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Daily Devotion for March 23, 2018
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.
Gordon Mote, who was born blind, gives thanks for his blessings. With Jason Crabb.
While the world looks upon me,
As I struggle along,
And they say I have nothing,
But they are so wrong,
In my heart I'm rejoicing,
How I wish they could see,
Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me!
Refrain:
There's a roof up above me,
And I've a good place to sleep,
There's food on my table,
And shoes on my feet,
You gave me Your Love Lord,
And a fine family,
Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me!
I know I'm not weathly,
And these clothes are not new,
And I don't have much money,
But Lord I have You!
And to me thats all that matters,
Though the world may not see,
Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me!
Music and Lyrics by Gordon Mote
Prayer for the Morning
Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray.
For Faith
Almighty Christ, let me look into that place beyond space and time where you dwell, from where you came and to which you will return. Let me look to you and be saved: Beyond material things, beyond the insistent desires of my flesh, beyond the reach of Satan.
Give me the faith that can save me from despair, the faith that will dissolve my worry and care, the faith that can bring peace beyond all understanding. Let me move every day towards absolute faith in you, for there lies the strength I need to follow you without reservation. Let me find, every day, more and more faith, that I may have an ever-renewing vitality and power, and live in the conviction that you and only you can and will take care of me, forever.
Parting Prayer
Oh Lord as I face creation
Let me see with eyes made clear
By Your promise of salvation,
Never to return to fear.
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 Bible verse tells us that there comes a point where we should stop trying to preach the Gospel to those who don’t want to hear it?
Psalm 146:8-10 (New Living Translation)
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!
John 1:14-18 (NKJV)
The Word Becomes Flesh
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Notes on the Scripture
he first sentence is one of the most profound and touching sentences in the Bible. It speaks the great truth that separates Christians from all other religious beliefs; realizing this is the entry point for Christianity: God became a man and lived right in our midst. We — or more accurately, those who lived during that short period of time — could actually see and touch the Son of God. He was a man and he was God. No person before and none after has been filled completely with grace and truth.
Imagine that you are in a jet 35,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean and there is a huge storm. The pilot and copilot are killed, the radio has been knocked out by lightning, and the automatic pilot is starting to malfunction. This is the terror we would feel, in life, if we really could appreciate the hell to come after our death. We are powerless to stop our destruction.
Suddenly there is a man making his way towards the front of the aircraft. “Excuse me,” he says, “I’m the airline’s chief pilot and I need to get to the cockpit.” Looking at him would be something like seeing Christ. You would suddenly realize, this man is filled with the knowledge we need to live. He is the best qualified pilot in the world for this aircraft. If we want to live, all we need to do is to trust him and do what he tells us. We are saved.
Of course, the analogy is completely inadequate to describe the grace of Christ. He would have to die in pain that we might live in the next world. So why don’t people fall over themselves to do exactly as Christ teaches us? Possibly, in part, because we don’t feel the imminence of our destruction. And yet, death can come at any time. Few people wake up and think, “I am going to die today.” And yet they do. We must be always ready to meet our God; it is only a matter of time, and how much time, we never know.
