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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 Each New Morning

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
I thank thee.

(From a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Teach Me to Love

Oh holy Christ, your life was perfect in constancy. You have never failed those who loved you, for your love is eternal, perfect and unfailing. You never change, never weaken, never vary. Teach me the steadfastness of your love, mighty Savior. Teach me your humility, your selflessness. Teach me to be a devoted servant.

Look with grace, I pray, on my small and tarnished loving; protect it, foster it, strengthen it, that my love may be less unworthy to be offered to you and to your children. O Light of the world, teach me how to love.

Mason Barge adapted from traditional Catholic prayer 7/22/2015

Dedication

Oh Heavenly Father, in whom I live and move and have my being, I humbly pray you so to guide and govern me by your Holy Spirit, that in all the joys, occupations, and cares of this day I may never forget you, but remember that I am ever walking in your sight. In Christ’s name, I pray,

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 5:3-8 (NKJV)

Romans 8:12-17 (ESV)

Heirs with Christ

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Notes on the Scripture

nce we have received the Holy Spirit and accepted Christ into our hearts, how will we act? We will act differently. In what way? Paul tells us here that we will act, not like slaves who have no hope of freedom, but rather like heirs, who know that their servitude will come to an end when they receive their inheritance.

People who pander to their natural instincts are slaves to the flesh, with no hope of a better existence. They are marked by self-indulgence; it comes in many forms, but perhaps the worst is Pride, because it poisons them against learning.

We are born slaves to our pride; we are born slaves to anger; but today, Paul emphasizes that we are born slaves to fear. One great gift of the Spirit is hope; the more we accept the Spirit, the more our fearfulness is replaced by hope. As slaves of our mortal shell, we live in fear. But the spirit we have received is not the spirit of fear, it is the Spirit of hope, that is, faith that we will receive an inheritance of joy and eternal life.

So we must realize that we are not slaves, but family members. We are no more like the ungodly than a slave is like one of the children of the master of a house. So why do we act and feel like slaves? We should not.

Paul admits that Christians will suffer in life. The Spirit is not here to return us to Eden; we are not going to un-eat the apple; the serpent hasn’t died or gone away. If Christ suffered so much, we should not expect to be free of it. The point is, we no longer need to be slaves of our fear. Christ was able to face his crucifixion, because he had faith that it was temporary. (The words “Abba! Father!” are a reference to Christ’s words on the cross.)

The pain we feel from suffering is very different depending on our attitude. Picture someone lost in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but water on every horizon; now compare that to someone who has been lost at sea, but who sees an island in the distance. Both may feel terrible pain from the cold water, the salt water in their mouth and nose, their cramping muscles, the blazing sun; but how much less pain they feel, when they know that they are drifting toward an island with water, shade, and food!

Just so, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, the sufferings of life will not be so painful, because you know you are going to make it to God. When we know that there are better things ahead, we can handle whatever life throws at us.

The Temptation of Christ (detail) by Duccio, ca. 1310. The first inklings of Renaissance painting can be seen in Duccio's work, some of which dates to the 1200s.

Daily Inspiration

“Lawbreakers”

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