From Gary... A leg up

Yesterday, in passing, I saw something that made me think.  After I left CVS in Dade City, I saw a man on the side of the road sitting behind a little sign that said on it: "will work for food" and WWJD (What Would Jesus Do).  The thing is: he looked like one of the cast of Duck Dynasty, but with an intimidating (even menacing) look on his face.  I didn't stop, but afterwards, I wish I had. I guess anybody can fall on hard times, but his appearance and demeanor were counterproductive to what he was attempting to do- get money!  In the picture, one elephant has "given up" and the other one is just looking on; but what exactly is the standing one supposed to do- give him a leg up (with those feet)?  From time to time we are all faced with those who are put in front of us in need, so what do we do- and more importantly, why do we do it?  Physical needs are one thing and frankly I have seen so many people take advantage of the generosity of Christians, that I think multiple times before I become involved.  But what about the spiritual needs of others? Paul comments on this in the last chapter of the book of Galatians...

Galatians, Chapter 6

1 Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.  2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.  3 For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  4 But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor.  5 For each man will bear his own burden.  6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.  7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.  10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.

So, if you can help, help!!!  This is true spiritually and in practicality as well. The problem is exactly how to do it!!!  One of my instructors in Bible School (John Bizzell) told of seeing someone in need of help and the person appeared menacing, like the man I saw yesterday.  He said he didn't stop the car because his family was with him and their safety was paramount.  Well, I always listened to John, because he was the most spiritual Christian I have ever known, but does this mean that I shouldn't stop at all (under any circumstances)???  Frankly, I am still trying to figure out the best way to handle such things.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Even though I am old- God isn't finished with me yet.  Please help... WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)???  I am a bit "down in the dumps" over this one- feel like giving me a leg up?  I wonder if anyone will???

From Mark Copeland... Displaying God's Wisdom In Our Families (Ephesians 5:22-6:9)

                     "THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS"

           Displaying God's Wisdom In Our Families (5:22-6:9)

INTRODUCTION

1. Up to this point Paul has been describing how we can "have a walk 
   worthy of the calling with which you were called" - Ep 4:1

2. We have seen that conduct "worthy of the calling" involves:
   a. Walking in unity - Ep 4:1-16
   b. Walking in truth and holiness - Ep 4:17-32
   c. Walking in love, walking as light and walking as wise - Ep 5:1-21

3. In what might appear at first to be an abrupt change of direction, 
   Paul begins to describe how various family members are to conduct 
   themselves - Ep 5:22-6:9
   a. The responsibilities of wives - Ep 5:22-24
   b. The responsibilities of husbands - Ep 5:25-33
   c. The responsibilities of children - Ep 6:1-3
   d. The responsibilities of fathers - Ep 6:4
   e. The responsibilities of servants - Ep 6:5-8
   f. The responsibilities of masters - Ep 6:9

4. But the subject matter is really not so abrupt as it may appear, for 
   Paul mentioned earlier...
   a. How the church is to "make known the manifold wisdom of God" 
      - Ep 3:10
   b. How we are to walk in "wisdom" - Ep 5:15-17
   ...and it is through family relationships that we can often do this 
   more successfully than in any other way!

5. How can this be?  Well, it is through our families that we interact 
   so much with the society in which we live...
   a. Through marriage we immediately come into contact with another 
      family (our "in-laws")
   b. Through children we develop relationships with those in their 
      schools, their neighborhood, etc.

6. Thus it is through our families we have great potential to 
   demonstrate the wisdom of God...
   a. The same principles that underlie the gospel message (submission,
      love, sacrifice, obedience, honesty, fairness) are to be displayed
      in our family relationships
   b. By example, then, we can demonstrate in our families what is truly
      good and right (i.e., God's will), and prepare others to be 
      receptive to the gospel message!

[Thus Paul is not abruptly changing direction, but continues to talk 
about those sort of things which are crucial to having a "walk worthy of
the calling with which you were called".

Consider, then, how those who "walk worthy" conduct themselves in 
regards to...]

I. MARITAL RESPONSIBILITIES (5:22-33)

   A. THE DUTY OF WIVES... (22-24)
      1. They are to submit to their husbands in everything...
         a. Just as they are to submit to the Lord ("as to the Lord")
         b. Just as the church is subject to Christ
      2. The reason:  the husband is head of the wife, just as Christ is
         head of the church
         a. Any time you have organization that is functional, you must 
            have some chain of authority
         b. In the family, it is God's Will that the husband be the head
            of the wife, and that parents be over their children
      3. Here is an opportunity for wives to demonstrate the wisdom and 
         value of an important principle in God's will:  that of 
         submission!
         a. Jesus taught by both word and example of the importance of 
            submission - cf. Jn 13:12-17; Mk 10:42-45
         b. Indeed we all are to submit in one way or another - Jm 4:7;
            Ep 5:21
         c. Through their submission, wives prove that God's will is 
            best in such matters!

   B. THE DUTY OF HUSBANDS... (25-30)
      1. They are to love their wives...     
         a. Just as Christ loved the church, i.e., with a sacrificial 
            love designed to bless and benefit their wives
         b. Just as they love their own bodies, i.e., with a love that 
            nourishes and cherishes their wives
      2. Just as the wives have the opportunity to demonstrate God's 
         wisdom concerning submission, so husbands are given the 
         opportunity to demonstrate Christ's love...
         a. As the head over His church, Jesus rules as a "benevolent 
            monarch"
         b. Some think such a concept as "benevolent monarch" is 
            impossible (as per the saying, "Power corrupts, absolute 
            power corrupts absolutely")
         c. But when a husband exercises his authority as head of the 
            family with the kind of love Jesus displays while ruling 
            over His church, they demonstrate not only the possibility, 
            but the wisdom of a benevolent monarchy!

[Indeed, the "marriage" between a man and a woman can reflect the 
relationship that exists between Christ and the church (31-32).  But 
this can happen only if...

   1) A husband exercises his authority with love (33a)

   2) A wife submits to her husband with respect (33b).

Just as there are "marital responsibilities", so there are...]

II. FAMILIAL RESPONSIBILITIES (6:1-9)

   A. THE DUTY OF CHILDREN... (1-3)
      1. Children are to obey their parents in a way that honors them
      2. There are certainly temporal benefits for such obedience ("that
         it may be well with you...")
      3. But there are also spiritual repercussions - cf. Col 3:20
         ("for this is well pleasing to the Lord")
      4. And by their example, children can show the value of obedience 
         to the commands of God

   B. THE DUTY OF FATHERS... (4)
      1. Fathers are charged both negatively and positively..
         a. DON'T provoke children to wrath (i.e., discipline without 
            love)
         b. DO bring them up in the "training and admonition" of the 
            Lord (i.e., discipline tempered with love)
      2. In the world, people usually fall into two extremes of child-
         raising:
         a. Discipline without love (child abuse)
         b. Love without discipline (permissiveness)
      3. But when fathers properly administer both love and discipline, 
         by example they show how God raises His own children in the 
         family of God - cf. He 12:5-11

   C. THE DUTY OF SERVANTS... (5-8)
      1. In the First Century A.D., servants were an intricate part of 
         many households, which may explain Paul including instructions
         to them and masters in this and parallel passages - cf. Col 3:
         18-4:1
      2. Christians who were servants were expected to exemplify the 
         proper kind of obedience required of all Christians...
         a. Obedience with fear and trembling - cf. Php 2:10
         b. Obedience in sincerity of heart, as to Christ Himself
         c. Obedience with good will, as to the Lord 
         d. Obedience with an understanding that the Lord is an 
            impartial Judge
      3. In this way even slaves could demonstrate by example what true
         obedience was according to the Will of God

   D. THE DUTY OF MASTERS... (9)
      1. Those Christians who had slaves (like Philemon) were charged to
         treat their servants in very special ways:
         a. "do the same things to them", i.e., their treatment of 
            slaves should be governed by the same sort of principles 
            given to the servants...
            1) "with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to 
               Christ"
            2) "not with eyeservice...but as servants of Christ, doing 
               the will of God from the heart"
            3) "with good will...as to the Lord, and not to men"
            4) "knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive
               the same from the Lord..."
         b. In particular, Christian slave-owners were to give up 
            threatening and to remember that God shows no respect of 
            persons
      2. By their example, masters could demonstrate the proper exercise
         of authority, and reveal much about how our Master in heaven 
         rules over us in the kingdom of God!
            
CONCLUSION

1. How we conduct ourselves in our marriage and family relationships can
   greatly effect our efforts to make known "the manifold wisdom of 
   God"...
   a. Marriages and families that are "dysfunctional" serve only to 
      belie the claims we make about the gospel and its power to 
      transform lives
   b. Whereas marriages and families based upon the teachings of God's 
      Word can speak volumes as to the value of principles inherent in 
      the gospel; such principles as:
      1) Submitting to God and others in authority
      2) Exercising authority with sacrificial love
      3) Obeying those placed over us by God
      4) Developing others through training and admonition, not 
         intimidation
      5) Rendering service that is sincere, not hypocritical
      6) Exercising authority with justice and fairness

2. So as we endeavor to "walk worthy of the calling" that we have in 
   Christ, let's not overlook those areas where it is most imperative to
   have a "worthy walk":  in our marriages and families!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Jim McGuiggan... Christ: The Incomparable

Christ: The Incomparable

 

 

In Philippians 3 Paul took out all his prized possessions, one by one and looked them over. They were the kind of things people ooh and aah over and sometimes wish they had. Paul himself thought highly of them but after looking them over he said, "Still, compared with Christ and what I have in him, these are all no better than rubbish."

He then goes on to say that he actually suffered the loss of all these. It was more than thinking of them as dispensable; he actually suffered the loss of them (3:7-8). And he took out all the sufferings and losses and looked them over. They were the kind of losses that people understandably stagger under and sob about. Paul himself keenly felt all his losses; he was no Stoic but after examining them in detail he said, "But they aren't worthy to be compared with the glory I find in Christ Jesus and will one day experience in full."

What's especially noteworthy is this: here's a man who went the distance in pursuit of Christ and still confessed he couldn't catch up to him. We're tempted to think if anyone has fully entered into all that union with Christ means it must have been Paul. He hurries to make clear (3:12), "I'm not suggesting I've arrived. Far from it! But I continue the pursuit." This says a lot about Paul, of course, but it says a lot about Jesus Christ. How much is there to him? If someone pursues him as recklessly as Paul, without counting the cost or holding back, what treasures of joy and pain and longing and achievement must be hidden in Christ?

Hmmm, what treasures can I pull out of my experience? What precious things, what gifts from God for which I should be grateful? And what would lead me without despising them or denying their loveliness to see them as trivia in comparison with Christ and what it means to be part of him? What would lead me to do more than point to Paul's experience and wish it were my own? I wonder.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Ben Fronczek... Acts 17 – The Apostle Paul in Athens

Acts 17 – The Apostle Paul in Athens

Read Acts 17:13-21

“When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”

So here we go with Paul again fleeing from one place to another because he is being persecuted for doing something good. And here we find him now in the capitol of the Greek world, Athens. Athens had actually reached its prime 500 years before Paul visited it, in the time of Pericles (461-429 B.C.). However Athens was still the cultural and intellectual center of the Greek world. While there, Paul could not help but see the many temples and statues that still stand there today. Today these objects are of interest mainly for their archaeological and artistic value, but in Paul’s day they were idols and places of worship that the Greeks regarded as holy. It was said that there were more statues of the gods in Athens than in all the rest of Greece put together, and that in Athens it was easier to meet a statue of a god than a man. (30,000 statues) The Apostle Paul arrived there in Athens after visiting and starting churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Unfortunately he was persecuted and had to flee each town. And so that’s what brought him to Athens. After being in Athens and observing all of these idols, he can’t help himself and had to speak up and talk about Jesus, first in the local synagogue and then in the marketplace which caught the attention of local Epicureans and Stoic philosophers. The Epicureans were disciples of Epicurus (341-270 B.C.) who believed that pleasure was the greatest good and the most worthy pursuit of man. Pleasure in the sense of tranquillity and freedom from pain, and fears, especially the fear of death. Epicurus taught that the gods took no interest in human affairs. Thus organized religion was viewed as irrelevant because  the gods would not punish evildoers in the afterlife. Epicurus’ followers also believed that everything happened by chance and that death was the end of all. This philosophy is still popular today.  Many people still believe that pleasure is the ultimate goal to seek out. And many people today don’t think God is involved in our life in a personal way. Some don’t believe in an after life or hell, and that everything happen only by chance. Stoics followed the teachings of Zeno the Cypriot (340-265 B.C.). The name “stoic” comes from “stoa,” a particular portico where he taught when he lived in Athens. His followers placed great importance on living in harmony with nature. (Sound familiar: Have you hugged your tree today?) They stressed individual self-sufficiency and rationalism, and they had a reputation for being quite arrogant. Stoics believed that God is in everything, and everything is God. They were also fatalistic or believed that all events are predetermined so that man is powerless to alter his destiny. Many of their teachings are also common today. And so these philosophers are curious about what Paul was teaching and invite him to speak before a council of men called the Areopagus. In his speech he has some amazing things to tell them, especially considering who they were and what they believed.

I want to share with you a couple of things that caught my attention and I feel is relevant for us today.

 #1. Read. 17:22-23  “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”

Being religious, and surrounding yourself with all kinds of religious icons and people who think alike doesn’t necessarily meant that you have a relationship with our God, nor does it ensure salvation. As a matter of fact, these people even though they were steeped in their religious relics, they did not even know the one true God. They had had obviously been to busy making up new ones and then side-tracked themselves with others philosophies and false truths that were popular during that time.

Read  24:24-27  ““The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. “

As Paul begins to inform them about our God who they do not know. He lets them know that He is the God that:

- He made all things and is Lord of heaven and on earth (Not Zeus)

- He  doesn’t live in man-made temples, nor is He served by human hands

- He is God! He gives al men life and breath and everything else. He doesn’t need anything from us.

- He determines the time to be set for man and even where we should live.

 WHY?   

#2   V. 27 says, He does all this so that “men will seek Him and  reach out for Him and perhaps find Him!”

I love this thought here. God and Lord of the universe, the most awesome and powerful being in the universe, who created us, who sustains us, who determines a time and place for us to be born;    even though He is invisible, has a strong desire for me and you to personally seek Him out, with the hope of finding Him. Our God is not the kind of God who is throwing Himself on us or forcing Himself on us. He wants to be sought out and pursued. I can’t help but think that He wants to be pursued like a lover, like someone who is real important to you. That’s how intimate of a relationship our God and our Father want to have with us. I don’t believe He is interested in being some kind of religious icon, to have His image set in stone to put on your shelf or plant in your lawn. He wants us to hunger and thirst for Him, to search for Him, and seek Him out. HE want us to be driven to get to know Him. When asked, what did Jesus say was the greatest of all commandments? To love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and being.   You don’t fall in love with anyone like that without  pursuing them. 

God told the Israelites in Deut. 4:29 

“if you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The Psalmist wrote, “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (105:4)

I believe it’s when you seek God out and pursue Him like this you move from being simply ‘religious’ to becoming a genuine disciple. We read that God wants sons and daughters who love and want to have a relationship with Him and not just treat Him like some kind of Greek god whose way up there who just threw things into motion, sits back and watches, and expect us to revere Him simply because HE is God.

Re-read 17:27-28  “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’

#3  God is not way up there some place, rather He is near, for in Him we exist, and move, and live.   God is as close to us as our breath and closer. We just  need to open our eyes of faith. David understood this.

Read Psalm 139:1-18 (click on link to read) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20139:1-18&version=NIV1984

God is right here with you and me, and you can’t hide from Him. We just need to learn to open up our eyes of faith, our spiritual eyes and then learn to practice the very presence of God everyday. God is closer than you may realize. As a Christian, He very Spirit is in us.Let me read one last section to you for the next point.  

Read Acts 17:28-34 “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”

#4  In this text Paul told them that in the past God overlooked their ignorance but now He commands all people to repent (that is to get on the right track, to return to Him, to turn from ignorance to truth). And that truth is found in Jesus;  not in the Greek Gods, not in Philosophies of that time, nor of this time, nor is it found in any other man made religion like, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Islam or any other religion. God wants us to turn to Him and Him alone, and seek Him out. We are His offspring. He is our heavenly Father.  And Paul lets them, and us know that He has set a day when He will judge the world. What does that mean?

Listen to what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in his second letter.  He wrote this: “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power” (2 Thess. 1:7b-10)

Over and over we are told in Scripture that there is a great day coming when all mankind will be judged. Those who believe in, and have accepted God and His son Jesus who died for our sin will be saved and will enter His abode. But those who do not know God, and those who have not accepted Him and His Son Jesus, and those who have not accepted and obeyed the Gospel will for all eternity be sent away from His presence. And what a hell that will be! Paul goes on to tell them, You want proof that this is all true? Well God proved it by raising the man who will judge you from the dead. And of course we know who He is. His Son, and our Lord, Jesus.  At this some of the Athenians laughed, some sneered and walked a way, but just like today a few stayed around and wanted to hear more of what Paul had to say. And some of them became believers.  Jesus Himself prophesied that many would be called, many would here the Good New, but only a few would accept the offer, this gift… how sad.

Sometimes, some folks just don’t want to believe or accept the truth when they here it. 

But that day Paul taught a powerful message.

#1) Being religious and surrounding yourself by all kinds of religious relics and people doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot to God

#2) He is more interested in us seeking Him out, and even finding Him.  He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him.

#3) He is a lot closer to us than most of realize. We need to practice the presence of God.

 #4) God will not put up with the excuse of ignorance any more. There is a great day coming when we will be judged.

The question is are you ready?

From Gary... Bible Reading and Study October 9

Bible Reading and Study    

October 9

The World English Bible

Oct. 9

Psalms 148-150

Psa 148:1 Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens! Praise him in the heights!

Psa 148:2 Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his army!

Psa 148:3 Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars!

Psa 148:4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.

Psa 148:5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For he commanded, and they were created.

Psa 148:6 He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away.

Psa 148:7 Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths!

Psa 148:8 Lightning and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

Psa 148:9 mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars;

Psa 148:10 wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds;

Psa 148:11 kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth;

Psa 148:12 both young men and maidens; old men and children:

Psa 148:13 let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

Psa 148:14 He has lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near to him. Praise Yah!

Psa 149:1 Praise Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Psa 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in him who made them. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Psa 149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance! Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp!

Psa 149:4 For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people. He crowns the humble with salvation.

Psa 149:5 Let the saints rejoice in honor. Let them sing for joy on their beds.

Psa 149:6 May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

Psa 149:7 To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples;

Psa 149:8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

Psa 149:9 to execute on them the written judgment. All his saints have this honor. Praise Yah!

Psa 150:1 Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!

Psa 150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Psa 150:3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre!

Psa 150:4 Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!

Psa 150:5 Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals!

Psa 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!

 

The Composite Bible

The World English Bible

Darby's Translation

Young's Literal Translation

The Composite Bible is a effort to understand the Bible by considering it from different perspectives and different levels of literalcy. First, read the World English Bible (the least literal-black text) for comprehension of the text. Next, read both the World English Bible with the Darby Translation (more literal-blue text)to make comparisons and lastly, read all three versions (Young's is the most literal translation- red text) at one time to obtain an overview of the text. Doing this will make you think about what the Scriptures are actually saying and avoid reading in a superficial manner.

Psalms

 

Psalms 148 1

Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens! Praise him in the heights!

Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah from the heavens; praise him in the heights.

Praise ye Jah! Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens, Praise ye Him in high places.

Psalms 148 2

Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his host!

Praise ye him, all his angels; praise ye him, all his hosts.

Praise ye Him, all His messengers, Praise ye Him, all His hosts.

Psalms 148 3

Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars!

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars of light.

Praise ye Him, sun and moon, Praise ye Him, all stars of light.

Psalms 148 4

Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.

Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens.

Praise ye Him, heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.

Psalms 148 5

Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For he commanded, and they were created.

Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for he it is that commanded, and they were created:

They do praise the name of Jehovah, For He commanded, and they were created.

Psalms 148 6

He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away.

And he established them for ever and ever; he made [for them] a statute which shall not pass.

And He establisheth them for ever to the age, A statute He gave, and they pass not over.

Psalms 148 7

Praise Yahweh from the earth, You great sea creatures, and all depths!

Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye sea-monsters, and all deeps;

Praise ye Jehovah from the earth, Dragons and all deeps,

Psalms 148 8

Lightning and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

Fire and hail, snow and vapour, stormy wind fulfilling his word;

Fire and hail, snow and vapour, Whirlwind doing His word;

Psalms 148 9

Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars;

Mountains and all hills, fruit-trees and all cedars;

The mountains and all heights, Fruit tree, and all cedars,

Psalms 148 10

Wild animals and all cattle; Small creatures and flying birds;

Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;

The wild beast, and all cattle, Creeping thing, and winged bird,

Psalms 148 11

Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth;

Kings of earth, and all peoples, Chiefs, and all judges of earth,

Psalms 148 12

Both young men and maidens; Old men and children:

Both young men and maidens, old men with youths, --

Young men, and also maidens, Aged men, with youths,

Psalms 148 13

Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the

earth and the heavens.

Let them praise the name of Jehovah: for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above

the earth and the heavens.

They praise the name of Jehovah, For His name alone hath been set on high, His

honour [is] above earth and heavens.

Psalms 148 14

He has lifted up the horn of his people, The praise of all his saints; Even of the children of

Israel, a people near to him. Praise Yah! 

Psalm 149

And he hath lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, [even] of the

children of Israel, a people near unto him. Hallelujah!

And He exalteth the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints, Of the sons of

Israel, a people near Him. Praise ye Jah!

Psalms 149 1

Praise Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh a new song, His praise in the assembly of the saints.

Hallelujah! Sing unto Jehovah a new song; [sing] his praise in the congregation of the godly.

Praise ye Jah! Sing ye to Jehovah a new song, His praise in an assembly of saints.

Psalms 149 2

Let Israel rejoice in him who made them. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion be joyful in their King.

Israel doth rejoice in his Maker, Sons of Zion do joy in their king.

Psalms 149 3

Let them praise his name in the dance! Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and

Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto him with the tambour

and harp.

They praise His name in a dance, With timbrel and harp sing praise to Him.

Psalms 149 4

For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people. He crowns the humble with salvation.

For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people; he beautifieth the meek with salvation.

For Jehovah is pleased with His people, He beautifieth the humble with salvation.

Psalms 149 5

Let the saints rejoice in honor. Let them sing for joy on their beds.

Let the godly exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds.

Exult do saints in honour, They sing aloud on their beds.

Psalms 149 6

May the high praises of God be in their mouths, And a two-edged sword in their hand;

Let the high praises of ·God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand:

The exaltation of God [is] in their throat, And a two-edged sword in their hand.

Psalms 149 7

To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples;

To execute vengeance against the nations, [and] punishment among the peoples;

To do vengeance among nations, Punishments among the peoples.

Psalms 149 8

To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;

To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

To bind their kings with chains, And their honoured ones with fetters of iron,

Psalms 149 9

To execute on them the written judgment. All his saints have this honor. Praise Yah! 

Psalm 150

To execute upon them the judgment written. This honour have all his saints. Hallelujah!

To do among them the judgment written, An honour it [is] for all his saints.

Praise ye Jah!

Psalms 150 1

Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!

Hallelujah! Praise ·God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise ye Jah! Praise ye God in His holy place, Praise Him in the expanse of His strength.

Psalms 150 2

Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him in his mighty acts; praise him according to the abundance of his greatness.

Praise Him in His mighty acts, Praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness.

Psalms 150 3

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre!

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with lute and harp;

Praise Him with blowing of trumpet, Praise Him with psaltery and harp.

Psalms 150 4

Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!

Praise him with the tambour and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and the pipe;

Praise Him with timbrel and dance, Praise Him with stringed instruments and organ.

Psalms 150 5

Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals!

Praise him with loud cymbals; praise him with high sounding cymbals.

Praise Him with cymbals of sounding, Praise Him with cymbals of shouting.

Psalms 150 6

Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!

Let everything that hath breath praise Jah. Hallelujah!

All that doth breathe doth praise Jah! Praise ye Jah!

 Study Questions

Who is to praise the LORD? 150:6

 The World English Bible

 

Oct. 9

Galatians 6

Gal 6:1 Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren't tempted.

Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Gal 6:3 For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Gal 6:4 But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor.

Gal 6:5 For each man will bear his own burden.

Gal 6:6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.

Gal 6:7 Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Gal 6:8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Gal 6:9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up.

Gal 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let's do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.

Gal 6:11 See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand.

Gal 6:12 As many as desire to look good in the flesh, they compel you to be circumcised; only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

Gal 6:13 For even they who receive circumcision don't keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.

Gal 6:14 But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Gal 6:16 As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God's Israel.

Gal 6:17 From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body.

Gal 6:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

 

The Composite Bible

The World English Bible

Darby's Translation

Young's Literal Translation

The Composite Bible is a effort to understand the Bible by considering it from different perspectives and different levels of literalcy. First, read the World English Bible (the least literal-black text) for comprehension of the text. Next, read both the World English Bible with the Darby Translation (more literal-blue text)to make comparisons and lastly, read all three versions (Young's is the most literal translation- red text) at one time to obtain an overview of the text. Doing this will make you think about what the Scriptures are actually saying and avoid reading in a superficial manner.

Galatians

 

Galatians 6 1

Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one ina spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren`t tempted.

Brethren, if even a man be taken in some fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in

a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest *thou* also be tempted.

Brethren, if a man also may be overtaken in any trespass, ye who [are] spiritual

restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself -- lest thou also may be tempted;

Galatians 6 2

Bear one another`s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Bear one another`s burdens, and thus fulfil the law of the Christ.

of one another the burdens bear ye, and so fill up the law of the Christ,

Galatians 6 3

For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

For if any man reputes himself to be something, being nothing, he deceives himself;

for if any one doth think [himself] to be something -- being nothing -- himself he doth deceive;

Galatians 6 4

But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his

neighbor.

but let each prove his own work, and then he will have his boast in what belongs to

himself alone, and not in what belongs to another.

and his own work let each one prove, and then in regard to himself alone the

glorying he shall have, and not in regard to the other,

Galatians 6 5

For each man will bear his own burden.

For each shall bear his own burden.

for each one his own burden shall bear.

Galatians 6 6

But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.

Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teaches in all good things.

And let him who is instructed in the word share with him who is instructing -- in all good things.

Galatians 6 7

Don`t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.

Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man shall sow, that also shall he reap.

Be not led astray; God is not mocked; for what a man may sow -- that also he shall reap,

Galatians 6 8

For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to  the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

For he that sows to his own flesh, shall reap corruption from the flesh; but he that sows to

the Spirit, from the Spirit shall reap eternal life:

because he who is sowing to his own flesh, of the flesh shall reap corruption; and

he who is sowing to the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap life age-during;

Galatians 6 9

Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don`t give up.

but let us not lose heart in doing good; for in due time, if we do not faint, we shall reap.

and in the doing good we may not be faint-hearted, for at the proper time we shall reap -- not desponding;

Galatians 6 10

So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.

So then, as we have occasion, let us do good towards all, and specially towards those of the

household of faith.

therefore, then, as we have opportunity, may we work the good to all, and

especially unto those of the household of the faith.

Galatians 6 11

See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand.

See how long a letter I have written to you with my own hand.

Ye see in how large letters I have written to you with my own hand;

Galatians 6 12

As many as desire to look good in the flesh, they compel you to be circumcised; only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

As many as desire to have a fair appearance in [the] flesh, these compel you to be

circumcised, only that they may not be persecuted because of the cross of Christ.

as many as are willing to make a good appearance in the flesh, these constrain you

to be circumcised -- only that for the cross of the Christ they may not be persecuted,

Galatians 6 13

For even they who receive circumcision don`t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.

For neither do they that are circumcised themselves keep the law; but they wish you to

be circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.

for neither do those circumcised themselves keep the law, but they wish you to be

circumcised, that in your flesh they may glory.

Galatians 6 14

But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

But far be it from me to boast save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom

[the] world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

And for me, let it not be -- to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through which to me the world hath been crucified, and I to the world;

Galatians 6 15

For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

For [in Christ Jesus] neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision; but new

creation.

for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,

but a new creation;

Galatians 6 16

As many as will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God`s Israel.

And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace upon them and mercy, and upon the Israel of

God.

and as many as by this rule do walk -- peace upon them, and kindness, and on the

Israel of God!

Galatians 6 17

From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus branded on my body.

For the rest let no one trouble me, for *I* bear in my body the brands of the Lord Jesus.

Henceforth, let no one give me trouble, for I the scars of the Lord Jesus in my body

do bear.

Galatians 6 18

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with your spirit, brethren. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [is] with your spirit, brethren! Amen.

 Study Questions

 Every man shall bear..? 6:5