Daily Readings - 08/05/2026

^15:22 Then the apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known as Barsabbas and Silas,[*f] both leading men in the brotherhood,

^15:23 and gave them this letter to take with them: ‘The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.

^15:24 We hear that some of our members have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted without any authority from us;

^15:25 and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect

^15:26 who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

^15:27 Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter.

^15:28 It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials:

^15:29 you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.’

^15:30 The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter.

^15:31 The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.

^57:1 Take pity on me, God, take pity on me, in you my soul takes shelter; I take shelter in the shadow of your wings until the destroying storm is over.

^57:2 I call on God the Most High, on God who has done everything for me:

^57:3 to send from heaven and save me, to check the people harrying me, (pause) may God send his faithfulness and love.

^57:4 I lie surrounded by lions greedy for human prey, their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharp sword.

^57:5 Rise high above the heavens, God, let your glory be over the earth!

^57:6 They laid a net where I was walking when I was bowed with care; they dug a pitfall for me but fell into it themselves! (Pause)

^57:7 My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready; I mean to sing and play for you,

^57:8 awake, my muse, awake, lyre and harp, I mean to wake the Dawn!

^57:9 Lord, I mean to thank you among the peoples; to play music to you among the nations;

^57:10 your love is high as heaven, your faithfulness as the clouds.

^57:11 Rise high above the heavens, God, let your glory be over the earth!

^15:12 This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.

^15:13 A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.

^15:14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you.

^15:15 I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.

^15:16 You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name.

^15:17 What I command you is to love one another.