Daily Bible CEV December 03 Scroll

Help Each Other

Galatians 6 My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. ²You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

³If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong. ⁴Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. ⁵We each must carry our own load.

⁶Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.

⁷You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. ⁸If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. ⁹Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. ¹⁰We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.

Final Warnings

¹¹You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.

¹²Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don't want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. ¹³They are circumcised, but they don't obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised. ¹⁴But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.

¹⁵It doesn't matter if you are circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person.

¹⁶If you follow this rule, you will belong to God's true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace.

¹⁷On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don't want anyone to bother me anymore.

¹⁸My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you! Amen.

The LORD Chooses Ezekiel

Ezekiel 2 The LORD said, "Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen." ²After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said:

³Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop. ⁴They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, the LORD God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. ⁵Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.

⁶Don't be afraid of them or of anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of a thorn patch or a bunch of scorpions. But be brave ⁷and preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not. ⁸Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.

And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.

⁹Just then, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. And in it was a scroll. ¹⁰The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.
Ezekiel 3 The LORD said, "Ezekiel, son of man, after you eat this scroll, go speak to the people of Israel."

^2-3He handed me the scroll and said, "Eat this and fill up on it." So I ate the scroll, and it tasted sweet as honey.

⁴The LORD said:

Ezekiel, I am sending you to your own people. ^5-6They are Israelites, not some strangers who speak a foreign language you can't understand. If I were to send you to foreign nations, they would listen to you. ⁷But the people of Israel will refuse to listen, because they have refused to listen to me. All of them are stubborn and hardheaded, ⁸so I will make you as stubborn as they are. ⁹You will be so determined to speak my message that nothing will stop you. I will make you hard like a diamond, and you'll have no reason to be afraid of those arrogant rebels.

¹⁰Listen carefully to everything I say and then think about it. ¹¹Then go to the people who were brought here to Babylonia with you and tell them you have a message from me, the LORD God. Do this, whether they listen to you or not.

¹²The Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the LORD started to leave, I heard a loud, thundering noise behind me. ¹³It was the sound made by the creatures' wings as they brushed against each other, and by the rumble of the wheels beside them. ¹⁴Then the Spirit carried me away.

The LORD's power had taken complete control of me, and I was both annoyed and angry.

¹⁵When I was back with the others living at Abib Hill near the Chebar River, I sat among them for seven days, shocked at what had happened to me.

The LORD Appoints Ezekiel To Stand Watch
(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶Seven days after I had seen the brightness of the LORD's glory, the LORD said:

¹⁷Ezekiel, son of man, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me. ¹⁸When I tell wicked people they will die because of their sins, you must warn them to turn from their sinful ways so they won't be punished. If you refuse, you are responsible for their death. ¹⁹However, if you do warn them, and they keep on sinning, they will die because of their sins, and you will be innocent.

²⁰Now suppose faithful people start sinning, and I decide to put stumbling blocks in their paths to make them fall. They deserve to die because of their sins. So if you refuse to warn them, I will forget about the times they were faithful, and I will hold you responsible for their death. ²¹But if you do warn them, and they listen to you and stop sinning, I will let them live. And you will be innocent.

Ezekiel Cannot Talk

²²The LORD took control of me and said, "Stand up! Go into the valley, and I will talk with you there."

²³I immediately went to the valley, where I saw the brightness of the LORD's glory, just as I had seen near the Chebar River, and I bowed with my face to the ground. ²⁴His Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the LORD said:

Go back and lock yourself in your house! ²⁵You will be tied up to keep you inside, ²⁶and I will make you unable to talk or to warn those who have rebelled against me. ²⁷But the time will come, when I will tell you what to say, and you will again be able to speak my message. Some of them will listen; others will be stubborn and refuse to listen.

Psalm 149
A New Song of Praise

¹Shout praises to the LORD!

Sing him a new song of praise

when his loyal people meet.

²People of Israel, rejoice because of your Creator.

People of Zion, celebrate because of your King.

³Praise his name by dancing

and playing music on harps and tambourines.

⁴The LORD is pleased with his people,

and he gives victory to those who are humble.

⁵All of you faithful people, praise our glorious Lord!

Celebrate and worship.

⁶Praise God with songs on your lips

and a sword in your hand.

⁷Take revenge and punish the nations.

⁸

Put chains of iron on their kings and rulers.

⁹Punish them as they deserve;

this is the privilege of God's faithful people.

Shout praises to the LORD!

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.