Daily Devotion for January 19, 2017
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.
Without hope walked the shell of a man;
Then a hand with a nailprint stretched downward,
Just one touch then a new life began.
Chorus:
And the old rugged cross made the difference
In a life bound for heartache and defeat;
I will praise Him forever and ever
For the cross made the difference for me.
Barren walls echoed harshness and anger
Little feet run in terror to hide;
Now those walls ring with love, warmth and laughter,
Since the giver of life moved inside.
There's a room filled with sad, ashen faces
Without hope death has wrapped them in gloom;
But at the side of a saint there's rejoicing,
For life can't be sealed in a tomb.
Music and Lyrics by Bill and Gloria Gaither
For a New Day
Lord, the newness of this day
Calls me to an untried way;
Let me gladly take the road,
Give me strength to bear my load.
Thou my guide and helper be —
I will travel through with Thee.
Penitential Prayer
My Lord God, creator of all that is, king of all who live, mighty in power and abundant in love beyond human imagination; I enter your presence in the sorrow of my sins against you, confessing all that I have done against your holy Word. I have offended you; I have harmed my neighbor; I have harmed myself. My attempts to hide my sin from others and to rationalize it to myself are futile: For you know all things.
I admit the sin I have tried to hide. And where I still cannot admit it, I ask your Holy Spirit to show it to me. I confess and deeply repent the heartbreak, worry, and sorrow I have caused to you, to others, to myself.
Forgive me for all of my sin, merciful God, through the mystery of salvation, by your grace that came through your only Son, Jesus Christ. From the bottom of my heart, I swear my love for Him. He is my Lord and my Savior, and I cast myself utterly upon your mercy in His name.
Parting Prayer
O good shepherd, seek me out, and bring me home to your fold again. Deal favourably with me according to your good pleasure, until I may dwell in your house all the days of my life, and praise you forever and ever with them that are there.
(Additional prayers may be found at Prayers for All Occasions.)
God be with you 'til we meet again.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
What verse tells us that Jesus set aside His divine power until His death?
True Blindness
“You might as well try to see without eyes, hear without ears, or breathe without lungs, as to try to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit.”
~ D. L. Moody
Galatians 5:22-23 (Daily Prayer Bible)
Fruits of the Spirit - Self-Control (Galatians #83)
22-23 The Spirit, on the other hand, produces fruit: . . . self-control . . . . In this, the Law and the Spirit agree, because the Law does not forbid such things.
DP Parallel Bible (3-Column) - Galatians 5
Notes on the Scripture
The last of the attributes listed by Paul as fruits of the spirit is “self-control.” Unlike some of the other terms we have studied, most translators agree that the English word “self-control” perfectly describes Paul’s meaning. A fair minority of Bibles, most notably the King James Version, translates the work “temperance,” and one or two, “chastity.”
“Temperance,” in the general sense, is not a bad translation of the term, but in more modern times (and especially in the 20th century), termperance came to refer, specifically, to alcohol. The powerful Women's Christian Temperance Union dedicated itself to elimination all drinking of alcohol and even suceeded it making it illegal in the United States for 13 years. And chastity clearly refers to sexual conduct; in Modern English it connotes total abstinence.
ut while alcohol abuse and sex are two stars in the world of persistent temptation, and often intransigent due to their addictive nature, we can see the beneficial effects of self-control and moderation in innumerable areas of human behavior. The tem generally applies more to normal parts of life. Unlike murder, theft, or adultery, sex and alcohol are not evil in and of themselves. Christ blessed wine, for his apostles to drink, at the last supper, and of course He made six vats of wine for the wedding party at Cana. Eating good food, spending or saving money, feeling satisfaction at one’s work: these are normal human activities that we enjoy without guilt or sin.
In this realm, it is not the activity that transgresses God’s will, but our attitude toward it. We might look at the external conduct, and say that hording and spending absurd amounts of money, buying excessively expensive or unnecessary luxuries, becoming full of pride at a promotion at work, or wolfing down giant helpings of chile fries or chocolate, is where we cross from blessed behavior to sin. But one of Christ’s great messages was the intention of our heart, as the wellspring of our conduct.
When the Spirit is allowed to give us self-control, it changes our heart to a point that we no longer want sinful excess. He empowers us to control our drives and channel them in the range God intended us to use them. Sometimes, transmitting the desire — say, the desire of an alcoholic not to abuse alcohol — can inolve an extensive program of spritual growth. We might need others’ help. But lacking self-control in any of the myriad areas, where some people seem to lack a self-governing mechanism by nature, is a trial.
The loose woman, the grossly obese man, the avaricious banker: these are not Satanic sinners. They are people to whom God has given a special trial. They are afflicted, and like all of us, they are given a tribulation to help them find God. They are taught that they must have the Holy Spirit, for in most cases, such afflictions often cannot be overcome by human power.
