Daily Readings for Thursday, 12 February 2015

Daily Readings for Thursday, 12 February 2015
Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It isn’t good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him.” 19-20 So the Lord took some soil and made animals and birds. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give each of them. Then the man named the tame animals and the birds and the wild animals. That’s how they got their names.
None of these was the right kind of partner for the man. 21 So the Lord God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man’s ribs. Then after closing the man’s side, 22 the Lord made a woman out of the rib.
The Lord God brought her to the man, 23 and the man exclaimed,
“Here is someone like me!
She is part of my body,
    my own flesh and bones.
She came from me, a man.
    So I will name her Woman!”[a]
24 That’s why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.
25 Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.[Footnotes:
2.23 a man. . . Woman: In Hebrew the words “man” and “woman” are similar.]
Psalm 128: (A song for worship.)
The Lord Rewards His Faithful People
1 The Lord will bless you
    if you respect him
    and obey his laws.
2 Your fields will produce,
    and you will be happy
    and all will go well.
3 Your wife will be as fruitful
    as a grapevine,
and just as an olive tree
    is rich with olives,
    your home will be rich
    with healthy children.
4 That is how the Lord will bless
    everyone who respects him.
5 I pray that the Lord
    will bless you from Zion
    and let Jerusalem prosper
    as long as you live.
Mark 7: A Woman’s Faith
24 Jesus left and went to the region near the city of Tyre, where he stayed in someone’s home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And right away she came and knelt down at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said, “The children must first be fed! It isn’t right to take away their food and feed it to dogs.”[a]
28 The woman replied, “Lord, even dogs eat the crumbs that children drop from the table.”
29 Jesus answered, “That’s true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.[Footnotes:
7.27 feed it to dogs: The Jewish people often referred to Gentiles as dogs.]

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