Isaiah 58:9-14
Mercy is an essential aspect of the Gospel. Without the mercy of God we would be left in the condemnation caused by our sinfulness. If we have received such great mercy, which we have, whether we like it or not, we must also be willing to minister it to others when they sin against us. Having received God?s mercy for our sins it is much easier for us to share that same mercy with others no matter how many times they may hurt us.
9 If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; 10 if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; 11 then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. 12 The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; ?Repairer of the breach,? they shall call you, ?Restorer of ruined homesteads.? 13 If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; if you call the
sabbath a delight, and the LORD?s holy day honorable; if you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice ? 14 then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
P S A L M
Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
1 Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. 2 Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. (R) 3 You are my God; have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (R) 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading. (R)
G O S P E L
Luke 5:27-32
Tax collectors were one of the most despised classes of people in all Israel. It seems that we all have a certain aversion to those who administer the tax laws of our country as well as the fact that the Jews considered them traitors in collaborating with the Roman powers. Jesus, however, desires to make them His friends. Indeed, it seems that Matthew himself was probably a tax collector. This clearly gives us some idea of the broad reach of the Gospel. If tax collectors can be redeemed, then virtually anyone can become a recipient of the Gospel.
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ?Follow me.? 28 And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. 29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, ?Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?? 31 Jesus said to them in reply, ?Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.?
my reflections
think: If we have received such great mercy, we must also be willing to minister it to others when they sin against us.
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God?s special verse/thought for me today_______________________
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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST
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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Judges 14-18
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