Thursday 22 April 2010<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><!--StartFragment-->
<p class="MsoNormal">DAILY LECTIONARY</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Exodus 20:1-21<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then God spoke all these words:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before* me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation* of those who love me and keep my commandments.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not murder.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not commit adultery.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not steal.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid* and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’ Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Colossians 1:24-2:7</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself,* in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives* in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Matthew 4:1-11</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“One does not live by bread alone,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“He will command his angels concerning you”,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and “On their hands they will bear you up,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Worship the Lord your God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and serve only him.” ’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Morning Psalms: Psalm 37:1-18</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 37:1-18</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do not fret because of the wicked;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>do not be envious of wrongdoers,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">for they will soon fade like the grass,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and wither like the green herb.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Trust in the Lord, and do good;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Take delight in the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and he will give you the desires of your heart.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Commit your way to the Lord;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>trust in him, and he will act.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He will make your vindication shine like the light,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and the justice of your cause like the noonday.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>do not fret over those who prosper in their way,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>over those who carry out evil devices.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do not fret—it leads only to evil.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the wicked shall be cut off,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the meek shall inherit the land,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and delight in abundant prosperity.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wicked plot against the righteous,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and gnash their teeth at them;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">but the Lord laughs at the wicked,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for he sees that their day is coming.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to bring down the poor and needy,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to kill those who walk uprightly;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">their sword shall enter their own heart,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their bows shall be broken.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Better is a little that the righteous person has</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>than the abundance of many wicked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but the Lord upholds the righteous.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lord knows the days of the blameless,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their heritage will abide for ever;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evening Psalms: Psalm 37:19-42</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 37:19-42</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">they are not put to shame in evil times,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in the days of famine they have abundance.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the wicked perish,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but the righteous are generous and keep giving;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but those cursed by him shall be cut off.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our steps* are made firm by the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>when he delights in our* way;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">though we stumble,* we* shall not fall headlong,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for the Lord holds us* by the hand.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been young, and now am old,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>or their children begging bread.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They are ever giving liberally and lending,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their children become a blessing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Depart from evil, and do good;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so you shall abide for ever.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the Lord loves justice;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he will not forsake his faithful ones.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The righteous shall inherit the land,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and live in it for ever.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their tongues speak justice.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The law of their God is in their hearts;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>their steps do not slip.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wicked watch for the righteous,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and seek to kill them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lord will not abandon them to their power,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and he will exalt you to inherit the land;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you will look on the destruction of the wicked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have seen the wicked oppressing,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Again I* passed by, and they were no more;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>though I sought them, they could not be found.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for there is posterity for the peaceable.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he is their refuge in the time of trouble.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lord helps them and rescues them;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>because they take refuge in him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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