Reflections of Faith and Justice - a Devotional by Benjamin Mays

[Be a Gentleman] Purpose

The Big 5

The Benefit of Doubt: How Confronting Your Deepest Questions Can Lead to a Richer Faith

Building Wealth & Stewardship in the Church

Philippians

Live Well

TheLionWithin.Us: 3 Questions to Unlock Deeper Insights in God’s Word

Come Up Higher: A Call to Deeper Fellowship and Purpose

GLEANINGS - Numbers

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMRK">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="MRK.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Jesus Heals on the Sabbath</div><div class="p"> 1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, &#8220;Stand up in front of everyone.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Then Jesus asked them, &#8220;Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?&#8221; But they remained silent.</div><div class="p"> 5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, &#8220;Stretch out your hand.&#8221; He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Crowds Follow Jesus</div><div class="p"> 7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, &#8220;You are the Son of God.&#8221; 12But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Appoints the Twelve</div><div class="p"> 13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve#3:14 Some manuscripts twelve&#8212;designating them apostles&#8212; that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means &#8220;sons of thunder&#8221;), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law</div><div class="p"> 20Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21When his family#3:21 Or his associates heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, &#8220;He is out of his mind.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, &#8220;He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: &#8220;How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27In fact, no one can enter a strong man&#8217;s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man&#8217;s house. 28Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30He said this because they were saying, &#8220;He has an impure spirit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Then Jesus&#8217; mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, &#8220;Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33 &#8220;Who are my mother and my brothers?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p"> 34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, &#8220;Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does God&#8217;s will is my brother and sister and mother.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch29" data-usfm="JER.29">
 <div class="label">29</div><div class="s1">A Letter to the Exiles</div><div class="p"> 1This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2(This was after King Jehoiachin#29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:</div><div class="pm"> 4This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5&#8220;Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.&#8221; 8Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: &#8220;Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="pm"> 10This is what the Lord says: &#8220;When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and will bring you back from captivity.#29:14 Or will restore your fortunes I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.&#8221;</div><div class="pm"> 15You may say, &#8220;The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,&#8221; 16but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David&#8217;s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile&#8212; 17yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: &#8220;I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse#29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed. and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19For they have not listened to my words,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="pm"> 20Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: &#8220;I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: &#8216;May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.&#8217; 23For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors&#8217; wives, and in my name they have uttered lies&#8212;which I did not authorize. I know it and am a witness to it,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="s1">Message to Shemaiah</div><div class="p"> 24Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25&#8220;This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26&#8216;The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons. 27So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Zephaniah the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31&#8220;Send this message to all the exiles: &#8216;This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch30" data-usfm="JER.30">
 <div class="label">30</div><div class="s1">Restoration of Israel</div><div class="p"> 1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2&#8220;This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3The days are coming,&#8217; declares the Lord, &#8216;when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity#30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,&#8217; says the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5&#8220;This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Cries of fear are heard&#8212;</div><div class="q2">terror, not peace.</div><div class="q1"> 6Ask and see:</div><div class="q2">Can a man bear children?</div><div class="q1">Then why do I see every strong man</div><div class="q2">with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,</div><div class="q2">every face turned deathly pale?</div><div class="q1"> 7How awful that day will be!</div><div class="q2">No other will be like it.</div><div class="q1">It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,</div><div class="q2">but he will be saved out of it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;In that day,&#8217; declares the Lord Almighty,</div><div class="q2">&#8216;I will break the yoke off their necks</div><div class="q1">and will tear off their bonds;</div><div class="q2">no longer will foreigners enslave them.</div><div class="q1"> 9Instead, they will serve the Lord their God</div><div class="q2">and David their king,</div><div class="q2">whom I will raise up for them.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;</div><div class="q2">do not be dismayed, Israel,&#8217;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1">&#8216;I will surely save you out of a distant place,</div><div class="q2">your descendants from the land of their exile.</div><div class="q1">Jacob will again have peace and security,</div><div class="q2">and no one will make him afraid.</div><div class="q1"> 11I am with you and will save you,&#8217;</div><div class="q2">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1">&#8216;Though I completely destroy all the nations</div><div class="q2">among which I scatter you,</div><div class="q2">I will not completely destroy you.</div><div class="q1">I will discipline you but only in due measure;</div><div class="q2">I will not let you go entirely unpunished.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Your wound is incurable,</div><div class="q2">your injury beyond healing.</div><div class="q1"> 13There is no one to plead your cause,</div><div class="q2">no remedy for your sore,</div><div class="q2">no healing for you.</div><div class="q1"> 14All your allies have forgotten you;</div><div class="q2">they care nothing for you.</div><div class="q1">I have struck you as an enemy would</div><div class="q2">and punished you as would the cruel,</div><div class="q1">because your guilt is so great</div><div class="q2">and your sins so many.</div><div class="q1"> 15Why do you cry out over your wound,</div><div class="q2">your pain that has no cure?</div><div class="q1">Because of your great guilt and many sins</div><div class="q2">I have done these things to you.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But all who devour you will be devoured;</div><div class="q2">all your enemies will go into exile.</div><div class="q1">Those who plunder you will be plundered;</div><div class="q2">all who make spoil of you I will despoil.</div><div class="q1"> 17But I will restore you to health</div><div class="q2">and heal your wounds,&#8217;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord,</div><div class="q1">&#8216;because you are called an outcast,</div><div class="q2">Zion for whom no one cares.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 18&#8220;This is what the Lord says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I will restore the fortunes of Jacob&#8217;s tents</div><div class="q2">and have compassion on his dwellings;</div><div class="q1">the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,</div><div class="q2">and the palace will stand in its proper place.</div><div class="q1"> 19From them will come songs of thanksgiving</div><div class="q2">and the sound of rejoicing.</div><div class="q1">I will add to their numbers,</div><div class="q2">and they will not be decreased;</div><div class="q1">I will bring them honor,</div><div class="q2">and they will not be disdained.</div><div class="q1"> 20Their children will be as in days of old,</div><div class="q2">and their community will be established before me;</div><div class="q2">I will punish all who oppress them.</div><div class="q1"> 21Their leader will be one of their own;</div><div class="q2">their ruler will arise from among them.</div><div class="q1">I will bring him near and he will come close to me&#8212;</div><div class="q2">for who is he who will devote himself</div><div class="q2">to be close to me?&#8217;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 22&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;So you will be my people,</div><div class="q2">and I will be your God.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 23See, the storm of the Lord</div><div class="q2">will burst out in wrath,</div><div class="q1">a driving wind swirling down</div><div class="q2">on the heads of the wicked.</div><div class="q1"> 24The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back</div><div class="q2">until he fully accomplishes</div><div class="q2">the purposes of his heart.</div><div class="q1">In days to come</div><div class="q2">you will understand this.</div>
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