1st READING
Revelation 14:14-19
This vision of a time of harvesting hearkens back to the parables of Jesus that speak of a time when the weeds will be separated from the wheat and the sheep from the goats. Each of our lives is a mixture of good and bad choices and acts. What we should be trying to do is to see that we are getting better and better at making the right choices in life rather than the wrong ones. Let us pray that when the time comes for our lives to be held in the balance, it will swing well over towards the side of righteousness and holiness and well away from the side of sin.
14 Then I looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, ?Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth?s harvest is fully ripe.? 16 So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven who also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel came] from the altar, [who] was in charge of the fire, and cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, ?Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth?s vines, for its grapes are ripe.? 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth?s vintage. He threw it into the great wine press of God?s fury.
P S A L M
Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13
R: The Lord comes to judge the earth.
10 Say among the nations the LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity. (R) 11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; 12 let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then shall all the trees of the forest exult. (R) 13 Before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy. (R)
G O S P E L
Luke 21:5-11
We cannot afford to allow our lives to be consumed by the incidental things that will ultimately have very little bearing on eternity. Do we spend large amounts of time worrying about things that are of little value? Or have we learned how to focus our energies so that the major decisions are the ones that occupy most of our time? This is an important lesson to learn if we are going to be effective in the things that we have to do. Otherwise we will find that we spend most of our time doing things that have little effect on the final outcome of the situation.
5 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, 6 ?All that you see here ? Do we spend large amounts of time worrying about things that are of little value? Or have we learned how to focus our energies so that the major decisions are the ones that occupy most of our time? the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.? 7 Then they asked him, ?Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?? 8 He answered, ?See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ?I am he,? and ?The time has come.? Do not follow them! 9 When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.? 10 Then he said to them, ?Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.?
my reflections
think:
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God?s special verse/thought for me today________________
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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________
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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Romans 4-7