Read To Me Daily Semester 3ናሙና

JEREMIAH 36-37:
In yesterday's reading in Jeremiah, he gave more specific warnings to King Zedekiah. And then we heard of the inspiring example of the Recabites.

PROVERBS 4b:
Yesterday in the first half of chapter 4 of Proverbs, we heard again about Lady Wisdom. I highlight these important words:

Prov. 4:7 GNT Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do. Whatever else you get, get insight.
10 Listen to me, my child. Take seriously what I am telling you, and you will live a long life.
11 I have taught you wisdom and the right way to live.
12 Nothing will stand in your way if you walk wisely, and you will not stumble when you run. 

Solomon introduces some of these words saying that he was taught them by his father, which would be, of course, King David. It is interesting to consider that we could be hearing some of David's wisdom in those verses.

1CORINTHIANS 13:
Today we read the famous Love Chapter, 1st Corinthians 13. Spiritual gifts are important! They are sovereignly given by the Holy Spirit. We will be happiest and the most productive in our ministries when we function in accordance with our gifting from God. Every believer is given a gift, and chapter 12 portrays with clear analogies how the gifts are to used in the context of the body. So don’t assume that you can go off anywhere outside your local body and use your gift. However, my experience is that gifting can change if you move to a different local body. The Holy Spirit can loan a gift to you at any time. The gifts are to help us function as a unified body, NOT to divide us— as so sadly has happened again and again. Selfishness is diametrically opposed to spiritual gifts. So, as important as spiritual gifts are, there is something more important, as we will hear today.

Let’s pray.
Dear Lord Jesus, we praise and honor You as the king and the supreme head of your body on earth, the universal church made up of all true believers. Lord, give us more unity. Help us to increasingly function like a body— your body, including appropriately joining in rejoicing with our fellow members, or joining them in bearing their suffering. Lord, we pray that we might realize how all the gifts Paul listed are supernatural. Attempting to teach or serve others through our natural abilities will just yield ordinary worldly results. Lord, fill us with your Spirit, so that all our various ministries truly reflect your glory and bear your stamp of authenticity. Stop us if we try to use our gifts in a way that will cause division in your body, or if we try to use our gifting in a way independent from any local fellowship of believers, or in a way that is self-glorifying. Through the Spirit today we confess, “You, Jesus, are Lord!”