Daily Bible CEV December 19 Scroll

Paul's Service to the Church

Colossians 1 ²⁴I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue the suffering of Christ for his body, the church. ²⁵God's plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you. ²⁶For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people. ²⁷God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory.

²⁸We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature. ²⁹That's why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.
Colossians 2 I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have never met me. ²I do it to encourage them. Then as their hearts are joined together in love, they will be wonderfully blessed with complete understanding. And they will truly know Christ. Not only is he the key to God's mystery, ³but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden away in him. ⁴I tell you these things to keep you from being fooled by fancy talk. ⁵Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you. I am glad to know that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

Christ Brings Real Life

⁶You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. ⁷Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.

⁸Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ.

⁹God lives fully in Christ. ¹⁰And you are fully grown because you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority. ¹¹Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body. ¹²And when you were baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from death. ¹³You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.

¹⁴God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. ¹⁵There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.

¹⁶Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't let them say that you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival. ¹⁷These things are only a shadow of what was to come. But Christ is real!

¹⁸Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. ¹⁹They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God.

A Funeral Song for Tyre

Ezekiel 27 The LORD said:

²Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, ³the city that is built along the sea and that trades with nations along the coast. Tell the people of Tyre that the following message is from me:

Tyre, you brag about your perfect beauty,

⁴

and your control of the sea.

You are a ship built to perfection.

⁵Builders used cypress trees from Mount Hermon

to make your planks

and a cedar tree from Lebanon for your tall mast.

⁶Oak trees from Bashan were shaped into oars;

pine trees from Cyprus were cut for your deck,

which was then decorated with strips of ivory.

⁷The builders used fancy linen from Egypt for your sails,

so everyone could see you.

Blue and purple cloth from Cyprus

was used to shade your deck.

⁸Men from Sidon and Arvad did the rowing,

and your own skilled workers were the captains.

⁹Experienced men from Byblos repaired any damages.

Sailors from all over shopped

at the stores in your port.

¹⁰Brave soldiers from Persia, Lydia, and Libya

served in your navy,

protecting you with shields and helmets,

and making you famous.

¹¹Your guards came from Arvad and Cilicia,

and men from Gamad stood watch in your towers.

With their weapons hung on your walls,

your beauty was complete.

¹²Merchants from southern Spain traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. ¹³The people of Greece, Tubal, and Meshech traded slaves and things made of bronze, ¹⁴and those from Beth-Togarmah traded work horses, war horses, and mules. ¹⁵You also did business with people from Rhodes, and people from nations along the coast gave you ivory and ebony in exchange for your goods. ¹⁶Edom traded emeralds, purple cloth, embroidery, fine linen, coral, and rubies. ¹⁷Judah and Israel gave you their finest wheat, fancy figs, honey, olive oil, and spices in exchange for your merchandise. ¹⁸The people of Damascus saw what you had to offer and brought you wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar. ¹⁹Vedan and Javan near Uzal traded you iron and spices. ²⁰The people of Dedan supplied you with saddle blankets, ²¹while people from Arabia and the rulers of Kedar traded lambs, sheep, and goats. ²²Merchants from Sheba and Raamah gave you excellent spices, precious stones, and gold in exchange for your products. ²³You also did business with merchants from the cities of Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, ²⁴and they gave you expensive clothing, purple and embroidered cloth, brightly colored rugs, and strong rope. ²⁵Large, seagoing ships carried your goods wherever they needed to go.

You were like a ship loaded with heavy cargo

²⁶and sailing across the sea,

but you were wrecked by strong eastern winds.

²⁷Everything on board was lost--

your valuable cargo,

your sailors and carpenters, merchants and soldiers.

²⁸The shouts of your drowning crew were heard on the shore.

²⁹Every ship is deserted;

rowers and sailors and captains all stand on shore,

³⁰

mourning for you.

They show their sorrow by putting dust on their heads

and rolling in ashes;

³¹they shave their heads and dress in sackcloth

as they cry in despair.

³²In their grief they sing a funeral song for you:

"Tyre, you were greater than all other cities.

But now you lie in silence at the bottom of the sea.

³³"Nations that received your merchandise

were always pleased;

kings everywhere got rich from your costly goods.

³⁴But now you are wrecked in the deep sea,

with your cargo and crew scattered everywhere.

³⁵People living along the coast are shocked at the news.

Their rulers are horrified,

and terror is written across their faces.

³⁶The merchants of the world can't believe what happened.

Your death was gruesome, and you are gone forever."

Judgment on the King of Tyre

Ezekiel 28 The LORD God said:

²Ezekiel, son of man, tell the king of Tyre that I am saying:

You are so arrogant that you think you're a god and that the city of Tyre is your throne. You may claim to be a god, though you're nothing but a mere human. ³You think you're wiser than Daniel and know everything.

⁴Your wisdom has certainly made you rich, because you have storehouses filled with gold and silver. ⁵You're a clever businessman and are extremely wealthy, but your wealth has led to arrogance!

⁶You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the LORD God, ⁷will make you the victim of cruel enemies. They will destroy all the possessions you've worked so hard to get. ⁸Your enemies will brutally kill you, and the sea will be your only grave.

⁹When you face your enemies, will you still claim to be a god? They will attack, and you will suffer like any other human. ¹⁰Foreigners will kill you, and you will die the death of those who don't worship me. I, the LORD, have spoken.

A Funeral Song for the King of Tyre

¹¹The LORD said:

¹²Ezekiel, son of man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre and tell him I am saying:

At one time, you were perfect, intelligent, and good-looking. ¹³You lived in the garden of Eden and wore jewelry made of brightly colored gems and precious stones. They were all set in gold and were ready for you on the day you were born. ¹⁴I appointed a winged creature to guard your home on my holy mountain, where you walked among gems that dazzled like fire.

¹⁵You were truly good from the time of your birth, but later you started doing wicked things. ¹⁶You traded with other nations and became more and more cruel and evil. So I forced you to leave my mountain, and the creature that had been your protector now chased you away from the gems.

¹⁷It was your good looks that made you arrogant, and you were so famous that you started acting like a fool. That's why I threw you to the ground and let other kings sneer at you. ¹⁸You have cheated so many other merchants that your places of worship are corrupt. So I set your city on fire and burned it down. Now everyone sees only ashes where your city once stood, ¹⁹and the people of other nations are shocked. Your punishment was horrible, and you are gone forever.

Judgment on Sidon and Peace for Israel

²⁰The LORD said:

²¹Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the city of Sidon ²²and tell its people:

I, the LORD God, am your enemy! People will praise me when I punish you, and they will see that I am holy. ²³I will send deadly diseases to wipe you out, and I will send enemies to invade and surround you. Your people will be killed, and you will know that I am the LORD.

²⁴When that happens, the people of Israel will no longer have cruel neighbors that abuse them and make them feel as though they are in a field of thorns and briers. And the Israelites will know that I, the LORD God, have done these things.

A Blessing for Israel

²⁵The LORD God said:

Someday I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are now scattered, and every nation will see that I am holy. The Israelites will once again live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶They will be safe and will build houses and plant vineyards. They will no longer be in danger, because I will punish their hateful neighbors. Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.

A Promise of the LORD's Protection

Isaiah 54 Sing and shout,

even though you have never had children!

The LORD has promised

that you will have more children

than someone married for a long time.

²Make your tents larger! Spread out the tent pegs;

fasten them firmly.

³You and your descendants will take over the land

of other nations.

You will settle in towns that are now in ruins.

⁴Don't be afraid or ashamed and don't be discouraged.

You won't be disappointed.

Forget how sinful you were when you were young;

stop feeling ashamed for being left a widow.

⁵The LORD All-Powerful, the Holy God of Israel,

rules all the earth.

He is your Creator and husband, and he will rescue you.

⁶You were like a young wife, brokenhearted and crying

because her husband had divorced her.

But the LORD your God says,

"I am taking you back! ⁷I rejected you for a while,

but with love and tenderness I will embrace you again.

⁸For a while, I turned away in furious anger.

Now I will have mercy and love you forever!

I, your protector and LORD, make this promise."

The LORD Promises Lasting Peace

⁹I once promised Noah that I would never again

destroy the earth by a flood.

Now I have promised that I will never again

get angry and punish you.

¹⁰Every mountain and hill may disappear.

But I will always be kind and merciful to you;

I won't break my agreement to give your nation peace.

The New Jerusalem

¹¹Jerusalem, you are sad and discouraged,

tossed around in a storm.

But I, the LORD, will rebuild your city

with precious stones;

for your foundation I will use blue sapphires.

¹²Your fortresses will be built of rubies,

your gates of jewels, and your walls of gems.

¹³I will teach your children and make them successful.

¹⁴You will be built on fairness with no fears of injustice;

every one of your worries will be taken far from you.

¹⁵I will never send anyone to attack your city,

and you will make prisoners of those who do attack.

¹⁶Don't forget that I created metalworkers

who make weapons over burning coals.

I also created armies that can bring destruction.

¹⁷Weapons made to attack you won't be successful;

words spoken against you won't hurt at all.

My servants, Jerusalem is yours!

I, the LORD, promise to bless you with victory.

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.