AME Zion Universal Reading. November 17th, 2024

Sunday School Zoom Link

Psalm 100:1–5 (NLT):

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,

and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Monday

Psalm 28:1–9 (NLT):

A psalm of David.

I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.

Do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you are silent,

I might as well give up and die.

Listen to my prayer for mercy

as I cry out to you for help,

as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

Do not drag me away with the wicked—

with those who do evil—

those who speak friendly words to their neighbors

while planning evil in their hearts.

Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!

Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.

Pay them back for all their evil deeds!

Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

They care nothing for what the Lord has done

or for what his hands have made.

So he will tear them down,

and they will never be rebuilt!

Praise the Lord!

For he has heard my cry for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and shield.

I trust him with all my heart.

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.

I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

The Lord gives his people strength.

He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

Save your people!

Bless Israel, your special possession.

Lead them like a shepherd,

and carry them in your arms forever.

Tuesday

Ephesians 5:1–20 (NLT):

Living in the Light

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will give you light.”

Living by the Spirit’s Power

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wednesday

Psalm 69:1–36 (NLT):

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,

for the floodwaters are up to my neck.

Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;

I can’t find a foothold.

I am in deep water,

and the floods overwhelm me.

I am exhausted from crying for help;

my throat is parched.

My eyes are swollen with weeping,

waiting for my God to help me.

Those who hate me without cause

outnumber the hairs on my head.

Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,

demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;

my sins cannot be hidden from you.

Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,

O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,

O God of Israel.

For I endure insults for your sake;

humiliation is written all over my face.

Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;

they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,

and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

When I weep and fast,

they scoff at me.

When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,

they make fun of me.

I am the favorite topic of town gossip,

and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,

hoping this time you will show me favor.

In your unfailing love, O God,

answer my prayer with your sure salvation.

Rescue me from the mud;

don’t let me sink any deeper!

Save me from those who hate me,

and pull me from these deep waters.

Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,

or the deep waters swallow me,

or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,

for your unfailing love is wonderful.

Take care of me,

for your mercy is so plentiful.

Don’t hide from your servant;

answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!

Come and redeem me;

free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.

You see all that my enemies are doing.

Their insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

If only one person would show some pity;

if only one would turn and comfort me.

But instead, they give me poison for food;

they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare

and their prosperity become a trap.

Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,

and make their bodies shake continually.

Pour out your fury on them;

consume them with your burning anger.

Let their homes become desolate

and their tents be deserted.

To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;

they add to the pain of those you have hurt.

Pile their sins up high,

and don’t let them go free.

Erase their names from the Book of Life;

don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.

Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,

and I will honor him with thanksgiving.

For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,

more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.

The humble will see their God at work and be glad.

Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.

For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;

he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,

the seas and all that move in them.

For God will save Jerusalem

and rebuild the towns of Judah.

His people will live there

and settle in their own land.

The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,

and those who love him will live there in safety.

Thursday

Psalm 7:1–17 (NLT):

A psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,

tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

O Lord my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,

if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground

and drag my honor in the dust.

Interlude

Arise, O Lord, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

Gather the nations before you.

Rule over them from on high.

The Lord judges the nations.

Declare me righteous, O Lord,

for I am innocent, O Most High!

End the evil of those who are wicked,

and defend the righteous.

For you look deep within the mind and heart,

O righteous God.

God is my shield,

saving those whose hearts are true and right.

God is an honest judge.

He is angry with the wicked every day.

If a person does not repent,

God will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

He will prepare his deadly weapons

and shoot his flaming arrows.

The wicked conceive evil;

they are pregnant with trouble

and give birth to lies.

They dig a deep pit to trap others,

then fall into it themselves.

The trouble they make for others backfires on them.

The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

I will thank the Lord because he is just;

I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Friday

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 (NLT):

Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

May God give you grace and peace.

The Faith of the Thessalonian Believers

We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

Saturday

Philippians 4:4–9 (NLT):

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.