The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we saw his glory - Daily Bible Readings April 8,2014

1^ST READING

 

I would not have been as compassionate as Moses if the people had complained to me about the “wretched” food. There are many in the world who do not have any food, or at least very little. God has brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and they were on their way to the Promised Land. Where is their gratitude to God for this? Ingratitude is a terrible thing. Let us avoid it as best as we can.

 

Numbers 21:4-9

4 From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road, to bypass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the journey, 5 the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” 6 In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray the Lord to take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, 8 and the Lord said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.” 9 Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

R: O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

1 [2] O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. 2 [3] Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily. (R) 15 [16] The nations shall revere your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory, 16 [17] when the Lord has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his glory;17 [18] when he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer. (R) [19] Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the Lord: 19 [20] “The Lord looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, 20 [21] to hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die.” (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Jesus knows that the things He is proclaiming in His ministry are difficult to accept. He understands the peoples’ lack of understanding. However, He also knows that there will come a time when everyone will understand, and then there will be no more excuses. While it may be difficult to believe some of the claims of the Scriptures, we do not have an excuse for our unbelief as there are literally millions who have gone before us and shown us what it means to be a man or woman of faith.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we saw his glory.

 

John 8:21-30

21 Jesus said to the Pharisees: “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. 24 That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world.” 27 They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” 30 Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

 

think:  Ingratitude is a terrible thing. Let us avoid it as best as we can.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: __________________

 

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God’s special verse/thought for me today_

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Exodus 31-34