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A
Bright FutureBy Paul Chappell
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Thursday, May 24, 2012
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God."
2 Corinthians 7:1
The great pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson was the
first to take the Gospel to the country of Burma. He
buried his wife and several of his children on the
mission field, remarried, and then lost his second wife
to disease as well. He spent months in prison during
Burma’s war with England when he was suspected of being
a spy even though he was an American. Judson labored for
seven years before seeing his first convert.
Still, through all that difficulty, Judson remained
committed to his calling. He translated the Bible into
Burmese and established a number of churches. Even
today, despite intense persecution over decades, there
are descendants of Judson’s converts serving God in
Burma. One of Judson’s favorite sayings was: "The future
is as bright as the promises of God." To Judson, the
promises of God were living and powerful words that
could transform heartache to joy and years of labor into
a joyous harvest.
The promises found in Scripture are not simply
platitudes or kind expressions—they are guarantees,
backed up by the power of Almighty God and His unfailing
nature. Solomon said, "There hath not failed one
word of all his good promise" (1 Kings 8:56). It
was true in the days of the wise king, and it is still
true today. There are always circumstances that could
cause us to doubt and lose heart, but God’s promises
never fail.
The only thing that hinders us from experiencing what
God has promised is when we fail to do what He has
commanded—to claim those promises. We must come to Him
in faith, believing that we will receive His reward
(Hebrews 11:6), and we must fulfill the duties which
allow us to reap the rewards of obedience.
Today's Rooted Principle:
Claim God’s promises
today—He will do everything His Word offers you as His
child.
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Old Testament
Reading
1
Chronicles 22
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CHAPTER 22
1 Then David said, This is the
house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of
the burnt offering for Israel. 2 And David
commanded to gather together the strangers that
were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to
hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
3 And David prepared iron in abundance for
the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the
joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the
Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to
David. 5 And David said, Solomon my son
is young and tender, and the house that
is to be builded for the LORD must
be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory
throughout all countries: I will therefore now
make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly
before his death.
6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and
charged him to build an house for the LORD God of
Israel. 7 And David said to Solomon, My son,
as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the
name of the LORD my God: 8 But the word of
the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood
abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not
build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much
blood upon the earth in my sight. 9 Behold, a
son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest;
and I will give him rest from all his enemies round
about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give
peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
10 He shall build an house for my name; and
he shall be my son, and I will be his
father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
over Israel for ever. 11 Now, my son, the
LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house
of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.
12 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and
understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel,
that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.
13 Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest
heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD
charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of
good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed. 14
Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house
of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a
thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and
iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also
and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.
15 Moreover there are workmen
with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and
timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner
of work. 16 Of the gold, the silver, and the
brass, and the iron, there is no number.
Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be
with thee.
17 David also commanded all the princes of
Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
18 Is not the LORD your God with you?
and hath he not given you rest on every side? for
he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine
hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and
before his people. 19 Now set your heart and
your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore,
and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the
ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of
God, into the house that is to be built to the name of
the LORD.
CHAPTER 23
1 So when David was old and full of days,
he made Solomon his son king over Israel. 2
And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with
the priests and the Levites. 3 Now the
Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and
upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was
thirty and eight thousand. 4 Of which, twenty
and four thousand were to set forward the work of
the house of the LORD; and six thousand were
officers and judges: 5 Moreover four thousand
were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD
with the instruments which I made, said
David, to praise therewith. 6
And David divided them into courses among the sons of
Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and
Shimei. 8 The sons of Laadan; the chief
was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
9 The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel,
and Haran, three. These were the chief of the
fathers of Laadan. 10 And the sons of Shimei
were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These
four were the sons of Shimei. 11 And
Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush
and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one
reckoning, according to their father's house.
12 The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron,
and Uzziel, four. 13 The sons of Amram; Aaron
and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should
sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever,
to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him,
and to bless in his name for ever. 14 Now
concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were
named of the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of
Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer. 16
Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.
17 And the sons of Eliezer were,
Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but
the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 Of
the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief. 19 Of
the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the
second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20 Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah the first,
and Jesiah the second. 21 The sons of Merari;
Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.
22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but
daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took
them. 23 The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder,
and Jeremoth, three.
24 These were the sons of Levi
after the house of their fathers; even the chief
of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names
by their polls, that did the work for the service of the
house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and
upward. 25 For David said, The LORD God of
Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may
dwell in Jerusalem for ever: 26 And also unto
the Levites; they shall no more carry the
tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service
thereof. 27 For by the last words of David
the Levites were numbered from twenty years old
and above: 28 Because their office was
to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the
house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers,
and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of
the service of the house of God; 29 Both for
the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering,
and for the unleavened cakes, and for that
which is baked in the pan,
and for that which is fried, and for all manner of
measure and size; 30 And to stand every
morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at
even; 31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices
unto the LORD in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on
the set feasts, by number, according to the order
commanded unto them, continually before the LORD:
32 And that they should keep the charge of
the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of
the holy place, and the charge of the sons of
Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the
LORD.
CHAPTER 24
1 Now these are the
divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron;
Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But
Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no
children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the
priest's office. 3 And David distributed
them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech
of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in
their service. 4 And there were more chief
men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of
Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the
sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief
men of the house of their fathers, and eight
among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of
their fathers. 5 Thus were they divided by
lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the
sanctuary, and governors of the
house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of
the sons of Ithamar. 6 And Shemaiah the son
of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites,
wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok
the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and
before the chief of the fathers of the priests
and Levites: one principal household being taken for
Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar. 7
Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to
Jedaiah, 8 The third to Harim, the fourth to
Seorim, 9 The fifth to Malchijah, the sixth
to Mijamin, 10 The seventh to Hakkoz, the
eighth to Abijah, 11 The ninth to Jeshua, the
tenth to Shecaniah, 12 The eleventh to
Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 The
thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
14 The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to
Immer, 15 The seventeenth to Hezir, the
eighteenth to Aphses, 16 The nineteenth to
Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel, 17 The
one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to
Gamul, 18 The three and twentieth to Delaiah,
the four and twentieth to Maaziah. 19 These
were the orderings of them in their service to
come into the house of the LORD, according to their
manner, under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of
Israel had commanded him.
20 And the rest of the sons of Levi
were these: Of the sons of Amram; Shubael:
of the sons of Shubael; Jehdeiah. 21
Concerning Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, the first
was Isshiah. 22 Of the Izharites;
Shelomoth: of the sons of Shelomoth; Jahath.
23 And the sons of Hebron;
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second,
Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. 24
Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah: of the sons of
Michah; Shamir. 25 The brother of Michah
was Isshiah: of the sons of Isshiah; Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari were Mahli and
Mushi: the sons of Jaaziah; Beno. 27 The sons
of Merari by Jaaziah; Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and
Ibri. 28 Of Mahli came Eleazar, who
had no sons. 29 Concerning Kish: the son of
Kish was Jerahmeel. 30 The sons also
of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These
were the sons of the Levites after the house of
their fathers. 31 These likewise cast lots
over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the
presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech,
and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites,
even the principal fathers over against their younger
brethren.
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New Testament
Reading
John
8:28 |
28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have
lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am
he, and that I do nothing of myself; but
as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father
hath not left me alone; for I do always those things
that please him. 30 As he spake these words,
many believed on him.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed,
and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou,
Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever
committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And
the servant abideth not in the house for ever:
but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed;
but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in
you.
38 I speak that which I have seen with my
Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your
father. 39 They answered and said unto him,
Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were
Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that
hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this
did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your
father. Then said they to him, We be not born of
fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your
Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came
from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech?
even because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of your father the devil,
and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a
lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the
father of it. 45 And because I tell
you the truth, ye believe me not.
46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And
if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye
therefore hear them not, because ye are not of
God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto
him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast
a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a
devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is
one that seeketh and judgeth.
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a
man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know
that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the
prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he
shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou
greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the
prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my
honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of
whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye
have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say,
I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I
know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it,
and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him,
Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen
Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him:
but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going
through the midst of them, and so passed
by.
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Proverb of the
Day
Proverbs
24 |
1 Be not thou envious against evil men,
neither desire to be with them. 2 For their
heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of
mischief. 3 Through wisdom is an house
builded; and by understanding it is established:
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be
filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of
knowledge increaseth strength. 6 For by wise
counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of
counsellors there is safety. 7
Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his
mouth in the gate. 8 He that deviseth to do
evil shall be called a mischievous person. 9
The thought of foolishness is sin: and the
scorner is an abomination to men. 10
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy
strength is small. 11 If thou forbear
to deliver them that are drawn unto
death, and those that are ready to
be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew
it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider
it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not
he know it? and shall not he render to
every man according to his works? 13
My son, eat thou honey, because it is
good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to
thy taste: 14 So shall the knowledge
of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found
it, then there shall be a reward, and thy
expectation shall not be cut off. 15 Lay not
wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the
righteous; spoil not his resting place: 16
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up
again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and
let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
18 Lest the LORD see it, and it
displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
19 Fret not thyself because of evil
men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil
man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king:
and meddle not with them that are given to
change: 22 For their calamity shall rise
suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
23 These things also belong to
the wise. It is not good to have respect
of persons in judgment. 24 He that saith unto
the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the
people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25 But
to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a
good blessing shall come upon them. 26
Every man shall kiss his lips that
giveth a right answer. 27 Prepare thy work
without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and
afterwards build thine house. 28 Be not a
witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive
not with thy lips. 29 Say not, I will
do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the
man according to his work. 30 I went by the
field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man
void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all
grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered
the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken
down. 32 Then I saw, and considered
it well: I looked upon it, and
received instruction. 33 Yet a little
sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands
to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come
as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed
man.
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