After Pentecost | Thursday 27 Jul 2023: Psalm 105:1-11, 45b; Genesis 29:1-8; 1 Corinthians 4:14-20 ~ live by God’s power

After Pentecost | Thursday 27 Jul 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O God, you declare your almighty power
chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
Grant us the fullness of your grace,
that we, running to obtain your promises,
may become partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk;
it is living by God’s power.
(1 Corinthians 4:20)

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From Psalms: Psalm 105:1-11 – “Give thanks to the LORD God and call on his name” – The “Sing Psalms” Psalter

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OT Reading: Genesis 29:1-8 (NLT)

Jacob Arrives at Paddan-Aram

29:1 Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well.

It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well. Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, “Where are you from, my friends?”

“We are from Haran,” they answered.

“Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?” he asked.

“Yes, we do,” they replied.

“Is he doing well?” Jacob asked.

“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”

Jacob said, “Look, it’s still broad daylight—too early to round up the animals. Why don’t you water the sheep and goats so they can get back out to pasture?”

“We can’t water the animals until all the flocks have arrived,” they replied. “Then the shepherds move the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats.”

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10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) – Matt Redman | GloryToFatherGod

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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:14-20 (NLT)

4:14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.

That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.