Radiant Light Broadcasting

Bible Reading

Shirley — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:31:09 +0000

Zephaniah 3
New International Version (NIV)

Jerusalem

1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. 3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. 4 Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. 5 The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

6“I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. 7 Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. 8 Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them—all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

Restoration of Israel’s Remnant

9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. 11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. 12 But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. 13 They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. ”

14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. 19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. 20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.

Where Were You!

Shirley — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:34:28 +0000

Job 38: 1-41

THE LORD SPEAKS

Then The Lord spoke to Job out of the storm, He said:

²“Who is this that obscures my plan with words without knowledge? ³Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

⁴“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. ⁵Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? ⁶On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone —⁷while the morning stars sang together and all the angels^[a] shouted for joy?

⁸“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, ⁹when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, ¹⁰when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, ¹¹when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

¹²“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, ¹³that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? ¹⁴The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. ¹⁵The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.

¹⁶“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? ¹⁷Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? ¹⁸Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.

¹⁹“What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? ²⁰Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? ²¹Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!

²²“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, ²³which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? ²⁴What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? ²⁵Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, ²⁶to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, ²⁷to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? ²⁸Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? ²⁹From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens ³⁰when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?

³¹“Can you bind the chains^[b] of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? ³²Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons^[c]or lead out the Bear^[d] with its cubs? ³³Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s^[e] dominion over the earth?

³⁴“Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? ³⁵Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? ³⁶Who gives the ibis wisdom^[f]or gives the rooster understanding?^[g]³⁷Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens³⁸when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?

³⁹“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions ⁴⁰when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? ⁴¹Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

FAITH IS A VERB

Shirley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:33:27 +0000

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for

the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)

Faith works in the present, it acknowledges that there is a purpose to everything and life is unfolding exactly as it should. It is actively trusting that God can handle our troubles and needs better than we can. All we must do is let them go so that He can do His work.

The Two Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes Which God gave me to hold

He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black,And all your joys in the gold.”

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes Both my joys and sorrows I store,

But though the gold became heavier each day The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black. I wanted to find out why

And I saw in the base of the box, a hole which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud, ” I wonder where all my sorrows could be.”

He smiled a gentle smile at me. ”My child, they’re all here, with Me.”

I asked, “God, why give me the boxes, Why the gold, and the black with the hole?”

“My child, the gold is to count your blessings, the black is for you to let go.”

(from the Quiet Moments with God Devotional)

Welcome!

Shirley — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:11:44 +0000

I Sam 5:1-7:17

English Standard Version

Indexed 6/5/2010, from www.biblegateway.com

1 Samuel 5

The Philistines and the Ark

¹When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from^(A) Ebenezer to^(B) Ashdod. ²Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside^(C) Dagon. ³And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold,^(D) Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD,^(E) and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. ⁵This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon^(F) do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. ⁶^(G) The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with^(H) tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. ⁷And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” ⁸So they sent and gathered together all^(I) the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. ⁹But after they had brought it around,^(J) the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that^(K) tumors broke out on them. ¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” ¹¹^(L) They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city.^(M) The hand of God was very heavy there. ¹²The men who did not die were struck with^(N) tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel 6

The Ark Returned to Israel

¹The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. ²And the Philistines called for the priests and^(O)the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” ³They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him^(P) a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why^(Q) his hand does not turn away from you.” ⁴And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden^(R) tumors and five golden mice,^(S) according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. ⁵So you must make images of your^(T) tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land,^(U) and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps^(V) he will lighten his hand from off you^(W) and your gods and your land. ⁶Why should you harden your hearts as^(X) the Egyptians and^(Y) Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them,^(Z) did they not send the people away, and they departed? ⁷Now then, take and prepare^(AA) a new cart and two milk cows^(AB) on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side^(AC) the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as^(AD) a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way ⁹and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to^(AE) Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not^(AF) his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.” ¹⁰The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. ¹²And the cows went straight in the direction of^(AG) Beth-shemesh along^(AH) one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. ¹³Now the people of^(AI) Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there.^(AJ) A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. ¹⁵And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon^(AK) the great stone. And the men of^(AL) Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the LORD. ¹⁶And when^(AM) the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a^(AN) guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords,^(AO) both fortified cities and unwalled villages.^(AP) The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

¹⁹^(AQ) And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them,^[a] and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow.²⁰Then the men of Beth-shemesh said,^(AR) ”Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of^(AS) Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you.”

1 Samuel 7

¹And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of^(AT) Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. ²From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

Samuel Judges Israel

³And Samuel said to all the house of Israel,^(AU) ”If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then^(AV) put away the foreign gods and the^(AW) Ashtaroth from among you and^(AX) direct your heart to the LORD^(AY) and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. ⁵Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at^(AZ) Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” ⁶So they gathered at^(BA)Mizpah^(BB) and drew water and poured it out before the LORD^(BC) and fasted on that day and said there,^(BD) ”We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And^(BE) Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. ¹⁰As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel.^(BF) But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel. ¹¹And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹²Then Samuel^(BG) took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[b] and called its name Ebenezer;^[c] for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” ¹³^(BH) So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵^(BI) Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷Then he would return to^(BJ) Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel.^(BK) And he built there an altar to the LORD.

John 6:1-21

English Standard Version

Indexed 6/5/2010, from www.biblegateway.com

John 6

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹After this^(A) Jesus went away to the other side of^(B) the Sea of Galilee, which is^(C) the Sea of Tiberias. ²And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. ³Jesus went up on^(D) the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. ⁴Now^(E) the Passover, the^(F) feast of the Jews, was at hand. ⁵^(G) Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to^(H)Philip, ”Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” ⁶He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. ⁷^(I) Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii^[a] would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” ⁸One of his disciples,^(J) Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹“There is a boy here who has five^(K) barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” ¹⁰Jesus said, ”Have the people sit down.”^(L) Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, and^(M) when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹²And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ”Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” ¹³So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. ¹⁴When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said,^(N) ”This is indeed^(O) the Prophet^(P) who is to come into the world!” ¹⁵^(Q) Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus^(R) withdrew again to^(S) the mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on Water

¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. ¹⁹When they had rowed about three or four miles,^[b] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. ²⁰^(T) But he said to them, ”It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Psalms 106:13-31

English Standard Version

Indexed 6/5/2010, from www.biblegateway.com

¹³But they soon^(A) forgot his works;
they did not wait for^(B) his counsel.
¹⁴But they had^(C) a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and^(D) put God to the test in the desert;
¹⁵he^(E) gave them what they asked,
but sent^(F) a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶When men in the camp^(G) were jealous of Moses
and Aaron,^(H) the holy one of the LORD,
¹⁷^(I) the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
¹⁸^(J) Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹They^(K) made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
²⁰They^(L) exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
²¹They^(M) forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
²²wondrous works in^(N) the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³Therefore^(O) he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his^(P) chosen one,
^(Q) stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴Then they^(R) despised^(S) the pleasant land,
having^(T) no faith in his promise.
²⁵They^(U) murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the LORD.
²⁶Therefore he^(V) raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
²⁷and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
^(W) scattering them among the lands.

²⁸Then they^(X) yoked themselves to the^(Y) Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
²⁹they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰Then^(Z) Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
³¹And that was^(AA) counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.

Proverbs 14:32-33

English Standard Version

Indexed 6/5/2010, from www.biblegateway.com

³²^(A) The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,
but^(B) the righteous finds refuge in his death.
³³Wisdom^(C) rests in the heart of a man of understanding,
but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.^[a]