M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
12 We have all these people all around us, proving to us that we should believe God. So then, like people running a race, we must take off everything that is heavy. We must put off all wrong, wrong things that get in our way. We must not stop running until we reach the mark that has been put in front of us.
2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus. He believed from first to last. What was put in front of him made him glad, so he did not give up when the people nailed him on a cross. He did not care about the shame. And now he is sitting beside God.
3 Think about him. He did not give up when bad people said wrong things about him. When you think about him, you will not become tired and your hearts will not give up.
4 You have been fighting against bad people. But you have not been hurt very much.
5 You have forgotten the words spoken to you as sons. `My son, when the Lord punishes you, do not think it is a little thing. Do not give up when he tells you that you do wrong.
6 The Lord punishes the person he loves. And he beats every son he takes into his family.'
7 Do not give up when you are punished. God is treating you like sons. Is there a son who has never been punished by his father?
8 You are punished like the other children in the family. If you are not, you do not belong to the family as the other children do.
9 And what is more, our fathers on earth punished us and we respected them. We should obey even more the Father of our spirits. If we do, we will live.
10 Our fathers on earth punished us for a short time the way they wanted to. But God punishes us the way it is good for us. He is holy and good, so he wants us to become holy also.
11 At the time a person is punished, he is not glad. He is sad. But after it is over, there is peace. Then those who are trained by it do what is right.
12 So lift up your hands that are hanging down. Make your weak knees strong.
13 Walk straight ahead. Then weak feet will not get worse, but will be made well.
14 Try to be at peace with all people. And try to be holy. If a person is not holy, he will not see the Lord.
15 Take care that no one loses God's blessing. Take care so that no angry feeling starts to grow in anyone. It will make trouble and many people will become bad.
16 Take care that no one takes part in wrong ways of using sex. And take care that no one is like Esau and forgets God. He was the older son. But he sold all that he would get from his father. He sold it for a little food.
17 You know that later he wanted to get the blessing, but he did not get it. He could not turn back. He even cried as he begged for the blessing.
18 You have not come to the mountain that can be touched and is burning with a big fire. You have not come to the place of darkness and night and storm.
19 You have not come to a place where a loud trumpet or horn is blown, and a loud voice is talking. When the people heard the voice, they begged that God would not say anything more to them.
20 They were afraid of what he said. He said, `If even an animal touches this mountain, it must be killed with stones.'
21 Moses was afraid when he saw all this. He said, `I fear very much and I tremble.'
22 But you have come to a hill called Zion. You have come to the city of the living God. It is the Jerusalem in heaven. You have come to many thousands of angels in a happy gathering.
23 You have come to the church people. They are God's first sons, and their names are written in heaven. You have come to God who is the judge of all people. You have come to the spirits of good people who have been made right.
24 You have come to Jesus who is the middle man of a new agreement. You have come to the place where the spilling of his blood has more power than Abel's.
25 Take care that you listen to God who is talking now. The people were punished when they would not listen to the One who talked on earth. And we will be punished much worse if we will not listen to the One who talks from heaven.
26 That time his voice shook the earth. But now he has said, `Only once more I will shake the earth and the sky also.'
27 The words, `Only once more' mean that the things that are shaken will be taken away. They are things that were made. The things which are not shaken will stay.
28 We have a place in heaven that cannot be shaken. So let us be glad and worship God and please him. Let us respect and fear him.
29 Our God is a fire that can burn up.
39 At that time, Mary got ready and went as quickly as she could to the hill country. She went to a town in Judah.
40 She went into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her moved. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 She said in a loud voice, `God has made you happy and blessed you more than all other women. He has blessed your baby.
43 Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 Listen! When I heard your greeting, the baby inside me moved because he was glad.
45 She who has believed what was told her is blessed. What the Lord said to her will come true.'
46 Mary said, `My heart is praising the Lord.
47 And my spirit is happy because God has saved me.
48 He has remembered his servant even though she is not a great person. From now on all people of all times will say God has blessed me.
49 He who has all power has done a big work for me. His name is holy.
50 `He is kind to people of all times who respect him.
51 He has shown how strong he is with his arm. He has taken away people who were proud in their hearts.
52 He has moved big rulers from power, and those that were not great he has made great.
53 He has given hungry people good things to eat, and sent away the rich people with nothing.
54 He has helped his servant Israel.
55 He has remembered to be kind just as he said to our fathers of long ago. He promised to be kind to Abraham and his children's children for ever.'
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Then she went home.
57 The time had now come for Elizabeth's child to be born. She had a son.
58 When her neighbours and family heard that the Lord had been so kind to her, they were glad, too.
59 On the eighth day people came to circumcise [make a special mark on] the child. They were going to name him Zechariah like his father.
60 But his mother said, `No, his name is to be John.'
61 They said to her, `But no one in your family has that name.'
62 They made signs to the father to find out what name he wanted the child to have.
63 He asked for something to write on. He wrote, `His name is John.' They were all surprised.
64 Right then he opened his mouth and his tongue was free. He began to speak and to praise God.
65 Everyone who lived around there began to wonder at these things. And everywhere in the hill country of Judea, all these things were talked about.
66 All those who heard them thought much about them. They said, `What will this child be some day?' They said this because the power of the Lord was with him.
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke words from God.
68 He said, `Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has remembered his people, and set them free.
69 He has chosen one from the family of his servant David. He has given him power to save us.
70 That is what he promised through his holy prophets of God long ago.
71 He said he would save us from our enemies and set us free from those who hate us.
72 `He said he would be kind to our fathers. He said he would remember his agreement with them.
73-75 That was what he promised our father Abraham he would surely do. He promised to set us free from our enemies. He promised that we should be without fear. He promised that we would worship him and be holy and good before him as long as we live.
76 `You, my child, will be called the prophet or messenger of the Highest One. You will go ahead of the Lord to make his way ready.
77 You will tell his people how to be saved by being forgiven for their wrong ways.
78 `Our God is kind. A light from heaven will shine.
79 That light will shine on those who are in darkness, and are going to die. That light will show us how to walk in peace.'
80 The child grew. He became strong in spirit. He lived in the desert until the day when he came to the people of Israel.
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