Psalm 107:1-3

Book V

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
²Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story-
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

---

Psalm 107:33-43

³³He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
³⁶there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
³⁷They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
³⁸he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
³⁹Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
⁴⁰he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
⁴¹But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
⁴²The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
⁴³Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.

---

Numbers 11:16-23

¹⁶The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you.¹⁷I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.¹⁸"Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it.

¹⁹You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days,²⁰but for a whole month-until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it-because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"

²¹But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!'²²Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?"²³The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

---

Numbers 11:31-32

³¹Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day's walk in any direction. ³²All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.

---

Ephesians 4:17-24

Instructions for Christian Living

¹⁷So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.¹⁹Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

²⁰That, however, is not the way of life you learned²¹when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds;²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Psalm 107:1-3

Book V

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
²Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story-
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

---

Psalm 107:33-43

³³He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
³⁶there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
³⁷They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
³⁸he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
³⁹Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
⁴⁰he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
⁴¹But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
⁴²The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
⁴³Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.

---

Deuteronomy 8

Do Not Forget the Lord

¹Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.²Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.³He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

⁴Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.⁵Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.⁶Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land-a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;⁸a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;

⁹a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.¹⁰When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.¹¹Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.¹²Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,¹³and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,¹⁴then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹⁵He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.¹⁶He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.¹⁷You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."¹⁸But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.¹⁹If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.²⁰Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

---

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.²⁸And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?³¹Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Love Is Indispensable
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

Psalm 107:1-3

Book V

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
²Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story-
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

---

Psalm 107:33-43

³³He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
³⁶there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
³⁷They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
³⁸he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
³⁹Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
⁴⁰he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
⁴¹But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
⁴²The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
⁴³Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.

---

Isaiah 55:1-9

Invitation to the Thirsty

¹"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
²Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
⁴See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor."
⁶Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
⁷Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
⁸"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the Lord.
⁹"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

---

Mark 8:1-10

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

¹During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said,²"I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.³If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance." ⁴His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" ⁵"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. ⁶He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so.⁷They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.⁸The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.⁹About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away,¹⁰he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Psalm 34:1-8

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

¹I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
²I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

---

1 Samuel 28:20-25

²⁰Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. There was no strength left in him, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.²¹When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to.²²Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."

²³He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.²⁴The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she quickly killed. She took some flour and kneaded it, and baked bread without yeast.

²⁵Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

---

Romans 15:1-6

¹We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.²Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.³For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."

⁴For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.⁵May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,⁶so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 34:1-8

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

¹I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
²I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

---

2 Samuel 17:15-29

¹⁵Then Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar the priests, "Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so.¹⁶Now send a message immediately and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.'"

¹⁷Jonathan and Ahimelek were staying at En Rogel. A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David. Because they could not risk being seen entering the city,¹⁸a boy saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left quickly and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.¹⁹His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well, and scattered grain on it. No one knew anything about it.

²⁰When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, "Where are Ahithophel and Jonathan?" The woman answered them, "They have gone over the brook." So they searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.²¹After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, "Set out and cross the river immediately. Ahithophel has advised such and such against you."²²So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.²³When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb.

Absalom's Death
²⁴David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.²⁵Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.²⁶The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.²⁷When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim²⁸brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils,²⁹honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cow's milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness."

---

Galatians 6:1-10

Doing Good to All

¹Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.²Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.³If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.⁴Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,⁵for each one should carry their own load.⁶Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.⁸Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Psalm 34:1-8

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

¹I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
²I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

---

1 Kings 2:1-9

David's Charge to Solomon

¹When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.²"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man,³and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go,⁴and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.'

⁵"Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me-what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.⁶Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

⁷"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.⁸"And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: 'I will not put you to death by the sword.'

⁹But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood."

---

Matthew 7:7-11

Ask, Seek, Knock

⁷"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.⁹"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?¹¹"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Psalm 34:1-8

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

¹I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
²I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

---

1 Kings 19:4-8

⁴While he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, he came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."⁵Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."⁶He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."⁸So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

---

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.²⁶"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold.²⁸Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

¹Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children²and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

---

John 6:35

³⁵Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

---

John 6:41-51

⁴¹At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said,"I am the bread that came down from heaven."⁴²They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"⁴³"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.⁴⁴"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.⁴⁶No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.⁴⁷Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.⁴⁸I am the bread of life.⁴⁹Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.⁵⁰But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."