21

MAY

ACTS 1:1-11 THE ASCENSION OF JESUS

1. The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2. until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ``Which," He said, ``you heard of from Me; 5. for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6. So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ``Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7. He said to them, ``It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 9. And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11. They also said, ``Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

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20

MAY

1 PETER 3:13-22 YOU ARE BLESSED

13. Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14. But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, 15. but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16. and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19. in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20. who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22. who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

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19

MAY

JOHN 16:5-16 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

5. ``But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, `Where are You going?' 6. ``But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7. ``But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8. ``And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9. concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10. and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11. and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12. ``I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13. ``But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14. ``He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15. ``All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. 16. ``A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me."

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18

MAY

JOHN 14:23-27 THE SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU

23. Jesus answered and said to him, ``If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24. ``He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me. 25. ``These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26. ``But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27. ``Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

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17

MAY

JOHN 14:15-21 THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

15. ``If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16. ``I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17. that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18. ``I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19. ``After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20. ``In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21. ``He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."

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16

MAY

PSALM 119:145-160 PRESERVE MY LIFE, O LORD

145. I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes. 146. I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies. 147. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. 148. My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word. 149. Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances. 150. Those who follow after wickedness draw near; They are far from Your law. 151. You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth. 152. Of old I have known from Your testimonies That You have founded them forever. 153. Look upon my affliction and rescue me, For I do not forget Your law. 154. Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word. 155. Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes. 156. Great are Your mercies, O LORD; Revive me according to Your ordinances. 157. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, Yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies. 158. I behold the treacherous and loathe them, Because they do not keep Your word. 159. Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. 160. The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

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15

MAY

1 JOHN 5:10-12 HE WHO HAS THE SON HAS LIFE

10. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

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14

MAY

JOHN 6:35-48 JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE

35. Jesus said to them, ``I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36. ``But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37. ``All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38. ``For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39. ``This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40. ``For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." 41. Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, ``I am the bread that came down out of heaven." 42. They were saying, ``Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, `I have come down out of heaven'?" 43. Jesus answered and said to them, ``Do not grumble among yourselves. 44. ``No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45. ``It is written in the prophets, `AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46. ``Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47. ``Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48. ``I am the bread of life.

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13

MAY

JOHN 18:28-38 JESUS AND PILATE SPEAK OF TRUTH

28. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. 29. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, ``What accusation do you bring against this Man?" 30. They answered and said to him, ``If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you." 31. So Pilate said to them, ``Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, ``We are not permitted to put anyone to death," 32. to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. 33. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ``Are You the King of the Jews?" 34. Jesus answered, ``Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" 35. Pilate answered, ``I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" 36. Jesus answered, ``My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 37. Therefore Pilate said to Him, ``So You are a king?" Jesus answered, ``You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 38. Pilate said to Him, ``What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ``I find no guilt in Him.

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