Daily Bible CEV December 14 Scroll

True Humility

Philippians 2 Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. ²Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. ³Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. ⁴Care about them as much as you care about yourselves ⁵and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought:

⁶Christ was truly God.

But he did not try to remain equal with God.

⁷He gave up everything and became a slave,

when he became like one of us.

⁸Christ was humble. He obeyed God

and even died on a cross.

⁹Then God gave Christ the highest place

and honored his name above all others.

¹⁰So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down,

those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

¹¹And to the glory of God the Father

everyone will openly agree,

"Jesus Christ is Lord!"

Israel Keeps On Rebelling

Ezekiel 20 Seven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, some of Israel's leaders came to me on the tenth day of the fifth month. They sat down and asked for a message from the LORD. ²Just then, the LORD God said:

³Ezekiel, son of man, these leaders have come to find out what I want them to do. As surely as I live, I will not give them an answer of any kind.

⁴Are you willing to warn them, Ezekiel? Then remind them of the disgusting sins of their ancestors.

⁵Tell them that long ago I, the LORD God, chose Israel to be my own. I appeared to their ancestors in Egypt and made a solemn promise that I would be their God and the God of their descendants. ⁶I swore that I would rescue them from Egypt and lead them to a land I had already chosen. This land was rich with milk and honey and was the most splendid land of all. ⁷I told them to get rid of their disgusting idols and not to sin by worshiping the gods of Egypt. I reminded them that I was the LORD their God, ⁸but they still rebelled against me. They refused to listen and kept on worshiping their idols and foreign gods.

In my anger, I decided to punish the Israelites in Egypt. ⁹But that would have made me look like a liar, because I had already promised in front of everyone that I would lead them out of Egypt. ¹⁰So I brought them out and led them into the desert. ¹¹I gave them my laws and teachings, so they would know how to live right. ¹²And I commanded them to respect the Sabbath as a way of showing that they were holy and belonged to me. ¹³But the Israelites rebelled against me in the desert. They refused to obey my laws and teachings, and they treated the Sabbath like any other day.

Then in my anger, I decided to destroy the Israelites in the desert once and for all. ¹⁴But that would have disgraced me, because many other nations had seen me bring the Israelites out of Egypt. ¹⁵Instead, I told them in the desert that I would not lead them into the beautiful, fertile land I had promised. ¹⁶I said this because they had not only ignored my laws and teachings, but had disgraced my Sabbath and worshiped idols.

¹⁷Yet, I felt sorry for them and could not let them die in the desert. ¹⁸So I warned the children not to act like their parents or follow their evil ways or worship their idols. ¹⁹I reminded them that I was the LORD their God and that they should obey my laws and teachings. ²⁰I told them to respect my Sabbath to show that they were my people and that I was the LORD their God. ²¹But the children also rebelled against me. They refused to obey my laws and teachings, and they treated the Sabbath as any other day.

I became angry and decided to punish them in the desert. ²²But I did not. That would have disgraced me in front of the nations that had seen me bring the Israelites out of Egypt. ²³So I solemnly swore that I would scatter the people of Israel across the nations, ²⁴because they had disobeyed my laws and ignored my teachings; they had disgraced my Sabbath and worshiped the idols their ancestors had made. ²⁵I gave them laws that bring punishment instead of life, ²⁶and I let them offer me unacceptable sacrifices, including their first-born sons. I did this to horrify them and to let them know that I, the LORD, was punishing them.

²⁷Ezekiel, tell the people of Israel that their ancestors also rejected and insulted me ²⁸by offering sacrifices, incense, and wine to gods on every hill and under every large tree. I was very angry, because they did these things in the land I had given them! ²⁹I asked them where they went to worship those gods, and they answered, "At the local shrines." And those places of worship are still called shrines.

³⁰Then ask the Israelites why they are following the example of their wicked ancestors ³¹by worshiping idols and by sacrificing their own children as offerings. They commit these sins and still think they can ask me for a message. As surely as I am the living LORD God, I will give them no answer. ³²They may think they can be like other nations and get away with worshiping idols made of wood and stone. But that will never happen!

The LORD Promises To Restore Israel

The LORD said to the people of Israel:

³³As surely as I am the living LORD God, I will rule over you with my powerful arm. You will feel my fierce anger ³⁴and my power, when I gather you from the places where you are scattered ³⁵and lead you into a desert surrounded by nations. I will meet you there face to face. Then I will pass judgment on you ³⁶and punish you, just as I punished your ancestors in the desert near Egypt. ³⁷I will force each of you to obey the regulations of our solemn agreement. ³⁸I will separate the sinful rebels from the rest of you, and even though I will bring them from the nations where they live in exile, they won't be allowed to return to Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

³⁹Go ahead and worship your idols for now, you Israelites, because soon I will no longer let you dishonor me by offering gifts to them. You will have no choice but to obey me! ⁴⁰When that day comes, everyone in Israel will worship me on Mount Zion, my holy mountain in Jerusalem. I will once again call you my own, and I will accept your sacred offerings and sacrifices. ⁴¹When I bring you home from the places where you are now scattered, I will be pleased with you, just as I am pleased with the smell of the smoke from your sacrifices. Every nation on earth will see that I am holy, ⁴²and you will know that I, the LORD, am the one who brought you back to Israel, the land I promised your ancestors. ⁴³Then you will remember your wicked sins, and you will hate yourselves for doing such horrible things. They have made you unacceptable to me, ⁴⁴so you deserve to be punished. But I will treat you in a way that will bring honor to my name, and you will know that I am the LORD God.

Fire from the South

⁴⁵The LORD said, ⁴⁶"Ezekiel, son of man, turn toward the south and warn the forests ⁴⁷that I, the LORD God, will start a fire that will burn up every tree, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put out the blaze of that fire as it spreads to the north and burns everything in its path. ⁴⁸Everyone will know that I started it, and that it cannot be stopped."

⁴⁹But I complained, "LORD God, I don't want to do that! People already say I confuse them with my messages."

The Work of the LORD's Servant

Isaiah 49 Everyone, listen, even you foreign nations

across the sea.

The LORD chose me and gave me a name

before I was born.

²He made my words pierce like a sharp sword

or a pointed arrow;

he kept me safely hidden in the palm of his hand.

³The LORD said to me, "Israel, you are my servant;

and because of you I will be highly honored."

⁴I said to myself, "I'm completely worn out;

my time has been wasted.

But I did it for the LORD God,

and he will reward me."

⁵Even before I was born, the LORD God chose me

to serve him and to lead back the people of Israel.

So the LORD has honored me and made me strong.

⁶Now the LORD says to me, "It isn't enough for you

to be merely my servant.

You must do more than lead back survivors

from the tribes of Israel.

I have placed you here as a light for other nations;

you must take my saving power to everyone on earth."

The LORD Will Rescue His People

⁷Israel, I am the holy LORD God,

the one who rescues you.

You are slaves of rulers

and of a nation who despises you.

Now this is what I promise:

Kings and rulers will honor you

by kneeling at your feet.

You can trust me! I am your LORD,

the holy God of Israel,

and you are my chosen ones.

The LORD Will Lead His People Home

⁸This is what the LORD says: I will answer your prayers

because I have set a time when I will help

by coming to save you.

I have chosen you to take my promise of hope

to other nations.

You will rebuild the country from its ruins,

then people will come and settle there.

⁹You will set prisoners free from dark dungeons

to see the light of day.

On their way home, they will find plenty to eat,

even on barren hills.

¹⁰They won't go hungry or get thirsty;

they won't be bothered by the scorching sun

or hot desert winds.

I will be merciful while leading them along

to streams of water.

¹¹I will level the mountains and make roads.

¹²Then my people will return from distant lands

in the north and the west

and from the city of Syene.

The LORD's Mercy

¹³Tell the heavens and the earth to celebrate and sing;

command every mountain to join in the song.

The LORD's people have suffered,

but he has shown mercy and given them comfort.

¹⁴The people of Zion said, "The LORD has turned away

and forgotten us."

¹⁵The LORD answered, "Could a mother forget a child

who nurses at her breast?

Could she fail to love an infant

who came from her own body?

Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you.

¹⁶A picture of your city is drawn on my hand.

You are always in my thoughts!

¹⁷"Your city will be built faster than it was destroyed --

those who attacked it will retreat and leave.

¹⁸Look around! You will see your people coming home.

As surely as I live, I, the LORD, promise

that your city with its people

will be as lovely as a bride wearing her jewelry."

Jerusalem's Bright Future

¹⁹Jerusalem is now in ruins! Nothing is left of the city.

But it will be rebuilt and soon overcrowded;

its cruel enemies will be gone far away.

²⁰Jerusalem is a woman whose children were born

while she was in deep sorrow

over the loss of her husband.

Now those children will come and seek room

in the crowded city,

²¹and Jerusalem will ask, "Am I really their mother?

How could I have given birth

when I was still mourning in a foreign land?

Who raised these children? Where have they come from?"

²²The LORD God says: "I will soon give a signal

for the nations to return your sons and your daughters

to the arms of Jerusalem.

²³The kings and queens of those nations

where they were raised will come and bow down.

They will take care of you

just like a slave taking care of a child.

Then you will know that I am the LORD.

You won't be disappointed if you trust me."

The LORD Is on Our Side

²⁴Is it possible to rescue victims

from someone strong and cruel?

²⁵But the LORD has promised to fight on our side

and to rescue our children from those strong

and violent enemies.

²⁶He will make those cruel people dine on their own flesh

and get drunk from drinking their own blood.

Then everyone will know that the LORD is our Savior;

the powerful God of Israel has rescued his people.

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.