Daily Devotion for September 28, 2010
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.
Our Saturday Oldie features the golden voice of “Gentleman” Jim Reeves.
Just like a lamb that has strayed from the fold.
Across the barren waste of sin I roam.
Oh gentle shepherd hear my cry and lead me home.
The hours go by on frightened wings of flight,
While wolves of hell are waiting for the night.
You claim the soul that wandered from the fold.
Oh gentle shepherd hear my cry and save my soul.
Oh gentle shepherd hear my lonely cry,
And in Thy cool green pastures let me lie.
Beside the still clear waters lead Thou me,
Oh gentle shepherd safe forever more with Thee.
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 Protection of Body and Soul
Heavenly Father, I give you thanks for the protection you give me. You protect my body from the mighty forces of the universe that would kill me in an instant, with your good earth you have freely given me. You sustain my life with air, food, water, the shining sun and the gentle rain, the rich earth that grows my food. You protect my body from disease and trauma by the miracle of healing and the wonders of science.
Most of all, I thank you for preserving me from evil, the preservation of my soul; for the enemies of my soul abound on this earth, and often, I would do the damage myself. I pray that I have wisdom sufficient to allow you to do your will, and enter me, and protect my soul from dangers within and without by your infinite power. Let me put on your armor every day, and with your help and the forgiving grace of my savior, Jesus Christ, be kept pure, so that I may one day come before you in perfect joy.
In the name of the same Jesus Christ, I pray,
Benediction
Oh God who has made me, oh God who keeps me, oh God who will be my Lord through all eternity, shine down Your blessings and wisdom upon me like the sun upon a field; and may I keep You in the forefront of my every thought and deed, throughout this day, and evermore.
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 go and “make disciples of all nations”?
What Does God Look Like?
There is an eye that never sleeps
beneath the wing of night.
There is an ear that never shuts
when sink the beams of light.
There is an arm that never tires
when human strength gives way.
There is a love that never fails
when earthly loves decay.
That eye unseen o’er watcheth all;
that arm upholds the sky.
That ear doth hear the sparrow’s call;
that love is ever nigh.
~ James C. Wallace
Romans 8:9-11 (ESV)
Life in the Spirit
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Notes on the Scripture
he Holy Spirit was sent by the prayers of Christ to his faithful, so that we might have a living presence to guide us and comfort us in our life. Most Christians use baptism as a symbol of this, for the Spirit is not external to us, but lives with us, inside of us.
God dwells within us, once we believe in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. Christ left the earth, but God did not leave the world devoid of his presence. As long as one human being truly believes in Christ, God is on the earth.
Whether or not we listen to him is another matter. The voice of the Spirit is very soft and is easy to drown out with emotion, self-righteousness, and pride. The Spirit lives within us, but is not us; we are not gods. But if we follow Christ, he will lead us out of the death we seem determined to inflict upon ourselves; if we can hear the Spirit and do not drown out God’s voice our with our thoughts, he will lead us to truth, and life.
