Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Helps Men in Trouble
107 Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His loving-kindness lasts forever! 2 Let the people who have been saved say so. He has bought them and set them free from the hand of those who hated them. 3 He gathered them from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.
33 He changes rivers into a desert and wells of water into a thirsty ground. 34 He changes a land of much fruit into a salt waste because of the sin of those who live in it. 35 He changes a desert into a pool of water and makes water flow out of dry ground. 36 And He makes the hungry go there so they may build a city to live in. 37 They plant seeds in the fields and plant grape-vines and gather much fruit. 38 He lets good come to them and they become many in number. And He does not let the number of their cattle become less.
39 When the number of people becomes less and they are put to shame under a bad power and trouble and sorrow, 40 He pours anger on rulers. He makes them walk in the waste places where there is no path. 41 But He lifts those in need out of their troubles. He makes their families grow like flocks. 42 Those who are right see it and are glad. But all the sinful shut their mouths. 43 Let the wise man think about these things. And may he think about the loving-kindness of the Lord.
The Promised Land to Be Taken
8 “Be careful to do all that I am telling you today. Then you will live and have many children, and go in to own the land the Lord promised to give to your fathers. 2 You will remember all the way the Lord your God led you in the desert these forty years, so you would not have pride, and how He tested you to know what was in your heart to see if you would obey His Laws or not. 3 He let you be hungry which helped you to not have pride. Then He fed you with bread from heaven which you and your fathers had not known. He did this to make you understand that man does not live by bread alone. But man lives by everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not get sore during these forty years. 5 So know in your heart that the Lord your God was punishing you just as a man punishes his son. 6 Keep the Laws of the Lord your God. Walk in His ways, and fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of rivers and wells of water, flowing into valleys from hills. 8 It is a land of grains, vines, fig trees, fruit, olive oil and honey. 9 It is a land where you will have enough food to eat and not have to do without, a land where stones are iron. And you can make brass from what you dig out of its hills. 10 When you have eaten and are filled, you will honor and thank the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.
11 “Be careful not to forget the Lord your God by not keeping all His Laws which I am telling you today. 12 When you have eaten and are filled, and have built good houses to live in, 13 and when your cattle and flocks become many, and you get much silver and gold, and have many things for your own, 14 be careful not to become proud. Do not forget the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house where you were servants. 15 He led you through the big desert that brought fear with its poisonous snakes and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 In the desert He fed you bread from heaven, which your fathers did not know about. He did this so you would not have pride and that He might test you. It was for your good in the end. 17 Be careful not to say in your heart, ‘My power and strong hand have made me rich.’ 18 But remember the Lord your God. For it is He Who is giving you power to become rich. By this He may keep His agreement which He promised to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and go to other gods to worship and work for them, I tell you today that you will be destroyed for sure. 20 You will be destroyed like the nations the Lord destroys before you, because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God.
The Body of Christ
27 You are all a part of the body of Christ. 28 God has chosen different ones in the church to do His work. First, there are missionaries. Second, there are preachers or those who speak for God. And third, there are teachers. He has also chosen those who do powerful works and those who have the gifts of healing. And He has chosen those who help others who are in need and those who are able to lead others in work and those who speak in special sounds. 29 Are they all missionaries? No. Are they all preachers or those who speak for God? No. Do they all do powerful works? No. 30 Do they all have the gifts of healing? No. Do they all speak in special sounds? No. Are they all able to tell what the special sounds mean? No. 31 But from your heart you should want the best gifts. Now I will show you even a better way.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.