Daily Devotion for October 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.
Few people realize that this song was written in Zulu in the 1920s, and may have been traditional before then. The original name was Mbubu (lion). This song has a special religious significance in South Africa. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
To Be Purified
Oh loving God, who laid the foundations of the earth amid the singing of the morning stars and the joyous shouts of the sons of God: Life my little life into your gladness. Out of you, as out of an overflowing fountain of love, wells forth eternally a stream of blessing upon every creature you have made.
Oh, then, help me to glorify you by striving to be like you. Make me as pure and good as you are. May I be a partaker of the Divine Nature, so that all that is truly human within me may be deepened, purified, and strengthened. And so may I be a witness for you, a light of the world, reflecting your radiance to all I meet.
Thanksgiving to the Eternal Father
I give thanks to you, all-powerful and eternal God of truth, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of heaven and earth, of humanity and all creatures, Sustainer of all things, Giver of all life, order, and wisdom, unfailing Source of help; And to your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, your Word and eternal image; And to your Holy Spirit, with whom you endowed the apostles at Pentecost and have brought to comfort all who confess the name of Jesus the Christ, until his coming again.
I give thanks to you, O God of holiness, and truth, and wisdom and goodness, justice and mercy, purity and loving-kindness, for with goodness and wisdom unmatched you revealed yourself to us, sending your Son into the world, humbling Himself to be emptied of His divine form to become truly human, a slave and a servant to us, and a sacrifice for our salvation.
I give thanks to you, Mighty God, for gathering your eternal church, for guarding the ministry of your Word, for granting your Holy Spirit, and for the gift of everlasting life. I thank you, O God, because you have given us all good things, because you alleviate the chastisement we justly deserve, because you bestow upon us all the blessings of soul and body we enjoy. To you be all glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving, forever and ever.
Dedication
Lord, in utter humility I thank you and glorify you, that you might hear the prayer of one so small as myself, amidst the billions of souls among billions of stars in one of billions of galaxies in your universe. Let me go forth in your peace, keeping your Spirit always in my mind; and bless me, I pray, that I might always follow your will and live in the radiance of your blessing.
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.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
What verse tells us to follow what is in the Bible, and not the thoughts in our heads?
Answer: Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;”
Psalm 98:8 (NKJV)
Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy;
Let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Ruth 1:8-15 (NKJV)
The Story of Ruth (part 2)
[Naomi is a Hebrew widow, living in the foreign land of Moab with two Moabite daughters-in-law, who are also widowed.]
Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: may the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband.
If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.
And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And Naomi said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
Notes on the Scripture
aomi clearly has a strong bond with the two Moabite women her sons had married. When she decides to return to Judah, it is a difficult and emotional break. But although Naomi will be better off in Judah, where the famine has ended and she will be considered a part of her deceased husband's family, the two Moabite women will be better off in Moab.
Naomi has to point out to them that they have much better prospects in Moab. Since they are Moabite by birth, they might be able to find husbands in their native land. Their only hope of finding husbands in Judah would be Naomi, but Naomi has no husband; and even if she had a husband, she is past the age of childbearing; and, even if she had a husband that very night and could conceive sons, the two women would not be able to wait twenty years to marry them.
So they have a tearful realization. Orpah returns to her people, and Naomi tells Ruth to follow Orpah, her sister.
