Daily Bible CEV December 16 Scroll

Being Acceptable to God

Philippians 3 Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord. It doesn't bother me to write the same things to you that I have written before. In fact, it is for your own good.

²Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you. ³But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God's Spirit and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don't brag about what we have done, ⁴although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else. ⁵I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses. ⁶And I was so eager that I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God.

⁷But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. ⁸Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ ⁹and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. ¹⁰All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, ¹¹so that somehow I also may be raised to life.

Running toward the Goal

¹²I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. ¹³My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. ¹⁴I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. ¹⁵All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. ¹⁶But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.

¹⁷My friends, I want you to follow my example and learn from others who closely follow the example we set for you. ¹⁸I often warned you that many people are living as enemies of the cross of Christ. And now with tears in my eyes, I warn you again ¹⁹that they are headed for hell! They worship their stomachs and brag about the disgusting things they do. All they can think about are the things of this world.

²⁰But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ ²¹has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.

Two Sinful Sisters

Ezekiel 23 The LORD said:

²Ezekiel, son of man, listen to this story about two sisters. ³While they were young and living in Egypt, they became prostitutes. ⁴The older one was named Oholah, which stands for Samaria; the younger one was Oholibah, which stands for Jerusalem. They became my wives and gave birth to my children.

⁵Even though Oholah was my wife, she continued to be a prostitute and chased after Assyrian lovers. ⁶She offered herself to soldiers in purple uniforms, to every handsome, high-ranking officer, and to cavalry troops. ⁷She had sex with all the important Assyrian officials and even worshiped their disgusting idols. ⁸Once she started doing these things in Egypt, she never stopped. Men slept with her, and she was always ready for sex.

⁹So I gave Oholah to the Assyrian lovers she wanted so badly. ¹⁰They ripped off her clothes, then captured her children and killed her. Women everywhere talked about what had happened to Oholah.

¹¹Oholibah saw all this, but she was more sinful and wanted sex more than her sister Oholah ever did. ¹²Oholibah also chased after good-looking Assyrian officers, uniformed soldiers, and cavalry troops. ¹³Just like her sister, she did vulgar things.

¹⁴But Oholibah behaved worse than her sister. Oholibah saw images of Babylonian men carved into walls and painted red. ¹⁵They had belts around their waists and large turbans on their heads, and they reminded her of Babylonian cavalry officers. ¹⁶As soon as she looked at them, she wanted to have sex with them. And so, she sent messengers to bring them to her. ¹⁷Men from Babylonia came and had sex with her so many times that she got disgusted with them. ¹⁸She let everyone see her naked body and didn't care if they knew she was a prostitute. That's why I turned my back on her, just as I had done with her older sister.

¹⁹Oholibah didn't stop there, but became even more immoral and acted as she had back in Egypt. ²⁰She eagerly wanted to go to bed with Egyptian men, who were famous for their sexual powers. ²¹And she longed for the days when she was a young prostitute, when men enjoyed having sex with her.

The LORD Will Punish Oholibah

²²The LORD God said:

Oholibah, though you no longer want to be around your lovers, they will surround you like enemies, when I turn them against you. ²³I will gather all the handsome young officials and the high-ranking cavalry officers from Babylonia and Assyria, as well as from the Chaldean tribes of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa. ²⁴Their large armies will come from the north with chariots and wagons carrying weapons. They will wear shields and helmets and will surround you, and I will let them judge and sentence you according to their own laws. ²⁵I am angry with you, so I will let them be very cruel. They will cut off your nose and ears; they will kill your children and put to death anyone in your family who is still alive. ²⁶Your clothes and jewelry will be torn off. ²⁷I will stop your wickedness and the prostitution you started back in Egypt. You will never want to think about those days again.

²⁸I, the LORD God, am ready to hand you over to those hateful enemies that you find so disgusting. ²⁹They will cruelly take away everything you have worked for and strip you naked. Then everyone will see you for the prostitute you really are. Your own vulgar sins ³⁰have led to this. You were the one determined to have sex with men from other nations and to worship their idols. ³¹You have turned out no better than your older sister, and now you must drink from the cup filled with my anger.

³²I, the LORD God, gave your sister a large, deep cup filled with my anger. And when you drink from that cup, you will be mocked and insulted. ³³You will end up drunk and devastated, because that cup is filled with horror and ruin. ³⁴But you must drink every drop! Then smash the cup to pieces and use them to cut your breasts in sorrow. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

³⁵You have completely rejected me, and so I promise that you will be punished for the disgusting things you did as a prostitute.

The Two Sisters Are Condemned

³⁶The LORD said:

Ezekiel, son of man, it's time for you to tell Oholah and Oholibah that they are guilty. Remind them of their evil ways! ³⁷They have been unfaithful by worshiping idols, and they have committed murder by sacrificing my own children as offerings to idols. ^38-39They came into my temple that same day, and that made it unfit as a place to worship me. They have even stopped respecting the Sabbath.

⁴⁰They sent messengers to attract men from far away. When those men arrived, the two sisters took baths and put on eye shadow and jewelry. ⁴¹They sat on a fancy couch, and in front of them was a table for the olive oil and incense that had belonged to me. ⁴²Their room was always filled with a noisy crowd of drunkards brought in from the desert. These men gave the women bracelets and beautiful crowns, ⁴³and I noticed that the men were eager to have sex with these women, though they were exhausted from being prostitutes. ⁴⁴In fact, the men had sex over and over with Oholah and Oholibah, the two sinful sisters. ⁴⁵But good men will someday accuse those two of murder and of being unfaithful, because they are certainly guilty.

⁴⁶So I, the LORD God, now say to these sisters:

I will call together an angry mob that will abuse and rob you. ⁴⁷They will stone you to death and cut you to pieces; they will kill your children and burn down your houses. ⁴⁸I will get rid of sinful prostitution in this country, so that women everywhere will be warned not to act as you have. ⁴⁹You will be punished for becoming prostitutes and for worshiping idols, and you will know that I am the LORD God.

The LORD Will Bring Comfort

Isaiah 51 If you want to do right and obey the LORD,

follow Abraham's example.

He was the rock from which you were chipped.

²God chose Abraham and Sarah to be your ancestors.

The LORD blessed Abraham, and from that one man

came many descendants.

³Though Zion is in ruins, the LORD will bring comfort,

and the city will be as lovely as the garden of Eden

that he provided.

Then Zion will celebrate; it will be thankful

and sing joyful songs.

The LORD's Victory Will Last

⁴The LORD says: You are my people and nation!

So pay attention to me.

My teaching will cause justice to shine like a light

for every nation.

⁵Those who live across the sea are eagerly waiting

for me to rescue them.

I am strong and ready; soon I will come to save

and to rule all nations.

⁶Look closely at the sky! Stare at the earth.

The sky will vanish like smoke;

the earth will wear out like clothes.

Everyone on this earth will die like flies.

But my victory will last; my saving power never ends.

⁷If you want to do right

and to obey my teaching with all your heart,

then pay close attention.

Don't be discouraged when others insult you

and say hurtful things.

⁸They will be eaten away like a moth-eaten coat.

But my victory will last;

my saving power will never end.

A Prayer for the LORD's Help

⁹Wake up! Do something, LORD. Be strong and ready.

Wake up! Do what you did for our people long ago.

Didn't you chop up Rahab the monster?

¹⁰Didn't you dry up the deep sea and make a road

for your people to follow safely across?

¹¹Now those you have rescued will return to Jerusalem,

singing on their way.

They will be crowned with great happiness,

never again to be burdened with sadness and sorrow.

The LORD Gives Hope

¹²I am the LORD, the one who encourages you.

Why are you afraid of mere humans?

They dry up and die like grass.

¹³I spread out the heavens

and laid foundations for the earth.

But you have forgotten me, your LORD and Creator.

All day long you were afraid of those who were angry

and hoped to abuse you.

Where are they now?

¹⁴Everyone crying out in pain will be quickly set free;

they will be rescued from the power of death

and never go hungry.

¹⁵I will help them because I am your God,

the LORD All-Powerful, who makes the ocean roar.

¹⁶I have told you what to say, and I will keep you safe

in the palm of my hand.

I spread out the heavens and laid foundations for the earth.

Now I say, "Jerusalem, your people are mine."

A Warning to Jerusalem

¹⁷Jerusalem, wake up! Stand up!

You've drunk too much

from the cup filled with the LORD's anger.

You have swallowed every drop,

and you can't walk straight.

¹⁸Not one of your many children is there to guide you

or to offer a helping hand.

¹⁹You have been destroyed by war and by famine;

I cannot comfort you.

²⁰The LORD your God is angry,

and on every street corner your children lie helpless,

like deer trapped in nets.

²¹You are in trouble and drunk, but not from wine.

So pay close attention ²²to the LORD your God,

who defends you and says,

"I have taken from your hands

the cup filled with my anger that made you drunk.

You will never be forced to drink it again.

²³Instead I will give it to your brutal enemies,

who treated you like dirt and walked all over you."

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.