Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Morning Prayer
David sang this when he ran away from his son Absalom.
3 Lord, I have many enemies!
Many people have turned against me.
2 Many people are talking about me.
They say, “God won’t rescue him.” Selah
3 But, Lord, you are my shield.
You are my wonderful God who gives me courage.
4 I will pray to the Lord.
And he will answer me from his holy mountain. Selah
5 I can lie down and go to sleep.
And I will wake up again
because the Lord protects me.
6 Thousands of enemies may surround me.
But I am not afraid.
7 Lord, rise up!
My God, come save me!
You have hit my enemies on the cheek.
You have broken the teeth of the wicked.
8 The Lord can save his people.
Lord, bless your people. Selah
5 “Wine can trick a person.
In the same way the Babylonians are fooled by their pride.
Their desire for wealth is like a grave’s desire for death.
They always want more and more.
And, like death, they collect other nations for themselves.
They make them their own people.
6 But all the nations the Babylonians have hurt will laugh at them.
They will make fun of the Babylonians.
They will say, ‘How terrible it will be for the nation that steals many things.
How long will that nation get rich by forcing others to pay them?’
7 “One day the people you have taken money from will turn against you.
They will realize what is happening and make you shake with fear.
Then they will hurt you.
8 You have stolen from many nations.
So the people who are left will take much from you.
This is because you have killed many people.
You have destroyed countries and cities and everyone in them.
9 “How terrible it will be for the nation that becomes rich by doing wrong.
They do those things to live in a safe place.
They think they will be safe from harm.
10 You have made plans to destroy many people.
This has made your own houses ashamed of you.
Because of it, you will lose your lives.
11 The stones of the walls will cry out against you.
Even the wooden boards that support the roof will agree that you are wrong.
Faith in the Son of God
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is God’s child. The person who loves the Father also loves the Father’s children. 2 How do we know that we love God’s children? We know because we love God and we obey his commands. 3 Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us. 4 Everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. It is our faith that wins the victory against the world. 5 So the one who conquers the world is the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
We Have Eternal Life Now
13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. 14 We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), then God cares about what we say. 15 God listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us the things that we ask from him.
16 Suppose someone sees his brother in Christ sinning (sin that does not lead to eternal death). That person should pray for his brother who is sinning. Then God will give the brother life. I am talking about people whose sin does not lead to eternal death. There is sin that leads to death. I do not mean that a person should pray about that sin. 17 Doing wrong is always sin. But there is sin that does not lead to eternal death.
18 We know that anyone who is God’s child does not continue to sin. The Son of God keeps him safe, and the Evil One cannot hurt him. 19 We know that we belong to God. But the Evil One controls the whole world. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding. Now we can know God, the One who is true. And our lives are in that true God and in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and he is eternal life. 21 So, dear children, keep yourselves away from false gods.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.