Daily Devotion for June 17, 2014

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.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the holy One, is here;
come bow before him now
with reverence and fear
in him no sin is found
we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the holy One, is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire,
with splendour he is crowned:
how awesome is the sight
our radiant king of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place:
he comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister his grace -
no work too hard for him.
In faith receive from him.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
Music and Lyrics by Aled Jones
Prayer of Submission
Dear Lord, I give you my hands to do your work; I give you my feet to go your way; I give you my eyes to see as you see; I give you my tongue to speak your words; I give you my mind that you may think in me; I give you my spirit that you may pray in me. Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in me. I give you my whole self, Lord, that you may grow in me, so that it is you who lives, works and prays in me.
For Married Persons
Father God, you have consecrated the state of matrimony between men and women to represent the spiritual marriage and unity between Christ and his church. Look with mercy, I pray you, upon those who are married, that they may love, honor, and cherish each other, and so live together in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their home may be a haven of blessing and of peace for them. Let your Holy Spirit dwell with them, and guide them from pride and selfishness, and into the spirit of service for one another, and any children they might care for, as Christ humbled himself to serve us. This I ask in Jesus' name,
Meditation
[Guide me from pride and selfishness in my relationships with others.]
Closing Prayer
And finally, grant me O Lord, I pray, the lamp of charity which never fails, that it may burn in me and shed its light on those around me, and that by its brightness I may share a vision of that holy City, where dwells the true and never-failing Light, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 12:15 (ESV)
But he who is wise heeds the counsel of others.

Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 (RSV - Catholic)
Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding,
And one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.
Notes on the Scripture
One aspect of great poetry is that an explanation of it can never equal it. This passage is perfectly clear, beautiful, and uplifting. The best comment one could make on this passage is to say, “read it again, read it slowly, and think about every word.”
The Book of Wisdom is part of the Protestant Apocrypha, but is canonical in Catholic and Orthodox churches. Very few Protestant Bibles include these books any more, largely, one suspects, just as a matter of sheer size. Some of these books have little to offer to anyone except the serious Bible scholar, but several, especially the poetic books such as Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, are a major loss.

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