Daily Bible CEV January 08 Scroll

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles
(Matthew 10.5-15; Mark 6.7-13)

Luke 9 Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. ²Then he sent them to tell about God's kingdom and to heal the sick. ³He told them, "Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes. ⁴When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. ⁵If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them."

⁶The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.

Herod Is Worried
(Matthew 14.1-12; Mark 6.14-29)

⁷Herod the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying that John the Baptist had come back to life. ⁸Others were saying that Elijah had come or that one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life. ⁹But Herod said, "I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?" Herod was eager to meet Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6.30-44; John 6.1-14)

¹⁰The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone. ¹¹But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke to them about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.

¹²Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, "Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It is like a desert!"

¹³Jesus answered, "You give them something to eat."

But they replied, "We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food." ¹⁴There were about five thousand men in the crowd.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Have the people sit in groups of fifty." ¹⁵They did this, and all the people sat down. ¹⁶Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.

¹⁷Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.

Who Is Jesus?
(Matthew 16.13-19; Mark 8.27-29)

¹⁸When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, "What do people say about me?"

¹⁹They answered, "Some say that you are John the Baptist or Elijah or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life."

²⁰Jesus then asked them, "But who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Messiah sent from God."

²¹Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Matthew 16.20-28; Mark 8.30--9.1)

²²Jesus told his disciples, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life."

²³Then Jesus said to all the people:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me. ²⁴If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. ²⁵What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself or waste your life? ²⁶If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. ²⁷You can be sure that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.

The LORD's Promise to Abram

Genesis 15 Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, "Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly."

²But Abram answered, "LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. ³You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything."

⁴The LORD replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his." ⁵Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have." ⁶Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD was pleased with him.

The LORD Makes Another Promise to Abram

⁷The LORD said to Abram, "I brought you here from Ur in Chaldea, and I gave you this land."

⁸Abram asked, "LORD God, how can I know the land will be mine?"

⁹Then the LORD told him, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon."

¹⁰Abram obeyed the LORD. Then he cut the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half. ¹¹And when birds came down to eat the animals, Abram chased them away.

¹²As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening. ^13-15Then the LORD said:

Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace.

But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for four hundred years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions.

¹⁶Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished.

¹⁷Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal. ¹⁸At that time the LORD made an agreement with Abram and told him:

I will give your descendants the land east of the Shihor River on the border of Egypt as far as the Euphrates River. ¹⁹They will possess the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, ²¹the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Psalm 8
[A psalm by David for the music leader. ]
The Wonderful Name of the LORD

¹Our LORD and Ruler,

your name is wonderful everywhere on earth!

You let your glory be seen in the heavens above.

²With praises from children and from tiny infants,

you have built a fortress.

It makes your enemies silent,

and all who turn against you are left speechless.

³I often think of the heavens your hands have made,

and of the moon and stars you put in place.

⁴Then I ask, "Why do you care about us humans?

Why are you concerned for us weaklings?"

⁵You made us a little lower than you yourself,

and you have crowned us with glory and honor.

⁶You let us rule everything your hands have made.

And you put all of it under our power--

⁷

the sheep and the cattle, and every wild animal,

⁸

the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

and all ocean creatures.

⁹Our LORD and Ruler,

your name is wonderful everywhere on earth!

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.