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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.

For a Christian Life

O  Christ, you came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly,
grant me, throughout this day, power in my love,
strength in my humility,
purity in my zeal,
kindness in my laughter,
and your peace in my heart at all times.

J. L. Cowie

To Be Led by God’s Gifts

Heavenly Father, for the words of faith shared in devotionals, from the pulpit, in the sanctuary, in prayer, in song, that color my life so rich: I give thanks, and pray that they will enrich my journey of faith, sharing a bit of grace with other earlier saints.

For the sacrifice, the example, the gift of your Son; who came to earth and lived among us, who gave us words to guide us, who infused the law with Spirit and taught us the beauty of change within our hearts; for the loving way Christ showed us, I give thanks, and pray that His words may lead me to live life as your servant, as your disciple, today and forever.

by Mason Barge

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.

Psalm 90:1-2 (NKJV)

Genesis 24:50-54(ESV)

The Story of Abraham [47] - Rebekah

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken.”

When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.

And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there.

Notes on the Scripture

ethuel, Rebekah's father, speaks for the first time along with her brother Laban. Laban has been acting with the authority so far; this is quite unusual and we might infer that Bethuel has become feeble. But Bethuel is present along with Laban for the official consent, to give his blessing. And oddly, they do not say “It is the will of the Lord, we agree”; rather, because it is the will of the Lord, they simply obey, offering no other opinion. And Abraham's servant bows, not to them, but to God.

But Abraham will treat them properly. In most civilizations, money trades hands between families at the time of a marriage, although, rather weirdly, it is sometimes the groom's parents who pay a bride price to the bride's, and sometimes the other way around (most notably, in India, where dowry was so important that a law forbidding it was passed in 1961). We have seen before that the custom in the Middle East at this time was for the bride to be bought, so Abraham gives costly items to Rebekah's mother and brother. He also pays a sizable amount to Rebekah herself. This is called “dower” and is surprisingly advanced for the day.

Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well,, by Nicolas Poussin 1648.

Daily Inspiration

“Sitting in the Dark”

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