Daily Bible CEV December 06 Scroll

Paul's Mission to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3 Christ Jesus made me his prisoner, so that I could help you Gentiles. ²You have surely heard about God's kindness in choosing me to help you. ³In fact, this letter tells you a little about how God has shown me his mysterious ways. ⁴As you read the letter, you will also find out how well I really do understand the mystery about Christ. ⁵No one knew about this mystery until God's Spirit told it to his holy apostles and prophets. ⁶And the mystery is this: Because of Christ Jesus, the good news has given the Gentiles a share in the promises that God gave to the Jews. God has also let the Gentiles be part of the same body.

⁷God treated me with kindness. His power worked in me, and it became my job to spread the good news. ⁸I am the least important of all God's people. But God was kind and chose me to tell the Gentiles that because of Christ there are blessings that cannot be measured. ⁹God, who created everything, wanted me to help everyone understand the mysterious plan that had always been hidden in his mind. ¹⁰Then God would use the church to show the powers and authorities in the spiritual world that he has many different kinds of wisdom.

¹¹God did this according to his eternal plan. And he was able to do what he had planned because of all that Christ Jesus our Lord had done. ¹²Christ now gives us courage and confidence, so that we can come to God by faith. ¹³That's why you should not be discouraged when I suffer for you. After all, it will bring honor to you.

Christ's Love for Us

¹⁴I kneel in prayer to the Father. ¹⁵All beings in heaven and on earth receive their life from him. ¹⁶God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers ¹⁷and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. ¹⁸I pray that you and all of God's people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep. ¹⁹I want you to know all about Christ's love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.

^20-21I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.

Ezekiel Sees the Terrible Sins of Jerusalem

Ezekiel 8 Six years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the leaders of Judah were meeting with me in my house. On the fifth day of the sixth month, the LORD God suddenly took control of me, ²and I saw something in the shape of a human. This figure was like fire from the waist down, and it was bright as polished metal from the waist up. ³It reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed my hair. Then in my vision the LORD's Spirit lifted me into the sky and carried me to Jerusalem.

The Spirit took me to the north gate of the temple's inner courtyard, where there was an idol that disgusted the LORD and made him furious. ⁴Then I saw the brightness of the glory of the God of Israel, just as I had seen it near the Chebar River.

⁵God said to me, "Ezekiel, son of man, look north." And when I did, I saw that disgusting idol by the altar near the gate.

⁶God then said, "Do you see the terrible sins of the people of Israel? Their sins are making my holy temple unfit as a place to worship me. Yet you will see even worse things than this."

⁷Next, I was taken to the entrance of the courtyard, where I saw a hole in the wall.

⁸God said, "Make this hole bigger." And when I did, I realized it was a doorway. ⁹"Go in," God said, "and see what horrible and evil things the people are doing."

¹⁰Inside, I saw that the walls were covered with pictures of reptiles and disgusting, unclean animals, as well as with idols that the Israelites were worshiping. ¹¹Seventy Israelite leaders were standing there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each of these leaders was holding an incense burner, and the smell of incense filled the room.

¹²God said, "Ezekiel, do you see what horrible things Israel's leaders are doing in secret? They have filled their rooms with idols. And they say I can't see them, because they think I have already deserted Israel. ¹³But I will show you something even worse than this."

¹⁴He took me to the north gate of the temple, where I saw women mourning for the god Tammuz. ¹⁵God asked me, "Can you believe what these women are doing? But now I want to show you something worse."

¹⁶I was then led into the temple's inner courtyard, where I saw about twenty-five men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the LORD's temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun.

¹⁷God said, "Ezekiel, it's bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things. But they have also spread violence and injustice everywhere in Israel and have made me very angry. They have disgraced and insulted me in the worst possible way. ¹⁸So in my fierce anger, I will punish them without mercy and refuse to help them when they cry out to me."

The LORD Gives the Command To Punish Jerusalem

Ezekiel 9 After that, I heard the LORD shout, "Come to Jerusalem, you men chosen to destroy the city. And bring your weapons!"

²I saw six men come through the north gate of the temple, each one holding a deadly weapon. A seventh man dressed in a linen robe was with them, and he was carrying things to write with. The men went into the temple and stood by the bronze altar.

³The brightness of God's glory then left its place above the statues of the winged creatures inside the temple and moved to the entrance. The LORD said to the man in the linen robe, ⁴"Walk through the city of Jerusalem and mark the forehead of anyone who is truly upset and sad about the disgusting things that are being done here."

^5-6He turned to the other six men and said, "Follow him and put to death everyone who doesn't have a mark on their forehead. Show no mercy or pity! Kill men and women, parents and children. Begin here at my temple and be sure not to harm those who are marked."

The men immediately killed the leaders who were standing there.

⁷Then the LORD said, "Pollute the temple by piling the dead bodies in the courtyards. Now get busy!" They left and started killing the people of Jerusalem.

⁸I was then alone, so I bowed down and cried out to the LORD, "Why are you doing this? Are you so angry at the people of Jerusalem that everyone must die?"

⁹The LORD answered, "The people of Israel and Judah have done horrible things. Their country is filled with murderers, and Jerusalem itself is filled with violence. They think that I have deserted them, and that I can't see what they are doing. ¹⁰And so I will not have pity on them or forgive them. They will be punished for what they have done."

¹¹Just then, the man in the linen robe returned and said, "I have done what you commanded."

The LORD Controls Human Events

Isaiah 41 Be silent and listen, every island in the sea.

Have courage and come near, every one of you nations.

Let's settle this matter!

²Who appointed this ruler from the east?

Who puts nations and kings in his power?

His sword and his arrows turn them to dust

blown by the wind.

³He goes after them so quickly

that his feet barely touch the ground--

he doesn't even get hurt.

⁴Who makes these things happen?

Who controls human events?

I do! I am the LORD. I was there at the beginning;

I will be there at the end.

⁵Islands and foreign nations saw what I did

and trembled as they came near.

What Can Idols Do?

⁶Worshipers of idols comfort each other,

saying, "Don't worry!"

⁷Woodcarvers, goldsmiths, and other workers

encourage one another and say,

"We've done a great job!"

Then they nail the idol down, so it won't fall over.

The LORD's Chosen Servant

⁸Israel, you are my servant. I chose you,

the family of my friend Abraham.

⁹From far across the earth I brought you here and said,

"You are my chosen servant. I haven't forgotten you."

¹⁰Don't be afraid. I am with you.

Don't tremble with fear. I am your God.

I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm

and give you victories.

¹¹Everyone who hates you will be terribly disgraced;

those who attack will vanish into thin air.

¹²You will look around for those brutal enemies,

but you won't find them because they will be gone.

¹³I am the LORD your God. I am holding your hand,

so don't be afraid. I am here to help you.

¹⁴People of Israel, don't worry, though others may say,

"Israel is only a worm!"

I am the holy God of Israel, who saves and protects you.

¹⁵I will let you be like a log covered with sharp spikes.

You will grind and crush every mountain and hill

until they turn to dust.

¹⁶A strong wind will scatter them in all directions.

Then you will celebrate and praise me, your LORD,

the holy God of Israel.

The LORD Helps the Poor

¹⁷When the poor and needy are dying of thirst

and cannot find water,

I, the LORD God of Israel, will come to their rescue.

I won't forget them.

¹⁸I will make rivers flow on mountain peaks.

I will send streams to fill the valleys.

Dry and barren land will flow with springs

and become a lake.

¹⁹I will fill the desert with all kinds of trees--

cedars, acacias, and myrtles; olive and cypress trees;

fir trees and pines.

²⁰Everyone will see this and know that I,

the holy LORD God of Israel, created it all.

Idols Are Useless

²¹I am the LORD, the King of Israel!

Come argue your case with me. Present your evidence.

²²Come near me, you idols. Tell us about the past,

and we will think about it.

Tell us about the future, so we will know

what is going to happen.

²³Prove that you are gods

by making your predictions come true.

Do something good or evil,

so we can be amazed and terrified.

²⁴You idols are nothing, and you are powerless.

To worship you would be disgusting.

²⁵I, the LORD, appointed a ruler in the north;

now he comes from the east to honor my name.

He tramples kings like mud, as potters trample clay.

²⁶Did any of you idols predict what would happen?

Did any of you get it right?

None of you told about this or even spoke a word.

²⁷I was the first to tell the people of Jerusalem,

"Look, it's happening!"

I was the one who announced this good news to Zion.

²⁸None of these idols are able to give advice

or answer questions.

²⁹They are nothing, and they can do nothing--

they are less than a passing breeze.

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.