Wednesday 7 June 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

[info at dailylectionary.org]

Wednesday 7 June 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org
******************************************************************
Deuteronomy 13:1-11

If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise
you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them
take place, and they say, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (whom you
have not known) ‘and let us serve them’, you must not heed the
words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord
your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your
God with all your heart and soul. The Lord your God you shall follow,
him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice
you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast.
But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death
for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you
out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of
slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God
commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

If anyone secretly entices you—even if it is your brother, your
father’s son or your mother’s son, or your own son or daughter, or
the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend—saying, ‘Let us
go and worship other gods’, whom neither you nor your ancestors have
known, any of the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether
near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other,
you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or
compassion and do not shield them. But you shall surely kill them;
your own hand shall be first against them to execute them, and
afterwards the hand of all the people. Stone them to death for trying
to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Then all Israel shall hear
and be afraid, and never again do any such wickedness.
******************************************************************
2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have
corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this
to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die
together and to live together. I often boast about you; I have great
pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our
affliction.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we
were afflicted in every way—disputes without and fears within. But
God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus,
and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he
was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning,
your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made
you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it,
for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly).
Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief
led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not
harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that
leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces
death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you,
what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what
longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved
yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was
not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one
who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made
known to you before God. In this we find comfort.

In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy
of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if
I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced;
but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to
Titus has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to
you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed
him with fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete
confidence in you.
******************************************************************
Luke 17:20-37

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was
coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with
things that can be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it
is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among
you.’

Then he said to the disciples, ‘The days are coming when you will
long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see
it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or “Look here!” Do not
go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights
up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in
his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by
this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be
in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and
marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the
ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as
it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and
selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it
rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them —it
will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that
day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not
come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not
turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life
secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I
tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be
taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal
together; one will be taken and the other left.’ Then they asked
him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there
the vultures will gather.’
******************************************************************
Morning Psalms:  Psalm 119:49-72

Psalm 119:49-72

Remember your word to your servant,
   in which you have made me hope. 
This is my comfort in my distress,
   that your promise gives me life. 
The arrogant utterly deride me,
   but I do not turn away from your law. 
When I think of your ordinances from of old,
   I take comfort, O Lord. 
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
   those who forsake your law. 
Your statutes have been my songs
   wherever I make my home. 
I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
   and keep your law. 
This blessing has fallen to me,
   for I have kept your precepts. 

The Lord is my portion;
   I promise to keep your words. 
I implore your favour with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise. 
When I think of your ways,
   I turn my feet to your decrees; 
I hurry and do not delay
   to keep your commandments. 
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
   I do not forget your law. 
At midnight I rise to praise you,
   because of your righteous ordinances. 
I am a companion of all who fear you,
   of those who keep your precepts. 
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
   teach me your statutes. 

You have dealt well with your servant,
   O Lord, according to your word. 
Teach me good judgement and knowledge,
   for I believe in your commandments. 
Before I was humbled I went astray,
   but now I keep your word. 
You are good and do good;
   teach me your statutes. 
The arrogant smear me with lies,
   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts. 
Their hearts are fat and gross,
   but I delight in your law. 
It is good for me that I was humbled,
   so that I might learn your statutes. 
The law of your mouth is better to me
   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
******************************************************************
Evening Psalms: Psalm 49, 53

Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
both low and high,
   rich and poor together. 
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches? 
Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
   there is no price one can give to God for it. 
For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice, 
that one should live on for ever
   and never see the grave. 

When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others. 
Their graves are their homes for ever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish. 

Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
   the end of those who are pleased with their lot.
          Selah 
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
   Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,
   and their form shall waste away;
   Sheol shall be their home. 
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me.
          Selah 

Do not be afraid when some become rich,
   when the wealth of their houses increases. 
For when they die they will carry nothing away;
   their wealth will not go down after them. 
Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
   —for you are praised when you do well for yourself— 
they will go to the company of their ancestors,
   who will never again see the light. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.

Psalm 53

Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’
   They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
   there is no one who does good. 

God looks down from heaven on humankind
   to see if there are any who are wise,
   who seek after God. 

They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
   there is no one who does good,
   no, not one. 

Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
   who eat up my people as they eat bread,
   and do not call upon God? 

There they shall be in great terror,
   in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;
   they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them. 

O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
   When God restores the fortunes of his people,
   Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
******************************************************************


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://dailylectionary.org/pipermail/dailylectionary_dailylectionary.org/attachments/20230607/bdbde2c1/attachment.html>