Daily Devotion for May 20, 2019
Prayers
Scripture
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.
Kirk Franklin, who wrote this stirring inspirational song, is joined by a gaggle of popular artists including Mary J. Blige, Bono, The Family, R. Kelly, and Crystal Lewis.
This is for that little child with no father
For that man that doesn't have a place to stay
For that little boy living with AIDS
Can I tell you a story, tell you a story
You can lean on me
There's a man
Standing on the corner
He has no home
He has no food
And his blue skies are gone
Can't you hear him cryin' out
And there's a girl
Searching for a father and a friend
Praying that the storm someday will end
But instead of walking away
Open up your heart and say
Refrain:
I am here
You don't have to worry
I can see your tears
I'll be there in a hurry when you call
Friends are there to catch you when you fall
I'm your friend and I'll catch you when, when, when you fall
Here's my shoulder, you can lean on me
Oh, there's a child
Who is sick and begging to be free
But there is no cure for his disease
He looks up to his mother and
As she holds his hand
Prayin' that someday
The sun will shine again
And the pain?
And the pain will end
Pain will end....Come on
Tell me, how can I, how can I love Jesus
When I've never seen His face?
Yeah, I see you dying
And I turn and walk away.
So hold my hand
Let me take you to a friend of mine
He's waiting just to ease your troubled mind
Yeah, yeah, He loves you more than you'll ever know
'Stead of walking away
Open up your heart and say
Come on . . .
Music and Lyrics by Kirk Franklin
For Joy Among the Children of God
Heavenly Father, you take no pleasure in wickedness and evil has no place in your kingdom; the boastful will not stand in your sight. You hate all the workers of evil. You destroy those who lie and defraud; you abhor the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
Bless me that I will not be among them, for I would come into your house in the multitude of your mercy. In fear of you and in the hope of mercy, I worship you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness. Make Your way straight before my face. Let all those rejoice who put their trust in you; let them shout for joy, because you defend them; those who love your name, grant them mercy and joy.
And evermore let your word spread throughout the world, and make me your servant in this task. In Christ’s name, I pray,
For Those Who Protect Us
Almighty God, I commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women who put themselves in danger for our protection. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Meditation
[Every day of our life is a second chance.]
Benediction
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; Make me perfect in every good work to do your will, working in me that which is well pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory 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.
Proverbs 11:5 (ESV)
The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
Acts 16:11-15 (ESV)
Paul’s Second Journey
The Conversion of Lydia
o, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Notes on the Scripture
The authorship of the Acts of the Apostles has never been definitively established, although a man named Luke, who is probably Luke the Evangelist, is the most popular choice. In the previous verses, we see a switch from third to first person; that is, the writer says “we made a direct voyage to Samothrace,” but in verse 8 he writes “they went down to Troas.”
The change occurs in Troas, and there are two leading theories about it. First, there is evidence that Luke was from Troas, and if so, we might imagine that he just joined the party. However, we are sure that Timothy joined the group in Troas. So in this passage, we might be reading the travel diary of Timothy himself!
The names of the places visited on Paul's second journey are becoming downright confusing by now. In broad terms, today’s passage recounts that Paul and his troupe sailed from Turkey to northern Greece. It was a trip of 150 miles in a rickety wooden ship. (See Map of Paul’s Second Journey.)
Note the city of Philippi. It is the church founded here to which Paul will later write the long letter that will become part of the New Testament, the Epistle to the Philippians.
There is not room in this short daily devotional to write about Lydia. If you want to read more about her, there is a comment in the Daily Devotion Blog devoted to this wonderful woman of the Bible.
