Through the Bible – Day 216

Bible text(s)

Psalms 93

The LORD is king

1Our LORD, you are King!

Majesty and power

are your royal robes.

You put the world in place,

and it will never be moved.

2You have always ruled,

and you are eternal.

3The ocean is roaring, LORD!

The sea is pounding hard.

4Its mighty waves are majestic,

but you are more majestic,

and you rule over all.

5Your decisions are firm,

and your temple will always

be beautiful and holy.

Psalms 94

The LORD punishes the guilty

1LORD God, you punish

the guilty.

Show what you are like

and punish them now.

2You judge the earth.

Come and help us!

Pay back those proud people

for what they have done.

3How long will the wicked

celebrate and be glad?

4All those cruel people

strut and boast,

5and they crush and wound

your chosen nation, LORD.

6They murder widows,

foreigners, and orphans.

7Then they say,

“The LORD God of Jacob

doesn't see or know.”

8Can't you fools see?

Won't you ever learn?

9God gave us ears and eyes!

Can't he hear and see?

10God instructs the nations

and gives knowledge to us all.

Won't he also correct us?

11The LORD knows how useless

our plans really are.

12Our LORD, you bless everyone

whom you instruct and teach

by using your Law.

13You give them rest

from their troubles,

until a pit can be dug

for the wicked.

14You won't turn your back

on your chosen nation.

15Justice and fairness

will go hand in hand,

and all who do right

will follow along.

16Who will stand up for me

against those cruel people?

17If you had not helped me, LORD,

I would soon have gone

to the land of silence.

18When I felt my feet slipping,

you came with your love

and kept me steady.

19And when I was burdened

with worries,

you comforted me

and made me feel secure.

20But you are opposed

to dishonest lawmakers

21who gang up to murder

innocent victims.

22You, LORD God, are my fortress,

that mighty rock

where I am safe.

23You will pay back my enemies,

and you will wipe them out

for the evil they did.

Psalms 95

Worship and obey the LORD

1Sing joyful songs to the LORD!

Praise the mighty rock

where we are safe.

2Come to worship him

with thankful hearts

and songs of praise.

3The LORD is the greatest God,

king over all other gods.

4He holds the deepest part

of the earth in his hands,

and the mountain peaks

belong to him.

5The ocean is the Lord's

because he made it,

and with his own hands

he formed the dry land.

6Bow down and worship

the LORD our Creator!

7The LORD is our God,

and we are his people,

the sheep he takes care of

in his own pasture.

Listen to God's voice today!

8Don't be stubborn and rebel

as your ancestors did

at Meribah and Massah

out in the desert.

9For forty years

they tested God and saw

the things he did.

10Then God got tired of them

and said,

“You never show good sense,

and you don't understand

what I want you to do.”

11In his anger, God told them,

“You people will never enter

my place of rest.”

Psalms 96

Sing a new song to the LORD

1Sing a new song to the LORD!

Everyone on this earth,

sing praises to the LORD,

2sing and praise his name.

Day after day announce,

“The LORD has saved us!”

3Tell every nation on earth,

“The LORD is wonderful

and does marvellous things!

4The LORD is great and deserves

our greatest praise!

He is the only God

worthy of our worship.

5Other nations worship idols,

but the LORD created

the heavens.

6Give honour and praise

to the LORD,

whose power and beauty

fill his holy temple.”

7Tell everyone of every nation,

“Praise the glorious power

of the LORD.

8He is wonderful! Praise him

and bring an offering

into his temple.

9Everyone on earth, now tremble

and worship the LORD,

majestic and holy.”

10Announce to the nations,

“The LORD is King!

The world stands firm,

never to be shaken,

and he will judge its people

with fairness.”

11Tell the heavens and the earth

to be glad and celebrate!

Command the ocean to roar

with all its creatures

12and the fields to rejoice

with all their crops.

Then every tree in the forest

will sing joyful songs

13to the LORD.

He is coming to judge

all people on earth

with fairness and truth.

Psalms 93:1-96:13CEVOpen in Bible reader

Romans 4

The example of Abraham

1Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? 2If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to boast about. But he would never be able to boast about it to God. 3The Scriptures say, “God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him.”

4Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. 5But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. 6In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,

7“God blesses people

whose sins are forgiven

and whose evil deeds

are forgotten.

8The Lord blesses people

whose sins are erased

from his book.”

9Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. 10But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.

11Abraham let himself be circumcised to show that he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. 12This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.

The promise is for all who have faith

13God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. 14If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.

15God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn't a law, it cannot be broken. 16Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his great kindness. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all. 17The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things.

18God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. 19Abraham's faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. 20But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.

21Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. 22So God accepted him, 23just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. 24They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. 25God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.

Romans 4:1-25CEVOpen in Bible reader
Canadian Bible Societyv.4.26.9
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