1 December 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Exodus 6:2-9: Belonging to GodGod also said to Moses, “I am YHWH. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name YHWH I did not make myself fully known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free (...)
1 November 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Psalm 22: From Distress to PraiseMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All (...)
1 October 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)2 Corinthians 12:7-10 : What Do You Boast About?In order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I (...)
1 September 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Deuteronomy 15:7-11 : Openhanded to Your FellowsIf anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found (...)
1 August 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)John 16:16-24: Your Pain Will Turn into JoyJesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking (...)
1 July 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Psalm 1: The “Law” Which Gives LifeBlessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the (...)
1 June 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Philippians 4:4-7: Unfailing JoyRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your epieikēs be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
It may seem paradoxical that the letter of Saint Paul that speaks most about joy was written in prison, at a moment when the apostle (...)
1 May 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)1 Samuel 16:1,6-13: Discerning God’s PresenceThe Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” (…) When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look (...)
1 April 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Matthew 13:44-46: A Hidden TreasureJesus told these parables: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)
These stories encourage us—there really is a “hidden treasure” meant for us.
Interestingly, the emphasis is not on the finding of the (...)
1 March 2011
Bible Meditations & Prayers (by language)Monthly Bible Meditation (en)Genesis 22:1-18: Losing to WinSome time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw (...)