The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 30, 2018 (NIV)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

Jerusalem’s coming radiance

60 Arise! Shine! Your light has come;
the Lord’s glory has shone upon you.
Though darkness covers the earth
and gloom the nations,
the Lord will shine upon you;
God’s glory will appear over you.
Nations will come to your light
and kings to your dawning radiance.

Lift up your eyes and look all around:
they are all gathered; they have come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
and your daughters on caregivers’ hips.
Then you will see and be radiant;
your heart will tremble and open wide,
because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you;
the nations’ wealth will come to you.
Countless camels will cover your land,
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
They will all come from Sheba,
carrying gold and incense,
proclaiming the Lord’s praises.
All Kedar’s sheep will be gathered for you;
rams from Nebaioth will be your offerings;
they will be accepted on my altar,
and I will glorify my splendid house.

Who are these who fly like a cloud,
like doves to their shelters?
I’m the hope of the coastlands.
Ships from Tarshish are in the lead
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them
for the name of the Lord your God
and for the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
Though in my rage I struck you down,
in my favor I have consoled you.
11 Your gates will be open continually;
day and night they won’t close,
to bring to you the wealth of nations,
and their kings led in procession.
12 The nation and the dynasty
that won’t serve you will perish;
such nations will be devastated.
13 Lebanon’s glory will come upon you,
cypress, elm, and pine,
to glorify the site of my sanctuary,
and I will honor my royal footstool.
14 The children of your tormenters will come bending low to you;
all who despised you will bow down at your feet.
They will call you The Lord’s City,
Zion, of the holy one of Israel.
15 Instead of being abandoned,
hated, and forbidden,
I will make you majestic forever,
a joy for all generations.
16 You will suck the milk of nations,
and nurse at royal breasts.
You will know that I am the Lord, your savior
and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold;
instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze;
and instead of stones, iron.
I will make peace your governor
and righteousness your taskmaster.
18 Violence will no longer resound throughout your land,
nor devastation or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no longer be your light by day,
nor will the moon shine for illumination by night.[a]
The Lord will be your everlasting light;
your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will no longer wane.
The Lord will be an everlasting light for you,
and your days of mourning will be ended.
21 Your people will all be righteous;
they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I planted,
the work of my hands, to glorify myself.
22 The least will become a thousand,
and the smallest a powerful people.
I am the Lord; at the right moment, I will hurry it along.

Joyful proclamations

61 The Lord God’s spirit is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me
to bring good news to the poor,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim release for captives,
and liberation for prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and a day of vindication for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
to provide for Zion’s mourners,
to give them a crown in place of ashes,
oil of joy in place of mourning,
a mantle of praise in place of discouragement.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore formerly deserted places;
they will renew ruined cities,
places deserted in generations past.

Foreigners will stay and shepherd your sheep,
and strangers will be your farmers and vinedressers.
You will be called The Priests of the Lord;
Ministers of Our God, they will say about you.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and fatten[b] yourself on their riches.
Instead of shame, their[c] portion will be double;
instead of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share.
They will possess a double portion in their land;
everlasting joy will be theirs.
I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and dishonesty.[d]
I will faithfully give them their wage,
and make with them an enduring covenant.
Their offspring will be known among the nations,
and their descendants among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are a people blessed by the Lord.

10 I surely rejoice in the Lord;
my heart is joyful because of my God,
because he has clothed me with clothes of victory,
wrapped me in a robe of righteousness
like a bridegroom in a priestly crown,
and like a bride adorned in jewelry.
11 As the earth puts out its growth,
and as a garden grows its seeds,
so the Lord God will grow righteousness and praise before all the nations.

Jerusalem redeemed

62 For Zion’s sake I won’t keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I won’t sit still
until her righteousness shines out like a light,
and her salvation blazes like a torch.
Nations will see your righteousness,
all kings your glory.
You will be called by a new name,
which the Lord’s own mouth will determine.
You will be a splendid garland in the Lord’s hand,
a royal turban in the palm of God’s hand.
You will no longer be called Abandoned,
and your land will no longer be called Deserted.
Instead, you will be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land, Married.
Because the Lord delights in you,
your land will be cared for once again.
As a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons will marry you.
With the joy of a bridegroom because of his bride,
so your God will rejoice because of you.

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 60:19 Cf DSS (1QIsaa), LXX; MT lacks by night.
  2. Isaiah 61:6 Heb uncertain
  3. Isaiah 61:7 Or your
  4. Isaiah 61:8 Heb manuscripts, LXX, Syr, Tg; MT robbery with an entirely burned offering
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Philippians 1:27-2:18

Live worthy of the gospel

27 Most important, live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel. Do this, whether I come and see you or I’m absent and hear about you. Do this so that you stand firm, united in one spirit and mind as you struggle together to remain faithful to the gospel. 28 That way, you won’t be afraid of anything your enemies do. Your faithfulness and courage are a sign of their coming destruction and your salvation, which is from God. 29 God has generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Christ’s sake. 30 You are having the same struggle that you saw me face and now hear that I’m still facing.

Imitate Christ

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:

Though he was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore, God highly honored him
and gave him a name above all names,
10 so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow
11 and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Carry out your salvation

12 Therefore, my loved ones, just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while I am away, carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world 16 because you hold on to the word of life. This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. 18 You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me!

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 72

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

72 God, give your judgments to the king.
Give your righteousness to the king’s son.
Let him judge your people with righteousness
and your poor ones with justice.
Let the mountains bring peace to the people;
let the hills bring righteousness.
Let the king bring justice to people who are poor;
let him save the children of those who are needy,
but let him crush oppressors!
Let the king live[a] as long as the sun,
as long as the moon,
generation to generation.
Let him fall like rain upon fresh-cut grass,
like showers that water the earth.
Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives,
and let peace prosper until the moon is no more.
Let the king rule from sea to sea,
from the river to the ends of the earth.
Let the desert dwellers bow low before him;
let his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute;
let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts.
11 Let all the kings bow down before him;
let all the nations serve him.

12 Let it be so, because he delivers the needy who cry out,
the poor, and those who have no helper.
13 He has compassion on the weak and the needy;
he saves the lives of those who are in need.
14 He redeems their lives from oppression and violence;
their blood is precious in his eyes.

15 Let the king live long!
Let Sheba’s gold be given to him!
Let him be prayed for always!
Let him be blessed all day long!
16 Let there be abundant grain in the land.
Let it wave on the mountaintops.
Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon.
Let it thrive like grass on the land.
17 Let the king’s name last forever.
Let his name endure as long as the sun.
Let all the nations be blessed through him and call him happy.

18 Bless the Lord God, the God of Israel—
the only one who does wondrous things!
19 Bless God’s glorious name forever;
let his glory fill all the earth!
Amen and Amen!

20 The prayers of David, Jesse’s son, are ended.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 72:5 LXX; MT May they fear you.
Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Proverbs 24:11-12

11 Rescue those being taken off to death;
and from those staggering to the slaughter, don’t hold back.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn’t know about it,”
the one who weighs hearts—doesn’t he understand?
The one who protects your life—he knows.
He makes people pay for their actions.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

09/29/2018 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 57:14-59:21, Philippians 1:1-26, Psalms 71:1-24, Proverbs 24:9-10

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible, this is Paul from Houston and it is the 25th of September and I just wanted to ask for prayer or my marriage. I’ve been married 20 years this past July and separated over a year and half. And I’m still standing, believing that God can work miracles in the situation as He’s working in my life to remove an addiction but also to allow me to work with different men from separated families and places that He’s taken me. And I thank Him for that but just praying that God will restore my family and give me time with my children and that my wife’s heart would change in some ways. And I know it’s a tall order at times but, you know, I believe that God is faithful and just and He…He sees our hearts and He knows our plans that He has for us. And I now He uses us in situations, even in a tough place, to help us to grow to seek Him, to find Him, and to learn more about who He is in the middle of the toughest places of our lives. And I just want to pray for other marriages out there, that God would become the center of your marriage, that He would be the source of all your contentment, and the source of your provision, and the source of your love and your family. So, anyways, I just thank you all for praying for me and my family and my marriage. I have three wonderful kids and I’m just asking God for time with them. And thank you, thank you very much. Paul from Houston. Love you guys. Have a great…hope you’re having a great September. Bye.

Hi dear brothers and sisters. I just wanted to say that this isn’t just for one of our sisters for most of us. I‘m calling regarding the mother whose heart is broken for her son who has chosen to go back out on the street again for drugs that has claimed his desire. And, you know, unless he has totally rebuked the Lord, the Lord has not left him sister. He is walking the streets with Him and the Angels of the Lord are surrounding him. And that is our prayer, is that they continue to be there, they hold him, protect him, and are there for him through each moment he says please, each moment he says help, each moment he says…you know…no. And, you know, yes he may immediately turn around and say give me more, or find at the shelter about, once he finds this shelter he changes his mind yet again. But every time that it helps build up that stitching the relationship between the Lord he, because he is still connected, he will still find a way to talk to the Lord even if it’s only in his heart. And that’s what we are praying for, that that prodigal will eventually come home and that he is always with the Lord no matter what happens. In Jesus’ name we pray for you and he. Amen.

Hi family, it’s Shannon from Texas and I just recorded a message and then deleted it because I’m not really sure what to say and how to pray about this. I’ve called in about it before, about my son Jadrian and his rap lyrics. It goes much deeper than that because, obviously, if he’s rapping about murder and talking about murdering of mothers and children and so much more than that. He’s constantly is spewing this hatred and I don’t even like speaking on it because I’ve tried so hard and I do see him the best I can. Lord help me. Ask for the Spirit because I know that the outcome is good. But it is wearing me down and I am tired of feeling guilty for the fact that it has worn me down. And I’ve been doing this for about eight years. And his energy has been so…it overtakes everything. And I have to go and fake it…and fake it with jobs. And after a couple years get fired and try to tell people in social work. And it’s like…I have to put a smile my face and let them know that I was going home to getting cursed out 24 hours a day. And then my mom was buying him cars and then he was wrecking them and every time the phone rang I jumped and thought that it was the police calling. And I’m just…I need prayer. I tried so hard to be positive. I just need prayer. And I need…I have the faith. I do have the faith but I just…I need prayer for people that will believe with me, that this…this is not over that there is still hope…

Hi there Daily Audio Bible family. My name is Catherine. I’ve been a longtime listener, probably about five years and yet I’ve never actually called in. I’ve gotten close. I’ve thought about what I want to call in for but I always remember those people that have phoned and said that you’re praying for those of us who haven’t been brave enough to phone in. And I’ve taken such comfort from that. Really guys, you’ve gotten me through so much and am so grateful and I pray with you. Brian I want to thank you. You speak of being an introvert and yet you have been able to touch millions of people’s lives to a degree that I don’t always think you understand. Well, I hope you do because you’re doing such a great job and I’m truly grateful. But actually the reason for my call today is a matter that’s close to my heart, and that is to pray for children with ADHD or anything that makes them feel like they’re not normal. I have a daughter, she has mild ADHD and it’s just really tough to see her struggle. And it takes a toll on her confidence. And the more people I talk to with children and similar boats, you know, God doesn’t make mistakes and this is what I tell my kid and I tell the friends of mine who have children struggling and anybody for that matter. God doesn’t make mistakes, He knows you, He planned you, He planned these little kids of ours. And they’re awesome. And we don’t know why, but I’ve told my daughter, I know somewhere in her life we’re gonna have that ahha moment where we go, this is why God made you the way you are. So, anybody with a child with ADHD, I’m praying for them, I’m praying for you and just anybody who feels like they don’t quite belong. You are loved and God made you exactly the way you’re meant to be. Bye family.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 29, 2018 (NIV)

Isaiah 57:14-59:21

God Forgives the Repentant

14 God says, “Rebuild the road!
Clear away the rocks and stones
so my people can return from captivity.”
15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
16 For I will not fight against you forever;
I will not always be angry.
If I were, all people would pass away—
all the souls I have made.
17 I was angry,
so I punished these greedy people.
I withdrew from them,
but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
18 I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them anyway!
I will lead them.
I will comfort those who mourn,
19 bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
says the Lord, who heals them.
20 “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
which is never still
but continually churns up mud and dirt.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.

True and False Worship

58 “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel[a] of their sins!
Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
pretending they want to be near me.
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond.
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
you keep oppressing your workers.
What good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
will never get you anywhere with me.
You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.

13 “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
14 Then the Lord will be your delight.
I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Warnings against Sin

59 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
Because of your sins, he has turned away
and will not listen anymore.
Your hands are the hands of murderers,
and your fingers are filthy with sin.
Your lips are full of lies,
and your mouth spews corruption.

No one cares about being fair and honest.
The people’s lawsuits are based on lies.
They conceive evil deeds
and then give birth to sin.
They hatch deadly snakes
and weave spiders’ webs.
Whoever eats their eggs will die;
whoever cracks them will hatch a viper.
Their webs can’t be made into clothing,
and nothing they do is productive.
All their activity is filled with sin,
and violence is their trademark.
Their feet run to do evil,
and they rush to commit murder.
They think only about sinning.
Misery and destruction always follow them.
They don’t know where to find peace
or what it means to be just and good.
They have mapped out crooked roads,
and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.

So there is no justice among us,
and we know nothing about right living.
We look for light but find only darkness.
We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
10 We grope like the blind along a wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
Even at brightest noontime,
we stumble as though it were dark.
Among the living,
we are like the dead.
11 We growl like hungry bears;
we moan like mournful doves.
We look for justice, but it never comes.
We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
12 For our sins are piled up before God
and testify against us.
Yes, we know what sinners we are.
13 We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord.
We have turned our backs on our God.
We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
carefully planning our deceitful lies.
14 Our courts oppose the righteous,
and justice is nowhere to be found.
Truth stumbles in the streets,
and honesty has been outlawed.
15 Yes, truth is gone,
and anyone who renounces evil is attacked.

The Lord looked and was displeased
to find there was no justice.
16 He was amazed to see that no one intervened
to help the oppressed.
So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm,
and his justice sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his body armor
and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.
He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance
and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.
18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds.
His fury will fall on his foes.
He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth.
19 In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord;
in the east, they will glorify him.
For he will come like a raging flood tide
driven by the breath of the Lord.[b]

20 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem
to buy back those in Israel
who have turned from their sins,”[c]
says the Lord.

21 “And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!

Footnotes:

  1. 58:1 Hebrew Jacob. See note on 14:1.
  2. 59:19 Or When the enemy comes like a raging flood tide, / the Spirit of the Lord will drive him back.
  3. 59:20 Hebrew The Redeemer will come to Zion / to buy back those in Jacob / who have turned from their sins. Greek version reads The one who rescues will come on behalf of Zion, / and he will turn Jacob away from ungodliness. Compare Rom 11:26.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Philippians 1:1-26

Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.

I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders[a] and deacons.

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

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ[b]—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Paul’s Joy That Christ Is Preached

12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters,[c] that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard,[d] knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers[e] here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message[f] without fear.

15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Paul’s Life for Christ

20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Or overseers, or bishops.
  2. 1:11 Greek with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
  3. 1:12 Greek brothers.
  4. 1:13 Greek including all the Praetorium.
  5. 1:14a Greek brothers in the Lord.
  6. 1:14b Some manuscripts read speak the message.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 71

Psalm 71

O Lord, I have come to you for protection;
don’t let me be disgraced.
Save me and rescue me,
for you do what is right.
Turn your ear to listen to me,
and set me free.
Be my rock of safety
where I can always hide.
Give the order to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked,
from the clutches of cruel oppressors.
O Lord, you alone are my hope.
I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.
Yes, you have been with me from birth;
from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.
No wonder I am always praising you!

My life is an example to many,
because you have been my strength and protection.
That is why I can never stop praising you;
I declare your glory all day long.
And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside.
Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing.
10 For my enemies are whispering against me.
They are plotting together to kill me.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him.
Let’s go and get him,
for no one will help him now.”

12 O God, don’t stay away.
My God, please hurry to help me.
13 Bring disgrace and destruction on my accusers.
Humiliate and shame those who want to harm me.
14 But I will keep on hoping for your help;
I will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell everyone about your righteousness.
All day long I will proclaim your saving power,
though I am not skilled with words.[a]
16 I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord.
I will tell everyone that you alone are just.

17 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,
and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.
18 Now that I am old and gray,
do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.
You have done such wonderful things.
Who can compare with you, O God?
20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
21 You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.

22 Then I will praise you with music on the harp,
because you are faithful to your promises, O my God.
I will sing praises to you with a lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 I will shout for joy and sing your praises,
for you have ransomed me.
24 I will tell about your righteous deeds
all day long,
for everyone who tried to hurt me
has been shamed and humiliated.

Footnotes:

  1. 71:15 Or though I cannot count it.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 24:9-10

The schemes of a fool are sinful;
everyone detests a mocker.

10 If you fail under pressure,
your strength is too small.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


09/28/2018 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 54:1-57:13, Ephesians 6:1-24, Psalms 70:1-5, Proverbs 24:8

Today is the 28th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we put one foot in front of the other and take the next step forward on our adventure through the Scriptures this year. In the Old Testament we’re working through the book of Isaiah, which is one of the one of the longest books in the Bible. It has 66 chapters. And today we will read chapters 54, 55, 56 and into 57. So, we are making progress but it’s a long book and we’re working our way through. So let’s get to it. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Isaiah 54:1 through 57:13.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we concluded Paul’s letter to the Ephesians today and if we just look back over the last few days in Ephesians, we should be able to notice that we climbed some of them as beautiful mountain vistas of our faith and in we’re able to look out and see just how vast and how beautiful and unspeakable and almost too good is the work that God has done for us and what it means to our lives. So, in light of the treasures of the gospel found in Ephesians, Paul chose to close with what has become some of the most known and quoted portions of the entire New Testament, right? Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. That is a super famous passage of Scripture. But have you ever taken the time to consider…I mean…like…we will quote these Scriptures, but have we ever like sat down and thought about what they’re saying? Because if Paul’s words are true, then our reality is far more vast than we almost ever pay attention to, which would explain a lot. For example, if we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, then why are these the battles we choose to fight? Right? If the issue that manifests itself and the unfolding of our daily lives are influenced by spiritual realms, is it any wonder that we’re confused when we ignore or diminish this reality? But paying attention to it doesn’t mean figuring out what principality made you have a bad morning and is making you late for work today. Paying attention and navigating from a spiritual place is the act of staying present and being present to the Holy Spirit, right? The spiritual realms. We usually, when we’re thinking of the spiritual realms we’re thinking about the demonic, right? The dark. The evil. But which realm is it that the Holy Spirit operates in our lives from? We’re just usually not paying attention. And all of this was a lead in for Paul. He didn’t just close the letter by just saying, you know, you need to pay more attention to the fact that there’s a spiritual context for our physically human lives, right? He gave one last treasure, a little peek at the resources that God has given us to navigate all of this, right? Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. And then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared. And in addition all these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. And put on salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. And stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all the believers everywhere. So, Paul is saying there are resources that are powerful, unspeakably powerful, and available for you to navigate in a reality that is beyond just your physical five senses and your body. Instead, you can participate as you were intended to participate also in the spiritual realm. So, according to Paul, we need to get dressed, right? Like, none of us are gonna walk around naked today, right? Even if we don’t walk out the front door, even if we’re just staying home today, we’re probably not gonna walk around our house all day naked. So, why do we so often walk around naked, spiritually and then blame God when we get blindsided? We have to put on the belt of truth which holds everything together and holds everything up, right? That’s what a belt does. And if we don’t walk in truth today, right, within ourselves and with everyone else then the very element that holds everything else in place is going to be missing. And we have to put on the body armor, the breastplate of righteousness. According Paul’s metaphor, God’s righteousness is the one thing that will protect our hearts. And this is available as we already know. Paul told us to put on our new nature created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. We just read this like yesterday or the day before. Right, so if we’re not gonna wear righteousness we’re not going to have something that is going to protect our hearts, right? So, this starts making sense when you realize, oh man, I walk around naked all of the time. I’m exposing what is most vital to the onslaught and attack of other people’s words or actions. I leave myself exposed. And our shoes are to be the peace that comes from the good news. So, whatever we walk into, our awareness goodness of God and the way that He rescued our lives. This prepares us. Wherever we go, so goes the good news. And as a shield, we have faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. And as we’ve learned, faith is the activator of everything. This is like crucial, fundamental to Paul’s message. And if our faith is rooted in the reality of the gospel then nothing can penetrate it. We can only be vulnerable if we lower our shield through doubt. And our helmet is salvation. It protects our minds, our awareness that we are righteous before God. And our participation in experiencing friendship and intimacy with Him as a beloved child continually renews our identity. So, according to Paul, suiting up like this will protect us, but it’s not just about a defensive posture, we’re also given an offensive weapon in the form of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, which goes much deeper than just like assuming, I read my Bible today, right? I listened to the Daily Audio Bible today. And when I do, I’m swinging my sword at the devil. Consider the implications. When God speaks and things get created out of nothing. From our reading in Isaiah today. God said of His word it will accomplish all I wanted to and it will prosper everywhere I send it. So, how can we understate or underestimate that kind of power. And this is what we are supposed to carry at the ready. And then lastly, we’re to participate by praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. And as we’ve said, many times, this is like too good to be true because what we’re saying is that an ongoing discussion with God is possible, right? One that will instruct us and inform our decisions. That we can have a continual communion and interaction with the Holy Spirit? This is like the best news ever. So, If we like take Ephesians in its entire scope, and then consider all that we’ve been given in order to navigate our lives, we have to agree that we are equipped, like, we are equipped. We may not suit up. We may not go into the day prepared, but we are equipped for this life. God has fully given us everything we need to operate as His sons and daughters in this world. So, like if you…if you ever read the Gospels and wonder, like, how did…how did Jesus navigate as a human being in a fallen world, this is how he did it. These are the gifts that have been bestowed upon us because we’re supposed to be becoming like him, right? We’re supposed to be becoming Christlike. So, we have all of these resources. So, at some point we have to ask ourselves what we’re waiting for. Are we really, really this codependent on the chaos? Do we really need all of this drama? Ae we always cowering in a hole somewhere waiting for the other shoe to drop? That’s just not the description of the life of faith that we find in the book of Ephesians. We are told that we are equipped for things that are so great that they are almost impossible to comprehend. Sons and daughters of the most high God bearing the nature of the Almighty God, fully equipped to navigate in this world if will simply be aware.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come. Come into that. It’s very, very encouraging. Like, talking about stuff like this is so deeply encouraging but we lived long enough to know that when we leave this little space that were in right now and get back to the nitty-gritty of the day, it will be stolen from us before we even realize it if we’re not paying attention. You have given us permission to be Your sons and daughters in this world as ambassadors and that’s what we want to be today. And, so, we suit up and ask you, Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth 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. So, be sure to check in and check it out.

Check out the Prayer Wall. Pray for your brothers and sisters there and stay connected.

If you want partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link on the homepage. And I thank you humbly and truly profoundly. We wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing if we didn’t do it together. And that’s just a fact. So, thank you for your partnership. So, there’s a link on the homepage, at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 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.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 28, 2018 (NIV)

Isaiah 54:1-57:13

Future Glory for Jerusalem

54 “Sing, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem,
you who have never been in labor.
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband,”
says the Lord.
“Enlarge your house; build an addition.
Spread out your home, and spare no expense!
For you will soon be bursting at the seams.
Your descendants will occupy other nations
and resettle the ruined cities.

“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
You will no longer remember the shame of your youth
and the sorrows of widowhood.
For your Creator will be your husband;
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
the God of all the earth.
For the Lord has called you back from your grief—
as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband,”
says your God.
“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will take you back.
In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while.
But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“Just as I swore in the time of Noah
that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
so now I swear
that I will never again be angry and punish you.
10 For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

11 “O storm-battered city,
troubled and desolate!
I will rebuild you with precious jewels
and make your foundations from lapis lazuli.
12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies,
your gates of shining gems,
and your walls of precious stones.
13 I will teach all your children,
and they will enjoy great peace.
14 You will be secure under a government that is just and fair.
Your enemies will stay far away.
You will live in peace,
and terror will not come near.
15 If any nation comes to fight you,
it is not because I sent them.
Whoever attacks you will go down in defeat.

16 “I have created the blacksmith
who fans the coals beneath the forge
and makes the weapons of destruction.
And I have created the armies that destroy.
17 But in that coming day
no weapon turned against you will succeed.
You will silence every voice
raised up to accuse you.
These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord;
their vindication will come from me.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation

55 “Is anyone thirsty?
Come and drink—
even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.

“Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
I made him a leader among the nations.
You also will command nations you do not know,
and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey,
because I, the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”

Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
12 You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

Blessings for All Nations

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Be just and fair to all.
Do what is right and good,
for I am coming soon to rescue you
and to display my righteousness among you.
Blessed are all those
who are careful to do this.
Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
and keep themselves from doing wrong.

“Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,
‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’
And don’t let the eunuchs say,
‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
For this is what the Lord says:
I will bless those eunuchs
who keep my Sabbath days holy
and who choose to do what pleases me
and commit their lives to me.
I will give them—within the walls of my house—
a memorial and a name
far greater than sons and daughters could give.
For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
It will never disappear!

“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord,
who serve him and love his name,
who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest,
and who hold fast to my covenant.
I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem
and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,
because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
For the Sovereign Lord,
who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says:
I will bring others, too,
besides my people Israel.”

Sinful Leaders Condemned

Come, wild animals of the field!
Come, wild animals of the forest!
Come and devour my people!
10 For the leaders of my people—
the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—
are blind and ignorant.
They are like silent watchdogs
that give no warning when danger comes.
They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied.
They are ignorant shepherds,
all following their own path
and intent on personal gain.
12 “Come,” they say, “let’s get some wine and have a party.
Let’s all get drunk.
Then tomorrow we’ll do it again
and have an even bigger party!”

57 Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.

Idolatrous Worship Condemned

“But you—come here, you witches’ children,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
Whom do you mock,
making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars!
You worship your idols with great passion
beneath the oaks and under every green tree.
You sacrifice your children down in the valleys,
among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.
Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.
You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
They, not I, are your inheritance.
Do you think all this makes me happy?
You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
There you have worshiped idols
and have been unfaithful to me.
You have put pagan symbols
on your doorposts and behind your doors.
You have left me
and climbed into bed with these detestable gods.
You have committed yourselves to them.
You love to look at their naked bodies.
You have gone to Molech[a]
with olive oil and many perfumes,
sending your agents far and wide,
even to the world of the dead.[b]
10 You grew weary in your search,
but you never gave up.
Desire gave you renewed strength,
and you did not grow weary.

11 “Are you afraid of these idols?
Do they terrify you?
Is that why you have lied to me
and forgotten me and my words?
Is it because of my long silence
that you no longer fear me?
12 Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
None of them will help you.
13 Let’s see if your idols can save you
when you cry to them for help.
Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!
If you just breathe on them, they fall over!
But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land
and possess my holy mountain.”

Footnotes:

  1. 57:9a Or to the king.
  2. 57:9b Hebrew to Sheol.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,[a] for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”[b]

Fathers,[c] do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

The Whole Armor of God

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[e] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[f] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[g]

19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.[h] 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Final Greetings

21 To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,[i] and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Footnotes:

  1. 6:1 Or Children, obey your parents who belong to the Lord; some manuscripts read simply Children, obey your parents.
  2. 6:2-3 Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
  3. 6:4 Or Parents.
  4. 6:12 Some manuscripts read you.
  5. 6:15 Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God.
  6. 6:16 Greek the evil one.
  7. 6:18 Greek all of God’s holy people.
  8. 6:19 Greek explain the mystery of the Good News; some manuscripts read simply explain the mystery.
  9. 6:23 Greek brothers.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 70

Psalm 70

For the choir director: A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

Please, God, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
May those who try to kill me
be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
be turned back in disgrace.
Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”
But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “God is great!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
please hurry to my aid, O God.
You are my helper and my savior;
O Lord, do not delay.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 24:8

A person who plans evil
will get a reputation as a troublemaker.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


09/27/2018 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Ephesians 5:1-33, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7

Today is the 27th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today and, of course, every day. And we come together around this global campfire every day for, well, probably for more than one reason, but for one primary reason, that is to take the next step forward as we move our way through the Bible this year. So, we have a ways to go in the book of Isaiah. So, we’ll go back out to Isaiah for our Old Testament reading and working our way through Ephesians in the New Testament. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. Isaiah chapter 51, 52, and 53 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Isaiah we spent almost the entire reading, reading prophetic utterances about Jesus and depictions of Jesus that are well known and certainly often quoted. And we can probably quote some of what we read today, right? He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own, yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. That’s a pretty stark portrait. Sometimes with well-known passages of Scripture we lose their impact out of repetition. This is a pretty stark picture and it spills over into what Paul is talking about in Ephesians today about living in the light. We begin to realize that the grand vista and gift of eternal life and collaboration and relationship with God right now. This didn’t just happen. It was offered to us at a great cost. And, so, the outflow of realizing this should compel us forward into the life God envisions for us.

Paul said it like this, imitate God. Okay. So, let’s just stop there. That’s a big thing to say. Imitate God therefore, in everything you do because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Okay. So, on the one hand the idea that we are God’s dear children and we can imitate the Almighty in everything we do is like mind blowing stuff. On the other hand, this came at a price, the sacrifice of our beloved Jesus. We can joyously partake of all of the awe-inspiring gifts that God has bestowed upon us that is being described in the book of Ephesians because they are ours for the taking, but the outpouring of love that made this possible should…should humble us and give us a view of what unconditional, true love really looks like. And where does the rubber meet the road on most of this? And we keep bringing this up as we move forward. It shows up in our marriages. This is where we would experience it first and most immediately, which is where Paul took the discussion today, right? Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. And then for husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. Okay, so like for years this particular portion of Ephesians has been used in all kinds of ways and some of them have been unhealthy and controlling. So, so husbands consider what we read in Isaiah that began everything that we’re talking about today. That is what Jesus did for you. His desire and love for you compelled Him to sacrifice Himself. You husbands, including me, are to love our wives like that, as Christ loved the church. That is a totally different thing than being manipulative and controlling and power crazy. Instead, what Ephesians reveals is that you as a husband tangibly bring the love of Jesus to your wife. Like that is a big deal. And wives, think about the same portrait we read in as Isaiah. That is what Jesus did for you. And His desire and love for you compelled Him to sacrifice Himself on your behalf. You are to submit to your husband as to the Lord, right? This doesn’t mean you’re to be abused. That’s a different thing. What Ephesians is talking about is, if your husband is loving you as Christ loved the church, then you must respond to that respectfully as you would to Jesus. And it’s not such a stretch to consider submitting and trusting in a love so deep that it’s willing to die for you, which means that we are in a way talking about abuse or control. We are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, which means we are to love each other with the love of Christ as we imitate God. And, you know, the phrase is common enough to be cliché, right? Love one another with the love of Christ. But think about the implications, right? These clichés, they lose their impact. Think about what we’re saying. We are to love each other with the love of Christ that is within us as we imitate the Almighty God who has given us a new nature and dwells within us. We have some significant power. I mean, the reality we’re talking about touches everything about us and if we would pay attention to the implications and actually live into this is a reality, we would eliminate the turmoil, right? And we would find the joy of living in the light that Paul talked about today. If we won’t, then…then we’ll remain in the darkness. So, Paul put it best, live as people of light for this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that by first acknowledging the price that You were willing to pay to offer this to us. We acknowledge this, that it was foretold long ago and that we have the benefit of seeing that prophecy fulfilled and participating in eternal life and collaboration and relationship with You. We acknowledge that. We acknowledge that we’ve been living less than that significantly, and that it manifests or materializes in our lives in profound ways. And somehow we have diminished this and chosen not to live in the fullness of what You’ve offered us. And we see this showing up in our relationships like our marriages. We invite You Holy Spirit. This is not about dominance. This is not about being controlled or being controlling. This is about loving each other the way that You have modeled for us in laying our lives down for each other. And we confess, that’s hard and we don’t always do it well. In fact, we fail more than we succeed. And yet, our marriages, this is the unit that best shows us what intimacy with You looks like. So, we can look at the condition of our marriage and we can look at the condition of our spiritual life and find striking parallels. So, we invite You Holy Spirit into all of this. Come Jesus. Less of us, more of You. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it’s home base, it’s where you find out what’s happening around here. So, be sure to check in and check out.

Pray for your brothers and sisters at the Prayer Wall. Stay connected to the social media channels and check out the Daily Audio Bible shop while you’re at it. See some resources that we have that are available for this journey.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. And I thank you, thank you for your partnership, humbly. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 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 Prayer and Praise:

Hello my DAB family, this is Mark Street from Sydney Australia. Today is Monday, the 24th of September and I’m calling in for a few things today. I just started listening to this week’s community prayer and but God just popped a name into my mind as I was on the bus today, Arjun. I can’t even remember where you’re from but, you know what Arjun, God put you in my mind because He wants to let you know He’s thinking of you Arjun. We haven’t heard from you for a long time. And Arjun, I’m sure you’re gonna get this message because this is what God wants you to hear. So, Arjun, you’re well loved by God because He’s thinking of you. I wanted to pray for Candace from Oregon. I heard how exhausted you were and I’m praying for you too my dear sister as well and also Terry the trucker. I can feel the…the dismay in your voice to __. So, I’m going to pray for these three people. Heavenly Father, we come to You with lots of worries and __ and it’s bringing us down to the point of exhaustion in our life Lord. And I feel this as well Lord. So, I empathize with our dear brothers and sisters here. Lord, sometimes life can get so hard that we don’t feel that there’s a way out and we thank You Lord that You’ve given us this community that we can come to, to unload our burdens to You dear Jesus. And Candace and Terry are coming to You feeling exhausted as well. And Lord we ask You to please God give Candace that rest she needs. __ her birthday as well Father. And give her life __. Bless her son as well as Candace said he has improved, but sometimes, we so want our children to…

Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible family this is Anita out of Ohio. It is September 23rd, Sunday 10:12 PM and I’m calling in regards to my mother. She has stage IV cancer and it’s really looking like it’s at its final stages. And all the way up until this point a few days ago before she came really lethargic and not being able to move, she held onto a lot of resentment and anger up until this point. So, I’m asking that you guys keep her lifted in prayer and that God, you know, softens her heart because she can’t really speak right now. So, it’s not good at all if she holds onto this. And I’m pretty sure this is what helped to feed the cancer as well. So, any of you who are holding onto anger or resentment, just know that a result of this, it affects your body and it’s not for the better. It really, really makes you sick and you start to see it through the symptoms. It plays out in the symptoms that you experience, such as cancer, heart disease, and almost lot of other things __. But anyway, if you could just keep her lifted in prayer. Pray for her heart. And I’m praying that she could be healed. I believe God; however I still trust Him. Whatever He chooses to do with her. And just keep praying. Thank you. Love you all and I am praying with you daily.

This is Michelle from Gettysburg. Good morning daily Bible. I am calling on the 24th of September for a gentleman, I missed his name, calling about his teen. And she’s got a new phone and just parenting teenagers. I would say to you and to all of us, myself included, God has their hearts and we can’t live in fear. How many times do we hear do not fear, do not be afraid? And if we would look those scriptures up we would see that God just doesn’t drop us at do not be afraid. He gives us more. When Peter’s stepping out of the boat He says, be encouraged, be courageous, do not be afraid. So, look up those “do not be afraid” and see what the follow-on part is because God has our heart He has our teenagers. I would also say, in lessons learned, I’ve never been a 51-year-old with an 18-year-old. So, all of that is new to us, right? We lean on God and they see our strength leaning on God. But it’s also a time where they want to talk and they want to have their opinion heard. And we’ve learned that if we do what Jesus did, ask questions that don’t end in the yes or no answers. If we do what Jesus did in looking for just the right words, He asked so many questions because He knew that each one of us has the answer within and He’s drawing it out. And in Proverbs, we’re to draw out those things, mostly in our teenagers I have found. Let them answer so they hear their answer and they don’t block out our words because they don’t hear us. They have to hear it. Draw out of them by asking questions cause God has already put the answer within them. And, of course, always directing them back to Jesus who is our strength. As the will see us lean on Him they too will lean on. So, I would say, parents of teenagers, do not be afraid. Be courageous and brave.

He DAB family this is Jocelyn and Atlanta. I just…I want to call and pray for everyone. And when I say everyone, I…I honestly…I mean everyone on this planet. I just…I know myself and my family we’re experiencing a lot of challenges right now and I know we’re not alone in that. And, so, I just want to lift everyone up in prayer right now. Heavenly Father, we thank You so much that we can come before You and ask for Your encouragement and for Your protection. And Lord, I just pray against any attacks of the enemy that would come against anyone, spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, financially. God I just…I lay this all that Your feet and we bind the attack of the enemy with the blood of Jesus because we know that He paid that price to protect us, to keep us safe, to watch over us, and to give us the opportunity to rely on You and Your strength and not our own strength and that we don’t have to figure this all out, that You’ve got it all figured out. We already know how this ends. You win and the enemy is defeated. And we take comfort and solace and we are inspired in knowing that we do not need to feel overwhelmed and that we are loved by You and that we are called by You to show Your love to others and even in the most challenging and different cult of circumstances. Lord we love You and we ask that You would bring to our attention anything that needs to be dealt with on our part to be able to make us whole and You. And I thank You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Love You DAB family. Have a great day.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 27, 2018 (NIV)

Isaiah 51-53

A Call to Trust the Lord

51 “Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—
all who seek the Lord!
Consider the rock from which you were cut,
the quarry from which you were mined.
Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor,
and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.
Abraham was only one man when I called him.
But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”

The Lord will comfort Israel[a] again
and have pity on her ruins.
Her desert will blossom like Eden,
her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found there.
Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

“Listen to me, my people.
Hear me, Israel,
for my law will be proclaimed,
and my justice will become a light to the nations.
My mercy and justice are coming soon.
My salvation is on the way.
My strong arm will bring justice to the nations.
All distant lands will look to me
and wait in hope for my powerful arm.
Look up to the skies above,
and gaze down on the earth below.
For the skies will disappear like smoke,
and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing.
The people of the earth will die like flies,
but my salvation lasts forever.
My righteous rule will never end!

“Listen to me, you who know right from wrong,
you who cherish my law in your hearts.
Do not be afraid of people’s scorn,
nor fear their insults.
For the moth will devour them as it devours clothing.
The worm will eat at them as it eats wool.
But my righteousness will last forever.
My salvation will continue from generation to generation.”

Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength!
Flex your mighty right arm!
Rouse yourself as in the days of old
when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.[b]
10 Are you not the same today,
the one who dried up the sea,
making a path of escape through the depths
so that your people could cross over?
11 Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
They will enter Jerusalem[c] singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

12 “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.
So why are you afraid of mere humans,
who wither like the grass and disappear?
13 Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator,
the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy
and laid the foundations of the earth.
Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?
Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?
Where is their fury and anger now?
It is gone!
14 Soon all you captives will be released!
Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar.
My name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
16 And I have put my words in your mouth
and hidden you safely in my hand.
I stretched out[d] the sky like a canopy
and laid the foundations of the earth.
I am the one who says to Israel,
‘You are my people!’”

17 Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem!
You have drunk the cup of the Lord’s fury.
You have drunk the cup of terror,
tipping out its last drops.
18 Not one of your children is left alive
to take your hand and guide you.
19 These two calamities have fallen on you:
desolation and destruction, famine and war.
And who is left to sympathize with you?
Who is left to comfort you?[e]
20 For your children have fainted and lie in the streets,
helpless as antelopes caught in a net.
The Lord has poured out his fury;
God has rebuked them.

21 But now listen to this, you afflicted ones
who sit in a drunken stupor,
though not from drinking wine.
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord,
your God and Defender, says:
“See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands.
You will drink no more of my fury.
23 Instead, I will hand that cup to your tormentors,
those who said, ‘We will trample you into the dust
and walk on your backs.’”

Deliverance for Jerusalem

52 Wake up, wake up, O Zion!
Clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem,
for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer.
Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem.
Sit in a place of honor.
Remove the chains of slavery from your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
For this is what the Lord says:
“When I sold you into exile,
I received no payment.
Now I can redeem you
without having to pay for you.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation.[f] My name is blasphemed all day long.[g] But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
the news that the God of Israel[h] reigns!
The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
for before their very eyes
they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.[i]
Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
for the Lord has comforted his people.
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
the victory of our God.

11 Get out! Get out and leave your captivity,
where everything you touch is unclean.
Get out of there and purify yourselves,
you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord.
12 You will not leave in a hurry,
running for your lives.
For the Lord will go ahead of you;
yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.

The Lord’s Suffering Servant

13 See, my servant will prosper;
he will be highly exalted.
14 But many were amazed when they saw him.[j]
His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,
and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.
15 And he will startle[k] many nations.
Kings will stand speechless in his presence.
For they will see what they had not been told;
they will understand what they had not heard about.[l]

53 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[m] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.[n]
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.[o]
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Footnotes:

  1. 51:3 Hebrew Zion; also in 51:16.
  2. 51:9 Hebrew You slew Rahab; you pierced the dragon. Rahab is the name of a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature. The name is used here as a poetic name for Egypt.
  3. 51:11 Hebrew Zion.
  4. 51:16 As in Syriac version (see also 51:13); Hebrew reads planted.
  5. 51:19 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek, Latin, and Syriac versions; Masoretic Text reads How can I comfort you?
  6. 52:5a As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads Those who rule them wail.
  7. 52:5b Greek version reads The Gentiles continually blaspheme my name because of you. Compare Rom 2:24.
  8. 52:7 Hebrew of Zion.
  9. 52:8 Hebrew to Zion.
  10. 52:14 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads you.
  11. 52:15a Or cleanse.
  12. 52:15b Greek version reads Those who have never been told about him will see, / and those who have never heard of him will understand. Compare Rom 15:21.
  13. 53:4 Or Yet it was our sicknesses he carried; / it was our diseases.
  14. 53:8a Greek version reads He was humiliated and received no justice. Compare Acts 8:33.
  15. 53:8b Or As for his contemporaries, / who cared that his life was cut short in midstream? Greek version reads Who can speak of his descendants? / For his life was taken from the earth. Compare Acts 8:33.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Ephesians 5

Living in the Light

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

Living by the Spirit’s Power

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.[b] 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”[c] 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:2 Some manuscripts read loved you.
  2. 5:26 Greek washed by water with the word.
  3. 5:31 Gen 2:24.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 69:19-36

19 You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
You see all that my enemies are doing.
20 Their insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
if only one would turn and comfort me.
21 But instead, they give me poison[a] for food;
they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

22 Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
and their prosperity become a trap.[b]
23 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
and make their bodies shake continually.[c]
24 Pour out your fury on them;
consume them with your burning anger.
25 Let their homes become desolate
and their tents be deserted.
26 To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
27 Pile their sins up high,
and don’t let them go free.
28 Erase their names from the Book of Life;
don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

29 I am suffering and in pain.
Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

30 Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31 For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
33 For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
he does not despise his imprisoned people.

34 Praise him, O heaven and earth,
the seas and all that move in them.
35 For God will save Jerusalem[d]
and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
and settle in their own land.
36 The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
and those who love him will live there in safety.

Footnotes:

  1. 69:21 Or gall.
  2. 69:22 Greek version reads Let their bountiful table set before them become a snare, / a trap that makes them think all is well. / Let their blessings cause them to stumble, / and let them get what they deserve. Compare Rom 11:9.
  3. 69:23 Greek version reads and let their backs be bent forever. Compare Rom 11:10.
  4. 69:35 Hebrew Zion.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 24:7

Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


09/26/2018 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 48:12-50:11, Ephesians 4:17-32, Psalms 69:1-18 , Proverbs 24:5-6

Today is the 26th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s, of course, a pleasure and a joy and an honor to be here with you today as we come around the global campfire, come in out of whatever’s going on. Set that aside. It’ll still be there, we may look at it different after we spend some time in the word. But we have permission to set aside a little time, step into a new space, calm ourselves, allow God’s word to wash over us. And that’s what we’ve come to do and so that’s exactly what we will do. We’re still working our way through the book of Isaiah in our Old Testament reading. Today we’ll read 48:12 - 50:11. And we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in our reading from Ephesians today, Paul discussed what we might look like if we were at our very best and how to move in that direction. So, we should all be paying attention because I have never met a person who… I’ve met lots of people who are taking their lives, who are moving in the wrong direction and spiraling out of control. But I haven’t met any person who said, This is exactly what I want. What I really, really want is to spin down the toilet bowl of my life and go down the drain. We all want to move toward our best, especially in terms of our relationship with God. So, Paul talks about this today. But first he talks about what our best is not. Here’s what he said. Their minds are full of darkness, they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. So, according to Paul, a closed mind and a hard heart is not the way forward. And obviously this will be true. Paul’s entire premise throughout his ministry is that faith is the activator for renewal. And that faith is the only path that will lead us to God. And so true faith is not something that we can do half-heartedly. And it’s not something that we can do with a divided heart. True faith requires that we believe with our whole heart. And a closed mind and a hard heart won’t get us there. This is not who we were created to be. It’s not our best. So, how do we move toward a best, full-grown, mature, whole person? Paul offers specific counsel. He says, Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. And let me pause here for a second. Because we hear the word lust and we immediately go to sexuality almost a hundred percent of the time. But lust is a bigger thing than just a sexual thing. Lust is anything that is controlling you rather than the other way around. And it certainly goes hand in hand with deception. So, Paul says throw off that. Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. And I’m not paraphrasing. I’m reading this. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. Let that simmer in your pot today. Because the implications are astounding. Paul told us to put on a new nature, created to be like God. And if we literally break this down, it would say to put on our new nature or our new self-created after the likeness of God. That would be a literal translation. So, the idea that this is even theoretically possible should blow our minds. Paul’s saying through faith we can put on a new nature and not just any nature. Not like we just change our personality or something. A new nature created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. So, what we’re talking about here is a fully restored humanity created in God’s image. And although we have no power whatsoever to give ourselves a new nature, we can receive one from God through faith. This is what being made new through faith is. And though we can’t make this happen on our own, we certainly have to collaborate. And Paul told us how. He said, Stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we’re all part of the same body. In other words, we’re all in this together. And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you’re still angry. For anger gives a foothold to the devil. So, why would you want to do that? That’s counterproductive. If you’re a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Don’t hurt each other on purpose with your words. Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. So, get rid of the bitterness, the rage, the anger, the harsh words, the slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. If we’ll look back over what’s being said here and we’ll catch ourselves when we fall into these counterproductive behaviors, we then can do exactly what Paul said. Let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes. In other words, we catch ourselves, we stop ourselves, we confess it, give it to God, we ask him to renew us. And we keep repeating that cycle as many times as it takes until we begin to find that we are being transformed and growing up and becoming mature. We can allow the Holy Spirit to trigger or remind us that wherever it is that we’re heading into, this is not who we were created to be. And it’s not where we’re going. It’s not choosing our best. And it’s working against this new nature that is created to be like God, righteous and holy. So, working against that, what we’re doing is trying some kind of strange attempt to resurrect an old and dead nature that’s not part of our story anymore, that is not like God in any way. So, we have to ask ourselves, because Paul has contrasted this very well. Which direction do we want to go in? Do we want to move in the direction that is going to make us fully mature and Christ-like in this world, bearing the nature of God, which is sinless and holy in this world? Or we can go in the other direction. And we should all be pretty well aware of where that road leads.

Prayer:

So, Father, we have to confess it’s overwhelming to think that You have invited us this near, this close, that You are giving us a new nature, re-creating us in Your image, restoring us to who we were made to be as people. And we confess that this is the aim of our life and what our hearts truly long for. And we confess that we’ve settled for far less. Any blinking light that can get our attention. We’ve settled for far less and we’re sorry. You’ve invited us to rise above all of the noise and deception of this world and to see things as they truly are. And yet so often we find ourselves confused and settling for blinking lights. So come Holy Spirit. We wanna grow up. We wanna be mature. We’ve got to obey You. You have showed us the narrow path that leads to life and invited us to walk it. The only thing that’s gonna stop that is ourselves. So come Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth 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 happening around here. So, be sure to check in and check it out.

Pray for your brothers and sisters at the prayer wall. Visit the Daily Audio Bible shop while you’re there. There are resources that are available.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the give button in the upper right-hand corner of the app. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 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 Prayer and Praise:

Hi family, it’s Laura from Fort Myers and I have a prayer request today for a situation in our environment down here. We have what’s called Red Tide, which is a lot of microscopic organisms coming together in the Gulf of Mexico and creating…they cause fish kills and lots of…kill a lot of marine life and also when they break up they cause a respiratory irritation in people as well at the shore. And then we have another thing going on in one of our freshwater canals called blue green algae. And both of these things are killing lots and lots of marine life. And that’s something that…that God has…has…that’s my mission from God, is to help the environment, help His creation, what He has created in this world for us, you know, to enjoy and just the diversity of life around us. So, please pray that we get some relief from this, from both of these situations going on. And if that doesn’t appeal to you, pray because businesses are losing billions of dollars in people not visiting the hotels, resorts, and restaurants near the waterfront too. So…and…just rentals and just all kinds of loss is going on. So, please pray that we get relief from these situations and we can find a solution for this very soon. Thanks and have a great day.

Good morning this is Elizabeth from Louisiana. I’m calling with a request for my husband and, his name is Jason. He is dealing with a lot of anger…a temper. And he has prayed many times to ask God to remove it, many times, you know, the way that Paul of course did…for the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh. My husband struggles with things at work, with things in his life that he feels has not lined up with what God has in mind for him and gets more of what he has in mind for himself. I just…I request your prayers for my husband to let go, to…for the Lord to be able to break down the walls in his heart in order to do a mighty work in him so that he may be the true head of our home, what God intended them to be in a such a way that is completely Christlike. I know that God can do this. I have every faith in Him. I just request that you would please lift them up in prayer. And any Scriptures that someone could send along the way that would be much and most helpful. Thank you Brian for all that you do. I am glued to the Daily Audio Bible and I have loved it for the two solid weeks that I’ve been doing it. Thank you so much for following the Lords design. I appreciate everything that you do. Have a wonderful and blessed day. I love all of you very much.

Hi this is Melody Faith calling from Canada. I am just reaching out to my Daily Audio Bible family today to pray for my son. He is…has chosen to live on the streets because drugs are more important than a warm comfortable home and food in his tummy. His body is showing terrible signs of the effects of the lifestyle he’s living. We’ve had him home for three weeks and he was getting quite healthy and…and the cravings got so strong that he couldn’t resist anymore and he left. And now it’s snowing and he has nowhere to live. We’re just asking you to pray that our prodigal son will come home and that he’ll see treatment and that he’ll ask Jesus back into his life. And we’re so thankful for the Daily Audio Bible for Brian and Jill and all of you who call in regularly and those who don’t but I know are praying anyways. And we want to thank you. We want you to know we are trusting God to come through for him but we believe that prayer is key. Thank you very much and have a great day.

Hi this is Stephen __ calling from Southern California. I was calling because I was up early in the morning and I was listening and I just heard Daniel Johnson Junior call in from Cincinnati Ohio. And I know…I know that struggle brother where, you know, the heart waxes and wanes. And it does that, I think, in a lot of ways in our lives in the way that we eat, in the way that we exercise, in our relationships, in our relationships with the Lord. And I just wanted to share with you some things that have helped me. I think that, first and foremost, I think the text and talk about putting on the full armor of God every day I think are so necessary are to pray over ourselves and our family because we’re under attack. We do need that full armor of God on a daily basis and maybe multiple times a day. The other thing that helps me man is to think about…CS Lewis was writing and he was talking about us humans, we can’t always make ourselves feel a certain way. Like, you can’t always make yourself feel hungry or full. It just depends on when you eat, right? Same thing happens with love, you can’t make yourself feel that feeling all the time with our spouses or with the Lord. But he said something that always stuck with me in his writing. Ask yourself this question, ask yourself if you did love that person or if you did love the Lord. What would you do in that moment? And then when you find the answer to that then you do it. And I think, more importantly than anything else, in these moments when that happens to me, I pray to the Holy Spirit and I tell the Holy Spirit to take my heart and my mind and my action because my feelings aren’t there. And I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me. Because at the end of the day man we don’t want lose those spaces in time during the day when we can’t be a part of the body of Christ and we can affect our family or our friends or ourselves in a way that brings glory to the Lord. So, listen brother, you’re not alone in a struggle like that. Those are just things that I’ve…I’ve learned over the years. This…

09/25/2018 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 45:11-48:11, Ephesians 4:1-16, Psalms 68:19-35, Proverbs 24:3-4

Today is the 25th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here with you and to move forward with you as we take the next step in our adventure through the Scriptures. We’re still working our way through the book of Isaiah. Today, chapter 45 verse 11 through 48 verse 11. And we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week.

Commentary:

Okay. So when you were a kid, did you want to grow up and be something? I’ve got a little fella in my house named Ezekiel. When he grows up, he’s gonna be lots and lots of things ranging from a janitor at school to a superhero. But he’s gonna be something. And we all have these dreams as children and even as we grow up we have dreams about what we will be. And what we will be like. And Paul talked about growing up in our reading from Ephesians today. And he gave us some characteristics, some traits that we have to sow into our lives. They have to become second nature to us. He said, Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Okay, so to live into that, what Paul is proposing, would certainly require a level of maturity that we may not even always possess as adults. Which would show us perhaps we have some growing up to do. And the first place we can look, because we read this passage of Scripture with these characteristics from Paul and say, Yeah, these kind of lists, they show up in Paul’s writings and they’re great reminders of what I’m supposed to live towards. But we don’t really actually make any changes so that our lives will look like this. So let’s just take our marriages for example. Are those relationships supposed to be growing? Should they mature? Should we be growing closer together and more and more on the same page? Then maybe we actually have some growing up to do? And maybe this Ephesians chapter four Scripture that we just read gives us a perfect description of what is going to be required to have a maturing and growing marriage. Let’s do this again. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. So if we apply what Paul is suggesting to our marriages, then we could say, if we would both live into that, we would have a growing and maturing marriage. This can be applied to anything in our lives. We can apply this to our workplace. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. We can apply this to any part of our lives with the idea that if we do, we will be heading toward maturity. We will be growing up. So how do we mature as men and women who are worthy of God’s calling as Paul put it? Well for Paul, becoming spiritually mature’s more than this isolated endeavor that would only happen by chance. It was something that was to happen intentionally. And God gave gifts to help it happen intentionally. These were, according to Paul, the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Their role was then and is now to equip and build the church, which are God’s people. So according to Paul, this is part of the process. And I’m quoting Paul here. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. So the good news is that we can grow up and that we’re expected to grow up. But we’re supposed to grow into the standard of Christ. What does that mean? So if we were to try to break down the word standard and go literal translation on it, it would be a fully mature and respected person. This is what we’re growing into. A standard. Fully mature and respected people of Christ, who bare and live up to his standard. So now that we know this, this is something that we should be thinking about because this is the direction that we are supposed to be heading in. And growing up happens on many levels. Everything in us doesn’t grow up at the same rate and at the same time. We have different stages. But when we think of growing up spiritually, what we’re ultimately seeking is union with God. We want to become more aware of his presence. We want to more fully understand what’s really going on and then why it is we’re in this story called life. As we move further and further in the direction Paul’s suggesting, we understand more and more because we are maturing more and more. And in our reading today, Paul gives us a picture. A picture of what’s happening. He says, then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way, more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. So that’s monumental. That it’s even possible is monumental. According to Paul, this union we seek with God and the awareness of his presence is found in becoming mature and respected people of Christ. People who are growing in every way more and more like Christ. So in other words, people who are becoming Christ-like. Who are becoming like Jesus. So maybe when we were kids, we wanted to grow up and be a doctor or we wanted to grow up and be a race car driver or we wanted to grow up and be a princess. Paul is kind of re-framing that. When we grow up, we’re supposed to be like Jesus. Carry that around with you today as you observe your behaviors and your postures and your words. Because everyday it’s one of maturity or regression. Everyday we’re going to take a step forward and that step can be Christ-like maturity or anything but. This is gonna boil down to whether we’re paying attention and whether we’re willing to control ourselves in the process of maturity.

Prayer:

So Father, we invite You into our own growth. We have to confess that we’ve heard plenty of things, plenty of ways that the Bible shifts our focus and our posture and calls us higher and invites us further. And we just ignore it and stay in the same old ruts of our lives, choosing not to grow up, choosing to stay stuck and then choosing to blame You for it. Forgive us for that, Lord. Our maturity is a collaboration with You. And so we surrender to Your will and Your ways in our lives. We pray along with Isaiah. You, Lord, created the heavens and the earth and You put everything in place. You made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. You are the Lord. There is no other. You have publicly proclaimed bold promises, including what we read in Ephesians today. You do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. You would not have told us to seek You if You could not be found. And You only speak what is true and declare only what is right. And so we humble ourselves and surrender to You, Almighty God, and ask that You show us how to grow up. 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. So, be sure to check in and check it out.

Check out the shop, the resources that are available there. And the prayer wall, of course. And stay connected on social media.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you. Thank you humbly and profoundly for those of you who have kept the global campfire burning over the years. Humble, humble appreciation. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the give button in the upper right-hand corner. Or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring, Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, there are a number of numbers you can use. If you are in the Americas, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you are in the UK or Europe, 44-20-3608-8078 is the number. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world, 61-3-8820-5459 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 Prayer and Praise: 

Good morning this is Stephen from Alabama on my morning walk after my listening time. And it’s September 21st. I may have already said that but I think I’ve got some good news for all of you this morning. I’m not a lawyer but I do know that lawyers love to take cases where there’s precedence and if there’s precedence then they feel pretty good about the case, they feel pretty good about the chances. Well, today we have precedents of two things that I believe the enemy attacked us in quite often and that’s our finances and our health. So, we’ve heard Hezekiah received a letter, a threatening letter, and  maybe you’ve received a letter collation or a frivolous lawsuit against you or you’ve received a letter of a terminal diagnosis like Hezekiah. Also received. But he spread out those papers before the Lord and when her received a terminal diagnosis he went to God the Creator and asked Him for more time. And God has granted both of those requests. So, let us take heart. Let us have faith that those that we’re praying for, those with terminal illnesses and financial hardships, that there is precedence. God has moved before and He can move again. Either way we win. In Jesus’ name. Love you guys. Have a great day.

Good morning fellow DABbers this is Monica from New Jersey. I’m a calling first to say thank you to Brian. As I started out on my walk this morning, it’s Friday, September 21, I was filled with anxiety about the family and things that are going on. And we said, let’s just stop and let God into it. And it was exactly what I needed to hear. I’m asking all of you to pray for my family. My daughters husband has decided he doesn’t want to be married anymore. He’s had an affair with a young woman for a year and half. They have two small children and __ their being forced out of their home and being used as __ in this horrible tug-of-war. I know the prayer works and I know you people pray __ for me when I was physically ill and the Lord cured me and healed me. And I thank you all for your prayers. Thank you. God bless you all.

Hi DAB family my name is Tony. I’m a calling, first and foremost, to give raise to our Lord and Savior. And my prayer request this morning comes as I realize just how helpless I am and how helpless we are. I have a grandson who’s possessed with demons, spiritual demons and we, as a family, are at a loss. Even the other day when we are our weakest and we can be like our strongest simply by calling on God, simply by turning it over to him. That’s the only answer I have, that’s the only answer I know. I’m praying for deliverance for my grandson. He’s got my heart. He has all of our hearts. He’s such a __ young man. I’m asking to you as the DAB family to come together unified in prayer to have my grandson delivered from these spiritual demons, that he be free, that we can use this moment as a testimony for the future for our children and for God to deliver him. I just need prayer. I need all of us to come together and pray. I thank you so much family. I thank you so much for this opportunity. I thank you for this forum, DAB. I’ve been listening for years. This is the first time I’ve ever called. I don’t want this to be the last. I know that there are so many others that are captured by demons in this world. Thank you family. God bless.

My name is Mike from Southern California. This prayer is for my brother and his girlfriend Maggie. And Rafael, brother, I am going through a similar circumstance but nothing as devastating as yours. And I heard that you lost your child and now your marriage is in jeopardy. You touched my heart and I want to ask the entire DAB family, right now, in one accord, pray for restoration of __ . Matthew 18:19-20 says, “Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” I am with you my brother Raphael. Praying for you and the restoration of your marriage __. God bless you. In Jesus’ name we pray.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 26, 2018 (NIV)

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

Freedom from Babylon

12 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
Israel my chosen one!
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.
13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
When I call out the stars,
they all appear in order.”

14 Have any of your idols ever told you this?
Come, all of you, and listen:
The Lord has chosen Cyrus as his ally.
He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon
and to destroy the Babylonian[a] armies.

15 “I have said it: I am calling Cyrus!
I will send him on this errand and will help him succeed.
16 Come closer, and listen to this.
From the beginning I have told you plainly what would happen.”

And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit
have sent me with this message.
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore—
too many to count!
There would have been no need for your destruction,
or for cutting off your family name.”

20 Yet even now, be free from your captivity!
Leave Babylon and the Babylonians.[b]
Sing out this message!
Shout it to the ends of the earth!
The Lord has redeemed his servants,
the people of Israel.[c]
21 They were not thirsty
when he led them through the desert.
He divided the rock,
and water gushed out for them to drink.
22 “But there is no peace for the wicked,”
says the Lord.

The Lord’s Servant Commissioned

49 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.

He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”

I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”

And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

The Lord, the Redeemer
and Holy One of Israel,
says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,
to the one who is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.
Princes will also bow low
because of the Lord, the faithful one,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Promises of Israel’s Restoration

This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.[d]
On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
and on hills that were previously bare.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst.
The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
he will lead them beside cool waters.
11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12 See, my people will return from far away,
from lands to the north and west,
and from as far south as Egypt.[e]

13 Sing for joy, O heavens!
Rejoice, O earth!
Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

14 Yet Jerusalem[f] says, “The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”

15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17 Soon your descendants will come back,
and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18 Look around you and see,
for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.

19 “Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
will be far away.
20 The generations born in exile will return and say,
‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
21 Then you will think to yourself,
‘Who has given me all these descendants?
For most of my children were killed,
and the rest were carried away into exile.
I was left here all alone.
Where did all these people come from?
Who bore these children?
Who raised them for me?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will give a signal to the godless nations.
They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms;
they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Kings and queens will serve you
and care for all your needs.
They will bow to the earth before you
and lick the dust from your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”

24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior?
Who can demand that a tyrant[g] let his captives go?
25 But the Lord says,
“The captives of warriors will be released,
and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved.
For I will fight those who fight you,
and I will save your children.
26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh.
They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood.
All the world will know that I, the Lord,
am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Israel.[h]

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Was your mother sent away because I divorced her?
Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors?
No, you were sold because of your sins.
And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.
Why was no one there when I came?
Why didn’t anyone answer when I called?
Is it because I have no power to rescue?
No, that is not the reason!
For I can speak to the sea and make it dry up!
I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish.
I dress the skies in darkness,
covering them with clothes of mourning.”

The Lord’s Obedient Servant

The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,
and I have listened.
I have not rebelled or turned away.
I offered my back to those who beat me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
I did not hide my face
from mockery and spitting.

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.
He who gives me justice is near.
Who will dare to bring charges against me now?
Where are my accusers?
Let them appear!
See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side!
Who will declare me guilty?
All my enemies will be destroyed
like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!

10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
11 But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.

Footnotes:

  1. 48:14 Or Chaldean.
  2. 48:20a Or the Chaldeans.
  3. 48:20b Hebrew his servant, Jacob. See note on 14:1.
  4. 49:8 Greek version reads I heard you. Compare 2 Cor 6:2.
  5. 49:12 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, which read from the region of Aswan, which is in southern Egypt. Masoretic Text reads from the region of Sinim.
  6. 49:14 Hebrew Zion.
  7. 49:24 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Syriac version, and Latin Vulgate (also see 49:25); Masoretic Text reads a righteous person.
  8. 49:26 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Ephesians 4:17-32

Living as Children of Light

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[a] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[b] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Footnotes:

  1. 4:26 Ps 4:4.
  2. 4:30 Or has put his seal on you.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 68:1-18

Psalm 68

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies.
Let those who hate God run for their lives.
Blow them away like smoke.
Melt them like wax in a fire.
Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
But let the godly rejoice.
Let them be glad in God’s presence.
Let them be filled with joy.
Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.[a]
His name is the Lord
rejoice in his presence!

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude
the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
before you, the God of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
You sent abundant rain, O God,
to refresh the weary land.
10 There your people finally settled,
and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
you provided for your needy people.

11 The Lord gives the word,
and a great army[b] brings the good news.
12 Enemy kings and their armies flee,
while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
13 Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures—
doves with wings of silver
and feathers of gold.
14 The Almighty scattered the enemy kings
like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.

15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic,
with many peaks stretching high into the sky.
16 Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains,
at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live,
where the Lord himself will live forever?

17 Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots,
the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
18 When you ascended to the heights,
you led a crowd of captives.
You received gifts from the people,
even from those who rebelled against you.
Now the Lord God will live among us there.

Footnotes:

  1. 68:4 Or rides through the deserts.
  2. 68:11 Or a host of women.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 24:5-6

The wise are mightier than the strong,[a]
and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
So don’t go to war without wise guidance;
victory depends on having many advisers.

Footnotes:

  1. 24:5 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads A wise man is strength.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.