Daily Devotion for October 18, 2009
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.
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.
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Community of Prayer
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.
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.
Gospel of Matthew 13:1-23
The Parable of the Sower
On that day Jesus left the house and sat by the seashore. Great multitudes had gathered to hear him, so he sat in a boat, while the crowd stood on the beach. And he spoke to them in parables.
"A farmer went out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came and ate them. Others landed on rocky patches. They sprang up quickly, because they had no deep soil. When the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no roots, they withered away.
Ohers landed among weeds; and the weeds grew up and choked them. And others landed on the good earth, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
He that has ears, let him hear. . . . Hear the parable of the sower.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the wayside.
And he that was sown upon the rocky ground, this is he who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy. But because he does not have roots in himself, he only endures for a while; and when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he stumbles.
And he that was sown among the weeds, this is he who hears the word. But the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, chokes the word, and he becomes fruitless.
But he that was sown upon the good earth, this is he who hears the word and understands it. He truly bears fruit, and produces more than was sown, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
