, quite frankly. Yet I find myself feeling closer to God than I ever have. I think it’s because I’ve finally come to a place where I’ve stopped being angry at Him for not healing me and I’ve just decided to be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord. I really hope that encourages you. Bye for now.

Hey Brian. This is Jim from Southern New Hampshire. I want to thank you brother, so much, for your ministry. I praise God for this. God ____ prompted my heart to look for an audio bible podcast and I found the DAB community. I’m so thankful for that. As one brother said today, being washed by God’s word every day is amazing and I have really ___ so very much. Sharon in northern CA, I am praying for you sister. I am praying for your broken relationship, that God would heal and bring reconciliation for your husband and your children. Rayna in LA, I am praying that God will heal your body and take away the pain and will give you the vitality and the steadiness you need to do your job. And today, Thomas, you called in saying that you were going to have surgery on the 23rd. I assume that that surgery went well brother and now I am praying that God will give you a quick recovery. Daily Audio Bible family, try to ___ today. Keep looking up.

Thank You Father God for helping us. Thank You for being the rock that we could stand on. Thank You Father God for helping us with our depression, our finances, our lives, our work, our children. Thank You Father God for helping those who are in pain and for subsiding their pain. Thank You Father God for helping our kids who are addicted to substances and letting us be a light to them and putting hope in the them. Thank You Father God for the lady that called October 25 about her pain and that she wants to give up and she wants to be pain free and You are going to help her. Thank You Father God. We thank You in advance for all these things. We thank You that You are Our Father. We thank You that we can come to You. We thank Yu that we can surrender all to You. We thank You for being in our lives and our thoughts and our minds even when the world tells us not to and we stray away from You and You come back to us Lord Jesus. Thank You Father God for everything that You do, the blessings that You give us that we don’t deserve. Forgive us for our sins Father God. We love You so much. Thank You Father God for helping us all and for bringing peace into this family. Thank You Father God for helping Brian with his decisions and growing this ministry and giving Him the desires of his heart. Thank You Father God. We love You so much. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Singing – Way past anything I could dream of. Lord You rock my world. My hearts quaking at the sight as You make all things new. Can I really be part of this resplendent joy – Singing stops. You are beautiful. Your justice rolls down like mighty waters. Oh, this very host proclaims your name. Alleluia, Alleluia! Singing starts - Way past anything we could dream of. Lord You rock our world. Our hearts quaking at the sight as You make all things new. Singing stops. We can really be part of this resplendent love.  You are beautiful. Thank You Lord. Thank You Jesus. This is Candice from Oregon and I just want to say to each and every one of you, just what an honor it is to be among you. And I’m thanking God, Brian, for just the wonderful vision and dream of what’s about to take place as far as technology and the new app and I just want to encourage every caller and everyone who’s not calling, just stay in the word and look to Jesus for everything.

Father God, thank You for this new day. Thank You for this beautiful earth that You’ve given us. Father God, I lift up Spain to You today. Thank You for Spain and what You are doing there.  Lord, I pray particularly for all the regions of Spain but in particular, Catalonia. You know what’s going on there Lord, You know about the ___ between the Catalonians and the Spanish government and I just pray Lord that You be at work in that situation. Oh God, we pray for peace, not unrest. I pray Lord that people would be able to talk to each other and to communicate and not act rashly. Thank You for who is in charge there. Thank You for the government officials on both sides. Please be at work in that situation. And may Your name be praised in Spain. I pray Lord, I pray You’ll be blessing Your people there, that Your name will be praised and that more and more people will hear Your word. Thank You for all the different things that make up Spain, all those different regions, all those different flavors. Pray Your blessing on them. In Jesus name. Amen. Alright. This is ___ from the UK. On Facebook quite a while ago I said I thought about changing my name to Beloved By Him. So, this is Beloved By Him from Gloucester in the UK. Today is Friday the 23rd of October. May God bless You wherever you are. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday October 30, 2017 (NIV)

Lamentations 3

Punishment, Repentance, and Hope

I am one who knows what it is to be punished by God.
He drove me deeper and deeper into darkness
And beat me again and again with merciless blows.

He has left my flesh open and raw, and has broken my bones.
He has shut me in a prison of misery and anguish.
He has forced me to live in the stagnant darkness of death.

He has bound me in chains; I am a prisoner with no hope of escape.
I cry aloud for help, but God refuses to listen;
I stagger as I walk; stone walls block me wherever I turn.

10 He waited for me like a bear; he pounced on me like a lion.
11 He chased me off the road, tore me to pieces, and left me.
12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.

13 He shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 People laugh at me all day long; I am a joke to them all.
15 Bitter suffering is all he has given me for food and drink.

16 He rubbed my face in the ground and broke my teeth on rocks.
17 I have forgotten what health and peace and happiness are.
18 I do not have much longer to live; my hope in the Lord is gone.

19 The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison.
20 I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed.
21 Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing:

22 The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue,
23 Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
24 The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.

25 The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him,
26 So it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us—
27 And it is best to learn this patience in our youth.

28 When we suffer, we should sit alone in silent patience;
29 We should bow in submission, for there may still be hope.
30 Though beaten and insulted, we should accept it all.

31 The Lord is merciful and will not reject us forever.
32 He may bring us sorrow, but his love for us is sure and strong.
33 He takes no pleasure in causing us grief or pain.

34 The Lord knows when our spirits are crushed in prison;
35 He knows when we are denied the rights he gave us;
36 When justice is perverted in court, he knows.

37 The will of the Lord alone is always carried out.[a]
38 Good and evil alike take place at his command.
39 Why should we ever complain when we are punished for our sin?[b]

40 Let us examine our ways and turn back to the Lord.
41 Let us open our hearts to God in heaven and pray,
42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you, O Lord, have not forgiven us.

43 “You pursued us and killed us; your mercy was hidden by your anger,
44 By a cloud of fury too thick for our prayers to get through.
45 You have made us the garbage dump of the world.

46 “We are insulted and mocked by all our enemies.
47 We have been through disaster and ruin; we live in danger and fear.
48 My eyes flow with rivers of tears at the destruction of my people.

49 “My tears will pour out in a ceaseless stream
50 Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees us.
51 My heart is grieved when I see what has happened to the women of the city.

52 “I was trapped like a bird by enemies who had no cause to hate me.
53 They threw me alive into a pit and closed the opening with a stone.
54 Water began to close over me, and I thought death was near.

55 “From the bottom of the pit, O Lord, I cried out to you,
56 And when I begged you to listen to my cry, you heard.
57 You answered me and told me not to be afraid.

58 “You came to my rescue, Lord, and saved my life.
59 Judge in my favor; you know the wrongs done against me.
60 You know how my enemies hate me and how they plot against me.

61 “You have heard them insult me, O Lord; you know all their plots.
62 All day long they talk about me and make their plans.
63 From morning till night they make fun of me.

64 “Punish them for what they have done, O Lord;
65 Curse them and fill them with despair!
66 Hunt them down and wipe them off the earth!”

Footnotes:

  1. Lamentations 3:37 The will … out; or No one can make anything happen unless the Lord is willing.
  2. Lamentations 3:39 Why should … sin?; or Why should we complain about being punished for sin, as long as we are still alive?
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Hebrews 1

God's Word through His Son

In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, (A)but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end. (B)He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.

The Greatness of God's Son

The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs. (C)For God never said to any of his angels,

“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”

Nor did God say about any angel,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.”

(D)But when God was about to send his first-born Son into the world, he said,

“All of God's angels must worship him.”

(E)But about the angels God said,

“God makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire.”

(F)About the Son, however, God said:
“Your kingdom, O God, will last[a] forever and ever!
You rule over your[b] people with justice.
You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
That is why God, your God, has chosen you
and has given you the joy of an honor far greater
than he gave to your companions.”

10 (G)He also said,
“You, Lord, in the beginning created the earth,
and with your own hands you made the heavens.
11 They will disappear, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like clothes.
12 You will fold them up like a coat,
and they will be changed like clothes.
But you are always the same,
and your life never ends.”

13 (H)God never said to any of his angels:
“Sit here at my right side
until I put your enemies
as a footstool under your feet.”

14 (I)What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.

Footnotes:

  1. Hebrews 1:8 Your kingdom, O God, will last; or God is your kingdom.
  2. Hebrews 1:8 your; some manuscripts have his.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 102

The Prayer of a Troubled Youth[a]

102 Listen to my prayer, O Lord,
and hear my cry for help!
When I am in trouble,
don't turn away from me!
Listen to me,
and answer me quickly when I call!

My life is disappearing like smoke;
my body is burning like fire.
I am beaten down like dry grass;
I have lost my desire for food.
I groan aloud;
I am nothing but skin and bones.
I am like a wild bird in the desert,
like an owl in abandoned ruins.
I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.
All day long my enemies insult me;
those who mock me use my name in cursing.

9-10 Because of your anger and fury,
ashes are my food,
and my tears are mixed with my drink.
You picked me up and threw me away.
11 My life is like the evening shadows;
I am like dry grass.

12 But you, O Lord, are king forever;
all generations will remember you.
13 You will rise and take pity on Zion;
the time has come to have mercy on her;
this is the right time.
14 Your servants love her,
even though she is destroyed;
they have pity on her,
even though she is in ruins.

15 The nations will fear the Lord;
all the kings of the earth will fear his power.
16 When the Lord rebuilds Zion,
he will reveal his greatness.
17 He will hear his forsaken people
and listen to their prayer.

18 Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done,
so that people not yet born will praise him.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place on high,
he looked down from heaven to earth.
20 He heard the groans of prisoners
and set free those who were condemned to die.
21 And so his name will be proclaimed in Zion,
and he will be praised in Jerusalem
22 when nations and kingdoms come together
and worship the Lord.

23 The Lord has made me weak while I am still young;
he has shortened my life.
24 O God, do not take me away now
before I grow old.

O Lord, you live forever;
25 (A)long ago you created the earth,
and with your own hands you made the heavens.
26 They will disappear, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like clothes.
You will discard them like clothes,
and they will vanish.
27 But you are always the same,
and your life never ends.
28 Our children will live in safety,
and under your protection
their descendants will be secure.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 102:1 HEBREW TITLE: A prayer by a weary sufferer who pours out his complaints to the Lord.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 102:25 : Heb 1:10-Heb 1:12
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:21-22

21 Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.

22 Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

10/29/2017 DAB Transcript

Lamentations 1:1-2:22; Philemon 1:1-25; Psalms 101:1-8; Proverbs 26:2

Today is the 29th day of October, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. And here we are at the threshold of us sparkly, shiny, new week. And we’ve got some ground to cover this week. Before the week is over, we will enter a new month and we’re going to begin four, that’s right, four books in the Scriptures this week. So, in the Old Testament, we will read through the book of Lamentations, which are about to get to in just a minute, and then begin the book of Ezekiel, and in the New Testament we’ll read Paul’s letter to Philemon, which we will read today, and then move our way into the book of Hebrews. So, we’ve got some ground cover and let’s get to it. We’re going to read from the Good News translation this week and we will begin by beginning the book of Lamentations. And the book of Lamentations is a book that contains five poems and their poems of lament and grief. And this lament is over the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. And we covered some of that territory as we read through Jeremiah’s prophecies. So, in Hebrew this book is called Ica, which means, ‘how could this happen’. And, of course, we know how it could happen. Jeremiah, the prophet, warned over and over - over decades of impending doom if the children of Israel didn’t return from their wicked ways and now the prophecy has come true. And although Lamentations doesn’t claim an author and there’s really no definitive proof, we have church tradition that tells us that the prophet Jeremiah wrote these Lamentations. So, we don’t let for a fact, but he was obviously intimate with this scenario, and in the same time period. So, Lamentations was probably written somewhere in early, 587 BC, as the Babylonians conquered and then completely destroyed Jerusalem in 586. Whether Jeremiah wrote this or not, someone who was an eyewitness probably did. And today in Jewish culture, on the ninth day of Ob, which is July 16th on the western calendar, Lamentations is read on a day of fasting to commemorate the fall of Jerusalem. And as each poem is read it provides a backdrop for personal reflection. Lamenting, that’s never something that we sign up for. Lamenting is never an easy thing. Grief is certainly hard but it also has a way of washing us clean because it strips us away until all that’s left is what is true, what is bedrock, in our lives. And it can be intensely painful, for sure, but it’s also freeing in hindsight. And when we’ve fallen into the depths and there’s no more depths to go to, then we find there’s hope, there’s nowhere to go but up. The euphemism says there is hope for our future. And we can find this in this book of Lamentations much hope in our personal reflection. And, so, we began Lamentations chapter 1 verse 1 through 2 verse 22.

Okay. So, as we enter the New Testament portion of our reading today, we come to the book of Philemon. It’s just a little personal letter from the apostle Paul that we will read today, all in one sitting. And it’s written to a church leader in the church at Colossae, so, the Colossians, and his name was Philemon. So, Philemon was one of the more wealthy and influential churchmen and in a strange twist of divine providence, Philemon had a servant and his name was Onesimus. And Onesimus ran away and probably stealing from Philemon, so stealing from his master in the process. And Onesimus ends up, not in Colossae, but in Rome, where Paul is under house arrest. And, so, this runaway servant Onesimus comes under Paul’s teachings and then becomes a follower of Jesus and becomes, kind of, like the servant of Paul, attends to Paul’s needs. So, Paul’s written a letter to the Colossians. Right? He wrote the letter to the Colossians we have in the New Testament and he’s preparing to send it back with another servant named Tychicus. But then he writes this very short personal letter to go along with the letter to the Colossians, to the church at Colossae. He pens this personal letter to Philemon and then sends Onesimus, the runaway servant, with Tychicus back to Colossae. And the short of this little personal letter is, it packs a punch. It shows us the importance of forgiveness and it shows us that, no matter what our level of authority is over another person, if they are a believer then they are a brother or sister and we’re to treat them like family. And it also shows us a perfect example of how God does, in fact, work all things together for the good of those who love Him. And, so, with that, we read the letter to Philemon.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we’ve already talked quite a bit about the letter and the book that we entered into today. And we can see as we were the first couple of chapters of Lamentations that it’s a gut punch. And it leads us into emotions and territory that are things we try to avoid. And that’s why it’s here. Because we shouldn’t avoid these things. We should invite the Holy Spirit into them and as we read these poems allow the Holy Spirit to move us through lament. Right? And, so, maybe we haven’t, you know, lived in a city with walls that have been torn down and a temple that has been destroyed…like those things…that we have witnessed through Jeremiah and now Lamentations. But we all have regrets. We all have things we’re like, you know, I could’ve done that better, I wish I had done that differently. And, yeah know, now I’m going through what I’m going through because of that, or that sent me into a really hard season. So, a lot of times because it was hard, because it was painful, we try to suppress and repress even going there, like, even thinking about it anymore, like, it is so painful. But the thing is, it’s still inside of us, like, it still inside. It’s still there. Like, it may be shoved up into the attic or down into the basement of our hearts, but it’s still there. And the Holy Spirit uses times of lament to bring us back so that He can heal those places rather than allowing them to continue to seep poison into our lives. And that’s the invitation as we go through books like Lamentations.

And then, obviously, this little short letter to Philemon from the apostle Paul is a treasure to have because we only have a few personal letters and the personal letters are mostly pastoral in nature. And, so, here’s this personal letter to a man who kind of leads a home church. And he’s basically saying, Onesimus is my son in the faith now and he has served me and I would like him to continue to serve me but he is yours so I’m sending it back to you in hopes that you will send him back to me. So, just as little glimpse into some sort of the back story of what’s going on, aside from Paul giving theology and doctrine instruction. This is like a little side personal thing that gives us a glimpse into his existence and his circumstances as he’s imprisoned in Rome.

And then we come to the proverb. And we can’t not talk about that for just a second, Gossip. Gossip is like cancer. I have witnessed this so many times in so many contexts. And gossip takes on many forms but usually always is paired with, married to, assumptions. So, gossip doesn’t become gossip until assumptions are made and the blanks are filled in and the story is formulated and little bits from here and there are collected. Right? And then it’s spoken to somebody else and passed around and the person that’s being referred to isn’t even there to speak. And, so, when they find out that people have been talking about them behind their backs, ok, then there’s a confrontation and there’s quarreling and there’s argument and then there’s separation, then there’s factions, then this whole community that’s involved is divided and you’ve got all kinds of problems. We’ve probably all seen this, maybe participated in it, maybe been on the receiving end of it. But when have you ever seen gossip work out for good? When have you ever seen a gossip, a person who collects all these little pieces of information and then tries to fill in the blanks and start spreading these things around, when have you seen that work out in a good way? It just never does and hasn’t for a long time because we’re reading ancient wisdom here, thousands and thousands of years old, and it didn’t work then. So, we should get a clue that, as juicy as it is in is and as entertaining as it might be, people’s lives aren’t there to entertain you and that division never works out well. The proverb tells us without wood a fire goes out. So, we know that right? You have a bonfire, it’s autumn, you have a bonfire out in the back somewhere, it’s roaring, everybody’s having a good time and then you pull all the logs out of the fire and fire goes out. The proverb says, that’s how it works with gossip. When you don’t have it, because gossip is the fuel, it’s the wood of the bonfire, if you remove it than the division and quarreling will stop. We should remember this. All our words matter. All our words are creating the reality we live in and words spoken as gossip are only adding fuel to a fire that is going to be tremendously destructive in the end.

Prayer:

Father. We acknowledge this. We know this is true, and even in the context of the book of Lamentations, it may be our words, it may be gossip and quarreling and division and divisiveness that we have regrets over that we need to invite You into and that we need to lament over. So much of our story boils back to our words. And, so, we surrender our tongues, our mouths, our thoughts to You, and acknowledge that, without wood a fire goes out and without gossip quarreling stops. Come, Holy Spirit, and lead us forward. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And what’s been going on around here for the last few days is the Global Campfire Initiative – a project that’s been going on behind the scenes for quite a while. And all this year has been focused largely on the brand-new Daily Audio Bible app that is coming very soon. Of course, I told this story in detail last week, and you can just scroll back to last Tuesday and listen to the Global Campfire Initiative if you haven’t had a chance. But we’ve been building a platform that is flexible and secure for this community for a long time and now we’ve been building the app that connects to the platform, giving us a home of our own, one in which we can dream of new ways to stay connected to each other. And it’s so much more, and this is only the beginning. But along with this we have an invitation from the Lord to begin to give it all away. And, so, when this app releases it will be a free app. And, so, in order to take that risk and that big step of faith were inviting the entire community of the Daily Audio Bible to get involved in the Global Campfire Initiative through prayer, certainly, and for those of you who feel compelled and can are we’re asking for help in raising the resources that we need to develop further. So, we have created this commemorative poster, and not just any poster, a Hatch Show Print. So many of you have googled that and found out what I’m talking about. Hatch Show Prints are made one at a time, one color at a time, no computer technology used at all. And they’re made here in the rolling hills of Tennessee and have been made here in the rolling hills of Tennessee since 1879. So, we made 500 of these and we’re just asking for 500 of you who are willing and able to give $200 or more toward the Global Campfire Initiative to contribute toward this need. And as a commemorative of this family, this Daily Audio Bible community and all that we have done together, we’ll send you one of these signed and numbered prints. So, you hang it somewhere and always know that you are a part of something that sends the spoken word of God throughout the earth every single day. So, we’re beginning to come to the close of the Global Campfire Initiative. And, I mean, I cannot thank you enough, those of you who have stepped forward and said yes, this means something to me and I want to pass that forward because it can mean so much to so many who don’t even know about it yet. So, thank you for everyone who has stepped forward as we round the corner on this. We still have a few left. And, so, I’m asking any of you who can get involved, please do. You just have to go to dailyaudiobible.com and just scroll down and you’ll find the Global Campfire Initiative. Just click that and off we’ll go. We’ll send you the Hatch Print and then around November 1st-ish, we will be inviting all of those of you who participated in the Global Campfire Initiative to access the app early, give us some feedback, play with it, and start getting to know it. So, we’re excited about that. So, t’s all at dailyaudiobible.com.

If you have a prayer request or comment 877-942 4253 is the number to call.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Hi there Daily Audio Bible family. My name is Joselyn and I am calling from Texas. I have never called in before and I have been listening for about two months and I’m actually behind all of you guys. I started the Daily Audio Bible back in January because I needed to start from the beginning and I needed to listen constantly. I’m calling you guys, first of all, to let you know that I am listening. I am now in April for Daily Audio Bible and I am still praying for you guys. So, those of you that have called months and months and months behind, I hear your prayers and I lift you up constantly. So, for those of you that are still struggling with the things you called about months ago, I am still praying. And I know that time is meaningless to God, so, I am praying for all you guys. I called today because my husband, he has told me he wants a divorce. And we’re both Christians and I don’t believe in divorce. I don’t want a divorce. He meets with the attorney’s today. He’s been very threatening to me. He came to my work and stole a diamond necklace off my neck, just ripped it right off my neck. He’s very angry. He blames me for his alcohol problems. He blames me for his unhappiness. He has just been totally attacked and he’s believing all of these lies. And I am just so lost. I’ve moved out of the house, given him his space and I just ask you all to pray. His name is Rubin and he is saved but he’s totally denying God. He’s not taking any accountability for his behavior and I’ve asked him to go to marriage counseling…

Hi, my name is Heather, I live in Chicago with my husband. I am calling today just desperate for hope. I’ve been a believer for most of my life and I grew up in a Christian home but I’m just severely struggling with depression and with anger and with fear. It’s putting a significant strain on my marriage and I just feel very lonely. I want desperately to walk strongly and soundly with the Lord and I’m just finding that each day is just a new challenge. It’s so hard to just make it through one more day. So, I would just love to have the prayers of the wonderful people in this community. And I’m so grateful that there’s something like this out there. Thank you.

Hi Daily Audio Bible. My name is Shirley M. I am a first-time caller and I’ve been listening for probably 8 months and listen to the Bible, read the Bible, for the very first time. I’ve been a Christian, a believer for many, many years. But today I’m calling because I know the power of prayer. And I have a very good mine, that she just received information yesterday that her daughter, that, I believe 25 years old, her name is Regan W. She’s got breast cancer, aggressive breast cancer, and I just want everybody in this community to pray for her and to get a miracle, that they would take this disease away from her. I don’t know if they are saved but I think they believe in God…but I believe that with a miracle like this that they would turn toward and get their strength from God. We’re all praying and I just want to reach out to the large community because I know the power of prayer. And I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hello DAB family. This is abiding in him. I’d love to pray for Rayna in Los Angeles. Heavenly Father, we come before You on behalf of our sister Rayna, whose body has turned on her and caused great pain and fatigue and a great deal of pressure on her, pressure that won’t let her do well at her job, that she cannot focus and function, the pressure of being alone. Lord our heart goes out for our sister. We are so thankful that she reached out to the community Lord and we together lift up holy hands over her and stretched out to You, Lord and ___ You to touch our sister. We don’t why she’s going through this suffering. We don’t know why she having to endure this pain. But we do know that You are faithful and true, that You are righteous and pure and that Your love for us knows no boundaries. So, we turn away from the things we don’t understand Lord and we turn our eyes to You and ask that You touch our sister Rayna with a deep and abiding shalom that will exceed all circumstances and from that place of peace You lift her up full, whole, healthy, sane. We ask Your blessings to reign down on her the way that only You can. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday October 29, 2017 (NIV)

Lamentations 1-2

The Sorrows of Jerusalem

(A)How lonely lies Jerusalem, once so full of people!
Once honored by the world, she is now like a widow;
The noblest of cities has fallen into slavery.

All night long she cries; tears run down her cheeks.
Of all her former friends, not one is left to comfort her.
Her allies have betrayed her and are all against her now.

Judah's people are helpless slaves, forced away from home.[a]
They live in other lands, with no place to call their own—
Surrounded by enemies, with no way to escape.

No one comes to the Temple now to worship on the holy days.
The young women who sang there suffer, and the priests can only groan.
The city gates stand empty, and Zion is in agony.

Her enemies succeeded; they hold her in their power.
The Lord has made her suffer for all her many sins;
Her children have been captured and taken away.

The splendor of Jerusalem is a thing of the past.
Her leaders are like deer that are weak from hunger,
Whose strength is almost gone as they flee from the hunters.

A lonely ruin now, Jerusalem recalls her ancient splendor.
When she fell to the enemy, there was no one to help her;
Her conquerors laughed at her downfall.

Her honor is gone; she is naked and held in contempt.
She groans and hides her face in shame.
Jerusalem made herself filthy with terrible sin.

Her uncleanness was easily seen, but she showed no concern for her fate.
Her downfall was terrible; no one can comfort her.
Her enemies have won, and she cries to the Lord for mercy.

10 The enemies robbed her of all her treasures.
She saw them enter the Temple itself,
Where the Lord had forbidden Gentiles to go.

11 Her people groan as they look for something to eat;
They exchange their treasures for food to keep themselves alive.
“Look at me, Lord,” the city cries; “see me in my misery.”

12 “Look at me!” she cries to everyone who passes by.[b]
“No one has ever had pain like mine,
Pain that the Lord brought on me in the time of his anger.

13 “He sent fire from above, a fire that burned inside me.
He set a trap for me and brought me to the ground.
Then he abandoned me and left me in constant pain.

14 “He took note of all my sins and tied them all together;
He hung them around my neck, and I grew weak beneath the weight.
The Lord gave me to my foes, and I was helpless against them.

15 “The Lord laughed at all my strongest soldiers;
He sent an army to destroy my young men.
He crushed my people like grapes in a wine press.

16 “That is why my eyes are overflowing with tears.
No one can comfort me; no one can give me courage.
The enemy has conquered me; my people have nothing left.

17 “I stretch out my hands, but no one will help me.
The Lord has called enemies against me from every side;
They treat me like some filthy thing.

18 “But the Lord is just, for I have disobeyed him.
Listen to me, people everywhere; look at me in my pain.
My young men and women have been taken away captive.

19 “I called to my allies, but they refused to help me.
The priests and the leaders died in the city streets,
Looking for food to keep themselves alive.

20 “Look, O Lord, at my agony, at the anguish of my soul!
My heart is broken in sorrow for my sins.
There is murder in the streets; even indoors there is death.

21 “Listen[c] to my groans; there is no one to comfort me.
My enemies are glad that you brought disaster on me.
Bring[d] the day you promised; make my enemies suffer as I do.

22 “Condemn them for all their wickedness;
Punish them as you punished me for my sins.
I groan in misery, and I am sick at heart.”

The Lord's Punishment of Jerusalem

The Lord in his anger has covered Zion with darkness.
Its heavenly splendor he has turned into ruins.
On the day of his anger he abandoned even his Temple.

The Lord destroyed without mercy every village in Judah
And tore down the forts that defended the land.
He brought disgrace on the kingdom and its rulers.

In his fury he shattered the strength of Israel;
He refused to help us when the enemy came.
He raged against us like fire, destroying everything.

He aimed his arrows at us like an enemy;
He killed all those who were our joy and delight.
Here in Jerusalem we felt his burning anger.

Like an enemy, the Lord has destroyed Israel;
He has left her forts and palaces in ruins.
He has brought on the people of Judah unending sorrow.

He smashed to pieces the Temple where we worshiped him;
He has put an end to holy days and Sabbaths.
King and priest alike have felt the force of his anger.

The Lord rejected his altar and deserted his holy Temple;
He allowed the enemy to tear down its walls.
They shouted in victory where once we had worshiped in joy.

The Lord was determined that the walls of Zion should fall;
He measured them off to make sure of total destruction.
The towers and walls now lie in ruins together.

The gates lie buried in rubble, their bars smashed to pieces.
The king and the noblemen now are in exile.
The Law is no longer taught, and the prophets have no visions from the Lord.

10 Jerusalem's old men sit on the ground in silence,
With dust on their heads and sackcloth on their bodies.
Young women bow their heads to the ground.

11 My eyes are worn out with weeping; my soul is in anguish.
I am exhausted with grief at the destruction of my people.
Children and babies are fainting in the streets of the city.

12 Hungry and thirsty, they cry to their mothers;
They fall in the streets as though they were wounded,
And slowly die in their mothers' arms.

13 O Jerusalem, beloved Jerusalem, what can I say?
How can I comfort you? No one has ever suffered like this.
Your disaster is boundless as the ocean; there is no possible hope.

14 Your prophets had nothing to tell you but lies;
Their preaching deceived you by never exposing your sin.
They made you think you did not need to repent.

15 People passing by the city look at you in scorn.
They shake their heads and laugh at Jerusalem's ruins:
“Is this that lovely city? Is this the pride of the world?”

16 All your enemies mock you and glare at you with hate.
They curl their lips and sneer, “We have destroyed it!
This is the day we have waited for!”

17 The Lord has finally done what he threatened to do:
He has destroyed us without mercy, as he warned us long ago.
He gave our enemies victory, gave them joy at our downfall.

18 O Jerusalem, let your very walls cry out to the Lord![e]
Let your tears flow like rivers night and day;
Wear yourself out with weeping and grief

19 All through the night get up again and again to cry out to the Lord;
Pour out your heart and beg him for mercy on your children—
Children starving to death on every street corner!

20 Look, O Lord! Why are you punishing us like this?
Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved!
Priests and prophets are being killed in the Temple itself

21 Young and old alike lie dead in the streets,
Young men and women, killed by enemy swords.
You slaughtered them without mercy on the day of your anger.

22 You invited my enemies to hold a carnival of terror all around me,
And no one could escape on that day of your anger.
They murdered my children, whom I had raised and loved.

Footnotes:

  1. Lamentations 1:3 are helpless … home; or fled from home, from the misery of slavery.
  2. Lamentations 1:12 Look … by; or May this not happen to you that pass by; or Does this mean nothing to you that pass by?
  3. Lamentations 1:21 One ancient translation Listen; Hebrew They listened.
  4. Lamentations 1:21 One ancient translation Bring; Hebrew You brought.
  5. Lamentations 2:18 Probable text O Jerusalem … Lord; Hebrew Their hearts cried out to the Lord, O wall of Jerusalem.

Cross references:

  1. Lamentations 1:1 : Bar 4:12
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Philemon

From Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy—

To our friend and fellow worker Philemon, (A)and the church that meets in your house, and our sister Apphia, and our fellow soldier Archippus:

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Philemon's Love and Faith

Brother Philemon, every time I pray, I mention you and give thanks to my God. For I hear of your love for all of God's people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. My prayer is that our fellowship with you as believers will bring about a deeper understanding of every blessing which we have in our life in union with Christ. Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all of God's people.

A Request for Onesimus

For this reason I could be bold enough, as your brother in Christ, to order you to do what should be done. But because I love you, I make a request instead. I do this even though I am Paul, the ambassador of Christ Jesus, and at present also a prisoner for his sake.[a] 10 (B)So I make a request to you on behalf of Onesimus, who is my own son in Christ; for while in prison I have become his spiritual father. 11 At one time he was of no use to you, but now he is useful[b] both to you and to me.

12 I am sending him back to you now, and with him goes my heart. 13 I would like to keep him here with me, while I am in prison for the gospel's sake, so that he could help me in your place. 14 However, I do not want to force you to help me; rather, I would like for you to do it of your own free will. So I will not do anything unless you agree.

15 It may be that Onesimus was away from you for a short time so that you might have him back for all time. 16 And now he is not just a slave, but much more than a slave: he is a dear brother in Christ. How much he means to me! And how much more he will mean to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord!

17 So, if you think of me as your partner, welcome him back just as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to my account. 19 Here, I will write this with my own hand: I, Paul, will pay you back (I should not have to remind you, of course, that you owe your very self to me.) 20 So, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord's sake; as a brother in Christ, cheer me up!

21 I am sure, as I write this, that you will do what I ask—in fact I know that you will do even more. 22 At the same time, get a room ready for me, because I hope that God will answer the prayers of all of you and give me back to you.

Final Greetings

23 (C)Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the sake of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, 24 (D)and so do my co-workers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.

25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Footnotes:

  1. Philemon 1:9 the ambassador of Christ Jesus, and at present also a prisoner for his sake; or an old man, and at present a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.
  2. Philemon 1:11 The Greek name Onesimus means “useful.”
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Psalm 101

A King's Promise[a]

101 My song is about loyalty and justice,
and I sing it to you, O Lord.
My conduct will be faultless.
When will you come to me?

I will live a pure life in my house
and will never tolerate evil.
I hate the actions of those who turn away from God;
I will have nothing to do with them.
I will not be dishonest[b]
and will have no dealings with evil.[c]
I will get rid of anyone
who whispers evil things about someone else;
I will not tolerate anyone
who is proud and arrogant.

I will approve of those who are faithful to God
and will let them live in my palace.
Those who are completely honest
will be allowed to serve me.

No liar will live in my palace;
no hypocrite will remain in my presence.
Day after day I will destroy
the wicked in our land;
I will expel all who are evil
from the city of the Lord.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 101:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.
  2. Psalm 101:4 not be dishonest; or stay away from dishonest people.
  3. Psalm 101:4 evil; or evil people.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Proverbs 26:20

20 Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

10/28/2017 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Titus 3:1-15; Psalms 100:1-5; Proverbs 26:18-19

Today is the 28th day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you around the global campfire that we come out of the cold and warm ourselves and light ourselves each and every day. And it’s great to be with you at the end of another week. And as we end this week we will be ending books in the Old and New Testament, setting us up well before the beginning of a new week where we will begin to new books - one new book one new letter. So, we’ll complete the book of Jeremiah and the letter to Titus today. We’re reading from the Names of God Bible this week. Jeremiah chapter 51 verse 54 through 52 verse 34.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we can’t pass up this proverb without paying attention to it because it’s so stark. And it was pretty stark yesterday too. So, the Proverbs, obviously, are full of wisdom and it is the wisdom of ages that has been collected and passed down. And, so, it advises on a number of levels - a lot of the time, just practical advice for the posture of life that works, like, one that builds wisdom block upon block until you become wise and know how to operate in this world, kind of, know how to look for the story behind the story. But then sometimes it’s very, very stark about behavior. So, I mean, like we were talking about yesterday, do you know somebody in your life that it’s is a really abrasive and cutting person, like, really critical, but it’s always veiled, it’s sort of like you don’t know whether they mean it or not but you know that they do, but they’ve left themselves an out so that they can jab that you are nick you or cut you and then, kind of, wait a little while, and then do it again and like they have this critical thing going on, toward you? But then when they’re called out on it, they’re like, ‘what, I was joking, I was just joking’. ‘You know, I didn’t mean that’, when you know that they did. And it, like, baits you because on the one hand you know what’s going on. Right? Like, you’re being torn down and yet, maybe you’re related to this person or is a family event, or is a coworker that is above you and you can’t you know you can just walk out…like you… you’re kind of trapped taking this and then hearing that it’s only a joke but you know it’s not. And, so, you’re isolated and there’s really not a whole lot you can do about it because you know that, like, defending yourself and striking back, that’s not going to go well, that’s only going to amp this up and only going to make more problems. And then, you know, if you if you go other directions and have conversations etc., etc. trying to find a solution, then they’ve got the out. Like, this person, ‘you just can’t take a joke, you just can’t take a joke, I was just kidding’. It just, like, makes it worse on you. Right? So, it’s like this horrible situation. That is what the proverb is talking about. Now, listen to the starkness of the language though, ‘Like a madman who shoots flaming arrows, arrows, and death, so is the person who tricks his neighbor and says I was only joking’. So, if you have someone in your life that does that to you then now you have a bit of context, you can step away, refer back to this proverb and go like, man, this is crazy behavior. Like, the person who does this is so insecure inside that they’re acting like a madman, who are shooting these arrows of death and not even understanding and then stepping away, like, disassociating from their own behavior that they are being abusive and spin it like it was just a big joke. Very, very, very unhealthy. And, so, you can observe that as it is happening to you and just go, this is unhealthy. So, yeah, I need to be aware and find ways to step away from this, but I’m also naming it – its crazy, it’s unhealthy, its destructive. And if I engage in the same way, like, if I can if I try to turn this around and do the same thing back, then I’m acting like a madman too. If you are this kind of person, where the critical things are coming out of your mouth before you can catch them, and you are nicking and cutting and swiping at people, especially those that you love and you continue to do it and are just like, ‘what…it was just a joke…can’t you take a joke’. The best thing we can say here is that that’s not healthy and that’s not going anywhere. And if we want to take this behavior biblically, then it’s mad, it’s like a madman who shoots flaming arrows, arrows, and death. And don’t think for a minute that our words don’t have that kind of power because our relationships and interrelationships are formed by our words. And, so, as we close this week down, we have we have this to consider.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into this, the use of our language and our words, especially as it impacts our brothers and sisters around us, the people around us. How are we stewarding our words? Because we don’t usually think of it in those terms. We just communicate and sometimes we’re thoughtful and sometimes we’re not and it’s just talk, just words. And yet, Your word continues to show us that words are pretty powerful things and they’re not as benign, they do things, they create things, and they need to be stewarded. There are times that we shouldn’t wag our tongues. There are times that we should bite them and hold back what we are about to say because it’s going to be destructive and it’s not in a healthy way. It’s not like we’re going to tear down a few things so that we can immediately rebuild upon them so that we can enter into an issue together and work through it toward a solution. Rather, it’s just like snipers on the sideline digging, cutting, tearing down and then acting like it was a joke. Help us Holy Spirit to steward what we say and may we speak words of the kingdom this day and every day. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And it’s what’s going on around here right now is the Global Campfire Initiative. So, a few days ago, on Tuesday, I released this talk about the Global Campfire Initiative, something that’s actually been going on behind the scenes for quite a while, but is now reaching its apex, kind of reaching the light of day in a way that will impact this community. And, so, I brought into the story and invited you in to participate in what we’re doing here, in building this platform, and launching this new app for the Daily Audio Bible, and turning outward, and making it free as we go forward for everyone on an Android or an iOS device. And I’ve talked about the classic Nashville that we’re bringing into this mix with the Hatch Show Prints that we had made. And they are beautiful and frameable and commemorative, not only of this initiative, but of the Global Campfire, of our community. It represents who we are together and what we’re doing together. And, so, that you can hang it somewhere that you can see it and remember that you’re never alone and also remember to pray, so that we always are praying for each other. And, so, for those of you who are able and willing to contribute $200 or more toward this initiative. And I unpack it all in that talk. I made that talk someone have to like re-state the story all day every day. So, go back and listen to that if you haven’t. So, for those of you who can contribute at that level, we will send you one of these signed and numbered Hatch Prints, although they are about to be gone. So, jump in on that if you can in and check it out. Thank you for your partnership. Truly, literally, this is a move of facing outward. We’ve invested so many resources and so much time over the last three years in development that for the Lord to tell us ‘give it all away’ and for us to step into that is a big risk and clearly doing what God is saying to do. And, so, what that leaves us doing is saying, okay, like usual, what we do we have to do together or we can’t do it all. And, so you’re invited. This is something that were doing together for a specific reason and that specific reason is the sea of people who are drowning that need to find their way into this community where the rhythm of the spoken word of God can wash over them daily and begin to restore and repair and then transform and sanctify. We were all on that road at one point. We all found our way here at one point. We either found our way here to Daily Audio Bible or we found the Scriptures. At one point or another we were drowning and the word of God came and began to tell us who are and began to be the rescue and then began to actually change things inside and then all of the sudden we are thinking different. And it’s like I say at the beginning of every year that we start the Daily Audio Bible, look at yourself in the mirror because you’re not going look the same at the end of this year. Some profound shifting will happen. And it won’t be something that you can see in your face it will be something that you can see in your eyes, you’re changing from the inside out. We’ve experienced this, but there are there are many out there who need to find this and they need to be able to get free and there’s always been ways to do that but not with the app and now we’re are stepping into that together. So, you can find out about the Global Campfire Initiative by listening to that program, but also if you’re looking to contribute and see the Hatch Print that I’m talking about, that’s at dailyaudiobible.com. Scroll down to the initiatives, you’ll find it. Or there’s a banner for in the Daily Audio Bible shop. So, it’s easy enough to find. And, I thank you for helping us finish this initiative well, strong, ready. And off we go into the wild frontier. That has always been the story of the Daily Audio Bible community. So, check that out a dailyaudiobible.com.

If you have a prayer request or comment 877-942 4253 is the number to call.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is Lee from New Jersey. Today is October 24th and I’m calling with a very heavy heart. I got into a big fight with my wife yesterday and it’s in correlation with the anger issues that are just getting out of control - the yelling, the screaming on my end. And, basically, she’s telling me that she doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore. My daughter hates me, my 14-year-old. So, basically, they both want to have nothing to do with me anymore. My son, who’s 6, I guess he’s too young to even think about these things, very innocent. So, honestly, I don’t blame them and I don’t believe in divorce, but if they want to go through with it I can’t stop them. So, family, it’s a weird prayer because I feel like I deserve this. I mean…if I haven’t been so good to my family…I don’t see why I should deserve the best from them. So, I’m going to ask that you all pray for wisdom, that God give me the wisdom on how to deal with this situation. But if it be God’s will to keep us together, maybe to keep us together so I can become a better man, a better father, a better husband, and above all a better servant of Christ. So, family I know you guys are on it. I mean…I am not even going to ask…but I will. So, again, this is Lee from New Jersey. Very heavy heart today, very sad. I’m on the brink of losing my family. I don’t want to lose them but by that the same token I haven’t been the best husband or father that I’m supposed to be. And this is all related to my anger issues. God bless you all.

I want to thank God for the Daily Audio Bible. Two years ago I was faced with two devastating diagnosis of major surgery for parathyroid and also for prediabetes. The morning routine of checking blood sugar, my weight, recording all that, and then planning my food for myself and my dog was overwhelming. And I didn’t know how to continue my Bible study. So, I turned to the Daily Audio Bible and have been listening every morning for over two years. And, so, now I’ve learned things about the Bible that I didn’t know before, even though I’ve been reading the Bible since I was able to read, at age 6. So, I want you to continue to pray for my health because I’m 64 and I have to continue this diet and exercise for the rest of my life, like it or not. This is Kathy from Kentucky. Thank you very much for the Daily Audio Bible. It’s been a stress reliever in my life and I thank you very much. Please continue to pray for my health. I live alone…for my finances. Thank you. Kathy from Kentucky. Bye.

Hi this is Natalie from Arizona. Good day Daily Audio Bible family. Just touched…so pleased and honored to be a part of this family. I just listened to the Global Campfire that was posted today, October 24th and I just warn you all before you listen, just don’t listen while driving, because I was so moved just listening to the podcast, I was almost brought to my knees. And I’m in the car and my children are wondering what was going on with mom, what’s wrong, and it was just crazy because the Holy Spirit was just moving and the by the end of the podcast, I was home by then, I’m just listening, and I’m praying for an opportunity to be a part of the giving, just praying, Lord I want to be somehow be a part of this movement, I don’t want to be left out and just praying for the opportunity. And then we heard the story about developing the new app. It was so moving and then discovered that the new app is free. It was just mind blowing because I just told one of my friends about the current app, that it’s $0.99. But I’m so glad to move forward and be able to tell others in the future that the app is free but for those of us who are just desperate to give and to participate in the giving portion of all of this, I’m just so glad for the opportunity to purchase the unique artwork. Thank you, Brian and Jill. I just pray for my entire family. Let’s just, together, watch God move. Praise the Lord.

Hello family. My name is Demetri and I’m a first-time caller. I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible about three years. And I think I’m ready call and ask for you guys prayer. Me and my wife, we are struggling. I’ve been finally caught in something I shouldn’t be doing. It might be the worst we’ve ever been and I know I can’t so this without you guys prayer and Gods mercy. I ask you guys to pray for me and my wife. We really need it. I love you family. Bye.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is Dave in Illinois and I am calling this morning in response to Brian, your message you left us regarding the Global Campfire initiative. I  just really wanted to call and encourage folks. Yeah know this is my first year going through the Daily Audio Bible but it is already been life-giving to me. It is something that I crave in the mornings. It’s part of my rhythm of my morning and my day and I’m grateful. Brian, thank you for being faithful. I can only imagine the sacrifices you have made over the decade plus you’ve been doing this. But you’ve done that and you are impacting folks across the world and now we get the partner in that with you and that is absolutely wonderful and amazing. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do that through the Global Campfire initiative. I just gave this morning and I just want to just issue…just give encouragement and a small challenge to the community. I know it can seem like $200 is a lot, and it definitely is, but we have to think where that investments going. And, so, if that’s something you want to do, I know for me, I’ve wanted to partner with the Daily Audio Bible for a while, and this just was perfect timing. Actually, we had, this morning, we sold something that was just a little more than $200. So, we gave all that to the global campfire initiative. So, my challenge will be that y’all want to want to partner with Brian and the rest of the community in this then just pray that God will provide the resources and that you be faithful to respond and give whatever He provides. So, I’ll just pray for us real quick. Father, thank You for Brian for his faithfulness, for his example that he sets for us. And I pray that we will be faithful too. Lord, open up doors for us and I pray that You will provide the resources because all we have is Yours. I pray that You would bless this next wave that you are bringing with the Daily Audio Bible and all that…

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday October 28, 2017 (NIV)

Jeremiah 51:54-52:34

54 Cries of agony are heard from Babylon.
Sounds of terrible destruction are heard
from the land of the Babylonians.
55 Yahweh will destroy Babylon.
He will silence the loud noise coming from it.
Waves of enemies will come roaring in like raging water.
The noise will be heard everywhere.
56 A destroyer will attack Babylon,
its soldiers will be captured,
and their bows and arrows will be broken.

“I, Yahweh, am a God who punishes evil.
I will certainly punish them.
57 I will make their officials and wise men drunk,
along with their governors, officers, and soldiers.
They will fall into a deep sleep and never wake up,”
declares the Melek, whose name is Yahweh Tsebaoth.

58 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says:

The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled,
and its high gates will be set on fire.
People exhaust themselves for nothing.
The nations wear themselves out only to have a fire.

59 This is the message that the prophet Jeremiah gave to Seraiah, son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah, when Seraiah went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of Judah in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s rule. (Seraiah was the quartermaster.)

60 Jeremiah wrote on a scroll all the disasters that would happen to Babylon. He wrote all these things that have been written about Babylon. 61 Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all this. 62 Then say, ‘Yahweh, you have threatened to destroy this place so that no person or animal will live here, and it will become a permanent ruin.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River. 64 Say, ‘Babylon will sink like this scroll. It will never rise again because of the disasters that I will bring on it.’”

The words of Jeremiah end here.

The Fall of Jerusalem(A)

52 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. Zedekiah did what Yahweh considered evil, as Jehoiakim had done. Yahweh became angry with Jerusalem and Judah and threw the people out of his sight.

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. They set up camp and built dirt ramps around the city walls. The blockade of the city lasted until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king. On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city became so severe that the common people had no food.

The enemy broke through the city walls, and all Judah’s soldiers fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls beside the king’s garden. While the Babylonians were attacking the city from all sides, they took the road to the plain of Jericho. The Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plain of Jericho. His entire army had deserted him. The Babylonians captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in Hamath, where the king of Babylon passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as Zedekiah watched. He also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze shackles. The king of Babylon took him to Babylon and put him in a prison, where he stayed until he died.

12 On the tenth day of the fifth month of Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year as king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, who was the captain of the guard and an officer of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He burned down Yahweh’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. Every important building was burned down. 14 The entire Babylonian army that was with the captain of the guard tore down the walls around Jerusalem.

15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, captured the few people left in the city, those who surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population. 16 But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left some of the poorest people in the land to work in the vineyards and on the farms.

17 The Babylonians broke apart the bronze pillars of Yahweh’s temple, the stands, and the bronze pool in Yahweh’s temple. They shipped all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They took the pots, shovels, snuffers, bowls, dishes, and all the bronze utensils used in the temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took pans, incense burners, bowls, pots, lamp stands, dishes, and the bowls used for wine offerings. The captain of the guard took all of the trays and bowls that were made of gold or silver. 20 The bronze from the 2 pillars, the pool, and the 12 bronze bulls under the stands that King Solomon had made for Yahweh’s temple couldn’t be weighed. 21 One pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. It was three inches thick and hollow. 22 The capital that was on it was 7½ feet high with a filigree and pomegranates around it. They were all made of bronze. The second pillar was the same. It also had pomegranates. 23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides. The total number of pomegranates on the surrounding filigree was 100.

24 The captain of the guard took the chief priest Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and the 3 doorkeepers. 25 From the city he also took an army commander, 7 men who had access to the king whom he found in the city, the scribe who was in charge of the militia, and 60 common people whom he found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon executed them at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So the people of Judah were captives as they left their land.

28 These are the people Nebuchadnezzar took captive: In his seventh year as king, he took 3,023 Jews. 29 In his eighteenth year, Nebuchadnezzar took 832 people from Jerusalem. 30 In Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year as king, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took away 745 Jews. In all, 4,600 people were taken away.

King Jehoiakin Released from Prison(B)

31 On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the imprisonment of King Jehoiakin of Judah, King Evil Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, freed King Jehoiakin of Judah and released him from prison. 32 He treated him well and gave him a special position higher than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 Jehoiakin no longer wore prison clothes, and he ate his meals in the king’s presence as long as he lived. 34 The king of Babylon gave him a daily food allowance as long as he lived.

Names of God Bible (NOG)

The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.

Titus 3

Remind believers to willingly place themselves under the authority of government officials. Believers should obey them and be ready to help them with every good thing they do. Believers shouldn’t curse anyone or be quarrelsome, but they should be gentle and show courtesy to everyone.

What God Did for Us

Indeed, we, too, were once stupid, disobedient, and misled. We were slaves to many kinds of lusts and pleasures. We were mean and jealous. We were hated, and we hated each other.

However, when God our Savior made his kindness and love for humanity appear, he saved us, but not because of anything we had done to gain his approval. Instead, because of his mercy he saved us through the washing in which the Holy Spirit gives us new birth and renewal. God poured a generous amount of the Spirit on us through Yeshua Christ our Savior. As a result, God in his kindness[a] has given us his approval and we have become heirs who have the confidence that we have everlasting life. This is a statement that can be trusted. I want you to insist on these things so that those who believe in God can concentrate on setting an example by doing good things. This is good and helps other people.

Advice for Titus

Avoid foolish controversies, arguments about genealogies, quarrels, and fights about Moses’ Teachings. This is useless and worthless. 10 Have nothing to do with people who continue to teach false doctrine after you have warned them once or twice. 11 You know that people like this are corrupt. They are sinners condemned by their own actions.

Farewell

12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, hurry to visit me in the city of Nicopolis. I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Give Zenas the lawyer and Apollos your best support for their trip so that they will have everything they need.

14 Our people should also learn how to set an example by doing good things when urgent needs arise so that they can live productive lives.

15 Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet our faithful friends.

God’s good will[b] be with all of you.

Footnotes:

  1. Titus 3:7 Or “grace.”
  2. Titus 3:15 Or “grace.”
Names of God Bible (NOG)

The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.

Psalm 100

Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout happily to Yahweh, all the earth.
Serve Yahweh cheerfully.
Come into his presence with a joyful song.
Realize that Yahweh alone is Elohim.
He made us, and we are his.[a]
We are his people and the sheep in his care.
Enter his gates with a song of thanksgiving.
Come into his courtyards with a song of praise.
Give thanks to him; praise his name.

Yahweh is good.
His mercy endures forever.
His faithfulness endures throughout every generation.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 100:3 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Greek, Targum, Latin; other Hebrew manuscripts “and not we ourselves.”
Names of God Bible (NOG)

The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.

Proverbs 26:18-19

18 Like a madman who shoots flaming arrows, arrows, and death,
19 so is the person who tricks his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

Names of God Bible (NOG)

The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.

10/27/2017 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 51:1-53; Titus 2:1-15; Psalms 99:1-9; Proverbs 26:17

Today is the 27th day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today for, of course, the next step forward in the journey that we find ourselves on together. And if my math is correct, this is day 301. So, this is our 301st step of 365 steps on this adventure that is the Bible. And we’re kind of turning the corner on the book of Jeremiah and we’ve spent most of this month reading from Jeremiah in the Old Testament. We will conclude the book of Jeremiah tomorrow. We are also reading Paul’s letter to Titus, which we will also conclude tomorrow. But it’s not tomorrow. It’s today. So, from the Names of God Bible. Jeremiah chapter 51 verses 1 through 53.

Commentary:

Okay. Let’s talk about the proverb for second and then we will tie it to something that Paul says in Titus. Okay. So, do you know someone in your life that, they seem to be in every single argument around you, like, they are in everything, like, they can be around people and maybe overhear somebody debating or having a conversation and then they insert themselves into the equation, uninvited, as if they can’t help themselves? We all probably know people like that. Maybe we even are a person like that. The book of Proverbs counsels us that that is like sneaking up behind a dog and grabbing her by the ears. And I don’t care whether it’s a little dog or a big dog, that’s never a good plan because you’re going to get growled at, snapped at, maybe even bitten. That’s what you set yourself up for when you insert yourself into other people’s business and it doesn’t usually go well. And a lot of times we are that person, we might be thinking, well I’m just trying to help people, and I talk to people, and I’m just trying to help but what we’re not realizing is, we really like hearing ourselves speak, and we like to instruct people, whether they want it or not. We feel like we have a valuable opinion and it needs to be heard whether anyone wants to hear it or not. And then, pretty soon, nobody wants to hear it. And then we wonder why we don’t have any friends. And it’s because we keep grabbing a dog by its years by inserting ourselves when we’re not invited. Now, conversely, we probably also could bring to mind a person in our life that we think is full of wisdom and wise and it’s rare to find that kind of a person inserting themselves into every equation. Those are the people that we seek out. We actually want their opinion. We actually want to know what they have to say and what they might be able to share because they live a life that we look up to and they carry wisdom that we seek and we witness their relationship with God and we witness their self-control, like, we witness the evidence of that relationship and we seek it out. Paul refers to that kind of person in his letter to Titus. So, he’s going down a list of different life circumstances and behaviors that would be appropriate and proper in those circumstances. And then he says, after all, God’s saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people. It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. So, like, so that we can live this way right now, so that we can live self-controlled moral and godly lives right now, while at the same time hoping for what we are expecting - the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. So, Paul basically gives us an example or a view of the opposite of what the proverb is talking about and tells us that it’s available right now in this present world. Which brings us to the ultimate question of: why do we do the things that we do? If we don’t have any really deep relationships because we insert ourselves into everything and grab the dog by the ears all of the time. Then we can ask ourselves, what’s underneath that? Because that behavior is just an outpouring of something below and were exposing our own insecurities. And yet, according to the letter to Titus, God’s saving kindness invades that space and trains us to avoid things that are ungodly, in every way, and trains us to live self-controlled, including our tongues - self-controlled, moral and godly lives in this present world, in the right now.

Prayer 

Father, that is what we want. All of the story that is let has led us to this place and all of the behaviors that go along with it, that are at times destructive or unhelpful, at minimum, we surrender that to You because it’s unlikely they were not aware, that were just completely unaware. And, so, we surrender those insecurities and those wounds and the assumptions that we continually formulate, the things that we invent in our heads all of the time. All of that stuff that motivates us in ways that are not self-controlled, moral, and godly in this present world, all of that we surrender to You and invite your Holy Spirit to come, restore, repair, heel, and make new again - those places that are trigger points for us in our behaviors. Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

And, right now, what’s going on around here is the Global Campfire Initiative. And I talked at length about it a couple of days ago on a special program that was put out on the feed. So, you’ve got that. If you haven’t listened to it yet, that’s the whole story. Listen to that. It’s an initiative that has been internally going on for three years and all with the goal of, kind of, beginning to arrive where we are arriving now, and that is in integrated system that we can grow from and do what we do better and dream up new ways to continue to build community around the rhythm of the Scriptures, and in what we experience each and every day here around the global campfire. So, part of that has been building a completely new infrastructure over the last couple of years. Sort of a platform from which to launch some of these things. And the first thing being launched from this platform is a brand-new Daily Audio Bible app that will fully release before the new year. And it’s just a starting point. It’s like the 1.0 version but it definitely brings some features into the mix that have long been requested, like the ability to check off the days that have been listened to. So, like if you miss a day or two here and there and you just can’t remember which one it was, you’ll know that now. It just happens automatically. Or the ability to jot down some notes within your app. So, if you hear something that is jumps out, leaps out, and you just need to jot it down real quick so that you don’t forget, maybe you journal about it later or maybe it’s just a thought that you want to capture, that can all happen now. And you’ll be able to look back like a year from now, being able to look back to this time and see what God was speaking to you and what was going on in your life. It’s all there. And the Prayer Wall that lives a  dailyaudiobible.com is being integrated into this new app so that you can access it from there, right in prayer requests, pray for people right from within the app. And for many years, the Daily Audio Bible app has been and $0.99 app. So, just to help out a little bit with the development costs. But as this was all being built over these last years, and with the app all of this year, I just felt God saying, give it away. And, so, all of this work to make a much better experience, is something that God is saying put out there for free. And, so, for us to do all of this we have to do it together and that is the Global Campfire Initiative. And, so, we looked for something that was very, very much rooted in the rolling hills of Tennessee and Hatch Show Prints are classic Nashville. So, we went on to Hatch, downtown Nashville, talked to them, created this beautiful poster that commemorates the community that we are, the global campfire. And, so, for those of you who can contribute $200 or more toward this specific thing, we have 500 posters, and they are well on their way to being gone. And we will send this to you as a memento as a commemorative, something…and it’s completely frameable…these are cool….so you can frame them, put them somewhere that you can remember, and constantly pray for your brothers and sisters around the world, but also know that you’re not alone. This is a constant reminder. We are in this together. We are moving forward together. So, you can check that out at dailyaudiobible.com. Just scroll down a little bit to initiatives and there it is, you’ll see it. Or there’s a banner in the Daily Audio Bible shop for it. It’s easy enough to find. Get involved as we make some big risky steps forward together. So, check it out at dailyaudiobible.com

And one of the beautiful things that we do so well here at Daily Audio Bible is pray for one another. So, if you are carrying some things that you don’t need to be carrying by yourself, you are not alone. There are a number of numbers that you can call if you have a prayer request or comment. If you’re in the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number. The number for the UK and Europe is 44-20-3608-8078 and the number for Australia and the lands down under is 61-3-8820-5459. Don’t go through it alone. You don’t have to. There are thousands and thousands of us who pray, every day.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Hello DAB family. This is Joyful Noise from Southern California. Blessed Beyond Measure, I just heard your comment on the prayer hotline and, oh my goodness, what you said sister, every single day, I listen in to hear, how is Blind Tony doing, how did his surgery go? I want to hear one of Victoria S’s prayers. You know, how is Candice from Oregon doing…and…gosh…Theo and his two kids and praying over them   and praying over so many of your children. I love that parents and grandparents continue to call in and ask for prayer over their children. The next generation is where my heartbeat is, so you can count on me DAB family, to pray for your kids as you have prayed for mine. Thank you so much for that. I just want to thank you, Blessed Beyond Measure, because I’ve just been trying to put into words why this community is so important to my day and so important to my walk, my walk with Christ. Ya know, every single day he sends us out to be missionaries. Ya know, I think it was Charles Spurgeon who said, ‘every Christian is  a missionary or a counterfeit’.  We’re all missionaries and God has already chosen our mission field and He calls us out into it every day. ____. You constantly point me to true north. So, thank you so much DAB family. Have a blessed, blessed day. And just know that I am praying for you. If you could continue to pray for my children, Zachary, Zoey, and Samuel. Some are in college some are in high school, some are post college, and they are all seeking their path and it’s such an amazing thing to watch but I know we cannot become weary, we cannot become complacent as it pertains to our children…

Hello DAB family. It’s Mark S. from Sydney Australia. Today is Tuesday, the 24th of October. I’m just ringing in response to the community announcement. My DAB family, I want to implore everybody to try and give as much as they can to this community project and I’m not trying to boast by saying this community has done so much for us. God has helped us so much for us. I for one put $200 in and, as I said, I’m not trying to boast. I‘m struggling financially but I think God deserves every cent and if you can afford it, as Brian said, please do. I’m trying to look beyond what Gods going to give me and double what I think for helping out. Brian, I love you. And just so everybody knows, I work in the IT industry and the type of set ups that Brian talks about, and I’ve worked with similar situations, he’s too polite to tell everybody, we’re talking 100s of 1000s of dollars of development costs and hardware costs. So, family, dig deep, because God is so wonderful and I can’t do without this community. I love you all. I thank you all so much. Love you family. Bye.

Hi. This is Steve from New Hampshire. Brian, thank you again, so much, for all you do. Appreciate it. I’m calling to pray for Terry from Alabama. You shared about your issue with pornography and I really believe that it’s representative of probably a lot of folks that aren’t calling in. But I want to pray for, as you asked for, healing, total deliverance for yourself and healing for your girlfriend in this regard. And, so, Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus, the name above every name, the name that has the power to break the chains of any bondage, including pornography. And I just ask that You would set my brother free. In the name of Jesus, Lord, bring healing Lord, God, bring restoration Lord, God, minister to this girlfriend, that she would experience complete healing from the pain of this sin Lord, God. And thank You, Lord, that You are the Lamb of God that came to take away the sin of the world and we are free in You, whom the son sets free. Yes, free indeed. I praise You Lord. God bless you, Terry.

Yes. Good morning Daily Audio Bible people, DABbers. This is Diane from Newburg, Indiana and I’ve got a huge prayer request. I was given a gift from my birth of my voice, my voice and my song. And all my life everyone’s said, you have such a voice you have beautiful music, your songs are so beautiful. But from years of abuse and backsliding and gluttony and other sins, I destroyed my own voice. I’m asking you to agree with me that God will restore my voice. It may not be as high or anything like it was from my birth but that He will once again give me my voice back to honor and glorify Him. And I want to sing this song and I want you to hear this song from your heart, not from the terribleness of my singing, but for you to be restored. Father, restore them as I sing. Singing – God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He looks for ways to help us. He will make a way for us. He will be our God and hold us closely to His side. With faith and hope for each new day, God will make a way. God will make a way. Like the…