6 day plan

God’s Word for All People

Day 1 of 6

CEV

Hebrews 4:12

12God's word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts.

Reflection: If the only way you could read or listen to a Bible was in a language not your own, how seriously would it impact your life?  Would it be a foreign thing, belonging to someone else?  What if it were the language of those unappreciative of your people and culture, or even dominating and oppressing you…would you have a desire to read it? Probably not.  Good English bilinguals tell us that they prefer reading in their own language so the message sinks right into their soul and refreshes or challenges the inner part of them.  They are confident that God hears them when they pray in their own language and when he whispers, his encouragement or directions, they hear it in their own mother tongue.  Surely the language we love is part of our identity, and to be certain God relates to it is life indeed.

Prayer: God, thank you for your word.  Please empower those who are hard at work discovering how best to naturally and accurately translate it for languages around the world. Amen

 

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Days

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Hebrews 4:1-16

1The promise to enter the place of rest is still good, and we must take care that none of you miss out. 2We have heard the message, just as they did. But they failed to believe what they heard, and the message did not do them any good. 3 Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say,

“God became angry

and told the people,

‘You will never enter

my place of rest!’ ”

God said this, even though everything has been ready from the time of creation. 4 In fact, somewhere the Scriptures say that by the seventh day, God had finished his work, and so he rested. 5 We also read that he later said, “You people will never enter my place of rest!” 6This means that the promise to enter is still good, because those who first heard about it disobeyed and did not enter. 7 Much later God told David to make the promise again, just as I have already said,

“If you hear his voice today,

don't be stubborn!”

8 If Joshua had really given the people rest, there would not be any need for God to talk about another day of rest. 9But God has promised us a Sabbath when we will rest, even though it has not yet come. 10 On that day God's people will rest from their work, just as God rested from his work.

11We should do our best to enter the place of rest, so none of us will disobey and miss going there, as they did. 12God's word is alive and powerful! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. 13 Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.

Jesus Is the Great High Priest

14We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.