the First Week of Advent
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
August 20 - Old & New Testament
csb
Psalms 87,88
Psalm 87
Zion, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
1 His foundation is on the holy mountains.(a)
2 The
Lord
loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(b)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(c)
4 "I will mention those who know Me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—
each one was born there."(d)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
"This one and that one were born in her."
The Most High Himself will establish her.(e)
6 When He registers the peoples,
the
Lord
will record,
"This one was born there."(f)
7 Singers and dancers alike will say,
"My whole source of joy is[a] in you."(g)
Psalm 88
A Cry of Desperation
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.(a)
1
Lord
, God of my salvation,
I cry out before You day and night.(b)
2 May my prayer reach Your presence;
listen to my cry.(c)
3 For I have had enough troubles,
and my life is near Sheol.(d)
4 I am counted among those going down to the Pit.(e)
I am like a man without strength,(f)
5 abandoned[a] among the dead.
I am like the slain lying in the grave,(g)
whom You no longer remember,
and who are cut off from Your care.[b](h)
6 You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit,
in the darkest places, in the depths.(i)
7 Your wrath weighs heavily on me;(j)
You have overwhelmed me with all Your waves.(k)
8 You have distanced my friends from me;
You have made me repulsive to them.(l)
I am shut in and cannot go out.
9 My eyes are worn out from crying.(m)
Lord
, I cry out to You all day long;(n)
I spread out my hands to You.(o)
10 Do You work wonders for the dead?
Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?(p)
11 Will Your faithful love be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in Abaddon?(q)
12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness
or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?(r)
13 But I call to You for help,
Lord
;
in the morning my prayer meets You.(s)
14
Lord
, why do You reject me?(t)
Why do You hide Your face from me?(u)
15 From my youth,
I have been afflicted and near death.
I suffer Your horrors; I am desperate.(v)
16 Your wrath sweeps over me;
Your terrors destroy me.(w)
17 They surround me like water all day long;
they close in on me from every side.(x)
18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me;
darkness is my only friend.[c](y)
1 Corinthians 12
Chapter 12
Diversity of Spiritual Gifts
1 Now concerning what comes from the Spirit:[a] brothers, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you used to be led off to the idols(a) that could not speak.(b) 3 Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are different gifts,(c) but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.[b] 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person(d) to produce what is beneficial:
8 to one(e) is given a message of wisdom(f)
through the Spirit,
to another, a message of knowledge
by the same Spirit,
9 to another, faith by the same Spirit,
to another, gifts of healing(g) by the one Spirit,
10 to another, the performing of miracles,(h)
to another, prophecy,(i)
to another, distinguishing between spirits,(j)
to another, different kinds of languages,
to another, interpretation of languages.
11 But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.
Unity Yet Diversity in the Body
12 For as the body is one(k) and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.(l) 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.(m) 14 So the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body," in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body," in spite of this it still belongs to the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted.(n) 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 Now there are many parts, yet one body.
21 So the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" Or again, the head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable,(o) we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation. 24 But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division(p) in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ,(q) and individual members of it. 28 And God has placed these in the church:(r)
first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers,(s) next miracles,(t)
then gifts of healing,(u) helping,
managing, various kinds of languages.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets?
Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in other languages?
Do all interpret?(v)
31 But desire(w) the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.
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