Today's Readings -- 08 January 2010

Saturday. LOOONG night at work, and have to Do It Again tonight and then come home, change, and try to lead a Bible Study in the morning.
Not much sleep either. Dear Wife woke me, all stressed out about losing something she HAD to have that HAD to be done this morning. Lost. MUCH worry. Turns out Senior Cat On Premises had knocked her purse over, scattered many of the contents, and set about modifying it as his "cave". He's a very odd cat. Anyway, the lost is found, except for the lost two hours of badly needed sleep, now lost.
Then she told me that the spike in high blood pressure is either a cause or a result - or both - of kidney failure. She's heading into end-stage kidney disease, which is obviously NOT A Good Thing.

This morning, Genesis 20, 21, 22.

Genesis 20

1	And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2	And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3	But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
4	But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
5	Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6	And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7	Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
8	Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
9	Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10	And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
11	And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
12	And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13	And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14	And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15	And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16	And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
17	So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18	For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.

Genesis 21

1	And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2	For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3	And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
4	And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5	And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6	And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
7	And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
8	And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9	And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
10	Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
11	And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
12	And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13	And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14	And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15	And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16	And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17	And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18	Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
19	And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
20	And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21	And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
22	And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
23	Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
24	And Abraham said, I will swear.
25	And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
26	And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
27	And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
28	And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29	And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
30	And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
31	Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.
32	Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
33	And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
34	And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.

Genesis 22

1	And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2	And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3	And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4	Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5	And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6	And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7	And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8	And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9	And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10	And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11	And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12	And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13	And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14	And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15	And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16	And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17	That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18	And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
19	So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
20	And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
21	Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22	And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23	And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24	And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

This evening, Matthew 7. it begins with possibly the most misused miunderstood misquoted verse in the entire Bible.

Matthew 7

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Today's Readings --- 07 January 2010

happy Friday, short shrift, late posting, got to get ready and head out to work. Thank the Lord for the job. Please Lord, I need a better one!

First, Genesis 18 and 19

Genesis 18

1	And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2	And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3	And said, My LORD, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4	Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5	And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6	And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7	And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8	And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9	And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10	And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11	Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12	Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13	And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14	Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15	Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16	And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17	And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18	Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19	For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20	And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21	I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22	And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23	And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24	Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25	That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26	And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27	And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:
28	Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29	And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
30	And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31	And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
32	And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
33	And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Genesis 19

1	And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2	And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3	And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4	But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5	And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6	And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7	And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8	Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9	And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10	But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11	And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12	And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13	For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14	And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15	And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16	And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17	And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18	And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:
19	Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20	Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21	And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22	Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23	The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24	Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25	And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26	But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27	And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28	And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29	And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
30	And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
31	And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32	Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33	And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34	And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35	And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36	Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37	And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38	And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Later, Matthew 6. More from the Sermon on the Mount. As before, you see Jesus' words here. Treat the matter as seriously as He clearly did, and still does.

Matthew 6

1	Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2	Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3	But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4	That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5	And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6	But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7	But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8	Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9	After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11	Give us this day our daily bread.
12	And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14	For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15	But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16	Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17	But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18	That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
19	Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20	But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21	For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22	The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23	But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24	No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25	Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26	Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27	Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28	And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29	And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30	Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31	Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32	(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33	But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34	Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Today's Readings -- 06 January 2010

Getting into the routines of the new year. I don't want this to be just a replay of last year or the year before.

This morning's reading is Genesis 15, 16, and 17. More events set in motion that both bless us and trouble us today. The Lord makes some promises to Abram. They were and are being kept. But we also see a character named Ishmael. And that troubles us today: Ishmael is counted as the father of the Arabs, and the ancestor of Muhammad, the vile and accursed one who unleashed the evil of Islam upon an unhappy world. These beginning that we see in Genesis, so very long ago, continue to affect our world, and will do so until the End.

Genesis 15

1	After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2	And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3	And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4	And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5	And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6	And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7	And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8	And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9	And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10	And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11	And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12	And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13	And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14	And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15	And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16	But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17	And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18	In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19	The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20	And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,
21	And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Genesis 16

1	Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2	And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3	And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4	And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5	And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
6	But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
7	And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8	And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9	And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10	And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11	And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12	And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13	And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14	Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15	And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16	And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis 17

1	And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2	And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3	And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4	As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5	Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6	And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7	And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8	And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9	And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10	This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11	And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12	And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13	He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14	And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
15	And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16	And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17	Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
18	And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19	And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20	And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21	But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22	And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23	And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
24	And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25	And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26	In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27	And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

This evening, Matthew 5, verses 27-48. More of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is speaking. It woud be a good idea to listen, and heed His words.

Matthew 5:27-48

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.