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Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

To Walk in the Spirit Today

Holy God, in the daily journey from sunrise to sunset, remind me always of your holy presence hovering near, both within me to guide me, and surrounding me to protect me. Free me from shame and self-doubt; and help me, and all of my fellow believers, to see the myriad opportunities to walk our path in the courage, honesty, and wisdom inspired by your Holy Spirit.

Mason Barge 7/5/2014

For Those in Financial Difficulty

Lord God, I remember and pray for all those suffering severe financial problems; the unemployed, the homeless, the bankrupt, the hungry, and those in desperate fear of such problems; people who are deep in debt, not to be able to pay bills, who are losing or have lost possessions to foreclosure, or who have to watch their dependents go without things they need. I open my heart to them. I pray that your Holy Spirit will be with them, that they find comfort in utter trust and faith in you, and that their anxieties be alleviated by certainty of your love. And if it is your will, I pray that they can find a way out of their difficulties, into financial stability.

And finally, I pray that I not close my eyes to them; and that I not judge those in pain, however they might have acted; but instead, that I might love them as your have loved me, despite my faults. And if it is your will, that I might do what I can to ease their pain. In the name of Christ, who loved us so perfectly, I pray,

by Mason Barge

Meditation

“God’s words are not for me to edit and tinker with, but to believe and obey.”

~ A. W. Tozer

Benediction

Now to him who by his power within us is able to do far more than we ever dare to ask or imagine — to him be glory in the Church through Jesus Christ for ever and ever,

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Psalm 71:19-24 (NKJV)

Judith 3 (NABRE)

Holofernes Lays Waste to Lebanon

o they sent messengers to him to sue for peace in these words: “We, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the great king, lie prostrate before you; do with us as you will. See, our dwellings and all our land and every wheat field, our flocks and herds, and all our encampments are at your disposal; make use of them as you please. Our cities and their inhabitants are also at your service; come and deal with them as you see fit.”

After the spokesmen had reached Holofernes and given him this message, he went down with his forces to the seacoast, stationed garrisons in the fortified cities, and took selected men from them as auxiliaries. The people of these cities and all the inhabitants of the countryside received him with garlands and dancing to the sound of timbrels. But he devastated their whole territory and cut down their sacred groves, for he was allowed to destroy all the gods of the land, so that every nation might worship only Nebuchadnezzar, and all their tongues and tribes should invoke him as a god.

At length Holofernes reached Esdraelon in the neighborhood of Dothan, the approach to the main ridge of the Judean mountains; he set up his camp between Geba and Scythopolis, and stayed there a whole month to replenish all the supplies of his forces.

Notes on the Scripture

The plot begins to thicken. Nebuchadnezzar requires that all of the people whom he conquers worship him as their god; in most cases, if they refuse, he completely destroys their country. Holofernes has reached the northern area of Judea, home of the Hebrews, and we know that they are not going to fall down and worship .

It is a nice insight into the great lessons of the Old Testament to compare Nebuchadnezzar to David, who lived perhaps 500 years earlier. Compare the pride of Nebuchadnezzar, in the reading from Judith, to the selection from Psalm 71. We will see that David’s song—already ancient, as far removed from the Hebrews as the writings of the Renaissance are from us—retains its power. For the Assyrians worship their king, while the Hebrews worship the true and eternal God.

Daily Inspiration

“Disputable Matters”

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