Quote from Forum Archives on January 17, 2001, 5:21 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

For those of you who are really serious about learning to read
and understand the Bible, here is a way to do it online. If you
call up your Web Browser and select the Web page referenced just
above "Daily Bible Reading", you can save that page and call it
up each day. Every day, a different set of readings will appear.
For your convenience, I have included the reading for Wednesday,
January 17.

Dear Lord,

Your Word is truth, and it brings clarity, purpose, and meaning
to our lives, and it reveals who You are to us. Please help us
to understand and appreciate what Your Word means, and remind us
to be faithful to read it. Amen.

Brother Brian

bible.crosswalk.com/BibleInAYear/DailyReading.cgi

Daily Bible Reading

Here is your "Bible In A Year" daily reading for January 17.

Reading Translation:

Luke 13:18-35

18 Then Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? How can
I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in
a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds come and
find shelter among its branches." 20 He also asked, "What
else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like yeast used by
a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount of
flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough." 22 Jesus
went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went,
always pressing on toward Jerusalem.

23 Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?"He
replied, 24 "The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get
in, because many will try to enter, 25 but when the head of
the house has locked the door, it will be too late. Then you
will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Lord, open the
door for us!' But he will reply, 'I do not know you.' 26 You
will say, 'But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in
our streets.' 27 And he will reply, 'I tell you, I don't know
you. Go away, all you who do evil.' 28 "And there will be
great weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets within the
Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. 29 Then people
will come from all over the world to take their places in the
Kingdom of God. 30 And note this: Some who are despised now
will be greatly honored then; and some who are greatly
honored now will be despised then. "

31 A few minutes later some Pharisees said to him, "Get out
of here if you want to live, because Herod Antipas wants to
kill you!" 32 Jesus replied, "Go tell that fox that I will
keep on casting out demons and doing miracles of healing
today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my
purpose. 33 Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must
proceed on my way. For it wouldn't do for a prophet of God to
be killed except in Jerusalem! 34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers!
How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a
hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't
let me. 35 And now look, your house is left to you empty. And
you will never see me again until you say, 'Bless the one who
comes in the name of the Lord!' "

Genesis 24

1 Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed
him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to the man in charge
of his household, who was his oldest servant, 3 "Swear by the
LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my
son marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to
my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my
son Isaac." 5 The servant asked, "But suppose I can't find a
young woman who will travel so far from home? May I then take
Isaac there to live among your relatives?" 6 "No!" Abraham
warned. "Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the
LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house
and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my
offspring. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will
see to it that you find a young woman there to be my son's
wife. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you
are free from this oath. But under no circumstances are you
to take my son there." 9 So the servant took a solemn oath
that he would follow Abraham's instructions.

10 He loaded ten of Abraham's camels with gifts and set out,
taking with him the best of everything his master owned. He
traveled to Aram-naharaim and went to the village where
Abraham's brother Nahor had settled. 11 There the servant
made the camels kneel down beside a well just outside the
village. It was evening, and the women were coming out to
draw water. 12 "O LORD, God of my master," he prayed. "Give
me success and show kindness to my master, Abraham. Help me
to accomplish the purpose of my journey. 13 See, here I am,
standing beside this spring, and the young women of the
village are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request.
I will ask one of them for a drink. If she says, 'Yes,
certainly, and I will water your camels, too!' - let her be
the one you have appointed as Isaac's wife. By this I will
know that you have shown kindness to my master." 15 As he was
still praying, a young woman named Rebekah arrived with a
water jug on her shoulder. Her father was Bethuel, who was
the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16
Now Rebekah was very beautiful, and she was a virgin; no man
had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled
her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the
servant asked, "Please give me a drink." 18 "Certainly, sir,"
she said, and she quickly lowered the jug for him to drink.
19 When he had finished, she said, "I'll draw water for your
camels, too, until they have had enough!" 20 So she quickly
emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down to the
well again. She kept carrying water to the camels until they
had finished drinking. 21 The servant watched her in silence,
wondering whether or not she was the one the LORD intended
him to meet. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished
drinking, he gave her a gold ring for her nose and two large
gold bracelets for her wrists. 23 "Whose daughter are you?"
he asked. "Would your father have any room to put us up for
the night?" 24 "My father is Bethuel," she replied. "My
grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of
straw and food for the camels, and we have a room for
guests." 26 The man fell down to the ground and worshiped the
LORD. 27 "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master,
Abraham," he said. "The LORD has been so kind and faithful to
Abraham, for he has led me straight to my master's
relatives." 28 The young woman ran home to tell her family
about all that had happened.

29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban. 30 When he saw the
nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when
he heard her story, he rushed out to the spring, where the
man was still standing beside his camels. Laban said to him,
31 "Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the LORD.
Why do you stand here outside the village when we have a room
all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels!" 32 So
the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels,
gave him straw to bed them down, fed them, and provided water
for the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then supper was
served. But Abraham's servant said, "I don't want to eat
until I have told you why I have come.""All right," Laban
said, "tell us your mission." 34 "I am Abraham's servant," he
explained. 35 "And the LORD has blessed my master richly; he
has become a great man. The LORD has given him flocks of
sheep and herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and
many servants and camels and donkeys. 36 When Sarah, my
master's wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master's
son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37 And
my master made me swear that I would not let Isaac marry one
of the local Canaanite women. 38 Instead, I was to come to
his relatives here in this far-off land, to his father's
home. I was told to bring back a young woman from here to
marry his son. 39 "'But suppose I can't find a young woman
willing to come back with me?' I asked him. 40 'You will,' he
told me, 'for the LORD, in whose presence I have walked, will
send his angel with you and will make your mission
successful. Yes, you must get a wife for my son from among my
relatives, from my father's family. 41 But if you go to my
relatives and they refuse to let her come, you will be free
from your oath.' 42 "So this afternoon when I came to the
spring I prayed this prayer: 'O LORD, the God of my master,
Abraham, if you are planning to make my mission a success,
please guide me in a special way. 43 Here I am, standing
beside this spring. I will say to some young woman who comes
to draw water, "Please give me a drink of water!" 44 And she
will reply, "Certainly! And I'll water your camels, too!"
LORD, let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of
my master's son.' 45 "Before I had finished praying these
words, I saw Rebekah coming along with her water jug on her
shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water and
filled the jug. So I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'
46 She quickly lowered the jug from her shoulder so I could
drink, and she said, 'Certainly, sir, and I will water your
camels, too!' And she did. 47 When I asked her whose daughter
she was, she told me, 'My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor
and his wife, Milcah.' So I gave her the ring and the
bracelets. 48 "Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD. I
praised the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham, because he
had led me along the right path to find a wife from the
family of my master's relatives. 49 So tell me - will you or
won't you show true kindness to my master? When you tell me,
then I'll know what my next step should be, whether to move
this way or that." 50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "The
LORD has obviously brought you here, so what can we say? 51
Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of
your master's son, as the LORD has directed." 52 At this
reply, Abraham's servant bowed to the ground and worshiped
the LORD. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and
lovely clothing for Rebekah. He also gave valuable presents
to her mother and brother.

54 Then they had supper, and the servant and the men with him
stayed there overnight. But early the next morning, he said,
"Send me back to my master." 55 "But we want Rebekah to stay
at least ten days," her brother and mother said. "Then she
can go." 56 But he said, "Don't hinder my return. The LORD
has made my mission successful, and I want to report back to
my master." 57 "Well," they said, "we'll call Rebekah and ask
her what she thinks." 58 So they called Rebekah. "Are you
willing to go with this man?" they asked her.And she replied,
"Yes, I will go." 59 So they said good-bye to Rebekah and
sent her away with Abraham's servant and his men. The woman
who had been Rebekah's childhood nurse went along with her.
60 They blessed her with this blessing as she parted: "Our
sister, may you become the mother of many millions! May your
descendants overcome all their enemies." 61 Then Rebekah and
her servants mounted the camels and left with Abraham's
servant.

62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had
returned from Beer-lahairoi. 63 One evening as he was taking
a walk out in the fields, meditating, he looked up and saw
the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac,
she quickly dismounted. 65 "Who is that man walking through
the fields to meet us?" she asked the servant.And he replied,
"It is my master." So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
66 Then the servant told Isaac the whole story. 67 And Isaac
brought Rebekah into his mother's tent, and she became his
wife. He loved her very much, and she was a special comfort
to him after the death of his mother.

Psalms 17

1 A prayer of David. O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen
to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes
from an honest heart. 2 Declare me innocent, for you know
those who do right. 3 You have tested my thoughts and
examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and
found nothing amiss, for I am determined not to sin in what I
say. 4 I have followed your commands, which have kept me from
going along with cruel and evil people. 5 My steps have
stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. 6
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray. 7 Show me your unfailing love
in wonderful ways. You save with your strength those who seek
refuge from their enemies.

8 Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of
your wings. 9 Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
from murderous enemies who surround me. 10 They are without
pity. Listen to their boasting. 11 They track me down,
surround me, and throw me to the ground. 12 They are like
hungry lions, eager to tear me apart - like young lions in
hiding, waiting for their chance. 13 Arise, O LORD! Stand
against them and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from
the wicked with your sword! 14 Save me by your mighty hand, O
LORD, from those whose only concern is earthly gain. May they
have their punishment in full. May their children inherit
more of the same, and may the judgment continue to their
children's children. 15 But because I have done what is
right, I will see you. When I awake, I will be fully
satisfied, for I will see you face to face.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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