Daily Pause

Mark 14:12-26 12  On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 16  The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 17  When evening came, Jesus arrived with the...

Mark 14:1-11 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.  2  “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” 3  While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensi...

Luke 19:37-48 37  When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38  “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[ b ]“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40...

Matthew 15:21-28 21  Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  22  A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23  Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24  He answered, “I...

Luke 7:36-47    36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.  37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.  38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then sh...

1 Peter 2:8-10 9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  10  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Psalm 51:10-17 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation  and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14  Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are...

1 Peter 2:4-8 4  As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—  5  you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[ a ] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  6  For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion,    a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who tr...

2 Corinthians 3:12-13 & 16-18  12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.  16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who w...

Hebrews 10:19-23 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to clea...

Matthew 27:50-54 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to...

Hebrews 4:14-1614  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that...

Psalm 139:1-4 & 23-24 1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive...

Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is...

Psalm 65:1-8 What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you, 2  for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you. 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. 4 What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple. 5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesom...

Psalm 42:4-5, 8-11 The Living Bible 4-5 Take courage, my soul! Do you remember those times (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord? Why then be downcast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope in God! I shall yet praise him again. Yes, I shall again praise him for his help…8 Yet day by day the Lord also pou...

Luke 11:33-36 The Message No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It is put on a lamp stand, so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. 34 Your eye is a lamp, lighting up you whole body. If you  live wide-eyed in wonder and belief , your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. 35 Keep your eyes open, your...

Isaiah 29:13-14  The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. 14 Therefore, once more will I astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Psalm 107:1-9 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;    his love endures forever. 2  Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3  those he gathered from the lands,    from east and west, from north and south.[ a ] 4  Some wandered in desert wastelands,    finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5  They were hungry and thirsty,    and...

John 6:29-35 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[ c ]” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the...

Psalm 84  How lovely is your dwelling place,    Lord Almighty! 2  My soul yearns, even faints,    for the courts of the Lord;  my heart and my flesh cry out     for the living God. 4  Blessed are those who dwell in your house;    they are ever praising you.[ c ] 5  Blessed are those whose strength is in you,    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 7  They go from strength to strength,    till each...

John 4:8-18   9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[ a ]) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the...

Psalm 42    As the deer pants for streams of water,    so my soul pants for you, my God. 2  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.    When can I go and meet with God? 4  These things I remember    as I pour out my soul:  how I used to go to the house of God     under the protection of the Mighty One[ d ] with shouts of joy and praise    among the festive throng. 5  Why, my soul, are you down...

Psalm 34 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2  I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3  Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. 4  I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5  Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6  This poor man called, and the L...

Luke 17:11-19 11  Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  12  As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance  13  and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14  When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15  One of them, wh...