Daily Bible CEV December 13 Scroll

What Life Means to Paul

Philippians 1 ¹²My dear friends, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the good news. ¹³The Roman guards and all the others know that I am here in jail because I serve Christ. ¹⁴Now most of the Lord's followers have become brave and are fearlessly telling the message.

¹⁵Some are preaching about Christ because they are jealous and envious of us. Others are preaching because they want to help. ¹⁶They love Christ and know that I am here to defend the good news about him. ¹⁷But the ones who are jealous of us are not sincere. They just want to cause trouble for me while I am in jail. ¹⁸But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that people are telling about Christ, whether they are sincere or not. That is what makes me glad.

I will keep on being glad, ¹⁹because I know that your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Christ Jesus will keep me safe. ²⁰I honestly expect and hope that I will never do anything to be ashamed of. Whether I live or die, I always want to be as brave as I am now and bring honor to Christ.

²¹If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more. ²²I don't know what to choose. I could keep on living and doing something useful. ²³It is a hard choice to make. I want to die and be with Christ, because that would be much better. ^24-25But I know that all of you still need me. That's why I am sure I will stay on to help you grow and be happy in your faith. ²⁶Then, when I visit you again, you will have good reason to take great pride in Christ Jesus because of me.

²⁷Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.

²⁸Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen, ²⁹and he has blessed you. Not only do you have faith in Christ, but you suffer for him. ³⁰You saw me suffer, and you still hear about my troubles. Now you must suffer in the same way.

A Funeral Song for Israel's Leaders

The LORD said:
Ezekiel 19 Ezekiel, sing a funeral song for two of Israel's leaders:

²Your mother was a brave lioness

who raised her cubs among lions.

³She taught one of them to hunt,

and he learned to eat people.

⁴When the nations heard of him,

they trapped him in a pit,

then they used hooks to drag him to Egypt.

⁵His mother waited for him to return.

But soon she lost all hope and raised another cub,

who also became fierce.

⁶He hunted with other lions and learned to eat people.

⁷He destroyed fortresses and ruined towns;

his mighty roar terrified everyone.

⁸Nations plotted to kill him,

and people came from all over to spread out a net

and catch him in a trap.

⁹They put him in a cage and took him to Babylonia.

The lion was locked away, so that his mighty roar

would never again be heard on Israel's hills.

¹⁰Your mother was a vine growing near a stream.

There was plenty of water,

so she was filled with branches

and with lots of fruit.

¹¹Her strong branches became symbols of authority,

and she was taller than all other trees--

everyone could see how strong and healthy she was.

¹²But in anger, I pulled her up by the roots

and threw her to the ground,

where the scorching desert wind dried out her fruit.

Her strong branches wilted and burned up.

¹³Then she was planted in a hot, dry desert,

¹⁴where her stem caught fire,

and flames burned her branches and fruit.

Not one strong branch is left; she is stripped bare.

This funeral song must be sung with sorrow.

The LORD Corrects His People

Isaiah 48 People of Israel, you come from Jacob's family

and the tribe of Judah.

You claim to worship me, the LORD God of Israel,

but you are lying.

²You call Jerusalem your home and say you depend on me,

the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel.

³Long ago I announced what was going to be,

then without warning, I made it happen.

⁴I knew you were stubborn and hardheaded.

⁵And I told you these things, so that when they happened

you would not say, "The idols we worship did this."

⁶You heard what I said, and you have seen it happen.

Now admit that it's true!

I will show you secrets you have never known.

⁷Today I am doing something new,

something you cannot say you have heard before.

⁸You have never been willing to listen to what I say;

from the moment of your birth, I knew you would rebel.

The LORD Warns Israel

⁹I, the LORD, am true to myself;

I will be praised

for not punishing and destroying you.

¹⁰I tested you in hard times just as silver is refined

in a heated furnace.

¹¹I did this because of who I am.

I refuse to be dishonored or share my praise

with any other god.

¹²Israel, my chosen people, listen to me.

I alone am the LORD, the first and the last.

¹³With my own hand I created the earth

and stretched out the sky.

They obey my every command.

The LORD Speaks to the Nations

¹⁴Gather around me, all of you! Listen to what I say.

Did any of your idols predict this would happen?

Did they say that my friend would do

what I want done to Babylonia?

¹⁵I was the one who chose him. I have brought him this far,

and he will be successful.

¹⁶Come closer and listen!

I have never kept secret the things I have said,

and I was here before time began.

It Is Best To Obey the LORD

By the power of his Spirit the LORD God has sent me

¹⁷

with this message:

People of Israel, I am the holy LORD God,

the one who rescues you.

For your own good, I teach you,

and I lead you along the right path.

¹⁸How I wish that you had obeyed my commands!

Your success and good fortune

would then have overflowed like a flooding river.

¹⁹Your nation would be blessed with more people

than there are grains of sand along the seashore.

And I would never have let your country be destroyed.

²⁰Now leave Babylon! Celebrate as you go.

Be happy and shout for everyone to hear,

"The LORD has rescued his servant Israel!

²¹He led us through the desert

and made water flow from a rock

to satisfy our thirst.

²²But the LORD has promised that none who are evil

will live in peace."

These daily Bible readings from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. BibleCard® images copyright iCreative. All rights reserved.