31 AUG 2015 · James 1:17-27 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

31 AUG 2014 · Matthew 16:21-28 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

31 AUG 2014 · Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c 1Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; * make known his deeds among the peoples. 2Sing to him, sing praises to him, * and speak of all his marvelous works. 3Glory in his holy Name; * let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4Search for the LORD and his strength; * continually seek his face. 5Remember the marvels he has done, * his wonders and the judgments of his mouth, 6O offspring of Abraham his servant, * O children of Jacob his chosen. 23Israel came into Egypt, * and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham. 24The LORD made his people exceedingly fruitful; * he made them stronger than their enemies; 25Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, * and dealt unjustly with his servants. 26He sent Moses his servant, * and Aaron whom he had chosen. 45cHallelujah!

31 AUG 2014 · Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM Who I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations."

31 AUG 2014 · Matthew 25:14-30 14 'It is like a man about to go abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one, each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. 17 The man who had received two made two more in the same way. 18 But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made." 21 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness." 22 Next the man with the two talents came forward. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made." 23 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness." 24 Last came forward the man who had the single talent. "Sir," said he, "I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown and gathering where you had not scattered; 25 so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back." 26 But his master answered him, "You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? 27 Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have got my money back with interest. 28 So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has. 30 As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

30 AUG 2014 · Psalms 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21 12 How blessed the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people he has chosen as his heritage. 13 From heaven Yahweh looks down, he sees all the children of Adam, 18 But see how Yahweh watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his faithful love, 19 to rescue them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We are waiting for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield, 21 for in him our heart rejoices, in his holy name we trust.

30 AUG 2014 · First Corinthians 1:26-31 26 Consider, brothers, how you were called; not many of you are wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families. 27 No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong, 28 those who by human standards are common and contemptible -- indeed those who count for nothing -- to reduce to nothing all those that do count for something, 29 so that no human being might feel boastful before God. 30 It is by him that you exist in Christ Jesus, who for us was made wisdom from God, and saving justice and holiness and redemption. 31 As scripture says: If anyone wants to boast, let him boast of the Lord.

30 AUG 2014 · Mark 6:17-29 17 Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom he had married. 18 For John had told Herod, 'It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife.' 19 As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so, 20 because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him. 21 An opportunity came on Herod's birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. 22 When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, 'Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.' 23 And he swore her an oath, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.' 24 She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.' 25 The girl at once rushed back to the king and made her request, 'I want you to give me John the Baptist's head, immediately, on a dish.' 26 The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. 27 At once the king sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John's head. 28 The man went off and beheaded him in the prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John's disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

29 AUG 2014

29 AUG 2014 · Jeremiah 1:17-19 17 'As for you, prepare yourself for action. Stand up and tell them all I command you. Have no fear of them and in their presence I will make you fearless. 18 For look, today I have made you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of bronze to stand against the whole country: the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests and the people of the country. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you, Yahweh declares, to rescue you.'