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Proverbs 22 (ESV)

22 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor meet together;
the Lord is the Maker of them all.

The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.

10  Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.

11  He who loves purity of heart,
and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

12  The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the traitor.

13  The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”

14  The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it.

15  Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

16  Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

Words of the Wise

17  Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,

18  for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.

19  That your trust may be in the Lord,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.

20  Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,

21  to make you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

22  Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate,

23  for the Lord will plead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.

24  Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,

25  lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.

26  Be not one of those who give pledges,
who put up security for debts.

27  If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?

28  Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.

29  Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.

Psalm 119:33–40 (ESV)

HE

33  Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.

34  Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.

35  Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.

36  Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!

37  Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.

38  Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.

39  Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.

40  Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!

1 Peter 1:13–25 (ESV)

Called to Be Holy

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25  but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

[Luther writes,] “What else can Solomon intend with so many words (Prov. 4:24-27), do you think, than to keep us on the straight (schnurgleichen) path, that only God’s Word and way may stand out before our eyes, and no bypath, be it to the right or to the left, good or bad. But now man’s teachings are but mere bypaths and not the divine way (Richtstrasse).” (21)

–Johann Michael Reu, Luther on the Scriptures

This daily Bible reading guide, Reading the Word of God, was conceived and prepared as a result of the ongoing discussions between representatives of three church bodies: Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC), The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). The following individuals have represented their church bodies and approved this introduction and the reading guide: LCC: President Robert Bugbee; NALC: Bishop John Bradosky, Revs. Mark Chavez, James Nestingen, and David Wendel; LCMS: Revs. Albert Collver, Joel Lehenbauer, John Pless, and Larry Vogel.

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