December 13 - Philippians 1.12-30, Ezekiel 19 and Isaiah 48

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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
17with 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."

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This reading is from The Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version, copyright © American Bible Society, 1995.


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