Psalms 107; Psalms 108; Psalms 109; 1 Corinthians 4

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Psalms 107

1 Thank the Lord because he is good. His love continues forever.

2 That is what those whom the Lord has saved should say. He has saved them from the enemy

3 and has gathered them from other lands, from east and west, north and south.

4 Some people had wandered in the desert lands. They found no city in which to live.

5 They were hungry and thirsty, and they were discouraged.

6 In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles.

7 He led them on a straight road to a city where they could live.

8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people.

9 He satisfies the thirsty and fills up the hungry.

10 Some sat in gloom and darkness; they were prisoners suffering in chains.

11 They had turned against the words of God and had refused the advice of God Most High.

12 So he broke their pride by hard work. They stumbled, and no one helped.

13 In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles.

14 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness and broke their chains.

15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people.

16 He breaks down bronze gates and cuts apart iron bars.

17 Some fools turned against God and suffered for the evil they did.

18 They refused to eat anything, so they almost died.

19 In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles.

20 God gave the command and healed them, so they were saved from dying.

21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people.

22 Let them offer sacrifices to thank him. With joy they should tell what he has done.

23 Others went out to sea in ships and did business on the great oceans.

24 They saw what the Lord could do, the miracles he did in the deep oceans.

25 He spoke, and a storm came up, which blew up high waves.

26 The ships were tossed as high as the sky and fell low to the depths. The storm was so bad that they lost their courage.

27 They stumbled and fell like people who were drunk. They did not know what to do.

28 In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles.

29 He stilled the storm and calmed the waves.

30 They were happy that it was quiet, and God guided them to the port they wanted.

31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people.

32 Let them praise his greatness in the meeting of the people; let them praise him in the meeting of the older leaders.

33 He changed rivers into a desert and springs of water into dry ground.

34 He made fertile land salty, because the people there did evil.

35 He changed the desert into pools of water and dry ground into springs of water.

36 He had the hungry settle there so they could build a city in which to live.

37 They planted seeds in the fields and vineyards, and they had a good harvest.

38 God blessed them, and they grew in number. Their cattle did not become fewer.

39 Because of disaster, troubles, and sadness, their families grew smaller and weaker.

40 He showed he was displeased with their leaders and made them wander in a pathless desert.

41 But he lifted the poor out of their suffering and made their families grow like flocks of sheep.

42 Good people see this and are happy, but the wicked say nothing.

43 Whoever is wise will remember these things and will think about the love of the Lord. A song. A psalm of David.

Psalms 108

1 God, my heart is steady. I will sing and praise you with all my being.

2 Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn.

3 Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing songs of praise about you to all the nations.

4 Your great love reaches to the skies, your truth to the heavens.

5 God, you are supreme above the skies. Let your glory be over all the earth.

6 Answer us and save us by your power so the people you love will be rescued.

7 God has said from his Temple, "When I win, I will divide Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead and Manasseh are mine. Ephraim is like my helmet. Judah holds my royal scepter.

9 Moab is like my washbowl. I throw my sandals at Edom. I shout at Philistia."

10 Who will bring me to the strong, walled city?

11 God, surely you have rejected us; you do not go out with our armies.

12 Help us fight the enemy. Human help is useless,

13 but we can win with God's help. He will defeat our enemies.

Psalms 109

1 God, I praise you. Do not be silent.

2 Wicked people and liars have spoken against me; they have told lies about me.

3 They have said hateful things about me and attack me for no reason.

4 They attacked me, even though I loved them and prayed for them.

5 I was good to them, but they repay me with evil. I loved them, but they hate me in return.

6 They say about me, "Have an evil person work against him, and let an accuser stand against him.

7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let even his prayers show his guilt.

8 Let his life be cut short, and let another man replace him as leader.

9 Let his children become orphans and his wife a widow.

10 Make his children wander around, begging for food. Let them be forced out of the ruins in which they live.

11 Let the people to whom he owes money take everything he owns, and let strangers steal everything he has worked for.

12 Let no one show him love or have mercy on his orphaned children.

13 Let all his descendants die and be forgotten by those who live after him.

14 Lord, remember how wicked his ancestors were, and don't let the sins of his mother be wiped out.

15 Lord, always remember their sins. Then make people forget about them completely.

16 "He did not remember to be loving. He hurt the poor, the needy, and those who were sad until they were nearly dead.

17 He loved to put curses on others, so let those same curses fall on him. He did not like to bless others, so do not let good things happen to him.

18 He cursed others as often as he wore clothes. Cursing others filled his body and his life, like drinking water and using olive oil.

19 So let curses cover him like clothes and wrap around him like a belt."

20 May the Lord do these things to those who accuse me, to those who speak evil against me.

21 But you, Lord God, be kind to me so others will know you are good. Because your love is good, save me.

22 I am poor and helpless and very sad.

23 I am dying like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.

24 My knees are weak from hunger, and I have grown thin.

25 My enemies insult me; they look at me and shake their heads.

26 Lord my God, help me; because you are loving, save me.

27 Then they will know that your power has done this; they will know that you have done it, Lord.

28 They may curse me, but you bless me. They may attack me, but they will be disgraced. Then I, your servant, will be glad.

29 Let those who accuse me be disgraced and covered with shame like a coat.

30 I will thank the Lord very much; I will praise him in front of many people.

31 He defends the helpless and saves them from those who accuse them. A psalm of David.

1 Corinthians 4

1 People should think of us as servants of Christ, the ones God has trusted with his secrets.

2 Now in this way those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust.

3 As for myself, I do not care if I am judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself.

4 I know of no wrong I have done, but this does not make me right before the Lord. The Lord is the One who judges me.

5 So do not judge before the right time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light things that are now hidden in darkness, and will make known the secret purposes of people's hearts. Then God will praise each one of them.

6 Brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself as examples so you could learn through us the meaning of the saying, "Follow only what is written in the Scriptures." Then you will not be more proud of one person than another.

7 Who says you are better than others? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why do you brag as if you did not receive it as a gift?

8 You think you already have everything you need. You think you are rich. You think you have become kings without us. I wish you really were kings so we could be kings together with you.

9 But it seems to me that God has put us apostles in last place, like those sentenced to die. We are like a show for the whole world to see -- angels and people.

10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are very wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You receive honor, but we are shamed.

11 Even to this very hour we do not have enough to eat or drink or to wear. We are often beaten, and we have no homes in which to live.

12 We work hard with our own hands for our food. When people curse us, we bless them. When they hurt us, we put up with it.

13 When they tell evil lies about us, we speak nice words about them. Even today, we are treated as though we were the garbage of the world -- the filth of the earth.

14 I am not trying to make you feel ashamed. I am writing this to give you a warning as my own dear children.

15 For though you may have ten thousand teachers in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Through the Good News I became your father in Christ Jesus,

16 so I beg you, please follow my example.

17 That is why I am sending to you Timothy, my son in the Lord. I love Timothy, and he is faithful. He will help you remember my way of life in Christ Jesus, just as I teach it in all the churches everywhere.

18 Some of you have become proud, thinking that I will not come to you again.

19 But I will come to you very soon if the Lord wishes. Then I will know what the proud ones do, not what they say,

20 because the kingdom of God is present not in talk but in power.

21 Which do you want: that I come to you with punishment or with love and gentleness?