Read To Me Daily Semester 3Намуна

JEREMIAH 42-43:
I have always found it fascinating what Jeremiah experienced in the aftermath of the fall of Judah's kingdom to the king of Babylon. It is interesting to me that he was led away in chains along with everyone else captured. But the king of Babylon had heard of him and left instructions about him. And it is a shame what happened to Gedaliah. Evidently Jeremiah was not around at that point to warn him.

PROVERBS 7:
In our reading of Proverbs 7 today, the father in yesterday’s reading continues instructing his son. This is one of the most colorful chapters in God’s Word. If you haven’t read this before, prepare yourself to be shocked!

1CORINTHIANS 15b:
Yesterday we read the first part of the famous Resurrection Chapter in 1st Corinthians. The first part displays Paul's rigorous logic about the fact of Christ’s resurrection. The second part deals with the kind of body we will have after the Resurrection. All of this chapter holds wonderful promises for us.

Let’s consider a few verses we will reread today dealing with being baptized for deceased people: We do not find evidence that the practice was widespread or that it continued. Constable’s Notes for this section (lumina.bible.org) cites information that there was a pre-Christian mystery religion in the area of Corinth that practiced proxy baptism on behalf of dead relatives. Some early Corinthian Christians may have carried this practice over into their new faith, or Paul may simply have been using this local pagan religious practice as an example in order to say, “What is the point of doing that if the dead will not be raised to life?” Paul does not mention this practice in order to encourage it, but to strengthen his point: The resurrection of all believers is a promise that follows logically from Christ’s resurrection. 

Let’s pray.
Our loving heavenly Father, we praise you for the 15th chapter of 1Corinthians, which has been such an assurance for so many. Thank you for proof that it is not for nothing that we have believed that you raised Christ from death. Thank you for the testimony of Paul and all the believers he mentioned. No terrible torture or persecution was able to make those eyewitnesses change their testimony that Christ was raised from death and that he is Lord of all. I pray that this chapter will strengthen any of my listeners including my grandchildren and great grandchildren, if they are brought to trial because of following Christ. Thank you, Father, that Christ is our guarantee of our being raised to a heavenly life, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is another guarantee for us. Thank you that this also proves to us that we have the forgiveness of our sins. But let us not continue in sin. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your victory over death. Just like your gracious kindness caused Paul to be a tireless witness for you, may your kindness to us work in our hearts today.