Through the Bible – Day 227

Bible text(s)

Psalms 120

(A song for worship.)

A prayer for the LORD's help

₁When I am in trouble, I pray,

₂“Come and save me, LORD,

from deceitful liars!”

₃What punishment is fitting

for you deceitful liars?

₄Your reward should be

sharp and flaming arrows!

₅But I must live as a foreigner

among the people of Meshech

and in the tents of Kedar.

₆I have spent too much time

living among people

who hate peace.

₇I am in favour of peace,

but when I speak of it,

all they want is war.

Psalms 121

(A song for worship.)

The LORD will protect his people

₁I look to the hills!

Where will I find help?

₂It will come from the LORD,

who created the heavens

and the earth.

₃The LORD is your protector,

and he won't go to sleep

or let you stumble.

₄The protector of Israel

doesn't doze

or ever get drowsy.

₅The LORD is your protector,

there at your right side

to shade you from the sun.

₆You won't be harmed

by the sun during the day

or by the moon at night.

₇The LORD will protect you

and keep you safe

from all dangers.

₈The LORD will protect you

now and always

wherever you go.

Psalms 122

(A song by David for worship.)

A song of praise

₁It made me glad

to hear them say,

“Let's go to the house

of the LORD!”

₂Jerusalem, we are standing

inside your gates.

₃Jerusalem, what a strong

and beautiful city you are!

₄Every tribe of the LORD

obeys him and comes to you

to praise his name.

₅David's royal throne is here

where justice rules.

₆Jerusalem, we pray

that you will have peace,

and that all will go well

for those who love you.

₇May there be peace

inside your city walls

and in your palaces.

₈Because of my friends

and my relatives,

I will pray for peace.

₉And because of the house

of the LORD our God,

I will work for your good.

Psalms 123

(A song for worship.)

A prayer for mercy

₁Our LORD and our God,

I turn my eyes to you,

on your throne in heaven.

₂Servants look to their master,

but we will look to you,

until you have mercy on us.

₃Please have mercy, LORD!

We have been insulted

more than we can stand,

₄and we can't take more abuse

from those proud,

conceited people.

Psalms 124

(A song by David for worship.)

Thanking the LORD for victory

₁The LORD was on our side!

Let everyone in Israel say:

₂“The LORD was on our side!

Otherwise, the enemy attack

₃would have killed us all,

because it was furious.

₄We would have been swept away

in a violent flood

₅of high and roaring waves.”

₆Let's praise the LORD!

He protected us from enemies

who were like wild animals,

₇and we escaped like birds

from a hunter's torn net.

₈The LORD made heaven and earth,

and he is the one

who sends us help.

Psalms 125

(A song for worship.)

The LORD's people are safe

₁Everyone who trusts the LORD

is like Mount Zion

that cannot be shaken

and will stand for ever.

₂Just as Jerusalem is protected

by mountains on every side,

the LORD protects his people

by holding them in his arms

now and for ever.

₃He won't let the wicked

rule his people

or lead them to do wrong.

₄Let's ask the LORD to be kind

to everyone who is good

and completely obeys him.

₅When the LORD punishes

the wicked,

he will punish everyone else

who lives a crooked life.

Pray for peace in Israel!

Psalms 126

(A song for worship.)

Celebrating the harvest

₁It seemed like a dream

when the LORD brought us back

to the city of Zion.

₂We celebrated with laughter

and joyful songs.

In foreign nations it was said,

“The LORD has worked miracles

for his people.”

₃And so we celebrated

because the LORD had indeed

worked miracles for us.

₄Our LORD, we ask you to bless

our people again,

and let us be like streams

in the Southern Desert.

₅We cried as we went out

to plant our seeds.

Now let us celebrate

as we bring in the crops.

₆We cried on the way

to plant our seeds,

but we will celebrate and shout

as we bring in the crops.

Psalms 127

(A song by Solomon for worship.)

Only the LORD can bless a home

₁Without the help of the LORD

it is useless to build a home

or to guard a city.

₂It is useless to get up early

and stay up late

in order to earn a living.

God takes care of his own,

even while they sleep.

₃Children are a blessing

and a gift from the LORD.

₄Having a lot of children

to take care of you

in your old age

is like a warrior

with a lot of arrows.

₅The more you have,

the better off you will be,

because they will protect you

when your enemies attack

with arguments.

Psalms 120:1-127:5CEVOpen in Bible reader

Romans 14

Don't criticize others

₁Welcome all the Lord's followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours. ₂Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat only vegetables. ₃But you should not criticize others for eating or for not eating. After all, God welcomes everyone. ₄What right do you have to criticize someone else's servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right.

₅Some of the Lord's followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. ₆Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honour their Lord. And any followers who eat meat give thanks to God, just like the ones who don't eat meat.

₇Whether we live or die, it must be for God, rather than for ourselves. ₈Whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord. ₉This is because Christ died and rose to life, so that he would be the Lord of the dead and of the living. ₁₀Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord? Why do you look down on them? The day is coming when God will judge all of us. ₁₁In the Scriptures God says,

“I swear by my very life

that everyone will kneel down

and praise my name!”

₁₂And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do.

Don't cause problems for others

₁₃We must stop judging others. We must also make up our minds not to upset anyone's faith. ₁₄The Lord Jesus has made it clear to me that God considers all foods fit to eat. But if you think some foods are unfit to eat, then for you they are not fit.

₁₅If you are hurting others by the foods you eat, you are not guided by love. Don't let your appetite destroy someone Christ died for. ₁₆Don't let your right to eat bring shame to Christ. ₁₇God's kingdom isn't about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit. ₁₈If you serve Christ in this way, you will please God and be respected by people. ₁₉We should try to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith.

₂₀Don't let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat, but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat. ₂₁It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes problems for other followers of the Lord. ₂₂What you believe about these things should be kept between you and God. You are fortunate, if your actions don't make you have doubts. ₂₃But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin.

Romans 15

Please others and not yourself

₁If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord's followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves. ₂We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them. ₃Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, “The people who insulted you also insulted me.” ₄And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. ₅God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. ₆Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:1-15:6CEVOpen in Bible reader