Month: September 2018

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 6, 2018 (NIV)

Song of Songs 1-4

Introduction

1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

The Woman

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.
3 Your anointing oils are fragrant,
your name is oil poured out;
therefore the virgins love you.
4 Draw me after you, let us run.
The king has brought me into his chambers.

Friends of the Woman

We will exult and rejoice in you;
we will remember your love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.

The Woman

5 I am dark, but still lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not gaze at me, because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
they made me the keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have not kept.
7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,
where you pasture your flock,
where you make it lie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions?

Friends of the Woman

8 If you do not know, O fairest among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds’ tents.

The Man

9 I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
10 Lovely are your cheeks with ornaments,
your neck with chains of gold.

Friends of the Woman

11 We will make you ornaments of gold,
with studs of silver.

The Woman

12 While the king was on his couch,
my nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a bundle of myrrh
that lies all night between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En Gedi.

The Man

15 How fair you are, my love.
How fair you are! Your eyes are doves.

The Woman

16 How fair you are, my beloved!
Yes, pleasant!
Our bed is verdant;
17 the beams of our house are cedar,
and our rafters of fir.
2 I am the rose of Sharon,
the lily of the valleys.

The Man

2 As a lily among thorns,
so is my love among the maidens.

The Woman

3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
In his shadow I sat with great delight,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet house,
and his banner over me was love.
5 Sustain me with raisins,
refresh me with apples;
for I am faint with love.
6 His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me.
7 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.

8 The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look, he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Rise up, my love,
my fair one, and come away.
11 For now the winter has past;
the rain is over and gone.
12 The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth its green figs,
and the vines their blossoms;
and they give forth fragrance.
Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.

14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret places of the cliffs,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.”

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;
he feeds his flock among the lilies.
17 Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the cleft mountains.[a]

3 On my bed by night I sought him
whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
3 The watchmen found me,
as they went about the city.
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them,
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I brought him to my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
5 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.

6 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
7 Look, it is the litter of Solomon!
Around it are sixty mighty men,
of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them holding swords
and expert in war,
each with his sword at his thigh,
because of terrors by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a palanquin
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold,
its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
and see King Solomon with the crown
with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.

The Man

4 How fair you are, my love!
How very fair!
Your eyes are doves behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
streaming down the hills of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them has lost its young.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks are halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
built in rows of stone;
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of mighty men.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.
7 You are altogether fair, my love;
there is no flaw in you.

8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Depart from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have ravished my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How fair is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better than wine is your love,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your lips drip honey, my bride;
honey and milk are under your tongue;
and the fragrance of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a fountain sealed.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
with all choicest fruits,
henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with all trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes,
with all the chief spices—
15 a garden fountain,
a well of living water,
and flowing streams from Lebanon.

The Woman

16 Awake, O north wind,
and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my garden,
that its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden,
and eat its choicest fruits.

Footnotes:

  1. Song of Songs 2:17 Or mountains of Bether.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

16 But thanks be to God, who placed the same sincere care in the heart of Titus for you. 17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation. But being more zealous, he went to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches. 19 And not only that, but he was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which we administer to the glory of the same Lord, and to declare your willing mind, 20 to prevent any man from blaming us in administering this abundant gift, 21 providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men.

22 Furthermore, we have sent with them our brother whom we have frequently proved diligent in many things, but now is much more diligent, due to the great confidence which he has in you. 23 If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you. Or if our brothers are inquired about, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. 24 Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Psalm 50

Psalm 50

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 The Mighty One, God, is the Lord;
He has spoken and summoned the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God has shined.
3 Our God will come, and will not keep silent;
a fire consumes before Him,
and a strong tempest is around Him.
4 He calls to the heavens above,
and to the earth, that He may judge His people:
5 “Gather My faithful ones together to Me,
those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6 The heavens will declare His righteousness,
for God Himself is judge. Selah

7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, even your God.
8 I will not reprove you for your sacrifices
or for your burnt offerings that are continually before Me.
9 I will take no young bull out of your house,
nor male goats out of your folds.
10 For every wild animal of the forest is Mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird of the mountains,
and the creatures that move in the field are Mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?

14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God,
and pay your vows to the Most High,
15 and call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to declare My statutes,
or take My covenant in your mouth?
17 You hate instruction,
and cast My words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you are pleased,
and have a share in those who commit adultery.
19 You let loose your mouth to evil,
and your tongue is bound to deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you accuse your own mother’s son.
21 These things have you done, and I kept silent;
you thought that I was indeed like you;
but I will reprove you
and make a case before your eyes.

22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver:
23 Whoever sacrifices a thank offering
glorifies Me and makes a way;
I will show him the salvation of God.”

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Proverbs 22:22-23

Saying Two

22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
neither oppress the afflicted in the gate;
23 for the Lord will plead their cause,
and spoil the soul of those who spoiled them.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 5, 2018 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 10-12

10 A dead fly causes a stench in mixed anointing oil,
so a little folly is more weighty than wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of a fool to the left.
3 Even when a fool walks on the road,
he lacks sense,
and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of a ruler rises against you,
do not leave your post;
for calmness pacifies great offenses.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun
like an error that goes out from a ruler:
6 Folly is set in many high places,
but the rich sit in a low place.
7 I have seen slaves riding on horses,
and officials walking along the ground like slaves.

8 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9 He who quarries stones is injured by them,
and he who splits wood is in danger from them.

10 If an iron piece is blunt
and there is no one to sharpen it,
then he must prevail with more strength;
but wisdom is a benefit to succeed.

11 If a serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.

12 The words of a wise man’s mouth bring favor,
but the speech of a fool consumes him;
13 the beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be;
who can tell him what will be after him?

15 The labor of the foolish makes him weary,
such that he does not know the way to the city!

16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a lad,
and your princes are feasting in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is from nobility,
and your princes are feasting at the appropriate time—
with self-control and not drunkenness!

18 The roof beams sink in with slothfulness,
and with the idleness of one’s hands the house drips.

19 They make feasts for laughter,
and wine gladdens life;
but money resolves everything.

20 Even in your mind do not curse the king;
and in your bedchamber do not curse the rich;
for a bird in the sky may carry your voice,
and a winged creature may declare the matter.

The Value of Diligence

11 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even eight,
for you do not know what calamity may happen on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty out on the land;
and if a tree falls to the north or south,
in the place that the tree falls, there it will be.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know the way of the wind,
or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child;
likewise you do not know the work of God
who has made everything.

6 In the morning sow your seed,
and in the evening do not let your hand rest;
because you do not know which activity will find success,
this way or that way,
or if the both will be good.

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

7 Light is sweet,
and good for the eyes to see the sun;
8 for if a man lives many years,
may he rejoice in all of them.
But let him also remember
that the days of darkness are many.
Everything that comes is vanity.

9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
and in your early years may your heart do you good;
walk in the path of your heart
and the desire of your eyes;
but know that in all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
10 Take away anger from your heart,
and remove distress from your body,
for youth and the dawn are vanity.

12 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the difficult days come
and the years arrive when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 before the sun, light,
moon, and stars are darkened,
and the clouds leave after the rain;
3 in the day when those watching the house tremble,
and the strong men are bent over;
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows have dimmed eyes;
4 and the doors on the street are shut,
and the sound of grinding is low;
and one rises up at the sound of a bird,
and all the daughters of song are brought low;
5 when they are afraid of heights,
even the terrors along the road;
the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper drags itself along
and desire fails,
because man goes to his eternal home,
and the mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember your Creator before the cord of silver is snapped,
or the bowl of gold smashed,
or the jar by the spring broken
or the wheel at the cistern crushed.
7 The dust returns to the earth where it was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8 It is all vanity, says the Preacher;
all is vanity.

Epilogue

9 And in addition to being wise, the Preacher still taught the people knowledge, and he considered, sought out, and arranged many proverbs. 10 And the Preacher sought to discover words of delight, and to write in uprightness words of truth.

11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the collected sayings are like firmly embedded nails, given by one shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness to the flesh.

13 Now all has been heard.
Let us hear the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every secret thing,
whether good or evil.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Liberal Giving

8 Moreover, brothers, we want you to experience the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, 2 how in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty overflowed toward the riches of their generous giving. 3 For I bear record that according to their means, and beyond their means, they freely gave, 4 begging us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of ministering to the saints. 5 This they did, not as we expected. First, they gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this gracious deed for you. 7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love to us—see that you abound in this grace also.

8 I say this not as a command, but to prove through the authenticity of others, the sincerity also of your love. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty you might be rich.

10 And in this matter I give my advice. It is appropriate for you, who began last year not only to give, but also to willingly give. 11 Now therefore complete the task, so that, as there was a willingness to do so, there may be a performance of it according to your means. 12 For if there is a willing mind first, the gift is accepted according to what a man possesses and not according to what he does not possess.

13 I do not mean that other men have relief, and you be burdened, 14 but for equality, that your abundance now at this time may supply their need, and their abundance may supply your need—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much had no excess. And he who gathered little had no lack.”[a]

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:15 Ex 16:18.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Psalm 49

Psalm 49

For the Music Director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Hear this, all you people;
give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom,
and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a parable;
I will expound my riddle with a harp.

5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
when the iniquity of my stalkers surrounds me?
6 Those who trust in their wealth,
and boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 none of them can by any means redeem the other,
nor give to God a ransom for anyone,
8 for the redemption of their souls is costly;
even so people cease to exist forever,
9 making efforts to live eternally,
and not see the pit.
10 For one sees that wise men die,
together the fool and the brute perish,
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves become their perpetual homes,
and their dwelling places to all generations,
though they call their lands after their own names.

12 But a man does not abide in honor;
mankind is like the beasts that come to ruin.

13 This is their way, it is their folly;
yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
the upright shall rule over them in the morning,
and their form shall waste away in Sheol,
far from their dwelling.
15 But God shall redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
for He shall receive me. Selah
16 Do not fear when one is made rich,
when the glory of his house is increased,
17 for he takes nothing away in death;
his glory does not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he blesses his soul—
and men will praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 that soul will go to the generation of his fathers;
they will never see light.

20 A man in honor, and yet without understanding,
is like the animals that perish.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Proverbs 22:20-21

20 Have I not written to you excellent things
in counsels and knowledge,
21 that I might make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
that you might answer the words of truth
to those who send to you?

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Posted on

09/04/2018 DAB Transcript

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18 , 2 Corinthians 7:8-16 , Psalms 48:1-14 , Proverbs 22:17-19

Today is the 4th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. And it is a pleasure and an honor to spend some time with you today around the global campfire that is our community as we take another step forward in our journey through the Scriptures. And this week we’re reading from the Modern English Version. We’re working our way through the book of Ecclesiastes. Today we’ll read chapters 7, 8 and 9.

Commentary:

Okay. So if I were to say the word sorrow, what does that bring up inside of you? Do you think of sorrow as a positive thing? Or is it something to be avoided? Is it something we embrace or stay away from if we can? Or maybe it’s just something that happens from time to time and we have to endure it. I’ve never in all of my travels and all the people that I’ve met in my life, I’ve never had somebody come up to me and say, I’m just praying for some more sorrow. I just need more sorrow. I just need that deep within me. But I’ve also not met anybody who hasn’t experienced sorrow. And the Apostle Paul certainly experienced many sorrows. Prison, shipwreck, beaten, stoned. He wasn’t unfamiliar with that kind of suffering, but he does make a distinction when it comes to sorrow in 2 Corinthians today. Paul said the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But it’s the sorrow of the world which lacks repentance that results in spiritual death. So have you ever considered that sorrow actually plays a role in our lives? One that God invites us to experience when it’s necessary? According to the apostles Paul, we should experience sorrow when we find ourselves wandering into what we know is wrong. It should be disappointing. It should feel like loss. It should cause distress. But when we walk into sin with our eyes wide open, we should experience the gravity of what we are doing. Because we’re willingly interrupting this process of sanctification that is happening inside of us. We’re literally regressing. We’re literally going back - devolving. And we’re also betraying God, our source of life. And this is not good. And it’s not healthy. And we should feel sorrow over it because Paul said it leads us away from sin and results in salvation. That you may be experiencing sorrow for any number of reasons in your life, and there are plenty of reasons that sorrow comes where we need the comfort of the Holy Spirit and we need to be surrounded by people who love us , there’s no doubt about that. But the next time you experience sorrow, just sit with it for a second. The very twinge of sorrow in our lives sends us running. We’re trying to figure out how to make that go away. But wait. Don’t suppress it. Don’t avoid it. Ask God what it’s about. Because if it’s a godly sorrow it will lead us to repentance and away from what is going to destroy us. And this kind of sorrow is a gift.

Prayer:

So, Father, you definitely work through our emotional lives. You definitely shape what we do in this world through that emotional life. And sorrow is one of those things that we experience for all kinds of reasons. And, Lord, into the sorrow of loss and suffering we ask your Holy Spirit to come and comfort us. And, God, if we’re experiencing regret and sorrow because we have walked away from you, then use this sorrow to lead us back to the truth. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Today is August 31st, 2018. This is Lena from New Jersey. 43 years ago, while praying with one of Christ’s soldiers I gave my heart to Jesus and although my family and others were in the room as he and I prayed and he quoted revelations, that behold I stand at the door and knock, an illuminating life, the Holy Spirit engulfed us in its light. I went home that night, got in bed, leaned over, and threw my stuff up because Christ came in, evil came out. I’ve been a lip-service Christian now that I think back, always loving the Lord, but not truly serving Him. On February 26th I had a mass removed from my brain. It is glioblastoma an aggressive form of brain cancer. But since then God has sent so many angels to me and I am in the closest commune with Him that I’ve ever been with in my life. I used to struggle for prayer and now prayer comes like water, flowing. I trust Him. I have every faith. I am praying for a healing so that I can take whatever time I have to serve the Lord. I also pray that God sends souls to me so that I can convert them and I can bring them to Jesus. I pray that He keeps me humble. And all the glory to God at all times. I thank Brian and Jill with his beautiful ministry because this is my church. And I ask for your prayer for healing in Jesus name.

Hello this is Carla from North Carolina calling in. This is August the 30th and I as listening to the response from Ramona out of Alabama when she spoke to the Daily Audio Bible family about feeling that your prayers are insignificant and that you should call in when so many other people are suffering. And I like that she did that because I was thinking of that this morning because of the things that I’m going through. I feel that it’s not worthy of me to call in for prayer because there’s so many other people suffering. I’m struggling with my mortgage payments and it’s getting worse and worse and I don’t want to lose my home. We are doing everything we can to save it and the mortgage company is not cooperating with us __ to save it and it’s just so stressful. And I know there’s so many other people that are homeless and don’t even have homes. I thought that it just wasn’t fair to call in but because of Ramona I’m calling. And also calling for prayer that God would change the situation around that we’d be able to get our mortgage straight to where we can afford it, where we can keep our home. __ that I really want to be. So, I’m asking that you pray for Carla in North Carolina. Just speak my name. God will hear it. And I know he’ll answer your prayers because he’s answered so many other prayers. I just believe He’ll do it. It’s just that I’m weak right now. And I need this prayer answered so I won’t be so distressed. Thank you so much for your prayers. Thank you Brian for this forum. And I continue to pray for you all. You are all awesome. __. God bless you.

Hi. It’s Kayla from Nashville. I am calling, essentially, for prayer but before I get into that, I had been listening to the Job reading…and just as well as everybody else. It’s definitely been an adventure. It’s definitely been…not necessarily a comfort but…well…yeah a comfort…for…yeah know…well I’ve been going through some dark times too during…some hurtful times…hurtful…very hurtful. But…and also the lady who had called in about suffering from chronic fatigue and asking for prayer with the doctors….the doctors…and I think you might have something else too…for the doctors to just be compassionate and receiving, yeah know, understanding, just thorough even…I know I need thorough doctors to be open…I guess…to all of that. It’s quite a…quite a struggle to have a disease. Tell you what…I get very tired too. So, I am also asking for healing for just exhaustion, bladder issues, stuff like that. And definitely enjoy…I look forward to listening to DAB friends and everybody else I enjoy listening to you all’s prayer…

Hi. I have called several times but until I can get this cross right with God I’m gonna to call myself Desperately Needing Jesus. I have asked so many times on my knees for him to guide me in the right direction. I’m lonely, I want companionship, I keep making the same mistake over and over. I know what it says in the Bible. I don’t know, I’ve heard people talk about pornography so I will just be as open and honest as I can. I just seem to be struggling with sex, looking for the companionship, looking for somebody to listen to me, somebody love me, somebody to hold me. And I know all of that, God says He supplies all my needs. And I’m just asking for prayer and guidance on how I’m supposed to handle this. Have a good day. Running Desperately for Jesus.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday September 4, 2018 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 7-9

The Value of Wisdom

7 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind;
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 Grief is better than laughter,
for with a downcast face the heart considers the good.
4 The heart of those who are wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of those who are foolish in the house of feasting.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke from a wise man
than a man listen to the song of fools.
6 For like the crackling sound of thorns under a pot,
so is the mocking laughter of fools.
And this is also vanity.

7 For oppression brings confusion to the wise man,
and a bribe destroys a man’s heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning of it,
and the patient in spirit than the haughty in spirit.
9 Do not be quick in your spirit to be angry,
for irritation settles in the bosom of fools.

10 Do not say, “Why were the earlier days better than these days?”
For it is not from wisdom that you inquire this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
and an advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For the protection of wisdom
is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is
that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

13 Consider the work of God:

Who is able to make straight
what He has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful,
but in the day of distress consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
For this reason man will not be able to understand
anything that comes after him.

15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity:

There is the righteous man who dies in his righteousness,
and there is the wicked man who extends his life of evil.
16 Do not be excessively righteous,
and do not be extremely wise;
why should you destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overly wicked,
and do not be a fool;
why should you die before your time?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this,
and from the other not withhold your hand;
for he who fears God will come out from them all.

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise man
more than ten rulers who are in the city.

20 For there is not a righteous man on earth
who only does good and refrains from sin.

21 Do not give heed to everything people say,
lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22 Your heart knows
that many times you have spoken a curse against others.

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said,

“I will be wise,”
but it was far from me.
24 That which is, is far off,
and exceedingly deep.
Who can find it out?
25 And I turned my heart to know,
and seek and search out wisdom in how things are
and to experience wicked folly,
even foolishness and madness.

26 I find more bitter than death
the woman whose heart is snares
and nets,
and whose hands are fetters.
He who pleases God escapes her,
but the sinner is taken by her.

27 “See, this is what I found,” says the Preacher,

“adding one thing to another to find the sum,
28 which my soul still seeks
but I do not find:
One man among a thousand I have found,
but a woman among all these I have not found.
29 See, this only have I found:
that God made man upright,
but they have sought out many schemes.”

8 Who is like a wise man?
And who knows the interpretation of a matter?
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,
and the harshness of his face is softened.

The Value of Obedience

2 I say, “Keep the king’s command, because of your oath to God. 3 Do not be hasty to leave his presence. Do not take a stand in an unpleasant matter, for he does whatever pleases him.” 4 For the word of the king is powerful, and who would say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 He who keeps his command will know no evil thing;
and a wise heart will know the appropriate time and just way.
6 For to every matter there is an appropriate time and just way,
though a man’s distress weighs heavily on him.

7 For he does not know what will happen;
for who can declare to him what will occur?
8 There is not a man with mastery over the wind to restrain it,
nor with power over the day of death.
And no one can discharge a battle,
nor can wickedness rescue the one possessing it.

9 All this I saw while applying my heart to every work that is done under the sun, when one man rules over another to the other’s hurt.

God’s Unknowable Ways

10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised[a] in the city where they did works. This is also vanity.

11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed swiftly, the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil. 12 Since one who sins may do evil a hundred times and extend his life, I also have experienced that it will be good for those who fear God when they have reverence before Him. 13 But it will not be well for the wicked, and he will not prolong his days, like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

14 There is a vanity that takes place on the earth that there are righteous men who are treated according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked men who are treated according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun than to eat and drink and be joyful; for this will go with him in his labor all the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

16 When I set my heart to know wisdom and to experience the affairs that are done on earth, though day and night there is no sleep for one’s eyes, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Inasmuch as a man labors to seek, he will not understand. Even if a wise man claims to know, he cannot grasp it.

A Common Fate

9 For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the deeds of the righteous and the wise are in the hand of God. No man knows whether love or hate awaits them; both are before him. 2 The same fate comes to all: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the evil,[b] for the clean and the unclean, for him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good,
so is the sinner;
he who takes an oath
as he who fears an oath.

3 And this is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that the same event happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are filled with evil, and folly is in their hearts while they have life, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 The living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no more reward,
for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 What they loved, hated,
and envied has already perished;
and there is no reward for them from long ago
in everything that is done under the sun.

7 Go and eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a pleasant heart; for God is already pleased with your deeds. 8 At all times may your clothing be white, and let not oil ever lack on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun; because that is your reward in life and in your toil because you have labored under the sun. 10 Whatever your hands find to do, do with your strength; for there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, the place where you are going.

11 Again I saw under the sun that—

the race is not to the swift,
nor the battle to the strong,
nor food to the wise,
nor riches to the intelligent,
nor favor to those with knowledge;
but time and chance happen to them all.

12 For man does not know his time:

Like fish caught in an unfortunate net,
like birds caught in a snare,
so the sons of men are ensnared at a tragic, yet appointed time,
when it suddenly falls on them.

The Excellence of Wisdom

13 I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 There was a small city with a few men in it; and a great king came and surrounded it, and he built up great siege works against it. 15 But a poor, wise man was found there, and he himself in his wisdom delivered the city, but no one remembered that poor man. 16 Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength; yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.”

17 The words of the wise heard in quietness are better
than the shouting of a ruler among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but only one sinner can destroy much that is good.

Footnotes:

  1. Ecclesiastes 8:10 Or the Heb. forgotten.
  2. Ecclesiastes 9:2 Evil from Gk. is missing in some Heb. mss.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

2 Corinthians 7:8-16

8 Though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I perceive that this same letter has caused you sorrow, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorrowful in a godly way, that you might not suffer loss in any way through us. 10 Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, which you sorrowed in a godly way: What carefulness it produced in you, what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what intense desire, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In all things you have proven yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So though I wrote to you, I did it not because of him who had done the wrong, nor because of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might be evident to you. 13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort.

Yes, and we were exceedingly the more joyful for the sake of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. 14 So I am not ashamed if I have boasted of anything to him regarding you. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even our boasting in the presence of Titus is found to be true. 15 Now his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Psalm 48

Psalm 48

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.

2 Beautiful in elevation,
the joy of the whole earth,
is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her citadels
as a refuge.

4 For the kings were assembled,
they passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they were astounded;
they were alarmed, they hurried away.
6 Trembling seized them there,
and pain like a woman in labor;
7 You break the ships of Tarshish
with an east wind.

8 As we have heard,
so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of Hosts,
in the city of our God;
God will establish it forever. Selah

9 We have thought of Your lovingkindness, O God,
in the midst of Your temple.
10 According to Your name, O God,
so is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 May Mount Zion rejoice,
may the daughters of Judah be glad,
because of Your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her;
count her towers;
13 mark well her bulwarks;
consider her citadels;
that you may tell it to the generation following.

14 For this God is our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even to death.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Proverbs 22:17-19

Thirty Sayings of the Wise

Saying One

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge;
18 for it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
they will readily be fitted in your lips.
19 That your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made known to you this day, even to you.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

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09/03/2018 DAB Transcript

Ecclesiastes 4:1-9:18 , 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7 , Psalms 47:1-9 , Proverbs 22:16

Today is the 3rd day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you as it is every single day. And we had a fantastic time at the Daily Audio Bible Family Reunion which has taken place the last couple of days here in the rolling hills of Tennessee. So, I wish all of you family that came to the Family Reunion safe travels back to your homes and I pray that your heart is as full as ours. Was so good to see your faces. But let’s go ahead and turn our focus and attention on to what it is we have come here to do, which is to take the next step forward in the Scriptures this year. And this week we’ve been reading from the Modern English Version. And we’ll pick up in the book of Ecclesiastes where we left off yesterday. Chapter 4:1 - 6: 12 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, in the book of Ecclesiastes today, we continue to consider Solomon’s observations on the futility of life on earth basically. So, it seems. I mean, he seems to be willing to say out loud the things that we feel at times inside, but we wouldn’t say them out loud because it wouldn’t seem grateful and it wouldn’t feel like it meshes with our favorite verses of prosperity and victory. So, is there any reason for this to be in the Bible? Is this depressing monologue getting us somewhere? Actually it is. And we understand that these are the words coming from the pen, or whatever he wrote it with, of a person who had achieved everything, right? Success, pleasure, power beyond the wildest of our dreams. And we understand that, we begin to understand that what we’re being given here is cautionary wisdom. Because we pursue things and pursue things and pursue things and Solomon had achieved everything. And he’s looking back and saying essentially, you have to enjoy what you have when you have it while you are here. Spending your life in pursuit of one specific outcome, even if you get there, it will not be enough. So, let’s just survey the wisdom that we were given today. Solomon said, I saw that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. This is meaningless. It’s chasing the wind. Or Solomon said, as you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth closed. It’s evil to make mindless offerings to God. Or he says, too much activity gives you restless dreams, too many words make you a fool. Or he says, it’s better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. He also says, we all reach the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take riches with us. So,, to enjoy your work and accept your lot in life, this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they have no time to brute over the past. He also says, enjoy what you have rather desiring what you don’t. Dreaming about nice things is meaningless. It’s chasing the wind. So, Solomon is telling us one of the things about our human lives that we most learn is to be here now because you won’t be here when you’re not. Don’t wait until it’s too late to be here and enjoy here because right now is a gift. And if we’re never here because all were doing is pursuing something out there, some kind of achievement or ladder that we are trying to climb, then we’re never really here at all. We’re always somewhere else. Somewhere else out in front of ourselves, hoping to achieve the next thing when right here is the gift.

Prayer:

And so, Father we invite your Holy Spirit into that because it affects us on a number of levels, in a number of ways. It’s disruptive, as it was intended to be. We invite your Holy Spirit to come, now, into this moment that we might walk with you moment by moment, presently, in what is actually happening, understanding that the fact that we get to take the next breath is a gift. And when we’re never here because we’re always chasing something else out front of us or we’re always regretting something behind us, than were never really here. Being here is the gift. So, come Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.

Song:

Just Showed Up For My Own Life - Sara Groves

Spending my time sleep walking

Moving my mouth but not saying a thing

Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in

I was in love with an idea

Preoccupied with how a life should appear

Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer

There are so many ways to hide

There are so many ways not to feel

There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life

And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

I’m going to live my life inspired

Look for the holy in the common place

Open the windows and feel all that’s honest and real until I’m truly amazed

I’m going to feel all my emotions

I’m going to look you in the eyes

I’m going to listen and hear until it’s finally clear and it changes our lives

There are so many ways to hide

There are so many ways not to feel

There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life

And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

Oh the glory of God is man fully alive

Oh the glory of God is man fully alive

There are so many ways to hide

There are so many ways not to feel

There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life

And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 3, 2018 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 4-6

Evil Under the Sun

4 Again I saw all types of oppression that are done under the sun:

Look! The tears of the oppressed,
and no one was there to comfort them.
And there was force from the hand of the oppressors,
and no one was there to comfort them.
2 And I thought that fortunate were the dead
who had already died,
even more than the living
who were still alive.
3 And still better than both
is he who has not been,
who has not seen the evil deeds
that are done under the sun.

4 Then I saw that all toil and every skillful work come from one man’s envy of another. This also is vanity and like chasing the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands
and eats his own flesh.
6 Better is a full hand of quietness
than handfuls of toil and chasing the wind.

7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun:

8 There is a man who is alone,
neither having son or brother,
and there is not an end to all his toil,
and his eyes are not satisfied with riches to say,
“For whom do I labor
and cause my life to lack good things?”
Also this is vanity
and a burdensome task.

9 Two are better than one,
because there is a good reward for their labor together.
10 For if they fall,
then one will help up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls
and has no one to help him up.
11 Also if two lie down together, then they will keep warm;
but how can one keep warm by himself?
12 And if someone might overpower another by himself,
two together can withstand him.
A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The Vanity of Status

13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will no longer be admonished. 14 For out of prison he has come to reign, even though he was born poor in the kingdom. 15 Then I saw all those who live and walk under the sun, along with the next youth who will arise in the king’s place. 16 There is no end of all the people, to all who were before them. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and chasing the wind.

Revere God

5 Guard your steps when you enter the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.[a]

2 Do not be quick to speak with your mouth,
nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word
before God.
For God is in heaven,
and you are on the earth;
therefore may your words be few.
3 For a dream comes when there is a great burden,
and a foolish voice when there are many words.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it because He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you have vowed. 5 Better it is that you do not make a vow than you make a vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was an error. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For when there is an abundance of dreams and futilities, then words increase too. Therefore it is God you should fear.

The Vanity of Loving Money

8 If you see in a district the oppression of the poor and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness, do not be astounded at the matter; for the high official is watched over by an even higher official, and there are even higher officials over them. 9 But this is an advantage to the land in every way, like a king committed to a cultivated field.

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money;
nor he who loves abundance with increase.
This also is vanity.

11 When there is an increase of good things,
then there is an increase of those who devour them.
And what profit have the owners
except to see them with their eyes?

12 Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man,
whether he eats a little or much;
but the abundance of the rich
will not let him sleep.

13 There is a grave misery that I have seen under the sun:

when riches were kept by an owner to his hurt,
14 and those riches were lost in a misfortunate business deal;
and although he has a son,
there is nothing at all to put in his hand.
15 As he came from his mother’s womb,
naked shall he return, to go as he came;
he shall take nothing from his labor
which he may carry away in his hands.

16 This also is a grievous evil:

Just as he came,
so shall he go.
And what profit is there to him who toils for the wind?
17 Moreover, in all his days he eats in darkness,
while he is greatly irritated in sickness and anger.

18 This is what I have seen to be good: It is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life, which God has given to him; for this is his reward. 19 And also everyone to whom God has given wealth and possessions, and given him power to enjoy them, and to receive his reward and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

6 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor so that there is no want in his life from among anything that he desires; yet God does not give him ability to eat from them because another man eats and enjoys from his possessions. This is vanity and a tormenting injustice.

3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he— 4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered up. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Though the man may live a thousand years, twice over, yet he does not see the good things. Does not everyone go to the same place?

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth,
yet his appetite is not satisfied.
8 For what benefit is there for the wise
over the fool?
And what more does the poor man know
who walks before others?
9 Better to be content with the sight of eyes
than to have a wandering appetite.
This is vanity
and like chasing the wind.

10 Whatever happens, it has already been given a name,
and it is known what man is;
he cannot contend with Him who is stronger than he.
11 The more words,
the more vanity,
so what profit is there to mankind?

12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life which pass like a shadow? For who can tell men what will be after them under the sun?

Footnotes:

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:1 4:17 in the Heb. text.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7

The Temple of the Living God

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness? 15 What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what part has he who believes with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live in them
and walk in them.
I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.”[a]

17 Therefore,

“Come out from among them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
and I will receive you.”[b]

18 “I will be a Father to you,
and you shall be My sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”[c]

7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance

2 Accept us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, and we have defrauded no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, so that we would die or live with you. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you; great is my boasting of you. I am filled with comfort, and I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

5 For when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, and we were troubled on every side. On the outside were conflicts; on the inside were fears. 6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us through the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, when he told us about your sincere desire, your mourning, and your zeal toward me, so that I rejoiced even more.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:16 Lev 26:12; Jer 32:38; Eze 37:27.
  2. 2 Corinthians 6:17 Isa 52:11; Eze 20:34, 41.
  3. 2 Corinthians 6:18 2Sa 7:14.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Psalm 47

Psalm 47

For the Music Director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all you people!
Shout to God with a joyful voice.

2 For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Selah

5 God went up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with understanding.

8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of peoples are gathered together,
even the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Proverbs 22:16

16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to want.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

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09/02/2018 DAB Transcript

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22 , 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 , Psalms 46:1-11 , Proverbs 22:15

Today is the 2nd day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today as we step through the threshold of a brand-new, sparkly, shiny week. We had a great time here in the rolling hills of Tennessee last night, beginning our first ever family reunion. And everybody should be off doing something fun. And we’ll come back together again tonight but we’ll talk about that a little bit. We not only have a brand-new week we’re also beginning a brand-new book. So, when we finished the book of Esther a bit ago we moved into Job and I said we’re kind of moving into some more deeper territory for the next little bit. And we did. We moved through Job, which brings us to the book of Ecclesiastes.

Introduction to the Ecclesiastes:

Both Job and Ecclesiastes, as well as Proverbs and song of Solomon and some of the Psalms are part of a grouping of books that we call the wisdom literature. So, Ecclesiastes falls into this grouping and Solomon has traditionally been named as the author of Ecclesiastes. So, Solomon largely wrote the wisdom of Proverbs and the wisdom that we’ll find in Ecclesiastes, but they are very different. And there’s been debate among scholars about whether Solomon was the author. Some scholars have concluded it was written much later, but the book likely originated with Solomon and was translated and updated, just like translations of the Bible are modernized even today. Solomon as we know, was known to be the wisest man in the world. He was the most powerful and wealthy man of his time and that gave him the ability to do whatever he wanted. I mean, he could pursue whatever his heart desired. Like, no matter what he dreamed up, nothing was off-limits to him. His father had been the great King David, a highly revered and respected man. And, so, Solomon is his successor and he comes into enormous resources. He also had a thousand of the most beautiful women in all of the world as wives and concubines. He was royalty. He had mighty power. And God had given him wisdom. And, so, basically we look at Solomon and say, that probably is as close of a picture as you can get to a person who has it all. So, that said, for a man who has it all, Ecclesiastes can seem completely out of character. Like, we might expect a memoir of greatness, of great feats of accomplishment, when Ecclesiastes at face value can read like a depressing and hopeless rant. But we look below the surface and we do it’s actually a stark and deeply penetrating look into the human heart, which is the deep territory that we began to wander into in Job. So, we all have some sorts of dreams and goals in our lives but very few of us ever get to do whatever we want whenever we want, right? We’re always able to say, if I only had that then life will be better. If I could just do this or get this done or accomplish this then life would be better. There’s always something new to chase. But what if we did get it all, right? And you can think, if I got it all I would have no shortage of things to figure out to do, believe me, but Ecclesiastes actually exposes the reality of that idea. Solomon had pursued and achieved everything he ever set his hand to do but later in his life he had been seduced into idolatry by his beautiful harem of women. Ecclesiastes contains the musings of an older man looking back over all that he had done and finding it all meaningless without God. So we moved through the book of Job and now we enter the book of Ecclesiastes to move even deeper into our motives and our aspirations and our hopes. And, so, we begin. We’ll red from the Modern English Version this week. Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 1 through 3 verse 22.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this brand-new week. We thank You for this brand-new month. This reminds us that we are on a journey to all things being new. And Father, we understand that part of that journey is to go into the depths of our own souls, our own motivations, our own aspirations, what it is we are trying to get out of life. And You have given us the book of Ecclesiastes as a book of wisdom. It begins to peel back the layers and show us, no matter what we pursue, and no matter what we accomplish and will always be lacking when it is done out of our own ingenuity and strength. So, we invite Your Holy Spirit. We want to enjoy life with You. So come comforter, Holy Spirit. Lead us into all truth we ask in the name of Jesus’. Amen.

Announcements:

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

And what’s going on around here right now is the Daily Audio Bible family reunion. We had a wonderful time last night and we’re gonna have a wonderful time this evening together. It’s is a beautiful thing to see people come from all points and come into community and feel as if we belong, feel as if his we’ve known each other for a very, very long time. I mean, I love see that the relationships that go deeper, reunions from all kinds of different events over the years, people coming back together, and people coming for the first time. And all we all belong. So, it’s a great experience to say the least, and it’s a joy to behold, and it’s a joy to participate in. So, thank you for your continued prayers.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. And we’re so incredibly grateful for those of you who have clicked that link. 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 is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family. My name is Don. I called about a month or two ago asking for prayer for my marriage and my family. My wife and I have been in ministry as pastors for over 15 years and we just went through a hard time this last four or five years. And we’ve been in…God’s been just working some great things through all of your prayers and there is healing that’s happening and I’m very thankful. And today’s message where Brian was talking about that I’m hard-pressed…it just touched me and I just wanted to share that. Thank you for all that have been praying for my marriage. My wife and I have gone through a miscarriage and then some really hard times in ministry and I just wanted to say thank you for those that have been praying. And God is doing a work. He’s doing great and marvelous things and God is even blessing our congregation as well. So, thank you again. God bless and have a good day.

Hello Daily Audio Bible. This is Jeff from __ northern Virginia calling in today.. I would like ask that you would all pray with me. So, let’s pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Heavenly Father, we come to You with heavy hearts for our church Lord. I ask that You would help raise up the Catholic Church, help to renew, restore, refresh the body of Christ, the church. Please help us to…to overcome our grief with priests who have forsaken their vows and have abused. Lord, help…please help all of us who are suffering because of ours distress with the Catholic Church and its leadership. Family, Daily Audio Bible family, I would ask that you would help by praying. Please pray for our priests, our clergy, our bishops, our pope. And I would just thank you very much for all of this. This is Jeff. Praying for you all as well. Goodbye.

Hi this is Victoria Soldier just calling to pray. I wanted to pray for the family reunion this weekend, that the Lord blesses it and that it would be a great and wonderful time. I also want to pay for Shannon in Texas on her choice in the marriage whether it’s forward or back. Lord, I would just ask You to Have Your Way in Shannon’s decision. Lord it’s so good that she wants to…that she’s dependent on You and…and asking You to guide her. Lord, we just ask You to touch in that marriage Lord. We ask You to touch in that decision and everything be in Your perfect time. And Lord You bless and anoint her Lord in the mighty name of Jesus. Lord, You have Your way. In the name of Jesus You bless that family reunion Lord. You bring us together as a family Lord in the name of Jesus. I want to also talk to her Robert Clark and pray for him and his ministry that God directs him. Also wanted to say hi to Ned and pray for Terry the truck driver, that he continues to go forward in his healing and that God continues to bless him. And I went up pay for Sally from Canada. Gracious Father, we just lift You up and we praise Your name. We just thank You Lord for Your people. We just ask You to touch Robert Clark Lord and I thank God for the way You use him and I know You have a plan for his life. It’s for our future and our hope. Oh Lord, help him to be what You would have him to be. Guide him Lord and have him do Your will in the name of Jesus. Continue to bless Nettie with her…with her vivacious…her sparkly attitude…very sparkly…I love her spirit. Lord continue to bless her. Continue to touch Terry the truck driver Lord. Continue to heal him and thank You Lord for protecting him. Oh Lord in the name of Jesus continue to have Your way in his life. Lord, touch Sally in Canada, continue…

Good morning Daily Audio Bible. It is a Friday and everybody is getting’ ready to go and everybody’s getting’ ready to get on a plane, get on a train, get in a car, and I am also, too. Today, I am leaving. It’s Laura Lee in Boynton Beach, a 12 year listener. And I have met the Hardin family, God bless you all, many times and I’m really looking forward to seeing every one of my family members that I have heard their voices for 12 years and never met them. Annette I’m going to see you again. Viola from Maryland, I think Jay’s gonna be there. I don’t know. I’m just so excited. And I want to thank the lady today called in and said that some of our prayers seem insignificant. Well, I’ve had a knee injury for a couple of months now, have been out of work, and it hurts and I’m going through processes to find out what it is but I’m coming up limpin’ and leanin‘ on Jesus. And I’d like to pray an extra blessing…and…for the people taking care of our pets and our kids. And a special blessing over Betty Lawrence, Betty Henry Lawrence in Brentwood who put me up for the night. And I’ve never met her. She’s in her 80s but that’s how the body of Christ roles. We know each other and this just gives us a foreshadowing of what is going to be like we see each other in heaven. We’re just going to all go be there and we’re all gonna exhalt the Lord and praise Him and worship Him and eat and drink and just enjoy each other. Thank you heavenly Father for all you’ve done, all you’re going to do, and all the family of…

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 2, 2018 (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 1-3

All Is Vanity

1 These are the words of the Preacher, the son of David and king in Jerusalem.

2 “Vanity[a] of vanities,”
says the Preacher;
“vanity of vanities,
all is vanity.”

3 What benefit is there to a man in all his labors
that he toils under the sun?
4 A generation comes, and a generation goes,
but the earth continually remains.
5 The sun comes up, and the sun goes down,
and hurries to the place where it rises.
6 It moves to the south,
and then moves around to the north;
the wind continually travels around,
and it keeps turning on its circuit.
7 All the streams flow into the sea,
and the sea is never filled up.
And to the place where the streams flow,
there they continually return to flow.
8 All matters are wearisome;
a man is not able to speak to them.
The eye is not satisfied with what it sees,
and the ear is not content with what it hears.
9 What has been is the same as what will be,
and what has been done is the same as what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a matter where it is said,
“See, this is truly new”?
Long ago in the past
every matter has already been in our midst.
11 There is not a memory for the former things,
and moreover, there will not be
a memory for the things coming after,
even those things that are yet to come.

The Burden of Wisdom

12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I set my heart to seek and to investigate with wisdom everything that is done under heaven. It is a burdensome task that God has given to the sons of men, by which they may be occupied. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and indeed, all is vanity and like chasing the wind.

15 What is bent cannot be straightened,
and what is missing cannot be counted.

16 I spoke in my heart, saying, “I have been great and increased in wisdom more than anyone else who has been before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know the folly of ideas and to know foolish behavior, and I know that this as well is like chasing the wind.

18 For in an abundance of wisdom is an abundance of frustration,
and he who increases in knowledge also increases in sorrow.

The Vanity of Pleasure

2 And I said in my heart, “Come, and I will test you with selfish pleasures to experience desires.” And notice that this too is vanity. 2 And I said of frivolous fun, “They are only senseless ideas”; and regarding selfish pleasure, “What purpose is this?” 3 I investigated how to cheer up my body with wine, while my heart was still guiding me with wisdom, in order to grasp folly until I might experience what is good for sons of men to do under heaven during the number of days that they might have life.

4 I accomplished great works. I built houses for myself, and planted myself vineyards. 5 I made for myself royal gardens and parks, and I planted in them all sorts of fruit trees. 6 I made for myself pools of water to irrigate the forests of growing trees. 7 I even bought male and female slaves; even some were born to me in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks more than any who had been in Jerusalem before me. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and treasures of kings and provinces. I obtained singers, both men and women, and the delights of the sons of men, and many concubines. 9 So I became great and surpassed anyone who had been in Jerusalem before me. All the while my wisdom remained with me.

10 And everything that my eyes wanted I did not refuse them.
And I did not withhold my heart from any selfish pleasure,
for my heart was glad from all my efforts;
and this was my reward for all my efforts.
11 Then I turned to all the work that my hands had designed
and all the labor that I had toiled to make;
and notice, all of it was vanity and chasing the wind.
And there was no benefit under the sun.

The Fate of the Wise and the Fool

12 So I turned to consider wisdom,
the folly of ideas, and foolish behavior;
for what else can a man do who comes after the king?
Or what more than those have already done?
13 Then I saw that there is more benefit in wisdom than in foolishness,
more benefit in light than in darkness.
14 A wise man has eyes in his head so he sees where he walks,
but the fool continues in darkness.
Yet I perceived
that the same fate overtakes them all.

15 Then I said in my heart,

“What happens to the fool will happen to me also.
So to what advantage is my wisdom?”
Then I said to myself,
“This also is vanity.”
16 For there is no lasting memory for the wise or the fool,
by which in the coming days everyone will be forgotten.
How the wise dies just like the fool!

17 And I began to hate life for the labor that was done under the sun was contemptible to me, for all of this was vanity and chasing the wind. 18 And I despised all the toil in which I labored under the sun, which I will give up to the man who comes after me. 19 And who knows if this man will be wise or a fool? Yet he will gain power over every labor that I have toiled and my use of wisdom under the sun. Also this is vanity. 20 So I turned to give my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun. 21 For there is a man who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet to a man who did not labor for this, he leaves it as his inheritance. This also is vanity and a great distress. 22 For what becomes of a man with all his labor and with the striving in his heart that he toils under the sun? 23 For all his days are sorrowful, and his work is a vexation; even at night his heart finds no rest. Also this is fleeting.

24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in his labor. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. 25 For who can even eat or have enjoyment more so than I?[b] 26 For to a man who is pleasing before Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting to give him who is pleasing before God. Also this is vanity and chasing the wind.

A Time for Everything

3 To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to gain, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What benefit does the worker have in his toil? 10 I have seen the task that God has given to sons of men to be concerned with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its appropriate time. He has also put obscurity in their hearts[c] so that no one comes to know the work that God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I experienced that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and do good in their life. 13 And also that everyone should eat and drink and experience good in all their labor. This is a gift of God. 14 I have perceived that everything that God has done will be lasting. And to this there is nothing to be added, and from it there is nothing to be taken away. And God has done this so that in His presence men fear Him.

15 That which is has already been,
and what is to come has also already been;
and God seeks out what has been driven away.

The Vanity of Injustice

16 Moreover I saw what was under the sun:

In the place of justice, there was wickedness;
and in the place of righteousness, there was wickedness.

17 I thought in my heart:

God will bring judgment
to the righteous and the wicked,
for there is an appropriate time
for every matter and deed.

18 Then I thought in my heart: Regarding the account of sons of men, God is making clear to them to show that they are but animals. 19 For what befalls the sons of men befalls animals; as one dies, so dies the other. There is one breath for all of them; there is no advantage for man any more than animals, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place: All are from the dust and all return to dust. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of animals goes down to the earth?

22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his labor, for that is his reward. For who will bring him to see what will happen after his life?

Footnotes:

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:2 Heb. suggests something futile, temporal, or obscure.
  2. Ecclesiastes 2:25 Some Heb. and Gk. texts, apart from Him.
  3. Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or timelessness, or perpetuity.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

6 As workers together with God, we ask you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and in the day of salvation I have helped you.”[a]

Look, now is the accepted time; look, now is the day of salvation.

3 We give no offense in anything, that our service may not be blamed. 4 But in all things we commend ourselves as servants of God: in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distress, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, and in hunger; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and look, we live; as punished, but not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; and as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

11 O Corinthians, we have spoken frankly to you; our heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to my children) you also be open.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:2 Isa 49:8.
Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Psalm 46

Psalm 46

For the Music Director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a well-proven help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she will not be moved;
God will help her in the early dawn.
6 The nations roared; the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice; the earth melted.

7 The Lord of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who makes desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts off the spear;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The Lord of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

Proverbs 22:15

15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child,
but the rod of correction will drive it far from him.

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

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09/01/2018 DAB Transcript

Job 40:1-42:17 , 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 , Psalms 45:1-17 , Proverbs 22:14

Today is the 1st day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you as we step across the threshold and into a brand new month. And the journey continues forward Yeah, and this evening the Daily Audio Bible Family Reunion begins, so we’re excited about that. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. But that’s later and this is now. And we have come to take the next step forward in the Scriptures. And today we will conclude the book of Job. We’re  reading from the God’s Word translation this week, which is what  we’ll do. Job 40, 41 and 42 today.

Prayer:

Father, as we enter into a new month and conclude the book of Job, we are reminded once again of Your power, Your sovereignty, Your justice, Your goodness that is far beyond anything we can comprehend. We confess we have found ourselves like Job asking all kinds of questions. Hidden within those questions are all kinds of accusation. So we take the counsel found in Job and we shut up. We put our hands over our mouths and confess that we’ve said things that we don’t know anything about. We put our trust in You and You alone. You are holy and righteous and You have brought us to Yourself through our savior Jesus as sons and daughters. You are our Father and You are a good father. And, yes, certainly we may encounter situations in our lives that don’t make sense to us. We may find situations in our lives where we have to endure long, but You are our Father and we love You and we trust You and we know that this story is going somewhere. And we will walk this life with You and spend eternity in Your presence. And so we repent, we apologize for the things we’ve accused You of that You had nothing to do with. For the things that we’ve accused You of that we didn’t know what we were talking about. We love You. We humble ourselves before You. We invite Your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey family. It’s Mike from New York. I’m going to be quick about this because it’s a lot. I’ve been praying for the past month and half whether to stay in New York City and attempt to grow with my church and business out here or to move to Hawaii and to jump into medical missions with __ and attempt again to do it full time as a life’s calling. Just yesterday, I had a meeting with the pastor at a new church plant we’re doing and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be for leadership or something else. Sadly, it was something else. I ended up getting kicked out of my dinner party, which is like a small group and I just feel really rejected. The reason I feel it’s quite unjust and I feel it’s sin on other persons parts, not to actually confront me, but you know what it happened and I am attempting to submit to authority even though I fully disagree with it. But I feel rejected and I’m depressed and angry and I generally don’t know how to handle that. I know biblically were supposed to go to the person and then bring it up the chain of command. But yeah, yeah, it’s kind of like most people don’t want to do that and they run from it and they’re afraid of conflict. So, I’m not sure if this is a sign from God to leave, if it’s kind of like, you know, hey, you know, it’s not working here, bounce or if it’s an attack from the devil to make me want to leave. Yeah, pray for me just for this and what to do and how to do it and not to let emotion get me down, how to not with depression rule over me. Because when I feel rejection from other believers man, which I do a lot, I really want that love. It hurts me, it crushes my spirit. So, please pray for me. All right man. Love you guys. And I will hear you what I hear you. Love ya.

Hello DAB. This is Joy from Florida, __ from Florida. I’m so confused I don’t even know my name anymore. Things are good. I am trying to…still trying…still trying to piece my life together…still trying to understand and accept that my husband is gone. I have planned for being at the family reunion. My problem is that I have to go right to the town that he’s at with his new significant other. He’s not been mean to me. I’ve…he just left __ about being me…I don’t know. I do realize that he was a help to me, that the time…the time that we spent together, the seven years that we spent together…he helped me. I went through cancer. I went to a heart attack. I went through my mother being disabled for a while and he was always there. He stood by me. And now I’ve thrown all that away and it’s back to the drinking and the depression and the loneliness and feeling sorry for myself. And I know, I know it’s the same old story, same old story. I’m trying so hard. But anyway…guys…I know my time is almost up. I love you. I’ll see you this weekend. Pray for me.

Hi all. This is the Mystic Man from Cincinnati. I call today to request prayer for a family that my wife and her sister were very close with when they were in high school going through youth group. A guy that they went to youth group with, his wife had left him and his two kids a few weeks ago and we just find out last night that he had committed suicide. So, just prayers for his family and his kids. That’s just so rough, unbelievable. But, just, on top of that, I feel like there’s been so much attack from Satan especially in this country through suicide. I don’t know what the deal is. Maybe it’s a fluke but it just seems like there’s so many stories, people…more mental health disorders and trouble and anxiety and depression and I just…we just feel like Satan is really attacking us through suicide. So, Margo, thank you for starting your prayers for mental health. It’s wonderful. So, I’m just going to see quick prayer here before my times up. Father, You are a holy and we love You. We need Your protection in this country Father. There are so many people hurting father, feel like there alone, that they have nothing left, no purpose, no hope. Father, we know that there is hope in You and Your son Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for us. So, thank You so much. We love You in Jesus’ name. Amen. Be blessed you all.

My beautiful family. This is pastor Gene in Bradenton Florida. And I must confess that I struggle with pride and jealousy sometimes. When I’m close to Jesus those things take a second __ , sometimes the very very back row but when I am not, and sometimes even when I am __ issues, they rear their ugly head. But I’m a __ of Jesus and not of my sin. So, I declare it, I confess it and I declare that I have __ and more beautiful things to focus on. So, the things that I do not have or I those things that I’ve been deprived of from…I’m sorry. So, I let it go and I surrender life, my ambitions, my desires to our beautiful Savior. Please join me in prayer. Father, I thank you so much for our sister __ from Oklahoma praying for her who’s having constructive surgery. We pray that your healing hand will be upon her dad and that our sister will be encouraged in her trust in you. Father, we pray for our sister Hopeful. What a blessing that you allow her to have only a benign tumor. She wants to be pregnant and she says the chances are very, very small but you are the God of the impossible. So, father I pray in the glory of Your name that you will touch this sisters will and every __ will be able to rejoice with her in that victory. Father, I thank you for __ from Florida. I thank you so much for my brother for his encouragement. I pray for his own situation and I thank you for his powerful intercessions towards me and this community. Father we thank you for our sister Joy for her and her husband, the church planters who are going through a terrible trial. __ lift them up in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 1, 2018 (NIV)

Job 40-42

The Lord Speaks

The Lord responded to Job,

2 “Will the person who finds fault with the Almighty correct him?
Will the person who argues with God answer him?”

Job Speaks

3 Job answered the Lord,

4 “I’m so insignificant. How can I answer you?
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I can’t answer—
twice, but not again.”

The Lord Speaks: Can You Be Like Me, Job?

6 Then the Lord responded to Job out of a storm,

7 “Brace yourself like a man!
I will ask you, and you will teach me.

8 “Would you undo my justice?
Would you condemn me so that you can be righteous?
9 Do you have power like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Then dress yourself in majesty and dignity.
Clothe yourself in splendor and glory.
11 Unleash your outbursts of anger.
Look at all who are arrogant, and put them down.
12 Look at all who are arrogant, and humble them.
Crush wicked people wherever they are.
13 Hide them completely in the dust,
and cover their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then even I will praise you
because your right hand can save you.

Can You Conquer Behemoth, Job?

15 “Look at Behemoth,[a] which I made along with you.
It eats grass as cattle do.
16 Look at the strength in its back muscles,
the power in its stomach muscles.
17 It makes its tail stiff like a cedar.
The ligaments of its thighs are intertwined.
18 Its bones are bronze tubes.
They are like iron bars.
19 Behemoth is the first of God’s conquests.
Its maker approaches it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it food,
and all the wild animals play there.
21 It lies down under the lotus plants
in a hiding place among reeds and swamps.
22 Lotus plants provide it with cover.
Poplars by the stream surround it.
23 Though the river flows powerfully against it, it’s not alarmed.
It’s confident even when the Jordan rushes against its mouth.
24 Can anyone blind its eyes[b]
or pierce its nose with snares?

The Lord Continues: Can You Conquer Leviathan, Job?

41 [c] “Can you pull Leviathan[d] out of the water with a fishhook
or tie its tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a ring through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it plead with you for mercy
or speak tenderly to you?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
so that you can take it as your permanent slave?
5 Can you play with it like a bird
or keep it on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders bargain over it
and divide it among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 Lay your hand on it.
Think of the struggle!
Don’t do it again!
9 Certainly, any hope of defeating it is a false hope.
Doesn’t the sight of it overwhelm you?
10 No one is brave enough to provoke Leviathan.
Then who can stand in front of me?[e]
11 Who can confront me that I should repay him?
Everything under heaven belongs to me!

12 “I will not be silent about Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength, or its graceful form.
13 Who can skin its hide?
Who can approach it with a harness?
14 Who can open its closed mouth?
Its teeth are surrounded by terror.
15 Its back has rows of scales that are tightly sealed.
16 One is so close to the other
that there is no space between them.
17 Each is joined to the other.
They are locked together and inseparable.
18 When Leviathan sneezes, it gives out a flash of light.
Its eyes are like the first rays of the dawn.
19 Flames shoot from its mouth.
Sparks of fire fly from it.
20 Smoke comes from its nostrils
like a boiling pot heated over brushwood.
21 Its breath sets coals on fire,
and a flame pours from its mouth.
22 Strength resides in its neck,
and power dances in front of it.
23 The folds of its flesh stick to each other.
They are solid and cannot be moved.
24 Its chest is solid like a rock,
solid like a millstone.

25 “The mighty are afraid when Leviathan rises.
Broken down, they draw back.
26 A sword may strike it but not pierce it.
Neither will a spear, lance, or dart.
27 It considers iron to be like straw
and bronze to be like rotten wood.
28 An arrow won’t make it run away.
Stones from a sling turn to dust against it.
29 It considers clubs to be like stubble,
and it laughs at a rattling javelin.
30 Its underside is like sharp pieces of broken pottery.
It stretches out like a threshing[f] sledge on the mud.
31 It makes the deep sea boil like a pot.
It stirs up the ocean like a boiling kettle.
32 It leaves a shining path behind it
so that the sea appears to have silvery hair.
33 Nothing on land can compare to it.
It was made fearless.
34 It looks down on all high things.
It is king of everyone who is arrogant.”

Job Speaks: I Admit That I Was Wrong

Then Job answered the Lord,

2 “I know that you can do everything
and that your plans are unstoppable.

3 “You said, ‘Who is this that belittles my advice
without having any knowledge about it?’
Yes, I have stated things I didn’t understand,
things too mysterious for me to know.

4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak.
I will ask you, and you will teach me.’
5 I had heard about you with my own ears,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 That is why I take back what I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry.”

Job’s Life Is Restored

7 After the Lord had said those things to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz from Teman, “I’m very angry with you and your two friends because you didn’t speak what is right about me as my servant Job has done. 8 So take seven young bulls and seven rams. Go to my servant Job, and make a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you. Then I will accept his prayer not to treat you as godless fools. After all, you didn’t speak what is right about me as my servant Job has done.”

9 Then Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah, and Zophar of Naama went and did what the Lord had told them to do. And the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10 After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored Job’s prosperity and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers and sisters and everyone who had previously known him came to him. They ate with him at his house, sympathized with him, and comforted him for all the evil the Lord had brought to him. Each one gave him some money[g] and a gold ring.

12 The Lord blessed the latter years of Job’s life more than the earlier years. He had 14,000 sheep and goats, 6,000 camels, 2,000 oxen, and 1,000 donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first daughter Jemimah, the second Cassia, and the third Keren Happuch. 15 Nowhere in the whole country could be found women who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters. Their father gave them and their brothers an inheritance.

16 Job lived 140 years after this. He saw his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. [h] 17 Then at a very old age, Job died.

Footnotes:

  1. Job 40:15 The Hebrew word Behemoth means “beast, animal.”
  2. Job 40:24 Or “catch it with a trap.”
  3. Job 41:1 Job 41:1–34 in English Bibles is Job 40:25–41:26 in the Hebrew Bible.
  4. Job 41:1 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
  5. Job 41:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts “it.”
  6. Job 41:30 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.
  7. Job 42:11 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
  8. Job 42:17 Or “grandchildren, four generations.”
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Christ’s Love Guides Us

11 As people who know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. God already knows what we are, and I hope that you also know what we are. 12 We are not trying to show you our qualifications again, but we are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us. Then you can answer those who are proud of their appearance rather than their character. 13 So if we were crazy, it was for God. If we are sane, it is for you. 14 Clearly, Christ’s love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. 15 He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them.

16 So from now on we don’t think of anyone from a human point of view. If we did think of Christ from a human point of view, we don’t anymore. 17 Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence. 18 God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. 19 In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. 20 Therefore, we are Christ’s representatives, and through us God is calling you. We beg you on behalf of Christ to become reunited with God. 21 God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Psalm 45

Psalm 45

For the choir director; according to shoshannim;[a] a maskil by Korah’s descendants; a love song.

1 My heart is overflowing with good news.
I will direct my song to the king.
My tongue is a pen for a skillful writer.

2 You are the most handsome of Adam’s descendants.
Grace is poured on your lips.
That is why God has blessed you forever.
3 O warrior, strap your sword to your side
with your splendor and majesty.
4 Ride on victoriously in your majesty
for the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness.
Let your right hand teach you awe-inspiring things.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies.
Nations fall beneath you.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter in your kingdom is a scepter for justice.
7 You have loved what is right and hated what is wrong.
That is why God, your God, has anointed you,
rather than your companions, with the oil of joy.
8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From ivory palaces the music of stringed instruments delights you.
9 The daughters of kings are among your noble ladies.
The queen takes her place at your right hand
and wears gold from Ophir.

10 Listen, daughter! Look closely!
Turn your ear toward me.
Forget your people, and forget your father’s house.
11 The king longs for your beauty.
He is your Lord.
Worship him.

12 The people of Tyre, the richest people,
want to win your favor with a gift.
13 The daughter of the king is glorious inside the palace.
Her dress is embroidered with gold.
14 Wearing a colorful gown, she is brought to the king.
Her bridesmaids follow her.
They will be brought to you.
15 With joy and delight they are brought in.
They enter the palace of the king.

16 Your sons will take the place of your father.
You will make them princes over the whole earth.

17 I will cause your name to be remembered throughout every generation.
That is why the nations will give thanks to you forever and ever.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 45:1 Unknown musical term.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Proverbs 22:14

14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit.
The one who is cursed by the Lord will fall into it.

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group