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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.

Matins (Morning Prayer)

Word of God, as the Most High, our one hope,
Everlasting light of heaven and earth,
We break the silence of the peaceful night;
Saviour Divine, cast thine eyes upon us!

Pour on us the fire of thy mighty grace,
That all hell may flee at the sound of thy voice;
Banish the slumber of a weary soul,
That brings forgetfulness of thy laws!

O Christ, look with favour upon thy faithful people
Now gathered here to praise thee;
Receive their hymns offered to thy endless glory;
May they go forth filled with thy gifts.

~ “Cantique de Jean Racine”, adapted by MB

Prayer for The Unsaved

O  God, the everlasting Creator of all things, I pray for the souls of unbelievers, for they were made by you and formed in your image. Jesus, your Son, endured a most bitter death for their salvation. Permit not, I beseech you, Holy Lord, that your Son should be any longer despised by unbelievers, but accept the prayers of those who remember them and be mindful of your mercy. I pray you to forgive their idolatry and blasphemy, in the hopes that they too may some day know Him whom you have sent, the Lord Jesus Christ, that they may yet be redeemed and delivered, as was always the deep desire of your Son.

Meditation

[Do I love others as Christ did?]

Parting Prayer

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip me with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in me what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Mason Barge 5/2/2014

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 62:5-8 (NASB)

John 13:31-38 (ESV)

A New Commandment

hen he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Notes on the Scripture

John repeats certain concepts a number of times. Since he (and Christ) saw fit to repeat them, it is obviously worth reading them time and again.

The new theological matter in these verses is that Christ teaches a lesson so important that he calls it “a new commandment.” Christ did not often announce law; as he said repeatedly, he did not come as a lawgiver or judge during his time on earth, but as a savior. Here, however, he gives us a new commandment which is potentially contradictory to portions of the Mosaic law.

“Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Christ loved us enough to spend his entire life devoted to us. He did not have a family, a home, a career. He spent his entire life (so far as we know) devoted to the service of others. And, in the end, he suffered the pain of death for us.

Now he expects us to do the same. He didn‘t say that everyone had to give up their earthly life, as he did, in service to God; but he did command us to love one another “just as I have loved you.” This is an excellent subject of self-examination and prayer. Jesus thought it was important enough to tell us that it was a new commandment. It seems as if he means for us to give it special attention.

Girls’ Chorus, by Nikoly Bogdanov-Belsky, ca. 1910.

Daily Inspiration

“ Leave It With God ”

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